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.
The picture is the Robert O. Norris Jr. Bridge. it's our first bridge in Red Ranger . It has 110' clearance, so it's not really all that interesting. Built in 1957, it's a classic steel truss bridge.
I blame my father for an interest in maps and charts as well as …
This is me looking heroic and feeling bitter-sweet. Summer means goodbye hugs all around.
The sweet part was the fuel system. After our various engine travails (Fuel System FAQ), the Cantankerous Mr. Lehman ran flawlessly. It's a real confidence-builder to have him start and run and all the gauges—save …
Yes, that's Xander down inside the lazarette. No, we didn't go sailing. We toured the marina and took a trip around Jackson creek in the dinghy.
Kind of disappointing not be able to sail. But the fuel system is in pieces.
So we hung around for a while and visited …
As they say, "any friend will help you move, a true friend will help you move a body." After the tornado ripped through Deltaville, we know who our true friends are. We learned how well-built our boat is. And we learned some new skills.
Winds were powerful. Red Ranger was …
Our 2011 Spring Commissioning included using "Cold Galvanizing" on the anchor chain. All 100' of primary chain took 3 cans. We didn't coat the secondary or tertiary chains.
Our anchor windlass (Gimli, son of Gloín) is for The Heavy Lifting. It's cranked with a long steel bar. We had a …
Sell the house. Buy a boat. See the world. Is that just hubris? We have all the elements: an ambitious November sail which lead to an emergency tow back to the marina. Was it a vain hope that lead to a poor plan and a humiliating smackdown from Poseidon? How …
Many boats are hauled out and winterized in the fall. In the frozen north, it's essential to prevent damage to all systems with water in them; specifically, freshwater, heads and engine. But in Middle Peninsula — Deltaville, VA — haul-out seems to be optional. Some days are a bit too chilly to …
Scott and Jeanie (from Joie de Vivre) dropped us a line via Facebook. We met them at the Whitby-Brewer Rendezvous. On their way south they were docked in Portsmouth. We took the ferry over and had dinner and a movie with them at the Commodore. ("Secretariat", a Disney spectacular on …
We didn't want much -- just a quiet sail around the river. We got my parents onto Red Ranger, out into the bay for a little sail and back to D-dock without mishap or problem. Luck, hard work, planning and experience all came together. It was a real privilege to share …
Wow, what a party.
The 2010 edition of the Whitby-Brewer Rendezvous was an absolute delight. First, boaters are fun folks because of the shared interest we have. Second, boaters with your model boat are more fun because there's less to explain and more to learn.
Monday night we had a …
We tried to make it to the Coan River on Saturday, October 2nd. We made sensible plans. We avoided dawdling. We didn't stay up late the night before.
We had our meals read. We had our departure steps detailed so we wouldn't waste time in the morning wondering if we …
Time for the annual Whitby-Brewer Rendezvous in West River Sailing Club.
It's about 100 nm up the bay. Red Ranger motors between 5 and 7.5 kn. That's anywhere from 13 to 20 hours of travel. She sails between 0 and 7.5 kn. At zero, we'll never make it …
The blistering heat of summer is behind us. The job list has nothing ranked "top" priority, or "pre-launch" or "critical". We're down to "improvements" and "nice-to-haves".
Further — and this is the important part — we're thinking about making a 100nm trip to Annapolis for the annual Whitby-Brewer Rendezvous in West River …
For the last -- I don't know precisely -- year, maybe two years, our dinghy has been sitting in the gravel parking lot, or over on the dinghy rack with other lost or abandoned dinghies. The lost dinghy collection is one of those forlorn marina things. Deflated inflatables. Puddles of dead leaves …
A chartplotter is insanely sophisticated. Installation of this high-powered computing device was shocking. Shocking. I had studied my wiring carefully to try and figure out exactly how to replace the old -- simple -- Garmins with this new, complex chartplotter.
The Standard Horizon CP300i has a complete GPS system (itself very complex …
It felt like a graduation day. Everything really worked the way it was supposed to.
The most important thing was a certain lack; a missing gall or burr; an absence of nagging worries.
On Sunday hosted the Previous Owners, Bob and Patty. Their life together -- marriage and three kids -- is …
Making final decisions can be hard. There's a fair amount of "buyer's remorse" from simply making the decision. And it's a religious kind of experience. A chartplotter represents a search for truth in a world of uncertainty. We're seeking confidence that we're doing the right thing. Really.
I started by …
We took Hannah out on Red Ranger in 15-20 kt of wind, with waves of 3-4 feet. This was our first trip in conditions that were more than "light breeze" or "gentle breeze" on the Beaufort Scale. We bounced around a bit; had quite a bit of trouble tacking; and …
Saturday was the last day of the 2010 USODA Layline Nationals. Kids left. The place went back to being a sleepy little marina in rural Virginia.
While the Optimists were coming in after a day of racing -- we went out. The wind had died and the best we could do …
The 2010 USODA Layline Nationals are this weekend (and next weekend) in Deltaville VA. The US Optimist Dinghy Association (USODA) is the national class organization for Optimist sailing in the United States.
There were boats everywhere in our marina. And we're not the only marina hosting racing.
Jackson Creek was …