Our Boat
Windom (ex-Calico) is a 1996 Caliber 40 LRC (hull #83) which we bought in November 1998. We named our boat after the 34th highest mountain in Colorado. At 14082 feet above sea level, Windom Peak is among the 54 recognized Colorado peaks over 14,000 feet. Our original homeport was Boulder, Colorado, where we lived before going cruising, but now that we've settled in Durango for our non-cruising time, we've changed our homeport to Durango, CO - which is only about 28 miles, as the crow flies, from Windom Peak.
Windom is a pretty word. Its sound evokes thoughts of wisdom, winsome, winning, a kingdom of the wind. (Alas, Windom Peak was named for none of these things, but for William Windom, a US Senator from Minnesota and Secretary of the Treasury during the administration of James Garfield in 1881. We still think it sounds nice.)
We climbed Windom Peak on September 10, 1998. (Britt had climbed it 21 years before, too.) Photos from this ascent are here. We also climbed it again from the other side on August 2, 2004, as part of a long and wonderful backpack vacation; a trip report, with photos, is here.
Specifications
The Caliber 40 LRC ("Long Range Cruiser") is 40'11" overall, 39'1" on deck, and 32'6" at waterline. Beam is 12'8" and design draft is 5'1". (Our actual loaded-for-cruising draft is more like 5'4".) (More specifications.) Additional information on the Caliber 40 LRC and Caliber Yachts in general is available from a dealer's web site. Windom has a Harken roller-furling foresail system and a Z-spar furling mainsail system, with Doyle sails. We do not have the optional inner forestay. We added an equipment arch built by KATO Marine to hold our dink, wind generator, solar panels, radar, gps antenna, and stereo speakers.
Interior
The layout above is from the Caliber brochure. Our cushions are blue, and we have contemporary multicolored (but mostly blue) rugs covering most of the cabin sole. As of 2005, we have a new sky-blue bimini and dodger, replacing the navy blue. Before we left Boulder, Britt built a teak enclosure for the steel pole next to the galley sink, and a bookshelf for the forward cabin. We also converted the vanity in the forward cabin to a computer desk. We opened a few extra storage areas in the heads by installing access hatches, and added an opening port at the foot of the berth in the aft cabin. That berth is usually used as a garage for random stuff, but we clear it all out for guests.
Systems
We
took some pictures of the engine and systems before
we changed anything, but we've made a lot of changes (detailed in the
logs). We added new batteries, upgraded the electrical system and fuel
system, added a big alternator and alternative energy generation, and installed
a diesel heater. Wiring diagrams, plumbing diagrams, and some photos, are on
our systems page (last modified:
2/26/05).
Equipment
We bought and installed just about every bit of gear on Windom. We do as much research as we can before selecting each item, and usually spend a few weeks being totally confused by conflicting opinions and endless options before figuring out what seems to be our best choice. See a detailed list of our gear, or read opinionated commentary (last modified: 2/26/05) on most of our major systems.