Quiet Christmas Day

I wanted to post these after making a trip to the marina Christmas morning and a great dinner but because my computer was sick I had to wait to get the pictures. Here are a few shots from a quiet peaceful Christmas.

 

 

It was a great day, while we were sad not to spend it with family, we did spend it it with some great friends, the Lisco's. A wonderful family who welcomes us into their home during holidays to enjoy wonderful food and laughs. Thank you guys!

 

 



 

 

 

 

A few shots from a quiet and peaceful marina. Earlier in the day before dinner I went to the marina to see how Sal was. It was a chance for me to reflect how good I have it. A couple of years earlier Sal and cruising was just a dream. In 2010 Crystal and I walked these very docks looking at boats and dreaming of someday owning and cruising on a sailboat. I am very happy and grateful that 2 years later we have our Sal and are working towards our goal of cruising. I would like to say I am grateful for all those that have helped up to this point. I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas.

FBI Virus!

I got a damn virus on my computer here just before Xmas and just now got my PC up and running again. I got the FBI Virus that has been going around. Apparently there are different versions and I happened to get the lastest one which locked me out of my PC and told me my computer was in violation of federal law, but if I ran to CVS, Walmart or any other convient place I could buy a $400 card to unlock it......A bunch of BS! Anyway if you read this please be warned.....it sucks! 

We haven't forgotten about the blog!

Been really busy over the last few weeks. I have just finished up a semester at college and work somehow got out of control. All that and I am going for my General class FCC license that will allow me to use HF frequencies. My test is tomorrow night so I have been very busy studying in any and all free time. This weekend after a strong cold front passes it looks like I will be able to get out on the water for a much needed sail. I am planning on making a post here over the next week or so recapping the year and posting our achievemnts towards our goal of cruising. Everyone that follows don't give up, we are still here and have a lot to write about. Happy Holidays!

Memorable moments of 2012, more to come!



N4WIS, USS Wisconsin Radio Club

Remembering Pearl Harbor!

I was able to join a great group of amateur radio operators onboard BB-64, USS Wisconsin, over the weekend. They hold special events aboard her 4 times a year. Since I was a new member of the Wisconsin Radio Club , N4WIS, I was quite excited to be there. It was a great time and brought back very good memories of my Navy days. A fun and meaningful day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A30 Sail Repair

As all sailors know, paying someone else to fix our stuff is expensive. Since I am broke, all repairs and upgrades have to be done by me. I feel this is better for a few reasons: It not only saves money, it also provides me with the experience and gratification of repairing something on my own.

A few months ago while on a nice afternoon sail I noticed my sail looked torn. Upon further inspection I found it to be worn on the leech where the leech line rubbed the seam. See the pics below for the repair:

 Leech line sticking out of the leech of the 140% Genoa. Sal loves a bigger head sail, this is her favorite all aound headsail!



 The required materials from Sailrite....about $25

total. The local sail loft wanted $40 just to evaluate the sail.



A nice rolling hitch to create a new edge. BTW this caused some serious blisters on my fingers because of the thickness of the sail. I highly recommend and will be getting a sailor palm!

Some nice new sail tape over the repair. Looks good and lasts a long time!

I have yet to test the repair as the winds lately have just been too light for this sail. I have been using the No.1 genoa lately which I believe is a 163%...or something crazy like that. As I said, Sal really likes larger headsails. I think this may be because of her low aspect rig, but I am not too sure.

This head sail is in fair shape but could probably stand to be replaced. For now however, I will keep repairing and mending the sails myself to keep ol' Sal moving along as we prepare her for cruising.

Another Local Treasure

As I have said here on the blog before, some of the best adventure spots are right under your nose. My wife found another last week. It's a beautiful area off of the Lynnhaven River that the City recently acquired and turned into a nature walk for the public. It has a total of 16 miles of walking/running trails. I can't believe I drove by this spot on my way to work for 2 years everyday and never knew it was there. This again proves my point that some really great places are in our own backyards and we don't ever take the time to find them.

 

 

What a great way to spend a crisp but sunny 45 degree morning. We enjoyed the sounds and smells of mother nature and got some exercise too.

Singlehanded Sail in November

 

 

I went out for another great singlehanded sail today. Wind was not very cooperative most of the time, but there were moments when Sal and I moved along quite nicely.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

We have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. First and foremost we still have each other and we are in good health. We have food on our table and roof over our heads. We are thankful for our families, the new additions, and that every one is healthy. We are a bit sad we cannot spend it with family, but are over joyed that we will be spending it with good friends. We are also thankful for our Salacia, she is a good old boat and she is now part of our family too.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Rough Day

 

Spent a little time at marina yesterday. I had intended on going sailing but after looking at the weather I decided I would do some maintenance.

 

Love to see this Patriotism!

 

What a difference a week makes!

 

Small boat leaving Little Creek Inlet

 

Larger 40ft + sailboat leaving the inlet....rougher than it looks!

 

 

 



First True Singlehand and Race! All in the Same Day

 

 

We drifted around the inlet to Little Creek waiting for another Alberg 30 to join us. We kind of just bobbed around, but it didn't matter...I was savoring my accomplishment, I was Singlehanding Sal! It sure helped that the wind was almost non existent.

 

This was the best shot I got of the Bristol 27, Winter Dream, as he kicked my butt!

 

I have been intrigued by singlehanding a larger boat for some time. I sailed an O'Day Daysailor II as a kid, singlehanding on a lake on Cape Cod but that was much different than this accomplishment. I was singlehanding my Alberg 30 out into the Chesapeake Bay. I have been testing and honing my singlehanded skills over the last few months with my wife onboard only as an observer. Today, I did it alone. It was quite a day! To top it all off, I raced another Alberg design, Bristol 27 belonging to Tom who also sails out of Little Creek. He kicked my butt! It's ok because I truly had a great time. A few times I found myself looking for the "admiral" but she wasn't there. It was a great day with great weather and I look forward to doing it again!

 

Returning from a great day!

Few Shots from Our SF Trip

A Little Color

Winter is Coming!

 

 

The weather here on the east coast has been less than ideal for sailing. Storm after storm, when its not raining there is no wind. I am very thankful that we, including Sal, weathered the storms. I am trying to be patient and keep thing in perspective. Hopefully we can get some wind in her sails and in our faces this weekend.

Hurricane Sandy Day 3

Morning High Tide.

 

 

No cutting through the Cutty to look at the boats.

 

Morning tide at the marina, no getting on the docks without some wet feet.

 

Cutty Sark Marina flooded

 

Tide has subsided and winds have switched to the west.



Hurricane Sandy Day 2

 

From the Marina today, not yet the worst of the storm

Walking the docks, It's much worse than camera shows

 

More Wind and Rain....this is low tide...Yikes!



Hurricane Sandy is Coming!

 Looking north into the Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek Inlet

 

Rudee Inlet looking into the Atlantic

 

Sal nice and safe in her slip, lines secure and liveaboards watching her for us! I think all we have to worry about is docks floating away. Severe flooding is predicted, we'll see!

 

More to Come!