Breeze On

Breeze On was recently hauled out of the water and is now "on the hard", as boaters say. George and I were pleased that all of the zincs that we could see looked good. The bottom also looked good, with the exception of the lower end of the rudder. We weren't surprised. There were a few times this season, during exceptionally low tides, when the rudder was stuck in the mud. The first time it happened after we returned from a sailing trip. We got everything packed up on the boat and were ready to leave. I tried to pull boat over closer to the finger pier but it wouldn't budge. It took us a while to figure out we were stuck. George was able to jump off but I was afraid I wouldn't make it. I stayed on the boat for about an hour while George went to borrow a passarelle (gang plank) for me to use. We have had incredibly clear water in the Chesapeake Bay this fall. I have heard that the local watermen say it hasn't been this clear for decades. In many places you ca...

It is always a little bit sad when our sailing season ends and we put our boat away for the winter. We could have kept her in the water a few more weeks and enjoyed a day of sailing here and there. But, the holidays are coming soon and I am scheduled to have cataract surgery in a few days. I have been told that I shouldn't lift anything heavy for a week or two so it seemed wise to unload the boat and remove the sails before my surgery. The winds were light and the temperatures relatively mild for the past few days so the conditions were good for removing the sails. After the jib and mainsail were tucked into the cabin we untied the dock lines, pulled out of our new slip and took Breeze On back to her old slip to await being winterized and hauled out. We already miss seeing her in front of the condo. It was such a treat to be able to see her and work on her so easily. Now, on to winter projects!   Removing Reef Line One   Removing the "cars" the hold the sail onto t...

Yesterday we went for our last sail of the season. When we were finished we docked Breeze On in her new slip, right in front of our condo building. The TideSlides which enabled us to keep her in a slip that is 20 feet too short had finally been installed the day before.   I tried my best to be patient during the month the TideSlides sat in our storeroom floor waiting to be installed. I wasn't always successful. Anyway, I am so grateful to have them installed and have Breeze On in the slip that came with our condo. She won't be there for long. We spent today unloading food and linens in preparation for having her hauled out of the water for the winter. Since we have about a foot clearance between the boat and the dock, it was so easy to step onto and off the boat and to unload everything. We love being able to see her from our windows and deck. When we start sailing again in the Spring we will enjoy being able to have our guests meet at at our home before we take off. It wi...