Breeze On

We spent the last two days loading food onto the boat. As we load it I record the location of every item on our inventory, so it is quite an involved process. The first time we went to the Bahamas it took a week to load everything. We are getting to be much more efficient. We take much less food than we did the first year, we already have a sense of where things will fit, and the inventory is already set up.  Cereal is quite expensive in the Bahamas so we take enough for the entire winter. My cereal is a bit of a production. I eat a high fiber, but boring, cereal called Uncle Sam. Because it is boring I add granola, sunflower seeds and chopped dates. I set out 15 one-gallon ziplock bags on the counter and start the production line. That should get me through the winter.  We had a few extra challenges this year when carting the food to the boat. The roof on our building is being replaced and one of the platforms that they raise and lower was in our way. In addition, the workers...

Our town recently was recently visited by a very distinguished guest; the former presidential yacht, Sequoia. The Sequoia was built in 1925 and purchased by the federal government during the Herbert Hoover administration for use as a presidential yacht. It continued to serve in that capacity until Jimmy Carter decided it was a frivolous expense and had it sold. It had fallen into disrepair and its current owner is paying to have it renovated. By the time the renovation is done, in 2025, it will be 100 years old. The Sequoia will then return to Washington DC and serve as a museum. A lot of historical events took place on the Sequoia, including JFK’s last birthday celebration. A few of the other significant events which took place on the Sequoia included:  Nixon’s resignation, planning of D-day, and the drafting of the Marshall Plan.  The Sequoia has been out of the water in Deltaville, VA for the past several years. It was brought to Cambridge by barge a few weeks ago and was t...

George doesn’t like to drill holes in the boat. Go figure. What could go wrong? For that reason our cockpit enclosure was not attached at the bottom. The enclosure did a good job of keeping the cold wind out on our passages to and from the Bahamas but having it attached at the bottom would make it even better. Last Spring George finally agreed to drill holes so we could attach snaps. We waited until we had cooler weather this fall so we wouldn’t bake inside the enclosure. Fall has finally arrived here so this past weekend we attached snaps on the boat and the enclosure panels. It was quite an involved project, going all the way around the enclosure. In some cases I had to make adjustments to the enclosure panels before we could attach the snaps. We are quite pleased with the result and believe it will help keep us even warmer.  We are getting ready to go the Bahamas again.  We normally start our Bahamas visit in Abaco, an area that was devastated by hurricane Dorian. Our first...