Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Sailing to Annapolis

We *love* when friends come to visit!  Rob trekked south from Traverse City last weekend to spend time aboard Virginia Dare.  We were happy to introduce him to Chesapeake Bay blue crabs, sail north to Annapolis, and tour the town and Naval Academy campus.
Ready to tackle three dozen crabs!

Put a major hurt on them, but had to bring a few home.

Sunday morning sail to Annapolis from Herring Bay

It was a beautiful summer day

Schools of minnows swim near the surface (little blips of ripples on the water) and big fish come and feast (all those white splashes)

Bloody Point Light (c. 1882), near Kent Island

Thomas Point Light (c. 1875), the most recognized lighthouse in Maryland

Rob is enjoying his vacation :)

LOTS of boats in Annapolis harbor
The Naval Academy is surrounded by water on three sides: Dorsey Creek, Spa Creek, and the Severn River

Ego Alley, downtown Annapolis

Someone paddling with his pooch.  The dog looked a little terrified.

Beautiful homes along Spa Creek

Mama and two ducklings stopped by at happy hour and were treated to some stoned wheat crackers :)

Can't say that we've seen a heron atop a tree before this.

Sunday evening's sun and moon set

Cut Throat Cribbage in the cockpit
Mandy reflecting in the morning light 
Dockmaster :)

Virginia Dare on mooring #68 in Back Creek

Quaint street

Winning Drive owned by Steve Bisciotti, the owner of the Baltimore Ravens

Kunta Kinte - Alex Haley Memorial

Delicious breakfast at the Iron Rooster...we stumbled upon it in October (on its second day open) and loved every bite.  It didn't disappoint this time either.

Maryland State Capitol

Capitol of the U.S. for nearly nine months

Stunning architectural details

George Washington (bronze) giving his resignation speech

Beautiful details

A nautilus in the stone floor

Main Chapel at the Naval Academy

Tomb of John Paul Jones, Father of the American Navy

I'll take feasting or frolicking, but not fighting....

Mahan Hall

Mahan Hall

Late lunch at the Boatyard, a new favorite!

The boys going to explore the creek

A lightning (what David learned to sail when he was a boy)

Virginia Dare (born August 18, 1587) became the first child of English parents to be born in present-day America on what is now Roanoke Island, North Carolina.  Last night (Aug. 18), the three of us toasted her with champagne and sprinkled some on her bow.  (Thanks to Alex for sending a photo from the Cincinnati Enquirer!)

Monday, August 3, 2015

Boat maintenance

So, we're hunkered down at Herrington Harbour North for awhile so that we can tackle our Maintenance List in David's black book.  (All iPhonography in this post.)

The chart plotter we purchased in October was misbehaving.  It's been sent to the manufacturer for repair under warranty.

This pole with peeling paint has driven me crazy since we moved aboard.  It supports the radar dome on our stern.  The gimbal that holds the radar dome was no longer doing its job (keeps the radar parallel to the water when the boat heels at an angle).  The gimbal was sent back to the manufacturer for repair, so David stripped the paint on the stainless support pole.

Aric at Chesapeake Marine Engineering polished the stainless to a fine gleam.  YAY!  No more peeling paint!  I purposely tried not to show it in photos for the last nine months.....that's how much it bothered me.
While the gimbal is being repaired, I polished the cover of the radar dome.  After sitting in the sun for years and years, it had turned a dull, powdery white (I didn't get a "before" shot).

This shows the restored shine :)

Four steps: cleaner, rubbing compound, polish, stainless polish.
On Thursday morning, I got up before sunrise (a rare occasion!), took the metro and a bus to Dulles, and flew to Cincinnati.

Farewell to a hazy day in the metro DC area.

Quick flight to Cincy.

Alex picked me up and we headed into town.

We toasted Jodi's birthday at one of my favorite places, Taft Ale House.

While the Volvo was having an oil change the next morning, we had breakfast at the Sleepy Bee.  As an alternative to breakfast potatoes, they offer roasted root vegetables.  *love*

Lots of bee-themed art on the walls.  I loved this mixed media honeycomb of felted wool/oil on canvas.
I left Cincinnati and aimed for the Chesapeake Bay with a quick stop in Lancaster, Ohio, for Borocol, a teak cleaner/fungicide for our decks.

Cincinnati, OH > WV > MD > DC > Tracy's Landing (565 miles) -- now we have wheels while we're here (through the Annapolis Boat Show in October).

Stopped and waiting in West Virginia.

Got home in time to see the blue moon rising :)
Virginia Dare is 13 years old; sometimes things break that aren't on our To Do list.  This knob fell off in my hand (we had spares to replace it) and the air conditioner decided to malfunction.....not good when the temps were in the 90s!  However, in less than 24 hours (and with two trips to the hardware store), David repaired the AC and we were back to cool comfort down below.

When frustrations run high, remember to Keep Calm and Carry On (thanks to Diana for sending these pencils a long time ago....they are still in action!)

Trying fun new drink recipes also diverts frustrations :)
We had lots of leftover grilled pork tenderloin, so David made fried rice......

....and pork dumplings!

Half dirty, half clean.
Since I am the non-mechanical crew member, I volunteer for all sorts of cleaning tasks.  Today was the dinghy, inside and out.  It had been sitting in the water for two weeks and this is what grew in that short period of time.  While I was doing the final hose-down before relaunching, a water moccasin swam(!!!) by.  OMG!  Since I was pretty much soaking wet, I didn't get a photo.

David dismantled, cleaned, lubricated, and reassembled the two main winches in the cockpit this afternoon.

Lots of pieces and parts.

Put back together and all shined up!

While he was doing that, I bleached and polished the 13 year old white formica.  I'm sure we're the only ones who can tell the difference, but that's what counts!

Couldn't find Rejuvenate countertop polish locally, so I went with The Original Gel-Gloss.
So, we haven't been sailing since Duncan visited but we've accomplished a lot.  I think we'll have to take a day off and play on the bay the next time the wind picks up :)