So Little Time to Learn All the New Electronics

We are packing to depart for the Chesapeake Bay this week. The frozen food is on board. A little provisioning will be done in Hampton, VA. But basically, I am ready to rock and roll - literally! I have my trans dermal patches to stave off the seasickness this time. I hope they work!

Looking out of Herrington Harbor North in the evening

Since the rainy weather has delayed much of the deck work, polishing and installation of the new electronic, we are pressed for time in getting everything done by Sunday. On Thursday we will test the equipment. Unfortunately, we have to deal with the tide issue: there is only one high tide on Thursday and it is at 5:14 pm! That doesn't give us much daylight. Since our draft is 7 feet, we have a challenging time getting in and out of the harbor. And the tides at this time of the year are not flowing in our favor!

I have a feeling that I will be reading a number of manuals on the way down the bay. Since we have made this trip several times now, we know our way points already. Our friends Gwen and Perry Smith are sailing with us so they can spend some time at the helm while Dennis and I study!

Drum Point Lighthouse at Solomon's Island

We will be stopping in a new place for us: Solomon's Island. We have always been in a hurry going south and have never stopped at this boaters' favorite destination on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Solomons Island is a major boating center located at the mouth of the Patuxent River, in southern Calvert County, Maryland. It is about 40 miles south of Herring Bay as the crow flies - a little further by water.

After an overnight at Solomon's Island, we will sail down to Fleet Bay and anchor overnight. There are not many places to tuck into on western shore unless you go up the rivers. That takes too much time when the goal is just to make the trip down to Hampton, VA. From Fleet Bay, we will continue on to the Blue Water Yachting Center in  Hampton, where we join up with the Caribbean 1500 fleet. Our friends will disembark and we will pick up our Atlantic crossing crew and finish our preparations for the trip to Tortola.

Island Weather Is Calling!

It is time to put the pots away and go sailing!

As the cold damp nights and crisp days are settling into Michigan, we are anxious to head to the islands again. It is hard to believe that November is just a couple weeks away already! Where did the year go? I guess time does fly when you are having fun!

We still have not been able to test the new electronics as they are still installing them. Our biggest challenge is getting out of the harbor on high tide to test them. This time of year high tide is very early in the morning or near sunset making it more difficult to complete the task. We will certainly test it on the way to Hampton, VA - and have back-up systems available, too!

Since Dennis is not yet ready to retire, we will sail Trillium to Tortola and return for December. When we go back down in early 2012, our goal is to travel down the island chain. I am not sure how far we will get before turning back north for the trip to the East Coast. Hopefully, we will do some sailing on the East Coast next summer. We are not going to the Mediterranean as we had originally planned. At least not until he is ready to give up the practice of law. He does work on while on the boat, but the Internet and cell phone connections make it challenging.

This is Shanghai, China

This year's sailing will be chopped up a bit as I will be going to China to teach my international leadership program in February. This will be my first trip to China so I am looking forward to it. I am not too sure how I will be able to teach for five days after such a long flight and time zone differences. I know I will rise to the occasion! Unfortunately, Dennis will not be joining me on this trip. Then I will be heading to Europe in April to teach the next session of leadership, getting back to Trillium just in time to start sailing north to Bermuda. That will make provisioning interesting!

It's Annapolis Boat Show Time Again!

We are off to Annapolis for the Boat Show weekend. Actually, we are going to do our final check on Trillium and the new equipment, but we scheduled it to coincide with the boat show. If you are a boater - sail or power - you should check out the Annapolis shows. For one week it is strictly sail and the following week it is power. To plan ahead, note that the sail portion always ends on the Monday of Columbus day and the power portion starts the following Thursday. It is amazing to see the way the boats and docks move in and out of that final day between shows. Here is a link to a fun video showing the action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfOl6lcrhL8&feature=player_embedded.

Several of the sailing magazines sponsor seminars on various topics with well-known sailors presenting. There are a number of social events linked to the boat show. While we are not consuming as much since Trillium is pretty well outfitted, it is fun to reconnect with sailors, dealers, etc. And of course, there are always new things to peruse. I have a short list of items to pick up before we head offshore again.

I am really anxious to test the new electronics: everything from broadband radar to the super chart plotters. I had just mastered the old system by the time we returned to the east coast. However, one of the chart plotters died on the way back and they are no longer supporting the old technology. That is the problem: technology gives you the latest and greatest, but it becomes obsolete and no longer supported after a certain amount of time. Now I have a lot of learning to do, but I do believe the new equipment is more user friendly than the old. I will let you know!

Reconnecting: Crew and Sailing Friends

Many of you have asked: Do the two of you sail across the ocean to the BVI alone?

The answer is: We could, but we don't! You need several people to handle the night watches and help with navigation, repairs, etc. Someone needs to be awake and alert on deck at all times.



Nirit crossing Magnetic Sky getting
to her boat Passerpartout

There are some couples who sail double-handed. We met a delightful couple from Israel who have sailed the Mediterranean, across the Atlantic, down the island chain and up to New England. They are working their way back to the islands for the winter and will cross the Atlantic again to return home in May or June. We had hoped to sail the Med with them next summer, but it is not looking like we will now. Maybe we will meet up with them over there in 2013.

We are happy to have Bob return as crew this year. He and I had a lot of time to discuss leadership. In fact, I recently had him join me in a leadership training session I was conducting. If was interesting to see someone in a different context. He is looking forward to sailing with us again.



Why did the Mahi Mahi have to
hit right at dinner time?

And his friend Larry is joining the crew. We are looking forward to sailing with Larry as he has a reputation for ocean fishing. We are hoping to learn a lot from him. While we had success catching Mahi Mahi last year, we are hoping to have a shot at Wahoo and whatever else is out there. While sailing from Tortola to Bermuda, I saw a huge school of fish with a bright -almost neon - pink stripe on their sides shooting out of waves and diving into the next one. There must have been hundreds of them and I still haven't figured out what they were. Hopefully Larry can tell me what they were!

Preparing for 2011 Caribbean 1500

I can't believe we are only six weeks away from heading to the islands again! The summer has flown by and we have only been to Maryland once to work on the boat. I am learning that there is always work to do and it truly is a hole in the water into which you pour $$$! But it is worth it!

Out with the old!

We are installing all new electronics since ours are 10 years old. As soon as they are in, we will put the boat back in the water to test everything. Then we have to learn to work the new system. I am hoping that the processes will be more logical and easier to use than the old ones.

We are adding new dock lines and outhaul. Our sunsceen was so wonderful that we have added more coverage so we can eat dinner on deck without being blinded by the sun - something our Michigan friends won't be seeing everyday unless they come to sail with us! And we have added cockpit cushions. This will make it easier on the knees when moving around in the cockpit. Not to mention the backside!

The crossing last fall and return with the Atlantic Cup Rally helped to identify areas where we needed to increase the robustness of our equipment. When your boat is your lifeline and is a totally self-sufficient environment, you must make sure everything is performing at peak levels. We were very comfortable living aboard. By adding the cushions, it will be easier to stretch out in the cockpit.

It is tight quarters in the galley!

Next step for me is to start planning the meals and do the provisioning. It will be easier this year since I have had the experience once. I did a very good job last year. We even gave away a lot (too much) food when we left to return home for the holidays. The local people appreciate getting what we cannot use or leave onboard. Since you can't know exactly how many days you may be on the ocean, you have to prepare for extra days just in case. This year my extra food will be coming out of cans that can be left onboard!