1971
Tradewinds/Marine Trader
Classic
33 ft. Sedan Trawler, Hull #001 |
La Parguera,
where dolphins often play around the bay
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Hola,
and welcome! Ken and I were live-aboards from 1997 until 2009. We'd decided we had enough of the rat race and
needed a significant change. Our mid-life crisis had begun! We quit our day jobs
in Oregon, sold most of our belongings, put the rest into storage, and purchased
a 33 foot trawler in Florida. At the time I knew absolutely nothing about boating
other than what I'd seen in the movies and Ken's experience was limited, but a
true 'salty dog' took us under his wing and showed us the ropes. After
provisioning and studying charts for a month we headed South, with no particular
destination in mind other than vaguely aiming for the U.S. Virgin Islands. One day along the voyage a fierce storm appeared out of nowhere and Ken said to
me, "We've got to get out of this - what's nearby?" The closest sanctuary
was a place called La Parguera, a tranquil seaside village on the southwest coast
of Puerto Rico. We initially thought we would just stop for a few days, pick up
a some supplies and continue on, but days turned into weeks, then months, and eventually years.. Ken
opened a kite-and-flag shop, and I pursued my hobby of painting, eventually becoming
a certified P.R. artesan and lauching my second career.
A lot of
people ask,"So what's the boat like? " Let's start off with
the technical stuff. |
Specs
Fiberglass Hull #001
Wood Cabin
Length: 33'
Beam: 11' 9"
Draft: 2' 10"
Engine: Ford Lehman 120 HP
300 gallon diesel capacity
75 gallon water capacity
15 gal. water tank w/separate pump
Dual Station
Mahogany Interior
Teak Trim
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Equipment
Wind Generator
Inverter 800 watt
Inverter 3500/6000 watt
Link 10 Battery Monitor
Electric head
Cybernet 4 Station Hailer
Standard VHF
Datamarine Total Distance
Datamarine Depth Sounder/Alarm
Datamarine Chart Link
Raytheon Color Echo Sounder
Apelco Sat Nav
Robertson Auto Pilot
4 bilge pumps(3 automatic; 1 manual emergency)
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Comforts
of Home
Norcold Upright Fridge/Freezer AC/DC
Electric Oven/Range
Microwave
Color TV/VCR AC/DC
DVD player AC/DC
House and Flybridge built-in stereo
system
Air Conditioning 15,000 BTU
Swim Platform with Swim Ladder
Canvas Window Covers
Bimini - Flybridge
Bimini - Lazarette
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A
great place to curl up with a good book, or relax after a hard day's snorkeling.
It's also where I paint, but I won't dare show my 'studio' in action. |
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Lots
of seating room |
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This
couch slides out to create a double bed for guests.
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The wind generator supplied most of our power. The second drive station was up on the flybridge. |
The Flybridge, or roof. It's a great space for sunbathing, or it could be enclosed
to make another room. The tower holds the wind generator and outdoor lights. |
We preferred to cook outside, and use one of those tailgate barbeques. It's sitting
on a dock box (another great storage container). |
It was a fabulous 12 years. Puerto Rico,
which as a Commonwealth is practically like being in another
state, at least concerning amenities (see the Tourism Department's
official website www.gotopuertorico.com)
is a great place to explore before heading further down
the Caribbean (the U.S. Virgin Islands are a hop-skip-and-jump).
Nothing
like a Caribbean sunset. |
There's
no getting around it. Any time of day, it's great to be on the water!! |
An early morning
visitor. |
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