Molly 1979 Albin 36 Blog

After a night at anchor in Henderson Harbor, located at the south end of Henderson Bay, we departed for Sackets Harbor, an 8 nautical mile hop to the NE. On this day, like the other two travel days before, we were alone on the water under gray skies. But not for long. A Coast Guard response boat appeared ahead of us, sped past, then carved a quick arc and fell in pace alongside Molly. I'm not sure if everyone else's heart skipped a beat at the sight, but mine did. We've spent 15 years upgrading Ariel, our Cape Dory 36 sailboat, but our efforts aboard Molly, though focused on safety, weren't nearly as thorough. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Two Coast Guardsmen climbed aboard Molly and began a safety inspection. Fifteen minutes, or so, later and they were done. Molly passed with flying colors. In fact, one of the gentlemen commented that it was rare to find an older boat that was so well prepared and maintained. Our only deficiency was not having

Sailing legends Lin and Larry Pardey, who popularized the "go small, go now" mantra, understood that voyage prep is rarely ever finished and sometimes good enough is, and it's simply time to shove off. After installing a second holding tank, vacuum gauges for the fuel system, and getting the engines aligned and serviced, we decided that the remaining prep items could be finished underway. We (and Molly) were ready. We'd spent enough time at the dock tending to "one last project." Katlynn Marine had treated us well, helping us source parts, loaning us tools, even allowing us to stay on their docks free of charge for weeks after Molly's launch, so when it was time to go, I think we all felt a little like we were leaving home. Leila, my dad's GS pup, quickly adjusted to life aboard. The boys spent quality "bro" time together fishing, playing, working. Jake managed to catch scores of fish, among them this beautiful bass.