Altair – 1979 Pearson 31’
Obtained in January 2017, Altair is Rebecca’s third “free boat.” Used for bay racing by her original owner but moored untouched for 7 years by the second owner, she was in desperate need of TLC. A few weeks of sweat equity got the engine running and mold removed. Rebecca then undertook a year-long haulout to resolve extensive osmotic blistering and replace the running gear lost to galvanic corrosion before moving aboard and sailing the Chesapeake.
Chimera – 1985 Master Mariner Neptune 41’
Based on Jay R. Benford’s design 156 Quiet Bird, she is a cutter rigged double ender, an ocean cruising vessel designed to be a fast “modern” cruiser (in the 1980’s sense) whilst providing maximum crew comfort.
We were not in the market for a boat when introduced to Chimera in February 2020, but immediately fell in love with her lines and layout. Three weeks later we sailed her home from Jersey City, NJ to Solomons, MD. Within a year, we’d sold our houses and begun refitting the boat in preparation for full time cruising.
Follow our misadventures on YouTube and see why The Money Pit is recommended to us so often… “two weeks.”