Well, we heard from Mack Boring yesterday. They won't have our transmission ready until NEXT Thursday, Nov. 6. So, guess we'll be here a while longer. I'm having visions of us crossing the Potomac similar to that famous painting of George Washington and his troops doing their crossing in a snow storm. Hey, maybe I can get Bill to pose for a pic if/when it happens.
Actually, it's not bad at all. We could be stuck in WAY worse circumstances. We did have an "issue" with the check vavle on the water pressure line so had no running water for a few days. Well, let me rephrase that. We DID have running water, just too much of it. Every time we'd turn the water pump on water would spray all over the engine compartment. So we used water as little as possible. When it was necessary, one of us would be by the water pump switch. "ON," would say Boop at the kitchen sink. Bill would switch on the water and I'd wash the dishes as quickly as possible. "OFF," I'd shout ASAP. And so it went...day after funfilled day. Then the part finally came in yesterday and Bill was able to get it fixed. OK, God...I got it...one more thing not to take for granted...running water. Jeeez! Will the lessons never stop?
Tonight, we decided to get out with the public, since we've been cooped up all week. It was sunny and somewhat warm this afternoon, so we took the dink to the Calypso Bay bar for $1 beer night. (Do we know how to whoop it up or what???) It was fun to people watch. There was this one girl/lady there who was about 6 feet tall with 2 inch black "hurt me" high heel boots. Jokingly, I asked Bill if I could get a pair for the boat. Without hestitation he said, "you'd kill yourself." Sadly, the man knows me all too well. I am the biggest clutz in tennis shoes. I can't imagine having the added bonus of gravity working against me!
Soooo, now we are back on board. I immediately turned on the heat (that Bill did not want to install, but now praises its virtues every day). Initially, it was a cozy 55 degrees. It's now up to 60 degrees. Thank goodness for warm socks! (Do you think they make them in a black high heel style? :-) )
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
We ain't got no frickin' forward!
October 13 - 25: Solomons, MD
We finally left Annapolis on Monday, October 13. We took on fuel at Annapolis City Marina then headed out to the Chesapeake Bay. We had a great sail about 40 miles south to Solomons Maryland. As we came into the harbor we suddenly heard a loud CLUNK! and the forward gear was gone. Luckily, Billy Bob is one handy sailor, so he was able to get the boat into gear, but just barely. The transmission was in forward but the propshaft was barely turning We limped into the harbor and set the hook for the night. Hmmm....what now?
April and Kevin, who live in Solomons, called to see if we'd made it in. We told them about our problem and they offered to come down to the boat with their Yanmar (engine) manuals to help Bill figure out the problem. Bill rowed in on the dink, picked them up and brought them to the boat. Bill and Kevin analyzed the problem and decided it was definitely the transmission. Welp, wasn't much we could do at that point, so why not enjoy ourselves?
We had a dozen crabs we'd bought off a fisherman the day before and had steamed them up. We pulled out a couple of hammers and set to work. Had a GREAT evening enjoying good food and new friendship. What a difference from the old Boop and Bill who would have been wigged out by the impending costly repair. I have to say, this trip has taught us to take things one day at a time. Worrying isn't worthwhile. Be in the moment and enjoy the positives rather than focusing on the negatives.
April and Bill were quite adept at finding all the meat they could in the crabs' convoluted carcasses.
Bill demonstrates a shortcut to getting the meat out of a crab.
Zahniser's main office. The facility is impeccably clean and well maintained.
Our friend, Eric Jensen, surprised us with a visit on Oct. 16. He was in Baltimore for business and drove down to spend the night. We took a long ride on the dink down the various creeks that feed into Solomons bay. It's sort of like Cumberland Lake, in that the creeks wind back and forth for miles. Beautiful homes all along the coast. We had a great morning exploring the area, it's always good to see friends. (By the way, the title of this blog comes from Eric. When we first got the boat, he was at the helm as we came into Battery Park. His boat had one control for speed and gears. Ours had two separate controls. As he tried to put the boat into reverse to slow it down as he pulled into the dock, he yelled, "I ain't got no frickin' reverse." To this day, we have not let him live it down. Sorry Eric...had to tell the story one more time.)
Eric left behind a case of Miller Light which Kevin and Bill took no time in devouring. Bill always kids Eric that Miller Light is "swill" so they made up the sign above to send to Eric.
April and Kevin on our first night out on Solomons Island.
A self-portrait taken by April and I.
Bill and I at the Calypso Crab Shack.
We finally left Annapolis on Monday, October 13. We took on fuel at Annapolis City Marina then headed out to the Chesapeake Bay. We had a great sail about 40 miles south to Solomons Maryland. As we came into the harbor we suddenly heard a loud CLUNK! and the forward gear was gone. Luckily, Billy Bob is one handy sailor, so he was able to get the boat into gear, but just barely. The transmission was in forward but the propshaft was barely turning We limped into the harbor and set the hook for the night. Hmmm....what now?
April and Kevin, who live in Solomons, called to see if we'd made it in. We told them about our problem and they offered to come down to the boat with their Yanmar (engine) manuals to help Bill figure out the problem. Bill rowed in on the dink, picked them up and brought them to the boat. Bill and Kevin analyzed the problem and decided it was definitely the transmission. Welp, wasn't much we could do at that point, so why not enjoy ourselves?
We had a dozen crabs we'd bought off a fisherman the day before and had steamed them up. We pulled out a couple of hammers and set to work. Had a GREAT evening enjoying good food and new friendship. What a difference from the old Boop and Bill who would have been wigged out by the impending costly repair. I have to say, this trip has taught us to take things one day at a time. Worrying isn't worthwhile. Be in the moment and enjoy the positives rather than focusing on the negatives.
April and Bill were quite adept at finding all the meat they could in the crabs' convoluted carcasses.
Bill demonstrates a shortcut to getting the meat out of a crab.
The next morning, Bill called a couple surrounding marinas to find someone to fix the transmission. The first one said they could do it, but didn't seem very knowledgeable. Bill called Mack Boring, who is a national company that repairs transimssions for Yanmar engines. They said, "There is a Yanmar-certified repair marina in Solomons, MD, are you near there?" "Yep, that's exactly where we are," he replied. "The name of it is Zahniser's, are you near there?" "In fact, we are anchored right in front of them." Talk about a being at the right place at the right time! Once again, things fell perfectly in place. We managed to get the boat into Zahniser's dock and settled in. By late afternoon, one of their crew was on the boat to analyze the problem. He too, agreed it was the transmission and tried to remove it, but was unable to do so, since it was wedged in behind the engine. He returned the next morning to lift the engine up and remove the transmission. They sent it out to Mack Boring's facility in New Jersey on Wednesday night. It is expected to take 7 - 10 days to be returned. So, once again, our plans are changed. Instead of spending one night in Solomons, looks like we'll be here a couple weeks. We hope to take off again early the week of October 27...will keep you posted. In the meantime, here's some photos.
Zahniser's main office. The facility is impeccably clean and well maintained.
Our friend, Eric Jensen, surprised us with a visit on Oct. 16. He was in Baltimore for business and drove down to spend the night. We took a long ride on the dink down the various creeks that feed into Solomons bay. It's sort of like Cumberland Lake, in that the creeks wind back and forth for miles. Beautiful homes all along the coast. We had a great morning exploring the area, it's always good to see friends. (By the way, the title of this blog comes from Eric. When we first got the boat, he was at the helm as we came into Battery Park. His boat had one control for speed and gears. Ours had two separate controls. As he tried to put the boat into reverse to slow it down as he pulled into the dock, he yelled, "I ain't got no frickin' reverse." To this day, we have not let him live it down. Sorry Eric...had to tell the story one more time.)
Eric left behind a case of Miller Light which Kevin and Bill took no time in devouring. Bill always kids Eric that Miller Light is "swill" so they made up the sign above to send to Eric.
April and Kevin on our first night out on Solomons Island.
Bill and I at the Calypso Crab Shack.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Good Times in Annapolis
October 6 - 12: Annapolis, MD
We held the party under the shelter in a little park on Spa Creek. Lots of good food and tall tales!
This young French couple had two children. The baby slept through most of the party. Their young daughter was about 7 and adorable in a little floral dress. Wish I'd taken her pic as well. Can't imagine living on board with two small ones, but what a great opportunity for those kids to see the world!
Cruising Party
Prior to going home for my visit, Bill and I met a great cruising couple, Jan and Iain Robertson on s/v Jockslodge. They are originally from Scotland, but lived in Canada for sometime before setting off on their 33 foot Canadian Sailcraft to live on board. They are now in year 3 of a 5-year plan to cruise. They have been to Cuba, the Bahamas and back up to the Chesapeake. This year, they plan to go to Cuba then on to South America. They have been so helpful in teaching us the tricks of living aboard. I call them our cruising godparents. Jan has even taught me to bake bread from scratch! I'm talking the whole science experiment process of yeast mixing with water and sugar to start a chemical reaction that looks like Jed Clampet's "bubblin' crude". So far, I've made pizza crust and french bread...both of which came out pretty darn good. Ian has spent time with Bill going over the charts, pointing out good anchorages on the way down the ICW and areas to avoid.
At one of our get-togethers they came up with the idea of holding a cruiser's party to meet other folks anchored or moored in Spa Creek for the boat show. Our first attempt was rained out. The second, successful attempt was held the Sunday I returned to Annapolis. Everyone brought what they wanted to drink and a snack to share. It was great getting to meet so many folks and listen to their stories. We truly are "newbies" at this, when you consider those who have lived aboard 3, 5 or 8 years and travel south every year to Trinidad or Cuba or other exotic ports. I got so caught up in talking that I only took two pics...but hey, it's better than none.
We held the party under the shelter in a little park on Spa Creek. Lots of good food and tall tales!
This young French couple had two children. The baby slept through most of the party. Their young daughter was about 7 and adorable in a little floral dress. Wish I'd taken her pic as well. Can't imagine living on board with two small ones, but what a great opportunity for those kids to see the world!
Oh, I have to tell you a funny story. We were talking to Jan and Ian about the new generator we got to top off the batteries when we are on the hook. Bill was asking if they thought it would be powerful enough to use an electric blanket when it gets cold. Jan, who is a very practical, replied in her beautiful Scottish brogue, "Oh for heaven's sake, put on some socks!" Now, when we get up in the morning and are quickly climbing into our layers of clothes our favorite refrain is, "put on some socks!"
This is an early view of the set up, before all the boats were in place.
Annapolis Boat Show
On Monday, the set up for the boat show got underway in earnest. We couldn't believe how fast the area was transformed.
This crane was used to set pilings in the bay for the floating docks.
Two boats were used to move the floating docks into place. This one is called "Pull."
And this one is called "Shove." Pretty clever, eh?
They moved one line of docks in...filled them with boats, then moved another line of docks into place.
This is an early view of the set up, before all the boats were in place.
Editor's Note: Our camera bit the dust...er, water
Ok, I don't know if you can understand how excited Bill and I were to watch the show come together. The Annapolis Boat Show is the largest in the U.S. and it had always been a dream of ours to attend. Here we were...not only about to attend the show, but there on our own boat, to watch the set up! Just too much. We decided to go over to Pusser's (Rum) Restaurant to watch all the activity. Pusser's has a long deck that is directly next to the boat show area. Well, one Painkiller led to another and then another. We went back to the boat on the dink. As I was stepping from the dink to the back deck, my foot slipped and SPLASH, I was in the water. Luckily, I grabbed the aftstay on my way down (a stainless steel wire running from the top of the mast to the back of the boat). I managed to keep myself only about waist deep in the very cold, very dirty water while Bill jumped on the boat to lower the swim ladder for me to climb back on board. I cut up my hand pretty bad, but it was worth it because I was able to save my Blackberry which was in one pocket of my jacket. Unfortunately, the camera in the other pocket did not fair as well. So, I'll do my best to provide links or descriptions for the rest of the boat show story. Sorry folks. We really are not alcoholics, just seems like the good stories happen when the spirits come out.
We attended the first day of the show on Thursday. It was great getting on all the fancy models of boats, including a HUGE 82 foot Oyster, a true cruising yacht and a 50-some foot Hinkley which looked like it had been all hand made out of beautiful dark wood. We also got to board Manitou, a sailboat that John F Kennedy sailed. (My mom would have LOVED that.) I wanted to recreate his famous pic with Bill at the helm, but couldn't do it without the camera. We also met one of Bill's idols, Bob Bitchin, the publisher of Latitudes and Attitudes magazine. He's a former biker who got bit by the sailing bug and has built an empire out of it....magazine, books, videos, clothing line...you name it. He's really down to earth and friendly. His wife, Jody, tried to take a pic with her phone but it didn't work out so you'll just have to click on the link above to see him.
Ok, I don't know if you can understand how excited Bill and I were to watch the show come together. The Annapolis Boat Show is the largest in the U.S. and it had always been a dream of ours to attend. Here we were...not only about to attend the show, but there on our own boat, to watch the set up! Just too much. We decided to go over to Pusser's (Rum) Restaurant to watch all the activity. Pusser's has a long deck that is directly next to the boat show area. Well, one Painkiller led to another and then another. We went back to the boat on the dink. As I was stepping from the dink to the back deck, my foot slipped and SPLASH, I was in the water. Luckily, I grabbed the aftstay on my way down (a stainless steel wire running from the top of the mast to the back of the boat). I managed to keep myself only about waist deep in the very cold, very dirty water while Bill jumped on the boat to lower the swim ladder for me to climb back on board. I cut up my hand pretty bad, but it was worth it because I was able to save my Blackberry which was in one pocket of my jacket. Unfortunately, the camera in the other pocket did not fair as well. So, I'll do my best to provide links or descriptions for the rest of the boat show story. Sorry folks. We really are not alcoholics, just seems like the good stories happen when the spirits come out.
We attended the first day of the show on Thursday. It was great getting on all the fancy models of boats, including a HUGE 82 foot Oyster, a true cruising yacht and a 50-some foot Hinkley which looked like it had been all hand made out of beautiful dark wood. We also got to board Manitou, a sailboat that John F Kennedy sailed. (My mom would have LOVED that.) I wanted to recreate his famous pic with Bill at the helm, but couldn't do it without the camera. We also met one of Bill's idols, Bob Bitchin, the publisher of Latitudes and Attitudes magazine. He's a former biker who got bit by the sailing bug and has built an empire out of it....magazine, books, videos, clothing line...you name it. He's really down to earth and friendly. His wife, Jody, tried to take a pic with her phone but it didn't work out so you'll just have to click on the link above to see him.
Some of the guys from Harbor North (where we store the boat) were also at the show, working the Hunter booth. We got to hook up with them for dinner the first night, then had TJ and Stan over the next night on our boat. I went to bed early (as always) but Bill and the guys stayed up till 3 am! I felt bad for those guys because they had to work the whole next day at the show. UGH!
During the first afternoon, I was having some lunch and met a couple who had cruised for 8 years throughout the world...the Med, Spain, Croatia, Middle East, Africa...you name it. They said the best piece of equipment they had on board was a water purifier. They never had to buy water after that. Just filled up their tanks and the purifier took it from there. It's been heavily tested and always beat out bottled or tap water for purity and taste. Sounded good to me. We ended up getting one and Bill has it installed. SOOOOO nice just to turn the tap for good drinking water instead of carting it to the boat. We also got good, lightweight rain jackets and some cool LED lights which take up less amps when we are on the hook. (Bill monitors our usage closely. I call him the Amp Nazi. God forbid if you use something without turning it off! But I'm sure I'll be thankful for his diligence down the road.)
On the last night at the show, we got a Painkiller (I know, I know...but we couldn't resist, since they were being served in really cool tin cups that we could keep). I was walking out one of the tents just chatting it up about all the cool stuff we'd seen and what we could use down the road, blah, blah, blah. I turned and said, "OMG, you're not Bill." I'd been talking the ear off this really nice older gentleman who barely spoke English. He started laughing as he took my arm and looked back to wave to Bill. We all had a good laugh over that one. Sometimes I really am such a major DORK!
Shortly after, I again got separated from Bill (the crowds were thick) and ended up at the Sebago shoe tent. Well, what do you know? Bill always gives me a hard time about the shoes I have on board, which, back me up here girls, is not much. I only have 2 pairs of sandals, boat shoes and tennis shoes. That's it! But the boat shoes at Sebago were sooooo cute. And again, you girls will nod your heads in agreement when I tell you they were ON SALE! I couldn't resist. I tried them on and kept looking around for Bill to stop me. I told the sales girls about my dilemma. Finally, after about the third failed attempt to find Bill, one of the girls said, "you know, sometimes the universe puts you in a situation where you just know what to do." Boy, she was singin' my song. I quickly gave her my charge card and told her to ring them up. "Do you want the box?" "Heck no," I replied, "I'll hide them in my bag." Of course, as soon as I saw Bill I had to fess up. He started laughing, saying, "I just KNEW you were in a shoe place."
We went over to the Federal House, our favorite hangout, to meet up with April and Kevin. April is a cousin of Kathy, part of the crew we met back in Fairport, Ohio. Kathy told April about our trip and we've been emailing off and on. She and Kevin live in Solomon's, which is just south of Annapolis. We had a great time. They are interested in cruising someday so were full of questions of how we prepared and how we're handling the trip. Talking to them made me realize how far we have come. It's amazing that the things we thought were such obstacles at first seem so insignificant now. Maybe we are learning a thing or two. Hmmmm
Kevin and April with us at the Federal House. (Pic was taken with April's camera.)
We spent the rest of the weekend getting things ready to leave Annapolis and head south. Bill didn't want to leave but I was ready to move on. I can't wait to see what's down the road and am anxious to have more cruising experiences in other ports. Stay tuned...
We spent the rest of the weekend getting things ready to leave Annapolis and head south. Bill didn't want to leave but I was ready to move on. I can't wait to see what's down the road and am anxious to have more cruising experiences in other ports. Stay tuned...
Monday, October 6, 2008
Family Time!!!
September 26 - October 5
The other week I got the Sex and the City video and watched it while drinking champagne. The show was about the power of friendship so when it was over I was VERY homesick...missing my sisters and girlfriends in Dayton. I went to bed and tried not to cry, but couldn't hold back. Bill, being the sweetheart that he is, got up out of bed and looked up airline tickets. He found a great price for an airline ticket to Dayton and suggested that a trip home would do me good. (I've been battling homesickness for some time now).
As it turns out, his brother and son had called that same day to say they were driving over for a visit. So it all turned out great. I got to go home and see my family and friends. And Bill and the boys had the boat to themselves for a week of male bonding.
I only have two photos, so I'll start with my story.
Boop Goes Home
Fri. 9/26, 6:30 am: it was still dark when we set out in the dink to go into town. It was high tide so the water was over the breakwall on Ego Alley near the Marriott. Bill was going to go with me to wait for the shuttle bus, but in our hurry to leave the boat, he'd forgotten his shoes. I kissed him good-bye and told him to stay out of trouble. I walked to the Marriott and got the shuttle van to the airport. Got into Dayton early afternoon and was met by my sister Sue (the only person I had told of my trip.)
She took me into town and I had a ball surprising people. You should have seen the faces of the WOT team when I walked into the office! What a hoot. And the big grin that came across my Dad's face when I walked into his house was priceless. We had a dinner Saturday night at Sue's farm with my Dad, Patty, Jessica and my grandson's Mark and Sam. Sue's grandson JD was also there. The boys had so much fun that they asked to spend the night at the farm. They got to put the chickens to bed in the evening, then were up early in the morning to let the chickens back out. On Sunday I went to mass with Dad and Patty. It was so special to say the Our Father while holding Dad's hand. He always gives your hand a little squeeze at the end to say "I love you." Needless to say, my eyes were filled with tears of gratitude. After mass, we went to lunch along with my sister Marianne. Donna (who lives in NC) called while we were eating. Seems it's tough to keep a secret in this family!
During the week's visit I worked every day at the office since this is the busiest time of year. In fact, it was so busy we didn't have time to do our managers meeting like we'd hoped. But it did feel good to be at work again to help out with the workload. I finished up the week with another family dinner at my Dad's on Friday and a WOT night at Jennifer's on Saturday. It was a wonderful week at home. Thanks a million to Sue and Patty for their hospitality during the week. I'm now back at the boat and feeling recharged and ready to go south after the boat show.
Sue, me and Patty with mother's champagne bucket...toasting to the power of sisters.
Greg, taking his turn at the helm.
On Tuesday, they toured the U.S. Naval Academy. It's full of interesting history and artifacts.
Midshipmen line up for inspection before lunch.
Impressive Bancroft Hall where the midshipmen live. The painting on the wall depicts a naval battle.
On Wednesday, Bill had a dental appointment in the morning, so Chris and Greg tooled around in the dink to see the sites.
Chris, having a good time in Spa Creek.
After Bill's appointment, the guys went over to BackCreek to visit Stan Mathey from Harbor North. He was having problems with his exhaust elbow. The guys pitched in to help him install a new one. PainKiller's were involved in the afternoon's festivities. Chris went over to pick up Stan's boating neighbor, Tokki, a long time sailing woman from South Africa. She had a couple drinks with the guys then Chris took her back to her boat. Soon after, they heard Tokki yelling, "Hey, what's that floating by?" Turns out Chris did not tie up the dink securely. Stan took him on his dink to retrieve the vessel. Needless to say, Chris got a lot of ribbing as well as intense instructions in Knot Tying 101.
Chris and Stan going to retrieve our poor dink, alone in the grass.
Bringing the wayward dink back. Stan sure is a lot cheaper than TowBoat US!!!
Chris and Bill after a funfilled week in the sun.
The other week I got the Sex and the City video and watched it while drinking champagne. The show was about the power of friendship so when it was over I was VERY homesick...missing my sisters and girlfriends in Dayton. I went to bed and tried not to cry, but couldn't hold back. Bill, being the sweetheart that he is, got up out of bed and looked up airline tickets. He found a great price for an airline ticket to Dayton and suggested that a trip home would do me good. (I've been battling homesickness for some time now).
As it turns out, his brother and son had called that same day to say they were driving over for a visit. So it all turned out great. I got to go home and see my family and friends. And Bill and the boys had the boat to themselves for a week of male bonding.
I only have two photos, so I'll start with my story.
Boop Goes Home
Fri. 9/26, 6:30 am: it was still dark when we set out in the dink to go into town. It was high tide so the water was over the breakwall on Ego Alley near the Marriott. Bill was going to go with me to wait for the shuttle bus, but in our hurry to leave the boat, he'd forgotten his shoes. I kissed him good-bye and told him to stay out of trouble. I walked to the Marriott and got the shuttle van to the airport. Got into Dayton early afternoon and was met by my sister Sue (the only person I had told of my trip.)
She took me into town and I had a ball surprising people. You should have seen the faces of the WOT team when I walked into the office! What a hoot. And the big grin that came across my Dad's face when I walked into his house was priceless. We had a dinner Saturday night at Sue's farm with my Dad, Patty, Jessica and my grandson's Mark and Sam. Sue's grandson JD was also there. The boys had so much fun that they asked to spend the night at the farm. They got to put the chickens to bed in the evening, then were up early in the morning to let the chickens back out. On Sunday I went to mass with Dad and Patty. It was so special to say the Our Father while holding Dad's hand. He always gives your hand a little squeeze at the end to say "I love you." Needless to say, my eyes were filled with tears of gratitude. After mass, we went to lunch along with my sister Marianne. Donna (who lives in NC) called while we were eating. Seems it's tough to keep a secret in this family!
During the week's visit I worked every day at the office since this is the busiest time of year. In fact, it was so busy we didn't have time to do our managers meeting like we'd hoped. But it did feel good to be at work again to help out with the workload. I finished up the week with another family dinner at my Dad's on Friday and a WOT night at Jennifer's on Saturday. It was a wonderful week at home. Thanks a million to Sue and Patty for their hospitality during the week. I'm now back at the boat and feeling recharged and ready to go south after the boat show.
Sue, me and Patty with mother's champagne bucket...toasting to the power of sisters.
JD, Mark and Sam having breakfast at the farm.
Bill and the boys...a week of Chesapeake sailing and Annapolis beverages
Greg and Chris arrived on Fri. 9/26 around 4 pm. Bill said it was great to see them again. They parked the car and went by dinghy to their floating accommodations. What a way to travel! To throw your stuff in a dinghy and ride to a boat. The first night, they hung out and caught up on stories. Saturday it rained all day, so again, they were boat-bound. Sunday they went into Annapolis and walked around a bit to see the sights then went to the Federal House to have some beers and watch football. Monday, the skies cleared up so they took the boat into town to top off the water tanks, wash the boat, then go sailing. They left the city docks at 9:30 am and got back in time to catch the 4pm opening of the Spa Creek bridge to return to our mooring ball. A funfilled day of sailing on the high seas...well, at least the Chesapeake.
Chris at the dock, filling water tanks. Our friend, Stan from Harbor North, is on the dock.
Chris, ready to trim, upon Captain's orders.
Greg, taking his turn at the helm.
On Tuesday, they toured the U.S. Naval Academy. It's full of interesting history and artifacts.
Midshipmen line up for inspection before lunch.
Impressive Bancroft Hall where the midshipmen live. The painting on the wall depicts a naval battle.
On Wednesday, Bill had a dental appointment in the morning, so Chris and Greg tooled around in the dink to see the sites.
Chris, having a good time in Spa Creek.
After Bill's appointment, the guys went over to BackCreek to visit Stan Mathey from Harbor North. He was having problems with his exhaust elbow. The guys pitched in to help him install a new one. PainKiller's were involved in the afternoon's festivities. Chris went over to pick up Stan's boating neighbor, Tokki, a long time sailing woman from South Africa. She had a couple drinks with the guys then Chris took her back to her boat. Soon after, they heard Tokki yelling, "Hey, what's that floating by?" Turns out Chris did not tie up the dink securely. Stan took him on his dink to retrieve the vessel. Needless to say, Chris got a lot of ribbing as well as intense instructions in Knot Tying 101.
Chris and Stan going to retrieve our poor dink, alone in the grass.
Bringing the wayward dink back. Stan sure is a lot cheaper than TowBoat US!!!
Chris and Bill after a funfilled week in the sun.
The guys took Bill to the grocery to restock the boat before leaving on Thursday to drive back to Dayton. Bill had Friday and Saturday to himself before I returned Sunday afternoon.
We both loved being with our families. Our sailing adventure has been great, but it's always good to reconnect with the folks back home. We are looking forward to returning in November for Thanksgiving to see everyone again.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
