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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Bright Work


Knowing that the bright work on Talos was in need of attention and concerned that our attention may be diverted by the initial move and house hunting, we commissioned Terry Caddy at Yachtfitters to begin the process of refinishing all of the bright work. We advised Terry that we wanted to be as involved as possible with the project depending on our time and availability. When we arrived, the work was well under way. Even though we had other things on our mind (primarily finding a new home), we found time to work on the project and dove right in. Terry provided instruction and much needed guidance and before we realized it, we had taken over and were now committed to seeing the project thru to the end. It took several weeks of daily taping, sanding, buffing and applying coat after coat of varnish. The goal was to get about 6 coats of varnish on. The toughest part were areas where the previous varnish had failed and bare wood was exposed. These had to be brought down and then built back up. In the end, every inch of exposed teak was refinished and Talos looks absolutely beautiful. The challenge now, which we are both committed to is maintaining the finish on an annual and regular basis. The full canvas covers that cover the bright work will help keep it in prime condition as well.

The Move North to Seattle

The first adventure to write about was Paul's retirement from Toyota at the end of June. He had worked for Toyota for just under 33 years and it was simply time to move on.

In advance of his last day at work, we had sold our home in Danville, CA and had made plans to move the household goods to Seattle. While we look for a new home to buy, the plan is to live on Talos IV. The hope is that the transition will be relatively smooth and we can be in a new home within 60 to 90 days.

There were concerns about the cats and whether they would adapt to ship board living. To our surprise, Tia, who is usually very timid and reserved adapted immediately. She initially checked out the cockpit, but within a few days was on the bow and even making a few forays onto the dock.

Louie, the fearless orange boy was not too sure about boat life. Observing that the brightwork was in need of about 9 coats of marine varnish, Louie took up hiding under the comforter for the next 6 weeks until all varnishing was complete.


Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Ships Mascots



No crew is complete without the addition of a ships mascot. In this case mascots, Louie and Tia, our two cats. Both have adapted to life on board and have the run of the boat.

The Crew




The crew of Talos IV is the husband / wife team of Paul and Janet. We both learned to sail on the San Francisco Bay at Tradewinds Sailing School and Club. Over a period of about five years, we both have completed the various ASA classes through and including Advanced Coastal Cruising. Paul has gone on and has become a Sailing Instructor with certifications in Basic Keel Boat, Basic Coastal Cruising, Bareboat Charter and Coastal Navigation. Paul has taught a number of BKB classes at Tradewinds and is in the process of completing his USCG OUPV Captains License.

Paul is currently retired at the ripe old age of 55 from Toyota Motor Sales, after a 33 year long career. Moving forward, he will likely do some sail boat instruction as time permits, but will focus primarily on the many planned adventures of Talos IV.

Janet is also retired from a Nursing career that included public nursing in Portland, Oregon and an Allergy and Asthma Clinic in Northern California, as well as several other nursing jobs over the years. Prior to retiring, she was able to get certified as a Pollen and Mold counter, which she has now turned into a small business with three clients form California. The business will develop as she has time and desire to pursue it.