Apart from being tax day in the United States, April 15, 2010 fulfilled a childhood dream, 37 years in the making. Ever since I was 8 years old I dreamed of sailboats and became fascinated with nautical history and the amazing odyssey of man and sea. More than just the sport of sailing, I have been enamored with boats in general. The evolution of sailing and vessel construction is nothing short of amazing. Anyone who assumes ancient sailors haphazardly built boats like a Boy Scout would a raft, are sadly mistaken. Ancient and modern boats alike are physiological wonders.

Sweet Surrender was seaworthy when I found her but as one might expect, a 31 year old boat was in need of a complete restoration. This blog will document my complete restoration of a Catalina 25' Tall Rig from top to bottom, inside and out. On the day I pulled her into dry dock and after a necessary guitar playing christening in the cockpit, I began stripping the deck in preparation for a repair of fiber glass dings and a complete re-gel coat.

While not an expert in boat restoration (but not an idiot either), my adventures in restoring Sweet Surrender is one boat owner's experience in discovery, research and accomplishment. Feel free to take from this website anything you find useful. I would ask however if you republish or link to this site, kindly provide a reference. Enter your email address above and get notified when I post a completed project.

CHEERS!

Greg Aspen
The Captain