Edward Blair

Currently at: Rio Dulce, Guatemala

Make: Morgan 321
Designer: Ted Brewer
Year: 1980
Type: Sloop
LOA: 32'
Beam: 11'6"
Engine: Yanmar 2qm20
Draft: 4'
Displacement: 11,000lbs
Lead Ballast: 4,000lbs (Disp. 36.35%)

A Little Bit About

Edward Blair is our first sailboat, a 32' Morgan that we named after my father, who passed away some years back to cancer almost immediately following his retirement.

The name is a tribute to the freedom of retirement he was about to experience and the freedom of the sea that we wish he could be a part of in those years.

The boat is in great shape, especially considering the ol' boy was made in 1980. The previous owners were a very nice and knowledgeable older couple from Florida who took incredible care of all the finest details, and since purchase we've kept that going. Very little has needed any upgrading or repairing. 

He sails wonderfully at all points and never feels like trouble in higher winds or larger seas. There is only one reef point in the main, but even in some squalls through the Gulf Stream and along the Yucatan Current it didn't feel like a problem. If any longer offshore adventures come up in the future we would like to add a second.

The Yanmar has been immaculately cared for. We also recently replaced all the hoses, mixing exhaust, prop shaft and flex coupling. 

Most importantly, we have outfitted the stern pulpit with Penn equipment for fishing while underway and a sizeable inventory of lures and all the toys for finding dinner at sea. 

INTERIOR

The cabin has entirely new upholstery, fresh brightwork and a tile backsplash in the galley.

The galley has an Origo 4000 alcohol stove, but we tend to BBQ up on deck with our Cobb Grill or use a Coleman camping stove that puts out 10,000 BTUs. The Cobb Grill is an excellent choice for boating if you don't mind the extra bit of time it takes to heat up charcoal versus propane grills. You just can't beat the flavour that comes from meat smoking in charcoal and wood chips.

The Cobb is also a great choice for boats since the bottom and sides never get hot. You can rest it right on deck and even lift it and move it around while it's cooking. Since it isn't attached to the pulpit and comes with a travel bag, you can bring it with you to the beach.

While underway we aren't often cooking up hot meals, but if it's rough, the gimbaled Origo although slow to heat, makes a hell of a lot more sense than running an open flame camping stove in the cockpit.

Preparation and Provisions

Katy is an incredibly detail oriented person who also happens to run a wedding decor business, Love & Lace Decor, so she has outfitted a boat that came 100% empty with every single necessity for the boat as well as added a great touch to the look and feel inside (not pictured below, photos prior to Katy's detailing). 

She spent countless hours creating detailed spreadsheets, going through reviews, photos and picked out everything from safety gear to comfort items to the galley inventory (also a big thanks to The Boat Galley for some great advice as well).

Although, she knew to leave a certain selection of the boy's toys for me to buy: hatchets, knives, spearguns, fishing rod and reel, lures, gaff, tools, whisky and rum.

For provisions, there is about enough food on the boat to survive at sea long enough for the human race to rebuild after an apocalyptic event.

Adios!

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