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.