Mary and I are busily wrapping up loose ends today, getting everything ready for our trip across the gulf stream tomorrow. Loose ends mean laundry, propane, fill the gas cans and put away everything aboard that may move around underway. Tomorrow we will haul the dinghy and clean the bottom.

We are 140 nautical miles south and west of Bimini and our trip should take approximately 20 hours. Departure will be around 1300 and we will sail overnight, arriving sometime midmorning on Tuesday.

Our stay in Marathon has been a delight as always. We arrived on the 13th of December and that weekend our friends from Rockford, Illinois arrived. The first week involved reacquainting ourselves with many of our friends here in the harbor. It was good to be back in familiar surroundings.

Shortly before Christmas I returned to Wisconsin for a quarterly checkup. I got the green light to go to the Bahamas. What a relief! I had a chance to spend some time with friends and even got some snow to remind me why I moved south.

I arrived back on the boat shortly before Christmas. We decorated our wreath and on Christmas we celebrated with fellow cruiser’s with a potluck dinner at Dockside Bar and Grill.

The holidays are no time to have work done on the boat so we delayed having the boat hauled until after New Years. Earlier I had retrieved a large piece of plastic that was wrapped around the prop.

Little wonder why the boat had been shaking so bad. The boat was hauled after the first and it was not surprising that there was more damage. The cutlass bearing was deformed, the dripless shaft seal was badly worn and the strut had cracked loose from the hull. Best case we had hoped that the we would change back to the old stuffing box after repacking and be back in the water that afternoon. We had the yard crew at Marathon Marina replace the cutlass bearing and re-bed the strut. Two and half days later we were headed back to our mooring.

The following weeks were filled with trips, flea markets, package deliveries, Bahamas paperwork and lots of visits with friends. It’s hard to say goodbye but adventure calls. Cruisers get good at goodbyes.

Fair winds, we’ll see you on the other side.

As darkness spreads over Boot Key Harbor and the wind begins to die, we settle in for another night on the water. Hooked up to our mooring the routine becomes a little less stressful; for a while anyway. The trip to this point had been anything but stress free.

Thanksgiving in Vero Beach was quite the event. Wonderful food surrounded by great friends is reason for anyone to express gratitude. Out on the water, especially in transit, you miss direct contact with people, especially friends. This opportunity and our stay in Vero Beach gave us a chance to recompress a bit. We had an opportunity to meet some new folks as well as catch up with old friends we haven’t seen in over a year or more. There was even a chance to play a little poker!

Louise and Chris from “No Keys” came to visit and we had a great time driving around in a real “car” and enjoying sights we don’t normally see by boat.

Cruisers affectionately know Vero Beach as “Velcro Beach”. You can get “stuck” there. We broke that bond on December 7th. Weather outside in the ocean continued to be rough. It seems that the east wind has been blowing hard for weeks if not a month or more. This pushes the Gulf Stream close to the Florida coast and makes for bigger waves. Our choice was to continue south to Lake Worth at Palm Beach and then venture off shore to Miami.

The homes as seen from the ICW are pretty spectacular but once you get to Jupiter they go up exponentially. You pass Greg Norman’s “house” and shortly past Tiger’s (or was Tiger’s). The yachts docked along the way are also pretty impressive.

After anchoring for the night in south Lake Worth we rose early for our outside trip to Miami. Weather forecasts gave no hint to the actual conditions. As our boat crashed its way through the swells we wondered if we had made a good decision. A half mile out we turned to parallel the coats with the waves on the beam. The boat heaved from one side to the other and then back again. This was not to be a good ride. We chose to abort and return to Lake Worth. As we did, a 100’+ mega yacht also opted to return. You don’t feel so bad “chickening” out when the big boys join you.

Once inside we are faced with the unpleasant option of an inside trek in the ditch facing a total of 21 bridge openings. This stretch to Ft. Lauderdale is extremely developed and the boat traffic can be tenable at best. With little choice, we headed for bridge number one.

Traffic was light but the weather sucked. It rained off and on all day. Even with the rain the sights were pretty impressive. The houses and the boats docked outside just kept getting better. We chose to stay in a marina in Pompano Beach and so to take advantage of some shore leave. This means cocktails and food prepared by someone else. The outside bar at the Sands Marina and Hotel serves up some of the best wings we’ve ever tasted. Four thumbs up!

We finished up our trip to Fort Lauderdale the next day and the quality of housing and yachts went up several more notches. We were now waiting for bridge openings with 200’ mega yachts worth many millions. In Ft. Lauderdale we learned that money has the right of way. As the last bridge slowly receded we turned to port and headed out to sea. A short 25-mile trip to Miami was ahead.

The winds blew a steady 15 to 20 from the east (where else) and we were actually enjoying a real sail. Many fishermen were out as the sailfish were biting. It’s their custom to set their lines and let the boats drift. Intent on watching the lines they don’t pay much attention to boat traffic. We kept adjusting our course to avoid one small boat but it kept drifting into our path. I figured we had plenty of room but had failed to notice their kite. The kites are used as outriggers and I snagged theirs. Since they don’t use VHF radios, much gesturing and yelling ensued. Mary started the engine and let the sail luff as we turned back towards them. They frantically reeled or let their lines spool as we maneuvered trying to free the kite. After some artful maneuvers we were able to free ourselves and continue on our way. I don’t think they shared in my humor of the whole event.

Later that afternoon we slipped into Government Cut and proceeded to our anchorage at Marine Stadium so of Miami.

The forecast looked bad with east winds increasing to 25 knots and above. This forecast extended for a week. It looked like we would need a place to stay in Miami. I have a doctor’s appointment in Madison on the 20th of December and plane reservations have already been made. On the plus side the plane leaves from Miami, on the negative side there are no inexpensive places to stay.

We agonized for a day before making the decision to at least try to make it out Cape Florida Channel and hopefully Hawk Channel inside the reef would be better. Small craft warnings were out and forecast seas of up to seven feet awaited us. Fortunately for us, none of this materialized. Winds were light and we had a delightful trip to Rodriguez Key near Key Largo. Rodriguez Key has no protection from the east but there was little wind as we anchored. A squall blew through after 2100 and the wind shifted to the north. Now protected by the island we slept comfortably the remainder of the night.

At dawn the race began as five boats left heading west to Marathon. You are never sure whether there are enough moorings for everyone (this time of year there always is) so you want to be first in. Light winds turned to brisk as the day wore on. By 1200 it was blowing about 25 knots from the stern. With the headsail out we surfed along in the waves at a steady 7 1/2 knots.

About an hour out of Marathon we both felt the boat shudder. The vibration could be felt underfoot but there were no lobster pots trailing us and the speed stayed up, we sailed on. As we took our mooring assignment in Boot Key Harbor the wind was now gusting over 30 knots. Picking up the mooring line became difficult especially since the vibration now was very bad. The third try was the charm and we were secured to the mooring. I immediately went below to check things out. No water was in the bilge, which is always a good thing. The dripless shaft seal, a replacement of the traditional stuffing box, appeared to be in the process of disintegrating. It looked like it had overheated. A total failure generally means a LOT of water comes in the boat and you better be confident in your bilge pumps. Once again we were unfortunate to have something break but extremely fortunate to have it break where it did and when it did.

The boat will be hauled out for inspection after I return from Wisconsin. Until then we won’t know the full nature of the damage or what caused it. In the mean time we plan on relaxing with friends and enjoying our southernmost “home”.

The “trips to get there” are getting repetitious. I apologize for the infrequent posts but there just hasn’t been anything “new”.

Weather turned ugly after we anchored in Whiteside Creek, in the ICW about four hours from Charleston so we decided to head into the marina at Isle of Palms. While the weather didn’t get as bad as we expected, we did enjoy a great meal and happy hour at the restaurant there. The appetizers were unbelievable.

After sleeping late, (Ben Sawyer bridge is closed until 0900) we left and timed our arrival for the 1000 opening. As we approached there was a small cruise ship crosswise in the channel. A call to the bridge tender explained everything. She had locked herself out of the bridge house. Luckily she had her radio. Keys were being driven over from who knows where. This bridge tender is a real piece of work. Her exploits are legendary. She has plenty of attitude and has been known to not open for someone she feels has disrespected her and has inadvertently closed on others. The fire department showed up but couldn’t break in. I don’t think they tried very hard. Finally the house was unlocked and we got our opening at 1115. We were followed closely by our cruise ship friend.

We had our quickest stay in Charleston, ever. We love Charleston but when weather says go, you go. Our original intention had been two nights out and go inside at Port Canaveral but things don’t often work out as you plan. The trip from Charleston was uneventful and the conditions were tolerable especially since we had an almost full moon. As we approached Fernandina Beach we decided to go in. Cumberland Island is always a great stop and we used Goliath’s need for some beach time as an excuse.

He was a very happy puppy.

Kings Bay Submarine Base is not far from Cumberland and as we left the anchorage we saw we were to encounter our first submarine, “up close”. The Coast Guard informed me to stay away and not point my bow at the sub. I chose to cross the channel and stay clear where I felt I had more room. The Coasties weren’t sure what I was doing so they rushed over to us in their “fast boat” with some recruit manning the machine gun on the bow. It looked very menacing and I wanted a picture real bad but decided pointing anything at these guys might not be the best idea. I waited until they chased off to menace some other boat before I got my sub picture. All in all, pretty darn cool.

Mary loves the ICW. I don’t. We both agree that once you get to Florida the opportunities for bird watching are phenomenal, so we proceeded south in the ICW. White pelicans, roseate spoonbills, bald eagles, osprey, whooping cranes, blue herons and many egrets were seen as we made our way south.

As we made our way to Pine Island anchorage we saw our first manatees. Pretty cool. By mid day of day two in Florida we stopped at Palm Coast Marina to visit our good friend Per Hans Romnes. It was a great opportunity to catch up on news and we got to meet his new friend Brenda. She’s an artist and we picked up “One Happy Crab” to add to our collection. More of her mosaics can be seen here.

Soon we were heading south again. Normally we stop at Daytona but our stop at Palm Coast changed things a bit so our next day ended at New Smyrna Beach, where we stayed for three days. The City Marina was excellent and we walked and explored everyday. We loved the Little Drug Co. on Canal Street. They have an old time, lunch counter with real ice cream malts. YUMMY!!!

Mahoney’s Oyster Bar also deserves a mention. The food is great and the atmosphere friendly. The make seafood stews and pan roasts right their at the bar and they are delicious.

Needless to say we’ll be stopping again in New Smyrna Beach.

As we continued south we passed through Haulover Canal that connects Mosquito Lagoon with the Indian River. This well protected stretch is home to many manatees and this time through the little boat basin was full of slumbering giants. At least a dozen were visible as we slowly passed by. For the first time we also saw several large alligators lurking along the shore. By midday on the second day after leaving New Smyrna we were in Vero Beach where we will stay until weather allows us to move off shore and on to Marathon.

Our renewed adventure began with an engine that would not start. I sat at the boatyard’s dock fiddling with filters, jumper cables, etc., while Mary waited patiently at Calvert’s Marina. She had the handheld VHF and was desperately trying to hail me. My bad, I had forgotten to turn the volume up on the boat’s radio. She drove over to see what the delay was. After a recharge of the batteries I was able to get things going and soon was docked at Calvert’s.

We had figured on a couple of days to string the halyards, put the sails on, and provision the boat. A week later we would finally leave. The halyards were a real problem. The messenger lines had gotten jammed into the sides of the sheaves and ultimately broke. I would have to go up the mast to sort things out. Turns out, it was up the mast about a dozen times, as we tried all sorts of things to get the halyards pulled through. At a loss, I called my friend Scott in Milwaukee. He suggested we attach a length of bicycle chain to the halyard and fish it through the sheave with a magnet. Off we went to the bicycle shop and hurriedly sped home with our chain. By that afternoon all halyards were in place. We could not have done it without our new “assistant”.

A 28 volt angle drill with halyard winch bit

On the 24th of October we were finally able to let the dock lines slide and we were off. Our first night on the hook in almost eighteen months was spent in Pitman’s Cove off the Chesapeake. While the wind blew like stink out on the bay we sat placidly in our protected anchorage. It was difficult leaving in the morning knowing that the wind was howling elsewhere. The remaining trip to Norfolk was rough but uneventful. Anchoring at Old Point Comfort was not the best idea as there was surge from the river and the wind really picked up the next day. Crossing Hampton Roads was exciting. Crashing through four to six footers while avoiding barges and ships is always fun. After what seemed like an eternity we made to the ICW, mile 0. A large ship had passed us and we were now trailing it at a snail’s pace. We couldn’t pass as the two tugs filled the rest of the channel. At any moment we figured it would be pushed over into a dock but that didn’t happen until almost the Gilmerton Bridge. It took us four hours to get from Old Point Comfort to Gilmerton!

We chose the Dismal Swamp route and arrived early for the 1:30 locking. Even in this protected area the wind was a handful so we dropped the hook to keep our position. Locking has become quite routine for us and soon we were headed for the NC visitors center. We were the last boat in and rafted with fourteen other boats.

Last in means first out, so we up early the next morning. We locked through South Mills and headed for Elizabeth City. Figuring, due to weather, that the EC docks would be full we were surprised to find that there was room and soon we were safely tied into the pilings. EC is always a convenient stop so we stayed three nights. Mary got her birthday dinner and we went grocery shopping. What a fun couple!!!

Elizabeth City also offered us a chance to get new starting batteries. The situation after launch continually got worse. Several times we used the generator to “jump” the batteries. It was time for new ones. NAPA gladly delivered them to our slip.

Tuckahoe Point at the northern end of the Alligator River / Pungo River Canal was our anchorage after leaving Elizabeth City. The trip through the canal was boring as usual (which is a good thing) and by early afternoon we stopped at Dowry Creek Marina for Halloween. Goliath got dressed up in his skeleton outfit and was a big hit with everyone.

We chose to stay several nights in order to let the majority of the boats get ahead of us as well as an opportunity to do laundry. Dowery Creek is a great place and one of our favorites.

November 2nd, we left Dowry Creek headed for Cedar Creek south of Oriental, NC. That next morning we awoke early for a dawn start headed for Mile Hammock anchorage at Camp Lejuene. Dense fog greeted us. While debating whether to go or not we received a radio call from tug Pamlico heading northbound towards our position. We stayed put until he passed. The fog soon lifted and it was a beautiful day.

Weather on the oceanside has not be good. A series of lows have continually been marching up the East coast. This has caused gale conditions and the seas remain high. Wisely we opted to continue in the ICW and had a pleasant trip to Mile Hammock.

Our plan of letting all those boats get ahead of us backfired. About 35 boats anchored for the night at Mile Hammock. Crowded but still room for more.

A strong squall line blew through right at dawn. Air horns started to blare from different areas. Two boats dragged into other boats but we stuck well. There was a mass exodus of about 24 boats after the squall had passed. The weather was supposed to turn really ugly later and the thought of three timed bridge openings with all those boats was not comforting. We opted to stay another night.

For two more days the winds howled through our rigging. On the upside we did get to watch the Marines Ospreys practice, what an awesome machine.

We finally left after three nights on the hook. The anchor reluctantly came free after a great deal of forward momentum yanked it from the muck. Good to see that our Delta plow held so well.

With fairer weather we continued south with stops in Wrightsville Beach, Southport, Barefoot Landing (Myrtle Beach) and Charleston.

We’ve been out of the water for one year and 3 months, but we have finally launched! We can hardly believe it.

The last month and a half has been very frustrating. Our original intention was to paint the stripes and transom ourselves but the weather nixed that plan. Awlgrip, our intended paint, required at least a week of clear weather for application. We haven’t had that, so the yard was hired to spray the boat instead. It turned out a lot nicer than we ever imagined.

Preparation was painful and slow. To keep the expenses to a minimum I did the initial sanding and all the taping and masking. I had no idea how much work masking would be. I taped off all the areas and then sanded. Prior to priming I removed the tape, the edges were now scuffed and re-taped. Then I taped over that when the plastic was applied. Now it was time for primer.

After Billy sanded all the primer I removed all the tape and did it all over again. All the rips and tears were repaired in the plastic and the boat was moved to another area to paint it.

Five coats of blue Alexseal two part epoxy were sprayed on. It looked great but dust and a few bugs got into it. They let it sit a bit before it was buffed to a high gloss. It looked unbelievable. We were so happy.

All the tape and plastic were removed. I repainted the swim platform white and added new nonskid. The nonskid is “Grizzly Grip”, the same material used for truck bed liners. It is applied with a roller and comes out very hard and durable. I chose fine texture as I have used coarse before and did not want too coarse of a texture. I wish they had a medium as the fine is not coarse enough.

The nonskid was also added to the bow to protect that area from the anchors and we used it on the floor of the aft cabin where we store our what gear. All in all it turned out pretty nice. The crowning touch was the addition of the boat name and hailing port to the transom.

After several coats of bottom paint we were launched. The adventure begins anew.

That’s what I call John. He is constantly doing something, and, thank God, because we had so much to do to get our boat ready to launch. Lets do a partial recap of the projects completed between May and today, in no particular order: replaced the windlass motor; redesigned the anchor locker and added new anchor hardware; designed, fabricated, and installed fishing rod holders; designed, fabricated, and installed a custom cutting board in the galley (to cover the Corian countertop that he permanently stained with some toxic chemicals); replaced the vent system for the propane locker, installed a propane sensor (after a leak was found at survey), and rebuilt the whole propane sytem; stripped and stained the cabin sole; refurbished the refrigerator; taped the boat several times before we had the blue stripes painted (yes he had some help this time); replaced all of the head hoses (yuck); painted the swim-platform and installed a new swim-ladder; “Grizzly-gripped” the swim-platform; removed the stained flooring from the aft-cabin and “grizzly-gripped” it; installed a new AM/FM radio/CD player; installed Sirius XM radio and antenna; applied bottom paint. Oh, and he returned to Madison several times; once for 8 weeks for immunotherapy. I find his stamina and ingenuity amazing. He wonders why he feels tired once in a while. Next project is to replace the refrigeration unit. We launch on Monday October 17th, come Hell or high water.

Given my lack of mechanical ability, I was only minimally helpful. I did learn one new skill this summer.

I think we are yin and yang. Love him so much.

PS
Mary doesn’t give herself credit. She may not have the skills for most of the work but she does help out any way she can, plus, she has to put up with me; my moans and groans, my mood swings, the seemingly endless orders of boat parts arriving at the door. I love every minute of it and that’s why her name is on the back. Love you, honey.

The survey of our boat was winding down. Mike, the surveyor, was very complimentary concerning the above average condition of the boat and how well all the systems had been maintained. Then he unleashed the propane “sniffer”!

It chirped several times in the port locker. No chirps at all in the propane locker. It chirped again near the hose in the aft cabin and then it wailed when he stuck it into the bilge in the aft cabin. “You have a leak,” he stated. No #@*%, I thought. He figured it was the hose. I didn’t see how but I had my work cut out for me.

Getting the old hose out was not going to be easy. I abandoned all hope and sat back to reassess my alternatives. Maybe I should go back to square one and recheck the whole system. After pressurizing the lines I soaped the fittings in the locker. Out of about a dozen opportunities three were busily making bubbles. Leaks! Since I never liked how the old system was laid out, I decided to redo everything. Why do it the easy way when you have an opportunity to spend lots of money and make lots of work for yourself?

I removed the existing propane solenoid switch and replaced it with a Xintex S2-A two channel fume detector with built in solenoid control.

Like in “Ghostbusters” when the light is green, the trap, (or in this case the atmosphere) is clean. I installed a sniffer below the oven / range and another one in the aft bilge.

After removing the tanks and all the old propane fittings from the locker I decided to have a look at the propane drain. Propane is heavier than air and will settle and flow much like water. I had been aware that the thru hull that this drain connected to was below the water line but it had never bothered me much. Now seemed like a great time to fix that.

A sixty-two year old overweight man has no business going into boat lockers but that is exactly what I had to do. Out came all the gear. Where does all this stuff come from? Stuff I didn’t recall having. I removed the hose and to my surprise the propane was loose and had not been properly sealed to the locker. My insatiable desire for perfection may have found the cause of the propane leak! I removed the, below the waterline, thru hull and glassed the hole over. I drilled a new hole, above the waterline, and installed a new thru hull.

Now let’s take a second and run through what is entailed in this last simple task. I chose the new location because it was above the waterline but still below the propane locker drain. Propane flows downhill. The new location is through a much thicker section of the boat so the fitting is too short. Off I go to West Marine. I get a longer thru hull and a different one for the propane locker. The long one fits fine. I install the other fitting and it has a shoulder on the flange side. The threads don’t go all the way to the flange. It cannot be tightened! I have to fabricate a spacer so it can be tightened down. Have I mentioned that I have squeezed my rotundness in and out of this locker at least fifty times? I start to assemble the regulator, solenoid, etc. but I’m exhausted. Six hours into this part of the project and I’m going home.

The next day was better. Everything was assembled and pressure tested. No major issues besides opening a gash on my knuckle when the wrench let go. Got to leave some blood on the job. Here’s without the tanks installed. At right is the valve for the propane BBQ.

The completed installation.

8/27/2011

Rain started at 0900 as the first bands of Irene made it to our location almost 200 miles north of the eye of the storm. We’ve had .51″ of rain in the past two hours and the wind has stayed fairly benign with a few gusts of about 20 mph. The barometer continues to fall and currently (1100) it sits at 29.61″. High tide is at 1300 and currently there is no evidence that it will much more than the predicted 1.7′ above MLW (mean low water level).

At 1145 Calvert County (where we are) issued a mandatory evacuation for people living within 100′ of Calvert Cliffs, overlooking the Chesapeake (not us). I’m sure the worry is erosion and landslides. Our biggest concern at this time is embedded tornados. It is raining hard now with a total of 1″ so far.

1530 and it is still raining rather hard. Total so far is 2.06″. Gusts have been a little less than 30 mph. It’s been a lazy day. I am splicing eyes in new 12 strand, Megabraid line. Mary has been exercising her brain online and Cheryl is knitting. Goliath is sleeping. It’s pretty dark for this time of day and I imagine darkness will fall early.

The eye is near Norfolk, VA, about 120 miles to our south. We are the little red pin near the top.

1800, the lights have been flickering but we still have power. Rain coming down in sheets that are being blown sideways by the wind gusts. It appears that we are in the lee as the other side of the creek is getting pummeled with wind. We had supper while we had electricity and decided it was a good time to have an ice cream treat. Don’t want to have the ice cream melt if we lose power. Rain total now 3.1″.

[I am resuming this post over a week later]

Lights out! We have lost power. I’m not exactly sure when it was but I think it was around 1930. We have no access to TV, telephone or the Internet. All we can do is watch as the rain sheets down and the wind speed increases.

At 2345 I am able to get a text message out to my son in Tulsa. He’s able to get a current eye location for us. It is now just south and east of us. The roar of the wind is unbelievable. I can’t imagine what it would be like in a much stronger storm. With the wind-shift associated with the proximity of the storm, the trees begin to fall. The soft sandy ground is saturated with rain and the shift in winds is too much. We lose three trees and the neighbors lose many more. The sound is sickening. We manage to go to sleep.

8/28/2001

We awake to continued rain but the winds have diminished. No electricity, so I get my Honda 2000 generator (from the boat). We hook up the refrigerator and run another cord to recharge computers and phones. Around 0900 I had to go out and check the boat. As I left our little street many of the neighbors were busily removing debris and studying how to remove the several trees blocking our exit. I was able to drive under the trees and check the boat. It was fine so I returned home.

The trees were removed as we all drank coffee and shared stories of the storm.

Most lost trees but these folks had a little more damage. We would learn that many people lost their homes as well as lots of trees.

This large chestnut oak had been right next to the house. Two more larger oaks fell to the left of this picture.

9/01/2011
Still no power, no phone, no internet. Cooked meals have been fixed on the grill. Water for tea is heated downstairs on the secondary extension cord. Twice a day the generator is refilled with gas. It burns about one gallon per twelve hours. The hot water is gone. We now take cold showers. This is getting old.

Our life saving Honda 2000 that Mary had to force me to get. Thanks honey!

Our lifeline.

After a morning at the laundromat Mary puts away clothes by flashlight.

9/02/2011

At 1145 we have power!!!! We line up for hot showers. Soon thereafter we have all the other amenities. Life is good.

The Aftermath

Total rainfall for the event ended up at about 16 1/2″. Sustained winds at 35-40 mph with gusts to 65 mph. Almost everyone in the area was without power for some period of time. There was very little storm surge. Cleanup continues.

Today, 9/07, we are starting to see rain from Tropical Storm Lee. Hurricane Katia lurks out in the Atlantic. Enough already!

8/25/2011
Apprehension has been building as we have watched Irene batter the Bahamas. We are very concerned for the welfare of the people in the southern and eastern Bahamas especially for the people we have met on Long Island, the Exumas, Cat Cay and Eleuthra. We have many friends along the East coast and we wish them all well.

The boatyard has been very busy today, hauling boats to the safety of dry land. I have discontinued boat projects and am taking a few steps backward. The canvas and all loose objects have been striped off the boat and stored. I will make a decision tomorrow concerning removal of the solar panels.

We have put additional lines on Cheryl’s boat and are preparing the house for the worst. We have the generator set to go with plenty of gas. The outdoor furniture is in the garage. We are located on Mill Creek, a small waterway that leads to the Patuxent River and the Cheasapeake Bay. Currently historical surge data is forecasting a surge in our area of 6′ to 8′. This does not threaten the house but the dock will be under water. We’ll have to wait to see just how much under.

The red pin indicates Cheryl’s house on Mill Creek. The blue pin indicates our boats location. The blue anchor represents where we normally anchor on Mill Creek.

8/26/2011
Just after dinner last night the skies darkened and the wind went calm. We were under a tornado warning. As the wall-cloud passed the wind and rain increased to the point we could barely see the trees straining at the edge of the creek. North of us the wind was recorded at 56 mph. As quickly as it came, it was over.

Two days ago we had an earthquake. Before that the fires in the Dismal Swamp sent smoke our way. Last night, tornado warnings and this weekend a hurricane. Enough, already!

The forecast has moderated since last night. Wind speed for Saturday/Sunday is forecast for a maximum of 45 mph with gusts to 50. The storm surge has been scaled back to around 3 feet; all very manageable.

We decided to take the solar panels off even though the forecast has diminished winds. The boatyard is filling up and many boats have not striped any items. There’s a construction site next door and between that and stuff on the boats we’re concerned about flying debris breaking the panels. So the boat is as prepared as it can be. It is on the highest ground although that ground is probably less than 10′ above sea level.

The hardest part is waiting and listening to all the various “experts”. The forecasts have strengthened again and we received a call from Calvert County advising us to evacuate. It is a voluntary evacuation and for now we’re staying put along with all the neighbors.

It’s now 1814 and low tide. Cheryl’s boat is sitting on the bottom since the wind driven tide is lower than even the spring tide caused by the new moon. Some views of our “home” before the storm.

From our backdoor towards the creek.

Our dock and Cheryl’s boat at low tide.

The upper reaches of Mill Creek.

The outer rain bands of Irene have reached the southern boundary of Virginia. We should start to see the weather pick up here tomorrow midday. More later as the power grid and Internet will allow.

For eight weeks we had been counting down the days before we could return to the boat in Maryland. My last treatment was the 2nd of August and the next day we headed south. Several days later we arrived in Solomons and the next day we were at the boat. It had survived with minimal wear and tear. The work begins!

I had worked on many projects during the past eight weeks. It was now time to start installing them. The five rod, rod holders were installed as well as the new cutting board in the galley. The cutting board was constructed from a template I had made before going back to Wisconsin. The odds of it fitting perfectly were pretty remote but fit perfectly it did!

In the past two and half weeks we have completed the following:
• The anchor locker has been revised to hold the two anchor rodes forward/aft rather than side by side.
• The new windlass installed and rewired.
• The lifeline stanchions have been strengthened by adding two layers of polycarbonate (from poly tubes to protect florescent lights) around the stanchion at the base. Set screws were redone by welding old holes with JB Weld, re-drilling and tapping.
• While the Jetta was getting a new air conditioner, all the removal floor boards were refinished with polyurethane.
• The entire boat was pressure washed and prepped for waxing.
• Half the boat is waxed.

The waxing should be completed this week barring any further earthquakes. Today, as I was on the step ladder with the buffer I noticed the rigging slapping on the mast. This was odd as there was little wind. I stepped off the ladder onto the rolling earth. What a surprise!

After the boat is waxed I plan to paint a new boot line stripe and repaint the other blue parts of the boat. The bottom will be repainted after that and hopefully we can launch.

Sorry Scott, no pictures this time but I promise a whole bunch in the next post.