And so ends the year, and the decade...

[DesertAlbin736]

2019, the last year of the "teens" decade of the 21st Century, heading into the '20s, the third decade of the century. As we look back on the year now nearly passed, by rough count appears 52 new members (New Member Introduction page) joined AOG this year. What were your best boat improvement and cruising memories from this year?

For us in 2019 we completed a much needed re-painting project of the topside decks, cabin tops, & wheelhouse, replaced the plexi windows on the ends of the fore and aft cabin trunks, repainted the bottom with Petit Hydrocoat ECO paint, did a major weld repair/upgrade job on the frame of our aluminum trailer. Cruising wise, we returned to Washington State, a round trip road distance of nearly 3,200 miles, launching from Blaine on the Canadian border to cruise the San Juans & Gulf Islands in the Pacific Northwest for the fourth time in six years. We attended our 2nd Albineers of BC rendezvous in Ladysmith on Vancouver Island, once again meeting up with Dave (dkirsop), Ives (ssrig), and Rick (WillieC), along with several other Albin 25 owners. Eight A25's including us showed up, we being the only ones bringing our boat up from the States. Rick (WillieC) made the extraordinary effort of arriving by car from Seattle, taking the ferry over to Vancouver Island just to attend the meet up. This year's cruise included many of the stops we'd already been to several times before, but some new ones too, including Van Isle marina in Tsehum Harbour near Sidney, Sidney Spit marine park anchorage on Sidney Island just a mile or so from Sidney, and Brentwood Bay and Tod Inlet near the head of Sannich Inlet which separates the Saanich Peninsula from the rest of Vancouver Island. While anchored at Tod Inlet we dinghied over to Butchart Gardens, spending a Saturday there plus the evening concert and fireworks show they put on each Saturday during the summer season.

We didn't do much on our home waters, Lake Pleasant in Arizona, this year, only going out three times from February to May for sailing club events, and none since returning from Washington in early August. In all we put 85 hours on our engine this year.

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[jleonard]

2019 was an ok year for AA. Started off with a starter rebuild and new starter cables. Then 2 new batteries. Just typical stuff really.
We didn't cruise all that much, just going to some of the local areas.
One biggie is that we finally found and solved a leak that we had been chasing for 3 years.
2020 will be a strange one as I plan on doing some projects to get the boat ready to sell. Will put it on the market and see how it goes.
We have been boating 30 years and it's time to give it up for something different.

[Plastikosmd]

Bought my first Albin (31te) 2019

[jcollins]

by rough count appears 52 new members (New Member Introduction page) joined AOG this year.

Your rough count is very close. There were 59 users joined this year with posts 1 or more. The interesting thing is there are 544 new registrations. So, 90% join, poke around, but never post. Some join so they can view photos in the For Sale forum. Others join, sign up for the daily digest and follow the posts that way. Many join and lurk. They stop in a few times a week just to see what's going on. We have quite a few that have been active for many years, yet never posted.

We have not cruised much for the last two years. Both of us have some health issues that slowed us down. Now that I have a contract on Afterglow, I'm thinking a trawler may be in my future. It's hard to say. A great deal on a 31 or 35 TE could sway me.

[DCatSea]

2019 was a pretty decent one for Mazboot and her hearty crew. Nothing serious went pear-shaped (although a burned out bilge pump nearly changed all that - now firmly solved). Did manage to bash off my nice oak mast going under a bridge at very high tide (DUH!); not much damage though, the breakoff worked as planned.

Loads of family visits from UK and Australia meant quite a bit of local running, probably to be repeated this year with grandson and friend, and more CA family coming over. Looking forward to this, and to changing the contract with the fish, to perhaps be more in my favor.

Was able to report multiple dolphin sightings off Chesapeake Beach; planted millions of oyster spat via the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Oyster Recovery program; ate my share of oysters (not millions), and almost broke a tooth off on a pearl in one of them. Bought another kayak so the Commodore can join me up the creek but with a paddle, she'll use my SOT and I'll be in the new-ish one.

Big job this year is getting the electrics redone by someone who knows what they are doing (I'll be providing "labor" and watching carefully) and also moving to a new home port, still in Deale but a bit more social, what ever that means.

Might get a dog - looking at Nova Scotia Duck Tollers, preferably a rescue. They apparently do well in the water, like boats and have Labrador temperaments (but in a smaller frame).

Hope all Albineers have a SAFE and HAPPY 2020, (and wear lifejackets).

[Nancy]

John! Congratulations on the Afterglow contract!

[Carl]

Congrats John, hope it works out for both of you. Is Afterglow staying in the Chesapeake?

[Pitou]

Yes John, congrats on having a contract on Afterglow and best to you and Sharon. Our boating time has been restrained the last couple of years too as I'm battling Lyme disease and a couple of coinfections accompanied with vertigo .. makes boating tough at times.

2019 brought the 5 year bottom sanding and 2 coats of Interlux Micron Extra, all head hoses replaced with Trident 102 or Raritan Saniflex for the short tight bends, all duck bills replaced too, new seawater pump for the generator along with all new seawater & exhaust hose.

I had an exhaust leak at the turbo flange on the engine from years of corrosion from an exhaust heat blanket originally being over the flange to wet elbow that would get wet when washing the pilot house deck above. I had a stainless riser with hardcoat heat tape fabricated by Marine Exhaust Systems out of Ft. Pierce, FL in 2015 resolving the cause, but corrosion never sleeps and finally had its way and I had to replace the turbo in July.

Fast forward for 2020 and I am starting a seawater service next weekend of the engine and generator. Aftercooler, gear cooler, oil cooler and heat exchanger are coming off for routine servicing. While everything is off I'll do some routine paint touch ups on the engine as well as replace the coolant hoses running to the water heater and its return.

The heat exchanger is coming off of the Northern Lights generator for servicing and I'll replace the original cast exhaust elbow with stainless .. it's due, 13 years and roughly 735 hours.

Getting started early as we would like to be in the water and squared away to head south to Plymouth for the return sail of the Mayflower on May 21st after a 3 year refit at Mystic Seaport. It should be a good kickoff to boating 2020!

[jcollins]

Congrats John, hope it works out for both of you. Is Afterglow staying in the Chesapeake?

Thanks everyone. The new owner is in Florida. I don't know if he joined AOG yet.

[RobS]

First this -

2020 will be a strange one as I plan on doing some projects to get the boat ready to sell. Will put it on the market and see how it goes.

And now this -

Now that I have a contract on Afterglow, I'm thinking a trawler may be in my future.

What a co-inky-dink........ !

All the best to you and Sharon John.