Lady Orca's Blog (17)

The weekend finally came. The appointed time that all powers would converge to put "Neptune's Toy" in the water for the first time in over three years had arrived. It was early morning when they got started and we had Family and Friends there with us to watch the spectacle and celebrate the "Re Naming" ceremony and festivities. What a great day! Poor Brother Wayne though......he had no idea when he drove over from Tampa with the Captain's Sister, Sharon and Mom Brissont that he was going to do… Continue

This was a cruise that we have been looking forward to for months! John,II has leave from the Army for 30 days home and the plan was to get to Little Bahama Island for his first Ocean trip and our first real journey in "S/V Neptune's Toy".



So, we planned everything, charted our course, had Port fees ready, documents retrieved and the Sailboat was ready with a brand new jib furler we were really looking forward to using since the bow of that 28 footer tends to bounce around really bad… Continue

The day came when the Marina staff strapped her in and up she went, gracefully emerging from the water for the first time in at least 10 years.

We expected the 3 inches of sea life on the hull, so as they scraped the hull free of most of that we felt pretty good.about what we were seeing at that moment. Once the Sailboat was in the yard and began to dry a bit we were able to see more and more little blisters showing up, but they looked small so after a few weeks of drying out Captain John… Continue

Entering the Westsail to evaluate the complete extent of her neglect and injuries was quite a frightening experience. I felt as if what I was surveying would never be able to be resurrected. But the optimistic "Captain John" was not deterred for long. After we found a place among the mess to sit down, he began thinking about what to do first.



The floors came out, doors off the cabinets, cushions out to clean, the ceiling cover ripped out, old stove gone, old sink gone,… Continue

The "Watkins 27" really needed a replacement inboard so as all good Sailors do, we search, talked to all our friends, all the Marina suppliers in the State of Florida it seemed and then a strange thing happened.



I was minding my own business coming home from a doctor appointment and some "smuck" rammed me in the back of my SUV sending me off the road and lucky I did not roll. I climbed out of the vehicle, checked the damage and realized the guy that hit me was in big big trouble with… Continue

When Captain John and I began our sailing ambitions in 2005 we purchased a sweet 27 ft Watkins to hone our skills on the Indian and Banana Rivers around our area. It was a quaint boat with all the essentials and in decent shape so, after much studying, Capt. John and I embark on our first day trip out on the water. We managed fine getting out of the Marina, and motored out just far enough to get the sails up. Well, all went as planned and we proceeded to play with the sails and catch the wind a… Continue

Now you have a feel of who I am as a person, The Captain is trying his best to make a good "First Mate" of me. As I write here, you will find his job is rather difficult and it produces some pretty interesting, and funny situations. I hope you enjoy as I write and I look forward to making some great friends here!

Smooth sailing and happy days!

http://www.pyramidcode.com/

Desiderata - by Max Ehrmann



Go placidly amid the noise and haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,

even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story.



Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and… Continue