I did not, really want, a huge project but I could not help myself when I went aboard this boat. She was named "Windward Passage" and she had been sitting in the water in Olympia Washington a little too long. The boat looked and smelled like a chemistry project on mold. I didn't see her at her worst, the guy I bought her from had only recently bought the boat and told me how bad it was before he had "cleaned her up". The boat no longer had a trailer so the first thing I did was have a custom trailer built ($$$$).

After several months went by I got her out of the water and home to Bend, Oregon... my first mate was not at all happy with what I had dragged home.

My first project was the hull. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of small gelcoat blisters (that's a long story of it's own). Then the deck; everything removed, repaired, re- bedded (I mean everything). Then the interior; the entire inside of the cabin had white paint slopped over all the once beautiful wood, all new electrical, new plumbing, new galley, lots of woodwork, new upholstery. The boat was no longer fuzzy and it smelled good, my mate was now proud of our fine craft that was now known as "Dream Time". Two and a half years later and it's time to take her up to the lake. The first time putting up the mast and launching was not real smooth but no harm was done, time to sail!! .... To my dismay the center board would not come down, sailed the rest of the summer with it up. The following spring I put "Dream Time" on the hard and did the center board repair described so well by Sean Mulligan on his web site. My board had become one with the trunk, not a fun job!

I am a retired fireman like some other Montgomery owners, we keep the boat in Olympia and typically spend about a week at a time aboard exploring the Puget Sound . I still have projects I want to do, nothing pressing, spending time cruising is now the priority.

John and Julie Muller