What's in her name?

What's in her name (Salish Aire)?

Salish
from her new home the Salish Sea

Aire as in a melody of song.

Salish + Aire = The melody of the Salish Sea.

Salish Sea:
In the late 1700's Captain George Vancouver wandered around the waters of what are now known as British Columbia, Canada and Washington State, USA. He did the usual 1700's explorer thing and put names he chose on everything he saw. The names stuck and are recognized and used to this day.

New lines were added to Captain Vancouver's charts in 1872 (after a near war with Great Britain over a pig) which made waters on one side of the line Canadian and those on the other side of the line American.

It wasn't until 1988 (officiated in 2009) that someone finally realized that fish and various critters, (to say nothing of the water itself) were never involved in the boundary treaties and really ignored them completely. (This is best illustrated by the problems that Homeland Security has with Canadian Canada Geese and American Canadian Geese - it seems they refuse to carry passports and have been known to poop on the head of any border patrol person who tries to challenge their right to cross the border when and where they choose!) In reality the waters from Olympia to the well up the East side of Vancouver Island are pretty much one ecosystem.

The Coast Salish are the indigenous peoples who live in southwest British Columbia and northwest Washington state along the Salish Sea and share a common linguistic and cultural origin. The Salish Sea is named in honor of the earliest recorded peoples who plied her waters and learned to live in harmony with her.


Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Happy Anniversary!!

I just checked; We moved aboard Salish Aire on June 21, 2014 and today is June 23, 2015.  Happy First Anniversary as Live-Aboards!!!

As we get ready to take Salish Aire on our first long trip (well 3 weeks!) it might be a good time to look back to all we have done to bring her up to her current stage of readiness.   (When we bought the boat she was truly seaworthy but at 18 she was ready to have a good makeover.)

  • new LED lighting throughout the boat 
  • new stove/oven
  • new bilge pump
  • new carpet
  • new forward battery bank
  • aft battery bank moved to make more room in lazarette
  • main, wing, and generator engines oil and filters changed
  • all diesel filters changed
  • engine room floors changed out and painted
  • sea water screens cleaned, changed and new hoses as needed
  • black water tanks cleaned (yuck!)
  • engine room exhaust fans replaced and re-ducted
  • engine room blower fan rebuilt
  • main engine harmonic balancer replaced
  • main and wing engine coolant replaced
  • bottom painted
  • keel cooler cleaned and re-o ringed
  • seals replaced in hydraulic stabilizers
  • diesel furnace rebuild/repaired
  • hull polished and waxed
  • solar cells rewired where corroded
  • navigation systems reworked
  • pilot house roof painted
  • dingy motor replaced
  • dingy oar blades replaced
  • dock lines made from 3 strand nylon that came with the boat
  • air conditioning system controls replaced
  • washer/dryer replaced
  • head sink sump pump replaced (probably over powered but I was tired of cleaning the little original style pump every couple of weeks)
  • AIS installed
  • anchor chain cleaned, remarked and swapped end for end
  • Name added on stern and sides
  • hot water circulation for heating systems coolant replaced
  • leaking heater replaced (old unit repaired and put in stand by inventory)
  • gang plank added
  • plastic windows added around cockpit
  • mast winch / boom system reworked in preparation for using paravanes
  • adjusted valves on main engine
 And finally the systems we still have not touched:
  • Wing engine needs a good going over
  • need to go through generator engine
  • haven't even tried to start up water make yet (maybe on our upcoming trip)
  • haven't tried to deploy paravanes yet (again, maybe on our upcoming trip)
  • refinish brightwork that needs it

All I can say is that the year has gone quickly and brought us one year closer to retirement and the dream of weighing anchor for good.

No comments:

Post a Comment