We’re going to continue this blog and capture all of our sailing adventures. I will restructure the site so that we can have separate pages for each journey and boat-related project.

We plan to return to the south in a few years and cruise in something with a bit more room than our 35 footer. We don’t plan to part with Strathspey, so it might work out that we acquire a second boat for winter cruises in the south. In the meantime, Strathspey is back in the Great Lakes and getting close to the first haul-out/cleanup in over a year.

We found the Honda EU2000 to be just the right solution for those long stays in remote anchorages – or any time we were not at dock. We would typically run it for two hours just before dinner when it didn’t seem to bother anyone near us. These generators were very popular and we no more noisy than the wind generators that ran continuously on a lot of boats. When underway, we stored the generator in the starboard locker and the gas can stayed on deck tied to one of the port stanchions. Usually, the generator’s internal gas tank was empty, or nearly so when we stowed it. Regardless, we didn’t notice any fumes in the locker and we felt it was quite safe to keep it stowed below deck.
We ran the generator on the transom door where it might have been only 8 to 10 inches from the water. Being very close to the salt water, we noticed that the exposed metal parts (screws, muffler, etc.) became very rusty. Now it matches our Honda outboard motor. Both units will be restored over the coming winter as home projects, while Strathspey undergoes a major professional cleanup at Williams Marine.

Send us some info about your boat when you can.

Cheers,
Blair

Thanks for your extensive efforts to provide these archives of your voyage. We made the trip vicariously with you and appreciate your contribution to the joys and experiences of cruising. My wife Nancy and I have a Tartan 3700 that looks exactly like Strathspey sans the tan dodger. We have a navy blue dodger and bimini. We live and cruise on Cape Cod and have sailed many of the same locations that you described. One question I have is:Where did you store your Eu2000 when under way and where did you keep the gasoline for it?. We have the same generator but am nervous about keeping it on the boat.

All the best,

Nancy and Larry Venezia