2009 Log
10/1 to 10/15/2009
This is the current period of our log for 2009. At the bottom of the page are links to this year's pass weeks; our earlier voyages are in Prior Voyages.
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Updated on 10/18/2009
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10/1/09 - Partly cloudy with 10 knot winds. After coffee and cereal I started polishing the port side of the hull. I quickly learned that the polish had gone bad and needed to be replaced (probably froze in and earlier life). I went into Eastport for a haircut and polish. A light error in geography resulted in a 56 block walk before I got back to the boat. I promptly went to work on the boat. I pooped out so Ruth helped me finish off the side. Now comes a coat of wax. Ruth suggested we visit the Dockside Bar for a light dinner. We went in envisioning nice thick burgers but quickly chose pizza when we looked at the menu. Delicious, a nice treat. 10/2/09 - Overcast this morning. It got cool enough last night that we ran the heater for an hour. Ruth worked for a couple of hours following up on offers; then she helped me finish applying a coat of wax on the hull. AA looks great with her new white luster. 10/3/09 - A bank of dark clouds on the eastern horizon delayed sunrise until 8:30 this morning. Light rain moved in around 9:15am. Looks like the weather forecast nailed it. The sun came out as we were driving to Costco with Maeve & Bradd. Warmed up to a beautiful day. We went looking for 2 items that we didn't find (got them later at Home Depot) and bought several things we didn't know we needed (mostly food items). The big score was a health device for Ruthie. Bradd saw a metal detector and led Ruth to it. She'd been hinting it would be the perfect addition to her beaching. Soooo, a deal was struck, not smoking for a month in return for the device. Miles says he refuses to acknowledge he knows her if he sees her scanning a beach. 10/4/09 - Sunday, bright and sunny! The show sets up on Wednesday. Bill Rhode sent a list of culinary hot spots in Annapolis... we forwarded it to our dining experts Laureen & Miles. They concurred with the ones they'd visited and indicated a willingness to review the others. Ruth and I moved to a mooring so we would not have to worry about the anchor during the show. After registering and paying $170 for a week we walked uptown discovering an art show. We perused the booths and had a hot dog while listening to live music - had some cool groups. We had Brad Abbott over to dinner to meet Bradd & Maeve. Conversation ranged from "gotta sees" along the St. Lawrence and Maritimes to diesel engines. Ruth had prepared a feast of garlic bread, spaghetti and Key lime pie. No one left hungry! 10/5/09 - Cool clear morning. Buddy is on a vocal rip! Looks to be a great early fall day. I started my day by removing a grass skirt (the growth along our waterline). Ruth helped by holding the dinghy alongside AA. The grass was 13" long in places... growing out of the scum line just below the waterline. There is only one NFL team Favre has not beat at least once in his career going into tonight's game - the Green Bay Packers. What a game! The crews of Ariel and Nauti Nauti left about half way through the 4th quarter. They figured it was over. Just after they left the Packers scored and kicked a field goal... the momentum had swung in their favor. We stayed at O'Brien's sports bar until midnight; this was history in the making. Up to the last 59 seconds it was anyone's game. Everyone is concerned whether Brett will last the season, after seeing the beating Rodgers took last night I'd be worried about him. The Pack has to change that. 10/6/09 - After a cool night we woke to high thin scattered clouds and sunshine. We slept in after a late night. Miles & Laureen introduced us to Iris & Alex, friends of Kevin (met in Vero Beach). We'd tried to get together with them several times on the trip from Maine... always just missing. I visited SailRite's store, picking up items needed to make a stack-pac for Sampatecho's mainsail. Our evening was show time, watching Anthony Hopkins in Fractured. Good flick. Following the vid Ruth & I had a long talk about where she wants to go from here. Ruth is feeling the need to get into an office environment where she has staff to play ideas out with and not be the "lone ranger". I could tell something was bothering her and last night she laid her feelings out. Now she has to take the next step and figure out what she wants to do. Big decisions ahead! I know it's very normal to question where you are going in life, especially as she's 10 years younger than me. She expressed a need to contribute to a team and to be appreciated for her business talent. Maybe we've just been in Annapolis too long and she's going stir crazy with too much time to think or maybe she needs to look for something that is more in our lifestyle....We'll be brainstorming on this one for awhile.... 10/7/09 - Overcast with drizzle this morning. Today was set-up day for the show. Ruth & I went in a couple hours after Bradd & Maeve, giving them time to get the booth equipment on site. Then we joined them to set up the basic arrangement. Strong 20 - 30 mph winds were violently shaking the tents preventing many vendors from fully setting up. Bradd decided some of the banners should wait until early tomorrow. By noon we'd gone as far as we could. Ruth & I headed downtown to try to find a couple of items for the boat and ourselves. It didn't take long and we were back in the dinghy heading for AA. Enroute we saw that Dave and Heather on Wild Hair were preparing to put out a kedge to regain the distance they had dragged. (This is an additional anchor that you set and pull the boat to where you need it to be-mainly not in someone else's lap) We stopped and helped them put out a plow only to see it drag along the bottom. Next we hauled a fortress anchor about 300' out and dropped it in the water. When they took up the line this time the anchor held - success. Heather insisted on giving Ruth a beautiful glass crab tree ornament as a thank you. 10/8/09 - The wind blew itself out last night; we woke to high stratus clouds and sun. Today was the first day of the show, VIP day. We were on site by 10. As the gates opened a fair sized crowd moved in. The booth was busier than last year, a good thing. The crowds in the aisles also seemed bigger than last year. Maybe things are turning around? Ruth and I left at 5:30p, our backs were complaining and the crowd was thinning. It was time to get off our feet, out of our shoes and kick back in our saloon (that's say-lon, not sa-loon), or is it? (see sidebar for comments) 10/9/09 - Another bright cool fall day greeted us. We worked the show from 10am to 5pm... had a great flow of customers. Sure seems better than last year by a long shot. The final numbers will tell. For us it is fun just to meet folks we know from cruising and from past shows. Ruth & I both had a great day! I couldn't list the people we met that we know from cruising. Back at the boat in the evening we were again shot. A couple of drinks and a Ruthie salmon, cheese and crackers tray and we were ready to read and go to bed. 10/10/09 - Sunrise on Saturday revealed a bank of clouds moving in. The forecast said 20% chance of morning rain. It seems that the attendees are buying little ticket items... perhaps treats rewarding the feeling that things will get better, just not yet? We had a good day at the show, moving some higher ticket items (for us)... finally leaving at 6:00 feeling drained after strong activity all day. Brad Abbott & Alice (Oshkosh) stopped in as did Bob & Paula from Fourth Watch (NY State) and a number of other cruisers we've met along the way. Back on board we made amends with Buddy for abandoning her all day, then we crashed over a couple of drinks to read for a while. Sounds repetitive but we don't remember hitting the pillow until we woke up at 8 am. 10/11/09 - Cool sunny fall morning... a great day for football. We headed for the show at 9:15 and worked until almost 6pm. Not as good a day as yesterday's all time record day, but still a fairly busy day. Ruth and I both enjoy meeting and talking with the boaters that visit Cruising Solution's booth. After the show we stopped to say good bye to Laureen & Miles. They will be heading south early tomorrow morning. We'll likely not see them again until January when we get to Miami. 10/12/09 - Woke up this morning in bed with and older woman. Happy Birthday Ruth!! Like a rare wine you're another year better. It's also her older brother Mike's birthday. Happy birthday to you Mike. Started my morning with a wake up call from Miles. They were trying to make the 7:30am bridge and realized they had no flow of water through the engine. He needed Brad Abbott's phone number. Miles later called that they were on their way south after Brad replaced a 6 month old water pump impellor that had totally failed. Today was the last day of the show. As expected the crowds were lower though we were over-run a few times. The weather was cool (50's) and gray. Seems like we had a little of everything this week weather wise. Ruth and I went out for supper after show tear-down. We like the Dock Street pub's personal pizzas, something we don't have good luck making on the boat. 10/13/09 - Partly cloudy and cool - but warmer than yesterday. We slept in, recovering from the show. Ruth went to work on the internet, catching up with her biz while I replace the last halogen bulb on our boat with an LED module. We presented the bulb to Bradd & Maeve as the last of it's kind when we joined them for dinner on their boat. 10/14/09 - Cool and gray today. After breakfast I motored into town to pick up some materials for Sampatecho's new stack-pac (sail cover) only to find the shop was now on autumn hours and closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Rich & Carole, S/V The great Catsby, arrived late this morning. 10/15/09 - Woke to the sounds of wind and rain. The furnace was running, fighting temperatures in the 40's. Not a nice day for the opening of the power boat show. Bradd made a run with Chuck's car to pick up the last of the items we needed for the stack-pac as it was too wet to go anywhere in the dinghy. |
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yup, even threads need attention as I prepare to re-tension the side stays
Bradd & Maeve with Brad Abbott (foreground). Sunday dinner on AA
Miles notes it's time to move south I stand corrected?? Frat brother Bill Rohde says I'm all wet and offers this correction. Saloons initially got their name from the lavish wood-paneled gathering rooms in homes or clubs. When bars copied that wood paneled décor they also began to be called Saloons, but the nautical meaning has always been the place on a ship or yacht where one goes to sit and relax, usually surrounded by lavish wood furnishings (as in the interior of a Jeanneau). def. Saloon:
However, I suppose if your hair is now dyed and spiked (I'd be interested in seeing that!) perhaps you did go to a SayLon on Thursday night after the show :-)
Not many photos... hard to show rain. Once you've seen a drop you pretty much have seen them all.
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