October 2012

At 07:00 Tuesday, today, we left Annapolis to resume our trip south to the Bahamas.   The weather for the last few days has not been particularly cooperative with very cool temperatures along with off and on rain.  Today was no different.  When I got up this AM it was plenty dark and the cabin was in the mid 50s.  Brrrr!!!  Rain was falling and I have to admit that being out on the water didn’t sound appealing to me at all.  Needless to say, Brenda wasn’t too keen on a day of sailing in the rain either.  However, when the wind blows from behind, you go and take advantage of favorable conditions.  Me, I’d rather have rain and good wind than sun and wind on the nose. I expect that most sailors feel the same way.  No, probably all of them.

Happily, the rain mostly stopped by the time we got underway and while it remains totally overcast, the wind is in our favor and we continue to make good time.  For a while the wind was quite gusty with some speeds peaking in the mid 20s,  a bit much wind for the amount of sail that I had up.  Happily, it’s moderated into the mid teens and will likely drop more as the day progresses.  Actually, this isn’t quite enough wind as we are now on a dead run with the sails set wing and wing.  It’s hard to get a shot of this without hanging out  over the dink, something that I wasn’t willing to do, so you will have to use your imagination.  It’s great fun to watch the autopilot click off the miles without my touching anything for hour after hour.  

While it’s still overcast, the sky has brightened a good deal and it’s now warmer.  It’s 14:00 and I am still not sure where we will end up tonight as it really depends on how well the wind keeps up.    There are a few options so we will just have to see how far we get before I have to bail out and head in before it gets dark.

While it’s not raining any longer, I have kept the cockpit enclosure in place, including the netting in the back, as it keeps the wind out and it’s a lot more pleasant on a cold dreary day.  It’s hard to take interesting shots when there isn’t anything around but grey water.  This shot does give a good feel for how level our track is.  The wind isn’t that strong, with less than 10-15 kts apparent, but we are clicking along at around 6-7 kts and even a bit better over the bottom as the tide is with us. The days are really short right now with sunset at 18:30 today so we will have to make a decision soon about where we are going to spend the night.  Happily, the winds are supposed to be from the north (a good thing) for the next few days so we should be able to make miles in the next few days.

Having a flexible schedule is terrific as we can pick our days to be out.  I pick today!!!

It’s Monday morning and here’s what greeted me shortly after I woke up.  This and cabin temperatures in the mid 50s.  Brrrr!!!  Glad that we have our trusty Espar diesel heater.  It’s toasty now.  On the perhaps bright or dark side of things, depending on your perspective, did someone say “red sky in the morning, sailor take warning?”   Me, I’ll focus on the bright side.  What a dramatic sight and a great way to start the day. On Friday evening our boys Rob and Christoper arrived in Annapolis to retrieve us from Pandora and take us to Baltimore for a weekend at Candice’s, Rob’s girlfriend’s, home.  After nearly a month without seeing them it was a “love fest” as expected.   What a great time we had enjoying each other’s company and eating.  Did I say eating?  Yes, lots of that.

It’s been a week as of yesterday since we arrived in Annapolis and while we have really enjoyed the visit, it’s time to move on.  However, we signed up to work the SSCA booth for Monday afternoon so we can’t leave until Tuesday.  With the cold weather that has rolled in over the last few days we will likely enjoy some brisk winds from a northerly direction as the week progresses to speed us on our way.   I am counting on that as our general route from now on is going to be SOUTH.   I like the sound of that.

Our loose plans for the week are to work ourselves down the bay and spend a night with friends in Williamsburg VA, perhaps Friday or Saturday night.

I have to say that I am very excited about heading down the ICW and can’t wait till we head into waters that are further south than we have done in the past.

Speaking of boats.  How about a tour of cockpits at the show.  Pandora has a nice  cockpit but she can’t hold a candle to some of these.   Floating condo anyone?  These catamarans are all the rage on the charter circuit.  It would be fun to spend a week with friends aboard in warmer climes on one of these. This is what they look like from the bow.  Not exactly sweet lines.  However, in the form follows function department, they do make for a great party platform.  How about this drop down transom?  Sort of like your own private deck or perhaps dock.  And, this one is a mono hull.  Notice the twin wheels as the boat is so wide that you need to steer from both sides to see what you are doing.   Seems like a bit too much complexity to me.  Having said that, there is plenty of room for your blender and buffet table on deck.   I guess we would have to revise our “six for cocktails, four for dinner and two sleep over” rule upward.   Oh yea, notice the boarding step on the port side.  No more leaping off onto the dock. And now for something a bit more basic.    Not a lot of entertaining here.  However, I’ll bet that it would be plenty of entertaining to sail this baby in 30kts on a broad reach.  Hold onto your knickers!!!Speaking of cockpits, this one doesn’t even have one.   In the “form follows function department… Not sure.  Nice color, I guess. A bit of mopping up for us at the show today as we make one more round of the vendors to pick up some items that we purchased.   Some don’t deliver product at the show and ship afterwards.  That won’t work for us though as we are not headed home.  However, vendors are happy to sell the floor models as they don’t want to take them home.

It’s early Friday morning and today is the day that we will be attending the Boat Show here in Annapolis. I always look forward to the event but today will be even better as I will be able to look out into the harbor and see my own Pandora on one of the few moorings close to the show.  Did I say that we were on a mooring near the show?  Thought so.

Last night Brenda and I attended a reception for a rally that has sprouted up quickly in the last few years, the Salty Dawg Rally.   This rally, similar to the Caribbean 1500, goes from Hampton VA to the Bitter End Yacht Club in Tortola.  Unlike the 1500, this one is a free rally, and is associated with some very reputable folks so it’s bound to continue to grow.  The reception was at a local yacht club and offered free cocktails and a supper all provided by a number of sponsors.   There were also a number of brief talks from the organizers and other partner organizations.  I do hope to do this rally in a few years.   Who knows, perhaps Brenda will even join me (with other crew) for the ocean leg.  Brenda says that me and my old dog Riptide are/were always “ever hopeful”.

I also found some time to clean Pandora’s bottom yesterday.  It wasn’t too bad but seeing the “dings” in her keel from my earlier season grounding made me sad.  Perhaps I will have her hauled when we are in FL to do some cosmetic repairs.  Having her on the hard for the month that we are away will certainly cut down on the bottom growth as opposed to having her sit in a slip or on a mooring while we are north for the holidays.

Thursday afternoon we also found time to take a walking tour around the historic area in Annapolis and of the grounds of the Naval Academy.  It was great fun.   As I write this post it’s still dark outside and the football practice field is fully lit up with cadets doing drills.  These folks really work hard every day.

The grounds are really beautiful and there are stately buildings everywhere you look.  They say that when the Academy was designed the government was making a strong statement to England about how serious the navy was here in America.  I’d say that they made their point very clearly.  This is an imposing building and looks a lot like the college in England too.   No accident, I am told. The chapel is particularly beautiful.  It’s the large dome that shows from all over Annapolis.  Inside is awe inspiring for sure.  And, the view from the front steps is one of the best on the grounds.  However, the fall colors seemed at odds with the 80+ degree heat that we are having.  There is one consolation though that it cools down at night.  The officers live well here.  It’s interesting to note that each home is exactly the same.  No favorites here, at least not on the surface.  Well, no favorites except for the most senior officer.  His home is quite a place by any measure. Of course, Pandora is an impressive residence too if a bit smaller.  Here she is on her mooring off of the Academy wall.  Not a bad spot to be. If she’s worth showing once, how about a bit closer?  Works for me. I’ll sign off for now as someone is coming to look at my Side Band Radio today as I am still having some trouble getting good reception.   He’ll be here at 08:00 and I need to have everything cleared out so he can look at all of the components.  I’d love to get this resolved as I’d love to participate in the cruisers nets in the morning.

It’s been fun to watch the Annapolis Sailboat Show come together over the last few days.   It’s hard to believe that so much has happened in just three days as on Sunday afternoon nothing had been set up and by Wednesday evening everything was ready to go.  The show opens today, Thursday. Perhaps the most dramatic change is in this vantage point of Ego Alley in downtown Annapolis.  How about these for before and after views?

At 3pm on Sunday afternoon I took this shot.  Right after that they closed off the   area in preparation for setting up the show. I took this shot just three days later.   Not quite as nice a view. The changes in the view from Pandora doesn’t really show very well here but there are a lot more boats than a day or so earlier. Our plan is to head to the show on Friday as today is what they call VIP day.  That means that the tickets are twice as expensive.   Not for me… I will wait.

Yesterday Brenda and I walked around enjoying some of the older areas of Annapolis adjacent to the Naval Academy.   This street is immediately adjacent to the wall on one side of the academy.This is similar to the view from their back yards, the academy dome. There are some big houses here too.  Lots of bricks went into constructing this beauty. Nice paint job and detail work.  How about the roof shingle treatment?
Want to run for Governor of MD?   If you win, you get to live here.  As nice as it is, I don’t think that it would be worth it in this political climate.You could also enjoy the company of the state legislators here in the capitol building on the same street. And if the pressures of the office became too much, you could enjoy a stroll through the circular drive that surrounds the capitol building. Plenty of great spots to enjoy your power (liquid) lunch in this neighborhood. Much of yesterday was consumed by a particularly annoying job of “let’s try to open the frozen forward head pump-out deck plate”.   Alas, after hours of trying heat, hammering, cursing, drilling and winching with large wrenches to losten the now not-removable plate,  I made one more trip to the marine supply store and just purchased a new deck plate.  However, it says “water” instead of the regulation “waste”.   Well, not much likelihood of my mistaking one for the other as the fitting is way up front by itself.  Just another great day of cruising, known by some as “boat repair in exotic places”.   Alas, so true.   Great news though, Brenda’s holding tank can now be pumped out.   That makes her happy as did the manicure and pedicure she had yesterday.  I scored points for setting the appointment up and presenting the plan over a glass of wine on Tuesday evening.   Just one more move by me in an ongoing pattern of desperate moves over the last 40 years designed to keep her engaged and to make up for the constant string of daily annoyances from me.  So far, the strategy is  working.

Today the weather is a bit iffy but hopefully we will be able to enjoy a walk through the Naval Academy and museum.    Brenda may very well wear open toed shoes for the time ashore so that she can enjoy those newly done toenails.   Just a guess…

It’s Tuesday morning and it’s not exactly a sunny day here in Annapolis.  In fact, dreary is a good description and that’s what’s in store for today and into Wednesday.   That means that we will likely spend much of the day camped out on Pandora as going ashore isn’t going to be a great option unless we are willing to get wet.    I don’t mind getting wet, it’s the staying wet thing that bugs me.   No dryer on Pandora.   Can you say humid boat?

Having said that, staying aboard may be the best thing to do today given the fact that the show setup is in full swing and there’s lots of activity to watch.   Putting the show together looks a lot like a game of chess or a puzzle as each piece has to be put in place without getting in the way of another important element.  As the dock pieces are are brought in they are building the show out from shore into the harbor.  I may not be explaining it that clearly but when all the pieces are in place no boats can leave until the one outside of them leaves and some dock portions are removed.

As you can imagine, this is complicated stuff to organize and boats are constantly on the move and milling around waiting for whoever is in charge to tell them when they should come in and join the fun.

Right two of what are likely a good part of the sum total of all the wooden boats that will be at the show are nearby waiting to be called.  One, Bear is a sandbagger owned by Peter Kellogg who is well known to support quite a number of wooden boats.   Brenda and I were involved in the Catboat Assocation for many years and Peter was always generous with that group as well as he really likes catboats.  Sandbaggers are a type of catboat.  I recall seeing Bear, of Bull and Bear, two of his boats, identical sandbaggers that do match races against each other, at this show in the past.  The names of these boats make sense in the context that Peter made his considerable fortune on Wall Street.

What sweet lines on Bear.

I like this cutter too.  However, that’s a really big sail plan.   Note that the skipper is completely soaked with no protection from the weather and here I am typing away in my cockpit thanks to my new cockpit enclosure. The show is coming together piece by piece.   Last night long sections of docks, 19 segments all lined up in a row came by.   The show organizers must have a sense of humor as the aluminum push boats moving things around are named, Push, Pull, Shove and Yank.  Good names that make sense unlike some of the boat names I’ve seen lately.

It will be fun to watch how things progress today and besides, it will give me something to do on a rainy day.