Hello from Martha,
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Martha Dodd, world famous artist and dressage rider (HAHA) and my husband’s name is Marc Lanz.
I hope all of you are doing well and are ready for a beautiful spring, which is just arriving. I’m writing this post which is going to be the first of many this year.
First, I would like to introduce myself and my husband, Marc.
Who are we?
I am an American artist, originally from Ohio, who paints wildlife, animals all kinds, people and fantasy subjects. I began my career as an artist while in my mid-20’s, working for a wholesale art company. After about 5 years I went on my own and have been doing freelance art, including custom murals, portaits, and more. I also have been training horses and riders in the art of dressage, a style of riding that most people refer to as “dancing”. I have been focusing very hard on my art and in my riding for many years.
Marc, born and raised in Switzerland, is a craftsman specializing in boats. He primarily works on yachts 50 – 90 feet, providing a service to the owners which includes problem solving and repairs of all kinds of things.
Marc has done so much to support me in my efforts. When an opportunity to buy the boat of his dreams presented itself, we decided it was the right time to buy it. The catamaran that Marc found is one that we have wanted for many years. Back in 2019 we went on a sea trial on this very same boat. It was called Ohana, which is Hawaiian for “Home”. We are renaming it M&M in honor of ourselves!
We are planning on taking some time and sailing to the Bahamas and back, and living on board for a while. We’ve already sold our house in Florida, and have our eye on another house but for now we’re going to make ourselves happy on our floating home.
Our beloved horse, 007, will get a few months off until we return. We have left him in the capable hands of Gene Gage in Punta Gorda Florida.
M&M was built in 2018, and is still as beautiful as ever. She is a 39 foot Seawind 1190. Marc is an amazing craftsman when it comes to boats. He knows how to install all kinds of systems, he knows how to rig a sailboat, and he felt that this boat checked all the boxes. Still, he wanted to add some improvements to the boat. We have been working on it diligently for the past two weeks. We have scrubbed it squeaky clean, from one end to other, inside and out. Marc found a few issues that needed fixing. The freezer isn’t working properly, and he is waiting on a part from Australia to fix it. There was a leaky pump to one of the toilets that he had to replace. He is in the middle of installing a water maker, which is a bigger deal than you might think! The box of parts arrived for the water maker, and there were dozens of parts! Fortunately, Marc had installed many of these systems before, and knows what he is doing. The main units are rather heavy, and Marc had to reinforce the wall he was going to mount them on. One valve broke during installation, so now we are waiting on the manufacturer to send a replacement from North Carolina.
Life on the boat so far
I really can’t say how wonderful it is to sleep on this boat. The designers really knew what they were doing when they decided where to place all the hatches. In the lightest wind, there is still plenty of air circulating around the boat. There is a hatch in each of the three cabins, (2 in the master) and it is so pleasant to lay in bed with a gentle breeze playing on your skin. The gentle motion of the boat is also very relaxing. I have been waking up just before dawn each morning, and been treated to some dazzling sunrises.
The interior of the boat is also light and bright, with white walls and ceilings, and light gray flooring. The galley is amazing, efficiently designed, and it makes meal preparation a breeze. Of course I have brought my paints, although I haven’t started one yet, but will soon!
I don’t want to run on and on, because I know your time is valuable. I will keep adding posts to this blog, and I hope you want to follow along. If you would like to see more, follow me on Facebook!
A big hug from us both, and lots of love,
Martha and Marc
