tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55924673782646287282024-02-19T02:38:52.935-04:00part II, Traveling Light:where we go off to see the world, sailing on other people's boatsLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-26276021671616279282015-02-24T21:14:00.000-04:002015-02-24T21:14:30.900-04:00Casa QuirkySo we've moved on to yet another "What the fuck were we thinking" opportunity. As any of you who know us know, we like to jump in with both feet and figure out all the pesky little details later. So, about a month ago, we put in a bid on a foreclosure property on an online auction. It's a 1/2 acre in the south valley part of Albuquerque, in the Bosque along the Rio Grande, with a 1965 era hacienda-style part adobe house. We'd had a chance to walk the property the day before and it was a mess. Downed trees, half finished projects, a horse corral, a pile of crap that looked like it was supposed to be an outdoor kitchen but wasn't, there was so much going on that it was hard to know where to look first. We were the 'winners' of the auction. <br />
<br />
It's been one of those 'hurry up, then wait' months since the auction. Hurry up and get all the paperwork and financial stuff in to the auction site, we had 24 hours for this. Wait 2 weeks. Hurry up with more paperwork. Wait again. Sign the closing papers. Call the utilities. Wait. Call the general contractor to get an electrician. Wait. Get the electrician to the house. Waiting for the estimate now. Waiting for power to get the well pump going. Waiting for electric and water so the gas can be tested.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, a company that had been contracted months ago to clean up the house and yard before the auction, showed up and took all the trash, brush, old appliances, AND the crap-pile outdoor kitchen! How much stuff could there possibly be, you ask? It took 3 guys almost 4 days. We saw them at the house when they were working, but didn't happen mention that the auction had already taken place. <br />
<br />
So we've been cleaning up the little casita in the back (did I mention there's a cute casita?) so we can move into it while we work on the main house. The casita will eventually be an apartment/guest house, although I think our daughter, Hannah, has her eye on it for now. <br />
<br />
It's an old house and yard and it's had lots of owners. There are lots of things to make us go "hmmmmmmm, what were they thinking?" so I've started calling it Casa Quirky, in honor of it being in Albuquirky, of course. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjiD5JPzb0JVi3dlOItTznGwIMlSPGno58X_hLW4nJsprAdLGGkpcRAa04BDzowmnyN2Y_at7snyzHIzrZ3LsW_WdpWHlNZVtcasFucPAM3zxK18x7sMaC4RyNnKGxkn0x_NLmpJSYkj25/s1600/P1230281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjiD5JPzb0JVi3dlOItTznGwIMlSPGno58X_hLW4nJsprAdLGGkpcRAa04BDzowmnyN2Y_at7snyzHIzrZ3LsW_WdpWHlNZVtcasFucPAM3zxK18x7sMaC4RyNnKGxkn0x_NLmpJSYkj25/s1600/P1230281.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casa Quirky from the outside.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IaqWUWJtteoaOAIqyTjzIzrAbyLnY5TwGkGZ__PjQK9yA23JbGEYyj6huYlUv_v1drPWsGxSeOBmTJJfkuY7FvHB0PYKg5fib2cY0neZf2oRaW8i8jXq3MIF8n3FYg-ZU0KcEkLLKuqH/s1600/P1280013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IaqWUWJtteoaOAIqyTjzIzrAbyLnY5TwGkGZ__PjQK9yA23JbGEYyj6huYlUv_v1drPWsGxSeOBmTJJfkuY7FvHB0PYKg5fib2cY0neZf2oRaW8i8jXq3MIF8n3FYg-ZU0KcEkLLKuqH/s1600/P1280013.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The living room, with several of the unfinished projects: a window seat, a strange wood box and sort-of built in's by the fireplace.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
,Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-27706051034574697372015-01-28T16:36:00.001-04:002015-01-28T16:36:18.912-04:00Time to move on, again, or <strong>"The world is your oyster".</strong> We've heard that more than once in the last 2 weeks, and while we do know that and we do realize how fortunate we are, we are both still really PO'd over this turn of events. We ended up moving off the joyless boat the day the BPO Rally was leaving Key West. We'd planned for so long for the Blue Planet Odyssey, and spent so much money and <em><strong>sold Celebration</strong></em> to make it all work out, that we've really been thrown for a loop here. <br />
<br />
So how did this happen one might ask? Right up front we'll be critical of us. In hindsight all the signs were there, but in our enthusiasm and excitement at the change of venue, we didn't see it. Here is a great time to say a sincere thanks to all of our friends and followers as not one time in the last couple of weeks have we heard an <strong><em>"I told you so"</em></strong> in spite of the fact many of you did tell us so before it all began.<br />
<br />
We have no doubt we made the right decision to not sail. In the end it came down to us losing trust and confidence in the captain/owners of the vessel. There were just too many undone things, too little knowledge, and too many statements made which turned out untrue. Learning the owners had owned the vessel for almost 10 years we assumed they would have sailed and known the boat. Nope. We asked for thru-hull locations and they referred to the owners manual! Fail...an owner/captain needs to
know where <strong><em>and</em></strong> be able to find them in the pitch black
of night with water above the floorboards. There will be no time in
an emergency to discuss and certainly not checking the owners'
manual. Do they work? "I believe so", another fail...so we don't know for sure the valves work, are
properly assembled, no corrosion, double clamps, and sure the handle actually moves the ball, the ball's not
corroded away, and it actually shuts off the water. Oh and I would be much more
comfortable if they had proper backing plates/blocks with the valves
lagged/bolted to in order to protect the boat from taking on water if
an impact shears the outer flange. Joyless has no backing blocks let
alone having the valves attached. How much anchor chain? "300 feet". Nope...150 when we (Lynn and Steve) pulled it out and measured. "The refrigeration works great and has for nine years"...nope. "We're not camping" we'd been told (one of our primary requirements/motto) but the stove hadn't been used and the owners appear to have not stayed aboard during most of the preparation. Do we have a spare alternator"? "Do we need one"? Yes, and here is a long list of other spares we need. Eventually, or as Lynn describes: in an unshakably, unwaveringly ploddingly slooooooow about getting anything done...they eventually got ordered. (Pedantic became our private catch phrase.) Several critical spares (starter, seawater pump) didn't make it in time of course but the owners still believe they were ready. Then there were the lengthy and unexplainable disappearances. But the kickers: moving dock cart after dock cart of "stuff" off the vessel (literally filling a car all three seats and trunk as well as two giant dock boxes) before the safety inspection by Jimmy Cornell only to move it all back aboard after the inspection...deception; and where it all began "the boat is ready", "it came from the factory ready", "we'll reimburse your crew fees if something happens and we're not" we were assured in August 2014 before we wired our money to the Cornell organization. As seasoned, off-shore, licensed, mariners the vessel and more so the owners, are still far from ready.<br />
<br />
As volunteer crew it never occurred to us that we would have to go through all their stuffed full lockers and tell them what to keep and to what to give away. They had been buying and buying and buying with no record of what was bought or where it was put or how many they bought. A lot of the stuff was still in the packaging. Yet we had no spare engine starter, alternator, or right sized ground tackle. We did have seven safety harnesses. Although to be fair, there were only five to start with but upon departure from Ft Lauderdale they couldn't be found in all the mess, so two more were bought. We had 26 life vest whistles. We had 500 spare batteries for all the various electronics, (this was after Lynn threw away about 100 that had leaked all over), but we didn't have a spoon to stir a pot. Which we understood after learning that the stove had only been used ~three times in the last nine years. Not only did the owners not cook on board, they didn't sleep there either. They were camping. They had never cruised the boat. We don't believe they'd ever sailed her either.<br />
<br />
Why so far behind? Our opinion is a failure to embrace responsibility as captain and
owner for the outfitting, preparedness, and seaworthiness of the vessel and the safety of it's crew. From
an overly lengthy time in the yard where so many other items which
consumed the last month of time could and should have been done (HAM
License, water-maker, thru-hull checks, HF mail software
familiarity, SSB installation and familiarity, engine and vessel
spares, sorting and stowing necessary and personal items,
measuring anchor chain, right sizing the anchor, etc., etc.) to the reason the canvas leaks
(in spite of it being years past it's expected life span) were all repeatedly recited as the responsibility and fault of others. For many, and we certainly believe it to be true in this case, the dream of a circumnavigation, of the pageantry of the flags snapping in the wind
and of playing music on remote islands for admiring locals, is so much more palatable than the actual doing.<br />
<br />
Our departure from
Joyless was not because of some real or perceived personality
conflict. We invested a lot of equity, both in dollars and emotional
capital, into supporting this dream and fully intended to make the
two plus year journey. Our direct outlays in travel,
storage, and crew fees (all non-reimbursable) plus the sat phone and
contract well exceed $15,000. Our opportunity cost i.e. the amount of
professional advise and labor donated to the effort would be
invoiced by me to anyone else at $36,000 and that is entirely without
any weekend or holiday differential. On top of all that we sold our
beautiful seaworthy vessel and home <em>Celebration</em> to do this and spent months
packing, transporting and storing our own lives in order to crew with
Joyless. We are indeed sad, even heartbroken that we are not going but
we have too much at risk with a vessel/owner/captain who is
unprepared. We willfully
volunteered our time and effort as crew with the excitement of
sailing for the first time in years without the responsibility and
liability carried by the owner and captain. We expected it to work
well given what we perceived as the experience aboard having no idea she'd been sailed so little by these owners and they knew so little about her. If at the end of the day an accident or disaster occurred
and the owner winced at accepting
responsibility, we as the licensed mariners aboard might be held
accountable and liable for the lives lost and/or damage incurred.
While we have spent so much in time away from our own dreams, money, and the month of 60 hour weeks already donated toward this
dream, we could not put our lives and financial future at
potential risk.<br />
<br />
So we've moved ahead a few years in our plans. We're currently in Albuquerque, looking at property and/or teardrop trailers and/or another boat and/or other crew opportunities, getting to spend time with Hannah, seeing the Revolutions Theatre Festival for the first time, eating great food, and taking it easy after the last couple months of non-stop work. Life really is good. <br />
<br />
And there is a new blues tune in the incubator: <u><em>What the Fuck Were We Thinking, We Must Have Been Drinking, When We Said We'd Crew...</em></u><br />
<br />
Steve & Lynn<br />
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Postscript:</strong> We are being so straight forward here not so much to be critical of the owners but to let our friends and fellow mariners know some of the story. We all know good crew and good captains are not found on the internet but through word of mouth and reputation. We could provide more details and our recommendation to crew considering sailing aboard this vessel should they be interested. Our closest of friends, those we have worked with and those who watched this process from nearby boats on the dock know this situation well. Many wondered what took us so long to bail, and the offers to help us and the encouragement flowed from every direction when we moved off. In the end it is our hope to keep others safe. Of course there may well be a dissenting opinion. Please note: there are copious notes (from lists of required spares not aboard when we joined the crew to diagrams of resistance in the ground circuits) priority lists, and many photo's. Consistent with keeping a clean wake, they do not need to be public and won't be.<br />
<br />
Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-25458685918792873342014-12-21T17:18:00.000-04:002015-01-22T13:24:38.576-04:00In a nutshell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The last 6 months have been eventful, to say the least. Celebration has gone to a wonderful set of new owners, Jurgen and Katherine Murach. She has been renamed Amaroo and is underway to The Bahamas. I hope the three of them have as much fun and as many adventures together as we did.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Steve and I spent a great Thanksgiving in Minnesota and North Dakota seeing almost everyone in both our families. In spite of temps in the 10's is was too short a visit. We did miss seeing the Bernhard clan of Arizona, but I do understand their reluctance to go north in November. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLvdQQHhoaji0C9cdn95UHntO2riaCZO1ylkSyumlnjR5tgDlQXTUDNH3b6kh2-uNQWiQ2hvS3o4_lujOeP-5hSvObRsutS5rgOO1dVF_C4JkAzV_l2mko4OhLDx07RM_5tJYLCWFNXDz/s1600/PB120029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLvdQQHhoaji0C9cdn95UHntO2riaCZO1ylkSyumlnjR5tgDlQXTUDNH3b6kh2-uNQWiQ2hvS3o4_lujOeP-5hSvObRsutS5rgOO1dVF_C4JkAzV_l2mko4OhLDx07RM_5tJYLCWFNXDz/s1600/PB120029.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jurgen and Katherine in the process of renaming Celebration.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We moved aboard Joyful a week ago and have been really busy getting the boat ready to make some really long passages. We brought Joyful to Key West last week and we're working our asses off at Stock Island Marina Village, building shelves in a hanging locker, tracing down some wiring/alternator ghosts, insulating the freezer, sorting and purging the bulging lockers, and figuring out where to store enough provisions for 4 people for up to 30 days. I'm also trying to find enough hiding spots to store 2 years worth of Cheetos. No luck so far. Any suggestions are welcome. </div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-87905169578713972792014-08-23T14:43:00.000-04:002014-08-23T14:43:53.977-04:00Sights of Maine: food<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2Op9_IwGZ68NKDgS6G5BDcfMNb1WWiJI5UjmVRqt4DrDu4Cw0Ju0c0ni29-LRVvzEEDXIojAtqWxPlkjDnFfZw4sONoa_lsCxbw9EGa0irhTLQVgkVvgJhVN9N_6IIncsl8vEgBIN2wG/s1600/P8080006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2Op9_IwGZ68NKDgS6G5BDcfMNb1WWiJI5UjmVRqt4DrDu4Cw0Ju0c0ni29-LRVvzEEDXIojAtqWxPlkjDnFfZw4sONoa_lsCxbw9EGa0irhTLQVgkVvgJhVN9N_6IIncsl8vEgBIN2wG/s1600/P8080006.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Farmers Markets here are overflowing with fresh organic produce. We went to the one in Stonington last week and came home with all kinds of good stuff. Sweet carrots, garlicky pork sausage, fat blueberries, dense crisp cabbage and garlic strong enough to die for, if you're of the vampire persuasion. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1buedF0rkXkjZCP7dd0hs2IMxrxwmL5ybTIs1aW4yh4NNwSS-FKd6KA3iTQUkBJ8xHzDBAI3ePeAE3hDjdp4UjIaf6_Oy7YRp5Qe8jBYYd37TyDjamBakNp1dLSN9RVg-84pbEWOdalj/s1600/P8080008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1buedF0rkXkjZCP7dd0hs2IMxrxwmL5ybTIs1aW4yh4NNwSS-FKd6KA3iTQUkBJ8xHzDBAI3ePeAE3hDjdp4UjIaf6_Oy7YRp5Qe8jBYYd37TyDjamBakNp1dLSN9RVg-84pbEWOdalj/s1600/P8080008.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We stopped at the local Lobster Pound on the way back to the dinghy and got 10 fresh ones to go.<br />
Ten fresh 1 1/4 lb lobsters were $53. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3-hBOkJOr4g417ZdzxpfJZozDX1p7fgSIBNjL0BqqwvAf5YOW39aPo2F2ygx9XdzsZZ1BXDzb8oEwW6X9XWPidMEMMUR8T1UXby5DWM53mqJnFvBomDU_n1FAsu9NuKFHCagPoX4dGut4/s1600/P8080013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3-hBOkJOr4g417ZdzxpfJZozDX1p7fgSIBNjL0BqqwvAf5YOW39aPo2F2ygx9XdzsZZ1BXDzb8oEwW6X9XWPidMEMMUR8T1UXby5DWM53mqJnFvBomDU_n1FAsu9NuKFHCagPoX4dGut4/s1600/P8080013.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We spent a couple of hours steaming and picking the fresh lobsters. Yes, they do turn orange when they're cooked. Ten cooked lobsters yielded around 2 pounds of meat.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5zAXMe9rIthaZu7iOddVPqOwTipp6JxISJRZggxV26grTsIDJi4QANvB2Elx-iZPm2gYSn5RPu94KtnkQxDkuhrbIFSYRM8wpY950eFuA0F8hjBuzL5D76RLcZr7Hr4pvyUzfkJNt6S2/s1600/P8080015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5zAXMe9rIthaZu7iOddVPqOwTipp6JxISJRZggxV26grTsIDJi4QANvB2Elx-iZPm2gYSn5RPu94KtnkQxDkuhrbIFSYRM8wpY950eFuA0F8hjBuzL5D76RLcZr7Hr4pvyUzfkJNt6S2/s1600/P8080015.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The fruits of our labor produced a stir fry worthy of Emeril,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6fRSlHAboJoLgYhYRbQVrrmPeVzMX40BnPz9vR9eZuiHimq7dNUihB1e2bUk93ulfKlReMakmTTu5oKmvHAZDGdNDGqt_p-1ZD-ferJWcNusyK9IDpiBi0WEHbU7wFvLXMOsGZq9ZNO6/s1600/P8090031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6fRSlHAboJoLgYhYRbQVrrmPeVzMX40BnPz9vR9eZuiHimq7dNUihB1e2bUk93ulfKlReMakmTTu5oKmvHAZDGdNDGqt_p-1ZD-ferJWcNusyK9IDpiBi0WEHbU7wFvLXMOsGZq9ZNO6/s1600/P8090031.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
and enough blueberry muffins and pancakes for a week.<br />
<br />
It is true, sailors travel on their stomachs. Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-37240448040077886222014-08-15T14:38:00.000-04:002014-08-15T14:38:29.234-04:00Sights of Maine: harbor seals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEhjSxIs5rLbfJz1iXCEdb0hK1epShyphenhyphenGl6NeLWLFuIquTj454C0cElrEaN0gsmO85v_ON0RwaYuac9DPu3tZdqYrIbM9VHbjpBzzwzhccsvfcE92td51kcNIewL3AyTzFUjNvcuuwxnCe/s1600/P7220092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEhjSxIs5rLbfJz1iXCEdb0hK1epShyphenhyphenGl6NeLWLFuIquTj454C0cElrEaN0gsmO85v_ON0RwaYuac9DPu3tZdqYrIbM9VHbjpBzzwzhccsvfcE92td51kcNIewL3AyTzFUjNvcuuwxnCe/s1600/P7220092.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
One of the great things about being out in the boonies of Maine is the wildlife. No moose so far, but we've seen eagles and osprey swooping in to fish, guillemots winging by with their inky black bodies and bright red feet, ducks by the hundreds, geese, and harbor seals. <br />
<br />
I think the seals are my favorite because most of them are so shy. Their heads are hard to spot amid all the lobster bouys anyway, but at the slightest sound, they disappear beneath the water without even a ripple. They seem to be very social with each other, but they don't like humans. Up close they're bigger than you'd expect, up to 6 feet long and up to 300 lbs. They have such cute faces with their big dark eyes. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJRVe_cQGOC2Hh4K-I5E6u7euXXd0M4_39wDG550Iw_bWlkrM3gE4Z-QHlvy6IxX4tvyaYdZdgvlnY8YTOVJSKchZzpGSB8hsGbOUbZkOYEcutt917KZpc9UYZP8B3CycvFUmkfdRnhJD/s1600/P1140599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJRVe_cQGOC2Hh4K-I5E6u7euXXd0M4_39wDG550Iw_bWlkrM3gE4Z-QHlvy6IxX4tvyaYdZdgvlnY8YTOVJSKchZzpGSB8hsGbOUbZkOYEcutt917KZpc9UYZP8B3CycvFUmkfdRnhJD/s1600/P1140599.JPG" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
These guys were sunning themselves on the rocks behind us one morning. The 9 foot tide was rising so one by one they floated off for a day of fishing. I couldn't find any reason why they like to sit with their body arched up like they do, hind flippers and head in the air, it doesn't look comfortable. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALLs5B-axfspMP9nzcpfqEHqfSBpcGEi7I8fyUap4g8vL8J1Pcq_7HJ0B_Ol3nu92gHCKV0UHn_SUsT1rokZd-gRJa9UJr9p6oUDhOcjsascMNXlgANwbHSngXpVoRzvnVWWpbwp4oVE_/s1600/P8070001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALLs5B-axfspMP9nzcpfqEHqfSBpcGEi7I8fyUap4g8vL8J1Pcq_7HJ0B_Ol3nu92gHCKV0UHn_SUsT1rokZd-gRJa9UJr9p6oUDhOcjsascMNXlgANwbHSngXpVoRzvnVWWpbwp4oVE_/s1600/P8070001.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyx7fV5ZzbnouNQtR2gf9BZtJmjE5UBPv3-ECd3RRxrq8YOdsqGCOaT9x8dLj9x4zPX8nJvUTgIf7zqgvDQw4vfucljUKr42_8AahaocUVDFNgtckLFUMHmOmRl-icNuw2Dh4DAGL1oNC/s1600/P8090054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyx7fV5ZzbnouNQtR2gf9BZtJmjE5UBPv3-ECd3RRxrq8YOdsqGCOaT9x8dLj9x4zPX8nJvUTgIf7zqgvDQw4vfucljUKr42_8AahaocUVDFNgtckLFUMHmOmRl-icNuw2Dh4DAGL1oNC/s1600/P8090054.JPG" height="476" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
A nice soft kelp bed. This one was watching me as I was watching it. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbBOAXTCDS0DELP1Gb7nAAa5MuwzuyxUSW3RnY-gSLooOHi5yn4WWQQ90DeA4qM-VGugOpaAiFm_GV5zhPTtGbPhdZc1JzDywd4rGiaD13o96hQ0Rrb0boMnLy9rGCyzqG3f07_YpjwQD/s1600/P8100065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbBOAXTCDS0DELP1Gb7nAAa5MuwzuyxUSW3RnY-gSLooOHi5yn4WWQQ90DeA4qM-VGugOpaAiFm_GV5zhPTtGbPhdZc1JzDywd4rGiaD13o96hQ0Rrb0boMnLy9rGCyzqG3f07_YpjwQD/s1600/P8100065.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The rock is almost gone, but they'll hang out for all the sunlight they can get<br />
<br />
Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-34729057673853086952014-08-06T15:03:00.001-04:002014-08-06T17:18:22.967-04:00Yes, the rumors are trueWe've sold <em>Celebration</em>. This may come as a surprise to some of you, I haven't written anything for so long that I'm sure you assumed we were out doing our usual socializing, eating and drinking. And you'd be right. But in between all that... OK it's a long story, so I'll start at the beginning.<br />
<br />
Last November at the SSCA Gam in Melborne FL, we met a nice couple, Anne and Jeff Posner, who were looking for crew to do the <a href="http://cornellsailing.com/sail-the-odyssey/blue-planet-odyssey/" target="_blank">Blue Planet Odyssey</a> with them on their boat <em>Joyful</em>. We were very interested but this is a 2 1/2 year commitment, so we took a lot of time to think about it. We thought through about how bad it could be, on a small boat, in the middle of the Pacific, with crazy people. But we also thought about how good it could be, on a small boat, getting to know some great people, seeing the world at a snails pace. So we did our usual and jumped in with both feet, well, in this case, four barefeet. <br />
<br />
We had planned to put <em>Celebration</em> on the hard somewhere while we were gone, but after adding it all up: the costs of insurance, storage, and maintainence, and then the fixing of all the deterioration that happens to a boat who's neglected, we started to have doubts about this plan. We moved on to thinking that maybe we should sell. We talked to a boat broker (they're like real estate agents, but for boats) and signed on with one at the end of June. The Plan was to come to Maine for the summer and laze about eating lobster, then take the boat back to Annapolis, move off and put her on the hard at the brokers office. <br />
<br />
On the way to Maine we stopped, per usual, at our friends, Gary and Alex's house in Amesbury Mass. Aside from being perfectly wonderful people, they have a mooring and dock on the Merrimack river behind their house, an awesome collection of friends, an awesome garden...the list of reasons to go there is long. We were there on the dock one afternoon, working away on projects small and large that we wanted to finish before we offered her up to be picked apart by prospective buyers, when a man walked down the ramp from the backyard and said "Hello, my name is Klaus and I used to own this boat".<br />
<br />
As it turns out, Klaus' boat, <em>Ludus amoris</em>, was hull number 58 and<em> Celebration</em> is hull number 68. Klaus and his wife Maria circumnavigated twice and he's written a book about their travels (unfortunately for us, the book is in German, but is currently being translated to English). Klaus and Maria are from Germany, but their daughter lives near Amesbury so after they sold <em>Ludus</em>, they moved here. Anyway, on this particular day Klaus was driving on the bridge over the Merrimack about a block from where we were and saw us on the dock. He made a right turn and came to say hi. <br />
(A funny story about that: Klaus knocked on the front door of the house, (no one ever uses the front door), he had a copy of his book in his hand, was nicely dressed and was driving an old VW camper van. Gary thought he was a Jehovias Witness and was reluctant to answer the door. Once Gary figured out Klaus's real purpose, he sent him down to see us.) Klaus came aboard to chat and look around. He mentioned that about a year ago he'd gotten an email from a friend in Bavaria asking if he, Klaus, still had his boat for sale. He didn't. Steve mentioned that <em>Celebration</em> happened to be for sale. Klaus looked around some more and then invited us over for dinner the next evening at his home. I knew he had been a real cruiser because when I asked what I should bring to dinner and he replied "your laundry".<br />
<br />
We were very surprised to get an email the next morning from Klaus's friends, Jurgen and Kathrin. They were looking for more information on the boat. We sent it and forgot about it. We had a great dinner with Klaus and Maria and got to see some wonderful pictures of their trip. The next thing we knew, J and K had booked tickets to come to Boston to see Klaus and<em> Celebration</em>. We did not get our hopes up. Besides, we already had a Plan. AND our daughter, Amanda, was coming for a rare visit and we didn't want anything to mess that up. It turned into a very fun, chaotic, wacky week. In short we went from "maybe we should sell the boat" to "holy cow, I think we sold the boat" in about 6 weeks. <br />
<br />
The really weird part of all this is that when I called our broker to tell him all this and ask what we should do next, HE YELLED AT ME! Really. Yelled. He wouldn't listen to me at all and kept yelling and threatening to put a lien on the documentation, take us to court, etc. We never had any intention of not paying him (until then of course) but we did want to talk about a reduced fee since he had had to do NOTHING so far. Suffice to say, we settled, by dealing with his partner, and we no longer have a broker.<br />
<br />
So the new Plan. We'll stay on the boat and deliver her to the Miami area in November. J and K hope to come back and take possession then. We can move to Joyful at the same time. For now, we're in Maine, socializing, eating and drinking. <br />
Below is a picture of Amanda from our quick drive to BaHaBa, because every blog needs a picture. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-koWok8OuxoNDujLQCav-FDgJTHW8hKqHUPh5AmysfNbtYuYSptL1XSqvhgURMGVIQ1g5Vn0YIumdefR-LVAv8qpZ37hcdKX12YZAHotsxZi_-uY-CiHVyf5GrI_OF4R1uWD405One2HI/s1600/P7100053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-koWok8OuxoNDujLQCav-FDgJTHW8hKqHUPh5AmysfNbtYuYSptL1XSqvhgURMGVIQ1g5Vn0YIumdefR-LVAv8qpZ37hcdKX12YZAHotsxZi_-uY-CiHVyf5GrI_OF4R1uWD405One2HI/s1600/P7100053.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-38453198967295723452014-05-03T13:58:00.001-04:002014-05-03T13:58:49.262-04:00On the northward migrationOur winter in Marathon sped by really fast. When we got there, our 5-6 month planned stay seemed to stretch endlessly before me, full of possibilities. Chances to learn to basket weave, to spend long, unhurried hours chatting with friends, to blog daily about all the interesting people we would be meeting, to get some of the long-put-off boat upgrades done. In 5 months we managed to get a lot of that done. <br />
As with all boat projects, the new fiberglass dodger took much longer to build than we had planned. We spent so much time working on it in the project room at the marina that by the time we were done, we'd met everyone at the marina and just about everyone from the mooring field. We met lots of people who would come through daily to check our progress and give advice, lots of advice. Lots and lots of advice. I tried the Tom Sawyer trick daily, trying to hand over my resin roller or paint brush, to get a demo from one of the advice givers but I never got a taker. I think next time we have to do a big fiberglass 'something', I'm going to call it a class and charge for attendance. The end result is wonderful and we are loving the added protection off shore and the new hand holds for safety. The pictures show the new stuff, but if you really want to see how beautiful it is, you may just have to come and visit.<br />
We left Marathon about a month ago, spent a fun week in Miami with friends Bill and Sarah on <em>Moonlight Serenade</em>, made our way up to St Augustine for another couple of weeks and are now back in Oriental NC. to see more good friends. This trip north and south takes longer each year as we meet more and more people along the way that we want to stop and see each time we go by. <br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUzYgt9HxqWBvnS7qjvrAsLOieB8W2xBiTG8Fwe7aKmLAthX48xmiJdurwd3lydLYNRUmuKZ4pekuavuZYTKHCuZ-19EZSD4L23f93f1GQHuwspBvgqEWboiAv1SqjK6mq4PI0BxqELQh/s1600/PB190100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUzYgt9HxqWBvnS7qjvrAsLOieB8W2xBiTG8Fwe7aKmLAthX48xmiJdurwd3lydLYNRUmuKZ4pekuavuZYTKHCuZ-19EZSD4L23f93f1GQHuwspBvgqEWboiAv1SqjK6mq4PI0BxqELQh/s1600/PB190100.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From this, old canvas dodger.<br />
<div align="left">
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuJPHPHSQLp82csxIW1Vkf2aHVaaAI9RcFafZqgWrfyZy9hyuXH-01QqE2cAP9cRbdVjoGTieMXzsrDJxOQIhF4GRFHhuJFrS9wopyvs7qUqJ2iy_ulBDfX0DFNEvK8K5zCS_9SLkjUr-/s1600/P1170241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuJPHPHSQLp82csxIW1Vkf2aHVaaAI9RcFafZqgWrfyZy9hyuXH-01QqE2cAP9cRbdVjoGTieMXzsrDJxOQIhF4GRFHhuJFrS9wopyvs7qUqJ2iy_ulBDfX0DFNEvK8K5zCS_9SLkjUr-/s1600/P1170241.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...to the new awesome hard dodger.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Oriental has a new free dock and we spent 2 nights there. It comes complete with 2 pair of beautiful white ducks. They wander freely around the Oriental Marina and Inn grounds, stopping to quuwack and flap at anyone who gets too close. They were very entertaining to watch, but they got up way too early.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS_HH_Hj_NK3fvnpbpWw_KzB8ndkrJ0u310Ybah7GE99gxjrEjhkaK1eREFF6vhIVbg_O2liyf2c64p9xW0K77wv71Tf_1716vgsaO2MStkQLQBbylNNTaxSJFyrm7Y758Elx7uSDjcME/s1600/P5010366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS_HH_Hj_NK3fvnpbpWw_KzB8ndkrJ0u310Ybah7GE99gxjrEjhkaK1eREFF6vhIVbg_O2liyf2c64p9xW0K77wv71Tf_1716vgsaO2MStkQLQBbylNNTaxSJFyrm7Y758Elx7uSDjcME/s1600/P5010366.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Fuel duck.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-66624275939827497582013-11-30T17:49:00.000-04:002013-11-30T17:49:18.086-04:00<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnymOCPsDM8xTdUOiQz2iOzbHNdig6i2knWwtzCaVxe4hdnoLir575gbJReBMR4eIXPfX8DvWdDOKaOW6JOYL4FSfq76-wFwlHiYfb95kj0-q4kwD4T7v9-JGEmiSn9qA_oT1p8bJrjUA/s1600/P1140285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnymOCPsDM8xTdUOiQz2iOzbHNdig6i2knWwtzCaVxe4hdnoLir575gbJReBMR4eIXPfX8DvWdDOKaOW6JOYL4FSfq76-wFwlHiYfb95kj0-q4kwD4T7v9-JGEmiSn9qA_oT1p8bJrjUA/s640/P1140285.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking north at the outer dinghy dock, Marathon City Marina from the water.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We've settled into our new winter home pretty quickly. The Marathon City Marina is a big place as far as mooring fields go. There are more than 200 moorings in Boot Key Harbor. The map below is courtesy of the city of Marathon. The picture above, is looking from the middle of the black dots, north to the circle with the Boot Key logo. The mooring field isn't full yet, but more and more boats are arriving daily. The cold weather up north is chasing the cruisers our way. We're on mooring K-1.<br />
<br />
<br />
<img alt="AerialMapThumb" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1135" height="307" src="http://www.ci.marathon.fl.us/files/2012/07/AerialMapThumb1.jpg" width="600" /><br />
<br />
We picked Marathon for the winter because of it's facilities and the ease of getting around and getting supplies for all the projects we have on the list for the next 4 months. The marina has large project rooms where cruisers can spread out and do work that none of us have room to do on our boats. You want to fix a sail? There's a floor for that. You need to work on the dinghy motor? There are motor stands and workbench space for that. Fibreglass repair? Ditto. Free wifi? Yep. Laundry, yes. (But it makes me cringe to pay $6 for one load. When I think of all the washers and dryers I could have bought with just the money I've spent in laundromats in the last 5 years. Definitely cringe-worthy.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijR-rei8ma1SZcIO_t8_-r6wS-93Vp4H8gT9I-VY9g2sdKaKLl2HZoXGhed3HNPjunfq__UZpneGS9up0UUu-pZMKahUk_30aXxuMK-kBHF6JvfUK7aAzpbIAJybvTsdLVddkleNS7vRFk/s1600/P1140287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijR-rei8ma1SZcIO_t8_-r6wS-93Vp4H8gT9I-VY9g2sdKaKLl2HZoXGhed3HNPjunfq__UZpneGS9up0UUu-pZMKahUk_30aXxuMK-kBHF6JvfUK7aAzpbIAJybvTsdLVddkleNS7vRFk/s400/P1140287.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The view from above the tiki hut, looking south. Celebration is just right of center.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI2464RbTyZSxVWe7c52LmnRIefI8PKDlFyDPzFAaEiBISOHaCwNhBfNlfwJJ7WeohdwL1hl5OTY-QvRSdIkjicjVTgJi1hLdhD1FMPuDrFAYcQ7nRrJsGiwI9K1zso8OqeZKW2bcru3E/s1600/P1140289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI2464RbTyZSxVWe7c52LmnRIefI8PKDlFyDPzFAaEiBISOHaCwNhBfNlfwJJ7WeohdwL1hl5OTY-QvRSdIkjicjVTgJi1hLdhD1FMPuDrFAYcQ7nRrJsGiwI9K1zso8OqeZKW2bcru3E/s400/P1140289.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The inner dinghy dock, with the shower/laundry building and project rooms on the right.Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-86643190999924924662013-11-11T17:47:00.000-04:002013-11-11T17:48:22.239-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwd-3XZDzwiu3wxy2sNGUSPLn8UEMYp7eWTE1fKu3ZHFxhG7ucIRSfkirAapS-Pe6dF_CDjQ7m8zR9vdngsNJmDvF-QZfWBnx67Pzka7ULCg4wYHrRddZ3-0fHaBmhlEfjKijj1-5Vb4mx/s1600/P1140141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwd-3XZDzwiu3wxy2sNGUSPLn8UEMYp7eWTE1fKu3ZHFxhG7ucIRSfkirAapS-Pe6dF_CDjQ7m8zR9vdngsNJmDvF-QZfWBnx67Pzka7ULCg4wYHrRddZ3-0fHaBmhlEfjKijj1-5Vb4mx/s400/P1140141.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
After our very fun, event filled summer, getting back to the boat yard and going to work on Celebration was a definite let down! It's a good thing we met some really fun, party loving fellow sailors, who were also in the midst of boat repairs or overhauls. You know who you are Billy, Bill, Lori, Edgar, Hela, Wendy... the list is long. Thanks for making our yard time go by so quickly.<br />
We splashed Celebration on a very rainy day, in the middle of a very rainy week, that unfortunately happened to be in the middle of a very rainy month. We didn't see the sun for the next 3 weeks. <br />
We headed south on Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk and then into the ICW system of rivers and canals that takes boaters inside of Cape Hatteras. It's beautiful back country of swamp grass and marsh but it was still raining. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfUXzxKYU17_YENheMQga29PpJFDAmrW6faVoWUM0hCuEqhj8t1vpTsksaAZESZmSkusij-fi86tu8y_vnWJdfZI8CQ3tVBYQSYIw3_-SmfEQdzcOxR_eEbP7BIsYUGFjGbtiigxP7G2E/s1600/P1140158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfUXzxKYU17_YENheMQga29PpJFDAmrW6faVoWUM0hCuEqhj8t1vpTsksaAZESZmSkusij-fi86tu8y_vnWJdfZI8CQ3tVBYQSYIw3_-SmfEQdzcOxR_eEbP7BIsYUGFjGbtiigxP7G2E/s400/P1140158.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Norfolk Navy Yard, grey ships on a grey day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxeLQTxRlSSfTlGUYb5e0_n1tshbDwc4OSFjYbBUb9qKBI8ATk_9yjQ59PDw8wLZD-yr0fO9vwQv-TjbzdtI9R3XTF0ceVlUCAcAF_JIIdXh5ZsvacsSgzzaHFklWsaLNWaD1lnT34UM38/s1600/P1140176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxeLQTxRlSSfTlGUYb5e0_n1tshbDwc4OSFjYbBUb9qKBI8ATk_9yjQ59PDw8wLZD-yr0fO9vwQv-TjbzdtI9R3XTF0ceVlUCAcAF_JIIdXh5ZsvacsSgzzaHFklWsaLNWaD1lnT34UM38/s400/P1140176.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Air craft carrier in dry dock, they're so big on top, it's a surprise to see how little is under water.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZVJlUw2vCdbQeBFBOWWE0s2-KUTG5uRTyYQCCYMi0NPPpSERbN9uW_56EXSHJ03e-CJmuTgVSN0U60M7ZJexKN9GspSCf_R_8x-WI1E5JEOL1fYEq4vJdtnRwzghl45lwf_6XqSYeQps/s1600/P1140212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZVJlUw2vCdbQeBFBOWWE0s2-KUTG5uRTyYQCCYMi0NPPpSERbN9uW_56EXSHJ03e-CJmuTgVSN0U60M7ZJexKN9GspSCf_R_8x-WI1E5JEOL1fYEq4vJdtnRwzghl45lwf_6XqSYeQps/s640/P1140212.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
A kettle of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhinga" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">anhingas</span></a>, wondering where the sun went.<br />
<br />
As is usual on our way south, we ended up in Oriental, NC, for a visit with Beth and Jim on Wild Haggis. We lucked out and got onto the free town dock for two nights and we even managed to be there for a pig-pickin at Dick and Jackies. The weather was improving as we made our way south and we were very ready to be back in shorts and flip-flops.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbucFKNezVG7Id_ySzaXPW1l2MAFgsmm8h7a0eeMKtWiEH1edH47Cw19Fjbv4uUVo3W4YCIwO2rIFWd0wRwcmsPv-1Tg2SI8isxjFQrea5PNlzNqQlN6uuyy-ajcIEBz725RXHQFWHQ4v/s1600/P1140239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbucFKNezVG7Id_ySzaXPW1l2MAFgsmm8h7a0eeMKtWiEH1edH47Cw19Fjbv4uUVo3W4YCIwO2rIFWd0wRwcmsPv-1Tg2SI8isxjFQrea5PNlzNqQlN6uuyy-ajcIEBz725RXHQFWHQ4v/s640/P1140239.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Carolina Beach, NC, even the geese were heading south, they passed us daily.<br />
We left Carolina Beach and did a 5 day sail all the way to Marathon. It was a great trip, pretty good wind, pretty calm seas and we managed to average more than 5knots an hour.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiYHchxIugGrru7W6nma7VHLITmf2MUbt2kZYsAm_P8RfTetEQB55eNcvPdXKTqea7oCFo4bv8opbg2nL3LE5KeNKBO70s_yIk5XxaIcJ8QUr3HOsmanUNyH5hzAok9oHc1rQ6WVm7tPE6/s1600/P1140245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiYHchxIugGrru7W6nma7VHLITmf2MUbt2kZYsAm_P8RfTetEQB55eNcvPdXKTqea7oCFo4bv8opbg2nL3LE5KeNKBO70s_yIk5XxaIcJ8QUr3HOsmanUNyH5hzAok9oHc1rQ6WVm7tPE6/s400/P1140245.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Our new morning-coffee view, over Boot Key.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We've settled into our home for the winter, the mooring field at Boot Key Harbor in Marathon FL. We've spent s lot of time in Florida, but haven't really explored any of it and I'm excited to get to check out all of the Keys.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4obordvGmKWErKCPVamUjtM0oZAia8Nw4jWbEXZpabNxiNNxfj-BFPq_w5DmW8hDUBOCNISlIzFyXWD9szCf98FaCjKhWzq2o1h9Ik8GnQp1J5Irf7Ey57Zo7AZVguc5K0HmmpW5Q9sQ/s1600/P1140244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4obordvGmKWErKCPVamUjtM0oZAia8Nw4jWbEXZpabNxiNNxfj-BFPq_w5DmW8hDUBOCNISlIzFyXWD9szCf98FaCjKhWzq2o1h9Ik8GnQp1J5Irf7Ey57Zo7AZVguc5K0HmmpW5Q9sQ/s400/P1140244.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Just a shot of the inside of the boat after our 5 days off shore to Marathon, the sea berth on the left with lots of pillows to keep us from rolling and our piles of cold weather clothing we shed as we got south.Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-27843107386142203702013-09-24T16:36:00.001-04:002013-09-24T16:36:16.779-04:00They say that time flies when you're having fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And we're having a lot of fun, so the days are slipping through my fingers at a scary fast rate. How can it be that 2 months have gone by since we put the boat up on the hard? Didn't Hannah tell us just yesterday that she was getting married? And more importantly, where has all the rum gone? This summer was a whirlwind 8000 roadtripping miles of family, fun, good friends, and amazing scenery. Once again we started in Virginia, headed to Minnesota and North Dakota to see our families, turned left and made our way to New Mexico, where there was a big party with a small wedding in the middle. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Our family grew by many as we welcomed not only our new son-in-law, Cameron, but his entire family into the fold. It was a very beautiful Hannah/Cameron/New Mexico wedding: a beautiful clear blue sky, a gorgeous estate, green and cool, a beautiful bride and her handsome groom, family and friends dressed in the very best of elegant picnic attire, a Dia de los Muertos bride and groom piñata, fish tacos, rum bar (courtesy of the bride's parents), sack races, wild flowers bouquets and dancing outside on the grass under the twinkling lights and stars. We, of the older generation went home by midnight, but the party went on into the wee hours and, from what I understand, continued the next day. As my dad said, after watching his first grandchild get married, "The bar has been set pretty high for the rest of the grandkids." </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQrUjCUZu57KEfnX3I0A8rUDz-h1PzylPiUaJtvyKTUQKCgTx3Htosq7y-U3_uj20KiVIs9iP7N5iex6f2DEKBTqfe86yMHIsR8Us41QtJVh5M8SIlPe-oGSxJBwdopd9kY7BU9HtQfqa/s1600/mug+shot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQrUjCUZu57KEfnX3I0A8rUDz-h1PzylPiUaJtvyKTUQKCgTx3Htosq7y-U3_uj20KiVIs9iP7N5iex6f2DEKBTqfe86yMHIsR8Us41QtJVh5M8SIlPe-oGSxJBwdopd9kY7BU9HtQfqa/s320/mug+shot.JPG" width="259" /></a></div>
<br />
After the wedding we continued our "wear out our welcome" tour of our families. We headed to Phoenix for a bit and then back to Albuquerque and on to northern New Mexico where we spent some time looking at land. We'd like to find somewhere to build a cabin and eventually do 6 months on the boat and 6 months off.<br />
In between family visits, we were camping again. We usually stay at the KOA campgrounds, having a fondness for bathrooms and showers and such. Most of the KOA's have some kind of a gift shop with local kitsch for sale. It actually might be a requirement: the dusty forgotten gift shop to the left of the check-in. I've never bought anything but, I always look, I just never know what to expect. In the KOA in Tucumcari NM, I found a treasure, the new mug I've been looking for. It's bright sunshine yellow with a big red Zia sun on it. I love it!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9CtT0vagU1OPYOgjaaM6IM6f6Vu3fgAejtDn22TWj3HJfYM4p4hbGdbxwGIgVkFtA-Qifo9qGZyMLXH-j-uUen-hUJclrNhZc4FuSECFIPeh1IUS_Ls_ev-zg-ZZLEoliO0sZ7I44-o8/s1600/P9240006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9CtT0vagU1OPYOgjaaM6IM6f6Vu3fgAejtDn22TWj3HJfYM4p4hbGdbxwGIgVkFtA-Qifo9qGZyMLXH-j-uUen-hUJclrNhZc4FuSECFIPeh1IUS_Ls_ev-zg-ZZLEoliO0sZ7I44-o8/s640/P9240006.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Currently, we're back on the boat, but still in the yard. The picture above is the view from the cockpit, looking around the yard. There are lots of people here, working on boats in varying states of seaworthiness. We'd planned a quick bottom paint job and then back in the water, BUT as with all things boat, the plans changed. It goes like this. We have a new anchor, it's bigger than the last one and it doesn't fit on the bow as well as it should. The anchor roller needed to be removed and moved back and re welded, so the anchor could fit properly. Enter our friend, Billy, who has a shop with a TIG welder. Off came the bow spirit. It'll be another week. <br />
The picture below is of <em>Celebration </em>on the hard, minus the bow spirit. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkXTCJKbj1vslUST2B71uStgBckuz-kUU6YIZoYqOV53NOPdx25pEKgJ_SJXbPmBqsmHQ9WrfMU5GgZDJ6Z0uupSOpMhcmAFJTDGHnxONz0eFXR__uMNWFqOSXOKyda0gFDT4GjHyZYAm/s1600/P9240004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkXTCJKbj1vslUST2B71uStgBckuz-kUU6YIZoYqOV53NOPdx25pEKgJ_SJXbPmBqsmHQ9WrfMU5GgZDJ6Z0uupSOpMhcmAFJTDGHnxONz0eFXR__uMNWFqOSXOKyda0gFDT4GjHyZYAm/s640/P9240004.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-28640824893448714952013-07-14T15:26:00.001-04:002013-07-14T15:26:28.681-04:00A really cool thingOne of the really cool things we've done lately, is sail through New York City. Not just to the city but through it. The East River runs 14 miles from the Throgs Neck bridge on the west end of Long Island Sound to the Battery on the southern tip of Manhattan. Steve did LOTS of planning for this passage. Currents on the river can reach 5 knots and we certainly didn't want to be going against them. At the midway point of the trip, where the East and Harlem rivers meet, the current can be so strong, the area is called Hell Gate. It didn't give these newbies warm and fuzzy feelings. The key was to time the currents so we could go through the city and continue on our way down the New Jersey coast. <br />
Steve timed it perfectly and it was an amazing day. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLNp2h8wv4ZVABI9JnIXE82v7zfyh4Ov3fTNmVU_-BDeql38czKc_1xwO32KgyoD8Z1Ia5EED2bkJqH7pxM9GnuZE_gpo09hF2NLicvKA20q3Vr2D8WFgUrBIayPZZDVIgk7K5fiYrag3/s1600/P1030182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLNp2h8wv4ZVABI9JnIXE82v7zfyh4Ov3fTNmVU_-BDeql38czKc_1xwO32KgyoD8Z1Ia5EED2bkJqH7pxM9GnuZE_gpo09hF2NLicvKA20q3Vr2D8WFgUrBIayPZZDVIgk7K5fiYrag3/s400/P1030182.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
We entered the East river, going under the Throgs Neck bridge, it was our first view of Manhattan.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-74pR2g8fr3n2kU-AXZuDZ3pPcreQ5zVVzPJtfob0GMjuNkD1xgV0k_6WSGiN0J-dshp5B7A9Ve9k10X4geiqDiEk3ymfwQDBUCvT7nmH3g1IQw99gfMGGEIWpPqi6CPNQcj9QbKZU0dB/s1600/P1030200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-74pR2g8fr3n2kU-AXZuDZ3pPcreQ5zVVzPJtfob0GMjuNkD1xgV0k_6WSGiN0J-dshp5B7A9Ve9k10X4geiqDiEk3ymfwQDBUCvT7nmH3g1IQw99gfMGGEIWpPqi6CPNQcj9QbKZU0dB/s400/P1030200.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Sailing school, just past the bridge.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDem2SjymSjAp-ZsygrwvDoVMZXqaKXW38Y2vtzBR48Q4VIJGbrHSQNJtZyV0ZEPpwvRDt9iXVhIP3Kwa1Qika_0YwF0FCMvhTDGdkq-NaMefv9iADKPTkgAVcVaUv8BGLeVOGlsWfyb_/s1600/P1030204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDem2SjymSjAp-ZsygrwvDoVMZXqaKXW38Y2vtzBR48Q4VIJGbrHSQNJtZyV0ZEPpwvRDt9iXVhIP3Kwa1Qika_0YwF0FCMvhTDGdkq-NaMefv9iADKPTkgAVcVaUv8BGLeVOGlsWfyb_/s400/P1030204.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
There were beautiful, expensive homes all along the river. Yes, that is a float plane in the garage.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipoWQync1oa41WiFCgo9TKFKTPAgGGXYDaIK2UNS-qP32idhGMzX2lUY2Bw_RuvyEGpzpiUQk5slduRVZu4ue7FLW2PULObpJeTPYp9I4mn-nLyhGwUDoK7j7eflph5lXoR0kWQYHm9HKy/s1600/P1030223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipoWQync1oa41WiFCgo9TKFKTPAgGGXYDaIK2UNS-qP32idhGMzX2lUY2Bw_RuvyEGpzpiUQk5slduRVZu4ue7FLW2PULObpJeTPYp9I4mn-nLyhGwUDoK7j7eflph5lXoR0kWQYHm9HKy/s400/P1030223.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We went under the bridge and past La Guardia airport and Rikers Island prison. Just across the river from Rikers was a maximum security barge. It had curling razor tape everywhere and a tunnel of the stuff leading to the barge. The upper left corner was a basketball court/outdoor area, also heavily razor wired. I nicknamed it the 'party barge'. It made me claustrophobic just going by. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAMaa7BDmQFN96CMXLjeIOejiA4HwJXrMR8jWpVWVKcxTi4Ofq9Bl2wW0Nd6ZJMFrjTSjbxmh8NUGLEUMVHspQKr6LpOni9chG8iHbQflvFFrBG2Ui1Fh37ahO_khxfYpxy-7e_4yVSYb/s640/P1030225.JPG" width="640" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another barge, this one looks like a residence with indoor and outdoor space.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hvjfuAgtUGAUgftz4Rwm7HLkFW7wq8HlhJWJRqadMNBYmphJNfR55y7TDCsOJTD_6_hiUAN_KmtPCsrcjN_1RdTyQ6agDtAWVx_NB82yUvgzQfNbgT33-soDnOoMuXQEWU63h2j9o0qU/s1600/P1030231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hvjfuAgtUGAUgftz4Rwm7HLkFW7wq8HlhJWJRqadMNBYmphJNfR55y7TDCsOJTD_6_hiUAN_KmtPCsrcjN_1RdTyQ6agDtAWVx_NB82yUvgzQfNbgT33-soDnOoMuXQEWU63h2j9o0qU/s640/P1030231.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
As we came around Rikers Island, we got our first good view of Manhattan. Hell Gate bridge is to the left.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJLyWf8s-_xbiTyhTAO0CvKQ_9APfkaL8rfaBLJanTgaC0YHnP6rp9mE2LziEX4MlqzChtM37w2k56xtuSZJRlidGezM5G7mcw0yn6ONeuK5tjn_mT_IhwcleEHVW05hR4SQVTn-4itil/s1600/P1030241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJLyWf8s-_xbiTyhTAO0CvKQ_9APfkaL8rfaBLJanTgaC0YHnP6rp9mE2LziEX4MlqzChtM37w2k56xtuSZJRlidGezM5G7mcw0yn6ONeuK5tjn_mT_IhwcleEHVW05hR4SQVTn-4itil/s1600/P1030241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJLyWf8s-_xbiTyhTAO0CvKQ_9APfkaL8rfaBLJanTgaC0YHnP6rp9mE2LziEX4MlqzChtM37w2k56xtuSZJRlidGezM5G7mcw0yn6ONeuK5tjn_mT_IhwcleEHVW05hR4SQVTn-4itil/s640/P1030241.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUbZX9UpCGbDD0jMvzJm0KsPhEXjbofvqNf6K49jAcJOjUXj3hCnwdnDoxWSIHnmgB6-DE8_1lju_LYkQJy_o2E0_FmnmVB7YTEYiPvmMvo2jvEUaCXDHRHkCZYhQp2dEEYMqkYbusdOV/s1600/P1030259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUbZX9UpCGbDD0jMvzJm0KsPhEXjbofvqNf6K49jAcJOjUXj3hCnwdnDoxWSIHnmgB6-DE8_1lju_LYkQJy_o2E0_FmnmVB7YTEYiPvmMvo2jvEUaCXDHRHkCZYhQp2dEEYMqkYbusdOV/s640/P1030259.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1862139021"></span><span id="goog_1862139022"></span><br />
<br />
There were so many beautiful old buildings and apartments. The rooftop gardens were everywhere.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcKjtZHQcaajub6PIhqVgdFpo3sEgu8g1j_hWKvEeOKqtLiZS__SvTSCuhgPYRCIfq0giZE8jTCY7LDKaXAhzLaB5R1KoHiFW0aDQWeOcwIFTzyvw97Inqdl5wuavG0VHVjkFAePMzLgc/s1600/P1030265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcKjtZHQcaajub6PIhqVgdFpo3sEgu8g1j_hWKvEeOKqtLiZS__SvTSCuhgPYRCIfq0giZE8jTCY7LDKaXAhzLaB5R1KoHiFW0aDQWeOcwIFTzyvw97Inqdl5wuavG0VHVjkFAePMzLgc/s400/P1030265.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKcmSidjqYEDMhK2rbdEKw8UrvSh-vQIKt1cNoyYR544elj5ZaD2-QoZksxUkm9txoceb5JTqMcoBkk7DR6BkHiToGjuP5WVS3_6zTGLWXXD5O2h5ttepYbT2IknI2k7qnhBUtU3bJWhh/s1600/P1030266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKcmSidjqYEDMhK2rbdEKw8UrvSh-vQIKt1cNoyYR544elj5ZaD2-QoZksxUkm9txoceb5JTqMcoBkk7DR6BkHiToGjuP5WVS3_6zTGLWXXD5O2h5ttepYbT2IknI2k7qnhBUtU3bJWhh/s640/P1030266.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8YqkKo0NmNBSU7nlA2QGlMw1Skbr7EpG20gR0d3aokDFZmUeUYf1vo7vtuhstC36cQ-pPRRy2CCNw3JrMPhAnEBsJ8VP4AasttF3FHWy9_snx3M5PZGvnvPGMRfBemEp8cQeQbwZf7QX/s1600/P1030270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8YqkKo0NmNBSU7nlA2QGlMw1Skbr7EpG20gR0d3aokDFZmUeUYf1vo7vtuhstC36cQ-pPRRy2CCNw3JrMPhAnEBsJ8VP4AasttF3FHWy9_snx3M5PZGvnvPGMRfBemEp8cQeQbwZf7QX/s400/P1030270.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going through Hell Gate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCicIS1WBx3atK0u1fJV4gqsHi6i88DUMR4XdmUbbwLfnD8kWCta8UE8PgMUUe2Rqg-Pw5a3flr6TiTXiivvjOvSP4eJOH0kZ6NwAB6heL5JVOKsbAU3hPpvuekZZXaGxjD5_7b7_YHwA/s1600/P1030278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCicIS1WBx3atK0u1fJV4gqsHi6i88DUMR4XdmUbbwLfnD8kWCta8UE8PgMUUe2Rqg-Pw5a3flr6TiTXiivvjOvSP4eJOH0kZ6NwAB6heL5JVOKsbAU3hPpvuekZZXaGxjD5_7b7_YHwA/s640/P1030278.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The UN and the Chrysler building.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFumk8EHgOGDuMTiIa-bdI-iKNbwKjEqaH6_icc1KdvlqQHZ0ya_dGuz1ZgQ-OKAXxcxtTFBYYnI72F1XQcamogYkhkD7craud7vfr8PBwW9x2GT8GjrUNyk_l3xMtQ2Nil-XvlaP5UJPv/s1600/P1030283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFumk8EHgOGDuMTiIa-bdI-iKNbwKjEqaH6_icc1KdvlqQHZ0ya_dGuz1ZgQ-OKAXxcxtTFBYYnI72F1XQcamogYkhkD7craud7vfr8PBwW9x2GT8GjrUNyk_l3xMtQ2Nil-XvlaP5UJPv/s640/P1030283.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More beautiful apartments.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTYsnC_xrnHxdA8Hhe2K1GDZWj6tinfP6i9xrIgMXvklgK9wCaKDcxHqdpnotaEtzYjbSG0qU9hu-xfe5rSdkbnGGQaN9AJbvnFtf8SqdfuBIMVfItLG0Y7l3uCWavxnk1Go04jApKikt/s1600/P1030286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTYsnC_xrnHxdA8Hhe2K1GDZWj6tinfP6i9xrIgMXvklgK9wCaKDcxHqdpnotaEtzYjbSG0qU9hu-xfe5rSdkbnGGQaN9AJbvnFtf8SqdfuBIMVfItLG0Y7l3uCWavxnk1Go04jApKikt/s320/P1030286.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
River traffic, my captains course didn't cover right of way issues with planes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzs6mxQkP-XiqcfyGr7uCXtPQsCwTnc7LEkSM6FMbsgoQOVVW_UGyw0_kgEKwhIn3ByoU9eba-bUyYr553BMOpVkqc73jHKR3R2AUL6TiwSzu__Qx4Ja9dSQdyxDG5rLGqZtlI39u0Tza/s1600/P1030296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzs6mxQkP-XiqcfyGr7uCXtPQsCwTnc7LEkSM6FMbsgoQOVVW_UGyw0_kgEKwhIn3ByoU9eba-bUyYr553BMOpVkqc73jHKR3R2AUL6TiwSzu__Qx4Ja9dSQdyxDG5rLGqZtlI39u0Tza/s400/P1030296.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Old and abandoned looking Domino Sugar mill.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6lr0ukKVLXquewTT9Dc5-3_F5-KgrCccqwNCbCIsQ-m2FDgIS2bYs6Wk9b1kK7HlCoUB2QHmmok9rpzNLM-LV-w6NeNIDNcU1SFYEARTI65daGIT1yfDZeo3AF3mrMC3gI4Gr5j5S-x2/s1600/P1030306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6lr0ukKVLXquewTT9Dc5-3_F5-KgrCccqwNCbCIsQ-m2FDgIS2bYs6Wk9b1kK7HlCoUB2QHmmok9rpzNLM-LV-w6NeNIDNcU1SFYEARTI65daGIT1yfDZeo3AF3mrMC3gI4Gr5j5S-x2/s640/P1030306.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Around another corner and our first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRSzlALlrowyBQ-OmZ79aPBozDlBoNaZ1OC6eznFUyfVJHz_Uq1HPNXgPbFaa2MlezH7AoVv36CM-WXx5upVfFou6vqa3NXCXTsgLCacK1kQB3miGIYiu550Zg9IUzhQc9o-IUA3G0gft/s1600/P1030320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRSzlALlrowyBQ-OmZ79aPBozDlBoNaZ1OC6eznFUyfVJHz_Uq1HPNXgPbFaa2MlezH7AoVv36CM-WXx5upVfFou6vqa3NXCXTsgLCacK1kQB3miGIYiu550Zg9IUzhQc9o-IUA3G0gft/s640/P1030320.JPG" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
The detail on the undersides of the bridges was ornate and beautiful. They don't build 'em like that anymore.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwnSrczrPx1NxQ6n_70U5BV8uRjDiHYvfMIa6oZOLxZdVnlrDLOxuQYjnjxaR-e9BXilVFgInbEHVPZ0A6WyP2NWYKMyP7Ci3ZGLB7AA3Vchhe2UaJRMJOssAc0ghyphenhyphenk1nNH7ElNTOoBJH/s1600/P1030322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwnSrczrPx1NxQ6n_70U5BV8uRjDiHYvfMIa6oZOLxZdVnlrDLOxuQYjnjxaR-e9BXilVFgInbEHVPZ0A6WyP2NWYKMyP7Ci3ZGLB7AA3Vchhe2UaJRMJOssAc0ghyphenhyphenk1nNH7ElNTOoBJH/s640/P1030322.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Brooklyn Bridge at the bottom of Manhattan.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1t-pYrpFw4OJH3rZujEfjnIfJXHdQzgIDxTPU8cuYWzwHmIeZJiX4g84sHwdOrAfK8IoGErUppzINiHWwSRQudxdjjQzwojAJOrnUcf0fSDcL8z17ElK943DBKpr-abqxqe3cxHTOXye/s1600/P1030347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="593" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1t-pYrpFw4OJH3rZujEfjnIfJXHdQzgIDxTPU8cuYWzwHmIeZJiX4g84sHwdOrAfK8IoGErUppzINiHWwSRQudxdjjQzwojAJOrnUcf0fSDcL8z17ElK943DBKpr-abqxqe3cxHTOXye/s640/P1030347.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One final corner and we were in busy New York harbor. The Statue of Liberty straight ahead. Tugs, ferries, planes, helicopters, sailboats, barges, and any and every other kind of conveyance in between.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It was a 2 hour trip through the city and one I'd really like to do again.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tidbit: Throgs don't really have necks. The area around the bridge was name after the Rev. John Throggmorton who settled there in 1642 and it eventually was shortened to Throg.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tidbit #2: The East river and the Harlem rivers are said to be the only rivers in the world with two mouths and no source. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-8392959475273093402013-07-14T13:26:00.000-04:002013-07-14T13:26:55.694-04:00I've gotten a little flack lately for not updating the blog. OK, I've gotten LOTS of flack and even a few hand grenades. but we were having so much fun at Gary and Alex's dock, time flew. We've been back in the US for about 6 weeks after our winter season in the VI's. It's been great to use the phone and internet <em>whenever I want</em>, go to the grocery and <em>find all the things on my list</em>. Whaa hooo! It's the little things in life that are the most fun!<br />
<br />
So we got pretty spoiled staying at a dock for a month. A dock with great friends and their great neighbors, unlimited access to a fabulous garden, gluten free bagel Sundays and use of a car. It was hard to leave. We actually stayed longer than planned because I needed a rather extensive physical and had the chance to do it all while we were there. Again, Alex, thanks a million for the use of your car. <br />
We've been reacquainting ourselves with sailing in this part of the world. As Florida sailors we rarely had to deal with currents, tides were less than 2 feet and we seldom had fog. In New England the currents can run 4 knots, the tides rise and fall 8-10 feet twice a day (thus creating the current) and the fog just hangs around whenever it bloody well feels like it. It makes entering and exiting ports and canals a challenge: trying to figure out if we should go into a river with the current but against the wind, or against the current and with the wind, or wait for slack and motor like crazy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_i26bPHqwQKTlQomUX8ljlt2RIAsz0V4P5BLOciQDwLUC96tXXQS1dG2hP72O6azoiNMtIBNrvJeK9JbYQd8kZe-w8VBKbEh3sWhtq0jUb2NZ0ir_vqr62vX-18X24PoxfScApQK6vMum/s1600/P1030157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_i26bPHqwQKTlQomUX8ljlt2RIAsz0V4P5BLOciQDwLUC96tXXQS1dG2hP72O6azoiNMtIBNrvJeK9JbYQd8kZe-w8VBKbEh3sWhtq0jUb2NZ0ir_vqr62vX-18X24PoxfScApQK6vMum/s400/P1030157.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Celebration on the dock behind Gary and Alex's house. We started out on a mooring ball, but the currents in the river were so strong and squirly, that we were doing wild loopdie loops around the ball. I think some of the neighbors complained that it was making them seasick to watch us, so we moved to the dock. The tide here is about 8 feet and combined with the strong river flow it makes for some serious eddies. This picture is at high tide, you can see the bridge to the dock is level.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuP_ImKBQfT6jqo0xprEMXABrBi2lMAyPwU6u80WpKDNALN8U-ECoqPSpYqhbq7-iKCa2mY9riNunJQsjAugv_DPEIRwdcth5zds8eZWqzcpKJpC0zsQUuwBn0fSSnCSBt8XglkI6UGa-A/s1600/P1030143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuP_ImKBQfT6jqo0xprEMXABrBi2lMAyPwU6u80WpKDNALN8U-ECoqPSpYqhbq7-iKCa2mY9riNunJQsjAugv_DPEIRwdcth5zds8eZWqzcpKJpC0zsQUuwBn0fSSnCSBt8XglkI6UGa-A/s400/P1030143.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Low tide and we all but disappeared.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_FnLZyB4FucDbEMHW7N-M1I2NSvaN4XX37Gv7NUKXR5HUtjqPIFV3szQ0IlTTHNWgWIxQXSeiQrhhF3Ta1SpQGv7gMbjnxvMlaYRmO4Mi5WwPWpAl8i9hMwTHlFn6AplBgI9f1H8aSTh/s1600/P1030159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_FnLZyB4FucDbEMHW7N-M1I2NSvaN4XX37Gv7NUKXR5HUtjqPIFV3szQ0IlTTHNWgWIxQXSeiQrhhF3Ta1SpQGv7gMbjnxvMlaYRmO4Mi5WwPWpAl8i9hMwTHlFn6AplBgI9f1H8aSTh/s400/P1030159.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Fog in the Cape Cod canal, odd to be going under a bridge and not really be able to see it.Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-63703100065652073862013-06-03T14:47:00.000-04:002013-06-03T14:47:31.064-04:00Greetings from in the fog<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fDaLArxn0hUBlDpFLJ4xXH1jnG0ojcWnNBIO5tJwEu9eCz5LJEOSQxiPaYUfh7xE1Uxz9eXMJfOep8N1_t8D5ZrseI_IdBFZkOBxpmM82gnIkQ698K5nzdDodf3sunooikh2Rt_w6K_6/s1600/P1030027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fDaLArxn0hUBlDpFLJ4xXH1jnG0ojcWnNBIO5tJwEu9eCz5LJEOSQxiPaYUfh7xE1Uxz9eXMJfOep8N1_t8D5ZrseI_IdBFZkOBxpmM82gnIkQ698K5nzdDodf3sunooikh2Rt_w6K_6/s640/P1030027.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning in Block Island, RI, in the fog and rain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
As Jim pointed out in the comments about our last posts, this is quite a change from St Croix. In the course of 2 weeks we've gone from hot, sunny days, warm turquois waters and balmy nights under the stars, to cold, wet, foggy and "Have you seen my gloves?" As we came north from Bermuda, adding layer upon layer of clothing, I kept asking Steve "Whose idea was this anyway?" He was always very quick to point out that it was mine. Hmmmm. <br />
<br />
We decided (back on one of those balmy warm nights, when we couldn't even imagine cold) to sail north, in one chunk, as far as we're going to get this year and then work our way south along the east coast before putting the boat up and driving around the country, bothering our relatives along the way. We almost made it. We're just south of our final destination of Amesbury MA and the home of friends Alex and Gary and their mooring on the Merrimac River. We ducked into Block Island to avoid yet another cold front and it's accompanying storms. Beautiful, but the mooring rates have gone up 50% since last we were here, it's now $45 a night. We'll be leaving ASAP. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFnYwXyzFBbuoUl75DdZ06Uj6Jb_sj-mOWFSkALNmLqJYVdJdoj5nSxslhxVFIC8vz-icAo6ACVhaNgVuvh7rnnHA31deMMHQ1JQrL14L2VjVSITdYaAXmpwoxQgagtwyPZD8XIRSe-v4H/s1600/P1030029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFnYwXyzFBbuoUl75DdZ06Uj6Jb_sj-mOWFSkALNmLqJYVdJdoj5nSxslhxVFIC8vz-icAo6ACVhaNgVuvh7rnnHA31deMMHQ1JQrL14L2VjVSITdYaAXmpwoxQgagtwyPZD8XIRSe-v4H/s640/P1030029.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to Salt Pond, looking north.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We had a nice trip up from the USVI. I won't use the 'b' word again, but it was nicely uneventful. Just a couple of days of sloppy seas, good wind most of the way and another 1500 miles under the keel. We didn't plan a stop in Bermuda, but the weather decided for us. It was a wonderful surprise and has been added to the list of places to go back to. I have loads of pictures and will do a separate post on Bermuda soon. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-75058934094838830612013-06-01T09:32:00.003-04:002013-06-01T09:32:53.100-04:00Last of the Salty DawgsMay 31st:<br />
<br />
It's getting a little lonely out here as most the bigger, newer, faster boats in the rally continue to make port. Several made it this morning, a few more will reach port tonight. We on the other hand expect to be in sometime Sunday so we'll be the last on the Salty Dawg net for this Spring Rally<br />
<br />
Meanwhile it remains pretty much like we like it....not too eventful. Today we are seeing wind and that will continue to pick up through the remainder of our trip. Right now we are crossing the Gulf Stream several hundred miles south of Block Island. Rolly and a few squalls, confused seas like the stream does but we have ~15 more miles to where we expect the north bound. We'll be through it by day and expect the sea to settle, and a bit better point to the west. Winds forecast 15-18kts or so for the night and tomorrow..should be good sailing. We are looking forward to being on land again.<br />
<br />
Position<br />Time: 2013/05/31 20:10:40 (GMT)<br />Latitude: 37-12.68N<br />Longitude: 070-33.85W<br />Speed: 6.0<br />
<br />
Steve & Lynn<br />
<br />
<br />
May 30th:<br />
<br />
Another day at sea and all is well. We have decided not to go around the Cape this trip but to go inside. On going around the cape. We are going inside. Wind is forecast to be pretty strong from the west and WSW (25-35) while we would be outside...then followed by another cold front on Monday eve/Tuesday. Right now going west far enough to make it an easier reach when the wind picks up. We should be somewhere in Buzzards bay, most likely Cuttyhunk or Woods Hole by Sunday afternoon. Would have loved to have made it one shot but not to be this trip. No desire on this boat to be in weather already forecast to be bad if we can avoid it.<br />
<br />
Boat chores: put one of the backup anchors on the bow this AM while the weather is good and seas settled. A little vegetable oil in the evacuation pump for the holding tank and working through another John Scalzi novel<br />
.<br />
Position:<br />Time: 2013/05/30 15:14:29 (GMT)<br />Latitude: 35-02.71N<br />Longitude: 068-46.19W<br />
<br />
Steve & Lynn<br />
<br />
Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05680332454082517559noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-70788685635745550022013-05-24T09:13:00.000-04:002013-05-24T09:14:01.927-04:00In Bermuda!My apologies for not posting anything up until this point but they are safe and sound in Bermuda. Here is the most recent report:<br />
<br />
Sitting St Georges Harbor, Bermuda. We resigned ourselves to a couple things two days ago. First that we would have to stop in Bermuda or be subjected to forecasted 35kt winds with squalls up to 50kts as we crossed the gulf stream. Second that we couldn't reach Bermuda by tonight so would have to wait off shore to enter.<br />
<br />
After two days of spectacular sailing we are just 5 miles out and will be in before dark. Not sure how it worked but the seas stayed flat and the good ship Celebration ran steady across them making between 6.5 to 7.5 knots over the 48 hours. One point this morning we slowed to 4, then after sever hours it picked up again. TO insure the extra speed I experimented with flying the storm jib on it's sta in the foretriangle. Love it, extra 25 feet of leading edge with no impact on the genny, more speed and yes I took some pics for posting later...double headsails with Bermuda in the background.<br />
<br />
Maintenance: One water-maker membrane is good, the other bad. The bad one is now plumbed out of the system; we're down to making just 20 gallons/hr. Hot showers and a cold drink tonight once we're settled.<br />
<br />
Time: 2013/05/23 22:50:54<br />
Latitude: 32-22.43N<br />
Longitude: 064-40.53W<br />
St Georges Harbor, BermudaAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05680332454082517559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-66248068757556083402013-05-03T16:18:00.001-04:002013-05-03T16:18:11.985-04:00Buck Island, St Ctoix<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5Mc7sPeargJxn8L4j-VFjWHHxdnDiCpJfBsM-vYhRin_ZgeiR-wjj9LURsAv0kOmupjXtIASJ9sIFCvdbknweWTGIlwatvq6mQzw6PxCJccOUTWJkWu_cAPmzH2sUWIy3JL8oUi01mVA/s1600/P1020149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5Mc7sPeargJxn8L4j-VFjWHHxdnDiCpJfBsM-vYhRin_ZgeiR-wjj9LURsAv0kOmupjXtIASJ9sIFCvdbknweWTGIlwatvq6mQzw6PxCJccOUTWJkWu_cAPmzH2sUWIy3JL8oUi01mVA/s1600/P1020149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
The day started with the palest of sunrises, a barely-grey morning that slowly went silver, then yellow. We sat in the cockpit sipping coffee, watching the pelicans and frigate birds shake off the night and begin their breakfast dance. The pelicans and gulls diving and fishing, the frigate birds stealing from any and all.<br />
We were anchored just off the beach of Buck Island in St Croix. Buck Island is a park, run by the US Park Service that's just a mile or so off the coast of STX. It's uninhabited and boats need a permit to stay overnight. During the middle of the day, the place is crowded with day snorkelers and beach walkers, but at evenings and in the early morning, it's just us boaters and there were only 5 of us. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJPThtdLvcU0x1H6If_PDtnbNFNGz3nKy7_ewllHnSOdAJZlyIFXcun1urgghW8j_ziG3ffhOlXm7gPK4SrGEsp1anlMJjBaBtWwAYX7hXCxq8dGYGeuerXuWyCid_Cuf39xUjRd7xDA5/s1600/P1020149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJPThtdLvcU0x1H6If_PDtnbNFNGz3nKy7_ewllHnSOdAJZlyIFXcun1urgghW8j_ziG3ffhOlXm7gPK4SrGEsp1anlMJjBaBtWwAYX7hXCxq8dGYGeuerXuWyCid_Cuf39xUjRd7xDA5/s640/P1020149.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a pale, gentle start to the day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5Mc7sPeargJxn8L4j-VFjWHHxdnDiCpJfBsM-vYhRin_ZgeiR-wjj9LURsAv0kOmupjXtIASJ9sIFCvdbknweWTGIlwatvq6mQzw6PxCJccOUTWJkWu_cAPmzH2sUWIy3JL8oUi01mVA/s1600/P1020149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5Mc7sPeargJxn8L4j-VFjWHHxdnDiCpJfBsM-vYhRin_ZgeiR-wjj9LURsAv0kOmupjXtIASJ9sIFCvdbknweWTGIlwatvq6mQzw6PxCJccOUTWJkWu_cAPmzH2sUWIy3JL8oUi01mVA/s1600/P1020149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyXHldYpa-4Sg5dpF_PRgE1Y8l1Zti01E-hYF_egcpmDcKB27eqJfoqT7YOP_6gyUrDcsUaQuonda9VpEYEoASakOlDft8vC9-_UhkTHuWAPAWeGejHF-iFH2MAvzO0VmwWqRYdXXXR2n/s1600/P1020157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyXHldYpa-4Sg5dpF_PRgE1Y8l1Zti01E-hYF_egcpmDcKB27eqJfoqT7YOP_6gyUrDcsUaQuonda9VpEYEoASakOlDft8vC9-_UhkTHuWAPAWeGejHF-iFH2MAvzO0VmwWqRYdXXXR2n/s640/P1020157.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the beach, MrMac is centered and Celebration is on the right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We had sailed out to BI to meet our best buds and sometime buddyboaters, Chris and Anne on <em>MrMac. </em>They had just arrived from the marine shopping mecca of St Martin and were in need of distraction. The weather was perfect: the clouds were <em>almost </em>too white, the sky was <em>almost</em> too blue, there were <em>almost</em> too many shades of turquois in the water to count. We did our best to appreciate it all. We snorkeled and hiked and sundownered until way past dark.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nhp6SMn8qyNtJaq43iI5ygW9gcQUdAX2V7S-nU82u7AZBujPDgJZ1vahFhCUlSZrDuxNNI2kIOrB4eFSXD1cun6QvxWtf1d3hbEat1MtwNW036FDDSIhZDSSy-C6pDHvjvSyhHHsMSAY/s1600/P1020219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nhp6SMn8qyNtJaq43iI5ygW9gcQUdAX2V7S-nU82u7AZBujPDgJZ1vahFhCUlSZrDuxNNI2kIOrB4eFSXD1cun6QvxWtf1d3hbEat1MtwNW036FDDSIhZDSSy-C6pDHvjvSyhHHsMSAY/s400/P1020219.JPG" width="390" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I love that last line. With all our stopping and picture taking and gazing at the views and lizard watching, it took us much longer than 1 hour. We saw no other hikers even though the beach was busy.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVNwNO-aJZcSdrZTa-YrGOTpTZBr82Nc34mQBEsdSzsiT5nTldUduCq4rg4cMAuAkMJsYK-aKQVCu-xZ8DPGAlGLQHmIayLYiYnCrcWjnKM7x-DNn234e8pZ-qUYg_M8k9v8WD4pvo_cg/s1600/P1020179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVNwNO-aJZcSdrZTa-YrGOTpTZBr82Nc34mQBEsdSzsiT5nTldUduCq4rg4cMAuAkMJsYK-aKQVCu-xZ8DPGAlGLQHmIayLYiYnCrcWjnKM7x-DNn234e8pZ-qUYg_M8k9v8WD4pvo_cg/s400/P1020179.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top of a Turks Head cactus, tiny pink flowers and bright pink seeds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRl1dwtb9ivY47j6ghvI56BqwoRTjCgneLcWPghOydEZZz_-ddPgb73G1n5HDJI4058OWQikf34VB4bMor1XExUg2vw8EDdnzLOl9tBKDTO5XrKNHpDf8m1l2W6F5qBFpDYvRuaVF1LSB/s1600/P1020197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRl1dwtb9ivY47j6ghvI56BqwoRTjCgneLcWPghOydEZZz_-ddPgb73G1n5HDJI4058OWQikf34VB4bMor1XExUg2vw8EDdnzLOl9tBKDTO5XrKNHpDf8m1l2W6F5qBFpDYvRuaVF1LSB/s400/P1020197.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bromeliads and air plants were everywhere.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWy1VHXEJ3Vuxds-LOHZZ0j_uK742dNYZd1NKep5wrrx-bu7HnOIIEWwl9hVzHRc-uP3bRaQrqNyJsauWL32WO0e3Svhmr9I7ZvudB98VeJdL5hNi05Yj0QuxGM6roexyD3el-F0v5sF2K/s1600/P1020181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWy1VHXEJ3Vuxds-LOHZZ0j_uK742dNYZd1NKep5wrrx-bu7HnOIIEWwl9hVzHRc-uP3bRaQrqNyJsauWL32WO0e3Svhmr9I7ZvudB98VeJdL5hNi05Yj0QuxGM6roexyD3el-F0v5sF2K/s640/P1020181.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Buck Island is an interesting combination of cacti and succulents and tropical plants. It's very dry most of the year and very, very wet the rest of the time. Average rainfall is about 40 inches, most of it coming from August to November.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnFidbEWbkREpV9UX5pcqmUpk6o7xk_oataESYOc6dxPGBdMLJ9-hxycxuNAgZqDLFyCWKtWSaS2is5kvGJHKPJ48bBLQAJtZQoFTbuU5mRKNjvYnvL8A3cC2f0saMt1KmTmb0aIsyCNu/s1600/P1020187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnFidbEWbkREpV9UX5pcqmUpk6o7xk_oataESYOc6dxPGBdMLJ9-hxycxuNAgZqDLFyCWKtWSaS2is5kvGJHKPJ48bBLQAJtZQoFTbuU5mRKNjvYnvL8A3cC2f0saMt1KmTmb0aIsyCNu/s640/P1020187.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reef on the north side of Buck Island, from the viewing platform 300 feet up the hill. We sat here a long time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-5527153286917323822013-03-27T10:07:00.000-04:002013-03-27T10:07:05.711-04:00Updates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm back from my 3 week trip up north. I've actually been back for 2 weeks now, but the sun is so sunny and the water so blue, I've had a hard time staying inside to write about it. I headed back to Minneapolis (where it was 3. Three shouldn't even be a number when it comes to temperature.) to do wedding dress shopping with Hannah, who is getting married in August, and MOH dress shopping with Amanda, who is her MOH. It was a grand time, lots of family and laughter, some tears. My little girls are all grown up. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After Mpls I headed to Phoenix to thaw and see more family, and do a side trip to Mexico to stay in my sisters lovely condo on the Sea of Cortez. I flew back to St Thomas and we immediately sailed south. We made it back to St Croix just in time for St Paddy's day. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For some unknown reason, St Pat's day is a HUGE here. Personally, I think it's because it falls right in the middle of Lent and it's a great opportunity to let loose for a day. Whatever the reasons, the partying starts early in the morning and goes late into the night, or in this case, until 4am. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We watched a 3 hour parade where the spectators were just as much fun to watch as the floats and bands. Everyone was in green. Green hair, green skin, green glasses, hats, shoes, socks. Water fights were had, drinks were lifted, we all had a wonderful time under the bright, hot sun.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55GV0vDrdG0zGiD0AWC0tqssj0AOX7LFv90eD5oCvBl25nO_91UbxDML3LiOh6Jwa-5oBI-9yYgF7ldUndfEdrp5RAnDQFxcDPf9wDFSZVtAWJWq_AvvrTJHSLH3brqBRQxTRcXLF7Q_i/s1600/P1020072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55GV0vDrdG0zGiD0AWC0tqssj0AOX7LFv90eD5oCvBl25nO_91UbxDML3LiOh6Jwa-5oBI-9yYgF7ldUndfEdrp5RAnDQFxcDPf9wDFSZVtAWJWq_AvvrTJHSLH3brqBRQxTRcXLF7Q_i/s400/P1020072.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love his sideburns.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrSEo28_GeS09rGo95ErxxGatUJPxBuI6K0oL20GT1qVHg9pY8rxKQ2eEJJYPkKgSoIeA2nm2mV3ytcoGY8It48HWlVhU_vGDyio4fzoH4zxBYhZ2-8-M4cRIFlNRUGwEHZ5rwgfTRcvv/s1600/P1020083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrSEo28_GeS09rGo95ErxxGatUJPxBuI6K0oL20GT1qVHg9pY8rxKQ2eEJJYPkKgSoIeA2nm2mV3ytcoGY8It48HWlVhU_vGDyio4fzoH4zxBYhZ2-8-M4cRIFlNRUGwEHZ5rwgfTRcvv/s320/P1020083.JPG" width="285" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
There were girls twirling flaming hula-hoops...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAaS1Rc9hJZf4pWPZiXzDhQa54hy4xukV572TmVBMjkkqUPAcmf8IX8UXIg2SVY8EMlGmLuOAU2xJ4Kp5dCk_qJIbn9WYzZw0Xbfjb4zDIjtIsmgjESyfN6ngjYhHP1sY9RzPLkgO_ceI/s1600/P1020102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAaS1Rc9hJZf4pWPZiXzDhQa54hy4xukV572TmVBMjkkqUPAcmf8IX8UXIg2SVY8EMlGmLuOAU2xJ4Kp5dCk_qJIbn9WYzZw0Xbfjb4zDIjtIsmgjESyfN6ngjYhHP1sY9RzPLkgO_ceI/s320/P1020102.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
...and leprechauns<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTaDH02fnDF4fQNj0bD2UfPQzn_KwOiMxjJoIa1iaIYHwa2d80ZtziLBEt6Gc0S-5x9TFXF4UVfX763rU7urECXDCy6UfURA9c9sl_rOS35ur9v1knmAgBBanGd_3otcJ-s2xaW-0upIj/s1600/P1020116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTaDH02fnDF4fQNj0bD2UfPQzn_KwOiMxjJoIa1iaIYHwa2d80ZtziLBEt6Gc0S-5x9TFXF4UVfX763rU7urECXDCy6UfURA9c9sl_rOS35ur9v1knmAgBBanGd_3otcJ-s2xaW-0upIj/s320/P1020116.JPG" width="316" /></a></div>
<br />
and a bartender on every float.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3seXPNB5wL2y07JeWsuNaLaykg6D2CCPx04My1p_oUtmUs7cxOckhyphenhyphen6ptrN5NIrv_YdQf14yTYU0r4PnNBZgszgEdbuRTIPVCoZGGp-4FetqU8Aawe_ui1KszPhmqd9LtqgYJc5CpCtP/s1600/P1020125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3seXPNB5wL2y07JeWsuNaLaykg6D2CCPx04My1p_oUtmUs7cxOckhyphenhyphen6ptrN5NIrv_YdQf14yTYU0r4PnNBZgszgEdbuRTIPVCoZGGp-4FetqU8Aawe_ui1KszPhmqd9LtqgYJc5CpCtP/s640/P1020125.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Green was the color of the day. These guys had wet-paint hands<br />
and were trying to put handprints on various parts of the women in the crowd.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvyMvUnmxKFBhQeYoZstVz8WKW4dzOXJfOVboheuaQJBIbr9mATlt_kTbyZRYBg8WAPrH8n9lP8baytgrg8HbQAEN5Gwz-KXbsW99t70fMZKXObooh0eG84q4Y9L4TsqhiW7YV7UDa6PY/s1600/P1020113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvyMvUnmxKFBhQeYoZstVz8WKW4dzOXJfOVboheuaQJBIbr9mATlt_kTbyZRYBg8WAPrH8n9lP8baytgrg8HbQAEN5Gwz-KXbsW99t70fMZKXObooh0eG84q4Y9L4TsqhiW7YV7UDa6PY/s400/P1020113.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Love her smile, even her bike was green.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzlTs8pgcxYqCRNfODXPNj8lEtQk9-1wcaTWkQKZ8IcFFxqIA9LakXmO66tqB74pNlAWswzL-Z_5tuIHtH5jG0YvYfGXEJ4jD9KiZXt01h8kP4RW1u_5xObjie9iHDq_-QsmbYzzhim3I/s1600/P1020076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzlTs8pgcxYqCRNfODXPNj8lEtQk9-1wcaTWkQKZ8IcFFxqIA9LakXmO66tqB74pNlAWswzL-Z_5tuIHtH5jG0YvYfGXEJ4jD9KiZXt01h8kP4RW1u_5xObjie9iHDq_-QsmbYzzhim3I/s400/P1020076.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It was hot, but the bands played on</div>
Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-23380520298862695682013-03-03T18:15:00.001-04:002013-03-16T09:36:46.028-04:00You're going to do what???<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>The RaftUp this month asks these questions:</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>How did you get the idea to go cruising? </b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Was it you, your partner, a friend that put the idea in your head? How long was it between when you first decided to go -- buying the boat -- actually setting sail? When you first starting telling friends and family that you were going to do this, how did they respond? Has it affected relationships on land? What was the hardest part of the transition from land to sea (this can be mental or physical)? Was it easier or harder to get going than you thought it would be? How long have you been out? Do you keep a place on land (house, storage...)? Why? Is your boat now your home or do you dream of having a normal land-life again?</b></span></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOl_Ay0rIUvYXqhEq12u4xxDj7J0AJCOgg6SN3qmDxV6-aqzjg1NREZdcFG2oKKCO_MT2E4xLZLI7MXflrSXhi4bVmalyBsRRUa3bfcg8U3W8_6FzHDtNWM5e0mnjjhjvebhYNkdofwcca/s1600/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOl_Ay0rIUvYXqhEq12u4xxDj7J0AJCOgg6SN3qmDxV6-aqzjg1NREZdcFG2oKKCO_MT2E4xLZLI7MXflrSXhi4bVmalyBsRRUa3bfcg8U3W8_6FzHDtNWM5e0mnjjhjvebhYNkdofwcca/s640/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+344.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Endless horizons, endless options.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span> </div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;">The first time I set foot on a sailboat was the day we moved aboard, 10 years ago. I know it sounds like it was a lark of sorts, but anyone who has ever met Steve knows he doesn't have much 'lark' in his genetic makeup. There was actually a lot of thought and planning involved. At the same time, we'd already done 12 moves in 20 years and we knew very well that nothing was forever. We could choose to move on at any time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;">I grew up in North Dakota (AKA: Almost Canada). It's not a region known for water sports. What water we had was generally frozen, we ice skated and played ice hockey. Sailing was as foreign and exotic as fresh pineapple and coconuts. I first saw a real sailboat in Duluth MN when I was 18. It looked so easy and romantic. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;">Fast forward 20 or so years. The girls are both in college. We're in Albuquerque NM with a pending Air Force assignment to Tampa FL. We start looking at houses there. We have MAJOR sticker shock at the housing prices there. This is 2003 when even a tiny ranch house there was selling for $500K. I joke about just buying a boat and living on it. We laugh. We look at more houses. Just for the heck of it, we check out some boat listings online. Boats are much more affordable. They look so spacious. The water is so pretty. I'm sold. </span><br />
<br />
Steve does weeks of homework and research and sees dozens of boats with the broker. We know nothing of brands or reputation. We buy a 1977 Hallberg-Rassy 41'. It doesn't have anything we were looking for: air conditioning for living aboard in Florida, refrigeration ( it had an ice box), electronics. But she's a SOLID, blue water cruiser. So, we move aboard and then take sailing lessons. I am the Sargent Schultz of sailing, I know <em>nothing</em>.<br />
<br />
We start the first of many Project lists. The first biggie: new engine mounts. The engine is literally falling into the bilge. We replace the wiring, the plumbing, add holding tanks, recaulk the teak deck, re rig, remove davits and add a stern rail, add all the electronics and in mast wiring. It was all learning on the job. Steve did ALL the work himself, he knows our boat inside and out and upside down. This was about a 6 year project. We were both still working full time. After Steve retired, he took a year to add a new engine and water maker and refrigeration compressors and 100 other things that have to be taken care of before we leave to go cruising.<br />
<br />
We've been out cruising full time for almost 4 years now. The transition from land to sea wasn't very hard for us. We're used to having to find our way around new cities/countries every couple of years, finding the good local restaurants, the grocery stores, the shortcuts. We tend to make friends easily. We accept local customs and don't want everything to be the same way it was 'at home'. The hardest part for us as family with grown children is not having that Family Home for everyone to meet at for holidays and vacations. It's much harder to make advance plans and to accommodate the girls work schedules. The work of day to day life on the boat is also much harder than I ever expected. Going to get groceries can be an all day chore. Ditto for laundry. And sometimes the logistics of planning food for a group for a few days puts me in a panic.<br />
<br />
We accumulated a lot of art works and interesting furniture pieces from our travels and we do have a 10 x 10 storage unit in Albuquerque. It's been 10 years since I've seen most of what we have in there. So I'd have to caution anyone to think reaaalllyyyy hard about what you want to put into storage. We've probably spent $8000 in 10 years on that storage unit.<br />
<br />
Our boat is our home. We plan to be there for many more years, but I do have to admit that after more than 25 years of continuous moving, I'm thinking more and more about having a permanent home. I'd like to paint a wall a color that I like, and plant a new bonsai tree or two. <br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><br /></b></span>Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-68313529513739418612013-02-23T12:59:00.001-04:002013-02-23T13:16:13.362-04:00Dingy??<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylLlwSaufFGJchSTd36kb8oqSXcoZFqIlu-disZk_Piwy9bDBMGTe5PrWBcVK9DwRPZpuOPrkc5K5Lspsevl3MJZIzzUnOlD0Q9vR6O3JNsiOQJxuuP_-rFFdGY-GI46ohz6aM9pPcNin/s1600/P2190031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylLlwSaufFGJchSTd36kb8oqSXcoZFqIlu-disZk_Piwy9bDBMGTe5PrWBcVK9DwRPZpuOPrkc5K5Lspsevl3MJZIzzUnOlD0Q9vR6O3JNsiOQJxuuP_-rFFdGY-GI46ohz6aM9pPcNin/s320/P2190031.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzh1ucN2aBW1_WkNLV384pTA10j6zfiMEC2ocPxQK6o_7B5eT_bacp1FObyBp2JzX_ygADy3KUQFNbWr6aDOaRi09dMuLlZqRAn5hSHtjFQ9i8Y2vbpHhx4seMzFWZ1HbcKwDwvcOx-F_/s1600/P2190032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzh1ucN2aBW1_WkNLV384pTA10j6zfiMEC2ocPxQK6o_7B5eT_bacp1FObyBp2JzX_ygADy3KUQFNbWr6aDOaRi09dMuLlZqRAn5hSHtjFQ9i8Y2vbpHhx4seMzFWZ1HbcKwDwvcOx-F_/s200/P2190032.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live on a
boat, some folks who read this do, or have too. Ours isn’t a big boat by many
cruiser’s standards but too big to take to the dock all the time and stay within
our budget. So we also have a small boat, a “dingy”, to get to-from shore with
stuff and us of course. You know laundry, groceries, rum, boat parts, walks and
all those kind of things. And there are “dingy” docks, some owned by cities,
some marinas, restaurants etc. <br />
<br />
Generally cruisers spend enough $$$ locally that
it makes good sense to have a “dingy” dock. Generally at busy “dingy” docks, folks
use long painters so everyone can maneuver in and out regardless if the “dingy”
is double/triple parked. Generally if you have a big boat you either hire/pay
for a slip or get a “dingy” to get to and from shore. And there is my rub.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5kV399ijn0KZl0IN4XFnvkLHtVRBoq4e-qLPdDSluRDWqZK0wDWl36TM0CYqrQpW1oftqnLjyWd9EH6b7jz-MZ6xb2Fts6LAFk9IHjp6W7UzgBcJgbnVUaxuHWUSIUxLpLoiX-AojGc5/s1600/P2210033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5kV399ijn0KZl0IN4XFnvkLHtVRBoq4e-qLPdDSluRDWqZK0wDWl36TM0CYqrQpW1oftqnLjyWd9EH6b7jz-MZ6xb2Fts6LAFk9IHjp6W7UzgBcJgbnVUaxuHWUSIUxLpLoiX-AojGc5/s200/P2210033.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZEiG6B4Hc4FiPvsIJ8zHN1iwlRhMKV_oLZ42X3PZP-C9zvWiG3XgumjL8J592MP6qotsbaleBV9sM_Xim8ZZxrWx73Mu0D4U5sm0lgpgjTmdbAAthcYg1Pb6_K7jzDNfhjtX71aqUz6Z/s1600/P2220032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZEiG6B4Hc4FiPvsIJ8zHN1iwlRhMKV_oLZ42X3PZP-C9zvWiG3XgumjL8J592MP6qotsbaleBV9sM_Xim8ZZxrWx73Mu0D4U5sm0lgpgjTmdbAAthcYg1Pb6_K7jzDNfhjtX71aqUz6Z/s320/P2220032.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJphW47Gu1XaYeukxByDORtxSwJaocwr6HC0GRupQBeincM3VVaiitVCo_aY-goxM15JQZ9nwL48vfgbDAXKxydM6Mxvq-SRV06BoMFLgLgghpNbsAmWqHvnbFEufBPr4ORhGd9VHFxsP/s1600/P2210034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJphW47Gu1XaYeukxByDORtxSwJaocwr6HC0GRupQBeincM3VVaiitVCo_aY-goxM15JQZ9nwL48vfgbDAXKxydM6Mxvq-SRV06BoMFLgLgghpNbsAmWqHvnbFEufBPr4ORhGd9VHFxsP/s200/P2210034.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dingy to the left (blue/graythird row) <br />
is our 8 1/2 footer for comparison<br />
We DO have a Tiller extension though!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtMthWZZSQ7gPSeMXXfw4I-a008Z1NVHYLAJQKadrlJxmjQjqay6_XF48rgDQDAGExLWPvD1F1zaDUgv7V21hR6_N-s6krqKQI6N2179toqiQO3mb1au-87gCRPStAn34Q-1QMJg5k0aCA/s1600/P2210036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtMthWZZSQ7gPSeMXXfw4I-a008Z1NVHYLAJQKadrlJxmjQjqay6_XF48rgDQDAGExLWPvD1F1zaDUgv7V21hR6_N-s6krqKQI6N2179toqiQO3mb1au-87gCRPStAn34Q-1QMJg5k0aCA/s200/P2210036.JPG" width="200" /></a><o:p> </o:p><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At what size is it
no longer a “dingy”? Perspective perhaps…if the mother-ship is 36 feet a big “dingy”
might be a six or eight footer. But if the mother-ship is say 100 feet will a 12
footer suffice? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t seem to. <br />
<br />
We’re
in the USVI’s right now and even for this 24+ year US Air Force veteran who’
has witnessed a few <b><i>big “dingy” contests</i></b>, it’s a bit
overwhelming. I mean damn, some of these really qualify as mother-ships. Every day
there are a ½ dozen plus rigid and RIB boats with outboards exceeding 40
horsepower, several in the 14-18 foot, 100-140 hp range, electric start, integral
navigation lights and GPS/chart plotters. Is that a “dingy”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This more rigid platform, convenience, and
additional size could be an offset for the effects of age and lost dexterity
allowing people to do things they love much later in life. (Pfizer analogy <b><i>SO</i></b>
tempting here) Mostly though it seems they are young crews, owners, and guests
of very large and quite expensive yachts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So it’s probably big and fully outfitted just because it can be.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulspNe_NpfLiKEwcdS17yn781kmQixbfYWaoeZ3yyjbita__kgJ_96Kmh4_E_9AES4Tzvz3WzOqRiqYZbRFNHgWNcQqNflyNW2uaLuBV6CfCq86ObaIlOOlVVxLtkEFdOpN9woLVAm12E/s1600/P2220034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulspNe_NpfLiKEwcdS17yn781kmQixbfYWaoeZ3yyjbita__kgJ_96Kmh4_E_9AES4Tzvz3WzOqRiqYZbRFNHgWNcQqNflyNW2uaLuBV6CfCq86ObaIlOOlVVxLtkEFdOpN9woLVAm12E/s320/P2220034.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzLm1VKJXKT_gJAffOK9tdSBuEGFAN1fWnX0mChq_Aj8Vxu53hLw9gGz3iXTGq5Ti7JmNwnYhIFEsaG1rjmUWdcBVmNCUR3FDjn9_PIRjjlOkWzcBXJIuCX7U7vsQMScnyLc6piJ0Dmj-/s1600/P2210035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzLm1VKJXKT_gJAffOK9tdSBuEGFAN1fWnX0mChq_Aj8Vxu53hLw9gGz3iXTGq5Ti7JmNwnYhIFEsaG1rjmUWdcBVmNCUR3FDjn9_PIRjjlOkWzcBXJIuCX7U7vsQMScnyLc6piJ0Dmj-/s200/P2210035.JPG" width="155" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there are
rarely hard rules there are conventions, like the long painter I talked about.
It’s just being considerate of others so most people do it. But not everyone, <b><i>so
sometimes there actually are rules</i></b>. <st1:city><st1:place>Annapolis</st1:place></st1:city>
for example has a rule for their “dingy” dock limiting size to (hope I remember
this correctly) 14 feet. Oh that’s right, there are rules here too. Limit is 12
feet, no locking, and no overnight. Hmm. </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9jcCEGbWD3wVznFDsnmV5TF1pJ4hCirokRDvp4b6hyphenhyphenzF1xNQU5DQz5hmS7CHT7TYcbDfOqsWF1EW4U7ehltfBAWu_EtXnC9_rvruV6mqXx19T62t8hw4YLjgqR2OSiknJIxAFHwV18lQF/s1600/P2220031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9jcCEGbWD3wVznFDsnmV5TF1pJ4hCirokRDvp4b6hyphenhyphenzF1xNQU5DQz5hmS7CHT7TYcbDfOqsWF1EW4U7ehltfBAWu_EtXnC9_rvruV6mqXx19T62t8hw4YLjgqR2OSiknJIxAFHwV18lQF/s200/P2220031.JPG" width="107" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Options: the “dingy”
dock could get bigger; “dingys” could get smaller; or maybe those non-“dingy”
i.e. pseudo mother-ships could hire slips. Meanwhile our painter keeps getting
longer and the off-loading more challenging as we climb over and through the
“dingy” mass/mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good news—<st1:city><st1:place>Lynn</st1:place></st1:city>
has only gone in once. Not here.</div>
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11254234327394356332noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-83893328856204691072013-02-11T15:16:00.003-04:002013-02-11T15:23:29.158-04:00Moko JumbiesI know, I know, moko jumbies sounds like a good rum drink. They are, however, stilt dancers. Towering god/ghosts who watch over their villages and who can see evil coming from their lofty height. The origin of moko jumbies depends on whether you read<strong> </strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moko_jumbie" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>Wikipedia</strong></span></a> the St Croix Visitors Info. They came from Africa, added in some Caribbean voodoo and some European religions and are now unique. However they came about, they're a blast to watch as they dance down the street or on the beach. The troop here preformed at the<u> </u><a href="http://www.stcroixtourism.com/jump_up.htm" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: blue;">Jump Up</span></strong></a> last Friday night. I apologise for the dark photos, there were too many bright lights against a really dark sky. It was too much for my limited photo skills.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvVzigJnY9QflO8NvqqdQQbrx67g0fLbodT1cXy8MqkJj2Z-PGlVvIsqm3TEaE_JmwCWYrNMxfdOpJsj4JfS4ml7-CjUIjxyGSrNN0lJbxJxKJBRJeuPOnY6DA6MWMr3IQk5jMfUWSkqr/s1600/P1010714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvVzigJnY9QflO8NvqqdQQbrx67g0fLbodT1cXy8MqkJj2Z-PGlVvIsqm3TEaE_JmwCWYrNMxfdOpJsj4JfS4ml7-CjUIjxyGSrNN0lJbxJxKJBRJeuPOnY6DA6MWMr3IQk5jMfUWSkqr/s320/P1010714.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
The top of an SUV is just the right height for strapping on the stilts.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5yPmtn8-0hGbmG0wfnb4yHftVUVsIOec0Dw8sILZRhvWJiOtQxNuqYRifq6x2kssdEqfygEObB3_akVycklSxhvW6fAQFp_VTmLT8mLHn-e2G90DOJ29CIrHBFSZt1GSbtd1XjGbfdkR/s1600/P1010715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5yPmtn8-0hGbmG0wfnb4yHftVUVsIOec0Dw8sILZRhvWJiOtQxNuqYRifq6x2kssdEqfygEObB3_akVycklSxhvW6fAQFp_VTmLT8mLHn-e2G90DOJ29CIrHBFSZt1GSbtd1XjGbfdkR/s400/P1010715.JPG" width="250" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Next, getting into costume.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcKAuoYKGedQ0Ps6yry6LmShkLQGPV-XwmyrBCnEQMZgDQMYYeHLNIuXAkU1dkN99VVmISbFJV80VzkhTntwDRQdEorKlQ1WEjbnoChwkwfrdEE3delT9eJIHUsYFpW475yz_SlaTYuMt/s1600/P1010807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcKAuoYKGedQ0Ps6yry6LmShkLQGPV-XwmyrBCnEQMZgDQMYYeHLNIuXAkU1dkN99VVmISbFJV80VzkhTntwDRQdEorKlQ1WEjbnoChwkwfrdEE3delT9eJIHUsYFpW475yz_SlaTYuMt/s400/P1010807.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Dressed and ready to go.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQWRTOtUa5hy3kI4LFQ4KSCN1lZrzCsswSxD3Ajk7VpBL32ZcVP1Zhw9HP-ljgyjRXrtDus2HFjxxQNthERyufurxjDwjNt050VTUAZQKAEGyLBYuokT8-4HY9WEGGFMH5E5n0lN-f8v1/s1600/P1010810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQWRTOtUa5hy3kI4LFQ4KSCN1lZrzCsswSxD3Ajk7VpBL32ZcVP1Zhw9HP-ljgyjRXrtDus2HFjxxQNthERyufurxjDwjNt050VTUAZQKAEGyLBYuokT8-4HY9WEGGFMH5E5n0lN-f8v1/s320/P1010810.JPG" width="226" /></a></div>
<br />
Chillin' with friends.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4P92Qu_SngE-KckBZ1ospB2mWF9rTluL709X-eRmlcIXfdum9iJHDYGZdeGvZfdyo5tNEDaPR68maUAJySqOtQWehwNzVnJ1lANYGScCV6igBEj70XUWfhyphenhyphenIpfc2MPjTxpTpdp1avm5nd/s1600/P1010808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4P92Qu_SngE-KckBZ1ospB2mWF9rTluL709X-eRmlcIXfdum9iJHDYGZdeGvZfdyo5tNEDaPR68maUAJySqOtQWehwNzVnJ1lANYGScCV6igBEj70XUWfhyphenhyphenIpfc2MPjTxpTpdp1avm5nd/s320/P1010808.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
More waiting. Their eyes are kind of unnerving when you get close.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2USbXpl2Z11JA9HTa0tOloasFCohyhX_SiFRlLkP6uC5gKVBkhGqqGeqOvCtJDrG9HaeWCh8zaURNed75n-Dzwjw8BV8jC5RyqHGyU3TegK-lIojkCbPdNqE-uRGYA3v7hmnGS-9dU3zO/s1600/P1010824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2USbXpl2Z11JA9HTa0tOloasFCohyhX_SiFRlLkP6uC5gKVBkhGqqGeqOvCtJDrG9HaeWCh8zaURNed75n-Dzwjw8BV8jC5RyqHGyU3TegK-lIojkCbPdNqE-uRGYA3v7hmnGS-9dU3zO/s640/P1010824.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Taking a bow after the dance. <br />
<br />Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-75061360072563272582013-02-09T10:09:00.004-04:002013-02-11T10:31:17.433-04:00Street ScenesSome different scenes from around the VI's. You never know what will be painted on the sides of buildings. It's one of the things I like here, it's not just the generic gangbanger f*** stuff.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3QObl7GZe0v3RR4x4rfEM7MJ9aUhuaFE46VPFVF3AREalf8rTOYyrMgAcNxyPpW8dBPUlpr5VTQJC0JVEB2SaJ-q0lfx27LKW9UtOA1obqixMVaa2rd3gKsTTHymqfRXlmLIbpHW7gQf/s1600/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3QObl7GZe0v3RR4x4rfEM7MJ9aUhuaFE46VPFVF3AREalf8rTOYyrMgAcNxyPpW8dBPUlpr5VTQJC0JVEB2SaJ-q0lfx27LKW9UtOA1obqixMVaa2rd3gKsTTHymqfRXlmLIbpHW7gQf/s400/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+325.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this was an ad for something, I just couldn't figure out what.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEp3RH1CK6BDu-5F4P3xxMvbBAJpH7iEE8d9WVPGKORjawtrOKPWfa7GHrXq47ih0Eqeve5H3X-NRsVzu7mY8BHyXaB4PXs_flZ4DclMjBEVFXzTXDQjIdr08QGdhSGbk2kgK-aPCfPJ6/s1600/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEp3RH1CK6BDu-5F4P3xxMvbBAJpH7iEE8d9WVPGKORjawtrOKPWfa7GHrXq47ih0Eqeve5H3X-NRsVzu7mY8BHyXaB4PXs_flZ4DclMjBEVFXzTXDQjIdr08QGdhSGbk2kgK-aPCfPJ6/s320/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+326.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUUhK3kso_XWnuE43pv8MLrNaGTmMGWfPRfTDK4Upys72TcU4eEPZaYm3yfcMBeVSG6IKk0wjuEIQEZBfVjt5AyMsD25zPwaaDj1YSuk-VFr88b5h8N0o41QjW0pnNCoDC4Y8h16BTBL8/s1600/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUUhK3kso_XWnuE43pv8MLrNaGTmMGWfPRfTDK4Upys72TcU4eEPZaYm3yfcMBeVSG6IKk0wjuEIQEZBfVjt5AyMsD25zPwaaDj1YSuk-VFr88b5h8N0o41QjW0pnNCoDC4Y8h16BTBL8/s320/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+327.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
An interesting trash barrel.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2kEYe1xpnNSUkbNxZgbg9a93wD3yvL91Rbxv1Q8rYAdXLu26KqJoGM42lv2T2KdC18iYyg4Ku820P_asbfZgJtMTvgndSGpiOrA0JwQtIKEfckhQDRAK52rFgIhQOf1ZKw_huCdsnoRr/s1600/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2kEYe1xpnNSUkbNxZgbg9a93wD3yvL91Rbxv1Q8rYAdXLu26KqJoGM42lv2T2KdC18iYyg4Ku820P_asbfZgJtMTvgndSGpiOrA0JwQtIKEfckhQDRAK52rFgIhQOf1ZKw_huCdsnoRr/s640/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+034.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chalk on a wall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqnS8LlXLaRrr18HPuu1lfL5NfGDMv-imL3d_743cfPavrHPuXECPCWptYxcn9f_oVdeg7_NSwJ67breL0IHkNUs-uShERVhwbMMbDQ04T3XPe31FOW-sodBAp6AwXIdFP5NzXrhdZU7h/s1600/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqnS8LlXLaRrr18HPuu1lfL5NfGDMv-imL3d_743cfPavrHPuXECPCWptYxcn9f_oVdeg7_NSwJ67breL0IHkNUs-uShERVhwbMMbDQ04T3XPe31FOW-sodBAp6AwXIdFP5NzXrhdZU7h/s320/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UtdPu3Tw2us_JdJYNc3xvJkptTwegTrHqDspMxEsiywmms3eOCoXSJJqgLPTDzUoA1upX7Mw_VT5TNY_iqxAa7FY-7wqPqdjWodjoAny4KYb0Df9x8qC3PZ91fhXp0yXQ-y5B89ConBk/s1600/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UtdPu3Tw2us_JdJYNc3xvJkptTwegTrHqDspMxEsiywmms3eOCoXSJJqgLPTDzUoA1upX7Mw_VT5TNY_iqxAa7FY-7wqPqdjWodjoAny4KYb0Df9x8qC3PZ91fhXp0yXQ-y5B89ConBk/s400/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+241.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59UJD7OQg8Q2uisTAsqf-3B9UZvOGJH9-DcCbv693791OzHELQ4j_tG8WVejeP3WDbQwVvqaPg2RJ_3W7OMy2LUQlWNObE2vEtZgRG5eOWTEVuyvkAONtXsOPpTPxuSOYoD2DGtrcXG8u/s1600/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59UJD7OQg8Q2uisTAsqf-3B9UZvOGJH9-DcCbv693791OzHELQ4j_tG8WVejeP3WDbQwVvqaPg2RJ_3W7OMy2LUQlWNObE2vEtZgRG5eOWTEVuyvkAONtXsOPpTPxuSOYoD2DGtrcXG8u/s640/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+307.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An abandoned building.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1spS2QDlFqaN3wlIt8Ort1ISMBM8cUrF4ZIBK8Mq_nv5OGr9liJaq_EsKqnnfu-aXd8OwUJ0T6C_QhaOYUEEfIOhBx4GAEdCXLcyzG5T3xKkykP36WYpY_Uh5BMs9TDtW0Xgv4Xu5Ryh/s1600/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1spS2QDlFqaN3wlIt8Ort1ISMBM8cUrF4ZIBK8Mq_nv5OGr9liJaq_EsKqnnfu-aXd8OwUJ0T6C_QhaOYUEEfIOhBx4GAEdCXLcyzG5T3xKkykP36WYpY_Uh5BMs9TDtW0Xgv4Xu5Ryh/s320/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+381.JPG" width="190" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEqLQYl-qu7zTHknoc1tfNT27cE_jdlPMMvjI7lx2Y41L86ZCJAcy7j-uwKyryOjfnkXv4I3Xmi5Tz0EnBccvfVPJmxPaS2rlkcjlWhKATj-aumg6ewFQe21gMwETxD-vW2P2MEmD3mFm/s1600/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEqLQYl-qu7zTHknoc1tfNT27cE_jdlPMMvjI7lx2Y41L86ZCJAcy7j-uwKyryOjfnkXv4I3Xmi5Tz0EnBccvfVPJmxPaS2rlkcjlWhKATj-aumg6ewFQe21gMwETxD-vW2P2MEmD3mFm/s320/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+308.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVShVU24cG5cQQCoQkgYKtUxwdQT7pkExhstGGStOThB72bWOS6CSeD9iz1t0OckkSR-1bGXrmIYFi4UN9rT7Hu_uUzBs5ybp1WyDQ6osrTE1u84O13SzSoaZwXUMBgBlTPO7BA0SQwPCF/s1600/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVShVU24cG5cQQCoQkgYKtUxwdQT7pkExhstGGStOThB72bWOS6CSeD9iz1t0OckkSR-1bGXrmIYFi4UN9rT7Hu_uUzBs5ybp1WyDQ6osrTE1u84O13SzSoaZwXUMBgBlTPO7BA0SQwPCF/s640/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+382.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and we know what you're thinking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJ1LE8BVzo65sEBwmUv80oQDuIK10DevNgjWJ-QqQSVGCvj8B99q-LKAmx1SOjGpdIht7zXqc-VLJNQRlBAOkicDj-mGnxN4odlSwpa5mS1sYrY3gwN3I2Bxhtjn1Y_Dj4V0rxSIIZQQW/s1600/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJ1LE8BVzo65sEBwmUv80oQDuIK10DevNgjWJ-QqQSVGCvj8B99q-LKAmx1SOjGpdIht7zXqc-VLJNQRlBAOkicDj-mGnxN4odlSwpa5mS1sYrY3gwN3I2Bxhtjn1Y_Dj4V0rxSIIZQQW/s640/Culebra,+St+Thomas,+St+Croix+2013+355.JPG" width="408" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Highway signpost.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-53760588161468253862013-02-04T11:31:00.001-04:002013-02-04T11:45:17.733-04:00Thru fair weather or foul In seasickness or health,<br />
showers or not,<br />
from sunburn to dusk,<br />
and saltwater to fresh...<br />
<br />
I think maybe cruising couples should take vows before they leave the dock. Go though a little pre-cruising counselling, perhaps? How many of us really know what we're heading into when we 'go cruising'? The strains it can put on a relationship? The fear and the doubts? Can we <em>be</em> prepared for it? (OK, just so I don't scare our girls, this isn't one of those stories about how we fell apart because of cruising. We're still married and we still like each other!) <br />
<br />
Funny thing: as I'm sitting here trying to write about relationships on a boat, Steve, who is taking the auto helm motor apart said "I could use a little whack with the hammer", so I picked up the hammer and gave him a little whack. So easy to be cooperative and get along on a boat. <br />
<br />
We had no idea what we were getting into with the boat or in terms of 'us'. I had never been on a sailboat until the day we moved aboard, 10 years ago. It was a steep learning curve. When we left to go cruising 4 years ago, Steve had just retired after 24 years in the Air Force. He had traveled A LOT. Our girls were both out on their own. So there I was, a career military wife: independent, capable, resourceful. I was used to spending my off work time however I wanted. Suddenly, (and it really was sudden: we went from living at a dock and having a car, to neither, overnight). So it really did seem sudden to me. Suddenly we were doing laundry together and shopping together and walking together and eating every meal together, going everywhere together. It was too much togetherness for me. After 6 months, I was taking the cat and leaving. We obviously weren't working well together. <br />
<br />
It can be a really hard thing, this learning to ignore each other nicely in a small space and not get your feelings hurt. To understand when your partner needs some mental space and let them have it ( and I don't mean with a hammer). To be generous in forgiving small things. To take <em>and</em> to give. To remember to laugh with each other when things really suck, instead of placing blame. It's been 10 years since we set out on this particular journey and we've learned more about each other in these 10 years than in the 20 before that. We keep learning because we keep changing and we keep changing because we keep learning, about the world and about ourselves. <br />
<br />
To see more RaftUp bloggers, click on the RaftUp icon to the right. <br />
<br />Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-18848689940293190772013-01-10T16:44:00.001-04:002013-01-10T16:44:10.598-04:00Catching UpHmmm...it seems that looking for my last post, that I don't have one! I didn't do a December RaftUp, or even a Christmas/NewYear 'Hello'. Time to put down the Kindle. <br />
<br />
So. Hope everyone had a great Holiday Season in whatever way makes it special for you. How's that for bland and inoffensive? We're very PC here on Celebration. We did our celebrating in Culebra, which is between Puerto Rico and St Thomas, with friends Ken and Cynthia, who came over on the ferry. It was very low key: swimming and eating, chatting and reading. We missed our families, although hearing the temps in Fargo and Minneapolis made us really glad not to be there. I am heading back to Mpls and then Phoenix in February so I'll catch up with everyone then.<br />
<br />
So. On to the January RaftUp topic: blue jobs and pink jobs, and how that division of labor works out on the boat. If any one's not familiar with the subject, it refers to jobs traditionally done only by males or only by females. I'd like to say that we don't have blue/pink jobs here, that we both have equal knowledge of all systems and procedures, tools and replacement parts, but I'd be lying. I'll say flat out: I married a man who's a great mechanic for a reason, (the reason being that he was cute and played the guitar and I was 19;) but it's been a huge advantage. We couldn't afford to cruise if Steve couldn't troubleshoot and then fix the myriad of-little-things-that-lead-to bigger-things-that-could-lead-to-serious-we're-in-trouble-here-things. And the good thing is: he likes a lot of it! He likes to read tech manuals and look at schematic drawings, the cheesy translations don't throw him off at all. He can take something apart and see what's wrong. I can take something apart and see lots of parts. <br />
<br />
We both do the cooking, we both do the laundry. I take care of the food inventory and storage and most of (what little) cleaning gets done. We work together well and try to 'help' each other when we can, but it's a boat. Most spaces are only big enough for one to work and one to stand outside and hand the tools. But we try to exchange roles when we can. Steve designed most of our systems and knows them so well, that I have to tell him to stop helping me when I'm trying something new. <br />
<br />
For some other thoughts on the blue/pink topic check out these guys:<br />
1 Dana <a href="http://www.svnorthfork.blogspot.com/">www.svnorthfork.blogspot.com</a><br />2 <br />3 <br />4 Stacey <a href="http://sv-bellavita.blogspot.com/">http://sv-bellavita.blogspot.com</a><br />5 Steph <a href="http://www.sailblogs.com/member/nornabiron">www.sailblogs.com/member/nornabiron</a><br />6 <br />7 Behan <a href="http://www.sv-totem.blogspot.com/">www.sv-totem.blogspot.com</a><br />8 Diane <a href="http://maiaaboard.blogspot.com/">http://maiaaboard.blogspot.com</a><br />9 Jessica <a href="http://www.mvfelicity.blogspot.com/">www.mvfelicity.blogspot.com</a><br />10 Lynn <a href="http://www.sailcelebration.blogspot.com/">www.sailcelebration.blogspot.com</a><br />11 Verena <a href="http://www.pacificsailors.com/">www.pacificsailors.com</a><br />12 Toast <a href="http://blog.toastfloats.com/">http://blog.toastfloats.com</a><br />13 <br />14 Ean <a href="http://www.morejoyeverywhere.blogspot.com/">www.morejoyeverywhere.blogspot.com</a><br />
Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16790589697143781734noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-6472318425434629452012-11-30T14:45:00.000-04:002012-11-30T14:45:07.184-04:00The Rally Call<span lang=""> Sitting North Sound, Virgin Gorda, BVI's<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggdz4Jd-B-ACYt-q2gHAqWbIv2m9AtrmXmet1GYuQEMdV1Jq68xuYVHUbN0r4d67t-YCr3_mtTSPe38cjDFGPKf2e8kmQfTXguWkg797gOQhFP-HkC3Z0hffUr4TB0q5oB2XNR5geBLbFG/s1600/P1000794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggdz4Jd-B-ACYt-q2gHAqWbIv2m9AtrmXmet1GYuQEMdV1Jq68xuYVHUbN0r4d67t-YCr3_mtTSPe38cjDFGPKf2e8kmQfTXguWkg797gOQhFP-HkC3Z0hffUr4TB0q5oB2XNR5geBLbFG/s320/P1000794.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trip Summary <br />
(ignore that max speed)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First thought maybe this should be called "To Rally or Not to Rally". This trip south we were involved in our first official rally, the Salty Dawg Rally. Over the 11 1/2 days of sailing, staying in some communication, sharing fish stories, positions, weather etc. I had a lot of thoughts on things I liked about it, and some things I didn't. Like usual I should have sat and written right away with my mind moving on far too quickly, forgetting some of what I am sure were profound thoughts for anyone considering joining in a rally. Be what it may, I'll write a few things here from the trip although somewhat less focused as time has tempered memory.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLDFxY4ZoCdkJ1-1Gx0TAON8G8T0XY0RckGbZXm0nCvtfdJ7Yl0SftckqeLoeaYDt97WPwKY6j9f3Rh8Mr0enAHzb8r_xDAs7xfxNs2xfvles4Ga-dsnjUleYQh9WT1FtD-OBbWQqRCjf/s1600/P1000781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLDFxY4ZoCdkJ1-1Gx0TAON8G8T0XY0RckGbZXm0nCvtfdJ7Yl0SftckqeLoeaYDt97WPwKY6j9f3Rh8Mr0enAHzb8r_xDAs7xfxNs2xfvles4Ga-dsnjUleYQh9WT1FtD-OBbWQqRCjf/s320/P1000781.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One that DIDN'T Get Away</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The start: One of the first things I liked was the support from Marine Weather Center (Chris Parker) for the rally. As a participant we could sign on to his weather web casts each afternoon as the scheduled depart date neared to look at and hear what to expect. (Chris' weather support continued via e-mail and SSB throughout the trip.) As a Norther built off the US East Coast, we were one of the first boats to declare our intent to miss the scheduled date and depart after the storm had cleared. Much discussion on how far south and how fast we would need to be to stay ahead of the really bad stuff on the net and the web casts. Not a tough decision for us as we can sail fast, but don't like it. We much prefer to go slow, stay rested, eat well, and keep stress on the boat and crew to a minimum. Several boats chose to go on schedule racing ahead of the weather in 30 kts and squalls...to avoid the <strong><em>really bad</em></strong> weather. One listen in on their offshore discussion convinced me quickly we made the right call. But surprisingly, I did feel some sort of internal peer pressure to leave verses waiting behind. Funny how those old human genetics kick in even when unexpected or unwanted. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO9UIbGRQpV9JLBu1AtMFiavj70GwKx943Y662XJCjNbzViS_13YfG-FvbQlmfSVk2sHkgOSOAiXhqcdIm9BNfaw4XTnkH-a3h6hcRB_P45xhiRK3nySoMnyhaEKyVaqQtzbViTWeImO_F/s1600/P1000827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO9UIbGRQpV9JLBu1AtMFiavj70GwKx943Y662XJCjNbzViS_13YfG-FvbQlmfSVk2sHkgOSOAiXhqcdIm9BNfaw4XTnkH-a3h6hcRB_P45xhiRK3nySoMnyhaEKyVaqQtzbViTWeImO_F/s320/P1000827.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saba Rock, North Sound, Virgin Gorda, BVI's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"Fast" boats verses "slow" boats. This had me confused and I think several others are still confused. We left in good wind, hit the Gulf Stream and ran east at a good clip. The wind rolled east with us rolling south for several days in some good wind....30kts for the first two, then a bit more. Next the wind went back north so we east, but not really fast. When check-ins happened that evening it seemed a large chunk of the fleet ("fast" boats) was running well ahead. Waterlines being what they are, we were not going to run away but still exceeding 5 kts I was curious. Well it turns out a chunk of the fleet simply turned on the engine when boat speed fell below 6-7 kts. Hmm so if a "slow" boat routinely starts the engine when they are sailing under 6-7 kts they become a "fast" boat. Never being a racer, this didn't bug me especially knowing we would get into port without needing fuel immediately. <strong><em>But there is a party at the end and it appeared we might just miss it </em></strong>if most of the fleet motored a rhumb line. We sailed east, then south, then east...finally had to motor south into Virgin Gorda as the wind blew gently from the south at the end. We made the party by a day, and still have fuel in the tank. Anyway, we can buy a lot of rum on our own considering the extended cost (fuel, maintenance, amortized life, etc) of each engine hour left in the tank. Again that bit of self induced pressure.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGpV96Y1egFd7chgQYcWbBf6wPqboBoBrjrZVGQDJ1j7trS0ZY-yecTmqDJLr5JjwLXKA5UpooUEVopSBLm9VxdvROOY7R92pYucf375MSxdjm65dR25rv6W1cqta9KTBYN1Lxe2_XzWB/s1600/Sail+Work+Underway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGpV96Y1egFd7chgQYcWbBf6wPqboBoBrjrZVGQDJ1j7trS0ZY-yecTmqDJLr5JjwLXKA5UpooUEVopSBLm9VxdvROOY7R92pYucf375MSxdjm65dR25rv6W1cqta9KTBYN1Lxe2_XzWB/s320/Sail+Work+Underway.jpg" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sail Repair Underway</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the trip we caught a couple nice Mahi, missed a couple even larger ones who got away with my best lures and 81 lb test wire leaders. We split a seam in the main which by Lynn's brother Gary's (first time sailor this trip) suggestion we were able to take partially off the mast, snake it down through the overhead hatch, and restitch the seam on the saloon table below! We had one Autohelm motor pack it in and were saved from endless hours of hand steering by the trusty Aries Windvane. And like most "windy" trips, we found some leaks we didn't know about, made a few we knew about slightly worse, and added to the work list as things work hard, wear, and of course add ideas for making improvements. We averaged over 5 kts for the trip which is pretty good for me.<br />
<br />
The camaraderie of the group. Unfortunately we missed the gathering in Norfolk prior to the start so didn't know many of our fellow sailors. After checking in together during the trip, often relaying for others, and near the end staying in constant touch with several who were near out of fuel, we felt almost like we knew them. Meeting here at the Bitter End Yacht Club was especially fun as we were able to put faces, names, and boats together. From that we have many new sailing friends. Flying the Salty Dawgs Burgee is a visual indication when entering a different port in the BVI's that it's one of "us" and a radio hail often ensues.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdRyGWiMQKkUiljcFmPkDlduC4KGMWdPFSxcj6CcgbkTi5Pg_U3K2M7GhgsN2x06D9XkdpxLxjwpNd7CYhqOlpHu_rk-Jn4sebm_MpKnKH1KSciPqmPUxyZ8iVF8oC-M_Vh7dSlYzCEgD/s1600/P1000798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdRyGWiMQKkUiljcFmPkDlduC4KGMWdPFSxcj6CcgbkTi5Pg_U3K2M7GhgsN2x06D9XkdpxLxjwpNd7CYhqOlpHu_rk-Jn4sebm_MpKnKH1KSciPqmPUxyZ8iVF8oC-M_Vh7dSlYzCEgD/s320/P1000798.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary and I Sampling Painkillers at Bitter End Yacht Club</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lastly a special note regarding the Salty Dawgs Rally. I have been critical of rallies in the past as they are mostly run on schedule, weather be damned in some past cases. Folks often with less experience do a rally because of the "security" of travelling near others, but due to the schedule are subjected to worse weather than if they had sailed on their own. Salty Dawgs is different. If you want to leave early, late, from a different port, even to a different port you can still take part in the rally. This is why we gave it a try. We have always made our own weather and route decisions. We maintain our own boat and safety gear to standards we are comfortable with. We believe it is nice to know others may be near, but if things would get bad we need to save ourselves and not count on someone else. Salty Dawgs fits for us. No firm schedule, no boat inspections, no hard, fast rules. To join you need to have done a lengthy passage or more and be confident in your own vessel and skills. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx0lGmA-jnVXj9GzUR5PjJ-JeCFSqR0YD0uWiOBsGfPh2CHldOhXVvJbLSHfY9stGJKVUY5nBEvmPfXvX5U5x_Bd1k0zH0gqD2B5Ku60ZWm9vXrudoaHoVYTjIZa9BcU7O9rEOxZhsdK1k/s1600/P1000832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx0lGmA-jnVXj9GzUR5PjJ-JeCFSqR0YD0uWiOBsGfPh2CHldOhXVvJbLSHfY9stGJKVUY5nBEvmPfXvX5U5x_Bd1k0zH0gqD2B5Ku60ZWm9vXrudoaHoVYTjIZa9BcU7O9rEOxZhsdK1k/s320/P1000832.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saba Rock from the Hill Behind Bitter End</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the end it is really about the camaraderie of other sailors, the fun of completing a similar passage, and the telling of how and when each of us packed in the long-johns and foulies as we progressed south...ending the trip in shorts and bare feet. Having Lynn's brother Gary along was a special treat as we haven't had near enough opportunity in adult-hood to spend extended time together. Sharing it all over $3 Painkillers at the Saba Rock Happy Hour. <br />
<br />
The list of leaking things can wait.<br />
<br />
</span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11254234327394356332noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5592467378264628728.post-53810206424028654532012-11-19T20:48:00.004-04:002012-11-19T20:50:10.275-04:00Day 11. The 'B' WordSo it seems that Mother Nature reads our log. I did the unthinkable and used the 'b' word here yesterday, before we reached our destination. I even used it in french. She paid me back by making things very interesting last night.<br />
<br />
We had a nice dinner, chili and chips, and were sitting back in the cockpit before we started our watches. It started to rain. The wind picked up. And picked up. And it rained more. Gary and I took the first watch, taking turns steering, getting alternately rained on and splashed by waves. Steve and I took the second watch. 4 hours, 5 hours. More of the same. I went off to rest, leaving Steve to cope. I came back some 3 1/2 hours later to find him sipping coffee and enjoying a pretty nice sail. We had hit a squall line and instead of doing a perpendicular crossing, I think we went through from one end to the other. The radar couldn't see past the first few miles of rain and in the dark we couldn't tell where the storm started and where it ended.<br />
<br />
I forgot the best part of this fun. Just before it got really windy we took a wave over the bow hard enough to send water up and under the dinghy and exploding through the forward hatch, which had been left open 1/2 inch for ventilation. It soaked the mattress and all the bedding and some of Gary's things that were out. Gary got to spend his off watch on the sette in the saloon. This, combined with a couple of chainplates that leak, made it a very wet and uncomfortable night for all of us.<br />
<br />
So, Mother Nature, mea culpa, mea culpa. I'll never do it again.<br />
<br />
LynnAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05680332454082517559noreply@blogger.com2