Cheryl's Notes:

We think that we finally have all of our electrical problems solved. Yea! We installed the new alternator, regulator and fixed a blown fuse. We finally had the boat out of the slip on Friday. It was the first time since last November that we actually went out for a sail. We ran everything we could while under sail, and the alternator took the batteries back up while we motored back into the marina. The sail was pretty great too! We got her up to 7.5 knots and shook some of the barnacles off of her bottom. We might go out for two or three days this next weekend. I really miss being out and anchored in some quiet little spot.

The marina is now a hive of activity. The occasional sailors are starting to come back for weekend sails. The snow birds are also arriving back from the Bahamas. The first two boats arrived back on Friday. They have mentioned that the winter was colder and windier than normal for the islands. Maybe that means that we will have a cooler summer.

We are getting ready to spend a few weeks back home in Minnesota. Brenna graduates from college in Moorhead on May 15. We are going to head home early and maybe stay a week after to visit with family and friends. When we return, we are going to start our first big adventure since moving the boat to North Carolina. I had to miss the last leg of the trip through the Chesapeake. We are planning on moving up the western shore with stops in Williamsburg, Washington D.C., Annapolis and Baltimore. There will be a lot of area to explore along the way. I think that the whole trip will probably take us about six weeks. By the time summer is over, we will start provisioning for our first trip to the Bahamas and places south. Now this is how we planned to spend our retirement.

John's Notes:

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! That's my mantra now. For the first time in months, everything, well, everything if you don't count the multi-function display at the nav station, on the boat is working. I still have to find a Raymarine tech to look at that. Not a big deal though. All the other instruments and everything electrical is working. We even took the boat out for a few hours this week. A friend asked me this morning if I was going sailing today. Are you kidding? Leave the dock and run the chance of breaking something? What was he thinking? Actually, we can't wait to get away from the dock again. Just have to wait till we get back from our trip home. Then we will be off to the Chesapeake and Washington, D.C. Should be fun.

Next project is the installation of the wash down pump. You really don't want to anchor down here without one. I'm not a big fan of pulling a ton of mud up on deck every time I raise the anchor. Maybe next week or right after we get back I can get that done. Just need to figure out where I'm going to install the dang thing.