We Are Off !!

We are off ..... in a cloud of bafufah feathers .... as my Dad would say. Only for us it is in a cloud of dog and cat hair. But we are off!

Last Wednesday we drove from home in a rental car with our final load of stuff ... and stowed the last of our gear. (well, some of it did not get put away until just recently, but ..... there has been a lot to do.) On Thursday morning, the entire crew from Washburn's Boatyard came to the boat for a picture and to say good-bye. We shall miss them all very much. What a wonderful experience it was to have them be the ones to commission our boat. Then at 9:40 am on May 7th, we tooted our way out of Solomons Is, MD.


But I am getting ahead of myself. I need to back up.

On the 2nd of May, our dear friends Linda & Richard gave us the most beautiful send-off party with a few close friends. It was so loving .... and I am sure it will be one of the highlights of our year. Linda & Richard provided a delicious dinner ..... Daisy & David brought a beautiful Bon Voyage "Princess" cake .... and there were such thoughtful and original presents from everyone. We were truly overwhelmed. We have everything on board, except for Victor the Vulpalope, who is home guarding our home.But most importantly we have their loving good wishes with us. Thank you, Linda, Richard, Daisy, David, Janice, Rick, Joan & Pierantonio!

Our first two nights were spent in Annapolis. It was an easy trek up the Chesapeake in Moon Beam, even though there were small craft warnings posted for the day. We hit some major fog, but only for a little while .... and with our radar equipment we could watch the storms heading rapidly to the east .... so no worries! It really was fine, and coming from me that says a lot! We stayed in Annapolis for two nights as we had a few equipment problems, but that offered us the opportunity to see friends, Nancy & Bob, whom we had met through the Barrs. Their enthusiasm about our adventure helped us greatly after a day of trials.

On May 9th, we headed for the Bohemia River, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We had planned to anchor at the mouth of the river, but Peter heard there could be gale force winds that night, and in order to keep his brand new first mate/admiral happy, he took us waaaaaay up the Sassafras River to a marina. The next day we came all the way back down the river, and then continued north on the Chesapeake to the Chesapeake/Delaware (C&D) Canal, which brought us to Chesapeake City, MD. We had time to walk around the town, admiring the funky, colorful, tiny old houses, with front porches full of flowers and wicker furniture .... but not one mailbox in sight for my thank you notes! Very early the next day..... I woke to the engines running at 6:00 am.... we took off for the rest of the way on the Canal, then down the Delaware River, across the Delaware Bay to Cape May, New Jersey. It was a long way at 8 kt, but the Delaware Bay was good to us, and we encountered very few large ships and no bad weather or choppy seas. We took a rest day today in Cape May, and toured the town on our new folding bicycles. Tomorrow we leave very early again for the run up the outside of the New Jersey coast, with the intention of stopping in Manasquam tomorrow night. Then on to Sandy Hook before entering NYC Harbor on Friday ... and continuing to Tarrytown, NY, where we meet up with Geoff & Jaimee, Barry & Laura, and a host of Hamilton College friends on Saturday.

Sounds idyllic, right? After today, biking through Cape May with its Victorian Inns and B&Bs, and pedaling along the ocean promenade, I would say we are beginning to see what this year can bring. However, we have had our challenges. I admire Moon Beam more each day, as she is capable of so much, but with all her systems, things are bound to go wrong. Many hours in Annapolis with the davit not retracting properly. Our GPS has a way of turning our boat in a 360 degree circle if the wrong button is pushed, which can be very exciting. Then both our holding tanks for water emptied into the lazarette because of a faulty valve on an outside faucet .... and because someone left the tap out there turned on. Neither of us is taking credit for that, but the upshot is that the container holding 60 pounds of kitty litter in the lazarette is now full of water, and weighs a kazillion pounds. Other minor issues, but the important news is that we have had two carefree days, and that is a blessing! We are both truly exhausted, physically and mentally, from all the newness, but we can do this!

And the other good news is that Tigger is adjusting well to the boat ... and Kitty seems to be perfectly at ease! Phew! Tigger has trouble getting on and off Moon Beam, but the ramp that Peter bought has helped. Poor lamb landed on his stomach on the dock, with his hind feet headed toward the water the other night .... but there seem to be no lingering problems and we hope that experience is not repeated. I dare say ... so does he!

So ... we are launched. And we thank everyone who has gotten us this far. We have already met two "Great Loop" couples, and look forward to meeting many more. Here we go!

Minority opinion: As Captain serving under the Admiral, I have come to realize how much this is a two man job. She has been our navigator and checker of all things which has helped prevent many errors (mostly minor) and helped me become willing to double check everything, something for which I am not well known. As a friend said, "You get along because you have to." There's no walking out the door to cool off! Anyway, she has been brave and put up with a lot of little, maybe less little to her, issues because she knows this is my dream. I'm very proud of her and grateful to her. Of course we have yet to hit bad weather so stay tuned! She may be home sooner than planned.