Reality Check

There's a saying that the two happiest days in a boat owners life are the day they buy a boat, and the day they sell it. Nope, not for me! We've had so many wonderful times aboard Reality Check, but since Stephen hasn't been able to be on the boat since his mobility has been limited to a wheelchair, we had to sell her. It's a bittersweet parting. I'm happy that she's going to a great new owner, and I'm nostalgic for all the times we've had aboard her. Sail on, Reality Check. I've loved you boat sweet boat.

Can you believe we've owned Reality Check since January 1987? That's 31 years!

I always knew the day would come when we sell Reality Check, but I didn't really expect it to be 2018.

Steve was diagnosed with cancer the beginning of 2017 and for all of 2017 we hoped he would be able to get back on the boat. But complications from the immunotherapy treatments have have left him with damage to the nerve cell fibers in the spine (called Transverse Myelitis). There isn't any coming back from the damage and Steve can't get aboard, so our beloved sailboat is for sale.

We've made a lot of wonderful memories aboard Reality Check, and I've had lots of projects! I plan on keeping the RealityCheck.me website up for quite some time, I've had tons of fun writing about the projects and appreciate hearing from the many, many people that the articles and how-to's have helped.

We're listing her with a broker within the next day or two as we get on with the next phase of life's adventures.... Happy sailing everyone!

Reality Check, Rebecca Snyder and Stephen Rosenbaum Catalina 36 sailing

Something you can do anywhere, and you should whenever you see gunk in the bowl of the water separator

I inspected our flares...Rats! Expired again. Sure I could buy yet another pack of flares cheaper than an Electronic Flare, but the idea of never buying flares again really appealed to me. This electronic Flare meets Coast Guard requirements and flashes an SOS signal visible up to 10 nm. The old flares? Backup of course, I've got lots of them. Lots.

Sheaves on blocks deteriorate over time, and the micro block sheave on the flag halyard is no exception. Replacing with a new micro block sounds simple right?

Original configuration: 42 Gallons total, 17 gallons under the back starboard berth, 25 gallons in the tank under the back cabin berth. I added a 40 gallon Avon bladder tank

Haul out time again...

Great weekend to be sailing in San Diego!

Great day sailing in San Diego today, Santa Ana winds were nice and mild in the harbor, just a reef on the roller furling

Before spending $$ on a new cylinder pump assembly for the Groco HF Marine head, thought I'd try to seal the crack in the cylinder with an epoxy. Yep, the $8.00 J-B WaterWeld did the job, no leaks.

...Perhaps not the day for sailing...