My Distant Scottish Gilmour Cousin Shares

Hi,
Just read your latest and prompted to send photo of boat I once owned and sailed the West Coast of Scotland. The "Fan Tan" was a semi converted Clyde pilot boat which an ex MTB skipper and I fully converted to sleeping two on drop down table in spacious saloon with two bunks forward in chain locker. Powered by petrol/paraffin engine very reliable, required for the West . Used to take her over to Lochranza on the Island of Arran for month in the summer whilst having holiday home on the Island. Happy days but at 81 I am past it !!!
Yours,
Jim

Thanks Jim for sending this interesting boat and sharing some of your old cruising hotspots. I just went on to Google earth to see where in the world this was. What a nifty cove on the west side of Arran. If you have any other boat photos/stories, please share them with my readers.

Jim is my 4th cousin and our common ancestors are Joseph Gilmour and Mary Clarke who lived in Dundonald, Ayr, Scotland in 1774.

Napa River Anchoring

1 March 2000
Anchoring on the Napa River

An amazing thing happened yesterday. The sun was shinning! I jumped on Shatoosh went upriver and docked at my funky Moore's Landing for lunch and then headed up river a bit to try my hand at anchoring for the first time by myself. I have been eying this beautiful nitch in the river for sometime, looking at it at different tide levels to see the terrain. So yesterday was the perfect day. The tide was flowing out and there was a slight breeze against the ebbing tide. The breeze and the tide held me gently in a good position so I went forward in the cabin and opened the hatch and I found I could drop the anchor from there and if need be, I could run back to the helm which I didn't have to. I tied her off and went back to set the anchor and presto I was alongside the bank with some Eucalyptus trees along with vineyards filled with golden mustard and the hills so green that it would make your eyes hurt. It was gorgeous and with the sun shining I thought I'd gone to heaven. On the opposite side of the river is a large marsh area without any human habitation. I shut the engine off after making certain I was going to stay put. I opened the sliding windows and sat to listen and wait for the birds to respond. Ah!, there is something wonderful about spring. Soon the little songs began to sound and none that I recognized except the kingfisher. I had hoped to see him ,as I have seen him here before, as I passed up and down the river. I realize how important it is to stop and listen and look. Otherwise, as we hurry going here and there, we miss alot. Shatoosh doesn't go fast anyway but it is good to be on her without the sound of the engine going putt-putt.


The other day I had noticed some birds I had never seen before and I was certain I was seeing them again. As they got closer I could see them hovering in flight and soaring in large groups. Later one came down and sat closely to the river's edge on a bare tree top. The book says it is a white tailed kite. I have never seen one before and they are said to be rare, but today there must be 100 flying over this marshy hillside. This day, in this moment I feel good, as some healing is taking place within me and change is present. I am grateful to have anchored in this special spot the first day of March in the Napa River in the year 2000. I know that I want to return often to anchor here and spend the night.


Upon returning to the marina, my friends John and Sandra meet me and John sees my dirty anchor and says," you've been wanting to practice, how did it go?" His usual comment is we need to get you set up with a good bow anchor roller and leaves to go get several types to try. He must have extras of everything. He picks a rather large, but interesting one that he made and states that we will get it put on. He also has a piece of wood and stainless steel backing plates that we can use. I insist that I pay for these things and his usual comment is we can talk about it later.

Again, my heart is filled with gratitude for all the wonderful people in my life who assist me in so many ways and my new little friend Shatoosh. 1 Mar 2000 was a very good day.

My Favorite Boat Projects- This is for Too Tall Tom

1. Ray, the previous owner, a fit 88 year old male of Finnish descent, had taken out the original engine and replaced it with a new Volvo MD2030 B in May 1998. He stated there was nothing wrong with the original engine. Its a guy thing. Ok, I'm pleased that I have a brand new engine in Dec 1999 with 25 hours on it. This engine was installed in San Rafael at Helmet's Marine which is the largest California Volvo dealer on the West Coast, I'm told. Well, it turns out Helmut didn't do such a good job with the installation. Later, while making my maiden voyage on the Columbia River I find out the hard way that certain protocols weren't followed and Non Volvo Brackets were used with the engine mounts, the old flange for the shaft was used and was too large, causing slippage of the shaft aftward, jamming the rudder and breaking the poorly fabricated mounting brackets. Jean and I have to hail a tow from a fellow boater and take us 9 miles up river to my moorage in Scappoose.

Other than that adventure I have not had any problems with the new engine. I was very happy

to have Jean with me that day, as I sat in the bildge with pipe wrenches on the shaft preventing it from doing any more damage to the rudder. Jean, at the locked helm, managed to communicate with the other skipper to keep us on track and to let me know our position.

I did install an over-flow tank for the coolant and a new Raycor fuel filter. I have 2 house batteries and 1 engine battery, and a battery charger.

2. Another wonderful thing Ray did was to have a hard top built in Sausalito. It had sliding glass windows on the sides and a removable but fixed aft window. One problem with the sliding windows was there was limited space to get on and off the boat. I soon learned that if I was going to be a serious Delta fishergirl that the sliders would have to go. Also, one afternoon while anchoring on the Napa River, I had taken the aft window out and placed it on the cabin top. A wind gust quickly dumped the window in the drink. I said to myself, "What was that huge splash?" After seeing the missing window on the cabin top I thought it was an omen. Maybe I should get other types of windows. Anyway the boat was hot without adequate ventilation.

After moving to Oxbow Marina in the Delta, I had the aft window replaced with a zippered isenglass window. Another canvas man installed by side windows, but they were installed with out the zippers. This has definitely been a problem, as I have to use a special tool to batten down the hatches, as they say. The zippered windows are much easier to use.

When I purchased Shatoosh, I was under the impression the new hard top was glassed, but I discovered that was not the case. Thanks to the credit of Conrad and Juanita we got the top fiberglassed. It was a big project for me, but this was just a small project for this couple having built their 30 footer in their backyard in Idaho.

3. New Cockpit, Cabin Cushions and Carpet: A great lady down river on the Napa made my new fabric cushion covers and bench seat cover. While I love the cushions, I wish now I had vinyl on my bench seat, as it would be much easier to keep clean.

4. Folding Bench Seat: The original bench seat was a rigid seat, but had hinged legs. In order to get to the engine compartment on this model you have to disconnect the bench seat from the side wall and then lift the whole seat aft to the rear of the cockpit. This is rather cumbersome as it is a double seat. I consult my ole buddy Conrad to help fabricate a design. I had seen another design on Leslie's Albin(Midgard) on Orcas Island. Conrad had envisioned a less bulky design. Off we go to Stockton to pick up our needed parts. We used stainless steel deck hardware(expensive, but polished looking). We bought some hinges for the seat from a ski boat place.

Koa wood from Hawaii finishes out the under side of the bench seat. Jo found a nice piece in her wood pile and mailed it to me.

While the seat can be put up in a flash, it does take some extra minutes to put it down and secure the positioning with clevis pins. I love it and it really saves my back from carrying the old design. When in port it can be stored up and creates a large area for visiting with friends. Another friend in the delta copied the design but used galvanized pipe and it is not as nice as Shatoosh's.5. Cockpit Inspection Hatches:

I discover a neat little space with a shelf inside the cockpit coaming on both sides. This time I consult with Too Tall for installing the inspection hatchs. This was a gift from my Hawaii buddies Jo and Joyce. Too Tall tells me he has the neatest tool that will cut this glass like butter. Well, several blades later we succeeded. What I need is an old cast cutter.

Placing the template, cutting the opening and installing the hatches were fun to d0. The lid can double as a tray for drinks, or a great place to sort and find the right size nuts, bolts or screws. This is where I stored my famous fishing kit, named Rebel With A Cause. My lures were called Rebels.

6. Koa Wood Doors Port Locker: Originally this was the locker which had a refrigerator installed, but was no longer present when I got Shatoosh. There had been ole plywood doors to cover the opening. It was not very pleasant to look at. On an early trip back to Hawaii, I noticed
friends had lots of Koa stored in their wood pile. I called my dock mate and had him measure this panel. I took the measurements and made me some new, fancy doors, mailed them to me in Napa and installed them when I returned. There is nothing like Koa to brighten up a space. Thanks John for the measurements, Jo and Joyce for the Koa. Jo made some nice Koa handles which have a beautiful sacred significance to them, which I hold close to my heart.

7. Pumpable Head: I can't even remember how many marine heads I have bought in my boating life. Shatoosh came with a small port-a-potty, which was old. After much contemplation

I decided to go with a pumpable port-a-potty. This has worked out well for me, as I have had plenty of pump out stations to use. However, if I bring Shatoosh north, then I would change out the head again and get newer system. I look at it as an opportunity to buy another head in my lifetime.

8. Carpeting:

This is the second set of carpeting I have used. The first was too light a color and became stained too easily, so I replaced it with this darker color and had the edges bound, so no unraveling takes place.

9. Book Shelf: Too Tall Tom had made a book shelf out of this empty space above the hanging closet. With my handy Koa supply I put in a 4 inch piece of Koa to hold all my Cruising and Engine Journals. I moved my fire extinguisher over the head door where it is easy to reach and adjacent to the galley.

10. Fishing Pole Holders: These are stored on the under side of the shelving in the main cabin alongside the v-berths. I mounted the handle end with a pole holder and then on the pole end I put a velcro strap to the under surface of the bunk shelf. The poles are out of the way and take up no other valuable space.

11. Anchor:



My Napa Dockmate, John, donates this bow roller and back up plates after I attempt my first singlehanded anchoring on the Napa River.







12. Magazine Rack: Jean donates a magazine rack from her 32 ft Gulf. It also makes a good foot rest while at the helm.

13. Swim Platform: I design a swim platform and use Lit'l Bit, Jo's Albin, which is hauled out at the Hylebos Waterway- Tacoma, to create first, a cardboard template and second, a MDF template. I buy enough King Starboard for both platforms for Shatoosh and Lit'l Bit and then discover we have enough for a spilt platform for Skol, Too Tall Tom's Albin. Then, Jo flies over from Hawaii and we precede to cut the Starboard from the template and install hers on Lit'l Bit.

14. Paint Cockpit: The original speckled grey fiberglass remained in the Cockpit Nav area. I replaced this with a cream color to match the aft portion of the cockpit which had been done at the time of the hard top construction. The fore and aft cabins remain to be done.

A Pathetic Cry In the Night

Oxbow Marina

At 0200 hours, 13 Oct 2002, I am awakened with the frantic calling of the baby duck looking for her mother and siblings. I instinctually believe it is the little white one. I get up but can't see anything, only hearing the loud cries in the night. It goes on and on. I fall asleep again and then am awakened at 0500. The baby is frantic and I feel she is close by so get up and shine the light on her. Sure nuf, it is the white one, and she is frantically swimming from dock to dock calling for her mother. It is hard to believe that this wonderful mother has abandoned the baby. While smaller than the others she seems to be growing, but this week she is definitely lagging behind the more obvious mallard 2. The other 2 are a mixture of lightened mallard coloring. This baby started out pure yellow, now is white with a yellow bill. The other day I broke down and was feeding them oatmeal and she jumped up and grabbed the sack out of my hand. No shy duckling is this one. They were at the fish cleaning station the other evening and each of them got a fill of salmon eggs.

After returning from fishing this morning the baby had joined back up with the mother and siblings. What a relief. I wonder how they got disconnected during the night. It will be interesting to see if she survives.
30 Oct 02: All remaining 5 babies are alive and well, growing and beginning to look like teenager ducks. They always seem to know when I am at the fish cleaning station and I make certain baby white duck gets a few extra bites.

Barn Owls Mating On Orion's Belt

Oxbow Marina

Tonight is 10 June 01 and it is 2130 hrs. I am reading Harry Potter and fascinated with the present chapter in book 3. “ Silhouetted against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in Harry’s direction. He stood quite still, watching it sink lower and lower. For a split second he hesitated, his hand on the window latch, wondering whether to slam it shut. But then the bizarre creature soared over one of the street lamps and Harry, realizing what it was, leapt aside. Through the window soared three owls, two of them holding up the third, which appeared to be unconscious.”

The owls have begun their nightly flights soaring back and forth over the boat sheds at Oxbow. The noise seems louder that the past few nights, however last night was the afterglow of several hundred boaters for the annual party. I get up, turn off the cabin light and climb up into the cockpit and grab my flashlight. A routine that has been birthed these past two months. Each night is the same, but different in the intensity of the cries, the clicking, the numbers of birds and the patterns of flight.

I have already closed the back window and drawn the shades to block the morning sun, so lift the shade and unzip the window, as I see 2 birds on the metal roof of "B" shed. This is different. They are 30 feet apart and I shine the light on one and then the other. Another hidden bird flies from out of nowhere directly towards me and lands on the roof, his sharp talons scraping the metal roof. Not my favorite sound, much like clawing your fingernails down the chalkboard. Moments later another flies and lands on the roof near the other and hits with a big thump. I hear screaming. The "B" shed birds are now sitting next to each other. Something I have not seen. I shine the light on them and they are looking directly at the source of my light. I see all four eyes staring back at me. Another bird comes zooming through past my boat into the shed. It looks like tonight might be one of those attack nights. Usually the light makes them fly away and never to be seen again.

I continue focusing on the pair on "B" shed. I have the light on them and they get closer next to each other and they are making a very quiet scream. Then the one on the left side stretches tall and circles around to the back of the other and mounts her. They stay together for a few seconds and then separate. He moves a few feet apart and flaps his wings and then flies off. The female stays for a few minutes and then flaps her wings, but hops farther on the roof and I can hear her land in another place, but cannot see her.

Looking over the top of "B" shed in the distance I see the belt of the constellation Orion. I have just witnessed 2 barn owls mating for the first time in my life. Last month I had a barn owl land on my deck and almost fall into my open hatch on my face, I have scooped a baby owl out of the slough with my fishing net and now I see them mating. Two months ago I had never seen a barn owl. Now I have 3 owl feathers, feel as though, Harry Potter has nothing on me. An hour has passed and the Kamakasi owls are still dive bombing on the top of the shed. Is this not a hoot or what?

Critters and More Critters

Critters Make me Nervous
May 2001

Last night Conrad and Juanita and I were sitting onboard the Crow’s Nest on Cheryl Lee to watch sunset. The owls came out in full glory flying over the sheds, especially "A" dock which is Shatoosh and my home. Soon there were 6 clicking and screaming. Back and forth they flew. I wondered why they were not out in the fields killing mice and snakes. I remembered I had left my boat open so decided to return.

My usual walk down "A" shed at night has been met with baby owls screaming and watching me constantly. I keep thinking they are going to attack me after my first attack took place last month. But tonight they are out bound and I make it to the slip, sighing with relief, when in the darkness I hear an animal scurrying and it was a mallard, but it scared me. Then, as I was getting into the boat, another mallard flew off the aft cabin. I turned on all the lights and checked down below. All I need is mallards making a nest on board.

The next night it is just before sunset and I am returning to the boat from the bathroom and I am 2 slips away and there is a 6 foot snake on the dock. It is just lying there. Now ,where are all those owls when you need them? I am next to a hose so spray it and it starts moving down the dock and enters the water in my slip. OH great, now, I am afraid to leave my hatch open at night. It could just slither on up the dock lines and into the boat. This is not what I need to be thinking, but the truth of the matter is scary, non the less.
What is next?

Attacked By a Baby Owl--A Night to Remember

Oxbow Marina
April 2001

Ever since my arrival this time I hear a new sound of a screaming bird in the middle of the night. Night after night it goes on for long periods. I think it might be quail, but am told it could be an owl, not a hoot hoot one ,but some other kind. I am dreaming of winning 16.2 million dollars in the lottery, but in the back of my consciousness is that screaming again. The dream fades and the noise becomes prominent. I am asleep in the v-berth as usual with my head towards the pointy end and the forward hatch is open. I hear something land on the deck, or is it the shed. It is very loud so I check the time 0130 hrs on Mother’s day morning. I best get up and look out the hatch, so I stand and stick my head out turning around to my left and there it is, 2 feet away, a baby owl about 14 inches tall. It is all fluffed up with its wings in a spreaded fashion looking like she is Karate Kid about to attack. And within a split second she charges me, and as fast as I can I dive down pulling the hatch closed, not a second to spare. I realize that the hatch does not close completely and figure her wing is caught, so I lift it up and she stays on the deck, still calling her mother. She doesn’t seem to know how to fly and especially now that I have injured her wing. I am shook to think that had I not gotten up this bird might have hopped down into the boat right on my face, which would have scared me to death.

I try to hit the deck to scare her off, but she just hopped around on the deck with her wings spread. Some kids had told me about this rust colored owl that was around under the dock and flapping her wings like she was hurt. Well this was her for sure. I went into the cockpit to close all the windows as I didn’t need her in the boat anywhere. By now she is back on the dock and I shine a light on her to see if I can identify her better. She is definitely rust colored and white front, no ears, an outline around her face. She runs toward the boat as though she is going to attack again, this time hopping up on the deck. She is quiet now and later I can’t see her, so finally return to bed.

In the morning, I tell my story at breakfast. The other docks have big owls high up. Kim says that since they pruned the eucalyptus trees the owls are now making their houses in the sheds. I identify her as a baby barn owl. I return to Shatoosh and am washing one of the rugs on the dock and I see and hear wings flapping, rust colored and she is under the dock on a cross beam. It is soon that she is in the water flapping around, about to drown! I grab the net and lift her out. And she is quite calm about the whole thing. I take her picture and precede to take her to the levee and put her on the ground between 2 trees. She hops down to the ground cover and closes her eyes. I can see that there is an abraded area of her right wing which is probably from the hatch cover. But she doesn’t seem to know how to use either wing, never closing them, just flapping them. I sit and send her Reiki. She is such a beautiful color. I return to the boat and open the hatch cover and there are 2 little downy feathers. I feel bad that I have hurt her, but know that she doesn’t seem to be a survivor. Later, I hear that she had returned to the water and was flapping around on the next dock, and someone had netted her again. I went over to take her some food but couldn’t find any one or her. Perhaps I can sleep better tonight.
I have named the little baby, Rusty, for her color.

Spencer Falls From a Swaying Palm Tree

24 June 2001

I find Spencer, who is less than a week old, hairless, on the grass by the pool area at Oxbow marina on the Georgiana Slough in the Sacramento Delta. My first thought was he was dead, all splayed out on the grass. I touched him with my foot and he moved. I picked him up and his body is boiling hot from the sun and the wind blowing. I decide to take him back to Shatoosh. He may not live long but at least he will get Reiki and not die in the heat. Spencer is a baby bird, probably a sparrow.

I make a nest in a margarine bowl and line it with the softest toilet paper I have. Ann and I are having the tail end of our Sushi, so I mash up some turkey and rice and feed it to him. He eats it and is peeping. Perhaps he will live a few hours. I return from the airport run with Ann to find Spencer really hungry, so more food goes into his gullet. His skin is so thin that you can see the food inside his gullet. You can see his intestines. He is pooping and peeing so systems are go. If he lives thru the night I will buy some worms.

25 June: He is slow to wake up but eats a few bites and then goes back to sleep. I get some worms and by 1000 he is peeping and trying to crawl up the side of the nest. He gobbles up parts of the worm. I put in a call to Care, my bird friend, and she returns it to tell me that it will be rare if I can keep him alive for the 2 weeks it takes for him to learn to fly. In the afternoon after his lunch I put him out and let him stumble along the carpet. It is fascinating to watch him try to move. He crawls using his legs and wings and will try to come to my hand. If I put my finger under his jaw then he will try to stand on his legs and flap his wings. He has no control over his claws yet. I notice there is some new hair coming on his legs. The main strip of dark hair is from his crown to his sacrum, wings and tail. Some fuzz on his head and the rest is naked. This evening after I returned from eating with the gang for Taco Night at Viera’s, Spencer started stretching his head out and peeping for his dinner. He gobbled up the rest of the worm and some rice mush. He is holding his eyes open longer and will lift his head when I whistle at him. I let him crawl around on the table with some paper on it, as I know he will poop and he does.
This is so fascinating to watch his motor development. He was able to balance on his legs, keeping his head up and his butt off the ground for a few seconds for the first time. If he falls over on his back, he can right himself. After his exercise he finds his way back inside my hand and tries to nestle his head between my fingers. He likes to rest his chin in an elevated place to sleep. He is fast asleep in seconds. I heat up his blanket on the light bulb and he is set for the night. This little baby, listens to classical music, Om Namah Shivaya, Raga Taranga and Rama Ragava and gets Reiki at bedtime. NO way was he going to die in the hot sun on Gurumayi’s birthday. It just wasn’t in his chart.

26 June: Spencer is not a morning bird. He isn’t eating much this morning at 0600, just like yesterday. I clean his nest and off to sleep in seconds. Its now 0730 and he is still fast asleep. At 0830 he ate some but not like yesterday. Then he was hungry at 0900 peeping for food. I watched him lift himself balancing some on his hind legs with his bottom resting slightly off the bedding. I put him on the rug and he is beginning to work his long toe and hind toe claws. I notice that you can see the cranial sacral pulse in conjunction with his breathing. When he breathes in his sacrum flexes and his sacrum extends when he exhales. When I whistle he always opens his mouth. I put him on the aft cabin to hear the birds singing and he turned his head towards the sounds. In the afternoon he spit up the 3 pieces of worm that I gave him. He doesn’t look as strong today, falling asleep within seconds of eating. By late afternoon, he is failing. I hold the butter dish and am doing Reiki on him and he is taking a lot. He lifts his head to look up at my hand. Perhaps he feels the energy, but it was an acknowledgment of something. At 1830, his breathing is very slow, I hold him and continue to do Reiki. I have a sense that he is about to die, so continue to hold him and do Reiki. I warm his blanket and cover him up, his little head is resting on the fluff of the toilet paper, just like he liked it. He is very particular about how he likes his head placement. I had told Conrad and Juanita that I would come over at 7pm as they are leaving in the morning. When I returned at 2030 he was dead. I placed the lid on his butter dish nest and placed him in the dumpster.

What a cute little bird he was. I really enjoyed having him onboard and liked taking care of him. He was fascinating to watch him move about in his nest trying to get himself just where he wanted to be. To see how he developed motor wise in a few days and how his hair started to fill in. Each day was new. I’m glad he didn’t die in the sun and that he was surrounded by lots of love and nurturing..

Maiden Voyage 11 Dec 1999

SHATOOSH
DATE OF PURCHASE
11 DECEMBER 1999
San Rafael to Napa Valley Marina on the Napa River

Shatoosh is in her new berth at Napa Valley Marina 12 Dec 99, I'm at the apt with my car and how it all happened was grace. I drove to San Rafael, leaving on the spur and "getting it," to bring everything with me, bedroll, warm clothes, toothbrush, charts and that the fedexed money would be there when I got there and I could bring the boat back Sat. It happened that the money did arrive so I was met by the broker and everything finalized. The broker was very reluctant for me to singlehand the boat to Napa. "The Bay can be very rough and dangerous", he says to me. When he went to lunch I parked my car at the haul out area, had a wonderful Indian bandhara at the marina Indian restaurant (doesn't every marina have an Indian restaurant?) and climbed aboard getting the flooding tide. I meandered through the houseboats and condos on the San Rafael River, then out into the bay. It was slick as glass with no wind. I thought I'm going for it. At 340 PM I was docked at the visiting yacht dock in Vallejo. As I was checking into the office they had a cab ad for flat rates, so I called and within minutes I was off to San Rafael to get my car for a mere $52.00. Returning to Vallejo with my car, I had a wonderful dinner and celebrated the first phase of my trip with clam strips at the Sardine Can restaurant at the marina. I awoke at 5 am and had to hike to the bathroom at the marina and it was cold. Shatoosh is insulated well as it wasn't that cold sleeping in fact I got hot in my down bag and 2 vests and a wool hat on.

I drove to a nearby restaurant for coffee and some breakfast and waited until 9 am for the marina office to open so I could get my key refund back. Then measuring the height of Shatoosh to make sure I could go under the bridge. I took the VHF antenna down and had plenty of room as the height was 16 feet. The next bridge was 200 feet high..no problem. The river was like a lake and filled with thousands of birds. It was so peaceful and beautiful. A group of coast guard boys and girls in a high speed zodiac passed and I thought I hope they don't want to board me. They didn't and later up the river they passed me again and I held my breath.

After tying up in my new slip I checked in and got a key for the bathroom, which I used immediately. The young man on the dock across from me said he'd take me to Vallejo to get my car, so off we went and I returned with my car just like that. Yesterday morning I had no idea how I was going to move a boat and car all over this bay area and have them all back in Napa on Sunday. This voice just kept saying, "take the first step and the other steps will fall into place." So, I did and they did too. What a great lesson for life. I am very content right now, all warm and rosy from the sun and knowing that I have this adorable little boat, named Shatoosh to take me new places. Shatoosh is so cute and really handles well. Very easy to single-hand and that was what I wanted. A jump aboard boat that will take you anywhere. I prob. used 1.5 gallons of diesel, the meter never moved. I am so happy to be puttering on a boat again. I love being on the water and the freedom a boat offers.