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.
There's a gap of several days. Then the actual voyaging part begins (after 42 days of preparation.)
We're not counting the hiatus days. The 2025 cruise day count resumes with Day 43, when we returned.
Sunday, January 11 to …
"Are [the rivets] just holding the spreaders in place until the shrouds are installed?" someone asked.
(Not just random "someone", but someone with a 16' catamaran with a simpler rig. A boat that can easily sail circles around Red Ranger. But doesn't have a bar or heads.)
Riggers called us back today.
(Not them in this picture, it's an old picture of me.)
Things up there look really good to the riggers, too.
This news is a huge relief to us. Huge. Relief.
When I went up the mizzen, I …
I went up the mast today.
Things up there look really good.
I swapped out the mast-head light. The old LXTA-S (an OGM light sold by Weems and Plath) worked; the wiring harness had failed.
In a panic, I had purchased a replacement …
The last three days? Major accomplishments. All with "R".
Our big mistake was leaving the dodger windows in place. Hurricane Ian's wind pummeled the windows, ripping the entire dodger structure apart.
Three of the …
So far? The work for the first 3 days look like this:
After she fell over, Red Ranger took on serious water. My thesis was the long piano hinge on the port-side lazarette was exposed to Hurrican Ian …
We think we've worked out a pleasant trip down (and back) to Punta Gorda and the Safe Cove Boatyard.
It's a little weird to go by way of Savannah, Jacksonville, and Daytona to get the Gulf Coast, but, there's no real E-W road other than I-4 through Orlando.
In Jacksonville …
Many things are completed. Not everything, but, many things.
Here's the painted hull.
The board on the top of the starboard-side winch coaming has been replaced by the carpenter.
The picture shows the dodger is still laying across the front of the cockpit.
We're waiting for the canvas …
It's been about 6 weeks (45 days) since Hurrican Ian.
We've been righted.
The batteries are plugged in and the pumps have run, so there's minimal water in the bilge. The dehumidifier is standing over the galley sink, so the interior is unlikely to be mildew hell.
We've …
It almost goes without saying that hurricane damage is widespread. Repairs are sometimes difficult and expensive.
The pictures we see from the height of the storm show wind and rain and crashing waves. Sometimes the weather channel will show palm trees bent almost double.
Pushing a 23,000 pound boat …
We have questions, of course. A lot of questions.
Earlier today, Red Ranger was put back up onto her stands.
Our friend Scott (of Joie de Vivre) took some more pictures for us.
A great deal of the interior looks like it may be in good shape …
CA asked if we had closed the dorade vents.
We closed up Red Ranger back in June. It's hard to recall exactly what we did.
I reminded CA that there's a "close up the boat after haulout" checklist. What did that say?
The answer: Remove dorade wind-scoops and screw in …
We didn't learn anything new yesterday. (Not surprising, really.) We're still stuck with this:
We were sure that the millions of people who endured Hurricane Ian would all have property and casualty claims for every insurance company on God's green Earth. We figured this would mean waiting …
This appears to be a new chapter in our journey. (As a writer, I'm deeply aware that you don't really know until after the events spin out whether this is a chapter or an anecdote.)
Here's our happy picture of Red Ranger in the boatyard.
Yesterday, I said "For now, all we can do is worry."
That's partially true. The pictures are pretty conclusive. We're a bit beyond vague worrying.
Red Ranger is laying on her side. The Whitby is a robust boat. We don't think falling off the jack stands will wreck the hull …
Hurricane Ian devastated the Gulf Coast of Florida. Landfall was near enough to the Fort Myers area that Safe Cove yard where Red Ranger was hauled out was right in the eye of the storm.
A lot of people suffered. Deaths. Houses wrecked. Serious injuries.
As of today, power is …
We're (still) moored on ball K-9 (at 24°42.250′N 081°05.550′W) in Boot Key Harbor.
CA took this picture of me, aloft.
It's real work getting up there.
Planning the work to make sure you have the right tools is hard.
And …
We're (still) moored on ball K-9 (at 24°42.250′N 081°05.550′W) in Boot Key Harbor.
Beth Leonard (I think) said "Cruising is fixing your boat in exotic places."
For the last three days I've been going aloft to work on our OGM LXTA masthead light. It …
We're moored on ball K-9 (at 24°42.250′N 081°05.550′W) in Boot Key Harbor.
I've ordered a replacement for the mast-head OGM-LXTA-S light. It's a sealed unit. Maybe Weems & Plath will repair or refurbish the old one so I can have it …
Our fourth Island-hopping "day sailing". (Ugh. Again. Not actually sailing, the wind was almost on the nose, so it was a 5-hour motor.)
We're moored on ball K-9 (at 24°42.250′N 081°05.550′W) in Boot Key Harbor. It's between Boot Key and Vaca …
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