Maybe we got a wild idea, maybe is was a bit hairbrained, but I don't think we'll ever regret it.

It began because we have enjoyed our little 30' 1939 sloop so much we wanted more, and while Nancy hadn't done any offshore sailing, I had previously sailed up and down the California coast and sailed to Alaska up the Inside Passage. We both enjoy Mexico, especially Baja, so we bagan looking for another boat. The plan was to find a bigger boat, sell Sea Witch and begin to take more time off.

With Nancy looking on the web for about 6 months, we found a 50' 1967 John Alden-designed Cheoy Lee ketch at Chula Vista Marina in San Diego. We purchased her in Fall of 2004 and took possesion on election day, November 4, 2005. At that time, it seemed like the country was going down hill fast and this was our escape pod. The idea still appeals to us.

Our intention was to make this a many-year adventure that involves seeing coral reefs and mangrove forests before they're gone. And they're going fast, with the world's coral reefs estimated to be 60% gone by 2010! And when we finally did get to coral reefs in Baja, there were actually folks there protecting them, coming out to warm us not to anchor close.

We hauled the boat in Chula Vista for an inspection. That's a $400 bill for an hour, by the way. This is a BIG boat (at least for us), 50' and 34,000lbs. It's not the 50' so much, but it's displacement in the water is huge - at least it felt like it to us. Check out the size of the guy doing the pressure wash.

She carries 200 gallons of water with a 28gph watermaker and 200 gallons of fuel. That's all stuff that really matters when you're living on a boat.

An 85hp Perkins diesel and lots of good equipment already aboard make her pretty much ready to go - at least we thought so.

We had looked for months for a boat like this, each time coming up empty-handed to the point of frustration. Then thanks to the Internet, here came Ave Maria. The owner brought her over to the local yard for the inspection haul out. This shot shows her with her sun covers on the cabin.

Then came a test sail. Chula Vista is so far from the real ocean that it took a half a day just to get out to open water. Here we are sailing just north of the Mexican border and getting to know the boat.

Those islands ahead are in Mexico waters, where we hope to be heading soon.

Cheoy Lee always built wonderful teak interiors, using their own Burma teak they cut themselves. It's all pretty much original stuff down below. That's Rolf, former owner there, cleaning out some of his stuff. He took great care of this old gal, and we intended to do the same.

Nancy at the helm under power with sails down.

A big cockpit just made for sunny tropic living will make this a good home for us.

Now if we could just find the time to enjoy it.

Cockpit wheel and binnacle looking towards the stern - typical Cheoy Lee stuff. Good high weather cloths around the cockpit made for a dry boat.

Galley area, with hot/cold water and a new propane three-burner stove.

For us, this galley was luxury we're never had aboard any of our boats. There was even a 'wine cellar' beneath the teak cabin sole.

Teak closets and drawers in the library and navigation area. She also has a nice sized shower (rare on sail boats). You can see we were already in love this ol' gal.

Red staysail set on a beam reach.

It took awhile to figure this sail out, and when we did we realized the former guy had it hung all wrong - actually made the boat go backwards the way he flew it. We finally caught on when we studied an original 1967 boating magazine with a photo ad for the boat.

Salon table folds out to seat six in comfort. You can probably guess that this was the 'in love with the boat' time. It soon changed! We returned home for some business, but soon returned to San Diego.

This photo came from the Cheoy Lee Association website. It's from the original brochure for the boat. And nothing's really changed.