Good morning, Norfolk

We had a beautiful sunrise to start our day this morning!

Norfolk

We had a pretty smooth run down the Bay, arrived in Norfolk this afternoon. Seas were a little lumpy at the mouth of the Potomac and a table lamp fell over, but no harm done.

Heading South!

Heading to warmer latitudes today. We left Annapolis this morning, and Norfolk will be our first port of call.

Bay Bridge Race

It's a cold, windy day for the Bay Bridge Race. These runners are approaching the end of the 6.2 mile run. We're sitting tight today, waiting for the winds to decrease tomorrow.

Almost Time

We're so ready! We're looking at the weather to choose when we will leave. It looks rough tomorrow, but Monday looks good.

So Grey

Nicole

It's a rainy, windy day, as the remnants of Nicole go by us. 

Fuel

We took the boat over to the fuel dock today and brought aboard enough diesel for our first leg of the voyage. Almost ready!

The Puzzle

Figuring out the puzzle.

Tropical Storm Nicole

No journey would be complete without a storm in the mix. We'll be watching Nicole as we plan our departure.

Provisioning

Today is provisioning day. 

Good night, Annapolis

Guest Cabin

Suzan has redecorated the guest cabin…

Galley Faucet

The original faucet in the galley didn't have much flow, even after cleaning the in-line screen. So, today we installed a new one and it works great!

Friends Aboard

Lori and Christian joined us yesterday for a ride around the Bay.

Cloudy Day

The winds died off in the afternoon yesterday, so we were able to get out for a quick spin with our friends, Lori and Christian. On the way we saw a submarine, navy sky divers, and the Navy sailing team along the Severn. Quite a day!

Galley Lighting

It's hard to believe, but there was no light above the stove in the galley. That's been remedied as of this morning with a new LED fixture installed.

Water Tanks

We spent some time yesterday cleaning the water tanks. There was only a small amount of sediment inside when we opened them up and they were gratifyingly clean overall.

Spares

I'm checking our inventory of spare parts for our trip south. We just need a few more items, such as an alternator belt for the generator and additional water filters for the fresh water system. These things are on order and should arrive before departure.

Dashboard Covers

Suzan stitched together some covers to protect the varnish on the dashboard from the sun. Nice.

Varnish

Reassembling the helm station today after getting a round of fresh varnish. So great to finally be putting things back together!

Schooner Race

Light winds today for the Schooner Race. Each year, off Annapolis, the schooners gather for a race down the Bay. It was a beautiful day, bringing the first sunshine we've seen for six days, so spirits were high, despite the lack of wind.

Fresh Varnish

Some fresh varnish for the area around the dash. This area takes a lot of sun, so it really needed some care.

Dove

The Dove is in town!

Sunshade

This is the first test of our prototype DIY sunshade. Still some fine tuning to do, but it looks like it's going to work.

Hoses

We're replacing all the head hoses today. These are old, and old sanitary hose eventually gets permeated and smells. We're looking forward to a cleaner boat!

Helm Station

Today I disassembled the instrument pod at the helm station to make way for varnishing. And it looks like I have some work to do to put this "snakes honeymoon" in order!

Helm Station

The Pier

Thank god, the Tiki Bar is open!

Dogs Onboard!

Harley and Ivey, in charge.