Well, six weeks have flown by and we thought we'd better memorialize our time - certainly for us, and hoping others may enjoy this post!
We shared good time with friends Jim and Cynthia who live just across the creek from where Dream Catcher was hanging out this past month, at
Bert Jabin Yacht Yard in Annapolis' Back Creek. We also spent time with Sharon's family. Work kept us both busy. We celebrated with our daughter's friend, Lizzy, as she married her sweetheart, Bo, in Newport. We had a couple of great bicycle rides with friends Eric and Pat. And Sharon enjoyed three weeks at her family's Fenwick Island Beach house. Busy! But, good stuff.
One of our bicycle rides was along the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where we parked the car in Cambridge, and peddled to the Black Water Wildlife Refuge. We saw wild, bald eagles up-close, osprey, turtles and lots of egrets and herons.
 |
That's an Eagle. He flew to a much closer perch only 15-20 feet from
our cameras, but we weren't fast enough getting pictures. |
 |
| Two turtles sun bathing |
 |
| Eric and Pat |
 |
| Eastern Shore wheat fields |
Only a half mile from
Blackwater Visitor's Center is the
Harriet Tubman Visitor's Center. Harriett is credited with creating the "Underground Railroad", a series of safe houses and pathways that helped hundreds of slaves move north to freedom. Sharon was so excited as this is a place she has been wanting to visit for a longtime. We spent two hours there. It was a very inspiring visit.
 |
| Having a picnic |
 |
| Harriet Tubman |
 |
| Tubman's quote upon escaping from her slavery |
We got to spend Father's Day with Sharon's Dad and sister, hanging out in Fenwick and enjoying breakfast out. And Sharon got to hang out in the blueberry field!
 |
| Sharon's haul! |
And - we got a new full set of sails! Greg spent many hours working with Scott Allen of
North Sails to determine the correct options, taking measurements, discussing price, etc. Finally, the new Staysail, 130 Genoa and Full-battened Main with new
Dutchman system were ordered in early June. Scheduled for delivery near the end of June, we made sure to set aside time for installation and trials before heading north again. We should have set aside more time! The genoa went on without a hitch. The staysail went on easily, too, but the stiff new head (at the top) made it difficult to wrap properly so that the sail would be covered by the sun-protective panel along the back of the sail. For you non-sailors, the sun is as tough on sails as it is on your skin. So, it is important to cover the sails whenever they are not in use. The "sacrificial strip" on the outer edge of a furling sail protects the white part from sun damage. So, you want to be sure all that white is covered up when the sail is wrapped. After a bit of manipulating, we were able to get the wrap tight enough to cover the white. With more use the sail material will become more flexible and, we hope, wrap as it should.
The main sail proved a bit of a workout. It is a big, heavy sail and so it takes a lot of pushing, pulling and lifting to get it in place on the boom. First, we discovered the slides (the parts that hold the sail to the mast) were too small and pulled out of the sailtrack on the mast. After we raised the sail we found the wind pulled it out of the track and away from the mast. So, we had to remove the sail, fold it properly on the boat, run it back to the loft, and have them remove eleven of the sail slides and stitch on new ones. We were very fortunate that a sailmaker was in on this Saturday morning! Then, on the second install, we discovered there were no holes in the bottom of the sail to accommodate reefing lines (the lines that make the sail shorter in heavy winds by tying the foot (bottom) of the sail to the boom). So, off it came again, folded on deck, bagged, and back over to the loft! Finally, on the third try, we were able to get the sail installed properly. The Dutchman system came next. The Dutchman system is a series of 500 pound test, clear monofilament lines woven through the sail from the bottom to the top to guide the sail to fall and fold neatly onto the boom. This is the same system we used on the previous sail, and we like it a lot. It allows for better sail shape than other sail handling systems, and it's easy to use. But, it's a bugger to set up the first time so that it works the way it's designed to work. In order to use it better, we installed a new halyard dedicated to this system. Greg made a trip up the mast, with all the necessary hardware, to install a turning block to allow easy halyard management. During the process we raised and lowered this, which moved the Dutchman System components higher and forward, or lower and aft - each time raising the main to check it. We finally found the sweet spot and secured it all away until we were able to sail with the system and see how that would influence positioning.
The last piece we contended with was the sail cover. This is designed to fit neatly over the sail, again to protect from the sun. But, this cover no longer fit properly as the Dutchman lines were in a new position along the boom. We jiffy-rigged it because we needed to get north! But later, in Block Island, Sharon worked wonders with her sewing machine and made adjustments that work well.
 |
| New Mainsail installed and waiting for a trial |
 |
| Greg, happy to be on deck and not aloft! |
Finally, on July 3rd at 6:30am we pulled away from the dock in Annapolis and headed north. We had decided to do the 340 nautical mile trip non-stop since we had a good weather window. It was warm heading north up the Chesapeake with little wind. We did a quick 15 minute fuel stop at
Schaefer's Canal House (a record) and kept moving. By midnight, we were rounding Cape May. It was a good time to travel with less commercial traffic over the July 4th holiday and very calm seas. It was a motor trip, but Sharon loves the calm seas, so she wasn't complaining. We safely pulled into Block Island by 10am on Wednesday the 5th, just over two days.
 |
| Ship John Shoal, Delaware Bay |
 |
| Sunset July 3rd |
 |
| Mother Nature's Fireworks |
 |
| Sunrise July 4th |
 |
| Moonset July 4th |
Already, we have enjoyed a couple good walks, caught up with friends Roger and Chrisy in Jamestown for an evening picnic at Beavertail Lighthouse, had dinner with friends John and Grace from Wickford and Vero Beach, and are preparing for the upcoming nuptials of our daughter Courtney and fiance' Paolo.
We've anchored at Block Island, Dutch Harbor (Jamestown), had a spirited sail around Beavertail Point on Sunday and dropped anchor in Newport Harbor. Tomorrow we move to a dock to make access to and from land easier. Then we'll begin a busy few days leading up to the Page/Meireles Wedding on Saturday at 5pm. Cross your fingers for good weather! Wedding pictures to come!
Thanks for checking in. 'Til next time -
SaveSaveSaveSave
