Ahoy fellow sailor!

 S/V Northern Exposure has been a dream for us since we first met in 2011. Joe had been sailing since 1993 and have been here at Lake Erie since 2007. At the time we were sharing a boat with another sailor but were dreaming of owning our own. Our dream came through when we purchased our Catalina 30 on New Years Eve 2013.

When we purchased her, she had been sitting in a barn for over ten years. Her original owner purchased the boat in the Fall of 1979. From the looks of all the paperwork, he was a pretty serious sailor who had raced her in and around Bay City, MI. The boat was then purchased by a younger gentleman who was in the service and had dreams of getting the boat back on the water. Unfortunately his duties kept him out of the country for most of the year, and after a few years was forced to sell the boat to Skipper Buds in Bay City. This is where we found her.

After we purchased her we brought her to our home port of Sandusky Harbor Marina and set straight to work. Her cushions were removed, new foam and vinyl were purchased to make new ones. Her engine, which had been sitting for many years was cleaned and serviced. A crooked grin in the form of a Catalina Smile was ground out, keel bolts were tightened, and epoxy and fiberglass were applied. Most of the required equipment and accessories were missing from the boat and were purchased new. After many months of sweat, splinters and elbow grease, she was launched again for the first time in over ten years.

Because of her location in relation to our home in southern Ohio (and as an homage to Krista’s Canadian citizenship) we rechristened her Northern Exposure. And after our first inaugural sail almost a month later we had fallen for her completely.

In addition to being our own home on the water, she also served an important role as a backdrop to our wedding at Kelley’s Island in August of 2014. It was really special to share our love of sailing and Lake Erie with our friends and family, and we thought nothing would ever separate us from our labor of love…

That is, until we heard a tiny heartbeat.

With the upcoming arrival of our first child, we faced the realization that our love of sailing will have to take a back seat for the next couple of years; and rather than Northern Exposure once again falling into a state of neglect, we have decided that it’s best to pass the adventure along. We will always have a spot in our heart for Northern Exposure and hope that she’ll find a spot in yours. So won’t you take up the charge and continue our dream?

Fair winds and following seas,

 

-Joe & Krista