How Long Do We Have to Sit Here?

     This photo is reminescent of days gone by when they were not so innocent and would have to sit on the bad boy bench.

M/V Mosey

     This "trawler" was hauled at our marina to have some work done on the swim platform. This boat has a very interesting story. The hull is steel and was actually built for a sailboat design, and after sitting idle for many years, the current owner purchased the hull and started the conversion work 8 years ago. Although it is a work in progress, the owners are liveaboards with hopeful plans to sever their dirt ties after Thanksgiving 2009. The design offers plenty of views from the pilothouse, salon and galley. It also features 2 suites with walk around berths. The owner told me that they had a 1995 Kadey Krogen and that the Krogen design has influenced some of their design in this boat. This is a beautiful one-of-kind boat and we wish the owners calm seas and fair winds.

First Impressions are Wrong

     What appears to be just a photo of a beautiful sunset taken from the pilothouse is more than that. If you look closely at the water you will see that we were experiencing a very heavy downpour. This photo was taken on Saturday evening after we got caught in this deluge while touring the area with the new dinghy. Yes, Sharon and I got soaked but we laughed it off, Sky on the other hand did not find it amusing.

Quality Time

     One of the many advantages of boating is having the time to do the things you enjoy the most. Here Sharon is doing research for our summer cruise in June. Our preliminary plans for the cruise are to explore the Choptank River on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Foul Weather Has It's Silver Lining

     Monday's foul weather gave me an opportunity to troubleshoot the generator in depth to discover why the starter was not cranking over the engine. Well, after dismantling the starter twice I resolved the problem, and unlike some mechanics today, I did not swap out parts until I corrected the problem. In fact, no new parts were required.

The photo above was taken on Monday evening from our new slip as the storm was winding down. During the day it rained and the wind was gusting 20 to 25 MPH.

Season's First Cruises

     After slipping Big Run back into the water on Thursday, Sharon and I took our first cruise of the season on Friday. It was a very pleasant trip up the Chester River to Chestertown, as a matter of fact, we almost had the river to ourselves.

      One of three boats we passed was the schooner Sultana, this schooner is a replica of a Boston-built merchant vessel originally built for the British Royal Navy and was the smallest schooner in their fleet. Today, the primary role of the vessel is unique educational programs. On this particular voyage it was filled with youth.

     On Saturday we cruised Gray's Inn Creek and the east and west branch of Langford Creek. Because we were having starting issues with the generator, we were not able to stay out over the weekend. On Saturday we anchored next to Cacaway Island for an early dinner before returning to Long Cove Marina.

Table for One

     This photo was taken on Monday, less than 24 hours after Sharon's departure on Sunday. In a matter of hours I was able to convert a table for two into a table for one and a catch all for whatever as I work on the boat. I did manage to keep one end of the table for what a table is intended for - eating. And yes, that local tabloid at the far end is my place mat. Quite often when I have been banished to the boat, this table will collect more junk than shown in this photo, but I think this was a new record for the time taken to clutter up the table.
     This view of the table is nothing compared to the guest stateroom which looks like a hurricane disaster area. I expect to get my orders this week to shape (clean) up or ship out.

And now for something totally different, we are looking to gracefully slip Big Run back into the waters of Langford Creek next week and take our first outing of the season that weekend. I still have to do that bottom paint thing - any volunteers?

New Dink

     On Saturday, Sharon and I took a trip over to Annapolis, the self proclaimed sailboat capitol of the East (Right) Coast, to pickup the new dinghy. Our intentions were to bring the dinghy back to the boat, hoist it up onto the top deck, install the dinghy chocks and call it a day. Yeah right, somebody forgot to pay homage to mother nature and request good weather. It was a beautiful day except for the 25 MPH winds gusting to 40 MPH. Had we attempted to hoist the dinghy, it would have been to the amusement of about 30 fellow boaters who were working on their boats. They would have thought we were trying out a new dinghy shaped kite. So Sharon and I had a relaxing afternoon out on the backporch, thats Krogenese for cockpit! This photo was taken on Sunday as we worked on placement of the dinghy on the top deck so we could install the dinghy chocks.

The Ladder to Adventure

     One of my winter projects was to finish the wooden steps for the access ladder to the flybridge and top deck. The steps had never been finished and had a dull boring look. After 5 coats of Cetol and double strips of anti-slip on each step, the project is done. One project down and I don't know how many more to do - I lost count. As discussed earlier, most projects are on hold except for the Must-Do projects and the projects that are labor intensive and require minimal expenditures, as in $1.00 or less. Next Must-Do project is bottom paint - wahoo! I can hardly wait. The excitement keeps me up at night.

The Unofficial Start to Boating Season

     We are off and running with the boat repairs so to speak. However I should clarify the title to this blog entry. It should read " The Unofficial Start to the Boat Repair Season. If you have a boat you will understand what I mean. I spent one day down in the engine room taking care of a few necessary items. You got to love those Gulf Coast Filters. The large one used to polish the fuel uses a roll of paper towels as the filter medium. We also have a Gulf Coast junior filter for the generator that uses a roll of toilet paper to filter the oil. No high priced proprietary filters. Yes, those engineers who designed these Gulf Coast Filter units should be highly commended for applying the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method. After all, you can purchase paper towels and TP at almost any store.

     Next week we will be pulling the hydraulic steering pump from the flybridge helm and sending it out to be overhauled. It has been leaking for some time. I had considered overhauling the pump myself but decided to let a professional do it. Then I know it will be done right. Speaking of pumps, I removed the raw water pump from the generator to rebuild it at home on a proper workbench, something that the boat is lacking is a good workbench. Maybe Sharon will share the galley counter top for installation of a hefty vise, it could also be used to crack those stubborn crabs.

     I have decided to scale back on boat work while the boat is on the hard - first is the issue of no running water. Then there is the ladder deal to get on and off the boat. So, slap some bottom paint on her, send her over the side and let the work begin.

    On another note, a pair of Bald Eagles have taken up residence again in the Osprey nest across from the marina office. Last year a pair of Bald Eagles tried to move in on the same nest, that was until the Ospreys returned from down south. Believe it or not, the majestic bird of this great nation, the Bald Eagle, does not stand a chance against the more aggressive Osprey. Well, at least our forefathers did not adopt Ben's Turkey as the national bird.

Not Only Bears Hibernate

     Let's just say we are going to write off January and February. Other than catching up on some reading and taking a few wilderness hikes, those 2 months were a total bust. Now would be the time to get serious and get back on track - boat work. I had generated a boat work list for this season that was comprised of the following categories - Must Do, Safety Issues, Electrical/Mechanical Upgrades and Luxury Gotta-Haves. Well, this year's boat work has been drastically shortened by the economy when it decided to puke all over itself. Sorry, but I will not be doing my part to kick start the economy this year. Although we did try to sustain the local economy in Rock Hall last year. So we are going to apply some bottom paint, install dinghy mounts for the new dinghy, fix the generator raw water pump and a few other must do items. When that short Must Do list is done, we may just slip back into hibernation. By the way, did I say the hibernation was going to be on the boat with a couple of cold ones!

Flashback (Farewell Alaska, until we meet again)

Our trip to Alaska will never be duplicated, although we will try. This was the adventure of a lifetime. We were very fortunate with Sharon's selection of Kayak Transport Company for our mothership kayaking cruise. The "crew" of the Abyssinia, Eric and Kim, provided the stage for us to explore Southeast Alaska, to experience the wildlife and to sample a portion of Alaskan cuisine. Alaska provided the beautiful backdrop while we kayaked around great locations like the Inian Islands and George Islands. Mother nature provided the deer, bears, eagles, sea otters, whales and sea lions to name a few. The weather cooperated and no one cared if it rained, we were in Alaska.

The best aspect of our experience was the camaraderie of those who shared those 8 days in our lives. We all shared a common ground: a passion to kayak, an appreciation of our surroundings and good fellowship. To our new friends, Kim & Eric, who had just as much fun as we did, and to Ron & Mary, our new friends from New Zealand, who added a colorful downunder perspective - Thanks.

Alaska, we will return.

The cast of characters (all deserving academy awards) - Eric, Ron, Bob, Mary, Sharon and Kim.

Flashback (Without me they would have to eat beans)

Did I tell you of the story of the one that got away? Well, we were out in the Icy Strait fishing for salmon, just as I was explaining to everybody on the Abyssinia how great of a fisherman I am...(the bigger the lie the greater the fisherman is)....and all of a sudden the line started stripping off of the reel and the rod was about to break it was bent so hard.......

It doesn't take much skill or luck to be a successful fisherman when you are in Alaska. Having a knowledgeable guide with you has a lot to do with it. It's just a matter of location, location, location. We did go fishing for halibut, dungeness crab and salmon. In the first photo I am holding a small halibut I caught. (I didn't want to embarrass anyone by showing the photo of the ship's crane hoisting up the big one I caught.)

In the second photo is the fruit (crab) of my labor in the plastic tote as Captain Eric fiddles with his dinghy. Actually, we went for a dinghy ride and Eric said, "throw a crab pot over the side right here" and the dungeness crabs voluntarily wandered into the crab pot and made the ultimate sacrifice! Photo credit goes to Mary.

In the third photo, Ron holds up 2 salmon as Captain Eric looks on. "You should have seen the king salmon that got away" exclaimed Ron! Ron is also a great fisherman. Once again, photo credit goes to Mary. (Nothing escapes her!)

Then with a wave of my magical fishing rod and presto we have a platter full of grilled salmon!

Flashback (Running the Gauntlet of Thugs & Bullies)

If you circumnavigate the largest island in the Inian Islands group, you will travel through Middle Passage. Let it be known there is a gang of sea lions waiting for you, and you are trespassing on their turf. At first, prior to entering Middle Passage, we were surprised by how close they would surface to the kayaks, maybe 60 or 70 feet away. Then, as we entered Middle Passage, the sea lions got very bold and it wasn't just 1 or 2 sea lions trying to intimidate us, it was packs of 5 or 6 surfacing 15 or 20 feet away. At times they appeared to be chasing us. The sea lion's curiosity of us is only surpassed by our curiosity of them as seen here with me photographing the sea lions from the red kayak as the events unfolded. Captain Eric of the Abyssinia is in the blue kayak with a front row seat.

The upper photo shows two very close brutes over the stern of my red kayak. In the lower photo, 3 sea lions can be seen over the bow of Eric's blue kayak and 1 very large brute can be seen between Eric and me. This encounter with the sea lions was by far the most exciting wildlife experience we had in Alaska. Our friend from New Zealand, Ron, is credited with these photos.

The sea lion encounter lasted for over two hours as we paddled into Middle Passage and peaked with a very close flurry of activity as shown in these pictures.