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.
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 …
We've got a ton of stuff to do before we even get splashed.
Indeed, we don't even know where we're going.
We're looking all around the Gulf Coast for -- perhaps -- a marina that's got slips and doesn't cost as much as buying a house in Los Angeles or Washington, DC …
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The board on the top of the starboard-side winch coaming has been replaced by the carpenter.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 …
We all have family.
Family members die.
It's inevitable.
If sailors are lucky, their family members die with a kind of foreseeable order. Few things are as painful as burying your own children. We're lucky.
There are endless anchorages, sunsets, and glorious days at sea. All of which involve a …
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 …
On Red Ranger every day is an "outing". We more-or-less live outdoors.
Life ashore is a bit different from life afloat. The primary difference is our level of self-sufficiency. Red Ranger is a boat with which we're very, very familiar. The house we're living in is …
Hurricane season is June to November.
Back in 2012-2014, we went south for winter, and returned to the (relative) safety of Cheasapeake Bay for hurricane season.
This year, we've taken a different tack.
We're hauled out. Red Ranger is sitting on the hard for Hurricane season. We're sharing a house …
This seems to be the list of waypoints....
| Location | Lat Lon | Distance | Time | Notes | Timestamp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herrington Harbour | 38°46.276′N 076°33.843′W | ||||
| Mill Creek | 38°19.788′N 076°27.080′W | Distance: 26.9nm | Time: 5h 0m | Engine: 5h 0m Maintenance: 65.0gal. |
2021-10-14 |
| Piankatank River … |
Sitting on the hard.
Here's the checklist.
checklist: lay up
Maintenance tasks:
- [x] buy window screening -- To cover the openings in the cockpit
- [x] buy 6 metal scrub pads -- To fill the through hulls to prevent wasps
- [x] ditch the generator
- [x] ditch the jerrycans …Sitting on the hard.
How did we get here?
Cleaned the decks, and started rearranging the interior to move back to North Carolina. The headsails were put below. We struck the main and mizzen. This is hard work: they're heavy.
The mizzen can be rolled on deck. It's …
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