Donny, once the sails are up, it's not as difficult as driving a car. Now, the mainsail, which weighs about 85-pounds, is pulled up, which takes the strain off my back, and when it's lowered, it's dropped into a series of ropes called a lazy jack, then just tied to the boom, so again, no strain on the back. The jib sail is on a roller furling system, which allows the wind to deploy the sail and a line wraps around a retrieving drum, which again, is no strain on the back.

Now, if my health allows, I will sail the old tub to the Florida Keys this October, a trip that will take about a month to cover the 1,500 nautical miles. Once there, I was hoping to play one or two nights a week in the restaurants, but this may not happen - I'll just have to wait and see. Just a few more months till October, though, and at that point, I will definitely retire from my hectic schedule of 5 to 9 jobs a week.

I fully realize that there will come a day when I can no longer handle the boat alone. When that day comes, I will put her up for sale. Hopefully, I'll get at least another 5 years of sailing in before that happens.

All the best,

Gary