A small problem...

Makai got "splashed" this morning - we are back in the water.  Everything was going as planned until "Ronnie", our mechanic at Deltaville Boatyard went to change the transmission fluid and found the dip stick broken!  That means, we will be here for a couple more days - until a new dipstick gets delivered and the transmission fluid changed.  This transmission dipstick seems to be a problem area on other boats and some sort of spare plug is in order.  So, we are in the in the service slip right next to the travel lift area for the next few days!  Boy does the boat look nice - with new bottom paint, a scrub down and three coats of wax!  All our hard work paid off - lots of compliments on Makai.  A couple of thunderstorms just passed through and we now are snug inside watching TV.  CSI Miami is on tonight at 10:00 PM.

Friends...

While here in Deltaville, several other cruising boats with friends have pulled in.  Kathy & Darius on "Breeze Hunter" are on the hard getting their boat ready to be put in the water after a winter on land.  Linda & Rick on "Sojourner" are currently in the service slip awaiting work to be done while in the water and then will join us "on the hard."  And Linda & Vince from "Fortnight" are way ahead of the pack,  anchored out, having all their work completed!  Looks like everyone is anxious to be heading south and to the islands!

Taking a ride...

The work is getting done, but also have time to explore. The Deltaville Marina has bikes that you can borrow and we did exactly that. We took a ride up to the hardware store, West Marine and the grocery store, passing the "pumpkin farm" as we rode. Lots of pumpkins - all sizes for sale! And of course after the long ride (20 minutes) to the store, Ed needed a "cold one" to get the energy to ride back to the marina!

Crabs...crabs...and more crabs!

What a beautiful day! It's sunny, a bit of wind and 74 degrees. Ed and I got up early and before noon, had the first coat of paint on. Yesterday was also very productive - with a power wash, a light sanding of the old paint and then another wash. And what better way to finish out a hard day's work ---free beer and crabs! Did we time this right or what? It is Deltaville Boatyard/Marina "Customer Appreciation" Crab Feast! Everyone brings a side dish - I made mini cupcakes for the kids... there were over 12 bushels of crabs, and more than 24 feet of side dishes to try and enjoy. The party continued well into the evening with over 200 people in attendance!

Deltaville, VA

After leaving Annapolis and anchoring overnight at Solomon's, Maryland, Makai arrived in Deltaville, VA. We are currently at Deltaville Boatyard/Marina where Ed and I will be doing "hard labor" for the next week. We have clocked 1,000 hours on the Yanmar engine and it's time for a complete service check, as required by Yanmar. We got hauled out of the water and put "on the hard" for a bottom paint job! We will give it two coats of Pettit Ultima SR 60 and hope it will last for a year or more! The zincs will get changed, the thruholes checks and we will try to finish varnishing the door and steps. While out of water, we will still be staying on board, just not having the bathroom facilities or the refrigerator --- but the marina has showers and bathrooms, just a stone's throw away, we will try to keep everything cold in the fridge with block ice. Then back in the water, ready to continue our journey, watching he weather being still hurricane season. Next stop is Norfolk, VA.

A beautiful morning...

After a night of strong winds, "Makai" held her ground at anchor on Weems Creek. We put out 100 feet of chain in a depth of 14 feet of water. We had gusts of 26/28 knots throughout the night. But, the winds settled down and now the rains picked up! Ed made the morning coffee, while Rylee and I slowly got out of bed. I looked out the companionway door and to my surprise, saw 3 deer! What's so unusual about seeing deer in this area, is that it is very residential. We have seen birds, squirrels, rabbitts and fish jumping, but the deer were a first in this anchorage. So, with a rainy day in store for us, we planned the car rental correctly for the weekend. We decided to drive up to Delaware one last time and pick up all our mail and packages that were waiting for us. We plan on staying in the Annapolis area for the weekend, having dinner with our friends, Ron & Dawn, who own another Caliber sailboat called "Dawn Treader". We will leave Tuesday morning and head towards Solomon's Island.

Annapolis, MD

Had a great trip from Baltimore to Annapolis motorsailing, which is a sail up and the motor also running to help with speed! As we pulled in Annapolis, passing several freighters at anchor, and heading into Weems Creek and to our surprise, it was very crowded! There are 7 mooring balls, which were all taken and we were the 8th boat at anchor! Guess everyone is either here early for the annual boat show or just staying put due to the weather! Anyway, we will stay here for a few days, enjoy Annapolis, home of the United States Naval Academy, and then head down to Deltaville, VA where Makai will get pulled out of the water and cleaned up!

Well, Ed and I are getting ready for our third season of being "full time cruisers". After purchasing "Makai", a 40' Caliber Long Range Cruiser, in May of 2007, and for me, learning that the bathroom is called a "head", the kitchen - the "galley" and bunches of other boating "need to know" words, we made our home in the Chesapeake Bay area (Rock Hall) until the end of September 2007, getting the boat ready to travel down the ICW (Intercoastal waterway) and across the blue water to the northern Bahamas, known as the Abacos for the first time. We had a fantastic time and got ourselves familiar with the boat. The following season, we traveled up and down the east coast, stopping at different places and learing the tricks of cruising and the ICW. We also were able to jump out of the ICW whenever we could to do some offshore sailing. In 2009, we headed to the Exumas, Eleuthera and Long Island, of course - with a stop over at Georgetown. Again, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. When Ed and I talked about selling our home and moving aboard "Makai", many people asked me if I could navigate or sail? No, I couldn't, but I was willing to learn! There are alot of men, married to women who are afraid to sail away, unwilling to leave family, friends, and their house - I, on the other hand am having the time of my life! We have met so many other cruisers and have seen areas not only from the roads, but also from the water! So, we will stay in the Chesapeake area until September, finishing up all the "needed" things and then we will once again, head down the east coast, arriving in Florida and then waiting for that perfect weather window to cross once again to the beautiful waters of the Bahamas and possibly even further south to the Turks and Caicos!

While at the marina, we got alot of work done on Makai --- the new stainless mounting pole and the wind generator were installed! We also had all our canvas taken down, repaired, cleaned and water-proofed. New sun shades were made for the hot sun in the Bahamas! A new anchor swivel has been added as well as a new modem for the sideband radio -- just getting ready for the winter in the Bahamas! While still in the Chesapeake Bay area, we will have the 1000 hour service on the engine, a haul out and bottom paint and who knows what else we will think of. As every cruiser knows - taking care of a boat is an ongoing job.

Summers over

Being Labor Day weekend, that means summer is over and time to start heading south! We enjoyed our stay up in the Chesapeake Bay, having Happy Hours, and parties with Cindy & Jim, Sue & John, Alvina & Paul, Debbie & Ron and meeting Tom & Diane, Michael & Vicki, Amy, Nat and Sean, Dee, Tom, and Traci and so many others, but don't want to be caught up north when it starts getting cold! Will return for sure next summer!

Wind power

After spending the past two winters in the Bahamas, we decided that the solar panels produced alot of energy, but with the winds down in the islands, a wind generator would also help - so "Makai" was outfitted with a new "KISS" wind generator!

More visits

Our grandson, Noah, (8 years old) was able to come and stay with us on "Makai" for a week - being part of the crew, having fun swimming, doing chores and being a "pirate"! At the end of the week, his mom, Kristen, and younger brother, Logan (16 months old) came for a long weekend.

Visits...

While in Baltimore, we were able to go to Pennsylvania and visit Jim, his wife Alison and our granddaughter, Rachel (19 months old).

We also drove up to New Jersey to visit Ed's mom, stepdad, brother John and his wife, Sophie and daughter Ashley.