The marina was such a busy place this weekend that I won't even attempt a role call. The most common comment and the reason for all the traffic was, "Can you believe this weather we are having?" On the heels of a cooler week, sunny skies and temperatures in the seventies arrived just in time for the weekend. One could not order something better if provided an � la carte weather menu.

Other than the remarkable weather, there is not much to write about from the perspective of Team Prudence. I completed the process of disassembling, cleaning, lubricating, and reassembling the winches which I started last weekend. Not a bad chore when you can sit in Prudence's cockpit wearing shorts and a t-shirt in January.

Meanwhile, Sheryl took the opportunity to relax following a very busy work-week. Her relaxation took the form of reading and practicing some knots. Of course, Sheryl is not one to forgo a contribution to boat chores and she quietly managed to top off the onboard water tanks by carrying 20 gallons of water from the bath house in plastic jugs. At a weight of 8.33 lbs per gallon, this is no trivial task.

During the week, Crawford Yacht Service had been aboard to tune the rigging. In addition, David had fabricated a pin to lock our Bruce anchor to the bow roller. Much nicer than the bungee cord-and-string approach we employed on our trip down from Annapolis. The only work they have left to do for us is to re-bed the staysail chainplate.

Sunday afternoon brought a number of daysailers back into the marina. In addition, Lane and Judy returned aboard Southern Star. They had anchored overnight in South River. (Check their BLOG SITE for another perspective from Whortonsville)

Watching boats come and go over the weekend made us long to take Prudence out of her slip. Unfortunately, we are still waiting for our mechanic to begin working on our new exhaust system. Rodger is currently enjoying some vacation time in Florida and will, hopefully, be back and attend to our repairs in February.

Until then, we will continue attending to maintenance items, making lists of things to buy and things to do, and learning all we can in preparation for cruising. This week I will begin taking a class on weather and will continue my engine maintenance course. Spring will be here before we know it and everything aboard Prudence will be ship-shape and Bristol fashion.


Photos from the weekend's activities can be found in this PHOTO ALBUM