08/08/2008, AYC at the dock
Interesting.
We've reached the point where we are actively planning out beyond the actual retirement and departure. Oh, we are still madly scrambling with preparations, instals, repairs and discussions about what should come and what should get left in storage, but really, we are starting to talk with confidence about places to see, things to do and folk to visit.
Sadly, our friends Pat and Lisa will only be comng with us for the first week and a bit which will get them as far as Portland ME. It'd be great if they could come farther with us, but for them, the Rat Race becons..... It is beyond that which we are begining to plan for.
The best part of this plan is that the itinerary has no dates! OK. We want to go here and there and the other place, but if that is tomorrow, or the next day or the next week or even the next month, we no longer care. Isn't that great!? For the first time we will no longre be bound by the almighty $$'s siren call to finish what you're doing and return to the grindstone! Whew! And we haven't even started yet.
Now we are bound by the insurance restraints - no further south than the 35th parallel of latitude before 15th of November. Hmm. Lets see. That's just about at Oriental NC..... I think I can live with that!
We are building our plan on our ability to meet with friends - long time, soon to become, and internet pals that we have met over the years.
We don't have to wait too long either. There are two seperate groups that we have been communicating with over the internet that are in Conn that we are hoping to meet in person and have started to firm things up with.
Then when we get down into the Chesapeake area there are several more; and again in Norfolk and Oriental; and finally there are several more peole that we have already made friends in person with or by internet contact. Looking forward to clasping paws with them all. As a good Canadian, my only fear is that we don't want to impose on them too much and overstay our welcome.
The only real date that we have is with Santa Clause in Tampa. Our "kids" will be joining us for the holidays, or at least a portion of them, and we have identified Tampa as the rendevous city.
We have a couple of really good cruising friends who make their base out of Clearwater and Bob is at present looking for places in the area that we could anchor in for a couple of weeks to a month. Hopefully there will be some place that's not too far from where they live.
Barb, the "Admiral" is getting bery busy in getting stuff moved out of the house either into storage or to the furniture bank for the less fortunate. She is also either helping me out with the final chores or delving into the miriad of tasks that should get done, that we want to get done, but for which I don't think that I'll have enough time.
It is so much more pleasant working on the boat with her help and company!
| The Dream |
|
Comments [0]
06/20/2008, At the Dock
We had diner with our friends on Friday night and, I think that we have finally wrassled this bear to the ground.
Given the short times that they have for their holidays, it makes far more sense to play everything by ear and see how we make out each day. If we can get them as far as Bar Harbor that would be great but even if we don't leave Canadian waters while they are with us we can still have a really good time introducing them to some places that we know, and discovering still other new places together.
So, our itinerary now runs something like:
28 Aug - Party at AYC
29 Aug - Sail to La Have River and the Bakery Dock
30 Aug - Sail to Carter's Beach
31 Aug - Sail to Shelburne and dinner at Charlotte's Lane
1 Sep - Sail to Sable Island - Barrington Passage or Clarke's Harbour
2 Sep - Sail to Yarmouth
3 Sep - Sail to Digby Neck
4 Sep - Sail to Digby
5-6 Sep- Visit Digby
7 Sep - Our friends return home and we leave fro Grand Manan
8 Sep - Grand Manad to Eastport and clear US customs
9 Sep - start gunkholing down the coast of Maine
We will plan for a couple of weeks to get down the coast as far as NYC, taking our time and taking advantage of weather when we get it. We'd like to visit som eof the offshore inhabited islands that are all along the Maine Coast. Much of Nova Scotia used to be like that but now there are only a couple.
Then we'll spend a couple of days at NYC before heading down to Cape May to explore the architecture and decide if we want to go up the Delaware to the Chesapeake Canal. If the weather permits and conditions are right we'd both like to explore the Chesapeake from the top heading south too. I figure that we'll be in teh area of Annapolis for the boat show whichh we'd both like to take in if we can find some place to anchor or moor. I'm hoping that some of my military connections will be able to help out with that.
We'll spend a week in Norfolk and then slowly head down the ICW to Oriental and Beauford. Our insurance won't cover us for "Named Storms" if we go south of Chesapeake before 15 November.
Anyway. That's the latest iteration of "the Dream". We have our fingers crossed for NELLEKE, for our health, and for good weather.
06/19/2008 05:43:23
More things to consider.
The SW most point of NS is a pretty volatile body of water. There are the Fundy Tidal currents that can rip as much as 3 knots even in open water and upards of 5 in some constricted areas, shoal waters extending quite the way out from shore, and frequently conflicting winds. All of which can, and oftern does, combine to produce very confused seas witha current that knocks your speed way way down if it doesn't stop you dead or actually have you heading backward.
In our case, the Tidal Gods are just flat out not cooperative on the date that we will want to head around Cape Sable. It will either involve us planning to make the trip over two days with a stop en route, or swininging out wide to sea and still taking the two days.
I believe that I will try to convince the crew that our best option will be to head for Bar Harbor directly from Shelburne. That way the effect of the tide will be to move us port or starboard but with minimal effect on our SMG.
Probably the best plan will be to keep all of the options open and select the one that best fits the conditions at the time.
06/17/2008 05:43:23
Well. Only to be expected, but surprising nontheless, I guess. Our friends and crewmates, Pat and Lisa have had their holiday/cruising plans changed by work commitments.
Gee - that sounds familiar. Used to happen to us all the time.
Anyway, Lisa now has to be back at work on the 10th of September as opposed to the 15th so we have to revise the plan. After our initial dissapointment it suddenly hit us - at that point we will be retired! We don't care about changes to plans! The only people negatively affected are our friends. Oh well. Their day will come one day.
The change does have its good points. We are no longer bound by a schedule that is supposed to get us to NYC in time for their return flight; they save themselves a honkin' amount of money on airfare; and our new plan will allow us to stop and smell the roses en route.
What is the new plan?
Well, tentatively, and I do mean tentatively, we will depart AYC in the wee smalls of the 29th Aug and follow as best we can or deside the following agenda:
29 Aug: La Have, Lunenburg County
30 Aug: Carter's Beach, Queens County
31 Aug: Shelburne Yacht Club, Shelburne County
1 Sep: Yarmouth, Yarmouth County
2 Sep: Digby Neck
3 Sep: Grand Manan, NB
4 Sep: Eastport Maine - Clear Customs
5-6 Sep: Travel to Bar Harbour where Pat and Lisa will get the ferry back to Yarmouth and a bus to Halifax
and alternative would be:
29 Aug: La Have, Lunenburg County
30 Aug: Carter's Beach, Queens County
31 Aug: Shelburne Yacht Club, Shelburne County
1 Sep: Yarmouth, Yarmouth County
2 Sep: Bar Harbour to clear US Customs
3-5 Sep: Cruise the coast of Maine
6 Sep: Bar Harbour - where Pat and Lisa will get the ferry back to Yarmouth and a bus to Halifax
The big thing now, looking at the situation from a positive point of view is that we are now much more flexible. For instance, if the weather is really in the crapper, Pat and Lisa don't even need to leave Nova Scotia. There is more than enough to see and do, more than enough places to visit along the coast that would be fun to share with the four of us.
One crew member will be particularly happy - Periwinkle. He won't be facing a two day trip without a fire hydrant.
| The Dream |
|
06/03/2008, AYC at the dock
Three months and counting........
Wild!
This is a really funny feeling. We started planning to do this years ago and at the start I wasn't really confident that the Admiral was truly on side with the idea. I had a nagging suspicion that she was going along with another of my crazy schemes and in fact she even said to me one time that if my health failed or I changed my mind she wouldn't be making the trip alone.
But now?! We are three months away and she had the house half packed and salted away in a long term storage facility and the property listed with a real estate agent who telles us that our region of the city is hot for sales these days.
Pinch me!
| The Dream |
|
