Skate (a.k.a. Cownose Ray)

     On the first night of a week long fishing trip I caught this Skate. No official time on how long it took to play this Skate, but it was estimated at 20 minutes on 10lb. test monofilament line. Landing it was just as big of a challenge. First, the Ray had no desire to swim into the net. Did I mention the net was too small? And when we did net it, it took 2 of us to lift it onto the cockpit deck. The Ray was returned to Langford Creek with no injuries other than a sore "lip".

Paddle Time

     Grant was needing to "stretch his legs" a little, so he thought a trip around Shaw Bay would help burn off a little of that excess energy that he had stored up.

Test Drive

     Jesse taking the new dinghy for a test drive. He thought it was a convertible sports car and if he cruised the neighborhood long enough he could locate a few eligible ladies.

M/V Ark Angel

     In the dictionary next to "Bristol Fashion" you will find a picture of this boat. If you are going to cruise the bay with good friends, why not do it with some style.

The Event

Sunset at Shaw Bay, Wye River

M/V Glory

     Friends don't let friends drink and drive, but they will sit on your foredeck and flaunt their good time in your face while you man the helm. This boat is a Trumpy motor yacht.

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.