Norfolk, VA
To see as much of the world as we can,
Using the smallest carbon footprint we can,
Spending the least amount of money we can,
Making as many friends we can.
Sailing refreshes our souls.
The hurricane damage was a personal injury. Like a broken finger or a knee that needs replacing.
It's not a permanent disability. It's something we'll either get over completely, or, we'll learn to live with our new body in whatever shape it takes.
The separation for …
Finally.
Dan from WRSC offered to help with our preparations. Instead, we decided to go sailing.
It was gusting into the 20's and a bit sporty out in the bay.
CA took a glorious sunset picture from C dock.
There weren't too many boats to see, but, it would …
Yes, we have left the dock. Here's the cockpit, heeled over in 10-15 kt of wind. Beam Reaching down Herring Bay.
And here's the view out on the water.
Sun. Wind. Boats.
We got our reefing lines and lazy jacks squared …
Brought some friends — David and Bo — along to move Red Ranger from West River back down to Herrington Harbour.
They'd never seen Red Ranger before, and hadn't fully appreciated how much boat she is.
The winds were light, and — of course — on the …
Sailing is all about cooperation. Nothing happens in isolation. The progress of a sailboat through the water requires wind, for example. There are other examples of cooperation, we'll get to them.
The Equinox cruise was timed to greet the passing of the sun over the horizon on September 22nd, 2018 …
The West River Sailing Club membership has a number of benefits. Crabs being one of them. Of course, we had to get there, and get back in time for work on Monday. And square away the Auto-Pilot.
After stuffing our faces with crab, slaw, corn …
It was a weekend of contrasts. Two dear friends came down to visit for the weekend and sail. We've had some drive-by visits where a quick sail on Red Ranger can be worked out. This visit was a stark contrast to those. These were folks looking to sail.
To make …
The West River Sailing Club Autumnal Equinox cruise involved a number of firsts for Red Ranger. It's difficult to count the number of firsts we enjoyed.
The first of the firsts was visiting Harrison Creek and Dun Cove. This is about two miles north of Knapp's Narrows. It's quiet, and …
Overnight in the Rhode River.
Here's where we anchored.
There's a big open creek with a bunch of low islands. Very salt-marsh. Many other boats because it's very pretty and accessible.
It's a few hours south of Annapolis. A few hours north of Herrington Harbour.
Here's something …
The West River Sailing Club Labor Day cruise involved a parade of rain showers on Saturday, leaving a lot boats on the dock. We ventured out Friday and learned a new word: "dog-stopping."
The cruise had two destinations. We'd been told about La Trappe creek. "Lovely," "Quiet." Those sorts of …
Yay! After posting my story, Cheryl sent pictures of Rob.
And her feet.
We might post a picture the painting Cheryl gave us. Here's the real deal, though. Her online portfolio: http://cherylwilsonart.com/index.html Enjoy.
Finally got cousin Robert and his wife Cheryl out on Red Ranger. We tried last summer, but there were complicated family issues, and our schedules never aligned.
This weekend was perfect. Light breezes. Not too hot.
And this
The US Coast Guard Cutter Eagle. On it's way to …
This weekend, we went to West River Sailing Club for a party. The actual location was about 0.5 nm away from the club as the crow flies. Google said it would be five miles driving around the creeks of West River.
What's important is that unlike our last big …
She's a boat — there are always things to do. We have enumerated the jobs using Trello. There are 51 things on the backlog. Okay. It's not a million. Some are really complex. Others are a trip to Home Depot to find the right gasket for the faucets.
Instead of work …
There were issues with Red Ranger. Kind of awkward when you have guests. But sailing conditions were ideal. Ideal.
Meet Fatjon and Blerta. From the 14th floor. Fatjon was a captain in the Albanian Navy. And an ordinance diver. He knows ships and the sea. Blerta is a …
That's my sister, Elizabeth. One of many sisters. This was her first chance to actually go sailing. We showed her many — but not all -- of the boaty things on Red Ranger: we hoisted most of the sails, we had a pleasant drift, we dropped the anchor, had some lunch …
How do you introduce someone to the sea?
CA's Venerable Great Aunt Diane (vGAD) came to visit for a long weekend. She's been on Red Ranger many times. She brought more of CA's family: Maddy and Philip. Maddy has been to Red Ranger before, but Philip's never been here before …
Years and years ago — when we first started taking sailing lessons — one of the old salts who helped us out had some simple daily procedures.
Check the engine oil.
Check the weather.
Check the winds and tides.
He had a piece of paper where we wrote down the …
Winter is over. If we're going to move Red Ranger, she's got to be ready to go.
There's the weather issue, of course. Sunday midnight-ish the wind hit us with a vengeance. Like a tornado. But that's getting ahead of things.
Also. This is handy:
To recap: Saturday was really bad; one of our worst sailing days. See "Dymer Creek: 37°40.281N 076°21.201W" for gory details. Sunday was really good; one of our best sailing days. See "Yopp's Cove: 37°39.070N 076°26.073W" for details.
The forecast for …
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