All Blog Posts (984)

Gee, how's that for a title?  Oh noes!  A nonalliterative title....oh well!

Life continues on in the marina.  I will be moving into the Owl in 2 weeks, around the Fourth of July.

Bogie the bird enjoys being out on the deck in his cage watching and listening to everything.  The man across the dock whistles to him every morning, and Bogie is most enthusiastic joining in the chorus. African Greys are rulers of the whistle...and will always beat you in a…

I just gave someone my blog address where I make changes and such. Uh, oh I will send the correct e-mail for viewing purposes only. Guess I need to pay more attention.

Like now, I am paying close attention to unfavorable sailing weather reports for the east coast and Bermuda. Having made it to Sandy Hook, New Jersey I am anxious to test my sailing savvy on a real off shore cruise. The summer storms have me concerned. If truth be told, I am scared to make this crossing. One low…

When earning my degree of Doctor of Education it was said that a main advantage of having acquired such an accolade was that it brought a certain right. When asked what the 'right' was, I was told I would have the right to answer any question with the preference, "It depends." No one knew at that time that I was serious about solo sailing. Truly, this adventure sailing offshore from Port Canaveral, Florida to Sandy Hook New Jersey has been all about depending on the weather.

O.K. I've…

SEAS-Bergen is holding a monthly meeting at the Ridgewood Red Cross in Ridgewood, NJ on June 27th @7:15.  Hope you can make it to the meeting  info  www.bergen.sailseas.com    

  http://www.meetup.com/SEAS-Bergen-County-Sailing-Meetup/events/68005872/

Well, my Tony of my Ownie, a special little beanny baby dog is perched up in the stern castle window ready to keep an eye on the following sea as we make the scariest part of the journey. With a west/southwest wind predicted for the next few days with light, variable to 10-15 knots this should be a breeze! What concerns me is the dern satellite phone. I can't seem to get it to work. Maybe I'm not patient enough holding it out under the satellite, maybe the directions aren't as clear as they…

Can't wait to get back out to sea. The first four days of this journey had SPRAY cruising from Port Canaveral to Beaufort, North Carolina. Four nights at sea. Then, the forecast dimmed at the same time oil collected in the bottom of the engine room. Time to head for the inlet.

The few things I learned include SPRAY's ability to take kindly to 3 and 4 foot waves in up to 25 knots of wind. She doesn't tack well with a double reefed main and staysail in a stiff breeze. Too much oil is…

At last!!!!! my boat is back on the water. I have made a lot of work on it sanding and varnished all wood pieces, changed all glass etc......hope to have a good season with lots of sunny days. I will look on next winter to change it for a bigger one, just around 26 to 28 footer.  I wish sunny days and a good wind to all of you. ;-)

Where oh where does the time go. Like my budget I seem to have this propensity for taking longer than I plan to get things done and spend more than I budget to buy some of life's little pleasures.

Take today for example. I took a mental health day from my school counseling job to tidy up the house. It took me six hours just to wipe down the baseboards and vacuum between the carpet and the wall. You know the edges where it would seem impossible for even the smallest speck of dust to…

Everyone heard it here first!!!  OH YEAH!!!  I know we are all maintaining safe boating environments. 

Next week is Hurricane Preparedness Week.  Please see link:  http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/ 

There is even a Hurricane Preparedness Seminar in Orlando.  It's June 1, 2012. …

I really have been remiss in keeping up with this blog, but as usual life has gotten in the grand plan a few weeks back we sailed to the Farralone Islands for a good shake down cruise, sucking up a crab pot and sheering off the bolts between the transmission yoke and the flex coupler.   These bolts don’t appear all that difficult but a machinist is required to produce them.  With a little redesign to make them removeable and replaceable in the future we are …

Sunday morning I saw some manatees in the marina!  The marina has a lot of vegetation on the bottom, so often there are manatees around.  These were the first ones I had seen for several months.  Sometimes they nudge the Owl's bottom as they pass in the night.  A most cool feeling.

A couple of years ago I saw a mama manatee and her baby.  It was awesome!  I love seeing them in their native environment, although I did enjoy seeing them at Sea World here in Otown. …

Eighth Day??? What happened to Day 9? OMG as they say in text land. The last two days made for perfect sailing. With a northeasterly 12 knot breeze we cruised along at an average of 7.6 knots on a close reach using the stay sail as our jib. Then on Sunday we had no main sail (that's another story) and used the big jenny. Cruising along at an average of 5.5 knots we were happy sailors. Thanks to my blue eyed crew on Saturday and  my green eyed crew on Sunday SPRAY never kissed a piling at the…

"What the heck?" I muttered while the toothpaste oozed out of the sides of my mouth. Slowly, I eased out of my bathroom wearing a t-shirt that barely covered my butt. Curiously, I peeked into the master bedroom where a guest had been sleeping. Noticing the covers on the floor and no visible signs of a body in the bed, I tip toed toward the sliding glass door. "Oh gees" I thought in surprise. My 82 year old special visitor was briskly swimming in my pool. How invigorating is that?  What a…

It was overcast today in Orlando...YAY!  Weather is now taking a turn to rain most afternoons right around rush hour.  It's not QUITE to that point, but rain will be coming soon at that time.

Hurricane season starts in 2 weeks...WOW!!!  I was reading the wikipedia article about the history of Orlando.  The article states that Orlando as the location of WDW was chosen by Mr. Walt Disney because it was inland more than Tampa (one possible choice) so hurricanes would probably…