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Well adventure started with our 07 MacGregor 26 M sv Inspiration. We decided to see if we wanted to move up to a liveaboard boat so we have spent about 200 days a year for the last 2.5 years and now our Mac is for sail because we bought a 01 34 foot Gemini 105MC catamaran with 3 state rooms named hull-NINO (were already changing the name to sv WE BE JAMMIN as it's a Coust Guard documented sailing vessal). hull-Nino was in San Diego and were located on the Columbia River in eastern WA so : We flew down to San Diego and had a survey done and did a test sail the next day and bought it the next day and went about working with our NW Multi-Hull rep Mathew our of Banbridge island WA getting transportation to Portland OR, It would be 5 days untill the title was done but I could live on the boat but could not move it KEWL ( it was in Mission Bay marina newr Pacific Beach. I had a week and half untill the moving truck would be there to pick it up so I called a buddy from home (Gabby an old archery hunting buddy) who happenes to own a Gemini cat in FLA and he flew down and we sailed to Catalina Island and 2 Harbors for the Latt's and Att's crusers party a pre-party to the BAHA HA HA cruse. We crused back to San Diego where we pulled out at Driscoll's boat yard in Mission Bay and our job was to build the 8- 14 ft beams with 2" x 12" 's and deck screws and WM epoxy ( the 2 beams worked great ) I flew home and loaded our crusing stuff and headed the 200 miles West to Portland and Schooner Creek boat yard. I was not suprised when some of the newer bottom paint flaked off from setting on the beams so it was arranged to paint just the affected spots before launching and I traveled home to pick up my wife and return to Portland on a Friday by train so we would not have a car left there. Well the train schedule was board at 5:30 am and arrive at 9:30 am but we boarded at 9:30 or 10:00 am and arrived at 2:30 pm. When we got there the boat was already in the water and the mast was stepped BUT upon futher inspection when we put the boom and sails on the hallards were woven thru the shrouds and spreaders and the spreaders were winged up about 15 deg's but not all the same and the roller furrler for the jib was on backwards but by that time the crew had left for the weekend and it was Wed the next week to straighten out the mess. We left to go up river on Wed afternoon ---

Part 2 of our trip: Traveling up the Columbia river in Nov is beautiful with the fall colors. The wind on the second day got to be 39Kt's on the nose with a 5 kt current and we turned back a couple miles for a couple of days before heading for Bonniville Dam and our first 100 ft locks ( smooth sailing and were on our first lake, after a couple days and another lock we got faivirable winds of 25 to 30 mph and with our main up only we were sailing at 10.2 kts against a 3 to 5 mph current with 5 to 6 mph wind swells running with us KEWL YES what a great feeling not to heal and just eat up and surf the big wind waves when our wind gusts were above 35mph. After all 4 dams and locks were finally home just in time for the DEEP FREEZE with snow,ice and 0 deg F weather but were doing fine with 2 30amp power chords and 5 heaters. Were still living aboard and plan to sublet our own apt in the complex I own about 3 miles away. If things go good this winter we will sail down to the Pacific and north up the WA coast to the Salish sea next summer for a visit.

I did learn how to change the motor sea water cooling rubber inpellar and change disal's oil. Some moorages had power for heat and some we used a propane heater at night. We will be installing an hydronic heating system as soon as we get rid of Inspiration.

This trip was GREAT and we plan on going thru the dan's locks regularly on our first lock we were a little nervious but by the 4th one we were eating warmed up pizza while going up.

Bubba
We met this August in Blind Bay in the San Juans. Kind of a shame to part with Inspiration after all the work you've done but sounds like you've already fallen for your new boat. Best of luck and I'll have to keep an eye out for We BE JAMMIN when I'm in the Salish Sea next summer

Sounds like a sweet boat but with a Mac you could have just towed it home.

That would have been too easy towing it home although they are trailers built with moble home wheels and frames so a one ton truck can pull one out for maintance but that's in FLA where the boat launchies are flatter.

Good to hear from you and your not frozen,up in BC It was great to talk to you this summer and hope to see you next year in the San Juan islands.

I really like the Gemini 105. I have a friend who has one in MDR and that thing really sails.

Good Luck!

Rick

pokerrick1 wrote:I really like the Gemini 105. I have a friend who has one in MDR and that thing really sails.

Good Luck!

Thanks and we could not beleve how comfortable they are when sailing, my wife the soon to have her Captin's licence was baking cookies while were sailing at 8 to 9 kts just on the 150% genoa . We do have a 200% screacher on it's roller furller on a curved track the full width of the bow and it has 420 sq ft ( no kidding 420 ) in light air under 15 mph it is a blast up wind ( pulled to the leward hull and flattened with the leward centerboard down ) it can carve up wind with the best and pulled to the other side to go off the breeze like an A-symetrical sail on the furrler. When we were sailing from John Day locks with the main sail only doing a top GPS speed of 10.2 kts in 25 to 30 mph breeze mostly off our aft, I could eat my sandwitch and set on the bar stool we use as the captins chair, it was like driving a Humvey on a smooth gravel road, it looked wild but felt smooth. Getting used to look for 20+ mph breezes to have fun in is really easy.