New owner of a 1976 Ericson 29

geoff said:

Wow! Thanks for all the replies!

Since I posted this, my wife and I went out today with two friends and pulled the sails for the first time. We ended up sailing all the way to PV! On the way back, we saw a pod of whales, and watched them surface numerous times. Also saw a bunch of seals and sea lions on the buoys on the way in. We ended up coming back on motor after the wind died, just as the sun went down. Complete magic. The $10k I spent has already been justified. It's all gravy from here...

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geoff said:

Hello,
My wife and I are the new owners of an Ericson. We have very limited sailing experience, and will be using this boat as our learning curve for possible future, bigger endeavors. I fell in love with a 1973 Ericson 32 that my buddy bought last year. I have been sailing it with him quite a bit, so when I decided to buy my own I purposely went looking for a mid 70's Ericson. I don't think I have to explain to all of you the reasons why!

Anyways, the Bella di Mare seems to have provided us with a pretty good starting point...good hull, beautiful interior, decent everything else. In the month since getting her, we have installed an upgraded battery charger with a bank of three new batteries. We also did a full tune up on the diesel, including new filters and an oil change...it runs awesome. We ended up replacing the head and all associated lines as well. The boat had a funky smell that no amount of cleaning could address, and the old lines ended up being the culprit. Plus we went with an electric head...more money, but ultimately a lot easier for my 4 and 6 year olds to use. Finally, I installed a bluetooth receiver unit, and four speakers...two in, two out. Need music.

Next up will be hauling it out to do the bottom painting, refinishing all the exterior wood, and a full topside buff/wax/detailing. Then with the addition of a dinghy/outboard it will be safe enough for the family and ready for springtime, although I will be looking to address rigging and then possibly sails through the summer. I also am looking for ideas on how to update the galley. I want to tear out the old alcohol stove, and install a fridge. Or possibly upgrade the existing ice box to a cool box. Wondering what some of you may have done with your galley, and hoping to get some ideas.

Seems like a great community. I'm in Marina del Rey, so please reach out to me if you are as well. I look forward to it.​

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geoff said:

Well I've been doing so much sailing, I haven't been doing much posting. Receiving a message today from my boat's previous owner, however, inspired me to return to this forum and update everyone. I really enjoy that this forum exists, and will make an effort to start posting more to support it.

First off, we have not changed the name and have no immediate plans to do so. There was initial discussion, but nothing ever felt quite right, and Bella di Mare is a nice name. I would be very curious to know the name prior to Bella di Mare. We have done a number of other things though. I have refinished the exterior woodwork (some little bit's left, but most of it), added an auto-pilot, a two burner alcohol stove, and just got all the interior cushions and seat backs re-upholstered with dark blue sunbrella fabric. That was huge. I also replaced the genoa with a slightly smaller one than the monster that came with it, and some new sheets.

Still on the to do list? I want to refinish the wood at the galley area and the ladder. I am also currently chasing a handful of leaks, rarely an issue here in Southern CA, but we've had a few good rains this season. The mast paint is all chipped up, and the mast light doesn't work...so at some point I'd like to address this. I have a number of thru-hulls that need to be changed soon, one that has a very small, currently managed leak. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with where she's at. She looks beautiful, sails wonderfully, and has provided my family so many amazing times.

I just spent this past weekend in Catalina. I went with friends or family eleven times last year, and eight the year before that. I try to sail at least 3-4 times/month in addition to that. We have caught dozens of kinds of fish and even brought in a 5' mako shark that fed 25 people tacos on the beach at Catalina. From her deck we have watched whales too many times to count, dolphins, sea lions, mola mola....and we even saw a sea turtle. About 18 months ago, my son started sailing with the CYC Junior Sailors, which then led to us joining the California Yacht Club last year. Making new friends that love to sail (and talk endlessly about boats) has been great. To say our Ericson has given us a lot would be an understatement.

Oh....I almost forgot one more thing. My good friend started to enjoy sailing with me, but then work took him to St. Pete, FL around two years ago. A week after he moved there I decided to look on his local Craigslist. I don't even know what made me think to do it....but there it was.... a 1977 Ericson 32, inboard diesel, good sails bbq, etc, etc.....a few days later he bought it for $7k. It was meant to be, and now we consider our boats as sisters on opposite coasts. He has put a lot of work into it and the Grey Finn is a real beauty. We are putting together plans to sail it to Cuba next year or the year after, leaving out of St. Pete, down to the Keys and then across.

As you can see, Bella di Mare has become quite a large part of our life.

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