Things Have a Way of Changing

At 09:30 this morning I should have been just setting of on the Delmarva circumnavigation.  Unfortunately we had to evacuate our home yesterday due to flooding from both the Susquehanna River and surrounding streams/creeks.

Maybe next year!!!

Here are some pictures during the morning hours of yesterday along with a video:

  

Carina Made Ready

I made Carina ready for the approaching Irene this afternoon.  Doubled all lines, added an additional spring line, removed all canvas and stowed all items that could come loose.  Hopefully she rides the storm out with no issue.

Soon To Be One Off The Bucket List

I have gotten the opportunity to participate in a circumnavigation of the DELMARVA Peninsula as a crew member on a 35' Beneteau.  Scheduled to meet with the rest of the crew and skipper on Sunday August 21st for a meet and greet along with some preliminary sailing exercises.  Barring any unforeseen issues, the cruise should start on September 9th through the 16th.  We will be leaving out of Selby on the Bay.  The overall trip is about 400 nautical miles +/- and once in the ocean we will be going non stop until we enter the Bay once more.

Looking forward to the adventure and will post how it went along with pictures after we get back.

Rest Well My Pup

This morning I had to say my last good bye to my little friend and companion "LD".  I will forever miss him!!!!

Havre de Grace to Frog Mortar Creek

Made the move today from Tidewater in Havre de Grace to Maryland Marina on Frog Mortar Creek (Middle River area), about 30 nautical miles.  Left Tidewater about 09:00 and arrived at Frog Mortar Creek around 14:30.  The water was mostly flat and winds were light to moderate.  Out in the middle of the bay with moderate winds and temperature in the mid to high fifties it was a bit brisk, but made it without  incident.  She (Carina) is now safely resting in her new home.

Looking forward to a new sailing season and trips to Annapolis and Baltimore Inner Harbor and many other areas in the mid bay area.

 
 

Off To Frog Mortar Creek

Carina will spend the winter in Havre de Grace at Tidewater Marina.  After she is launched in the spring of 2011, her new home will be at Maryland Marina on Frog Mortar Creek (just off the Middle River).  My hope is to be able to do day sailing trips out and back to areas such as Annapolis, Baltimore Inner Harbor and such without having to spend the night and return the next day.  It's a beautiful area and am looking forward to an enjoyable 2011 season of sailing.

The Big One of 2010

It started late afternoon on Friday and its still going strong. We probably have close to 20" with a possibility of up to 30" or so they say. If it breaks 28", it will set a new record for this area of Maryland. One of the nice things is I don't have to be out in it.

Advanced Nav Course

I'm in the process of taking an advanced navigation course and came across this text from the British Admiralty laws from several centuries ago. If this was not an incentive to learn, I don't know what would be.

The Rules of Oleron

"It is established for a custom of the sea that if a ship is lost by default of the lodesman, the mariners may, if they please, bring the lodesman to the windlass and cut off his head without the mariners being bound to answer before any judge, because the lodesman had committed high treason against the undertaking of the pilotage and this is the judgement."

-The Laws of Oleron, 1190 as quoted in Schofield

Moving Day (again)

Today was another nice day on the upper Chesapeake, but it was not a day to enjoy Carina on a day's outing. It was time to move her from her summer home to her winter home @ Tidewater Marina in Havre de Grace, MD (just a short motor trip away).

We went in, got a pump out (not a nice job, but a necessary one). They then directed me to a slip where I had to back in from the starboard side. A port side back is easier as it allows the prop-walk to assist as it will push the aft of the boat to port. Oh well, it didn't go too bad and I got in without hitting anything (actually pretty smooth). I did have one slight mishap when I put her in forward instead of reverse, but I was able to recover quickly without any issue.

The last thing I will need to do before they (Tidewater) pull her out of the water is to winterize the raw water side of the cooling system. Then once she is out, put her winter cover on.



I also have decided to slip Carina @ Tidewater for the 2010 season.

I Got Bats In The Bimini (not the belfry)

What a gorgeous day on the Chesapeake. The sun was shining and the temperature kissed the 70 degree mark. Would have been a perfect day to be out on the water. Unfortunately my plans were quite the opposite; it's time to start the winterizing process and get Carina ready to come out of the water for the winter.

I managed to empty the fresh water systems and run non-toxic antifreeze through the tanks/lines, flushed the AC system with the same and even got her washed (sun was warm and winds were light). In addition, I also removed both sails (main & genoa).

I started to take the canvas down until I noticed something in the top underside of the bimini; it was a bat that I guess took refuge from the sun. Needless to say I decided to leave the canvas alone for the present. I guess I will have to go over after dusk one evening to remove after the bat has flown away for it's nighttime meals. Hopefully it finds a new home.

Annapolis Sailboat Show

Now in its 40th year, the United States Sailboat Show, October 8 - 12, 2009, attracts more than 50,000 boating enthusiasts from around the world to the waterfront of historic Annapolis, Maryland, I was one of them. The Chesapeake Bay town is also home of U.S. Naval Academy.

I went, I saw, I spent (but not on a new boat, just accessories & such).

• PSS Dripless Shaft Seal
• PORTA-DOLLY (wheels)
  

Ragin On The River

It was a picture perfect Labor Day weekend on the Susquehanna River . Port Deposit played host to the Ragin’ on the River APBA Powerboat Races and on Friday the racers began arriving and preparing their boats.

The racers put on a spectacular two days of racing. Spectator boats also lined the course watching the races.

A Day On The Water

A nice day on the water with almost perfect weather (light winds). Took David and several of his friends out for the afternoon.

Mother Nature At Her Finest

Never let it be said, I don't respect nature and our environment. But evidently she (Mother Nature) does not always reciprocate. It seems Carina had an electrical surge over the winter most likely from a lightning hit, either direct or indirect. As a result I have had to replace the following:

• Receiver - RayStar 120 with new RayStar 125
• Wind - ST 60 Wind System with ST60+ Wind System
• VHF - ICOM M402 with a new ICOM M422
• Batteries - 2 4D

Spring is Here & It's Moving Day

A gorgeous day on the Chesapeake, mid to high 70's. It was a good day to move Carina from Georgetown to Havre de Grace (Penn's Beach Marina). Left about 10:20 and arrived about 3 hours later. No issues in getting there, though for some reason none of my electronics worked; Chartplotter did not read any satelites, had to do it the old fashion way and navigate by chart and line of sight.

Winter's Parting Shot

Guess it's not quite over, we got about 8" today. While it made things a little inconvenient, it was very picturesque, the town looked like a post card in some ways.

New Home

As I can't do any long term cruising for the moment, decided living near the water was the next best thing at least for the present. We bought a condo in Port Deposit along the Susquehanna River. Carina will also be getting a new home as well. She will be staying at Penn's Beach Marina in Havre de Grace. Due to mast height, she will not fit under the Amtrak bridge at the mouth of the river. The good thing, within 15 to 20 minutes I can be there.




The Town of Port Deposit is about 1,380 acres with an estimated population of 794 people in 2006. It has been coined the "Original Mayberry" and that description is still true today. It is a small town in western Cecil County, Maryland. "Main Street" runs parallel to the northeastern bank of the Susquehanna River it is about 9/10's of a mile long and is the original section of U.S. Route 222.

Winter on The River

Brrr it's cold, Can't wait until Spring and launch day only 50 Days, 16 Hours, 24 Minutes until the Spring of '09 as of this posting, yea.