Saturday was the first sail of the season. Patti and I went out for a belated Anniversary Cruise. The weather cooperated nicely - sunny, warm but not too warm. The winds were a little light (less than 10), but mostly steady from the south southwest. Flat seas. All in all, a great day for a first sail. Patti liked it particularly because with light winds, it was a smooth ride and very relaxing.

Before leaving, I tightened the shrouds, put the main cabin cushions in, and installed the porta-potti. We left the dock at 12:30 and returned at 3:30. The cabin on the boat is still a mess; it needs to be washed down and swept out; the v-berth cushions are still in the basement, and the cockpit and deck need a good scrubbing. But at least we are sailing!

This was a day for ourselves; my parents have the kids, so we had planned an entire day together.
After coming back from the boat, we took a walk down Rt 146 towards Pine Orchard. Some nice houses, but my parents have a much nicer beach set up.

Dinner was at Lenny's. We had sworn that we weren't going to go there anymore after the last time: the prices had gone up and, well, there was the Great Lobster Debacle. Patti likes Lenny's because they have good lobster. Last time, she orders a "Select" lobster, which is supposed to be between 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 pounds, and costs significantly more than the 1 1/4 lb lobster. The one that comes out is clearly only 1 1/4 pounds. Our waitress can't help us, and only when the manager is summond do they admit it's on the small side for a "select" and charge us for the smaller lobster.

So yesterday, Patti again wants lobster, Lenny's is close, its our anniversary dinner, so we cave. Lobster is again on the menu, and she resolves to elminate the problem by just ordering the 1 3/4 lb bug. Not so fast, says our waiter, we just ran out of that size. Thus begins what I assume will be a regular ritual: what I call the dreaded Lobster Negoitiation, or "Lob Neg". The manager is summoned for a pre-emptive strike on the smallish bug, and a lobster is selected out of the "select" bucket, weighed at 1.42 lbs., and brought to our table for approval. He (or she) is deemed sufficient, and the next time we see the bug, he is dead and red. A satisfactory outcome for all involved, except for poor Larry Lob.

After dinner, we meet up with my parents (with the kids) at their house, and we all go over to their neighbor's house to watch the 4th of July fireworks. Apparently, the town saves a bundle by having the show a couple of weeks early. Happy First Day of Summer!

List of things to do on the boat:

refinish hand rails
scrub cockpit and deck
sweep out cabin
wash cabin
put cotter rings in shroud turnbuckles
tighten backstay and cotter ring
bring more gas
bring key to bike lock and remove from outboard