Although we've been sailing for most of our lives, this journal applies only to our time aboard Cigano which started early in 2006.

January 2006
  Alex, our son and I first visited Cigano after a couple of months of emailing, looking at photos, telephoning, and a pre-survey walkthrough by our surveyor. Cigano (then Semper Fi) was tied up at the Port Aransas city harbor where her owner, Travis met us. Having already been aboard a Cabo Rico 38, we knew what to expect, but when we stepped aboard for the inspection we were instantly pleased. The sea trial was impressive, inspection satisfactory, and a purchase agreement was drafted pending survey and financing. We loved the way she felt and sailed. We flew home eager to share our opinions and photos and get things rolling. We have been painfully boatless for a year and a half.
-DN

February 2006
  Travis moved the boat to Island Moorings Marina where the channel was just dredged and could now accommodate Cigano's draft. Cigano remained in his slip while we sorted out the pre-purchase particulars. The survey arrived and the important things look good. I visited alone in February to familiarize myself with the boat and perform the proper de-naming and renaming ceremonies. While Janet (unfortunately chained to the office) recited the ceremonial verbiage over the phone, I stood on the foredeck pouring fine champagne into the sea. I then, according to tradition, enjoyed and shared a portion of the remainder.
  Meanwhile between our visits, Travis stopped by, checked things over, ran the engine weekly, and no doubt enjoyed a few minutes of relaxation onboard.
  . . . Why Cigano? First, It would not be proper for a non-Marine Corp veteran to captain a boat named Semper Fi, so we had to change. A unique but meaningful name is hard to find on a boat these days, but I thought perhaps I could find a good name in song lyrics. In some Brazilian music, I found the Portuguese word cigano which means gypsy. It is almost a unique boat name, pleasant sounding, easy to say over the VHF radio, and certainly meaningful to us as sailors. I ran it past the family, and also several natives from Brazil and Portugal, and all gave it the thumbs up.
-DN

April 2006
  After some days of fun, eating fresh shrimp, and cruising on the choppy Gulf of Mexico and the not-choppy Aransas and Corpus Christy Bays, we moved Cigano north to a yard in Rockport for hauling. Over two days we packed the contents of the boat and the spares from Travis's storage shed into a 16 foot truck then drove it all home to Minnesota. We left Cigano tied to a concrete seawall exposed to passing commercial fishing and other traffic near the mouth of an inlet right off the ICW. We bought an extra pile of fenders and hung them from every attachment point we could and offered an employee of the yard $$ to have a look each day for us.
-D&J

May 2006
  No damage during our absence. Through several days of dawn to late night work, I prepared the boat for trucking north to Minnesota. Hundreds of feet of foam sheeting, plastic wrap, duct tape, and other supplies were consumed. I don't relish the thought of going through that again but it did guarantee that things were done my way and that nothing was left to chance. Foam was tucked in to cushion every movable object still left onboard. Cliff (Cross Country Boat Transport) hauled the boat north while I flew home to rendezvous.
-DN
  After the inconsequential reception in Minnesota, we forwarded her to Siskiwit Bay Marina in Wisconsin where I arrived just in time for unloading. After the splash, we had frost on deck later in the weekend - a shock after the tropical south-Texas sun. Cigano sat idle in the slip for a while while we reassembled & stepped the mast & rig and unpacked and reloaded tons of gear. Our son Alex joined us for reassembly work. Our planned maiden voyage on Lake Superior was postponed due to engine/drive shaft misalignment likely caused by vibration and bumps during the 1700 mile cross-country road trip. It was a multi-phase chore to realign it.
-D&J

June 2006
  Maiden voyage onto Lake Superior on a sunny day with a light breeze. Engine alignment still needs minor tweaking but all else is well and Cigano feels at home here. Getting used to our new boat in familiar waters was very relaxed compared to hectic and busy Port Aransas and Corpus Christi - we quickly began to feel more comfortable with Cigano. We also discovered a few shoal spots in the harbor and channel that we never noticed with the keel of our last boat - hmm.
-D&J

July 2006
  The usual Corny Forth-of-July fireworks is blasted from the breakwater pier. The boat is finally ours - CG documentation papers arrived. We're glad we employed the help of Hampton Roads Doc Services because the process was not smooth, through no fault of theirs. Finally, our first overnight anchorage - Bark Bay, then on to the Apostle Islands for some weekend anchoring. The Bruce anchor is a little harder to set than our old Danforth but it seems to work well. A bridle is essential to a quiet night because the chain makes noise against the bowsprit shrouds and bobstay. We took a huge crowd out for an Independence Day lunch outing at Sand Island. Apostle-Island-hopping is the favorite weekend thing to do this summer. One July night we anchored at Raspberry Island with our daughter Liz and her boyfriend Jake. We were up throughout the night until dawn on anchor-watch. A 270° wind shift right at nightfall left our stern fearfully close to a lee shore and a steady march of thunderstorms up the south shore kept our attention. Each time it appeared to be over, a new storm would close in from the west.
  We are now frequently entertaining family and friends for overnight anchoring. Along with Liz & Jake, our son Alex and his girlfriend Beth join us when they can make it. We're greatly enjoying having our kids and their friends as guests. Finally we have the space.
-D&J

August 2006
  Most of the bugs are worked out and Cigano is really becoming our boat. We anchor out more frequently and confidently now. On a week-long vacation outing, we attempted a cruise to Isle Royale but were not willing to face 24 hours of windless motoring, so we opted for a trip down the south shore to Black River Harbor, Michigan. There we managed another grounding in the harbor even after being warned of the shoal. With a little help from the wind we shook ourselves loose. A short trip east, then more island hopping. Our friends Brady & Steph joined us for a great sail and fun weekend outing. We put in an order for a winter cover to be made - not necessary in Texas but clearly beneficial here on the cold snow-covered shore of the "big lake".
-D&J

September 2006
  We thought we'd have more chances to take out guests this summer, but there were too many bugs to work out and the summer sailing season is slipping away. Fall winds are starting to blow and foulies are out more often now to help keep us warm. We are no longer able to remember why we left south-Texas - Hmm.   -D&J
I had my brothers up for a fun end-of-season outing.  -DN

October 2006
  Haul out time. My first time winterizing proved a challenge - trying to make sure every inch of plumbing was discovered and deciding how to freeze-proof an engine and boat that had never faced these conditions before. The new cover arrived just in time. I installed the cover from our spot high and dry on the stands. We have perhaps the best view in the marina, facing west to a beautiful view of Lake Superior, the bow hovering high over the edge of the sand dune. But the first time around putting the frame together and installing the canvas took much longer than expected and was made very difficult by the strong easterly winds gusting to over 25 knots. The others winterizing their own boats in the marina, occasionally watched to see if I would be blown from the bow while holding on to the big canvas sheet and land on the beach or perhaps even in the lake. Next year it WILL be easier. I brought the saloon cushions home for reupholstering.
  I made two additional visits to the boat before the snow hit for last minute checks of things that haunted me in the middle of the night.  -DN

Next year - 2007