Sail Pandora

It’s early afternoon on Tuesday and we are about  130 natuical miles from Ft Pierce inlet.  I say it’sTuesday but to be truthful, I had to get out a calendar and take a look to  be sure.  While we are only into our third day at sea, calendars and the rest of the world for that matter, seem very far away.   If I wasn’t keeping a log of our progress each hour, I would have a great deal of difficulty in keeping track of exactly how long we have been out.   It all sort of a blur, a warm, sticky, salty blur.

With water views in all directions, we might as well be a month from port, or a few hours.

The last 24 hours were challenging with winds peaking at over 40kts, something that I have not seen outside of brief thunderstorms.  It’s pretty impressive how much the waves build after just a few hours of strong winds.  Fortunately, we were heading with the wind so the waves, some over 15′ tall, were passing under us, even if they often broke nearby.  Sometimes,  they broke off fo the transom and washed somewhat under the transom door and wet the feet of anyone standing at the helm.   Going with the waves was dramatic, to go against them, terrifying.

While it’s good to have wind behind us, Pandora can only go just so fast, around 9.5 to 10kts, so any additional wind and seas just pile up on her and make her work hard to stay heading in a straight line.

When we left Beaufort on Sunday we were running off the wind with our full main and genoa unfurled.  As of last night we were down to just a third reef in the main and no head sail at all.  We had doused the genoa, put out the smaller jib. Then we put a reef into the main, then a second and finally a third.  And, even with only a main with three reefs about 10% of our sail area presented to the wind we were still pushing along as much as 10kts and sometimes even in the low 11s.

I had a third reef put into the main when the sail was built but had never used it.  I am very glad that we rigged it in Beaufort as without it, we would have been in a tough spot.  Much more wind than the 40s we saw and we would have had to run along with the sails furled and just the mast and rigging to propel her.   With anything more than the triple reefed main and we would have had just too much sail to be safe given the sea state.  It was really more about the seas, more than the wind that made conditions difficult.   When I was up on the deck putting in the 3rd reef last evening, it took over 30 minutes to put it in place and crank down the sail because we were bucking around so much.

And, with all that wind and big seas, the autopilot had to work very hard to keep us on track.  As a result, we used up a lot of battery power which has made it necessary to run the engine to charge things back up several times.   At this time of year the sun just isn’t high enough in the sky for the solar panels to do much good.

While there are no meaningful leaks in Pandora, the level of humidity is stifling down below now that the weather has warmed up and with all the salt water being flung every which way, the salt spray has gotten into everything.  Earlier this morning, while I was on watch,  a wave hit the side of the boat and flung a huge amount of spray, no, make that hundreds of gallons of water at the boat, with a good amount washing under the dodger and into the cockpit.  At times there was water running all over the deck and you could see it flush over the deck hatches like a river.   The cockpit is quite salty and while I’d love to give it a rinse, I expect that the effect would be very short lived.

Yesterday, when the wind and seas were building we were treated to show by a school of dolphins, perhaps  a dozen, that played around Pandora for hours.   Every few moments, for hours on end, one or more of these amazing creatures would shoot up along side Pandora and leap completely free of the water, sometimes corkscrewing in the air on their way back down.   It was fun to see them in the waves as they piled up behind us which made the dolphins higher than we were in the face of the wave, for a time, as the waves rolled along.
We have traveled over 400nm since leaving Beaufort and are now almost 80% there.   If we keep up our current boat speed of a bit more than 7kts, we should arrive in Ft Pierce tomorrow morning.   My flight doesn’t leave until Saturday so that will give me a few days to clean her up so she will be ready for me and Brenda to rejoin her in mid January.

Speaking of “cleaning”.  It’s just amazing how much salt has gotten below on the boat, tracked in on boots and foul weather gear.  The cabin sole is completely salty and I will need to wipe down every interior surface to remove the spray.   Besides, some mildew had been appearing here and there so a good wiping with vinegar will straighten things up.

I am so glad that we didn’t do laundry prior to leaving Beaufort as everything is now salty, blankets and all, and will need a good washing prior to be ready for proper habitation.

Being a bit of a clean freak, all of this grime is a bit tough for me to take and I will be happy when things are back in order.
You’d think that with nothing to do but drive the boat 24 hours a day, that there would be nothing to do.  In fact, with all of the tasks of keeping her moving along with cleaning up spills, cooking and trying to get some sleep, there is little time for anything else.

So, here I am at 1:30 in the afternoon just finding time to pen this post.

As much as I enjoy sailing, I can’t wait to get to a dock so I can clean things up, especially me.  Can you say sticky, no make that “megasticky”?  Did I say that it’s hot and sticky?

When I spoke with Chris Parker, the weather router, about our plans to head offshore from Beaufort NC to Ft Pierce this week, he said that we would run into what he likes to say are “salty” conditions.

Well, it’s Monday morning, we’ve been out a nearly 30 hours and he wasn’t lying…

The seas are in the 10′ range with some much larger and Pandora has been speeding along, often at 8+ kts since yesterday afternoon.  With winds solidly in the 20s and gusting into the low 30s at times, it has been keeping us on our toes.    The autopilot keeps us on track pretty well but when we get a 30+kt gust, sometimes we have to take over and hand steer.  This means that whoever is on watch has to keep a very careful eye on the wind speed and direction.

The wind has been from the north which means we are on a run or broad reach with the wind coming from behind us.  That does make the wind seem less strong but makes steering somewhat tricky.  Last night, as things really piped up, we found ourselves being pushed off course enough several times to suffer unexpected jibes.  That wasn’t good as it put major stress on the rig.  Fortunately, nothing major broke and we are still moving along nicely.  We are now steering a more conservative course and things are much more controlled.

I spoke with Chris Parker earlier today on the SSB radio and he reported that the forecast isn’t going to change in the next few days so it seems that we will continue to move right along with brisk northeries and significant seas.  He does expect that the wind will shft to a more easterly direction as we head down the Florida Coast on late Tuesdayand early Wednesday and he doesn’t expect that the wind strength will diminish.  Me, I could do with a little less wind. Right now we are running nearly 8kts with only a double reefed main.   That’s not a lot of sail. Along with the brisk winds we should expect that the seas will continue to build so we are in for a  bit of an “exciting” and yes, “salty” run as we continue down the coast.

All and all, however, it’s good to be sailing and it sure beats motoring into the wind.  Yes, a silver lining.  And, no major broken gear.  Fingers crossed that it will stay that way.

We did break the line on our preventer last night when we jibed but it was probably too light a line anyway.   At one point I had to go up on deck last night and underestimated how wet it was.  Oops… I got completely soaked and had to shower before I got into bed.  Not good.  One set, of only a very few, clean and dry clothes are now in a damp heap.  I won’t make that mistake again.

Yesterday, as when I was coming down the Jersey coast earlier in October, we had a feathered visitor.  A sparrow size bird landed on Pandora and hung out for a while.  I had to wonder what the little guy would have done if we hadn’t happened by at the right time.  It’s likely that some, perhaps a lot, of birds perish in the ocean when they get lost on their migration south and north again.
It’s also been fun watching the dolphins jump and play around Pandora as we race along heading south.  With regularity the come up on our stern and you can see them in the water as the waves pile up behind us, and sometimes they seem to be higher than I am standing in the cockpit.  After zooming toward us,  they race along side and cross our bow.  This activity is repeated over and over again.  It looks like they are having a great time.  And, as if to give us a show, they sometimes jump clear out of the water, just feet from Pandora.  The rough conditions don’t seem to bother them at all.

In the first 24 hours we covered just over 180 miles, a very respectable distance indeed.  There aren’t many cruising boats in our size range that can boast 24 hour speeds like this.  There was a time when very few boats of any size could boast anywhere near 200 mile per day but now, with the extreme racers, distances more than twice ours, and sometimes a lot more, in a 24 hour period are possible.  However, for cruising boats, not many can make this sort of time.

I stood the 04:00 to 08:00 watch this morning and a number of times I saw speeds on the knot meter in excess of 10kts.  That’s moving.    Our average speed since leaving the dock yesterday morning is 7.6kts.  To be honest, I’d be happy with a little less speed and a little less “salty” conditions.   Fast is good but not particularly comfortable.  Oh well.

I do hope that conditions hold and that the wind doesn’t move too far toward an easterly or southeasterly direction so that we can continue to sail the whole way.  If things do get nasty we can always pull in and run down the ICW for the last bit once we are in FL waters.

I guess that’s about all I have to say today.   Here’s hoping that we continue to make time.  More to come.

It’s Sunday late morning and we are romping along nicely under sail with a brisk NW wind on our starboard quarter.   Pandora performs particularly well under these conditions and she has already proven herself by running past a somewhat larger sailboat on the same track, leaving it on the horizon behind us after just a few hours.   It is so satisfying to be faster than most other boats on a long ocean passage where the difference in speed of only a few knots can make a trip days shorter on a long run.   On a run of say, 1,000 miles, the difference in that the run will time if we can make 7.5kts, verses 5.5kts, is 5 ― days verses 7 ―, days.  That’s a big difference.    Me, I’ll take the 5 ― day passage.

With about 20kts of wind on our stern, we are under full sail and moving along at between eight and nine knots through the water, a very respectable speed, for sure.   I am hopeful that we can keep our average speed in the mid 7s or low 8s for this run.  Fingers crossed.

Last night, the wind shifted from the south after the front that left us with several days of rain passed by.   Our plan was to leave Beaufort after the wind shifted to the north, a favorable direction for sailing south and one where it’s forecasted to stayfor the next few days.  If things continue as expected, we should be able to continue to make good time all the way to Florida.   I expect that we will have to motor for the last day on our way down the FL coast as the wind is expected to veer toward the east/south east, and drop to about 5kts by the time we get there.

Yesterday afternoon, after the rain finally stopped, we moved Pandora from a mooring to a dock in town so we could take on water and fuel.  Brenda left that morning to drive home so it’s me and my two crew members, Bob and John, who are with me taking Pandora south.
Bob is skipper of The Abby, a much larger sailboat that I helped deliver from Nassau to Norwalk CT two years ago, my first trip north under sail.  That was good experience for me and to have him aboard for our run south is great.  John, who lives near us in CT is a very experienced sailor too and has done this run many times.

Yesterday, after moving onto the dock, we spent several hours getting everything in shape for the offshore run.  This included deflating the dink and lashing it onto the deck between the mast and dodger along with ensuring that all gear was properly stowed and secured for the run.  It’s not a good idea to have the dink in the davits when we are offshore as if things get nasty the dink can work itself loose and cause all sorts of mischief.  Besides, in the event that we run into trouble, the easiest way to launch the life raft is through the transom door and that can’t be opened easily when the dink is in the davits off the stern of Pandora.

In keeping with the ongoing saga of technical issues that we have faced on this trip, I have been concerned with a turnbuckle on the aft wire stay (one of the wires that hold up the mast) that had become corroded.  Given the fact that the standing rigging is only a few years old, to see the corrosion was particular cause for concern.  After speaking with some folks that I know on another boat visiting Beaufort, I decided that something had to be done to ensure that we would not find ourself in rough conditions and loose the rig from a gear failure.

With this in mind, I contacted a local rigger who came out to the boat yesterday to review things.   As expected, he agreed that there was a real risk in leaving port with the backstay in it’s current condition.  After much discussion, we decided to set up a supplemental backup stay of high tech rope (Spectra), a soft grey rope/line that is actually stronger than steel and easy to put in place.  We rigged up a double strand of ž” line running from the starboard stern turnbuckle, up through the roller on the main stay and  back to the turnbuckle on the port quarter, in essence, setting up a “sister” stay to double the current suspect stay.  In the event that the suspect stay breaks, the Spectra “sister” stay will hold up the rig.  It’s really tough to imagine that a piece of line that is so soft to the touch is actually as strong, or stronger, than steel.   I’d like to think that the stay in question won’t break, but I am not inclined to take any chances.   Besides, I am pretty confident that loosing the mast in heavy winds and seas would not be fun, make that “double not fun”.  Happily, I haven’t had first hand experince on that score.  Let’s hope I can keep up my lucky streak.

The source of my concern with the back stay was a rusty spot called “crevice corrosion” where the wire was attached to the turnbuckle, a problem that can easily lead to the loss of the rig, or worse.   When a boat is being run offshore, you can’t be too careful  so anything suspect needs to be addressed immediately.   I am certainly glad that I was able to find a rigger that would come to the boat on short notice.

All seems to be in good order now so let’s hope that nothing breaks.  Given the fact that we are going to be moving in conditions that Chris Parker, the weather router, calls “salty” for this trip, we want to be sure that everything is in perfect working order.
Along with dealing with the suspect back stay, we also rigged the third reef in the main.   This is a very deep reef that cuts the amount of sail area dramatically in the main.  If we should find ourselves in winds in the 35 knot range, something that could happen on this trip, I had a third reef sewn into the sail when it was constructed but have never used it.  So, yesterday we rigged lines and shackles in place so that we can easily pull the sail down to the third reef if needed.   The third reef cuts down the rig by more than 2/3s.  In this condition the main sail is quite small and that, combined with my storm jib would put Pandora in good shape to handle really “salty” conditions.   Storm sails, like a life raft, are the sorts of gear you want to have on board and hope you will never use.

So far, so good and our current course will take us to our first turning point off of Frying Pan Shoals, an aptly named point with very shallow waters off of the coast about 90 NM (nautical miles) from the entrance of Beaufort.  At that point we will head toward another waypoint just west of the western wall of the Gulf Stream which will keep us inshore of the strong northerly running current of The Stream.    The Gulf Stream is a great “conveyor belt” of water that makes for a fast run north but you want to stay out of it when going south.

If you are inclined to plot our plans on a chart, the first coordinates we will point toward after rounding Frying Pan are 32.00.00N Latitude and 79.20.00W Longitude, approximately.   After that we will have another imaginary point to go to, 31.20.00N, 80.00.00W and then 30.00.00N, 80.30.00W that should allow us to continue south without messing with the adverse currents of The Stream.   Any further east of these waypoints, and we would find ourselves fighting a nasty current that runs several knots against us.  And, with north winds opposing these currents, big and sharp waves.   Those conditions would be totally “unfun”.

It will be interesting to see if Chris’s coordinates are right.  Only time will tell.

Sorry, no pictures in this post as I sent this to my son Christoper via e-mail on the SSB long range radio.    This technology is very slow and not suited to big files.   Perhaps in Monday’s post I will include one small photo.

So far, so good, as Pandora romps along on the third leg of our trip south to Florida in preparation for Brenda’s and my run to The Bahamas in late January.

It’s late Friday night, nearly midnight and I am waiting for my crew to arrive.  Bob and John have driven nearly all day from Norwalk CT to Beaufort NC.  I can’t believe that they are still on the road and the day is nearly over.

I feel badly that they have had such a long day and even worse that I will be picking them up in the dink at the dock and schlepping them out into the night where Pandora is moored.

We had planned to bring Pandora into the dock today so that it would be easier to get them on board but decided against it at the last minute as the wind was really honking and blowing right onto the dock.  Yes, we could have done it but I wasn’t into excitement first thing this AM and the easier decision was to just stay put.  Now that Bob and John are about to arrive, I do wish that I had taken a slip. I expect that I will get some teasing.  Oh well.

As the day wore on today I was able to go shopping for provisions, specifically for fresh food and meals that will be easy to prepare underway.   Brenda helped me to make a list of meals for the trip and I am hopeful that the guys will be happy with what I have in store for them.

The weather forecast for the next few days is a bit uncertain, as is so often the case.  There is a front coming through tonight and tomorrow which will shift the winds from the south to the north, a favorable direction for our run south.  The bad news is that the winds will be quite strong, in the high 20s with gusts that are even higher.   Worse is that as we get further south, toward Florida, we will see stronger winds that will begin to shift to the east.  That means that the winds will become less favorable and will be stronger than I would like.

When I spoke with Chris Parker, the weather router, earlier today, he suggested that our best option would probably be to stop in St Mary’s on the Fl/GA border to wait a few days for more favorable winds to make it down the FL coast.  He feels that we will be able to carry fair winds to the FL boarder but after that, not so good.  The problem is that we will be heading on a more S/SE course once we are in FL than we will have for the NC/SC/GA leg that will have more favorable winds.  A complicating factor in all of this is that we have to stay fairly close to shore to avoid the contrary northerly flow of the Gulf Stream.  On the way north, the Stream is our friend, not so on the way south.  This means that we can not carry a straight course for FL but will have to head SW with the coastline and then begin to shift to a more southerly and then SE course as we get closer to Florida.

In any event, time will tell as to what the winds will do.  For now, it looks like we may be able to leave later on Saturday afternoon or perhaps on Sunday morning.

One rub that has gotten into the mix is that I have a fitting on the back stay that looks somewhat questionable and I have asked a rigger to come down to the boat on Saturday morning to take a look at it and probably replace it.  I had all of the standing rigging replaced just a few years ago but one particular fitting on the end of the back stay looks corroded and might not be safe for offshore work.   With this in mind, I am having it addressed in the morning, as soon as the rain begins to moderate.

I normally don’t have much in the way of technical issues with Pandora and it seems like this trip has been full of fun (not) details that have had to be addressed,  I sure hope that the worst of these is behind me for now.  Unlike the issues related to the engine work, I can’t blame this on them.  I guess that there must have been a bad fitting used by the rigger a few years ago.  Who knows.

I will know more in the AM.  Fingers crossed that we won’t be totally dumped on with rain and that the rigger can get to me early.   I sure hope that this won’t delay our departure.  Fingers crossed.

For now, I am getting a bit pooped and can’t wait to hit the rack.  Sleepy…

It’s Thursday morning, the sun is just peaking over the horizon and it’s Halloween. Speaking of Halloween, it seems a bit odd to me, as it did last year, to be aboard for a holiday that is largely ignored by the sailing community.  In years gone by, this holiday was a big deal for us and our boys.  Now, hardly a ripple.  Times change.

However, for some it seems, dressing up in costume is a big part of their lives and Halloween is just one more excuse to head into overdrive and really dress up.  I heard that after Christmas, Halloween is the second most “decorated” holiday. I believe it.  One particular group that I expect falls into that category of “decorated” for Halloween are the folks that live aboard a pint size “pirate ship” here in the harbor.  Celebrating pirates is very popular with all sorts of festivals, dressing up as swashbucklers (the friendly type) doesn’t become less important as they age.  

In any event, here’s a shot of Beaufort’s own pirate family lair.  And, believe it or not, I think it’s a live-aboard pirate ship.  No part time pirating for these swabbies. They even have a lookout on board.  No, make that an ex-lookout.It will be interesting to see what other sorts of “seasonally adjusted” evil doers we will encounter today.

On our run to Oriental the other day, we shared the channel with a barge and tow. We tend to think of the ICW as being for pleasure boats, but other than in the Dismal Swamp, there is plenty of commercial traffic.  As they say, “objects in the mirror are closer than they appear”.  Brenda didn’t want to steer as we s-l-o-w-l-y. passed this tug and tow.  Pretty big. There are more sailboats than power on the ICW and you very occasionally see a beautiful classic.  I expect that the guy on the bow is not a lowly crew member. He certainly looks the part of “owner”. Speaking of classics, this was one of two Chesapeake oyster buy boats that passed us.  Very pretty.  Shrimping is big business here in the warm shallow inland waters of the bay and the shrimp boats are in abundance.  I find it hard to believe that they can get a decent buck for their catch when competing with the farm raised variety from Asia, even if they taste better.  We have seen shrimp boats in various ports. How about a sunrise over the fleet in Oriental?Sometimes, if you ask nicely, you can buy seafood from a commercial boat. I Approached the owner of this one, the Lady Bella, and was able to buy a few pounds of shrimp, head and all yesterday morning.  He said that he normally only sells a minimum of 25lbs.  Too much.  Reminds me of buying a “peck” of oysters in Elizabeth City last fall.  I only wanted a dozen.  A peck?  That’s a lot of oysters. We ate the shrimp last night.  Very good.  However, I think it took more time to “head” them and peel the shell, than it took to eat dinner.  Isn’t that always the way for good cooking?It was fun to watch them unload the catch.  After being taken out of the hold they are cleaned on a conveyor belt.  After cleaning they are put in bags, boxes and plastic bins to be sent off to market. A really BIG bag of shrimp.  Big… Shrimp… Seems like a contradiction in terms.  Hmm…Big or shrimpy, that’s a lot of shrimp.  Getting my two pounds, which turned into about two plus pounds, cost me $10.  A lot of shrimp for the price.  Of course, with heads on, there was a lot of waste but still a bargain.  Brenda didn’t like looking at them with their heads on.  Looked to much like a “living thing”.  “Are you sure the are dead?”  

Speaking of shrimp boats, how about these two rafted together, Redemption and Forgiven.  I expect that the know each other.   “Forgiven calling Redemption. This is Forgiven looking for Redemption”.   They found each other, Praise The Lord!  Yesterday we headed from Oriental NC for the 20 mile run to Beaufort.  Speaking of Oriental, as I logged into my site to begin this post, I realized that I had not published my last post.  Not sure how that happened as I though I had but it was still in draft form.  Alas, two posts in the same day.  Not really, the unpublished work of Pandora… The lost post… Not exactly.

In coming here from Oriental yesterday, it was flat calm, just like it’s been for some time.  However, Chris Parker, the weather router we use, says that’s all about to change when a cold front comes through later in the week.  The big question is just how windy it’s going to be over the weekend when I head out, with crew, to make the run to Florida, the final leg of this current delivery trip south to stage Pandora for our winter in the Bahamas.

Leg one, the run from Essex to Annapolis, earlier this month, went without incident as did the run, with Brenda, from Annapolis to here.  That’s of course, if you forget some of the “technical” issues with the engine.  And no, I still have not called the yard in Deep River that bungled the work on the engine to talk about some sort of adjustment to my bill for pain and suffering.  I am not particularly looking forward to such an “awkward” discussion.   Perhaps today.

Beaufort is one of our favorite stops on the ICW as the down-town area is very pretty with some shopping on Main Street along with scenic homes on the nearby streets.  Shopping for provisions isn’t particularly easy as the supermarket is more than a mile outside of town.  On top of that, it’s pretty clear that my starting battery is kaput and not holding a charge overnight, so a visit to West Marine or another marine supply spot is probably in order.  I’ll have to get that done prior to the arrival of my crew on Friday night.

Regarding our departure from Beaufort, that depends on when the front comes through, bringing with it brisk northerly winds, something that we will need if we are going to make a fast run south.  And, another question is just how “brisk” the winds will be and how long they will last prior to shifting back to a more southerly direction.  I am happy with “strong” winds, a relative term, when they are from aft but am not thrilled with the thought of strong winds and seas if we are beating into them.  I should be able to learn more from Chris Parker in the next few days.

One of the downsides of using crew for a run like this, is that they inevitably have schedules and have to be home by a particular date.  And, having a deadline makes for problems as you might find yourself heading out when it’s not a particularly good idea, or worse.  It is often said that the most dangerous piece of equipment on a boat is a calendar.  Needing to be somewhere by a particular date can cause all sorts of problems.   Oh well, perhaps we will get lucky and get symmetry between calendar and schedules.

Well, crew is arriving on Friday night, late and we will have to see how things develop.  Here’s hoping that like today, our trip south to Florida will be more treat than trick.

Happy Halloween!

It’s Tuesday morning, the sun is out and it’s a beautiful (WARM) day here on the Pungo River.  I have to say that Pungo sounds like some sort of a character from a Dr. Seuse book.  I like it.  “Watch out!  Quick, find cover, there’s a Pungo on the loose!!!” I digress.

We are under power and on our way from Belhaven, where we spent last evening anchored off of the town,  to Oriental NC, a run of about 40 miles.  There is barely a ripple on the water and we are in the company of quite a few other boats, perhaps a  dozen, who likely have the same plans for the day. There aren’t many towns of any size in this part of North Carolina and what land there is is only a few feet above sea level.  When Brenda and I went for a walk yesterday, one of the locals pointed out a spot on a tree by the water where his father had marked the highest point that water had reached during Katrina, one of the many hurricanes that had hit this coast over the years.  Believe me, the mark was plenty high, perhaps 5 feet above ground and the ground was perhaps an additional 5 feet above the normal water level.

In the NE we are used to having tides that run in the 8’ range while here there is virtually no tide.  The only time that the water level changes is in response to wind.  When the winds blow hard from the north, the water is pushed out of the bay.  When it’s from the south it piles up.  Otherwise, there isn’t any appreciable change in depth.  The actual depth of the bay here is only around ten feet so a rise, or drop, of just two or three feet is a big deal and will flood many areas.   And, believe me, when the weather folks say “beware of flooding in low lying areas”, this is the place that they are referring to.

The biggest hill in these parts is measured in tens of feet, or less and often a lot less. Well, this is a very pretty area with stately homes lining the water.  This one, in particular, caught our eye.   We saw another very nice home on the same street that was for sale.  I looked it up and for a less than $500,000, you could have a lovely southern plantation home overlooking the water.   Looking for something more modest?  There are plenty of waterfront homes around that could be yours for about $200,000 and probably less.  The only problem, what to do for a living.  Detail…

Yesterday was a big day for me and Brenda as it was 41 years ago yesterday that we went on our first date.  I’d like to say that that momentous occasion was a spectacular and unique bit of planning on my part but I’d be lying.  While the date is certain, October 28, 1972, what we did together on that date isn’t quite so clear.  We think that it was the day that we went for a walk in a local nature preserve in Weston CT called Devil’s Den.   We do remember that it was a rainy day when we went for that walk and recall that it took me several hours go summon up the nerve to say something lame like “I like you.  Do you like me?”  I’d like to say that it was more than that, but what do you expect from someone who had only been 17 years old for a few months.  How pathetic.

Well, I guess Brenda didn’t consider me totally pathetic as here we are, 41 years later, still hanging out together.    Fingers crossed she won’t wise up.  Time will tell.

In the interest of completely honest reporting, both Brenda and I were unaware that yesterday was October 28^th, , although this is a day that we mark each year, and it wasn’t until we received a text from her sister Sheryl congratulating us on another milestone, that we were brought up to speed on what day it was.  Yes, we knew that it was a Monday but the date itself, not a clue.  Such is cruising where every day blends together, like the landscape.

I am sure that you are now on the edge of your seat wondering what we did to celebrate such an important event.  We went out to dinner, although that might not be exactly the first thought that came into your head.  However, I’ll just have to leave you guessing on that score.

Anyway, we went out for a nice dinner in what is likely the prettiest dining spot in Belhaven NC, the Spoon River Artworks and Market.  An odd name, but fun, never the less.   I guess an eclectic name for a place that is eclectic.  Form, or at least name, following function. I highly recommend it, the food was terrific and decor even better.  I have to say that to happen upon such an interesting restaurant in a “non metro” spot was a real treat.  How about this shot of the dining room?  Pretty unique.  I have never seen paper lanterns in such profusion outside of China Town.   Of particular interest was the wine room/store adjacent to the dining room where patrons could pick out a bottle of wine to have with dinner.  They had a great selection and it was fun pursuing the shelves to pick one.  Much more fun than looking at a list on a menu.

Earlier in the day we also visited an impressive hardware store, that sold hardware, as you’d imagine, along with an eclectic mix of other items, including wine (if you can believe it) and even a nice selection of purses, on sale.  So, for 25% off and about twice the price of a quart of lamp oil, I know as that bit of esoteria as that’s what I purchased, Brenda got a very nice new purse.   A fine fashion accessory crafted of the hide of a royal Nauga.

In case you are wondering where the hide of a Nauga comes from, we learned compliments of Google and Wickipedia, that Nauga originally came from Naugatuck CT, near where I grew up.  Who knew?  The farm must have been huge as there are plenty of Nauga Hides around.  So, how big is a Nauga anyway?

Isn’t it just  amazing what sort of information you can find if you have your “smart phone” handy.  Who would have ever thought that a phone could be “smart”.  Yet another wonder.

Oh yeah, there was a nice sunset too. Well, we had a great dinner…

Today, on to Oriental.  More to come and it’s still a beautiful day.

Yesterday we moved from Elizabeth City to the Alligator River, our destination for the day.

I am happy to report that the work that the mechanic Dave did on Pandora’s engine the other day seems to have worked out perfectly.  No dripping of fuel or oil.  A big improvement, that’s for sure.   I plan to have a discussion with the yard that worked on Pandora this summer.  I can’t really say that I am particularly looking forward to the discussion as it is likely to be plenty awkward.  Wish me luck.

I can’t really describe the depth of frustration I have felt along with a burning anxiety of what would happen if the leaks suddenly got worse.   As the fuel leak was getting worse each day, I am confident that it was only a matter of time until we were really stuck.  That would have not been fun.  I can’t even imagine what Brenda’s reaction would have been.  Not good, I am sure.

Anyway, we spent the day motoring along on very flat seas and settled in at an anchorage just outside the Alligator/Pungo canal.

For the last two days we have been traveling with our friend Dick and friend Denise aboard Willoway a 40’ Freedom.  We were thrilled to run into them in Elizabeth City and enjoyed hanging out with them for the last two days.

Another great thing about visiting Elizabeth City is that the town offers free dockage which I happily took advantage of.  Staying at the marina where Pandora’s engine was worked on was fine for one night but we really wanted to be part of the action for the second night, along the waterfront.  This photo shows just how pretty the spot we were tied up to was.  Most of the boats were tied up bow or stern too a bit farther down the way but tying up alongside was much easier for us in the breeze that popped up when we arrived on Saturday. One of the best things about cruising are the impromptu events that spring up when boats meet along the ICW.   Elizabeth City is known for their Rose Buddies but unfortunately, they don’t throw parties for visiting cruisers on weekends. 

However, that didn’t stop us from having a party as I just passed the word on Saturday afternoon that everyone should meet for cocktails under a tent on the waterfront.  Word got around and at 5:00 everyone showed up with drinks and food to share.  It was great fun and, once again, we had the opportunity to reacquaint with old friends.  I’d guess that there were about 30 in attendance and everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves, me too.

Fortunately, the weather has moderated and it’s now getting warmer during the day and evenings.  That’s not to say that we don’t miss our heater but at least you can’t see your breath in the cabin in the morning.  That assumes that you don’t think low 50s is too cold.  Burrrr…

So, last night we will tucked into a little cove on the Alligator river and hang out with Dick and Denise.   We got together for dinner and it was nice to catch up and share the sunset with them.  In the spirit of the moment and to celebrate heading south I blew my my conch shell as the sun set behind the cypress swamp.

Yes, we are getting closer to “south”.  Tonight we visit a nice little town, Belhaven.  We haven’t been there before so we are looking forward to checking things out.

Yesterday we made our way from the Visitor’s Center in the Dismal Swamp Canal to Elizabeth City where we are now.  We left the Visitor’s Center dock at 7:15.  It was pretty chilly with a low mist on the water.Along the way, we motored through some of the most magnificent scenery you will find anywhere on the ICW.  This is where we first saw Bald Cypress, the sort of tree that grows in the swamps. They have the distinctive “knees” roots that stick up around the base of the trees.  I guess that means we are now really in the south.  The view was spectacular.

Our trip through the two locks at either end of the canal were uneventful.  The very pleasant lock tender Robert, was as helpful as always.   We entered the first lock, the Deep Creek lock, to begin our 8′ lift into the canal.  The gate was closed and the water rushed in. Here we are “all risen” and ready to go. It seems that it is part of human nature to measure.  This list in the canal tells visitors how far they are from nearly everywhere.  Only 1,087 miles to go to Miami!
Brenda did a great job in handling Pandora in the locks.  Perhaps it was the flowers.
As we came through the lift bridge into Elizabeth City we were treated to a display of perhaps the greatest “big boy toy” I have ever seen.  A massive crane that was dropping this huge metal thing into the water, over and over again.  It seems that they are crushing an old bridge foundation.   Here’s the crane preparing for a “drop”.  And, the drop…  I want to do that… I’d probably wet myself as I pushed the button to let her rip. OK, enough about yesterday, so it’s now Saturday morning.  I have to think about that for a moment as the days do run together, and all is well on Pandora.  The sun is up and we are on a dock which means that it’s warm in the cabin. Unfortunately, the diesel heater has been on the fritz for much of our trip from Annapolis.  It seems that the “overheat sensor” failed and that means that it thinks that it’s too hot to run.  Ha!!!  NOT.  It’s frigging cold actually.  Anyway, we were warm last night as we tied up to a dock and plugged in our little electric heater. 

While the last few days have been pretty chilly, in the 40s at night, with last night dipping into the 30s, the next week promises to rise to meteoric highs of 50s at night and 70s during the day.  No, that’s not too hot by “southern standards”, but it’s warm enough to get by without a real heater and unplugged from a dock.

Spending time on docks isn’t something that we do often as the cost can really add up at docks where fees often run as much as $3-$4 a foot per night.  However, the dock we are on here in Elizabeth City run $35 per night for any size boat that can fit and that includes electric.  Low dock prices are the norm here as the town let’s visitors stop at the town dock for FREE for two nights, and they throw in a cocktail party, again for free.   “Stop at Elizabeth City on our free dock and we’ll buy you a beer, or two.”  In exchange they will give you a sales pitch on why you should spend some money in town while you are here.  It’s hard to compete with FREE so the local dock prices are pretty low.

Along with the free beer and wine at the town docks each night, each lady aboard is presented with a rose from the town garden.  The nice folks who present the roses, mostly retired men, are real southern gentlemen are thus nicknamed the “rose buddies”.   You can read about our first experience with Elizabeth City in this post from last year when we came through town.

That’s all great but the thing that has made our visit to EC this year all the more remarkable is the gentleman that visited us yesterday to work on Pandora’s engine.

You may recall that I had lots of work done on Pandora’s engine over the summer up in Deep River CT.  I had this work done as the engine had 3,500 hundred hours on the clock and had not been really worked over since we purchased the boat seven years ago.  With this in mind I gave them the charge to take apart, check and replace whatever they recommended so that she was fit for another long run to the Bahamas and back.   If you have been following this blog, the results were not as good as I had hoped.

Over the last few weeks aboard the engine developed leaks of nearly every sort of fluid an engine can leak.  “So, Bob, tell us what sorts of fluids an engine can leak?” Thanks for asking.  The engine started leaking salt water from the intake water hose on the new raw water pump.   That was the easy one as it was a loose hose clamp on the hose.  “Easy” is a relative term as had it slipped off, and it was plenty loose, water would have been rushing into the bilge at an alarming rate.  It’s a 1 1/2″ hose.  Luckily, I caught it before it slipped off entirely.

Second, an I have to number them as the list is long.  Second, the new oil pressure sensing switch was leaking oil.  Not a lot, but enough to make a mess in the pan under the engine.  That was new since the engine was worked on too.

Third, the fuel lift pump, was leaking.  This pump delivers the fuel to the high pressure pump.  It has a cover plate with six or so screws.  Apparently, several of these were loose and fuel was leaking from around the seal.  Annoying and messy but not a huge leak.

Fourth, and this was a big one, it seems that the high pressure hoses from the fuel pump had not been properly seated when they were put back on after the injectors were checked and replaced.  These metal hoses carry fuel from the injector pump to the four injectors to run the engine.  In a diesel engine fuel is delivered to the cylinders at something like 2,500 pounds per square inch.  That’s a lot of pressure and if the fittings are not put in place perfectly, the fuel leaks out.

Well, after leaving Essex I began to notice that there was a small amount of fuel finding it’s way into the pan under the engine.  Not a lot but after running for 30 hours getting to Annapolis, the leaks began to get worse.  I noticed the accumulating fuel but there wasn’t much.  However, that changed by the time we made our way down to Hampton as it was now a lot of fuel, perhaps a cup after a few hours of motoring.  I was told by the mechanic, Dave, yesterday that these sort of injector leaks tend to get worse each time the engine heats up and runs.  If the compression fittings are not set properly, they leak more and more each time they heat and cool.

I guess he was right as the leaks had gotten pretty bad and as the fuel ran down the side of the engine I could see it smoking a bit.  I tried to tighten things along the way myself but wasn’t able to do anything to help improve things.   So, two days ago, as we were making our way from Hampton through the Dismal Swamp, I made a reservation at a marina in Elizabeth City to have the engine worked on.

Enter “Dave the Mechanic” who dropped everything to come and work on Pandora.  He spent over five hours tracking down the leaks, all of which seem so straight forward now, but believe me, finding them was not a simple feat.  Diesel fuel is very viscous and as it runs down the engine, tracking where it came from is very difficult as it wicks everywhere on it’s way down to the bilge.   Anyway, after many false starts and restarts, we finally identified the “leaks” and there were a number of them.

I won’t belabor the point “Sorry Bob, too late”, but after 5 1/2 hours we did a final check by running the engine and checking and rechecking for new fuel leaks, and were fairly confident that they were all resolved.  I sure hope so as I am so tired of dealing with the anxiety of leaks getting worse and worse and the fear of loosing the use of the engine.

As the day was progressing and Dave ran out to get more tools and to the auto parts store for oil pressure switches and the like, I was getting anxious on what this whole deal was going to cost.  Remember that I paid the marina in Deep River plenty over the summer and now I was paying someone else to redo their work.

So when Dave finished up at nearly 6pm I took a deep breath and asked him how much I owed him.   He seemed to think about this for a long time.   Long enough for me to fear what the number was going to be.  Finally, after an interminable pause, he said “Make that $40.”  My reaction was to say “are you kidding, you were here all afternoon”.  His answer… “You saved me from working on my own boat and I just felt like being a good Samaritan today.  You can pay me $40, including the cost of the oil pressure switch.  That will be fair.”

My jaw dropped.  And Brenda who was sitting in the cabin with us just stopped knitting and probably dropped a stitch, or two. I questioned him on this a number of times and his story didn’t change.  I didn’t know what do to and as I reached for my wallet I was thinking “$40 for more than 5 hours of work.  What’s that per hour?”

So, I got my wallet, pulled out two 20s and then another two.  I approached Dave and said “Ok, here’s your $40 and I’d like to give you another $40 as a tip.  That’s what I would really like to do as you put in a lot of time and $40 just isn’t enough. Ok?”  He accepted the $40 and reluctantly agreed that he’d split the difference with me and took an additional $20.  I couldn’t believe it.  I also asked if I could buy him a case of beer to which he replied, “I haven’t had a drink in 25 years”.   I was out of ideas on how to make this right.

So, it seems that Dave, like the guys who give roses to each women who comes to Elizabeth City by boat, is also a “buddy”, no make that a “motor buddy”.  Hard to believe that such hospitality exists anywhere these days and it’s alive and well here in Elizabeth City, NC.

Epilogue:  Brenda and I had a glass of wine after Dave left to consider what had happened (we have indeed had a drink, or two, in the last 25 years) we decided to go to the waterfront restaurant near the marina and who should we see sitting at a table having a nice steak but our “boat buddy” Dave.  AHA!  A chance to get even!!!

I pulled our waitress aside and told her that Brenda an I were buying Dave’s dinner.

Here’s a photo of Dave and our very nice waitress Jennifer, a recent transplant from New Orleans.  It seems that Dave is a regular here.All and all, an amazing day.

But wait, there’s more…

We were boarded by the coastguard too earlier in the day and happily we passed. Not with flying colors but we passed.  It seems that I didn’t have the most current Coast Guard documentation documents for Pandora on board.  I don’t know how that happened as I recall renewing it.  Anyway, they let me off with a warning because I was “cooperative”.

Here come the Coasties.Perhaps Dave let us off too because we were “cooperative”.  I’ll never know.

It’s Wednesday morning and we are sitting on a dock in Hampton VA.  It’s raining but the forecast calls for clearing later today.   Hope so.

Over the weekend we enjoyed a visit, here in Hampton, with other boaters at the first Cruiser’s rendezvous which attracted some 40-50 boats.  The local planning crew put on quite a show with great seminars and terrific sponsored (free) meals and even some free drinks thrown in for good measure.  Anyone planning to head down the ICW in the fall should add Hampton to their itinerary.  It’s a great place to visit an well worth the stop.

One of the presenters during the day of seminars was Mark Doyle.  He and his wife Diana, long time ICW cruisers, have a series of guides that detail their favorite anchorages along the 1,000+ miles on the ICW between Hampton and Florida.  The “On The Water ChartGuides” are a must for anyone taking the inside route.   As Mark was presenting, I was struck by how different he looked than most of the folks I have seen standing in front of PowerPoint slides over the yeas.  In my “old life” the dress code was a bit less casual.  Mark and the others, including me, at the seminar were dressed in “T” shirts and shorts which Mark rounded off with Crock sandals.  Not your usual corporate meeting presentation wardrobe.  I am just so happy to be in the “crock world” now.  After the meetings, we rented a car and traveled north to CT for a funeral for my late uncle Dick. Dick and his family were a big part of my younger years and it was very nice to participate in such an important event.  It was also wonderful to see many of my relatives and old friends, some of whom I have not seen for years. All and all, it made me and Brenda feel good to make the trip.  It was exhausting, as we drive about 1,000 miles, round trip, in two days.  We didn’t actually leave CT until around 6:30pm on Monday evening after the reception and finally stopped in a hotel to sleep around 3:30 on Tuesday morning.  I had hoped to make it all the way back to Pandora but ran out of steam before we made it back.  Besides, the idea of making up the bed (we had stripped the bed to do laundry while we were away) and climbing into bed as the sun came up wasn’t too appealing.   Yikes, I was pooped. Yesterday we were pretty worn out and weren’t very productive.  I am definitely getting too old to stay up that late, or early, depending on how you look at it. 

Last evening we had cocktails with some old friends and made some new ones aboard Pandora.  In particular, we ran into Pete and Stephanie from Brilliant, who we ran into last fall on our run south.  Pete and Stephanie began cruising in the Med, crossed over to the Caribbean and have cruised up and down the east coast over the last few years.

We hung around with them for a while last fall and in particular, they were the ones who rescued us when we fouled our prop with a plastic tarp in Savannah.  It was nice to run into them again.  It seems that they are planning to spend the winter in the Bahamas too so we will probably see them along the way.  I hope so.

We also had two couples aboard who were staying in the marina where we are and talked about the trip south as it the first time for both of them.  We enjoyed telling them about what to expect along the way.

I continue to marvel on how often we are running into folks that we know and look forward to seeing other friends as we move along.

Today we will be leaving Hampton in the late morning to begin working our way down toward the Deep Creek Lock where we will enter the Dismal Swamp.   The “official” beginning of the ICW is mile marker “0” and is located in Norfolk off of Hospital Point, where we were anchored for a few nights last week.

We are not planning to try and make it all the way to the lock today as there is a nice little anchorage just before the lock.   This suggests that we will make the 8:00 opening on Thursday morning.  After that we will mosey along the first 18 miles of the canal to the visitor’s center.  No point in rushing.  Besides, there is a small dock, just after the lock, where we can stop and visit a supermarket that is a short walk from the dock.  We never want to give up an opportunity to provision with fresh food when we can.

Not much to post in the way of photos so perhaps a shot of Pandora sitting on the dock is about the best I can do for now.  Pretty neat to have her stern too on the dock as getting on and off is a cinch.  Don’t ask me how it went backing her into the slip though.  Not a pretty picture.  Glad that it wasn’t in front of a big audience. Oh well, that’s what rub rails are for.I guess I had better sign off for now.   The day’s a wasting…

On Friday we did a bit of backtracking from Norfolk where we had spent a few days to Hampton for the much anticipated Hampton Cruiser’s Weekend.  Several locals, some involved with SSCA, a group that Brenda and I are members of, are putting on a terrific event to attract cruisers headed south for the winter.  The goal is to encourage folks headed south for the winter to visit Hampton.  It seems that many boats just keep going when they enter the Newport News area and pass right by Hampton.

I am very impressed with what the planning folks did to make this first event a success with discounted dock space at only $.75 a foot per night and, believe it or not, sponsored cocktail parties and even meals compliments of local merchants and town government.  Wow!

Friday night’s opening reception, included free drinks, two per person and free food, if you can believe it, I learned that there were some 40 boats signed up for the event.  Pretty amazing for a first year.

In planning our rendezvous in Essex last June, I can’t say that I had even a thought of going to the local government and asking for funds to encourage folks to visit. Actually, I don’t expect that would work very well as Essex isn’t particularly focused on bringing in outsiders and seems pretty happy with the tourists that stop there already.   Besides, I am not sure that I have quite enough energy to pull something off that’s so elaborate with everything else I have on my plate.  Besides, as they say “I’d rather be sailing”.

All I want is for folks to visit a nice spot on LI Sound, Essex, and enjoy the company of other cruisers.  Having said that, folks on the SSCA board would like our event to grow so adding more activities to our weekend in June probably needs to happen.  I guess I’ll work on that while I am home over the holidays.  Perhaps I need to put an alarm in my phone calendar to prompt me out of cruiser’s mode when I return from Florida in early November.  Yeah, a loud piercing ring on my phone with a note saying “Bob, think about the SSCA Gam in June!” would get me in the mood and snap me into action.   Perhaps.

Our stay in Hampton will be extended as we plan on leaving Pandora for a few days while we head back north by car for the funeral of my late uncle, my father’s brother, who passed away after a long illness.   Brenda and I really want to be there so we have rented a car and will leave Sunday for the 10 hour drive to CT and back.  The service is on Monday so we expect to be back to Pandora on Tuesday.  With luck, we will be able to continue our voyage on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning.   We will have to make a stop at our home in Essex first as we don’t have anything but jeans and casual clothes aboard.  Super casual is fine for someone who’s in cruiser’s mode, but not so good for a funeral.  

Perhaps I will have a few hours to clear the yard of leaves while I am home.   Now, that would be fun.  NOT!!!  Have I mentioned that we have a LARGE yard?  What ever happened to “downsizing”?  I guess we missed the memo.

In the time we were anchored in Norfolk we saw one massive ship after another pass us by.  The harbor is teeming night and day with ships arriving and departing at all hours.   Ironically, the largest ship we saw while we were there, in spite of the huge naval presence, was a cruise ship.  It’s hard to describe just how big these babies are and to see them dock without the aid of tugs, using their bow and stern thrusters, is a sight to behold.  As if moving one of these behemoths onto a dock in the wind and in very tight quarters isn’t enough, they do it in the dark.  It’s sort of like watching someone dock an office building, no make that two or three office buildings stacked on top of each other.  These ships move from port to port at night so that the passengers can enjoy the sights of the various ports during the day. Makes sense but certainly must keep the crew busy.

I have been trying to find a way to illustrate just how big these ships are and as we left the anchorage yesterday, I had my answer.   This cruise ship was moored along side of the WWII era battleship Wisconsin, on the left, now a museum ship in Norfolk.  Just see how downright diminutive the cruise ship makes a battle ship look?  When it was built in the 50s, it was one of the largest ships in the Navy.  How times have changed.  I guess it takes a lot of room to house, and FEED, all those passengers.  Big ships for big passengers.  “I think I’ll visit the buffet again honey…”

Speaking of navy, we visited the museum “Nauticus” while we were in town and were very impressed.  The museum includes interactive exhibits about the history of the area, an IMAX theater and the WWII battleship.  And, the ship is very well maintained.   In spite of the fact that today’s ships pack far more firepower, the Wisconsin is still quite a sight.   Her guns could lob 16″ shells, that weigh as much as a VW, for miles.  Later in her career she was outfitted with cruise missiles and fired quite a few in the Desert Storm conflict.  She had a very long commissioned life from the early 40s until the 90s.   To stand on her forward deck and look at the huge guns was awe inspiring. A lot of grey paint, something like 350,000 lbs of it, we were told.

The Navy has some big ships too, including the aircraft carriers.  These troop carriers probably can house even more passengers than a cruise ship but I am guessing with a lot less comfort.  “Wait, where’s my balcony?”While we were in Norfolk we also went to a movie in a great old time dinner theater.   We were sitting in our cockpit having an evening cocktail and a couple from a nearby boat stopped by and invited us to join them to go to a movie.  The theater was a spectacular old time building but with a very modern projection and sound system.  The Commodore Theater interior was classic Art Deco and each patron was seated in a plush swivel chair.  What a great time.  Here’s the two happy couples as photographed by a very enthusiastic theater owner.  While this photo doesn’t begin to do justice to the room, you can get a feel for how it looked.  Each table had it’s own light that was dimmed from a a common control panel and there was a phone on each table to place your order.  Very nice indeed.  The Commodore will certainly be on our “must do” itinerary for next year. Almost forgot.   The movie was Captain Phillips and it was particularly interesting to see a movie about the hijacking of a container ship as there are loads of them in the harbor.  

Each year there is a late season schooner race from Annapolis down the bay.  It’s a big deal and the regatta concludes in Norfolk.  While we were headed back to Hampton we passed a number of them along the way.  The Pride of Baltimore II is a particular favorite.  Oh yeah, I should also mention that my foul weather gear was waiting for me at the Hampton visitor’s center, compliments of our son Rob as planned.   I also became the proud owner of a “smart voltage regulator” from Hamilton Ferris that I was able to successfully install.  I have to say that, as simple as it was to install, It took me several hours to pull out the old unit and strip out unneeded wires from the old system.  I also needed a bit of hand holding from “Ham” himself, the owner of the Hamilton Ferris company (Ham owns Hamilton? Get it?  Pretty clever.), to be sure that I wasn’t screwing things up.  He patiently walked me through the process.   It took some time to get it installed and to check and recheck that I had done it right, it’s now working swimmingly.  

Pandora’s batteries will once again thank me now that the engine can charge things up smartly as we motor along.  When you need your next piece of electronic equipment, especially if you are looking for something with blinking red lights, I heartily endorse Hamilton Ferris .  I have purchased items from them off and on over the years and was impressed to see how much they have grown since I placed my last order.  It seems that they are now big into alternative energy for homes too.  I guess that they have taken advantage of the increased interest in alternative energy.

As I finish this post on Sunday morning we are headed up to CT and are right now on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel.  (No, I am not blogging and driving. Not a good idea. Brenda is driving) Don’t you just love mobile computing?

We had just a terrific time at the rendezvous and both Brenda and I were just amazed with the number of folks we met that we had seen in the Bahamas last winter and had seen us.  Some we already knew and some we met over the weekend.   It was sort of like an aquatic college reunion of the Bahamas School of Hard Knocks.

It’s hard to believe that I will be in Florida in a few weeks.