With our pal Judy's help we were able to get the pension forms filled out and away to Ottawa yesterday afternoon. Phew! There's a load off! Now we'll just be discussing the details like civilized folks. It has been amazing just how much was involved in that undertaking. Leaving aside the actual 22 years of service to crown and country, and the paperwork required for me to take my release, the actual processing of the pension docs has taken a minimum of a dozen people by my count including the non civil servants such as our daughter Kayt who had to receive this stuff in the mail and bring it on down to us.

Anyway, hopefully that's over with other than the small stuff.

The photo on today's blog is that of yours truly going down that gangway to the tender dock having to duck under the bow of Perseverance II tied up along the wharf. They had to move her that close as she is so large and they needed room at the fuel dock directly behind her for members. Astounding, eh?

I am beginning to wonder more and more about the wisdom of hanging around here in Halifax this late in the season before heading south. It's so damn cold! My blood must have thinned after the last year south without the Canadian blizzards to thicken the stew. I know that I have excuses: work to be done, waiting for my pension info, etc., so we really couldn't have gone any sooner, but it's fun to gripe. The whole business is exacerbated by our friends Lynn and Ken aboard Silverheels III who are already down to Charleston and complaining about the wind but not the cold. Check out their blog at www.sailblogs.com/member/silverheelsiii and you'll see what I mean.

Last night Pye, crewperson Ron's wife came over for a visit and to drop off his duffel. We wish that both would be coming with us for the trip but Pye can't get away and Ron was lucky enough to be able to get away from his position at the Dalhousie Medical School a little early so that he could fly down to join us in Newport for the Bermuda leg.

Today was a finish off little odds and ends and a tidy up day. The cabin area is looking pretty good, thanks in most part to Barb's efforts and now I need to sort out the deck as well as connect the solar panels and hopefully the AIS although the latter isn't quite so critical.

My latest forecast from Clearpoint has us with beam winds all day Thurs veering around to our stern in the evening. This should make for a good reach-run down the coast and get us into Shelburne harbour before the Friday blow that is forecast. Then Saturday will be nice to start the trip across the Gulf but it would only last for a day and then BOOM another blow picks up for Sunday. The forecast doesn't go beyond the weekend so I can't guess any further ahead than that but by the time we are in Shelburne we should be getting a 5 day look out. One possibility would be for us to go around to Clarke's Harbour and cut off a few more miles. It's a good sheltered dock, but has limited activities ashore so we'll discuss with Alan and Heather. The Admiral would prefer to stay in Shelburne.

Tonight is our informal gathering in the Wardroom at RNSYS so I will be posting this early so as to not have it on my mind and to be able to get the things done that I said that I would.

Tomorrow we'll post a shortie once we are underway.