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.
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 …
The bottom line on boat maintenance is the sea trial. It may look like things are working when you're in the slip. Getting out into the open water is where — metaphors fail me. The rubber doesn't hit the road. There's no pudding to be proven.
There were several momentous things …
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 …
What's important is that nothing seriously failed. Stuff broke. We worked around it. Here's the overview. Details follow.
1600 - Move to fuel dock. Take on 54 gallons.
1710 - Anchored in Piakatank River at 37°32.132N 076°19.318W
This is a move of about a mile …
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 …
Labor Day weekend. The weather on the Chesapeake is (potentially) delightful.
We had — well — a bit of weather. Technically, it was more sea state than we like. The wind was tolerable. The waves? Not so much.
For much of the summer, we've been working (steadily) on refinishing the brightwork. Once …
As long as nothing breaks, today might work out well. After being beaten down by weather yesterday, we find our plans are quite humble.
The forecast was for 13g15 (13 knots gusting to 15). When the tide turns, the seas will drop from over 3' to just 3'. This can …
"The Kids" (Xan and Han) live way out west. LA and Las Vegas. Once in a while they can structure their vacation to come east and visit mom and dad.
It was a cloudy day with wind out of the E at 17g22. A sporty day in the …
Started: Beaufort Town Dock, 30°40.24′N 081°28.17′W, ICW mile 204
Anchored: Bonner Bay, 35°09.61′N 076°35.65′W, ICW mile 159
Log: 45 mi. Time: 8 hr. Engine: 4 hr.
The rain was real "wrath of God" rain. Not figuratively, but literally …
Started: Fernandina Harbor Marina Moorings, 30°40.24′N 081°28.17′W
Anchored: Fort Macon, near Beaufort, NC, 34°42.10′N 076°41.14′W
Log: 358 nm. Time: 60 hr. Engine: 60 hr. Fuel 36.7 Gal.
Part I — except for the fuel gauge — went flawlessly. Since …
Started: Coconut Grove near Dinner Key Marina, 25°42.92′N 080°13.63′W
Moored: Fernandina Harbor Marina Moorings, 30°40.24′N 081°28.17′W
Log: 304 nm. Time: 60 hr. Engine: 60 hr. Fuel: 56 gal.
Even when stuff started breaking, this was still an epic …