Installing a Solar Panel System

Solar-Panels-Featured

I read a lot of articles from solar component manufacturers and other boaters on how to plan and design a solar energy system for our sail boat. Our goal was to see how close we could get to being self-sufficient at anchor with just solar power without sacrificing all the comforts we enjoy at the […]

Kingbird Family

Kingbirds4

A pair of Eastern Kingbirds nested on the pulpit of a friend’s sailboat, which was not in much use this spring/summer. At first glance I thought the nest appeared awfully exposed-but closer inspection revealed that the pulpit seat shielded the nest from sun, rain, and sky-based predators, and the railing around the boat’s bow provided […]

Worton Creek

Worton-Creek-Featured

After many hot, muggy, humid airless days, relieved only by the occasional thunderstorm, the weather finally moderated, and we took advantage of the cooler temps and breeze and took off for Worton Creek. As the wind was NE and right on our nose, we motored there. Being a weekday, we saw relatively few other pleasure […]

Magazine Rack

Magazine-Rack-Featured

We wanted a low profile magazine rack that wouldn’t protrude too much from the wall it was mounted on and also blend in nicely with the teak interior of the IP420.

Spice Rack

Spice-Rack

There is a perfect place for a spice rack in the IP420 galley under the companion way and against the wall separating the galley from the aft cabin. This custom rack can hold 16 large spice jars and displays three nice nautical themes on the side which faces into the main part of the cabin.

Sea Chest

Sea-Chest

You know that place at home where you put your wallet and keys and loose change and other small but important stuff? This beautiful sea chest is perfect for that and also makes for a very interesting conversation piece.

Trash Bins

Trash-Bin

The space around the toilets in each of the heads in our boat does not lend itself to a typical home sized bathroom trash bin. What we needed was a “skinny” enough bin to fit in the small space between the toilet and the wall, but tall enough to overcome the lack of volume from […]

Toilets, Hoses, Smells

Toilets-Featured

When we took possession of our boat, it was equipped with two manual toilets with which you pumped the waste into either an on-board holding tank, which periodically had to be pumped out, or overboard. The overboard option for untreated sewage is only legal if you are far enough offshore (3 miles). Both toilets functioned […]

Decorative Plaque

Plaque

When we bought the boat, there was a hole cut out of the base of the starboard settee that appeared to once house a stereo speaker. We needed something to cover the hole, and asked Paula’s dad to be imaginative. The result is a lovely little plaque with both a compass rose theme as well […]