Sorting things out
Zazu, one of Brians more eclectic sculpures, has a new temporary home with friends until we return.
We left New York just as the UN were in session; a huge naval ship was guarding the entrance to the bay. We sailed under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and down the coast of New Jersey and into the Delaware Bay.
Moonrise over Atlantic City.
We arrived at the entrance to the bay at dawn and spent the day motoring up the channel towards the D&C canal. Delaware Bay is very shallow, great for day sailing and local fishing, but for any boat with a draft of 4 feet or more, the channel was the only option. After an overnight stay in Chesapeake City, an ambitiously named small town half way down the D&C canal, the following day we were back in the Upper reaches of Chesapeake Bay.
A nasty storm was forecast so we made tracks down to Baltimore where our friend and past sailing instructor, Captain Frank, had secured a berth for us at the Yacht Club. The berth was awkward and the wind gusty, not our finest moment in the annals of docking. So dramatic, Helen lost her glasses overboard! No worries, the spare pair came out and we enjoyed a lovely evening catching up on our adventures with Frank and his friends.
Annapolis was the next stop. We arrived just before the boat show so easily found a mooring in the center of town and enjoyed a couple of days walking around, exploring the historical - and not so historical - sights. Who knew Moses had been presented with the design for a submarine so long ago? The bronze at the entrance to the chapel at Annapolis Naval Academy clearly depicts this moment.
It was about this time we had an epiphany of sorts. The status quo could no longer continue. Our home in Tennessee was standing empty and time was not being kind to it. We are obviously enjoying this wandering lifestyle and want to continue for a few more years. We needed to have a family in our home to care for it. We had arranged for a haul out and bottom paint at Herrington Harbor, just south of Annapolis, so decided to extend our time in the boatyard and go home to take care of business. We gave ourselves a month to complete the task, We needed to be back in the water by November, in time to catch weather to head south.
Haul out day came and we were cleaned off and put in the boatyard. We hopped in a car and headed home. Then the fun began. Our neighbors, Julie and Shay were brilliant, helping us unload a lot of furniture and trash. Our sailing friends kept our spirits up. The house was FINALLY finished, with the addition of a staircase railing (after 27 years of living without one).
Treasures were discovered and safely packed away for a few more years. The movers came and by the end we were dining outside, and camping inside until finally the job was done.
We visited Brent and Kianna in Charleston to celebrate a birthday we had missed, then headed back to the boat. Helacious had a little TLC in our absence. Her bottom was painted with 2 coats of Vivid red anti-foul paint. We added vinyl stripes just above to try and prevent the slime that tended to develop on the bare aluminum. New solar panels were added and the blue boxes of electronics that had given us grief since Norway last year appear to be finally fixed and installed.
Finally, 5 weeks after hauling out, Helacious was in the slings again and back in the water. What a month. The spectacular sunset that first night seemed like a good omen for the adventures ahead.
