Underway...

At 11:15 this morning we left the docks on the Sassafras River and headed out toward the Chesapeake. A mere 10 minutes into the journey I heard a bird cawing and turned to find a big black bird sitting at the top of the mast. Then turning to the stern I realized the big black bird had pooped all over the back of the boat. My initial reaction was frustration as I had just scrubbed the deck the day before. But giving it further thought I decided it was just Mother Nature's way of initiating us into her environment. So having now been accepted as a part of her world we went out into the Chesapeake taking photos of the Sassafras River as we went.

The day was very nice. Winds at 8-10 knots. Mid 70's for temps. Slight waves. We sailed down to Middle River and are now planning to spend our first night at anchor in Sue Creek. Tomorrow we will make the rest of the journey to Annapolis.

We celebrated my birthday this evening with a great birthday dinner and for dessert - Klondike bars. I know it doesn't seem exciting to all you land based folks but we are absolutely smitten with the fact that the freezer can keep ice cream.

More to come.

The Admiral

10/16/08

A Final Sassafras Sunset...

Well with the gear stowed and tanks filled I think we are finally ready to shove off. Before we do that, however, we wanted to enjoy one final sunset on the Sassafras River. The sunsets here are just stellar and tonight's viewing is spectacular as well.

Next stop? Somewhere closer to Annapolis. If the northerly winds come in as expected we may make it to Annapolis tomorrow. Otherwise, we will anchor somewhere overnight and finish the journey the following day. After all, what's the hurry?!

The Admiral

10/15/08

PS > For those wondering why I am not posting excerpts pertaining to the big birthday I had today its not because I am trying to ignore the event. With all the final activities going on today the Captain and I agreed that we would celebrate the big event tomorrow where we hope to have new sunset viewing to enjoy.

Holy Crab!

In celebration of Tim's last evening in Maryland we did what every good tourist should do - crab dinner! I know - your all thinking, didn't we just see a crab dinner several postings ago. Yes you did, but I continue to be overwhelmed by the sheer mass that the crabs present on the platter. I think Tim was pretty shocked too.

The Admiral

10/14/08

Captain Crunch?

The Captain has been having difficulty adapting to his new lifestyle. We, brother-in-law Tim and I, decided to give him a helping hand in transforming him to his new sea based life. Our goal was to turn him into Pirate Captain Crunch. It was a challenging task but we finally succeeded. If interested in turning yourself into a Pirate I suggest the following:

1) A dockside haircut to leave those land based cooties behind.

2) The hoisting of the new colors....in this case Red, White and Blue for Nestles Crunch! (Thanks Sabine and everyone from the office)

3) The eyepatch - because every well known Pirate in history had one.

4) The smoking of a cigar to enrich the senses.....and finally

5) A champagne toast (thanks Nancy) because its always 5 o'clock somewhere!

With the ritual complete, Captain (Crunch) Dave appears to be easing into his new dockside responsibilities of chief mechanic, bartender and grill chef - I mean bartender, grill chef and chief mechanic. Stay tuned as the Captain will add the responsbilities of helmsman and navigator once we leave the dock!!!

The Admiral

10/14/08

The Boat Show...

Today we enjoyed the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD. The weather was just perfect - sunny and in the mid to upper 70's. The show held several surprises including new catamarans that we had never seen before as well as the absence of several catamaran companies who have gone out of business or have chosen to focus on power cats vs sailing cats. One such surprise was the spotting of Chesire Cat in the show. We had a few minutes to talk with Mike T., Chesire Cat's Captain, who indicated that his cruise thus far has exceeded expectations. Very good news to hear given that Captain Dave and I will be pushing off from the dock sometime this week.

We are anxious but not so much so that we are going to leave before making sure that some of the all important small tasks are completed. Tomorrow the Captain and brother-in-law Tim are painting markings on the anchor chain so that as we let out chain while at anchor we know how much is out. The Captain also has one more trip up the mast to install the new anchor light bulb that we picked up at the show. All little things, but little things that will be very helpful while underway.

More to come.

The Admiral

10/12/08

The Whirlwind...

It has been a heck of a week!! Captain Dave even remarked that he felt he has spent more time in the car than anywhere else. The whirlwind began with the drive back to the midwest. On our arrival there was the day of errands, the day visiting friends in Indiana, the day with Dave's family, time with my family, three final work days for Dave, his going away party at work (which was great - thanks everyone!) and, of course, all the activities involved in packing for our departure.

Somehow the top priorities were completed and then we traveled out East for the boat. This time we brought brother-in-law Tim with us and the photo of him relaxing on the trampoline is exactly what Dave and I needed following all the running - a day of rest.

The Admiral

10/11/08

Preparations Continue....

Well as we reach the final days of preparations, the Captain and I have been hard at work trying to get things finalized. Dave was up on the mast again to install the radar reflector. While up there he got some great views of the marina. While the photos give a great reflection of all the boats and work going on around us they certainly don't do justice to the beautiful terrain.

I am very greatful that my freezer is now functional again. The Captain had disabled the evaporator and drilled holes into the freezer walls in an effort to add more insulation and stop the condensation on the countertop and behind the salon cushions. We don't know if the fix will solve 100% of the problem but, without a doubt, the freezer has substantially more insulation now than before.

When not working we've become social beings. We've made lots of friends here. Each of which has a rich history of how they got into sailing and there adventures thus far. Yesterday we hosted our very first "impromptu' happy hour. (Not to be mistaken with our first happy hour.) "Impromptu" as right around 5:00 yesterday evening the Captain and two other yachties were standing on the dock talking their experiences. Hand a drink to each one and voila "impromptu" happy hour is born. I didn't have to twist any arms either! It is quite fun.

The Admiral

10/1/08