On August 29, 2012 I took delivery of my 1974 Grampian 26 sailboat. She's a good old girl, but has been sitting neglected on the hard for about 4 years.

Here she is about to come off of the cradle - getting ready to take the plunge!

Well, we threw her in the water, and she floats! Leaked a bit through her stuffing box, but she soon took up and only had the desired wee drip there. (She has an inboard Atomic 4 gas engine)

This was quite a moment for me - seeing her keel hit the water. It marks the true beginning of what is to become a labour of love.

This is where it all really begins - the life, the work, the pride, and the enjoyment.

At this point in time, the only thing I knew for sure that was absolutely required to do was to get the motor running... but, well, she's a decades-old boat, so there was bound to be a few more surprises in store for me!