So, we did this thing…

Let me introduce you to Dumbledore.

No, we didn’t get a pet. We bought another boat. 

Say what?! 

No, we haven’t ditched Indigo Lady. She’s still in the Bahamas waiting for us to return in January. We still plan to cruise on her through the Caribbean for several years to come. We’re just going to shorten our Caribbean cruising season and spend a couple of months each year cruising New England waters. There’s a story here, of course. There’s always a story. So I’ll tell you the story first, then get back to introducing you to Dumbledore.

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while know I do not enjoy being in the hurricane belt during hurricane season, at least from July onward. I’ve given it the old college try. We cruised the Florida Keys from late July through early September 2020. Isaias missed us by about 30 nm the first week of August before we even left the marina and later the same month we ran up to North Miami waiting for Tropical Storm Laura to decide her path. This past summer we were in the Bahamas through mid-August. We were lucky to only have to concern ourselves with Fred. We buttoned up Lady and flew back to the States the day before Fred threatened. Fortunately, he ended up not being much of a threat to Bahamas and tracked further south instead. We were lucky on all counts, but how long can that luck last? 

From July onward I perseverate on the weather. When are tropical WAVES coming off South Africa? Will they become storms? Will they come our way? My stress level creeps up as summer progresses. Yes, we have the knowledge and gear we need to secure Lady and ourselves should a tropical storm/hurricane hit. I just don’t ever want to have to use that knowledge or gear. I don’t need or want that kind of stress. I’d rather just not be there. Thus our purchase of Dumbledore.

When Dave and I first started dating, I knew he had a plan to sell his house and live on a boat in the Caribbean. Before we were even engaged, I assured him there was no way I was living on a boat all year. I wanted to be home from September through New Year’s Day because I’m a homebody and I want that time to spend with family and friends. The first concession to his dream was that we would only cruise from early January through August. Then I started learning about cruising and the reality of hurricane season. On our drive home from Florida this past August, I knew I couldn’t do another July and August in the hurricane belt, but I also didn’t want to ask Dave to shave another two months a year off his dream. So I hatched a plan. Hoping our investments were still doing well, just after we got home this year I brought up the idea of buying a smaller boat, more like a pop-up camper with slide-outs, for cruising New England waters. Dave liked the idea so much he started looking for boats right away. Now we own Dumbledore. Dave still gets 8 months of cruising each year, two of them will be in home waters, and I don’t have to spend July & August stressed in the hurricane belt. Win-win!

Dumbledore is a 1979 36-foot Marine Trader. He has a comfortable, rectangular salon/galley with an indoor forward helm station next to a sliding door to the starboard gunwhale, an L-shaped seating area with under-seat storage around a table with two drop leaves, a fridge/freezer, and a four-burner propane stove with oven. There is decent counter space for food prep and a coffee pot, and lots of cabinet storage for a boat this size. The prior owners installed a second freezer in a storage locker in the aft companionway. This was an important addition because the other tiny one doesn’t keep ice cream frozen. Mmmm…ice cream. They also installed three shelves above the freezer. Hello pantry! 

The aft cabin is the main sleeping cabin with a full sized bed against the starboard wall, a small hanging locker, an L-shaped built in desk with drawers and cabinets galore (for a boat, anyway), and a head with tub- shower. Okay, the tub is a bit silly as one would have to sit with their knees up to their nose to use it, but the important thing is that the shower is confined to the tub area and has a real shower head, unlike on Lady where the whole head is also the shower. There is also a forward v-berth with the equivalent of two twin beds, its own head, drawers and hanging locker. We can have guests and they will be comfortable! 

Then there’s the fly bridge with second helm station. This will be our outdoor living space. Dumbledore came with a bimini frame, but no bimini. We are considering installing a hard roof and some solar panels next season and that will give us the shade we will want up there. There are two comfortable navigator and copilot seats plus two comfortable bench seats with under seat storage, and a few folding chairs. There’s also a small propane grill up there. 

Dumbledore came with lots of goodies: an 8-foot inflatable dinghy with 5hp Honda motor and a really nice dinghy davit system, a recently installed water maker, two water tanks totaling about 100 gallons, AC/heat, holding tanks that can be pumped out or overboard, a VHF radio, depth finder (although that stopped working the other day), a Ford Lehman 120hp Diesel engine, two fuel tanks for 150 gallons of fuel, 21 lead acid batteries (group 27 size), a diesel powered generator to charge the batteries and run the house load, bow and stern thrusters, a bow speed bulb, and autopilot (which needs a new part). Plus the prior owners left fenders, boat hooks, lines, etc. Bonanza! We will be adding a chart plotter and radar, plus a hard roof and solar panels, as I mentioned before.

He’s old and needs a little bit of work, but we knew we could use him right from the get go regardless. We also knew the work that needs doing is not going to be costly and Dave can do it himself. We’ve already spent one night aboard out at Gosport Harbor and will squeak in another night or two before we have him hauled in late October. Dumbledore is big enough, comfortable enough and has enough goodies onboard for us to live comfortably on him for a month or two at at time while we cruise anywhere from Maine to Rhode Island, perhaps even as far as Long Island. 

The pictures below are from the day we took possession of Dumbledore and moved him to our floating dock. Next season I’ll post pictures once we have him all tidied up and decorated.