The Browns' Mantra: Readying Mantra for Going to Sea After Two Years on Land

Two years have passed since Peter and I left our beloved Mantra in Oxford, Maryland, where she has been on the hard almost the entire time. On April 13, Peter flew to the east coast to work on major improvements. Some jobs were accomplished by the boatyard while we were away from her: the crazed windows were replaced; the mast was pulled out, sanded and re-painted, ready to be put back in as soon as the weather allows (It is rainy and windy here right now.); and work was done on the engine and the generator. Peter just finished installing a new stove top and oven, replacing the original dating from when Mantra was built in 1995. New lithium house batteries and Starlink are being installed this week. Among a multitude of other projects, Peter built and painted boxes for the batteries and cleaned all the bilges and painted some bilge areas. Peter removed the chain plates, sanding, cleaning and polishing them before re-fitting them, in preparation for dropping the mast back in the keel and rigging the boat.

In many, many ways, our sailboat is in better shape than when we bought her seven years ago. Peter re-designed the lazarette a couple of years ago, making many things much more accessible. The bilges have probably not looked so good since the boat was built. Of course, he has done major electrical and mechanical work to improve her.

While she is in better shape, she looked like a disaster when I came on board on Sunday, May 12. Peter had done a lot of cleaning; even though she was wrapped while she was on the hard, dirt had accumulated and mold had grown, particularly on the headliners (ceiling). Of course, Peter is still working on major projects, so parts and tools continue to adorn almost every surface, and half of the floorboards are pulled up.

Mold on the bathroom ceiling and the disintegrating durade flushing

The galley and the saloon on Sunday

Peter was sleeping on half the bed in the aft cabin

The bathroom with mold and foam for seat cushions stored in the shower

The saloon and forward cabin with floor boards removed and groceries and suitcases piled on seats

I have made some progress. I attacked the galley first, spending Sunday and part of Monday cleaning, organizing and inventoring. The cleaning involves climbing around and stretching into awkward positions to reach every nook and cranny. (Peter does a lot of this stretching into contorted positions also while working in tight spaces. We call it boat yoga.) Every horizontal, vertical, curved and oddly shaped surface has to be cleaned--top, bottom and sides--to make sure there are no mold spores lingering. Also on Monday, I thoroughly cleaned the bathroom, which had the most mold. It is now pristine and ready to go--or it was until a few hours ago we removed the panel surrounding the bottom of the durade box, which consisted of disintegrating plywood and peeling headliner material. Carl, the boatyard carpenter, is creating a new one made of PVC sheeting, which should last forever. However, another job just was added to Peter's long list: finding and fixing the route of water leakage from the deck or durade.

The bathroom clean and not longer a storage area

Today, I cleaned the aft cabin and took inventory of the lockers. This is where we have been sleeping (on the top bed, not in the lockers!), but it wasn't until today that, after wiping down all surfaces with cleaner and bleach, I properly made the bed. Now, that cabin looks livable. Later in the day, I cleaned surfaces in the saloon and put books and other things on shelves, back in their places. Slowly, the boat is becoming ship-shape. I then cleaned all the drawers in the forward (master) cabin so that we can stop living out of our suitcases. I have unpacked the three I brought for this six-month adventure and have started to put clothes away. Unpacking will be finished for both of us tomorrow. It is possible that we may be able to start using the forward cabin tomorrow night.

The bed in the aft cabin properly made

Before the end of next week, we should be setting sail again. We will pick up our friend Shalako, who is flying in from Sacramento and visiting a nephew in Annapolis for a couple days before he comes on board. He will sail with us to Portsmouth, Maine, a journey that will take about five weeks according to our plans. Shalako will then fly home and our friend Enis from Florida will arrive for the next part of our adventure, sailing to Greenland and Iceland. Shalako's wife Patty and Enis' wife Ula plan to join us in Reykjavik. They will be welcome to continue with us as we make our way to Scotland, where we plan to leave the boat for the winter in Glasgow.

Over the last seven years of owning Mantra, if we are in the Chesapeake Bay, we always stop to visit my friend Lori (and now her husband Germán also) in Washington, D.C. I arrived last Saturday morning at Ronald Reagan National Airport, where Peter picked me up. After spending a bit of time with Lori and Germán at their house, Peter and I went downtown to see exhibitions at the Smithsonian American Art Museum ("Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi and Miné Okuba," a surprising and comprehensive show of three 20th century, largely unknown, American women of Japanese descent) and the Renwick Gallery ("We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists," a stunning show with a wide variety of styles, materials and techniques notable for their beauty and their social commentary.). We had lunch at a restaurant just a couple blocks from the White House called Immigrant Food, where the menu was eclectic, our food was delectable and the staff wore black t-shirts emblazoned on the back with the words "Immigrants Make America Great." (Being an immigrant, Peter bought a shirt.)

After our lunch and museum visits, we drove to a historic section of Washington Southeast and the Majestic Theater (the oldest movie theater in D.C., built in 1907), where we were meeting Lori and Germán for a show by the U.S. Air Force's Max Impact (rock 'n roll" band) with guest artist Chubby Checker. Max Impact performed by itself for half a dozen pieces, wowing us with their energy, musicianship and audience connection, even if it seemed a bit incongruous hearing numbers by such groups as Creedance Clearwater Revival and Poco performed by men with crew-cut hair and dress uniforms. (The one woman had longer hair pulled back in a ponytail.) Then they were joined by 83-year-old Chubby Checker, dressed in tight black pants, red and black checkered dress shoes. a casual shirt with a small red and black checkered pattern and a black denim jacket. While not quite as agile as he was earlier in his career, his voice is still melodic and powerful, and he segued from one song to another without pause. His rapport with the audience was electric, and everyone was dancing at the front or in the aisles or at their seats the whole time. At one point, he was looking around the crowd to find someone who could really shimmy--and he chose ME! I was invited up on stage to dance with Chubby Checker. Afterwards, on the street, audience members approached me and treated me like a star! What a night!