While it may not be snowing in Charleston, things are definitely looking white aboard Illusion. Although we had some difficulty finding a few decent weather windows amidst all the rain, we finally managed to finish painting the non non-skid areas and put down two coats of non-skid on the rest of the deck last week. Unfortunately, it rained the entire day afterward, so we need to put an additional coat of paint on the non-skid areas to fix some slight discoloration from the water and we still need to prime and paint the cockpit. The latter will probably be up to me to finish while Brian is reassembling our Westerbeke 27. Which brings me to my next topic: our seized engine. Yep, that’s right, our engine gave up the ghost. How convenient that we should discover this little nugget of information just a week before we were heading down to Hilton Head. Well such is life, especially on a sailboat. So after a week of feeling down about it, we are attempting to walk the road to recovery or rebuilding in this case. I say we, but really it is just Brian, with the aid of our good friend Chuck. Despite yet another departure setback, there are several positive outcomes to look forward to. The first being that Brian is learning all about diesel engines. He is also specifically learning about our engine, exactly what and where the parts go, how they all work together, etc. This will come in handy if he ever needs to work on it or take it apart again. Secondly, he will know exactly what parts have been machined or replaced and that the engine in its entirety has been cleaned, thoroughly inspected, and is in working order. Lastly, rebuilding the engine is pretty much the cheapest, most reliable solution at the moment, so we are trying to embrace it. Anyway I am off to Raleigh to spend the weekend with my family. I’ll be back around the new year.
Hope everyone has a warm safe holiday!
Since Brian and I have reached the frustrating conclusion that we will not be leaving the dock (well without towing assistance) until at least January, I figured I may as well migrate something. Welcome to my new and improved blog, Forest and Fin! I had fun creating it. I haven’t been happy with my gallery page on Lara Neece Art for a long time, so I decided to separate my blog from my artist portfolio. I will still be keeping you all updated on my new works as they are created and/or posted on Lara Neece Art, but this way I will hopefully be able to get the gallery looking the way I want. If all goes well, I’ll have Lara Neece Art fully updated soon too.
south that is. Now that I am officially out of my studio (and it’s actually getting cold), I’m devoting my attention and labors towards the boat to help Brian get her ready to sail again. Right now, he is still sanding and painting the deck, but once that is done, we will need to put all the hardware back on, get the mainsail repaired, get the engine running smoothly, clean, and get organized. We’ll be heading to Hilton Head Island in a few weeks, where we will be able to get hauled out for a few last projects (such as replacing the sea cocks and installing a holding tank – fun right? – and having a mounting system built for the wind generator and solar panel). And then, once that is all finished, we will set sail and begin the great adventure of navigating our way to the FL Keys and on to Central America.
In the meantime, I have an announcement to make. I just delivered my wood panels and t-shirts for exhibition at the Filling Station Gallery in Bluffton, SC. Unfortunately, I don’t have a link for the gallery right now as they are currently revamping their website, but if you are living on or visiting Hilton Head Island please pop in and check it out. The gallery is located on Calhoun Street, and if you make it over there this weekend, you might even catch the Christmas parade.
You can check out the last two panels I finished up before I moved out of the studio last weekend. They are pictured below and are already up on the gallery page. I literally finished the big one the last night in between trips to load the car. I also spent several days printing t-shirts before I left my press and ink supplies at my parents’ house in VA over Thanksgiving. The Young family “sweatshop” helped me iron and take inventory in Hilton Head this week.  I’m contemplating selling some of them through the blog to help fund the trip. Anyone interested in buying a one-of-a-kind, hand-printed, Forest & Fin tee? The mens’ sea turtle design is printed on various color tees (but mainly blue and gray), and the womens’ osprey design is printed on two colors, black and teal fitted tees (designs pictured below). Please leave a comment or contact me if you are interested in purchasing one; if there is enough interest, I will look into setting something up.
Also, here are some pictures of the most recent panels and current boat project.
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In early 2009, I moved onto an old sailboat with my boyfriend, and I decided to become an artist. This blog chronicles the pursuit of my dreams, exploration, travel, and art.
Join me for the adventure!
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