Past four months and looking forward.
The last four months have come with moves, new jobs, new friends and a lot of new ideas. Otto and I are now in Blaine, WA. Tacoma was just not going to work out for us. Luckily enough we found a marina in Blaine that would take us right away. In another twist of fate the marina also had a job opening in a maintenance position. I feel especially fortunate for the opportunity as I was quite literally down to my last bit of funds. Turns out this quitting your awesome engineering job, buying a sailboat to live on and moving across the country business can be quite expensive. I would do it all again in a second.
The work here at the marina is far from glamorous but, it has its upsides. There is something to be said for a job that you can literally and figuratively clock out of at the end of the day. I don't take home the mental baggage and stress that I used to and that is very much appreciated. The marina is also giving me a great opportunity to complete work on Blue Starr. I am currently in the process of servicing all standing rigging and hope to start building two new masts within the next month. The goal is to be up and sailing on Blue Starr again come spring.
Great things continue to happen and my thoughts for the future have gained a lot of momentum. I have taken a lot of interest lately in the concept of carbon free shipping via sail. There are a couple of companies out there that I urge anyone who reads this to look into. Fair Transport Shipping and Trading, Timbercoast, Sailcargo Inc and a handful of others are part of an amazing like minded community that promotes clean shipping. My idea is to bring this concept to Puget Sound. As if owning one schooner was not already crazy I am contemplating the purchase of a second. There is a small schooner about the size of Blue Starr available in Seattle for a very small amount of money. The plan would be to gut the interior, build a cargo hold, remove the diesel engine, replace with an electric motor and begin shipping cargo and people to different ports around Puget Sound. The initial target cargo would be from the local breweries, wineries and produce farmers. The shipping business would be supplemented by sail training and charters. Starting small with the groundwork laid for rapid growth and one day we might say we have had a major impact in curving the current astronomical harm done by trans ocean shipping. I've started a gofund me for the purchase and refit of the vessel but can't bring myself to publicize it yet. A thorough business plan and website are in the works. If anyone is interested or has feedback I would love to discuss.