This all feels so familiar. We prepared our Smart Home, tested the alarm system, forwarded the mail, arranged for landscaping, and informed our Posse of Preparedness Peeps should any natural disaster strike while we are away. They will know how and when to reach us and what to do. With California in a statewide drought, …
“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa 2020 has reinforced some truths and taught me several valuable lessons. For example, “Live for today because tomorrow is not promised.” Also, “Friendship isn’t a big thing, it’s a million little things.” I have taken these …
We are trying to be optimistic. Our fingers are crossed. We have planned well for what will be a short boating season. We want to travel the pristine waters of Canada, the Trent-Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay, and the North Channel. We think we might be able to cross Lake Ontario, Lake Huron and skirt the …
I fully intended to produce a blog post in February and share a wonderful trip to Florida to celebrate my Uncle Howard’s 92nd birthday and cajole with my cousins. Life got in the way. I have been accepted as an honorary sibling in the Estes family. I’ve been invited to the annual birthday reunions for …
West Marine, Cosco, ACE Hardware, US Post Office, Bed-Bath-&-Beyond, and a few other stops kept us busy on our final weekend in Shelburne. Pete repaired the roller for our anchor chain, fabricated a water hose pigtail to help with marina water hook ups, then he helped me to secure our new Canadian flag on the …
Our Great Loop Adventure began on 8 May, 2018. We thought we’d be close to “Crossing our Wake” (a term meaning the completion of the Great Loop), but medical setbacks have cost us a year off the boat. I’ll be honest. I have been a little fearful anticipating this next portion (Phase II) of our …
I spoke too soon on the last blog entry suggesting that we had uncovered “the last of our required/delayed maintenance.” On the morning of 5/1 (our original dream date for starting this adventure) our engine wouldn’t start. We determined that our brand new house batteries were dead. We further surmised that it was our battery …
Our original goal was to start our Great Loop Adventure on 1 May, 2018, also known as May Day. We now believe that this is not the best day to start. First, the nautical (or aeronautical) term [“MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY!”] refers to a life and/or death situation. We’re not particularly superstitious, but this just seems like …
“Break Out Another Thousand.” We have identified some additional items that need upgrading before we can launch. During the initial boat survey, the heat and AC units worked. Shortly after, when Pete was on board last October, the system started acting up. The local electrician believed it was the control panel. With a mild climate …
Weather (wind and bitter cold) delayed our launch by two days to Wednesday, 4/18, which turned out well because the predicted winds vanished. We met our training captain, Dave Skolnick, at 10:00 am. For the first couple of hours we reviewed boat systems, then broke for lunch. The surprisingly calm seas allowed travel to Annapolis …