Welp, after three months of living on the hard, I'm ready to go with my Pacific Seacraft Orion 27. Captain Sam's up in the Pamlico is a great self-service yard, but living way up here isn't ideal! I took my mast down, inspected everything, polished & waxed, rewired, replaced lights, and put up new standing rigging. I converted from a wheel to a tiller. I installed Cape Horn self-steering and a backstay-mounted radar. I ditched the battery charger and went with solar panels...and the list goes on.
My next plans are to undertake a marine conservation photography project, sailing from NC to Patagonia and back up to California, over the period of a few years. I've always been a man of my word and I hope these plans don't make a liar out of me (I'm also good at knowing my limits!).
A comprehensive list of all my projects can be found on my website: http://jmpeltier.com/2012/09/27/just-go/ (http://jmpeltier.com/2012/09/27/just-go/)
I'll make sure I stop in here every now and then when I can, but most updates will be on my website...free WiFi is few and far between and satellite costs are expensive!