Commander's Fleet

	The Banana Wind was what I considered my "traveling boat." It was a 2003 Precision 18 (HID# PCW18530J203) that was small, light, and easy to transport on a trailer. I could raise the mast, rig, and launch it myself. It was the second Precision 18 I owned, the first being Kalapana, a 1998 Precision 18 (HID# PCW18464G798), that I sailed 1998-2000 prior to purchasing Banana Republican. Although not overly spacious inside, it was comfortable enough for one person to spend a few days on. I took some extended cruises with it to islands of Lake Erie and on the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, due to movement restrictions after two hip surgeries, I was forced to sell it in 2005 because it became too difficult to maneuver around inside the cabin. *Photos*
	In the fall of 2008, I rescued a 19 ft. 1988 Seaward Fox (HID# SYX00816E888) that had fallen into disrepair. It then became a restoration project that provided me with therapy to satisfy my uncontrollable desire to work on boats. (I ran out of things to improve on or add to the Banana Republican.) I established a four-year project completion date at which time I hoped to be able to take advantage of an early retirement and relocate the boat to the Florida Gulf Coast for some sailing as a winter “snowbird”; however, after three obsessive summers of restoration work, I completed it a year early mid-summer 2011. I will retire in the spring of 2012 and have already arranged a seasonal rental for the winter of 2013 in Cape Coral, Florida. I'll relocate the boat down there in the fall but during the summer of 2012 I plan to use the boat as a travel boat to sail the Chesapeake Bay and Lake Erie as I once did the Banana Wind. *Photos*
	The Banana Republican, being a 2000 Precision 21 (HID# 21265I900), was only three feet longer than the Banana Wind, but it had considerably more interior space. I purchased it new in 2000 when I sold Kalapana. Although trailerable, I didn't travel with the Banana Republican because it was a little too much work launching and retrieving it for a short-term cruise, especially when I was cruising alone. Instead, I dock the boat at my home marina and use it to sail my home waters. Most of my summer weekends between 2000 and 2010 are spent on the Banana Republican. *When purchased Banana Wind 2* in 2010, I sold Banana Republican. Photos Banana Republican featured in the August 2004 issue of Sail Magazine**
	I was set to purchase a nice 1989 Seaward 25 in the summer of 2009 as a replacement for Banana Republican; however, the sellers sold it out from under me. It probably proved fortunate because later on I decided that I would prefer something slightly smaller and was fortunate to find a nice Seaward 23 for sale in Michigan. It will remain in storage along the shores of Lake Michigan until I can pick it up in the spring of 2010. Ironically, this boat was located just several miles north of the one I almost purchased in the summer. I wanted to find a nice to find a boat newer than Banana Republican and this one fit the bill being a 2001 model. It also possesses two other features I found attractive: wheel steering and an inboard diesel. *Photos*
	Banana Daydreamin'? Well . . not yet . . but someday . . . maybe.