Ground Hogs VS Geese

When Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Feb 2nd and prognosticated 6 more weeks of winter that put off boat work and boating. I am more inclined to think Phil got out of bed on the wrong side that morning. Today we witnessed a very large flock of Canadian Geese flying north over Central Pennsylvania. Now I don't want to imply anything about spring but I do give all the credit in the world to wildlife for their ability to survive in the elements. Why would geese fly north to Canada in the middle of February if they didn't have good intel from Mother Nature?

PS - The only reason I am rushing winter is because we haven't received any good snow storms that would produce panic among the general public!

Flashback (Did you bring your fishing rod?)

     Did you ever get the feeling that someone or something was following you? Sharon did and turned just in time to see this whale. This photo was taken from the M/V Abyssinia while we were at Elfin Cove, Alaska. This was actually the 2nd whale to surface behind us that week, the first whale surfaced 75 feet behind us and startled us when it's blow echoed off of the nearby mountain on the Inian Islands. Photo credit goes to Kim Boyce of the Abysisinia

Flashback (How it all began)

      Sharon and I weren't always boaters. As a matter of fact, we were what boaters call dirt people. We loved that lifestyle, and as dirt people we were staging ourselves to become fulltimers. Fulltimers are dirt people who abandon the materialistic lifestyle and live in a RV as they roam around like nomads. We were set to become fulltimers when Sharon retired. We already had the RV and the trailer to haul the Harleys. Yes, Sharon had her own Harley, a 2007 Softail Deluxe. Mine (as of this posting) is a 2006 Electra Glide Ultra Classic, the Cadillac of baggers. In October of 2006, Sharon booked us on a Mothership Kayaking Cruise in Alaska for July 2007 and our world was soon to be turned upside down. The owners of the above pictured boat are a husband and wife team who had this vessel custom built so that they could ditch their legal professions and cruise Alaska. While you are cruising Alaska why not offer your boat for hire? Well anyway, together with another couple from downunder New Zealand, Ron and Mary, we set out on the M/V Abyssinia for the trip of a life time. More on the trip later through other Flashback postings. On the return trip to Juneau, Sharon thought to herself, "We can do this". Let me say that Sharon didn't have to twist my arm at all. Basically we will be exchanging one title for another, liveaboard for fulltimer, and Sharon traded in her Harley leathers for a bathing suit.

Baltimore Boat Show

Today, we took a trip to the Baltimore Boat Show at the convention center. Thankfully, we had done our research the night before, so the road trip was great. Although we have been to the Inner Harbour area many times before and did a trade show as exhibitors at the convention center, we still needed to look at the maps of the area. The free parking for the show is well hidden within the Camden Yards complex, and let's not forget about all the one way streets in downtown Baltimore. The first time (1997?) we went to inner harbor for a job related trade show, we ended up heading out of town on I-395 driving past our intended destination, the convention center!

We were disappointed with the show, however, we did find a new dinghy. The dinghy is a 9' ABMarine weighing in at 106 pounds, 20 pounds lighter than another manufacturer we were looking at. The other dinghy we were considering had more bells and whistles, was heavier and cost more. The new dinghy is a plain Jane model but more functional. Look for photos in April when we take delivery.

Sharon and I decided to attend one of the seminars while we were there, Docking Fundamental Techniques: Are you the Circus? The Clown? Or the Lion Tamer? presented by Captain David Appleton. This is the one aspect of boating that you can never have enough training or practice. Sharon found the seminar very helpful and I picked up a few pointers.

Empty Slips

      Winter sunsets can be just as spectacular as those of summer - with less crowds.

Fun on the Hard

     Bob's favorite place on the boat is the pilothouse even when the boat is on the hard.

Traffic Jam

     What appears to be a traffic jam when viewed from the bow of Big Run is actually our view of the boatyard and the boats stored on the hard for the winter. Although this marina is well off the bay, we are outnumbered by sailboats 4 to 1. When we berthed at Swan Creek Marina it was 30 to 1, however Swan Creek was right on the bay.

Going, Going, Gone......

...goes the dinghy

Say Goodbye

What has been a thorn in our side will hopefully soon be history. We are selling the dinghy because it does not fit into our plans. We don't like the dinghy stowed with the tip-up davit system on the transom of the boat and the dinghy weighs too much to hoist it up onto the top deck and be stowed with the kayaks.

We Added Wheels

     Another boating season comes to an end. Again, we hauled at Long Cove Marina for winter storage. Long Cove Marina will also be our marina for the next boating season. The marina provides quicker access to some great gunkholes on the Chester River.

The Event

As you may be aware in our motto, we speak of every evening being an event, the sunset. This photo is of the sunset over Cacaway Island on Langford Creek. To end each day with such an spectacular display will rejuvenate anyone.

Finishing the Rails

Refinishing the toe rail on the foredeck in July made the caprails look pretty shabby. The upper photo shows the freshly prepared caprails after sanding.

A total of twenty laborious hours were spent in the preparation and finishing of the caprails, the results can be seen in the lower photo. Shiny!

Teak Deck Repairs

The seams in the teak deck were in need of repair, being that they were 25 years old, and hoping to get another 25 years out of the deck. The port side of the deck is done. This is an image of the starboard side waiting to be caulked. The blue painters tape took about 3 hours to apply, however cleanup is a breeze and the seams and teak do not need to be sanded after the tape is removed.

Ready for Sunset

Sharon has her seat reserved on the flybridge for sunset viewing at Whitehall Bay.