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.
We're starting to plan our southward trip while wintering at mom's. It's right cold around here.
This means helping clean out her closets. She's not a nomad, but she'll be moving sometime later this year. It seems like she's got bunches of old stuff that no …
First, let me vent. Details of the journey will follow, when not blocked by freight trains using the tracks.
US rail needs numerous improvements. The lack of high-speed tracks is an ongoing national embarrassment. The long-standing, goofy fetish with "privatization" needs to end. No individual exploiter should get rich providing …
When we left Herrington Harbour, we left our truck behind. When we moved aboard in 2012, we sold the truck, and had no vehicle. This — it appears — was less than optimal. This time around, we're keeping the truck.
Now that we're in Charleston, it's time to move the truck down …
We're leaving Red Ranger for a few weeks. This is an important lesson learned when we lived aboard in 2012-2013.
We're taking "The Palmetto" north to find our truck, Seeker. Then we're taking the truck further north to say hi to St. Judith.
Once we have Seeker, we can …
Let's not get too excited. We're staying in Charleston until Feb 15 more-or-less. But. What's next?
What's next is to get further South. It's right cold in Charleston.
While the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia call to us, it's winter. So we aren't listening to their call.
We're …
Nighttime lows have dipped to 2°C (40°F?). This means heaters. Since we're at the Cooper River Marina, and we seem to have reliable shore power, we can run electric heaters in the evenings and mornings. There are a lot of steps between shore power, dock power, boat, and …
Life at anchor means taking the dinghy everywhere. When Red Ranger is our home, the dinghy, named Scout, is our car. We're looking at a replacement. We really like the air-floor because they're light.
She was new in 2012. It's been a good, long run. But. Her days are numbered …
CA loves the marshlands around here. Bird heaven. Our neighborhood hawk is making sure CA's not here to grab the delicious rock pigeon.
There are other neighbors, too.
In case we needed any reminders that we've moved south.
Upgraded our mid-ship cleats.
Here's a picture of one of the old 6½″ cleats.
Good for ½″ line. Rock solid.
You can see the new dock line behind the cleat. It's ⅝″ and you can't really make a proper clove hitch around …
This isn't our first rodeo. We lived aboard in 2012 and 2013.
Great experience. The 2012 year, in particular, everything was new. We had a million questions and asked everyone. Lots of people gave us much needed advice on how to live on a small boat in a big ocean …
We're not going anywhere until February.
Time for sight-seeing and general post-passage relaxation.
Time for home handicrafts.
This is the Bruce "Claw" anchor that broke loose at sea.
This is not how it was secured then. This is new.
I've got three points of contact …
There are a lot of boat status details. Voltage level. Charging. Course being steered. Bearing to the next waypoint. Fuel level. Wind. Weather. Traffic.
And the number on the bilge counter.
It often goes like this: "Bilge count is zero. That's a container ship. Course is …
Voyage planning is the second best part of this whole living on a boat thing. The West River Sailing Club cruising fleet plans a number of outings each year. They're a great way to learn about the best spots on the bay. And meet up with friends.
Dropping anchor in …
Are two heads better than one?
I've reached my limit on removing marine sanitation devices. There were two heads on Red Ranger, and I've removed them both. That's my personal limit. There's a world of pain in dealing with sanitary hose and (I hope) I'm past wrestling with it.
The …
The cockpit has teak planks with black caulk. Very traditional looking.
The teak wears down. The caulk splits away from the wood.
I've been avoiding this for 10 years.
At first, I thought all the caulk had to be carefully scraped out and replaced. It appears …
Lots and lots of boats have Perko brand deck fillers. We don't. I can read "Japan" on the filler cap. And that's about it.
Is it a Perko clone? Can I buy Perko o-rings?
It is fundamentally different? What size o-rings do these fillers use?
I peeled off an o-ring …
The solar panels are about 8 years old. The SunWize 24W panels seem to work, but also seem to be delaminating. It's time to upgrade. There are some nice-looking 55W panels that might fit on the foredeck without getting in the way. The Go Power! Solar Flex Solar Charging Expansion …
Well over sixty years, I wandered around while my dad, grand-dad, and uncle played Cribbage, drank beer, and smoked cigars.
CA and I have taken to playing a game every day. It's a quiet time together before we dive into reading (or writing or knitting or whatever
The folks I used to work with (back when I had a day job) gave me a parting gift. Burgees.
We had a stack of three we'd use for festive occasions:
The Whitby-Brewer pennant.
The SSCA pennant.
The West River Sailing Club pennant.
Now we have …
We had two lovely Wilcox-Crittenden Imperial 51 MSD's on Red Ranger. We took out one to install a composting head back in 2012 (see "Painful Head-ectomy.")
We've kept the other working pretty well considering it's something like 37 years old at this point. It's a heavy …