Videos of my Pensacola Sailboat Project
“The sea’s vast depths lie open to the fish;
Wherever the breezes blow the bird may fly;
So to the brave man every land’s a home.”
- Ovid
This is my first collection of videos taken of the boat project I undertook in Pensacola, Florida. After winning this boat on EBay, I soon learned that a whole lot of little jobs can be much worse (and more expensive) than a few large ones! I traveled 1100 miles to north Florida in the heat of summer to get this boat in the water.
Despite the hardships, in the end it was worth it.
Topsides and Belowdecks: A Study in Nautical Horror – This is my very first video taken with my new digital camcorder, documenting the early stages of the boat’s repair and some of the colorful people around Patti’s Shipyard in Pensacola.
Boat Progress: June 6th, 2006 – This video was taken during the midpoint of the restoration. Mariah would not launch for another month and it would be weeks before her mast ever went up. At least most of the woodwork was getting done inside.
Last Boat Update: June 28th, 2006 – My final video taken before she went into the crane. The mast had finally been raised despite weeks of delays and hundreds or additional dollars in expenses. With her name and origin on her stern, running numbers and Hunter logo, Mariah was finally looking like a real sailboat!
Mariah Launches: July 3rd, 2006 – Mariah went into the water just in time to make the regatta for the Fourth of July in Pensacola Bay. We cruised out to White Island and watched the fireworks, drank beer and yelled at every powerboater who came through too fast and waked us. Good times!
Merchantprince » More Pensacola Video Articles Up said
am October 2 2006 @ 10:48 am
[...] Videos of my Pensacola Sailboat Project [...]
mary said
am February 22 2007 @ 4:58 pm
Wow, guys, Thank you for the great show…..THAT was awesome! I loved watching her come to life. The only thing missin’ in the Mariah is a girl strumming on her guitar/ (Not really.) It all looks great! The teakwood is especially beautiful. ; )
John Edwards said
am February 22 2007 @ 7:56 pm
Thanks, Mary! That was a great project that turned out much better than I feared at some points. I find myself looking now to another boat and renewing my desire to travel the world by sea.
~ Merchantprince
Belinda @ Patti's Boat Storage said
am April 25 2007 @ 3:29 pm
Hey John,
We heard we were on the internet…had to see for ourselves. Thanks for smiles it put on everyone’s face. Joe says thanks for showing off Budda; Cook says he appreciates being on camera; I didn’t realize how “southern” I really sound. We all miss you here at the boat yard. You need to invest in another boat and bring it here to work on. Keep in touch!
~~~The Gange @ Patti’s Boat Storage~~~
John Edwards said
am April 27 2007 @ 1:13 pm
Belinda, It’s great to hear from you guys! I miss that sunshine down there (but not that 110 heat in the summer time!).
Hope Joe and Scott and everyone else are doing fine. Please tell them I said hello and wish I were back in another boat project; hopefully later this year. If I do, Patti’s is the one place I’d like to stay.
~ Merchantprince