David holds our newest grandson, Jayden
We spent only 2 days on the boat in the last half of September, so there is not much nautical news for this entry in our log. We spent the time on family events and projects, traveling between Solomons MD, Rochester NY, Bethlehem, PA and Jarratt, VA, visiting some locations twice.
All I need is a Tall Ship and a Star to Steer Her By . . .
Well, we don't actually steer by the stars. (Actually, we've never even traveled at night.) However, even steering by GPS during the day can be very fatiguing when staying at the helm for hours, keeping Orion on course. This will be even more challenging if (when?) we go off-shore and travel over night. That caused us to put an auto-pilot at the top of our list of enhancements before heading south. In order to be ready to complete this project when we returned to the boat, David took advantage of the time away to get estimates for purchasing and installing an auto-pilot. We ended up purchasing a Raymarine ST6002 S1 Wheel Pilot, which we plan to install ourselves. He was able to confirm that this model wheel pilot has the advantage that it is an upgrade, not a re-install, to switch to a more sophisticated (and more expensive) below-decks auto-pilot at some point in the future. After a bit more research, he discovered we needed to purchase a special bracket to mount the wheel pilot on our fiberglass-enclosed helm. Both the auto-pilot and special bracket were waiting for us when we returned to the boat.
Wheels
We continue to take advantage of our access to "wheels", allowing us to visit the dentist, financial planner, conduct some more involved banking business, and (of course) shop at places we can't reach by foot, bike or bus.
Please, Mr. Postman
We learned a little more about what not to do when forwarding mail. Our daughter had sent an envelope of more "important" mail to us in Annapolis on August 30th via Priority Mail. It was sent c/o General Delivery to the nearest post office. When the envelope didn't arrive in Annapolis by September 5th, we had to move on to Solomons, but requested it be forwarded there when it did arrive. However, it never did. We actually saw the envelope on September 16th, 2-1/2 weeks later, when our daughter hand-delivered it to us, after it had been returned to her. The stamp read, "insufficient address", which was probably due to its missing the words "General Delivery". (Oops.) However, it was good to know that it hadn't been lost entirely. In speaking to other cruisers, we learned that some have their mail forwarded to marinas, instead of the post office. Then they just call ahead to ensure the marina knows that it is coming. We will probably try the General Delivery route again, since it was less the USPS' fault than our own. Actually, we found the Post Office clerks very helpful in both Annapolis and Solomons. However, we realized that we need to take more care in planning (and addressing) for this in the future.
Heading South
So, we have our work cut out for us as we work on installing our new wheel pilot. We've enjoyed the time spent with family (including our new grandson, pictured with David) and the change of pace from traveling on land vs. water, but we now are turning our attention to the upcoming boat show and preparation for the trip south. Until next month . . .
All I need is a Tall Ship and a Star to Steer Her By . . .
Well, we don't actually steer by the stars. (Actually, we've never even traveled at night.) However, even steering by GPS during the day can be very fatiguing when staying at the helm for hours, keeping Orion on course. This will be even more challenging if (when?) we go off-shore and travel over night. That caused us to put an auto-pilot at the top of our list of enhancements before heading south. In order to be ready to complete this project when we returned to the boat, David took advantage of the time away to get estimates for purchasing and installing an auto-pilot. We ended up purchasing a Raymarine ST6002 S1 Wheel Pilot, which we plan to install ourselves. He was able to confirm that this model wheel pilot has the advantage that it is an upgrade, not a re-install, to switch to a more sophisticated (and more expensive) below-decks auto-pilot at some point in the future. After a bit more research, he discovered we needed to purchase a special bracket to mount the wheel pilot on our fiberglass-enclosed helm. Both the auto-pilot and special bracket were waiting for us when we returned to the boat.
Wheels
We continue to take advantage of our access to "wheels", allowing us to visit the dentist, financial planner, conduct some more involved banking business, and (of course) shop at places we can't reach by foot, bike or bus.
Please, Mr. Postman
We learned a little more about what not to do when forwarding mail. Our daughter had sent an envelope of more "important" mail to us in Annapolis on August 30th via Priority Mail. It was sent c/o General Delivery to the nearest post office. When the envelope didn't arrive in Annapolis by September 5th, we had to move on to Solomons, but requested it be forwarded there when it did arrive. However, it never did. We actually saw the envelope on September 16th, 2-1/2 weeks later, when our daughter hand-delivered it to us, after it had been returned to her. The stamp read, "insufficient address", which was probably due to its missing the words "General Delivery". (Oops.) However, it was good to know that it hadn't been lost entirely. In speaking to other cruisers, we learned that some have their mail forwarded to marinas, instead of the post office. Then they just call ahead to ensure the marina knows that it is coming. We will probably try the General Delivery route again, since it was less the USPS' fault than our own. Actually, we found the Post Office clerks very helpful in both Annapolis and Solomons. However, we realized that we need to take more care in planning (and addressing) for this in the future.
Heading South
So, we have our work cut out for us as we work on installing our new wheel pilot. We've enjoyed the time spent with family (including our new grandson, pictured with David) and the change of pace from traveling on land vs. water, but we now are turning our attention to the upcoming boat show and preparation for the trip south. Until next month . . .
