It’s hard to believe that we are leaving, assuming that Mother Nature cooperates, in a mere 12 days. \u00a0Here is sit on August 30th and we are planning to head out on September\u00a011th. \u00a0Perhaps that’s not a good day given the history for that date but I don’t think that we will be ready on Monday the 10th so the 11th it is. \u00a0 Pandora is still in Wickford and I will bring her here early next week so that we will have a week in Essex to finish the provisioning and be ready to go. \u00a0 While the 11th is sort of an arbitrary date, I have heard many times that when you are planning a trip like this you need to pick a date and JUST LEAVE. \u00a0If not, days and weeks can slip by and you are STILL ON THE HARD. \u00a0Besides, I don’t want to have weeks slip by and find ourselves scraping the frost off of the front of the dodger. \u00a0So, as they say, “we have picked a date and we are sticking with it!!!” \u00a0Even if leaving means that we head down the river and drop the anchor somewhere. \u00a0At least we on our way.<\/p>\n
There are still a thousand details it seems to take care of, between being sure that the house is properly cared for, bills set up to pay online and local folks to support us while we are gone. \u00a0While I am known to some as being a bit of an “energizer bunny”, even I am finding it hard to keep all of the details in order.<\/p>\n
The major project that I have left, beyond purchasing and stowing food and drink for months aboard, is to finish up on the cockpit enclosure. \u00a0I received the screen and other supplies needed to construct this just yesterday so I headed up to Wickford yesterday to work on the aft screen portion of the enclosure. \u00a0It took me over 5 hours to get it fitted and it’s still not done. \u00a0No wonder canvas work is so expensive. \u00a0I must have zipped it on and off a dozen times and it’s still not done. \u00a0In spite of making a pattern twice, I still had to do the sewing on site. \u00a0I also need to put a screen insert into the front of the dodger but that’s going to have to wait till we are underway, perhaps in Annapolis, as I just don’t have time to handle that, or have the supplies on hand, just now. \u00a0 I guess that I will pick up the needed zippers etc at the Boat Show next month.<\/p>\n
Along with getting ready for our trip, we have had lots of visitors in the last week. \u00a0While it’s great fun, I am not used to doing that many dishes every day. \u00a0It seems now that we live in a great place for boats to visit we have enjoyed our share of friends visiting Essex.<\/p>\n
Here’s an idea? \u00a0Why not make new friends along with the ones that we already know? \u00a0Being the obsessive organizer that I am, I signed up to be a Cruising Station host for a group that we belong to, the Seven Seas Cruising Association<\/a>. \u00a0The group has some 10,000 members and those who offer to be a port host agree to help out fellow members with information and local support when folks show up in our neighborhood.<\/p>\n The funny thing is that when I contacted the SSCA offices this week, expecting to be grilled six ways to Sunday about my interest and experience but no… They just signed me up and sent me this lovely certificate. \u00a0Yikes!!! I guess that it’s official so some subset of the 10,000 SSCA members should be calling soon…<\/p>\n In any event, I guess it’s official. \u00a0 Essex is the newest cruising station for the SSCA and I even have a certificate to prove it.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/SSCA-crusing-station-certificate00012.jpg\" "\\"SSCA")
<\/a>Well, sitting here messing around with this post isn’t getting me any closer to finishing the screening. \u00a0Don’t worry, I’ll take pictures. That’s all for now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"