M/V Courage

     This is M/V Courage, a 1987 Kadey Krogen 42.  Shown anchored at Cacaway Island on Langford Creek, Maryland

Farewell Ol' Friend

     It is only after a few weeks have passed that I am able to write this entry.  Our dog Sky, who's health had been failing for a few months, had to be put down in May.  She was family and we will truly miss her.  Pictured above is Sky doing what Sky loved the most - opening Christmas packages that contained dog treats.

Big Run's New Prep Man!

     Sharon and I just returned from a week long work-athon on board Big Run.  It was great to be working on the boat with Sharon, especially since we were out on the hook (anchored).  While Sharon did other tasks, I developed 2 obscure areas into additional storage area for boat necessities.  We managed to do so much it's hard to list all the projects we did.  Two days were so oppressively hot it limited our work.  However, we did manage to do some smaller projects. 

     One project that is a work in progress and continues to be for the next few weeks - brightwork.   For those of you who do not know what brightwork is, it is the teak wood accents on the boat exterior.  This was Sharon's introduction into wood maintenance and refinishing.  Sharon's first task was to scuff the teak that needed annual maintenance of Cetol Gloss which I applied.   Once Sharon mastered that  task, she was introduced to stripping old finishes from some of the teak that could not be salvaged by a fresh coat of Cetol.  Her first solo stripping  job was the bench on the foredeck and she did a excellent job.  While I may be the painter, Sharon is now the new paint prep man!     

Yes......No......What!

     It was Saturday evening, Sharon and I were sitting on the back porch (cockpit).............well it was a "you had to be there" moment!

Grant's Big Night - Part 2

     Last night was Grant's graduation from high school.  Pictured above are the 3 Eagle Scouts from the class of 2010.  From left to right is Baden, Bryce and Grant.  Congratulations guys on your second big achievement of the year.

The Boat With The * (Asterisk) Above It

     Have you ever gone to a to a mall or a sports arena and forgot where you parked your car?  The same thing can happen at a marina that is new to you.  We have solved that problem. We installed our wind generator this week and the 6-bladed wind generator is a standout identifier.  Yes, that is our boat, the one with the asterisk above it.

T-Minus 5 and Counting

     May was a very busy month.  In addition to our transition work we also found time to attend the wedding of our best friend's daughter  -  Congratulations Matt & Lindsey.  These 2 kids will make it work.

     Sharon and I managed to find time on one weekend for our first cruise of the season.  I did manage to steal some time to go to the boat and start the installations of all the toys "Santa" brought back in April.

     We had 2 of the 3 yard sale dates in May.  Round 1 far exceeded our expectations.  The weather was perfect and we had an excellent turnout.  We managed to move about 75% of the stuff we had out for sale for that day.  Round 2 was held on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. It was another great yard selling day.  Again we sold 75% of what we had out for sale.  The only items we have left to put out for our last planned yard sale in June are some season and recreational clothing in addition to what didn't sell in round 2.  After the 2nd yard sale date I said to Sharon that we are now committed (and should be committed) to becoming full time cruisers - we sold all of our possessions and it would take 5 times our yard sale receipts to replace everything we sold.

     Sharon and I also made a run to the boat in mid-May and took what possessions we have left to the boat.  My truck was full in the cab and the truck bed.  Sharon's jeep was also filled.  The only things left to move are some more clothing and ourselves.

Serpents From The Deep

     If you fear things that slither, you may want to reconsider being on the water, or even on the dirt - hell, you're in trouble! Sharon spotted this guy approaching the boat on Saturday during our first cruise of the season. Who knows what else lays waiting in the deep?

Foxy Lady

     Although Friday was very windy, we did manage to spot a red fox on this small cliff about 200 feet from the boat. Note - enlarge photo to see fox in center of photo.  On further investigation we discovered she was not alone, she had a litter of 3 pups (or kits) with her. We were entertained for about 3 hours as the 3 pups managed to keep their mom very busy.  Despite all their antics she remained a foxy lady.

Are You Ready?

      When we downsized for the first time in 2005, we had an auction service come in to help us get rid of a lot of our stuff.   Saturday May 15th is our first of three dates for our yard sale.   This will be our first attempt at an yard sale.  The above photo shows our stuff staged in the garage for that first Saturday.  It looks like we're ready!

T-Minus 6 and Counting

     We were back on course in April.  My first trip down to the boat was very productive.  I installed a water filter in the galley.  No more hauling drinking/cooking water to the boat from home.  For 2 days I worked in the pilothouse doing electrical upgrades.  One of the upgrades was an automatic anchor light switch unit which included a photoelectric eye - set it and forget it technology .  The switch will automatically activate and deactivate the anchor light according to how much light there is outside.  I also installed 3 switches to control each windshield wiper independently of each other.  Previously, the wipers were controlled through one breaker.  When the wipers were turned on, all 3 units would come on, but when they were shut off, the wipers would be out of synchronization, and there was always 1 wiper obstructing your view.  Now, each wiper is controlled by a dedicated 3 position switch - momentary on/off/on.  This will allow each wiper to be stopped when it reaches its full stroke to either side of the window.  No more having to look through wiper blades.  We also upgraded the pilothouse from 1 fan to 2 fans.  When not in use, the new fans fold up against the overhead console so as not to obstruct your view like the old fan did.  The fans will be used to keep the windshields clean (condensation) or to keep the captain cool - especially when the captain is irritated by fools who ignore the rules of the road.

     Sharon was very busy while I was on the boat.  She started setting up the garage for the moving sale.  Sharon's motto for the moving sale is "Everything Must Go - Including Us".  How appropriate of a motto is that?  Sharon managed to clean out the third bedroom of all the items we had staged in there for the sale.  Sharon also cleaned out a large portion of the stuff in the basement.  Maybe I should go to the boat more often.

      We have decided to have a yard sale day on a Saturday in early May before our housing development has its yard sale day on Memorial Day weekend.  Hopefully we can move some stuff on each Saturday.  Then in early June our town has a community day, which is a fancy way to say town wide yard sale.  This  event has a very large draw.  Main street is shut down to traffic and vendors set up food and craft booths.  A lot of youth groups also set up stands to raise money for their organizations. That will  be 3 Saturdays to dispose of our stuff.
      The house was put up for sale on April 1st, no not as a April Fools Day joke.  Right now we only have a sign in front of the home.  We did not do any advertising on the internet or the newspapers yet.  We did have some initial interest but things have gotten a little quiet.  We hope with the yard sale more people will learn of the home for sale.   

Back In the Saddle Again

     Spring launch has come and gone without much fanfare except for yours truly.  On April 14 we gracefully lowered M/V Big Run into the chilly waters at Long Cove Marina and with the aid of a pilot boat we reintroduced Big Run to her slip for one last boating season on the Chesapeake Bay before we become full time cruisers.  

     Just before the launch, Big Run received a fresh coat of bottom paint and the boot stripe was reworked.  We tried something new this year for the rudder and prop.  They each received a separate coat of anti-foulling paint designed especially for the running gear - we see how well it works next time we haul the boat.  And for good measure, we installed a swim ladder for those inclined to go swimming with the nettles in the bay.  

     Once the boat had been launched, the fun didn't stop there.  We also decided the chain locker needed a face lift.  So I gave the locker a good scrubbing and applied 2 coats of bright white paint.  Do you know what looks good with a newly refurbished chain locker?  How about a new Delta Fast-Set plow style anchor with 250' of 3/4" three-strand anchor line.  This will be our secondary anchor.  Our primary anchor is an old reliable 66 lb. claw style anchor with 200' of 7/16 chain. That is some heavy gear  which does give us comfort at night while we sleep.  And we still have a emergency anchor (a 40 lb. Danforth with 400' of triple strand) in the lazarette and there are 2 Fortress anchors to boot.       

     Despite all the work, what it all boils down to is that it is a good feeling to be back on the water again.

Christmas In April

     There is a upside to everything, including selling my Harley.  I have taken a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the motorcycle and treated the boat to some new toys.  A chartplotter and bimini for the flybridge is long overdue.  A Rutland 913 wind generator will reduce charging time with the diesel generator.  Some new safety features on the boat will be a new state of the art VHF radio with 2 remote units, an EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon), new Mustang automatic PFDs for the Admiral and Captain and software upgrades for the primary navigation computer.  And, because I made the sacrifice, the Captain has a new Nikon Digital SLR camera and a Garmin Oregon 550t GPS unit (way kool).  Stay tuned, Santa's not done!

T-Minus 7 and counting

     "Along for the ride" is how Sharon described her bout with the flu.  The flu ran its course and we were along for the ride.  Yes, we both suffered from a case of the flu in March, and the good husband that I am, I  am the one responsible for Sharon being contaminated with the virus.  This particular bug was 2 weeks of hell with residual effects for another week or 2.

      Our boat transition projects received very little attention in March and if we hadn't started as early as we did in 2009, we would be very much behind schedule. 

      Historically, March is the time that I would have started working on the boat for a spring launch the first week of April, but I was derailed like a runaway locomotive.  So much for the momentum we had built up in January and February.

     Although being full-time cruisers is a life style we have happily chosen, getting to that point does have its drawbacks.   We are abandoning the materialistic world and one of those items I have given up is my Harley.  Yes, I sold my Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic.  There will be tears in my beer for sometime to come