Saturday- Government reprieve and plans gone awry

Well, this is supposed to be an adventure, right? So I didn't quite follow the plan for today, which was to finish the steering. Or it didn't follow me. (That little white dot in this picture is AF from Ft. George.)

Blowing like all get out, and of course, I am still in the worst anchorage in the bay, never sheltered from the wind, from any direction, or the waves. And it has been blowing. But, since the Bermuda government gave me 2 weeks, and today is the 14th day, I HAD to go ashore and extend my stay. So, after the batteries were partially charged, I pulled the dink up alongside in this roaring wind, loaded my blue waterproof bag with my documents, and a bag of trash into the dink, bobbing and jerking on a short painter in the waves, and took off for shore. The Canadians I met the other night were "oot and aboot, eh?", and I invited them for a beer, that I owed them from the other night, after I ran my errands. It is the last night the local pub will be open for the season - the place where I drank a beer, and ordered pizza to go my first night here. With the closing tomorrow, they are almost out of everything, and ran out of differen brands of beers as we drank them.

Immigration is great. The fellow there remembered me from 2 weeks ago and that I was in pretty bad shape when I arrived, and told me that I had THREE weeks here, not 2, and to come back next Monday a week, if I needed to extend. Great. Didn't need to leave the boat at all.

I stopped at the free lounge with wifi that Bermuda Yacht Services runs exclusively for boaters, to see what it was like, and then walked up to the hardware store for a new bucket, after loosing mine at sea, when I stupidly tried to draw water from the ocean passing at 5 knots, and when it filled, it jerked the handle right off, and bye-bye, was gone. When am I going to learn? While at the hardware store, I spoke with Chris, one of the counter men there, about fishing and now I am determined to spend more time with a hook in the water. Lots and lots of good edible fish below my boat, and after a 20 year slow down, folks here are now catching 40 and 60 pound groupers from the land!

Asked directions to Ft George, up the hill, where Bermuda Radio - above- the official harbormaster for the island is located, and climbed the hill. Took a couple of pictures while up there, and got into the building to shake the hand of the man who talked me in the day I arrived, as well as the one I was handed off to, and thanked them most sincerely for their patience and kindness, and told them how grateful I am for their help.

That is Annah Foster from a gun mount at the top of the hill with camera zoomed in.

Decided to get a hair cut - my first in a foreign country, and was recommended to Malcolm's and got a nice trim from him. Learned about how the black people here shave, without a razor, as many get bad ingrown hairs. Everyone here is so nice.

Walked back to the pub, and stopped in to see the Canadian's boat and slowly, 2 of them wandered over for a beer with me at the pub. The master, Al, never showed up, as he was in the middle of a project, until way after dark, when he came running to get Mac's help as there was a young fellow, sitting now on his boat, who's dink had come untied and drifted away. I volunteered to take him out to look for it, and lo and behold, it is Drake from last week, who helped me take the jib down. He said he was so glad it was me who showed up. Erin was doing a last load of wash at the launderette, and he had run to the store for last groceries - they are leaving in the morning - and his hard rowable dink was gone. He has years single handing and I cannot believe his knots would not hold.

So, with my dink a bit low on fuel, the prop failing, and no good spot light, we putt-ed away from the lights of the harbor dock and started looking for the dink in the dark, discussing the tides, current, and wind direction, and where it might be. Unfortunately, they all pointed towards the Town Cut, and the Atlantic Ocean. He had only been ashore an hour. The wind was howling, the waves were splashing big up and over our bow soaking us good, and we scanned the shore, hoping it had run aground close by, while riding all the way down to the Cut, and decided to cross over it, the channel, that is, and look on the shore of the island opposite.

And bang - we ran hard aground, or the engine did. A rock or coral reef, right at the edge of the Cut - it really IS a cut - and the engine stopped, sitting on hard ground and is holding us fast where we are, and the rest of the dink is bouncing in the waves and tide, and it is dark, and we have no light, and the tide is going out, and there are sea monsters waiting to eat us when we sink, after the wind and tide take us out into the Atlantic, which at that point is not a mile away! I got the engine re-started, and Drake used the longer hand pump as a pole to push us up and over this little reef, and we headed back towards where we had come from, and safety. And, both of us, nervously, laughed at our close call. What a night.

I dropped him back at the dock, and rode out to, again belatedly, turn on AF's anchor light, change into dry clothing - rain suit actually, got my hand held spotlight, and returned to pick up Erin with the groceries, and then Drake with the laundry and take them home to their boat. When I returned to the pub, it was empty, so Chris, the bartender and I sat and drank a few, and told some stories, and then he and the kitchen staff locked the doors, and we did it all again, just staff, and me. And no tab! On the house Can you beat that?

When I returned to AF a few minutes ago, I thought to myself, that I am having so much fun, it should be illegal. What a great day!

BTW, Drake and I agreed, that he will ask the Harbormaster, if his dink is not found tomorrow morning, but shows up later after his departure, to give it over to me, to ride somewhere on AF and I will find them in St Maarten, and return it to them. Hopefully it is sitting somewhere aground, in plain sight tomorrow morning, because I just don't know where I will put it for the 1000 mile trip.

The adventure with Drake has reminded me that there is no one here, waiting for me, if I don't come back to the boat, or return to shore. No one to call the authorities to start a look for me, if I fall off the dink, in rough weather, or the engine fails, and I drift out to sea in the dark. So, I am going to try to work at keeping the dink better stocked with stuff, should something like that happen. But in the end, it will be all part of my adventure.

Friday after Thanksgiving

One year ago today, I was sailing with Paul and Joyce - Norfolk to St. Maarten - and had had a wonderful and complete Thanksgiving meal aboard, except for the pumpkin pie. Up to that point, I had lived while en route north, at the helm, only coming below in a run, to start the water boiling, or make the coffee, or pour the coffee, or wash a dish. I learned so much from them on that trip about how to live below while underway. How to cook while underway. Basically, life aboard at sea. Showers daily. (Oops - have modified that one a bit!) Trimming sails with Paul, late one night, he would show me how just a subtle change in one little aspect of a sail's shape could pick up a half a knot in speed. Other than my first touch of seasickness, for which I still feel guilty, as I slept long periods from the Dramamine for almost 3 days, although still taking my watch each evening, it was a fantastic experience, with 2 wonderful friends. I appreciate that they thought enough of me to invite me along. Joyce would have no way to know this, but I picked up several of her ways and copied things she did, like keeping an old coffee container to keep the 'slops' in at the galley sink, and pitching these 'organics' overboard when it got full, at sea only, of course. ( I remember when every kitchen had a place to put the peelings, and egg shells, and coffee grounds, in the corner of the sink, and it was a nasty job to take it out back and put it into the compost pile. No, you environmentalists didn't invent composting.) Slowly, I am developing my own ways and rhythms, but that 2 weeks with them gave me an example on which to base my own lifestyle. I appreciate them both so much, and really look forward to meeting up soon. You guys are just great friends, and I cherish you.

As is so often the case, the best plans don't go as intended, and so went yesterday. After running the generator to get a good charge on the batteries and reefers cold, I prepared my flare fittings with a touch of teflon tape(shh! You're not supposed to put teflon tape on hydraulic fittings.) and practiced a couple flares with this flaring tool. Then, headed back to start to rebuild this one section of the steering, in copper, eliminating the plastic tubing. There are 3 inlet/outlet ports on the top of the hydraulic pump, each, now, with a brass compression 90 degree elbow coming out, and continuing in the plastic. Well, flare fittings, by design are longer necked, and when I inserted the first, it is too long to thread into the port, because the 90 degree hits the next fitting. The ports are too close together on the pump. Damn! So there went the whole plan. I have thought of moving the pump and could re-position it, I think, so that the ports are on its side, and I could use straight fittings, but I would need to build a shelf first, and that is not too easy for me right now.
So I brushed my hair and put on a t-shirt, and loaded the dink with my smelly trash, and headed to the hardware store, where I bought compression fittings, to try. Then motored over to town, to the dumpster (Goodbye stinky mahi-mahi and pizza.) , and then walked up the hill to the sail loft. My jib is ready, and the cost was not as bad as expected, but we agreed, if someone was going to come out and help me get her back on the furler, it would have to wait until Monday, because of the blow which started over night, and is howling a bit as I type now. 30 knots expected with gale force gusts, again, are coming fast. So I wandered back into town to the little pub for a beer. Met a fellow from the research vessel based here, a reasonable and very interesting environmental scientist, and we shared about an hour's conversation. Walked over to see an Amel, like Paul's, with Hickory NC on the stern, but they were not so nice folks, and definitely not North Carolinians. The boat is based at a marina in Maryland. And then stopped to talk to some Canadians whom I had seen towed in the other night. They invited me for a beer, and we visited for over an hour. By the time I left them, it was long after dark, and AF's anchor light was not turned on.
So, some left over pasta for Turkey Day dinner (far from the feast Paul and Joyce put out last year), and a couple bite size Snickers and Milky Ways, for pumpkin pie substitute, and off to bed. UPDATE: I decided later today, to add this bit of info about a missing boat and sailor. The Canadians with whom I spent the evening last night are mentioned in the following article, and have his book aboard, and have met him several times: http://www.vancouversun.com/Sister+hopeful+missing+Halifax+sailor+will+found/2245834/story.html
The missing sailor/adventurer is named Hubert Marcoux, and he is also a single hander, but, unlike me, with many years of experience. His boat's name is Mon Pays, which is French for My Homeland. Bermuda Radio has been putting out a Pan Pan broadcast about him which started just a few days after I arrived. The folks I drank with last night were called almost immediately after he missed his arrival date, on their sat phone, by the Canadian authorities inquiring about winds, currents, drift rates, etc, in order to try to designate a search area for this man. I cannot help thinking that this could have been me and I pray for his safety every day. If he shows up anywhere in the news, would someone inform me, please? At this point, I believe it is a lost cause.

Woke this morning dreaming that Bermuda Radio was calling me by name. "Dennis Doak. Dennis Doak. This is Bermuda Radio, on channel 27!" So, was up early and still have not made coffee. Spoke to Bart about picking me up another small inverter at Harbor Freight, this morning if possible.
Will make the coffee, run the genny, and get started on the Plan B repair, and see how that goes.
Have a good holiday weekend, all, and be safe.

Things are turning around

This morning's chore, after coffee and internet, was getting the generator running. I only lost one nut of the 4 on the pump, while getting it back on. But it is running perfectly again. Then, I decided to be more proactive with the wet laptop issue. The other day I took the battery out, and the hard drive, and opened the only other part of the case I could to let everything air out and maybe dry. So with the genny making 110 volts AC, I dug out the heat gun - what, no blow dryer aboard, you ask, Paul? and blasted the hard drive with the heat gun and got it warm - almost hot to the touch and put it under the work bench like Wes had suggested, with the fridge compressor putting out heat and blowing air. Now, I have just re-assembled it and I am typing on it again. No apparent damage. That is good news, so things are progressing, in a positive way and forward for a change -not backwards. Well, mostly anyway. Will discuss the outboard motor propeller trouble later.

I also went back and put some turns on the rudder post nut. The top nut was turning by hand, so the trip and all the big seas really worked on it pretty good, or I guess it is possible that Wes re-packed it with Charmin. Who knows? You know Baltimore marine technicians. The nut requires an 18 inch pipe wrench, it is so large, and I am not sure if I have done enough to actually stop the water, but will check it later again. It was pretty wet, and became even more wet with my playing around with the nut. I really would like to stop hearing the bilge pump come on, that's for sure. Not exactly sure what I am doing there and like so many things, it is something else to learn. Oh, and by the way, just because a pipe wrench says aluminum, the JAWS are still steel and rust!

I have cleaned up the aft cabin some, and laid out all I need to start the hydraulic job. And I still have to close up the stuff I was working on peripheral to the generator, but will leave the sound proofing covers off for now, so it can run a bit cooler, with the port in the engine room opened for a bit of breeze and heat exhaust. (It sounds kinda scary with the port open when I go topside. I am not used to hearing anything coming out of the side of the boat like that) I ran it until I had 13.5 volts on batteries and the charge rate was down in the low teens amperage - AND the freezer is showing 20 degrees, but that will change fast, as things re-freeze, so I think I will run it an hour tonight after dark.

I am not sure if it is proper to discuss this publicly, but I will anyway, since most who read this know me pretty well. I am scared to death of things that live in the ocean, just below the boat, big fish, like sharks, and sea monsters, and octopi, and baracuda's. (When my GF visited me in Key Biscayne, in the marina, late at night, when the water looks like black ink reflecting the stars and moon, we often would take a quick skinny dip before bed. Everytime we headed back to the boat, it would creep into the back of my mind - Is something just behind me, ready to clamp down on my leg?) I have scuba dived several times and loved it, and snorkeled a lot, and own this thing called a hookah, which is a 12 volt compressor with air lines, and regulators, so you can 'scuba or snorkel' down to 60 ft, without having to wear a tank of compressed air. I bought it primarily to be able to go beneath the boat and work, should something happen that required it, or to scrub the growth off the bottom. Or, to just go out and enjoy a reef, and sight see below. Work or pleasure. Well, the other day, I had to dive on the bottom to see if I could see or pull out whatever was lodged in the generator's cooling line thru hull. Didn't need anything but a bathing suit and face mask. You would have laughed at me, standing on the ladder just above the waterline, diving mask on, big fat butt hanging, holding on to the line I always hang down into the water ( so I can pull my fat butt up the ladder, and also to grab should AF start going away, or the current takes me away - 2 MORE fears.) So, there I am, hanging, paused, cussing myself silently for being a chicken, and scared to death to drop into the water (temp 72, I just heard) because I am afraid of the things that live down there. You know, one of them could come up and bite me! What a mess. I told my friend Wes and the exchanges sort of got out of hand, with his last effort saying that he had just seen on Discovery Channel, that at this time of year, all the world's baracuda's migrate to Bermuda for mating, and how hungry they are when they arrive. He attached a 16 minute segment of Diver Dan from 1961 when he captured Baron Baracuda. He asked if I had put anything UP the thru hull hole to clean it, and I replied that I had put a finger tip in each, but not for long, in case there was something in there waiting to bite my finger tip off! What a child I am, sometimes. How the heck am I ever going to live on a boat successfully with these kind of childish fears?

I have asked my friend and mentor, Paul, in Guatemala to start looking at weather for a possible departure next week, possibly late. I have to extend my stay with Immigration before Saturday, and they will give me a week more, I believe. And, if I buy my fuel as I depart, it will be duty-free. A little trivia - the hardware store guy said he went away for a few days, and when he returned, they had sold 60 - 5 gallon diesel cans to all the sailors who had to come in. What does that tell you? I would like to order some duty free smokes and rum, I guess, too. They deliver to Customs House and they hold it until your final check out., when they also give back your flare guns, firearms, and spear guns - I hope.

Since the food had thawed because of the freezer not running, I have brought out a bag of pasta, boiled water, and heated some thawed sauce that had been frozen, and now, have had my fill of Rotini and meat sauce. And my Thanksgiving meal tomorrow will be Italian-American leftovers, I guess. I have made my version of a dark and stormy - rum and ginger ale, and put on some of what I have on the computer as "Lady H Music" and will find a book, and read til I fall asleep. But to all of you back in the US, have a great day, good food, football on TV, and enjoy your families. Eat a piece of pie for me. And try to remember why they give you the day off, in the first place.

A brush with fame

I have been busy all morning working on the generator trouble, and have re-routed the cooling water hose to a different thru-hull with much better flow, so must just get the pump back into place on the generator and I can finally run it. There still is something clogging the proper thru-hull but I can work on that some other time. For now, I do not anticipate running the air conditioning any time soon.

Yesterday, I noticed this beautiful old ketch, photo below, sitting across from the Customs dock on my way to the hardward store - we park the dinks just forward of this boat, so I have to walk by what ever is tied up there. Today, when I went in, about noon, I stopped and asked the mate about her. While we traded stories,( he single hands a 50 ft Beneteau supposedly and calls the bar that Paul, Joyce and I used last year at the Lagoon in St. Maarten for internet, his 'office'.), his captain came up and I asked him some more specific questions, such as the name Gadget, and the apparent trademark infraction printing of the cartoon character on the stern. Turns out the owner is the producer of a number of shows, and developed the Inspector Gadget series and movie. BUT, guess who the original owner was? It is Walter Cronkite's last boat - and the chair at the helm still has the brass plaque with Walter's Seat inscribed. There is a popular photo of the Clinton's sailing aboard her in his last years. She is a beautiful, well-cared for boat, a year or 2 older than my Annah Foster, and was custom built for him in Wilmington NC.

So, after leaving Gadget, I walked over to the grocery for a take out box lunch, and wandered around a bit until close to the time for the Queen's visit. I have written a couple times this week, that I wouldn't stand in line to meet a Hollywood star or any American politician, but there is something different about the queen of England. My mom would have loved this, I think, as Elizabeth's coronation was such a big event, and they were close enough in age that Mom could identify some way. I found a fence area, behind the stage, where no one at all was standing, but as her arrival time approached, it filled up on both sides of me and behind, including, on my left, several elderly men in wheelchairs who had served Bermuda, in both Eqypt and Italy, in WW2. We spoke a bit, I thanked them for their service, and we made a few jokes and then I left them alone.

I believe that today I heard the only 21 gun salute, live, that I will ever hear in my lifetime. The honor, which shocked everyone at first volley, was for the approaching queen, timed perfectly for the last volley to fire as her car turned into the square. The custom started, as I understand it, as a naval courtesy. A visiting war ship would fire all of it guns as it entered a foreign harbor, to demonstrate that they were empty and the ship had no bellicose or miltitary intentions. It later became a tradition to fire at least one shot as a ship approached a foreign harbor, as an honor, and continued up the chain from there to 21 guns. Or so I believe.

The queen exited her vehicle out of sight from me and first appeared, walking.

She mounted the steps on this little platform to be met by the commander of her honor guard, and then walked an inspection line with him.

Afterwards, she was introduced to the dignitaries waiting in a greeting line, and then disappeared from my sight into the Town Hall on my my right, and someone lead 3 children up holding the flowers to present to her when she exited the building.

After receiving the flowers from the children she headed my way, and the photo below was taken with no zoom at all. She got so close, that I put the camera into my pocket out of respect. I was actually shocked to see her approaching. She walked up to the fence within 3 feet of me and smiled, and I sort of stepped back, a half pace, since she was here to greet her subjects, not some old, fat American. But she looked at me and smiled and moved on. But suddenly, someone was standing right in front of me. It was Prince Phillip, and he is looking me in the eye and talking to ME, asking if I was the caregiver to these old gentleman, to which I replied, "No Sir. I am just an American who sought shelter here from a storm last week aboard my sailboat. But these men are some of your veterans from WW2." He nodded and turned to them, and then stopped, and turned his head, and over his shoulder asked me how my vessel was, to which I replied, "Just a bit of mending needed, sir." And he winked, and nodded, and moved on.

Well, that about does it for me. Touched an American icon's boat, and talked to royalty, all in one day. Time to get back to the real world and get that generator fixed. I am sure glad that I took that shower and shaved this morning, and put on a clean shirt.

Queen's Visit Day

The other day, with the help of Drake and newly arrived gf, Erin, I got the jib down and folded - thanks Erin - and tied up to put into the dink, for a ride ashore to the sail loft. Below, you can see the huge and rather heavy bundle sitting waiting, to be placed.......

here, in the dink, along side. It was so heavy, and awkward, that I even tied a rope on it, in case I dropped it overboard, instead of into the dink. And there was almost no room left in the dink for my big butt!

I have been struggling for 2 days on the Westerbeke generator. It is not putting out enough cooling water from the exhaust, and seems to overheat and shut down. I run it to charge the batteries, and to get the 110v AC refridgerator cold, which is a pain, and that is why I have bought a 12 volt system for both the fridge and the freezer. The 12volt systems will be automatic and run on the batteries. With the wind generator and the solar panels installed, with careful use of electricity, I may not have to run the generator at all someday. But for now, it is at least a once a day chore.

The way it works is this: The engine has an enclosed cooling system, with antifreeze and water, just like any other engine, but instead of circulating thru a radiator with a fan blowing air thru it, it goes thru a seawater heat exchanger; the seawater is sucked in thru a hole in the bottom of the boat with a valve, called a thru hull, thru a strainer to get out any trash or seaweed, and then once thru the heat exchanger, it is pumped out with the engine exhaust. When it is running correctly, it makes a regular and steady gurgle type noise as it exits at the stern. (It also serves to cool down the exhaust, as well.) BTW, the Perkins engine works the same way.

So, when it is not cooling properly, the engine has an overheat kill switch, and shuts down. The first thing to do is look into the sea strainer, for trash. Often, if it has shut down, the pump has been spinning with no water flow and you find it has eaten the blades of a rubber pump inpeller, and that is the job I have been doing - getting to the pump, removing it, and opening it to replace this impellor. Well, I got it all out last night, and the impellor is fine. And I have to put it all back together again, and then figure out what is impeding the water flow.

I dove on the boat the other day, quickly, with just a face mask and saw nothing sticking out of the thru hull from outside, but eventually, using the foot pump that fills the dink with air, was able to blast out the obstruction. Well, I guess it is not completely cleared, and now have to come up with another solution.

This is the raw water pump, removed and sitting on the salon table. I was disappointed to find the impeller in perfect shape, after all the work to remove the pump.

This is the Westerbeke, with the sound proofing cover removed on the front and top and rear.

There is another thru hull close by, which is piped to cool the air conditioners, and I am in the process now of removing its hose to compare the free water flow when I open each thru hull. if there is considerable more flow in the 2nd, I will re-pipe the generator hose into it. It is a real pain to get an old hose off of its fitting, as anyone who has worked on a car radiator or heater can tell you. And that is where I stand right now with the project.

On a brighter note, on one of my walks to the hardware store, yesterday, I took the camera and this is one shot of Annah Foster on anchor. She looks so lonely and vulnerable sitting there to me. I am just not used to leaving her alone yet, and always have a moment of apprehension when returning in the dink, if I cannot immediately spot her. It is just the same as locking your front door and driving to town, but imagine returning to find your house down on the other end of the street! She can move while I am away, if something causes the anchor to drag, and I am just going to have to get used to it.
A close up -

So, back to the trouble with the generator, and I am holding off running the engine for a couple reasons. It heats the engine room and I have to work in there, and I want to have some hot water for a shower, so I can get to shore for the queen's visit. So, check back, there might be a picture or 2 of Queen Elizabeth II.

Well, I've done it again.

Doesn't look like I will be posting any pictures for a while. The other night I left a hatch open for ventilation all night and didn't hear the rain. The laptop was sitting almost 2 ft away, but the rain that night blew in and soaked it. Water was dripping out the laptop bottom. Fortunately, I had shut it off instead of putting it to sleep, so there was no power on, but for the charger. I have had it sitting about, in different positions to drain/air out since then. Today, I fired it up, after discovering that I do NOT have a hair dryer aboard, just a heat gun, and that is a bit too extreme, and I got a major boot failure. The hard drive, with lot of saved stuff on it may be fried. I don't know at this point. So I am using the old IBM that I bought online and used, for the sole purpose of SSB communication and maybe, navigation. It is a bit old. And has no slot for the card from my digital camera. I bought an adapter/reader a long time ago, but doubt if I brought it along or if I could find it anyway.

I should add that, just before departure, I bought a little notebook/laptop called an Acer. Is supposed to be enough for web and email, only, with a smaller keyboard and screen, but handier for me to take ashore to use WiFi when I get south. Smaller, less power, and I think it even has a camera built in. But I have never taken it out of the box, and didn't expect to until I reached the Carib. So, I will do that sometime soon, and then see if I can load the Verizon software on it so that I can use this phone card, and should be able to post pictures again.

The good news is that this morning, I loaded the dink with the jib, all folded and tied up, and took it into the sail loft for re-stitching the UV cover. It is a tattered mess for about half of the sail. God only knows what it will cost, and it was suggested that I certainly could do it myself, just sewing by hand, new thread into the old holes, but I don't really know anything about sails, and don't want to learn the hard way. It appears that the sail itself is in fine shape, and seems to me to be very heavy cloth, which in this case is great. I had the help yesterday of Drake and Erin, 2 new friends. I mentioned Drake in another post because, he is also single handing, and is the man who towed in a yacht in distress during the same mess I was caught in. A collision, caused by the other boat not standing watch for a few minutes, while Drake went below, has caused about $5k of damage to his boat, and the guy wouldnt even pay him for the fuel he used. They will be departing this week, probably, and are also headed for St Maarten, so maybe I will see them again. Very nice to come out and give me a hand getting the jib down and folded. (I had never done it before.)

I also walked up to the hardware store and have purchased the copper tubing and fittings to repair the steering and will go to work directly on that. It is all stuff stocked by any hardware store, and for only $50 I bought enough tubing - 8 ft - and a handful of fittings - Bermuda prices! Wow. I only bought enough to repair the bad spot that blew, rebuilding about a third of the plastic with copper. I even walked back to the store and bought a Bermuda courtesy flag, for only $30! But, these people have been fantastic to me, and I am so grateful that the island was even here, that I feel that I should show the typical respect that a visiting boat should display.

It is customary, if I understand it completely, when a vessel approaches a foreign port, to display what is still called a quarantine flag - plain yellow. Has been this way for over 100+ years I believe - maybe 200, and in the old days, it meant just that - Stay Clear - The boat was quarantined for some disease. And after you have cleared their customs and immigration, while you still fly the flag of your own nation at it normal place, you fly a small flag of the host nation, on the starboard side of the ship - referred to as a courtesy flag. I have about 25 of them aboard for different countries I hope to visit, but never thought I would ever be stopping this far north, so I bought one today and hoisted it, out of respect.

The other bad news is that, after clearing the thru hull fitting of whatever had clogged it, I ran the generator this morning, and it appears that I have chewed up the blades of the cooling pump impeller. It is a job that I dread tackling, as it took me over a day last year, to figure out where it was, how to get to it, and how to repair it, and then, I lost one bolt holding it in place to the bilge somewhere. As I have said in recent emails, the pump is waaaay over there, on the far, bottom corner, in the most difficult place to reach and get to on the generator, meaning that I have to stand, bent over the generator, and work on the far bottom corner of the unit. Tough on the back, and tough on the patience. I have since learned that it is probably easier to remove the pump (4 or maybe 5 hard to reach bolts, and 2 hose clamps, I think) and replace the impeller on a table top, and then put the pump back into place. Easier than trying to squeeze the impeller into the place with the pump in its correct running position.

So, going to get as much done on each of these projects as possible today and tonight. When I run out of something on one, I move to the next, and when I run out of something on it, then I go to shore and buy stuff.

The queen of England comes here tomorrow about 2pm, I think. The soldiers were coming into town as I walked back from the hardware store towing artillery pieces, and piling out of their trucks, and practicing their drills. And painters are finishing up the little stand they have built in Town Square. It looks like I may be able to stand within 20-30 yards of her, if the crowds are not too big, and my impression after talking to a few is that they could care less. I don't think I would stand to see any American politician, but the queen of England is something special to me, for some reason. I hope I have a good seat and can get a picture or two. I will shower in the morning, and shave, and find a shirt with a collar, brush my hair, remember my passport, just in case, and go in about noon, ignoring the remaining chores, and see if I can get close. Maybe I can get a photo with her... How cool would that be! ha!

So that is it for the current situation here in lovely Bermuda. It is hot enough that you sweat but still cool, as well. Very nice place. Just too expensive.

Saturday Morning

The wind has finally stopped, although there is still a halyard tapping up there somewhere in the main mast, and peace has come to St. George's Bay. Calm. Phew, I needed that. Unfortunately it has brought rain, instead of sunshine, but that will pass soon enough. At least it is not blowing any longer.

So now I can begin my chores - getting the jib down, and folded, ready to take ashore - ANOTHER thing I have never done before, plunging the drain in the propane locker so it doesn't fill with water at each rainfall, I want to re-arrange some things on the stern so that I can travel with the outboards on the OUTside of the rails, as they interfere with the mizzen boom and sheet, and it is time to pull in the rode some, and get the boat anchored correctly. But must start with my normal morning routine, and get the batteries charging, and the reefer temp back down.

And then to shore. Cabin fever is at a fever pitch. Too long cramped here, with only an occasional venture out on deck, to be almost blown down by the wind gusts. And I will have to re-learn to walk on terra firma as well. I get a pretty bad case of sea legs, or so it seems so far. I look like I am drunk the first time I return to shore, staggering and tripping, and doorways and the like seem to jump AT me suddenly. Any of you who have spent tme on a boat, know what I mean, although it affects some more than others. (At least the seasickness that got me in the first few days out subsided, and, now should not return.)

Last night I opened the first can, of this entire trip, of my Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans, which I love - a taste left over from dating a certain vegetarian Canadian - and made ginger ale with the Soda Club - all this thinking about Dark and Stormy's had me thinking ginger, I guess. With some crackers and cheese, and bread, I really enjoyed the simple meal. It made me drowsy, and I napped a bit, and then was into a bag of beef jerky, and ate the whole thing by bedtime. Woke up with a bad case of dry mouth about 4am.

Speaking of time, I have just learned that Bermuda is -4 hours UTC, not -5 hours, like the east coast of the US, so now I even have a clue about time, not that it matters much, but could in the future. I know I mentally threw the calendar away, too soon, and haven't worn a watch for months and months, but had better get with it now. I might need it sometime, like when a shop or business office opens or closes. Another thing learned.

If you follow this blog at all, you will notice a new box at the top. I searched online for a counter of some kind, to determine if this thing is worth the time and effort, although, I guess it is anyway just for my family. And, what better things do I have to do anyway, right now? But most of these website counters are for commercial applications so business can see and categorize website visitors. This one was about the simplest I found. It was not important to me where the people were located and it is not like I should expect an international following. But now, I feel like I am spying on others, collecting info on them. So much for privacy, right? I just wanted a simple counter! The worst part is that I have added it, but cannot find it located on any of the blog guides, formats, or HTML listing, to remove it if I wanted to. (I wanted to MOVE it to the bottom, actually, and have no idea how to find it at all now.) So, that is the story of the counter. Well, then hi and welcome to the American, Canadian, and Bermudan viewers!!! I am sorry I took your privacy away.

So, on to my little routine, a few chores, and then into town for some kind of fellowship - at the laundry? - and a real meal, sometime today, as well. I hope to try the restaurant at the Dinghy Club for a change, but have never walked into the place so don't know what I will find.

An aside

I just received a Thanksgiving email from an old family friend. They were next door neighbors when Mom and Dad moved (back) to Rosslyn Farms, just after I was born. Uncle Harry was a family doctor who made house calls (they had the first answering machine I ever saw - about the size of a suitcase if I remember correctly), and Harry, Majorie, and later RoseBud, were sort of like cousins, or the like, in those early years. Even more so for my brother who is older. ( I found out years later that Dad and Aunt Rose planted a garden on their lot on Winthrop Circle and carried buckets of water in the car trunk each night to tend the garden. Didn't know Dad knew anything about a garden until I heard that story.) We bought our house on Alden, and they eventually built a beautiful home on Winthrop, so we stayed neighbors and close friends for all these years. In fact, the 2nd to last time Dad was hospitalized, his room was back to back with Aunt Rose's and they were neighbors one last time.

So today, Rosemary writes me that she follows this blog, and likes it, but hates the title - The LAST Adventure (says it should read 'greatest' or 'life starts now" ) So I wrote back to her:
Well, it IS the last, but it is funny you say that. A few weeks ago, I did a pretty poor job of getting the thought on paper, but if you look back, you will find a picture of Mom and Dad's marker at Arlington, and picture of Denise's kids, Anna and Andrew Foster. I TRIED to say, that that day was a turning point for me, mentally, to look to the future more and not the past so much. When I started the blog, that was where my mind and heart were- in the past. Somewhere in my writings, there is mention that I have had a great life, with very low low's and some great highs, but I look at the whole 56 years as a series of adventures; getting to make decisions that others with wives and children, perhaps, were not able to choose. And doing stuff that was too risky for the average guy in similar shoes. I built a home from scratch which could have been a disaster, financially. I flew airplanes and bungee jumped and started businesses that failed, and moved around a bit. Bought a small nightclub on a whim. Got into the rental business without much forethought, and perhaps, for the wrong reasons. Think of your friends who are married or with children and what freedom you have that they don't. Maybe their Christmas mornings are a bit more full of cheer, but we single, with no kids, people can make choices that they cannot, or perhaps, if prudent should not consider at all. So, yes, it is my last adventure. If God takes me right now, then I am fine, because I got to "go" - to start the adventure. (My biggest fear this summer was getting sick, or injured, preventing me from that actual departure.) When I was chasing women all the time, (years ago, of course, not now!) I used to say, taking an expression from hunting, that sometimes the chase was more fun than the kill. In this case, I HOPE that preparing for this was the work, and now I get to enjoy the fun part. Will have to hold off on saying whether that is true or not, but that is my expectation.
So, here I sit. Broken down. In one paradise. Not mine, yet, but it is out there waiting for me. And I AM living my last adventure. Now, how great is that!

And since it is apparently fast approaching, Happy Thanksgiving to all. Every day is Thanksgiving now, for me.

After My Last Post, It Occurred to Me

At the bottom of the page (if you scroll all the way down) are some pictures of AF. They are part, I believe of the photos that Mike took for selling her on the internet. Well, I was accused, sometimes directly, and sometimes subtly, of overloading AF, prior to my departure. Since I was leaving with everything that I owned, save a couple of containers gone to NC for storage, yes, it was loaded. (Truthfully, I watched the water line carefully, and also knew something others didn't: There are several storage spaces - some big spaces - with nothing in them, that I know others have packed full on their Morgan 46's). But I thought it might be appropriate to show you what she looks like inside, right now.

Below is a photo, looking aft, of the aft berth (you can compare it to the one at the bottom of page). You will see the folding bike strapped securely to the ladder to go up to the back porch(Anna and Andrew liked to climb it when they would visit), and below it you can make out the silver diving tank that I just purchased in Norfolk. You can see the white plywood mattress platform raised up- it has some cutouts that are a bit confusing in the pic, and the white pipe going up is not a stripper pole, but the emergency tiller, coming down from the deck above. There was plenty stored on the starboard (on your left) mattress and the center mattresses before my troubles started, and there were 2 blue mattresses filling the space as well, and I had to tear it all apart when the hydraulic line failed, throwing stuff everywhere, to get that plywood raised up. On the left is a large brown box with ONE of my new 12 volt fridge systems, and underneath that is a box with 2 solar panels. BTW, this is after I cleaned up some.

Below is the salon, looking forward with the ladder to the cockpit at your right shoulder and nav station on the left. I have a bag for trash hanging in the way, but you can see the floor filled, as I placed easy to eat food in a laundry basket there, as well as changes of clothes - both for cold and warm weather- in case I had to change quickly en route. Looking forward you can barely make out the door on the right, open into the forward head and the V-berth.

Below is the V-berth and the door to the head is cracked open (and will not close because the stuff has shifted and is pushing against it) You might make out that it is piled about shoulder height. As is the v-berth, which contains the other 12 volt fridge system, enough canvas to re-make all of the bimini and more, a box of rolled up charts, my keyboard and a beer case of music. Jeeze, what else? The new wind generator is there and oh, the SPARE radar external unit is also boxed up in there. And lots more. Hiding behind that hideous green striped cushion, you would see a cargo net over a very large pile of 'stuff', firmly lashed to some small cleats I installed before leaving.

So, that is a look of AF, underway, and with all these systems un-installed. My niece claims that they are coming to visit someday soon, so I will have to get busy and get these things installed, to make some room for them.

An aside: The earliest I can ever remember going to Rehoboth Beach for vacation, I remember my mom making toast over the gas burner on the stove. I didn't give it a thought. And last year at this time, Joyce made toast many mornings for me for breakfast, while we were en route to St Maarten on Paul's boat. So tonight I thought I would try it. Well, my hat is off to you, Mom and Joyce, for your patience and care. It was not so successful for me.

More later. Time to eat - cake.

Bermuda - Overcast but still beautiful and 76 degrees again today

So, I said I would post a couple pics here today, and even with overcast skies and this wind, it is pretty nice here. I have not left AF since this blow started, although earlier today, I decided to take the risk and leave while it was more calm, but winds are back up and I will sit still and tend anchor watch instead. I am learning this stuff slowly, or rather, getting USED to this stuff slowly, and don't know yet what to feel confident about and what to worry about. But surely do not want to come back out in the dink, to find my home and all my possessions run aground and pounding on some rocks down wind, so caution is my prime thought these days.
Below is a home in the anchorage area here, and their front yard is where AF would be found most likely if she dragged anchor.
And looking this direction, you can see where I would LIKE to be anchored on the right, and the little town is in the left half. Govt House and a couple restaurants, grocery, and Bermuda Dinghy Club with restaurant and laundry. They are cleaning up the square, have built a little platform, and are painting the main buildings for the queen's visit in a week or so. Guess that will be my Thanksgiving.

Below is a pic of my anchor set up. The line on the right, going over the bow, is the snubber and it should be way out there down taht anchor chain instead of knotted so close to the boat. Note the other chain, on the port, left side, awaiting, should I start to drag. I will drop it and let out line as fast as possible, and do the snubber knot correctly.

And, for Erik, a pic of the jib situation. I wound it up too tight when I started moving the other day in that ordeal, and now there isn't enough line on the spool to reel it all the way in, so I have this bit of sail out there helping me swing back and forth in the wind. I can fix it, but choose to wait until the winds and waves are more calm, unless it becomes a real problem.

Today, I cleaned up the aft cabin, (I think I will have to move the folding bike onto deck in the future. It is strapped well to the aft ladder, but really gets in the way all the time.) and removed a fitting to take to shore when I can, as well as writing a list of parts needed. I let the wind generator spin and looked at its wiring, and think that possibly the blocking diode is blown, letting current flow backwards, shutting the genny down even when it is blowing 25 knots. Next, I am going to tackle re-stowing the forward head, which is piled to my shoulders with stuff. I need to find the flaring tool and some others at the same time.

Wondering what to make with these old bananas. Probably banana nut cake or muffins, but who knows? Banana pudding sounds good, if I can find one of Mom's pudding mixes.

Getting by just fine. Had a great, and helpful email from a fellow I met back in Baltimore, who drives a schooner boat with a big pointy piece of log sticking out the front. Thanks Mike. It was a big pick me up. And I talked with Paul a bit this morning for some advice on getting the jib down and folded when this blow stops, so I can take it ashore to the sail loft.

Winds are starting to gust, and knock me around a bit, so time to go forward again and check things out.

There are worse places to be broken down than Bermuda

After making it in here the other day, fried mentally, and physically exhausted, from the 24 hour straight, no sleep, challenge to hand steer AF with the emergency tiller, I am finally recovering. On top of the rigours of 8 days at sea alone, my hands stayed swollen for 3 days from grasping the lines on the tiller for 24 hours, and my side was bruised from leaning into it to steer. I am feeling so much better, and ready to get to my repairs, and now the weather has turned bad again. Predicted up to 35 knot winds until Friday. (One good thing is that I don't really know what day of the week it is anymore, so Friday could be tomorrow or 6 days from now.) When I arrived here, with limited maneuverability, they asked me to anchor in a quarantine area, and that was fine with me at the time, as there were only 2 other boats here, and no chance for me to clip someone trying to anchor. But, it is the least sheltered area from the wind, and I will take a beating here for these next few days.
When I arrived, I had to get the dink off the deck, and so I put the little 4hp engine on her, and went in to clear customs. It is so slow, but I can lift it and handle it without help, but I decided later to winch down the 15 hp engine and exchange them, so I could get around faster. Of course, I have only done this a couple times, each time avoiding some disaster, and no different this time. As I swung the motor out over the dink, the lifting strap slipped and the engine dropped 2 feet, but stayed. I am starting to think that the Harbor Masters get their binoc's out when they see me on deck, just to what calamity I am going to have next. But the big engine is on and boy, does it fly. The dink only weighs 100 lbs or so, and when it planes, you have to back off quickly on the throttle, or you will be thrown out of the boat when it hits a wake or wave. 2 nights now, I have gone in to town for dinner and drinks and had a blast flying the little dink around the harbor in the dark, particularly on the ride home, with the aid of a few beers or cocktails. That makes it ALL fun, even getting out of the dink and climbing into AF.
I may have mentioned in the previous blog that within an hour of arrival, some fellow was banging on the side of the boat. He had seen me come in. Dale was crewing on another boat to the Carib that broke down in the storm, but he owns a Morgan 46 like mine, newer though, back home in Minnesota, of all places, and is working on his in the back yard, effectively. He is a very nice guy, who came back yesterday, and we rigged some lines so he could raise me up to the top of the mizzen mast to retrieve my lost halyard - a very, amateur mistake. We had a few beers afterwards and did what I do best - just sat in the cockpit and talked!
His captain came to pick him up later with an invite for me to have cocktails aboard another boat, the owners of which were wonderful hosts, and run a charity from sea to get school books to poor Carib. island kids. He wrote/published/edited in the sailing magazine field all of his life, and had some great stories about interviews he had done all over the world. His wife made me my first Dark an' Stormy, a local traditional drink of the local rum which is black colored, and ginger beer. Another guest was a young man who is also a single hander like me, who towed a broken down sailboat (There were a LOT of boats broken in this storm as well as many who just turned tail and went home.) 140 miles here to Bermuda. I look forward to spending more time with Drake, to see how he has boat set up and what he might suggest for me. And I want to see his wind generator setup, as his are the same as my new one sitting in the box in the bow berth. When I departed their boat, I rode into town and had some supper and a couple more, and came back out to AF. Climbed in, and was settling down, when - bang bang bang - it was Dale again - Let's go into town for a couple. Back into the dinks for a bit of racing at 11 pm across St George's in the dark! And a couple more Dark an' Stormy's. When I got back after closing time, I did some checking on the anchor system and made a change or 2, and boy did I screw that up, all with the aid of the rum. Hence, my apprehension tonight about dragging anchor or damaging the boat in this wind.
There is a device called a snubber, which in various forms performs the same thing - to put some spring or stretch into the anchor line, so that the force of being blown backwards is not all put on the chain or the windlass. I screwed it up last night. Tied it incorrectly, and it fell off, and the windlass was not tensioned properly, and almost every inch of rode is out now. That leaves none to put out if I start to drag. I haven't anchored like that since last year, and then, only once, so had just forgotten the correct knot. AF came with 2 other versions of the snubber that are bought commercially, but wanted to do it 'the right way'. Goofed it up good. I have the 2nd anchor now sitting to properly deploy if the anchor alarm goes off, meaning the anchor is dragging and I have drifted too far from my original position.
It was 75 here today, the sky was blue and partly cloudy even with this wind howling. I am staying aboard, to anchor watch, until this blow is over, and that makes it a bit boring, but I feel good enough now to get to work on the aft berth, to start the take off for the hose and fittings, and start to clean the mess up. There is hydraulic fluid everywhere. It even squirted into my hair that morning, when a wave bumped the rudder and it moved the ram. I was in such a panic - not the right word really - to find the trouble at first, that I used anything handy to clean my hands or wipe the fluid up, and it is on the sheets, the mattress, and I think I ruined a couple of my best T-shirts as rags.
Tried to cheer things up today with a decent home cooked meal, something which I am incapable of producing, but I thawed some chile, and cut up some apples that were pretty bruised from the bouncing we took, and baked them with raisins for an apple cinnamon desert. And I even made some 'Coke' with the Soda Club drink machine. Beats the baloney sandwich and cold coffee I had for lunch.
It looks like I will be here when Queen Elizabeth visits in 2 weeks, for the celebration, I think, of Bermuda's 400th year as Britain's. I have been told that when she visits Bermuda, she likes to play a certain poker machine over in the corner of the bar where I have been eating and also kicks butt on a trivia machine (I saw ER as top scorer - could it really stand for Elizabeth Regina?), so maybe she can buy me a drink or 2, if she wins. Not sure that is true, but we shall see.
The government here will allow me to stay 2 weeks here, with 2 more weeks possible. So, all in all, even with the tension of getting thru this blow at anchor (every gust sends AF coasting back and forth and rocking about.) and facing the repairs I need, there are a lot worse places to be broken down than Bermuda.

Will try to snap and post some pictures tomorrow if it is not as bouncy and windy as today. I was almost blown off me feet a couple times today while out on deck.

Bermuda. Who said anything about Bermuda? Now with pictures!

Finally, underway. First day out of Norfolk
First fish. Hooray! I broke the hex on Uncle Jimmy's reel!

1st fish ready to bake

Second fish. I left him there, hoping to catch another, to clean up 1 time. A wave washed him overboard.

4 or 5 days ago, I went thru a change of heart thanks to my friend Paul's help and encouragement, dropped my fears of handling such big sails under pretty intense wind pressure, and I sailed. Stopped the engine, and sailed. Kinda hard to admit the fear, but it was there. There are so many forces acting on a sailboat, and if they conspire against you, you are sunk, literally, and that has paralyzed me to a certain degree. Also, it is a lot of work. So, that day, I sailed. Turned the engine off, and enjoyed the quiet noise of the hull going thru the water. I even slept and the boat moved us forward.
The next day, doldrums came and I did what I said I would do: I stopped at a scenic overlook. AF was sitting, stirring not an inch, and I just watched. I had never done that before-sat in the middle of the ocean, alone, in the quiet, listening to music, and relaxing far from anyone. I shot the shotgun at a banana peel, and sat and looked into the still blue water for that first shark. I made dinner, and with a glass of wine, thanked God and a few others, for this life, looking forward to a real night's sleep, silently drifting along in the Atlantic. (By the way, I saw the first shark today, as the sun was rising, dorsal fin and tail slipping thru the water surface, looking for breakfast, I guess.)
Just as I was about to turn in, when listening to the Amen from Handel's Messiah, finishing the dishes, I heard the wind start blowing. So I finished, ran up, and went. Boy, did I go. I don't know how fast this old boat should go- called hull speed- but I have only seen about 7 knts, and I saw that night, 8.3 several times. The amazing thing was that I came down below, and slept while she zipped along. I would get up regularly, and check things and the wind was howling, and this old, fat boat, as I told family, was a Ferrari, not a DeSoto. Screaming along, I had the sensation of the ice boaters flying along on those sailboat for ice. It lasted about 8 hours.
Well, I sailed right into a real blow. It got bad. Real bad. Maybe only 10 or 12 foot seas, but fast and angry, banging into each other, frothing. And, suddenly, I lost all control of the helm. The wheel just spun in my hand. A hydraulic hose fitting had blown, probably by the tremendous forces put on the rudder by my fast sailing, but blew anyway, and I had no spare bought, of this unique and, in my opinion, ill-chosen hose and fittings, since I have had TWO blow now. I tried putting the same fitting back on, and it blew 3 times. I searched the boat for a spare, or some substitute, including cannibalizing the water maker high pressure lines, or even my diving hookah. So, there I was, sitting about 450 miles from the US-I really don't know the numbers correctly-getting tossed, literally about and no options for correcting it, in my mind. The big thing to me was that if I changed one detail of the setup that was keeping the boat moving forward into the wind a little, and into the waves, then it could turn, and be rolled by wave. So, I was petrified to change anything. I think I sat here, below, getting pounded about, tossed about, and everything on the floors, for 36 hours, emailing friends over the SSB radio, for thoughts, suggestions, and my sending descriptions of what was going on, as well as reading and even napping. (I need to mention here, how much Paul and Mike and Wes meant to me, for their sending suggestions, offering inspiration, and encouraging me during this ordeal.)My last resort was using the emergency tiller. Anyway, I decided to use some teflon tape, to fool the fitting into not blowing out, and when I did, it held. Bleeding the air is next and I was hesitant to spin the helm wheel, as eventually, the rudder would respond, but not equally, going both ways. But I bled enough for the auto pilot to work, so I started the engine, brought in the sails, and was sending an email to family and friends saying that I was moving, when the line blew again, leaving me with no solution, but the emergency tiller. You open a hole in the aft deck floor, break out a panel of wood, and it slides down over the rudder post. I had prepared some ropes and pulleys and stuff, that I might need, and hurryedly installed this tiller. And off we went, motoring, to Bermuda. That was yesterday, I think about 1pm, and I motored all night long, struggling with this contraption to steer the boat, arriving in Bermuda, about 145 or 125 miles, and I guess all or most of 24 hours, right into a storm here.

Below is how I spent 24 hours, only in rain clothes, but no socks, Paul. My left side is bruised today because of having to use my body to turn right, and lift the tiller over the Switlick hump.

Note wear on life raft container, and the hump I had to lift the tiller over, every time I had to steer right.But,finally, I am at anchor here, checked thru Customs and Immigration, and have my first stamp in the passport for a new place in my new life. So, waiting to repair the sail that the wind sort of shredded, beating it for a day and half at 35 knots, or whatever, I will rebuild this hydraulic system myself. Several other things to be done, as the boat was mistreated badly during those days. But, I am safe, and sizing up a new plan after repairs. I have already spoken to several other sailors here, and the stories of the damaged boats this year are plenty, so, in the end, I think I was lucky.

Now, I have taken an extra long shower, shaved, clean clothes, and brushed (twice) teeth. I am ready to clean up this mess, and will talk to sail loft and shop tomorrow.

Saturday, November 7,2009

Well, I did NOT depart yesterday. The calm did not come in time to safely make the decision, so I spent one more night here in Little Creek. One more night of $1 beers at the marina restaurant, and a nice pound of shrimp and triple chocolate cheese cake for desert. Real health food!

810 am - Running fridge to get her down as low as possible. Was 32 degrees when I awoke at 6am. (Yes, Wes, SIX am). Made my coffee and at a banana, and took my pill. Marina office just opened. Going to fire up the engine to warm and pull in the shore power cord, and call them for some dock hand help getting away. Will be away by 9am.

So, I am finally gone. Update in about 2 weeks, God willing.

Goodbye for Now

Paul and I have been talking almost everyday via Skype. He is in the mountains of Guatemala, and I am in Norfolk, and we both can look at the same weather forecasts online. We spoke last night and have a new plan since last post. There should be a lessening in the winds as this low passes about 1pm today here. ( It is hard to believe since now, at 8am, the boat is rocking back and forth and every halyard in the marina is clanging away against its mast.) But, if the forecast is true, things should be lessening very soon, and I will drop the lines about 1pm, and be heading out by 2pm.

So, unless you read differently, I am gone, and will blog about my trip in about 2 weeks, or more, or less..........

Killing Time

Got up this morning, and made my usual coffee (Does anyone else think it is easier, and faster, to make it in the coffee maker, vs. a french press?Messy to clean up, gets cold while waiting the 5 minutes for "brewing", and I know that glass thing is going to break one of these days.) Checked weather, and I am wondering if Friday afternoon might be a better time than Saturday morning. Wrote Paul, but he must be sightseeing today. No reply yet.

So, what to do today. I moved the dink onto the stern, and it just isn't right there (How do you get an 11 ft boat into an 8 ft space?), so I moved it to the bow deck. Looks better there, but I know that the waves are going to want to remove it for me. I just don't know which is better. Boiled a big pot of water and made pasta, with a small glass jar of Ragu and a bag of my own sauce. It will be my 'stew' to eat enroute, cold, if necessary. Then I fried up 2 packs of breakfast sausage I had bought in Balt., and can refridgerate them and eat on bread. Again, cold.

Diane called last night and will take me with her shopping around 10 tomorrow, and I might make a beef stew when we get back. She sounds hurried though so I cannot mess about, and ask for too much. So kind of them to offer, to begin with.
Made some calls today, to say goodbye's and that is about it. Kind of bored. Might re-stow the forward head, as it is piled with stuff and if the door springs open, it will all come tumbling out. And I was looking for something today, and found half of one storage area bare. I overlooked it. Could have put a LOT of stuff in there, but moved some loose things into it, so it will serve a bit. Wes wrote the other day that my knotmeter was not broken. I just had so much stuff aboard (cleaned that up for the public) that I was just going too slow to make it spin.

Going to walk up to the restaurant and have another hamburger, and see what beer is $1 tonight.
The plan is to depart Saturday morning. Hooked up half my 110 v shore power last night and have the microwave or the water heater working, but have to switch it to the other buss to get the battery charger fired up. Will do that tonight. Cannot let the batteries die on me. So, that is the latest from Norfolk Va.

Just killing time.

Flexibility

The definition of flexibility reads,"Responsive to change; Adaptable." Another is, "Capable of being bent without damage." Damage is a key word here.

A few weeks ago I wrote that, in all my adult life, I cannot recall ever stopping at a 'scenic overlook'. I was always in a hurry, to get to Pittsburgh, York, or wherever, and back home again, to go to work the next day. I wrote that I must make myself now stop and look at the Scenic Overlook.

Those who know me, know that the US State Dept has NEVER begged me to come to work for them because of my diplomatic skills.

Well, another attribute I must shed is rigidness. Time to relax. And bend without damaging myself. And adapt. Be "flexible."

So, this morning, after careful thought (albeit aided by a huge sleep deprivation and alcohol hangover), and consultation with Paul in Guatemala via Skype, I have canceled this afternoon's departure (which I was very excited about - my mind and heart are ready to go) and decided to linger a few days, to let some weather that I might have encountered 3 or 4 days from now, pass. Now, no one really knows what else is brewing after Saturday (read about the Chaos Theory http://www.imho.com/grae/chaos/chaos.html to learn why our meteorologists cannot accurately predict the weather beyond 3 days - why they don't really know where a hurricane is going to land until about 2 days before (they call it the 'cone'), and, yes, it may come a time when I am sitting here in Norfolk, buying Christmas lights for the boat, and wondering what my Christmas card should say, if I remain too flexible. But, some place in the middle, there must be a reasonable point.

Prudence says that I should wait. So, to prove to myself and others who may doubt, knowing me so well, that I have an ounce or 2 of prudence, I am going to shed my rigidness, and be flexible. And wait. I have plenty of little jobs to do, and an offer of a car to borrow, so I can be productive for a couple days.

So, the new departure date is Saturday, November 7th. I do not have enough 'layers' to wear if I wait much longer than that, and winter really sets in.

Please, God, I am already wearing out all of my flexibility and using up my prudence. Beginning to feel kinda impatient and hurried. Make the weather be nice.

Sleep

Very tired after an all-nighter from Baltimore. (Cannot do stuff as if I were 50 anymore!) Arrived at the fuel dock about noon at - where am I? Bay Point Marina? and decided to tie up at their little bit of face dock after buying fuel. Very nice marina, and you would be amazed to see how I squeezed AF between a sailboat and catamaran, with less than 5 ft on either end. I am catching on to this stuff, slowly.

Very un-remarkable trip south. Just lots of traffic and radio chatter, all night long. And, I peed down INTO my rain bibbs instead of INTO the toilet last night because I had so many layers on, and couldn't see what I was doing. Then, I sat in it all night and day, wondering why my butt felt so damp. Gotta work on THAT move a bit.

USCG was escorting US Navy War Ship 75 - pictured above - out to sea today as I was crossing over the Hampton Road channel. Just looked it up and it is the USS Harry Truman. Was a pretty cool sight, and HUGE although I was barely within 5 miles of her. They had a security ring around it, and some other Navy stuff had similar security, with copters flying about. Was interesting, but was talking on cell to 2 different friends at the same time and found it all overloading to keep up with radio chatter, cell, and watching my traffic. But, this whole trip, no one yelled at me for goofing up.

I have just returned from dinner with Diane and Larry, friends from the SSCA gam this past fall. Diane and I met, as I volunteered my time and she was the vol. coordinator, as well as a speaker. Really nice folks, who have offered advice and a loan of their car, if I need to run to the store. Thank you both.

Paul called from Guatemala and has my trip planned for me, based on weather and his navigation software. If I follow his advice, I will leave tomorrow afternoon. But the weather is changing quickly, with 2 lows passing thru and I want to hear and see what they say tomorrow. Unfortunately, Paul's Skype cut out before we could discuss his reasons and the details, and they are away for a couple days playing tourist, and will be out of touch.

So, I will see what weather says tomorrow. Now, sleep.

Enroute to Norfolk

Well, I departed Baltimore today, with some - reluctance isn’t the right word, but I hesitated and procrastinated a bit. But finally got away, with Ken’s help with the lines, and after fueling up, it was probably about 1 or 2pm. What did I forget to buy? To do? To bring along? Over and over, it played thru my mind. Well, for one thing, I forgot to clean the wheel that spins to tell me how fast thru the water I am going. Will have to do that tomorrow. Goodbye Baltimore. I don’t think that departing Norfolk, into the Atlantic will cause the same hesitancy. I am READY to get this thing going.

Baltimore:

The Bay Bridge one last time.

I am enroute to Norfolk, on an all nighter. GPS says I will be there about 10am. Will give me plenty of daylight to look around for a decent place to anchor, as well a fuel dock to top the tank off. Dragging the dink behind me. Will put her on deck when I get to an anchorage.Ate leftover fried chicken from Weis Market and leftover breakfast sausage from Whole Foods, and it kept falling out of the bread, so I ate a few off the cockpit floor. Made coffee and think that I will get used to this.. Better not say much more until I hit some waves.
It is 10pm, and a beautiful night, and the moon is full and shining down into the cockpit. Tried a non-flash picture while standing on the 'back porch'. Not much wind, so smooth going, (It will be much different in the Atlantic.) I am very lucky to be here tonight. Embarking on my last adventure. What a wonderful life I have had.

Listening now to my favorite songs: Celine and Frank singing. Satchmo - What a Wonderful World. Willy doing Over the Rainbow. Natalie singing with her dad. Patsy singing Crazy. Brings back great memories, melancholy feelings, and I feel a bit alone. Makes me want to call Anne-Marie. But this is my life, I guess. We shall see what I have to say in about 2 weeks, when, God willing, 1400 miles safely pass under the keel, and I pull into Phillipsburg, St. Maarten. Dink over to the bar where Heini’s are cheap, because they come in smaller bottles, That was a good joke on Paul, last year. Wifi up and send a message out with details of the trip. Yup, we’ll see what I have to say then. (Oh, God. Have I made a mistake?!? Sold the house. The cars. Oh dear, what have I DONE?) I think I am going to love it!
One more entry before I depart. Enough for tonight. God Bless.

Sunday Weather

After so much effort yesterday, to say goodbye's and prepare Annah Foster for departure, the weather has turned cold and wet, shown below. So instead of departing the marina today, for fuel, I guess I will stay below and continue to find a safe place to put the small things that will fly about when the seas get rough. Will require a walk up to Whole (lotta $$) Foods, for some breakfast and fresh bananas, so I WILL be getting cold and wet, but for now, that is OK as I have shore power and the WM heaters are working great. I have a pile of cold weather clothes sitting on the spare bunk aft and will dig thru it for something to wear today.