The last 2 weeks of December were busy for us, as they are for most people, with shopping, travel and seasonal celebrations. However, in addition to the usual stuff, we embarked on a significant sewing project, making new cushions for Orion Jr. Although it took through Christmas Eve, Cathy managed to get them done, just in time to begin our celebrations – first in Florida, then NC and VA. It was a whirlwind trip that had us back to Florida on New Year's Day. So, it felt good to get this boat project done before we headed out to enjoy time with family and friends.

New cushions for Jr

After our first season of cruising on Orion Jr, we learned what we liked and didn't like about the little boat. One source of discomfort was the settee cushions that came with the boat. The seats bottomed out and were uncomfortable, and the back rests were too far back to give support. Given the amount of time we sat there, we needed to do something to improve the seating comfort or we would both have back and neck issues before another winter was done. Making cushions was something Cathy had never done before, but she spent the summer doing some research and acquiring the fabric and most of the other supplies necessary to make the cushions once back on Jr. The design gradually evolved as we tried to accommodate not only more comfortable seating, but also maintaining access to areas behind and astern of the settees. We finally settled on 2 seat cushions per side, one of which was much smaller than the other. The smaller cushion would sit in the aftmost section of the settee, and could be easily removed to give us access to the bottom drawer in the storage cabinet on the starboard side, and to the vents to the freezer on the other side. Unfortunately, given the slope at the hull edge of each of the settees and the curve to match the hull shape, it would not be possible to make a standard rectangular seat cushion with vertical side panels. Instead the back panel (where the zipper runs) on the seat cushions would have to angle back, making patterning and construction more “interesting”. Using some cushion instructions from Sailrite and liberal advice from her friend, Pat, a plan for construction was pretty much in place as the time for construction arrived. 

Once we arrived in Bradenton, Cathy began looking for a place to the get the final, and bulkiest, component of the cushions – the foam.  After making a few calls, she settled on Philmore Upholstery Supply in Pinellas Park, just north of Bradenton. They were helpful on the phone and had a flexible ordering system for custom-sized rectangular cushions, which allowed us to experiment with different cushion sizes and price them out. We could also save on shipping costs and delivery time by picking them up ourselves.

With all the supplies assembled, Cathy began patterning, starting with the port settee seat cushion. The biggest logistical issues for constructing the cushions were where to lay out the fabric for cutting and where to do the sewing. Cathy's initial plan had been to lay the material out on the docks, which are wide and smooth, but the wind quickly scuttled that idea, risking sending the fabric into the water with the first gust. At Dave's suggestion, we retreated to the laundry room, where, luckily, we never had to dodge someone using the room for its intended purpose. Once cut, we took the panels back to the boat, laid them on the foam and marked the foam for cutting. Using a highly technical cutting device, i.e., an electric carving knife, we made amazingly simple cuts of the foam along the lines. Where we had to make the angled cuts, Dave donned some heavy gloves and held the tip of the blades along the marked line, while Cathy ran the knife along the bottom edge.

With the foam cut, it was time to begin sewing. Again, the best-laid plans fell apart, since Cathy had planned to sew outside on the “social deck” tables, which were rarely used. However, the day she was ready to sew, a cold front came through, dropping temperatures and raising the wind. She instead retreated to Jr, pretty much taking over the cabin, stitching on the ice box for small things and on the sette for the bigger panels. With the sewing done, the foam was folded in half and stuffed inside the finished cover. Simple, right? Now she just had to repeat the process 5 more times. It helped that the first cushion fit well and looked pretty good

So Cathy marched through the cushions. There were minor differences between them, but one by one, the cushions rolled off the assembly line, until they were all done. That just left the accent pillows. The end result looks pretty good and, so far, seems comfortable too. We'll see how they weather, but for now, the cabin looks much nicer.  

Seeing the Sights

At the invitation of Val and Graham from Bonnie Lass, we took a trip north to Palm Harbor to visit and see their new digs. Since we had to travel north to pick up the foam anyway, we decided to make an excursion out of it and head out early to see a little of the area. So, after picking up the foam, we drove north to Tarpon Springs, which is know for its sponge harvest and the Greek community that brought this way of life to the town. The harbor has several blocks of sponge vendors and some good Greek restaurants, which managed to entice us in. In talking to one of the street vendors, we learned a little bit more about the type of sponges and how they are harvested. Apparently, the top of the sponge is sliced off, leaving the base to grow again. The “deep water” sponges are similar to those off the coast of Greece, making this a natural destination for the original Greek immigrants; We explored the city docks to learn how we might come in on Orion Jr if we made the trip by boat in the future. The city marina is right downtown and convenient to shops and dining. It would be a fun place to visit.   

After our brief tour, we stopped by Val and Graham's lovely condo for dinner and a visit. With Christmas wishes and promises to listen for each other on the Waterway Net, we bid them farewell the next morning as we headed out, traveling back south along the coast.  We crossed over to the barrier islands at Clearwater and re-joined the mainland again at St. Petersburg. On our journey, we managed to find a Florida winery that had a tour and tastings, and some amazing smoked fish at Ted Peters' a popular local restaurant in St. Petersburg. Overall it was a nice break before returning to sewing projects and the busy Christmas rush.

Christmas with Family and Friends

This was our first Christmas Day spent in Florida, which led to a more unusual Christmas dinner – grilling out at the marina's social deck. By Christmas Eve, David's family had arrived in Florida, and we enjoyed spending time with them, including attending two Christmas Eve services, one of which was outdoors, at our niece's church. After Christmas morning opening gifts at our niece's new home, we gathered for a feast at the marina, before heading out for NC late in the day.

We were able to spend a few days in NC visiting Cathy's family and celebrating Christmas with them and Bonnie's family who traveled down from Jarratt. Although we just missed our youngest niece, we managed to have a good time with the rest of the clan.  

The next stop brought us to Richmond to celebrate with Adam's family. With all 4 kids in full Christmas spirit, there was a lot of energy in the room as packages were opened. We ended our trip with a run to Hampton to check on the boat, which gave us a chance to see Steve (Bay Dreamer) and Sue (Daisy Sue) and even John (Windsong).who was in town unexpectedly. In keeping with our whilrlwind tour, we ended the day at Bonnie and Troy's to spend the night before heading back to Florida on New Year's Eve. By mid-afternoon New Year's Day, we were back on the boat, almost exactly a week since we left. 

We traveled north from Venice (where our last post left off) on the Gulf Intra-coastal WaterWay (GIWW), stopping at Sarasota for a couple of days. As the waterway began to open up for Tampa Bay, we made a right turn and headed into the Manatee River on our way to Bradenton, pausing to anchor off the DeSoto National Memorial just west of there. In a short final hop, we arrived at Riviera Dunes Marina where Orion Jr will sit for the next month. In the meantime, we'll visit with family and friends and, of course, do boat projects.

Sarasota

The trip north from Venice was pretty easy and mostly uneventful. The only hiccup was some confusion on the bridge opening schedules, which both Active Captain and Skipper Bob had wrong. That's pretty unusual. At any rate, shortly after clearing the 2nd bridge, we entered Sarasota Bay, and had a decision to make. Do we anchor near the barrier island at Otter Key anchorage or stay near Marina Jack on the mainland side. We decided to check out the Otter Key anchorage first, which required us to head toward the Gulf as if we were going to head out the inlet before turning into the channel to the anchorage. The marks for the inlet are no longer charted, since the Coast Guard stopped maintaining them several years ago due to shoaling. The Sarasota Yacht Club stepped into the void and has placed and maintained the existing marks for the inlet. Dave had used their waypoints for the marks' current locations, but it was still pretty confusing as we headed “out” the inlet toward the anchorage. As we approached the entrance for Otter Key, the depths dropped considerably, but we made it through OK. Otter Key was a pretty anchorage, protected and surrounded by expensive homes, but there appeared to be no “official” place to tie up your dinghy. We wouldn't be comfortable going ashore here, which made this a less interesting place to stay. So, we headed back out to go across to Marina Jack. On our return trip, we discovered we had gone way to the wrong side of one of the marks on our original approach, having actually crossed right over the shoal that the marks were trying to help us avoid. Thank heavens for our shallow draft! We stayed in the channel on the return trip.  

Crossing Sarasota Bay, our next stop was the anchorage off downtown Sarasota. With the installation of a mooring field, the “no anchoring” perimeter was pretty large, making the available anchoring spots pretty far away from anything on shore. We opted to pick up a mooring, which for our size boat turned out to be only $18 a day. Since they gave us use of the dinghy dock and some pretty amazing showers on shore, this was a pretty good deal. Once the boat was attached to our mooring, we headed ashore to explore. The marina is right in downtown Sarasota, with lots of restaurants and even a Whole Foods grocery store a short walk from the dock. We got the lay of the land, before ending up at Two Senoritas' happy hour. We had some of the best margaritas at $2 each along with some delicious appetizers that were free. It was amazing. We will definitely look to visit them again on our return trip. Since we arrived so late, we decided to stay a second day, which gave us more to explore and do some boat chores before heading out for points north on Tuesday.

Up the Manatee River


We didn't have many miles to cover between Sarasota and Bradenton and we still had 3 days before we were supposed to pull into our marina for the holidays. So, we looked for a place to stop en route, deciding on an anchorage on the Manatee River near DeSoto Nation Memorial. Since the marina was further up the same river, this would be on the way and would be interesting to explore.

The first encounters between the gold-seeking European explorers and the native people in the Americas was about as cruel and violent as anyone could imagine. Our visit to the DeSoto National Memorial revealed that DeSoto's 4-year expedition through what he called “Florida” (which was actually much of the southeast) was no exception. The belief is that he made landfall somewhere in Tampa Bay, and possibly at the site of the park. Then, in a vain search for the same riches the Spaniards had plundered from the Mayas and Aztecs further south, DeSoto forged ahead, letting nothing get in the way of his expedition to pursue the elusive riches of gold or silver. Shortly after his death 3 ½ years into the expedition, his troops quickly abandoned the search as futile and returned to Spanish-held Mexico. The National Memorial had a film and interpreters who brought the peoples of both sides of these encounters to life. We were able to anchor just off the park's beach and we rowed to shore to explore the grounds and take in the exhibits. The anchorage was peaceful and had plenty of room for the few boats that were our neighbors for the couple of nights we stayed there.  

On Friday, Dec. 7th, we made the short trip further up river to our marina for the holidays, Riviera Dunes. We were about to make history, being the first sailboat to arrive at this marina full of power boats. When we asked why this would be, we discovered there were 2 40 foot fixed bridges to pass under, which made it an exclusive power boat enclave, until our arrival. Since Orion Jr has a 35 ft mast (which we re-checked, just in case), we should have no problem passing under. Not to get too over-confident however, Dave called the local BoatUS to confirm the charted bridge heights were accurate. With their assurance that the bridges were as advertised, we made our plans to stay there. That doesn't mean we didn't keep a close eye on the bridge height boards and slow to a dead crawl to pass under. It is typical of these things that the first bridge's height board stopped at 38 ft. So we had to “extrapolate” what the actual height was. While Cathy watched the mass pass under the bridge, there was a moment when it looked uncomfortably close, but that's true on any bridge, even 65 ft ones, so we held our breath and passed through without incident. We passed through an open RR bridge before making a successful s-l-o-w passage through the 2nd bridge. Better to have the drama be imagined than real.

Once in the marina, several of our neighbors stopped by to comment on the fact that we were the only sailboat they had seen there. I guess that makes us local celebrities. The trip up river was worth it, because the marina was lovely. Wide floating docks, a pleasant “social deck” where we could grill and eat out, and large, clean showers. The restaurant on site has a live band playing every night, which we've enjoyed with wine and hor d'ouvres at the tables on the social deck. The staff is friendly and helpful. It seems we made a good choice. Now that the boat was settled in her slip for the month, we began to make plans to see family and get some work done.

Family and Friends

After just a few hours on the dock, we were already getting a rental car to head across the state to Melbourne. We had a dual purpose – one was to see our nephew Jeff in his new house. The other was to attend the Waterway Radio Cruising Club picnic. We arrived early Saturday afternoon and met our nephew at his house in a new subdivision in West Melbourne. After taking a tour and catching up, we headed out to the Eau Gallie Convention Center to the Seven Seas Cruising Association GAM being held there. We toured the vendor fair, where Dave found some replacement line for our stern anchor. We caught up with Dorothy and Glenn from Dot's Way who were helping man one of the booths before they began to head south. That night we stumbled across a holiday lighted parade.

The next day, we joined our fellow Ham Radio / Cruising enthusiasts at the WRCC picnic, which was also in Melbourne. We got to associate some faces with the call signs we hear on the radio every morning, while enjoying some good food. By late afternoon, we had said goodbye and were heading back west to the boat.

Being in Bradenton (or technically Palmetto), we were now close to our niece Janelle and her husband, Mike. We also were not that far from Val and Graham from Bonnie Lass, who had found a new spot to spend their off-season in Palm Harbor near Tarpon Springs. On Tuesday, Val and Graham came to see Jr and have a lunch together at the marina. The next Saturday found us sailing (in very light winds) with Janelle and Mike on board down the Manatee River on a pleasant Florida afternoon. 

Boat Stuff

While in one place for the month, we began planning out our projects. Dave wanted more solar charging capacity, since our aging flexible panels are performing below their peak. So, he purchased a 2nd fixed solar panel, which he mounted next to the existing one on our PVC “arch” over the cockpit. Since Cathy needed to do some sewing while in port, we began discussing some alternatives for doing this, which led to Dave building a table prototype that would fit the existing mounts in the Main Saloon and the cockpit. Cobbling together a board from the “shelving” section, some 1 1/4” PVC pipes and some end caps screwed to the bottom of the board, we had now had a table. Initially, it was very unstable, which led to some fiberglass work on the floor under the forward fitting that held the table leg to give it a more solid mount. With this done, the table sat solid enough to use for light duty – meals, computer work, etc. although not strong enough to support the sewing machine.

We spent the rest of the time getting things together for our projects that we needed to get done while here. Cathy was to make new cushions. Dave wanted to install a tiller pilot. The windex had fallen off in a thunderstorm shortly after our arrival. The cleat for our port headsail sheet needed replacing. And so on. Then there was Christmas shopping to do. We would have plenty to keep us busy and out of trouble.

After a wonderful Thanksgiving with family in Cape Coral, we headed out toward the west coast and points north. After re-visiting Cayo Costa, we headed out the inlet toward Venice. The weather has been great and we've enjoyed our time under way and in port.

Thanksgiving with Tom and Dau

With less than a week to go before Thanksgiving, we were hard at work on the Orion Jr in LaBelle, but had given little thought to any plans for celebrating the holiday. However, that problem was solved within minutes of sending out our website update on the Saturday before the holiday, when Dau, Cathy's distant cousin, responded that they were living in Cape Coral now, only a couple day's trip from LaBelle. Since we were planning on leaving LaBelle on Tuesday, we would arrive just in time. Perfect! Since their boat was on the hard in Port Charlotte, the dock behind the house on Royal Canal in Cape Coral was empty, just waiting for Jr. We made 2 short days travel from LaBelle, stopping at Franklin Lock on Tuesday, and arrived at their home mid-afternoon on Wednesday. It was a beautiful setting, although the trip down the canal was probably one of the narrowest channels we've tried.  

Since Tom had yet to bring their boat, Windward, into the canal, he was very interested in our trip in and the depths we found. On Thanksgiving Day, as the turkey was cooking, Tom and Dave headed out in our dinghy with our portable depthsounder to find the deepest water in the canal. Between that info and the guidance of a neighbor who had brought his own sailboat into the canal, Tom was feeling a little better about getting Windward to the dock behind the house. After a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner later that day, we joined Tom and Dau for the next 3 days of working on their boat Windward, which was on the hard at All-American Boat Storage in Port Charlotte. After the weekend's work was done, we spent Monday getting ready to head out again (laundry, groceries, some boat clean-up) and had a farewell dinner with Tom and Dau. Early Tuesday morning, we were underway again, promising to return when we passed through again.

To The Beach

Our next stop was the lovely Pelican Bay behind Cayo Costa, a state park that we had discovered in the spring. We spent four days walking the trails and the beach, made all the more enjoyable by the cooler temperatures and low humidity. On one of our trips ashore, we stumbled into Fran and Floyd on Prior Ties, who were headed south for the first time in 18 months, having taken a year off cruising. We joined them later on their boat for conversation and hor d'ouvres before they headed out for points south the next day. Unlike Fran and Floyd, we were headed north, somewhat against the general flow of traffic this time of year, but we were waiting for the daily northeast winds to go east or south so we could use them to travel. So, we used the weather as an excuse to enjoy the island for another day.   

Outside to Venice

While spending time in Cayo Costa, we researched the routes and destinations north of us. We decided to leave the boat in Bradenton for the Christmas holidays. That meant we had 12 opening bridges to get through. Ugh! While planning routes, Dave discovered that the inlet just north of Cayo Costa, Boca Grande Pass, was one we could use to jump out into the gulf. We could then come back into Venice, a manageable day's run for Orion Jr. Unexpectedly Sunday morning (December 2), we got the weather we were looking for. East winds 10-15. This would give us the wind to sail, but being in the lee of the coast, there would be minimal waves. After a quick run to shore, we were pulling up the anchor and getting under way.  

Once in the gulf, we decided now was the time to test out the stackpack, which meant we would raise the mainsail for the first time. We removed the aft panel of the bimini, giving us access to the aft end of the boom and re-attached the mainsheet to the boom. Then Dave went forward to open the stackpack and prepare the sail to raise. Once Cathy turned the helm into the wind, the sail raised with minimal effort. We unfurled the headsail and killed the engine. We were under full sail, averaging over 4 knots. We sailed for hours up the coast, just off the shore. It was a beautiful day and a great sail. As we neared the Venice inlet, we put the stackpack to the final test. With Cathy at the helm pointing Jr into the wind, Dave went forward to lower the sail. The stackpack and lazy jacks captured the sail beautifully and Dave was able to put the sail away all by himself. This was easy enough, we are looking forward to more days like it over the next few months.




Moving North

Our stay in Venice was brief. The anchorage was full and the dockage expensive. We did walk into town to look around, but on Sunday night many of the stores were closed. In talking with locals, we learned of some other possibilities for anchoring and dockage that weren't obvious on our first trip in. We hope to be able to make an outside run from here going south, so we'll research a place to stay before returning. In the meantime, we headed north to Bradenton, although the remaining miles are going to be inside on the ICW.

After 2 days on the road, we  arrived at LaBelle late on Monday, November 5th.  Our work on Orion Jr began in earnest the next day (Election Day, by happenstance) and continued for almost 2 weeks before we finally declared victory and set out down the Caloosahatchie River toward Florida's west coast.  The boat fared well over the long, hot summer. With a little cleaning and a few small repairs, she was back in shape to travel.  We made some improvements as well, with the most significant being the addition of lazy jacks and a stack pack for her main sail.  By Tuesday, November 20th, we dropped the dock lines and headed out.  It was good to be moving again.

Cleaning Up and Fixing Up

The good news about Orion Jr 
when we returned to her was that most everything was as we left it.  Most
systems: engine, electrical, solar panels, sails, refrigeration – started back up or were re-mounted with out a hiccup.  After a few hours pulling everything we had stowed below back up on deck (boom, dinghy, dinghy motor, canvas, solar panel, anchors, etc.) and “fogging” the boat just in case there were any little pests on the boat, Cathy began methodically cleaning all the surfaces to remove any dirt, mildew, etc and restoring the interior to order.  As the sun began to
set on our first day, we had canvas covering the cockpit, ice beginning to freeze in the freezer, water that we could use to clean with (but not yet drink) and a bed to sleep in.  
 
However, everything wasn't completely rosy either.  There was evidence of water in the main saloon from a leak in the starboard aft portlight.  We knew about the leak but had hoped we had sealed it enough to get through the summer.  Not so.  The solar vent in the forward hatch was no longer working.  Shortly after our return, the water faucet stopped working, although Dave was able to confirm that the pump was working fine.  The inverter started spewing out white smoke when we turned it on for the first time, so it was toast. The dinghy motor's fuel line had a leak in it and needed replacing.  Three of the wooden blocks that we had epoxied in place to hold brackets to support the dinghy seats and one which held a bracket for the water tank strap had fallen off, presumably due to the heat of the Florida summer.  Another impact of the heat was the melting of the gaskets on the alcohol stove, which prevent the alcohol from evaporating.  The anchor locker was wet and the lines
in it wet and mildewed as a result.  Although how the water got inside is still a puzzle.  We had several dock lines that were partially in the water, which were now filthy and smelly.  And, last but not least, the boat was DIRTY.  Green streaks along the foredeck, black soot all over the deck, pink residue from standing water in the cockpit that had evaporated, and spider webs throughout the rigging.   

Attacking each problem one-by-one, we replaced the solar vent and faucet under warranty with a trip to West Marine in Fort Myers.  Dave replaced the fuel line and bought another length of fuel line for future repairs, which are inevitable.  We
epoxied the blocks back in place, this time carefully sanding and cleaning both the bottom of the block and the hull where each would be attached.  Dave made up a thicker epoxy with some mat in it to make a better bond with the hull.  All but one seemed to hold after the first try.  It took 3 tries for the last one, but it is now holding.  After a quick check of the internet, we found an inexpensive and effective replacement for the alcohol stove gaskets at the dollar store --- rubber sink drains.  Cathy just cut off the nub at the top and  a perfectly sized gasket was formed.  Dave hauled the anchors out of the anchor locker and opened it up for several days to dry out.      As for the dirty dock lines, we soaked them for several days in water and boat soap, which helped loosen the dirt, but didn't really remove it (or lessen the  smell.)  So, we finally took them up to the marina office, where we had access to running water and  started scrubbing them inch by inch.  For 2 of the lines, this worked well enough to get them clean.  For the third line, we declared it beyond hope and tossed it.  Next year, we'll make sure the lines stay  out of the water.  Then there was the matter of cleaning the outside of the boat.  With no water on  the dock, we decided to use the water in the tank for cleaning and thereby drain the tank.  We would haul water for drinking from the fuel dock at the marina office in the other basin.  Cathy made a first pass, which removed the more obvious green streaks and black dirt on the foredeck.  Dave did the same in the cockpit.  However, more needed to be done.  We finally got our chance at our first night out of the marina, on the dock at Franklin Lock.  Cathy scrubbed every inch of the deck for a couple of hours, and the boat looked much better.

Stacking the Sail

Over the summer, Dave had been considering adding lazy jacks to our main sail on Jr.  (Lazy jacks are lines that surround the main sail to keep it contained as it comes down after a sail.)  However, a couple of weeks before leaving Hampton, he expanded on this idea, suggesting we (i.e., Cathy) build a stack pack to hold the sail as it came down.  (A stack pack is like a big cloth cradle that contains the sail as it lays down.  Once the sail is down you simply zip up the stack pack and the sail is stowed.)  Since a stack pack is so big, it would require a big space to lay it out.  So, Cathy arranged to work on it after hours at the canvas shop.  It was a godsend.  

We spent some time studying other designs on the internet, opting for some features we liked and rejecting others.  We had most of the relevant measurements from Jr, but we had to make a few guesses.  We needed the height of  the sail as it sat on the boom.  After briefly considering a call to our neighbor in LaBelle to take an actual measurement, we quickly abandoned that idea when we remembered that the boom was down below.  Next, we tried to estimate the height by finding a similar boat in our marina in Hampton and
measuring its sail.  Another key consideration was how the main attached to the boom.  Was it via slides or a rope that slid along the length of the boom.  After some back and forth, we decided it had slides.  With an overall concept and measurements in hand, Cathy laid out a design on paper and made a list of supplies needed to build it.  We had some of the supplies on Jr and some on Orion.  All others we would buy from Cathy's work. 

Since time was running out, we decided
to take advantage of our idle time during Sandy's fury to begin.  On Monday
during the storm, Cathy didn't have to work, but, knowing the store was open, we decided to go there and escape the cold and wet by beginning the stackpack.  With Dave's help, Cathy measured and laid out the design on a long piece of sunbrella.  Once we had double-checked the measurements a few times, we cut the material and Cathy began sewing.  One of the bigger question marks was where and how to attach the lazy jacks to the stack pack.  We considered a number of options and finally decided on webbing strips attached to the pocket that would hold the poles that support the stack pack.  But where to put them?  Since this would be impossible to assess without actually raising the sail, we decided to add webbing strips about every foot along the length of each side of the stack pack.  Once it was installed, Dave could try different locations to see which would work best for the lazy jacks.  To prevent chafe between the lines and the webbing, Dave would run the lazy jack lines through clear tubing.  

While Cathy sewed, Dave helped by cutting webbing lengths, burning the ends and preparing other components.  It was all going together pretty well, and we were almost done with the work we
could do before returning to the little boat.  All we had to do was install the 2nd half of the long top zipper.  That's when Cathy discovered a big ooops.  She had laid out the starboard side of the stack pack on the wrong side of the material.  So, after a night of picking out stitches and another day re-sewing what she'd done before, she finally sewed in the zipper half and the two halves went together well.  Perfect.  All we had to do now was fit it on Orion Jr.

Back  in LaBelle, it was a few days before we could try the stack pack on the boat.  We quickly discovered a few surprises.  First, the main sail didn't attach with slides, it attached with a luff rope. So, our original design wouldn't work.   We thought about this and decided we would just connect the stack pack under the boom.   The original design had a half-dozen webbing straps attach to both sides of the stack pack above the boom and below the sail.  This kept the sail and the stack pack from  falling down below the boom, if we lowered the lazy jacks (which hold up the stack pack).  Since we couldn't use the straps any more, we decided to use the zipper from the now obsolete main sail cover to close up the bottom of the stack pack.  And we would now not be able to lower the lazy jacks when under sail, since the stack pack would fall off the boom.  The next surprise was how short the sail was as it lay on top of the boom.  We had a lot of excess built in.  Fortunately, with the change to have the cover connect under the boom, the excess material would come in handy.  Finally, we discovered the overall length was a tad short, about 2 inches.  To solve this, we would add material on either side of the top zipper's tail (made extra long to allow the stack pack to open wide). 

So, Cathy went back to work at the sewing machine: trimming and hemming the bottom, installing a zipper, adding a cover for the zipper tail, adding D-rings to secure the fore and aft ends, putting reinforcing material on the inside to protect it from the outhaul and boom cleat, and adding a flap to give access to the boom cleat.  Finally, she made a panel to go around the mast, which would zip into the forward end of the stack pack.  After a couple of days, the sewing was done, the stackpack installed, and Dave went to work building the lazy jacks.  

Setting Up the Lazy Jacks

Having studied (and assisted with) the installation of lazy jack lines on other boats, such as Steve's Bay Dreamer, Dave had some idea of the pitfalls of rigging them on Orion Jr.  Some initial decisions to be made were the number of attachment points to the stackpack and the rigging attachment point.  For a 26ft boat, such as Jr, most standard designs call for only 2 attachment points on the boom.   He had heard from Steve, that he would have at least one more on Bay Dreamer.  And, since ours would be doing double-duty –containing the sail and holding up the stack pack-- and since it is especially difficult to reach over the  bimini toward the middle of the boom, Dave opted to have 4 attachment points.  

Before arriving in LaBelle, Dave had purchased the few materials he needed to rig the lines: 3/16" diameter line, 6 stainless steel rings, and 2 small blocks.  With the supplies and the stackpack in place, he began taking a stab at rigging the lines.  After each attempt, we raised and lowered the main, looking for places where the battens got stuck or there was potential chafe on the main.  In addition to these considerations, he wanted to make sure the rigging was parallel and looked symmetrical as well.  

While testing his designs, Dave had just thrown the line over the spreaders.  Once he was happy with the design and had successfully tested it, we had to decide how to attach them permanently.  He wanted them suspended from the spreaders on a block (i.e. pulley) a few inches out from the mast.  Not being sure of the location, he was reluctant to drill a fitting into the spreaders.  So, we decided to make a webbing loop that would hold the block and that could be wrapped around the spreader arm.  To prevent them moving side to side, we put cable ties in an X around the webbing.  The result seemed very solid, but if issues arise, they should be easy to move.  

Now, all we have to do is actually use the main sail.

More Boat Stuff
 
So, by now, only the die-hard boaters are still reading, but we did actually do a few more boat projects beyond the lazy jacks and stack pack.  A fellow boater at Joy's Marina was selling his marine stereo system and speakers before moving back north and we bought it, just assuming we would find a place for it.  As usual, it took some trial and error to find a spot, but we managed to fit the receiver into the Main Saloon just above the freezer.  We installed the speakers on the support for the rigid solar panel, just above the stern rail on the port and starboard corners of the cockpit.  Then, after mentioning our desire for small bookshelf speakers to put inside the cabin, our neighbor, Robert, fished out 2 speakers that were just the right size to fit in the galley just outside the opening to go forward to the V-berth.  Now we have music wherever we go.

The lack of counterspace in the galley is an ongoing issue for Cathy when making meals.  Dave managed to come up with an ingenious solution.  He installed a bracket made out of PVC underneath the sink cover, that allowed it to mount as a side shelf beside the sink.  It's a simple solution that works amazingly well.  After finishing the stackpack, Cathy didn't put the machine away right away.  Another cruiser had sustained some damage to his bimini over the winter, so she offered to repair it for them.  A few hours later, the bimini was good as new, and the owners seemed pleased.  She also used the old mainsail cover to make a generator cover.  Last season, we had had some problems with furling line jamming in as we unfurled the sail, so Dave replaced the line with a smaller diameter that works much better now. 

Ready to go
We didn't spend much time socializing over the 2 weeks we were working on the little boat.  However, we really enjoyed a dinner with Robert (our neighbor) and his dad at the local Log Cabin BBQ restaurant.  This is a wonderful little place, with good food and great service (you are offered free soup and free dessert or something equivalent) and listening to Robert and his dad tell tales of their adventures was a treat.  Both are experienced welders and his dad is currently helping to build a huge alligator head that will be mounted on a huge sculpture in Biscayne Bay (similar to Christo's surrounding the islands with pink years ago) that is to be put in place next year. 

We made one last trip across the state to drop off the car for Rick and Carla, which gave us a chance to stop by a roadside stand and buy the first of this seasons' fresh citrus.  It is early, but it is still so good!.  (On the way into LaBelle, we had stopped at Florida Natural's visitor center on the way south
from Orlando.  If you ever go by there you should stop.  It is a neat place, and yes they have free samples.)  Fully loaded with fruit and other essentials, we prepared to drop the lines, which we successfully did the next morning, making our way west to some new and some familiar ports of call.

We dealt with Sandy's wind, rain and high tides with no ill effects on either Orion or her crew. The dock was without power for the worst of the storm, so we stayed in a hotel for 3 nights to stay warm and dry, returning  on Tuesday (Oct. 30th).  Then  we switched quickly from storm prep to packing up for the trip south to Orion Jr. By Sunday, we were on our way  LaBelle, leaving Orion behind for the winter months. 

Engine Out

Before dealing with Sandy, we had a big task to do on Orion in preparation for leaving her for the winter. Her Yanmar engine needed to come out to be rebuilt. This was going to be done with the boat in her slip, using the boom to assist in lifting and transferring the engine to the dock. After prepping the engine by removing as many connections as possible, we turned our attention to giving the mechanic as much access as possible.  On deck, all the canvas had to be removed and stowed, so the boom was accessible. Cathy also removed all the pots and pans from the lower galley cupboard so the side access panel to the engine could be removed. In the morning, we took out the companionway stairs just before Bill and his son Brian arrived to pull the engine. 

In order to keep the weight down, Bill removed the transmission, flywheel and heat exchanger. They drained the remaining antifreeze, which we hadn't been able to get out. (The drain was slightly clogged, which was easily cleared once we knew what to do.)

After releasing the engine from the motor mounts, Bill and Brian attached chains to the engine and rigged them to a 2x4 that was slightly longer than the engine room. With Brian in the Main Saloon on one end and Bill in the aft cabin on the other end, they lifted the engine out of the mounts and onto a board. Next they attached a winch to the boom and Bill ratcheted the chain up, lifting the engine to deck level while Brian centered it in the companionway. With the engine suspended over the deck, they swung the boom out and centered the engine over a nearby pair of pilings, lowering it onto a board that was placed to span them. From there they lowered it to the dock and carried it to a nearby dock cart. It had taken about an hour and a half to remove it.

Back on Orion, the engine room needed some clean-up, mostly from the antifreeze that had not been captured as it drained. Other than that, there wasn't much left to do. Now, we just wait for the re-built engine to return. In then meantime, she's riding higher in the water, 350 lbs lighter and going nowhere anytime soon.

Sandy Storms Through

We started tracking Sandy and her likely arrival to Hampton Roads about 5 days before we started feeling her effects. With the need to prep for the engine removal, we were doing double-duty prepping for the storm, clearing the cockpit of canvas and any extraneous items. Dave spent a lot of time checking the dock lines, adjusting where necessary and adding extra lines, so Orion would rise with the tide and stay centered in the slip.. Sandy was going to be more a tidal flooding event for us and not so much a wind event. So, the lines had to allow the boat to rise up to 5 feet above a normal high tide, putting the water over the docks and even the dock boxes.  In anticipation of power outages on the dock, we also retrieved our generator from storage and got it up and running, just in case. 

By Friday afternoon, the winds were beginning to rise and the clouds were forming. With the winds not predicted to get any lower, we decided to go ahead and drop the head sail. We would have to flake it properly after the storm, since there was no dry spot on land to do it by this point. Dave secured the mainsail with an extra wrap, and with that done, the deck was secure. 

There was less to do down below. Cathy shut down the fridge, since we wanted to unplug from the dock and we didn't want to run any risk that the batteries might run down. She checked all the portlights to make sure they were closed securely. We packed up our belongings for a couple nights off the boat. With the expectation of water over the docks, no power,and plunging temperatures, if we stayed put we would be cold and stranded for much of the next 2 days.  So we decided it was better to spend the storm's passing in a hotel. As we left Saturday afternoon, rain was threatening and the winds were up, but not extreme. By the time we came back to check Saturday night, the water was lapping the underside of the dock and the rain had started. Dave got on board to see that all was well and we bid goodbye, certain that Orion would be fine. Sandy wasn't supposed to create tides any worse than Irene last year, and we had had no problems in that storm. 

Over the weekend, the waters kept rising, each high tide higher than the last, peaking Monday morning at about 3 ft over high tide -- not nearly as bad as forecast.  By Monday morning, we checked out of the hotel, originally intending to return to the boat. Monday morning's high tide was the last of the extreme high tides. With the wind shifting to the west, the water would be pushed out of the river, so tides would be more normal. But the wind and rain were now at their peak. We made a trip to the boat to check on it. It was fine, but there was still no power, and it was COLD. Just walking the docks our pants got soaked from the wind-driven rain. We were not going to stay on the boat that night.

So, after another night at a hotel, we finally returned to stay on board Tuesday. Power had returned and the boat was toasty with the reverse-cycle heat doing its job. Aaaah!. Orion was fine as were most, if not all, of the boats at the marina. We had weathered another storm, and the good news was that all of the preparation we made for this storm was necessary to secure the boat for the winter in advance of our departure. giving us a jump-start for our trip south.

Scary Good Times

Sandy's foul mood couldn't spoil a great evening with our son's family at the Virginia Air and Space Center Halloween Bash on Saturday evening. We accompanied an Annoying Orange, a fairy princess, a monster, a zombie and a pirate wench to the biggest Halloween party in Hampton. The kids (and adults) trick or treated at different stations throughout the center, enjoyed the haunted walk and even took in some of the museum's standing exhibits before retreating to a chili dinner and more kids activities at First UMC  It was a great evening and a welcome distraction from the storm.

The weekend before Sandy's arrival was as beautiful as the next was dismal. We took advantage of the weather to visit the Poquoson Seafood Festival, followed by a bonfire get-together at Steve and Krista's house nearby. We enjoyed some delicious clam chowder and fried clams at the festival, before heading back to Steve's for the party. The nice weather held on through Wednesday, long enough for one last sail on Bay Dreamer during  Wednesday night races at sunset. It was almost literally the calm before the storm. 

Heading South

With a little more work, we got the big boat ready to leave behind in Hampton for the winter. We winterized the head, the water system, the deck washdown and the A/C. We turned up the cushions, cleaned the boat, and shut down the fridge one more time. After packing up everything that we needed to take to the little boat, we stowed it in the car for the trip. You might be thinking the “car” is a rental, but we happened to be the recipients of a happy coincidence and the generosity of friends. Rick and Carla on Euphoria needed to move their car from Deltaville to Vero Beach as they traveled south on their boat. Since we needed to get to Florida with our stuff, we struck a deal. We would take their car to Vero Beach. This gave us the use of it while in LaBelle and for a few days before leaving Hampton, giving us the most flexibility to get ready to leave Hampton, escape the storm, and once in LaBelle to prep the little boat before casting off.  It was a perfect solution for both of us.

So, we join the migration south. As we were preparing to drive south, the Caribbean 1500 boats that had had to weather Sandy in port, slipped out a day early, trying to avoid a Nor'easter headed in on Sandy's heels. We welcomed a couple of cruising boats on the dock next to us who were also heading south.  Our last night in Hampton, we spent with one couple, giving them an overview of what to expect as they headed down the ICW for the first time.  Finally, we headed out on Sunday, making our way to LaBelle and Orion Jr bay way of our daughter's house and a brief visit with the grandkids.   

As the cruising sailboats come and go from the Hampton Public Piers across the river, we are enjoying seeing some friends among them.  Rick and Carla on Euphoria and Ron and Lena on Discovery have made stops here and we’ve enjoyed the time catching up, however brief.  As fall moderates the temperatures and lowers the humidity, our walks to and from Cathy’s work or to the community center for a swim are actually enjoyable.

While fall’s weather turned cold and rainy, Cathy hauled out the sewing machine for a project to help out our friend Steve, re-stitching his dodger and replacing the glass and zippers.  Over the next several days, (one of which took Steve and Dave to the Annapolis Boat Show), she worked her way over the various seams and pockets, repairing and replacing everything that looked worn.  It looks much better overall, but the project made her appreciate the space that she has at work to lay out a big canvas piece for this kind of stitching. 

In the interest of de-cluttering Orion, we listed a number of items for sale on Craigslist, in the hopes of piquing the interest of the Caribbean 1500 boaters who are slowly starting to arrive in Hampton.  (Or maybe you’re interested?)  You can check them out below.

Bridge Woes

On our way to the Hampton Fire Department’s Chili Cook-off fundraiser one Saturday afternoon, we passed over the nearby Settler’s Landing Bridge, seeing a sailboat “anchored” unnaturally close to the bridge.  We were pretty sure this was the same sailboat that had earlier been anchored about a half-mile further south.  With no dinghies visible on shore at the Public Piers, it was unclear who had left the boat, but it was pretty obvious that it had dragged.  By the time we returned from the festival, the sailboat was amazingly even closer to the bridge, spanning the channel between the red and green mark that guided vessels through the bridge.  As we boarded Orion, it became obvious that when the current changed in a couple of hours, this boat would be drifting back on top of us.  

So, we hailed the Coast Guard on the VHF to report the boat as a hazard to navigation.  It wasn’t long before a nearby Fire Rescue Boat (perhaps leaving the Chili Cook-off?) responded that they were on scene and would report back to the Coast Guard. They pulled up beside the boat and tied it off to their boat. Once secured, they pulled up the anchor on a very short scope.  (Hence the reason for the dragging.)  Un tethered, the prevailing flood current started moving the 2 boats slowly toward the bridge (could it get any closer?).  We yelled for them to look up as the mast was getting the closest it had been.  They quickly powered up and moved the boat over to the Public Piers, where it remained for the next few days.  Presumably, the owner had some explaining to do when he arrived back to the boat. 

Sailing Off - Not yet

 
Our plans are firming up for our travel to Orion Jr.  We will likely head out November 6th.  In the meantime, if you’re passing through before then, let us know.  We’d love to see you.

Our time on Orion in Hampton is winding down.  In September, we made the last of our planned road trips – to Rochester, Bethlehem PA, DC and NC – putting us one step closer to heading south to Orion Jr.  However, as the month started, our focus was on our son Adam as he struggled to find a cause, and more importantly, a solution for an arrhythmia that took him to the hospital for the 3rd time in as many weeks.  We are happy to say that as the month ended, he was back at work and finally feeling well, although it took several weeks of recovery (not to mention defibrillation shocks and a heart procedure) to get there.

Doctors, Dentists, Friends and Family

One of our summer tasks every year is to get our routine check-ups.  Although we had both seen the ophthalmologist in Hampton, our dentist is in Rochester NY and our doctor in Reston VA.  So that gives us a good excuse to hit the road and visit with family and friends in both of those places.  (Although, we don’t have to have the excuse just to visit.)

Adam’s illness delayed us a day, but we were still able to head north to see Dave’s family over Labor Day weekend, stopping first at his sister’s in Bethlehem PA.  After spending a day with her, we joined Dave’s parents and his sister Wendy in Rochester for a wonderful Labor Day picnic.  Sitting outside in the courtyard after the picnic, we realized that it had been a few months, since we had wanted to spend this much time outside.  The temperatures and humidity were mild, a beautiful late summer day in Rochester, but nothing like summer in Hampton Roads.  After the dentist gave us a good review on our teeth, we headed back south.  One check-up down; one to go.

Our next trip was to northern VA and our annual physicals.  We usually try to be in our best shape when we get our check-up.  This year, we found a new website that helped us reach our weight targets, called MyFitnessPal.  It did the trick since we both came in under last year’s numbers.  We enjoy our trip to Reston each year, which allows us to visit with our friend, Cookie in our old neighborhood, and this year we also got to share a meal with our former next-door neighbor and wannabe cruiser, Joe.  This trip was our first opportunity to try the Megabus.  The bus leaves from the Hampton Transit Center, which is walking distance from us and drops us off at Union Station, which is a Metro stop.  For $22 total, we were both able to make a roundtrip to DC.  It’s hard to beat that. 

Our last trip was south to NC to visit Cathy’s mom.  We picked up our youngest grandson Troy, who joined us for the visit.  (When we picked him up at school, he was carrying a stuffed M&M man that he had won at school, so we had two kids buckled into the back seat).  We enjoyed the visit with Cathy’s mom and sister Chris, and Troy enjoyed a trip to the SciWorks museum nearby with Grandpa Dave.

We did make a shorter trip to Richmond, while Adam was still recovering from his illness to entertain the kids for a day and give Adam and Christina some rest.  We spent the day at the Science Museum of Virginia, which was free with our membership to the ASTC.  It is in the restored train station downtown Richmond, and has a lot of hands-on activities that kept all three kids engaged.  Even Serenity at 2 ½ had a good time.  

Hampton Doings

We managed to arrive back in Hampton from our Rochester trip just in time for Hampton’s Bay Days Festival, the first weekend of September.  We enjoyed the festival and even won a few prizes.  As usual, we were close to the fireworks.  However, this year, a front moved through just before the show started.  It started to rain and the wind shifted to the North, putting Orion and the other boats at Joy’s Marina now downwind from the show.  The rain was a good thing and a bad thing.  The bad thing was that it forced the embers and ash down to the water level sooner, causing a live ember to land on our bimini.  The good thing was that the canvas was so wet, it didn’t do any damage.  When the sun came up the next morning, we were surprised at how much scrubbing it took to get the ash off.  After a few phone calls (the responsible Bay Days staff was not helpful), we found the key to removing it -- a $1 bottle of spray bathroom tile cleaner.  

Dave continues to join Steve on Bay Dreamer for race night, but no trophies are coming their way yet.  And then there are mini-dramas in the marina, such as the boat whose prop fell off, with the ensuing leak burning out her bilge pump.  With so much water coming in, she was at risk of sinking at the dock.  Dave helped with the salvage operation, which involved a tow by some local crabbers to a boat ramp so it could be loaded onto a trailer for repairs on shore.   Cathy’s still working at the canvas shop.  She’s getting better and getting some tips about making new cushions for Jr.

What’s that noise?

Dave’s pride and joy on Orion is her Yanmar engine.  He has taken meticulous care of it and received countless compliments on its condition.  Although Orion hasn’t moved in a year, Dave routinely starts the engine and runs it in gear to keep the engine lubricated and help keep the prop from fouling.  The engine always starts smoothly and runs well.  So, we thought nothing of it when we prepared to start the engine in preparation for moving Orion to a different slip in the marina.  Having done one of our routine engine runs only a couple of days earlier, we were floored when instead it shook violently and sent black smoke out the exhaust.  We shut the engine down to take stock.

Dave suspected the injectors were the source of the problem, so he removed the compression from each one, discovering that when he did this for injector # 1, it made no difference.  He had to wait for some parts, but soon after they arrived, he had the new injector installed and the engine sounded much better, but was now producing white smoke.  Further discussions brought the focus now to the fuel and a need for injector cleaner.  Putting the cleaner directly into the fuel filters, he started the engine and looked for the smoke to clear, which it did.  He slowly raised the rpm’s to 1500, then 2000.  Each time the smoke cleared up.  It was looking good.  However, once he reached 2400 rpm, a metal-on-metal sound in the engine caused him to kill the engine quickly.

This wasn’t good.

A visit from a local mechanic didn’t take long to confirm what Dave was beginning to fear.  The cylinder was damaged and would need to be re-built.  Wow!  The engine only had 3300 hours and Yanmar diesels are supposed to run for thousands of hours without a problem.  At any rate, Dave dug into the options for rebuilding the engine or installing an already re-built or brand new engine.  He finally settled on having our engine re-built, since we know how well it has been maintained up to now.  With another engine, we won’t know its history as well.  Also, the local mechanic is going to pull the engine out of Orion while she sits in her slip at the dock and then plans to re-build it over the winter.  Once the job is done, Orion will have an engine with zero engine hours, making her much more marketable.  So, there is a silver lining.

And now we have one less system to winterize. 

Stop and See Us

We won’t likely be heading south (by car) until around the first of November.  If you’re passing through Hampton on your way south, we are just across from the Public Piers, so give us a call if you happen to be staying in Hampton on your travels south.  Fair winds.

 

It’s been a busy month, which made it hard to stop and write about it.  For most of the month we were either enjoying visits from the kids and grandkids in Hampton or traveling with them to distant places.  We visited Orion Jr, completed some boat projects and Cathy continued to work on sewing projects both at work and on the boat (for neighbors).  So, it’s finally time to catch up here with what we’ve been up to.

Doing Disney (and other fun stuff)

It was a month for amusement parks, starting with a trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, organized as an anniversary surprise for our daughter by her husband.  Both Bonnie’s and Adam’s families joined us at the park for a day in mid-August.  We brought along a friend’s grandson to make it a even dozen, 5 of whom were 7 and under.  So the big kids could ride some of the more exciting rides, Grandma and Grandpa spent the day watching the younger set and strapping and unstrapping them from the airplanes, bumper cars, dragon boats and various other amusements.  It was a wonderful, exhausting day that had us closing down the park that night.  Everyone had a great time.

That trip was just a practice run for a trip we had been planning to visit Disney World with our 2 oldest grandsons the next week.  Since we had planned to head south to check on Orion Jr, the trip to Disney was a natural fit.  We took advantage of some late summer deals to stay at a hotel on Disney property, which gave us access to lots of food and entertainment beside the theme parks.  With a day scheduled to travel to LaBelle and a day to visit Magic Kingdom, we had a couple of days to explore some other venues.  The kids built Lego cars and raced them at Legoland in Downtown Disney, swam in the Fantasia pool at the hotel, saw the African animals on the savannah at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (even getting to use night goggles after sunset), and ate some amazing meals – everything from an African buffet to a seafood buffet.  Then, of course, there was Magic Kingdom, and a day of rides and shows and more good food, ending with a fireworks display that had the kids mesmerized.  We couldn’t have had a better time.

In between amusement parks, we had visits from Adam’s and then Bonnie’s family, which gave us a chance to take them to the Virginia Air and Space Center.    Droz spent the first and last weeks of August with us.  Some highlights of his visit were the Freaky Kon-tiki raft race on the Hampton River and the trip on the Miss Hampton tour boat.  

Boat Stuff

Just before leaving for Disney, we encountered an unexpected problem on Orion.  Our brand new water pump just stopped working.  Before lunch, it was working; after lunch, nothing.  Dave tested the circuitry and isolated it to the pump itself.  Since it was still under warranty, he contacted Jabsco, whose technical support contact helped us confirm that it was a problem with a fuse at the base of the pump.  He agreed to replace the pump and then advised Dave in wiring a temporary solution so we could get water in the meantime.  The pump arrived early, but it was just as we were leaving for Disney.  So, one of the first things Dave and Droz did when we returned to the boat was to install the replacement.  And it works great.  Having been without it for a week, makes us appreciate the simplicity of opening a faucet and expecting water to come on command.  It’s the simple things.

Cathy’s work at a canvas shop inspired her to do some long overdue maintenance of her Sailrite sewing machine, cleaning and oiling it.  Unfortunately, in the process, she adjusted the needle bar so that the machine wouldn’t complete a stitch.  After completing all the adjustments suggested in the manual, she raised a ticket with Sailrite, which took her through a series of videos on adjustments she should make.  Nothing was working.  The next day, she got a phone call from Sailrite and Matt talked her through identifying the problem with the needle bar.  In just 10 minutes, with a tiny adjustment, the machine was working great.  To put it to the test, Cathy re-stitched a dodger on a friend’s boat and it performed flawlessly.  Since then, she’s helped patch a sail with it and re-stitched a dodger cover for Steve.  It has skipped a stitch since.

Given the time away and Cathy’s work schedule, we took advantage of the skills of a fellow boater in the marina to apply another maintenance coat of Cetol on the teak.  The same boater is a diver, so he cleaned Orion’s bottom, keeping her in tip-top shape.  While checking on Jr down in Florida, we were pleased that she was doing so well.  She had a little water down below, but not much.  The lines were in good shape and she was ready for Isaac, which was to threaten her shortly after our visit.  It turned out Isaac’s actual track gave LaBelle a pretty mild impact, so reports after the storm were that Orion Jr was still in good shape.  That’s always a relief.  Dave even found time to help Steve install a solar controller on Bay Dreamer.  There’s always something to do on our boat or someone else’s.

Heading for Fall

As August came to an end, we headed out for another road trip to Bethlehem, PA and Rochester, NY to visit Dave’s family.  We’ll return just in time for Hampton’s Bay Days festival.  As the grandkids head back to school, our time with them will be a little less, but it’s been a fun summer getting to know them all over again. 

 

After vacation was over, we returned to Hampton and got back to work.  And that means literally, back to work.  Cathy started working part-time at a local marine canvas shop -- not to start a new career, but to improve her skills and learn more about marine canvas techniques.  The first few weeks have been – aah – challenging.  But ever so slowly, she is learning and improving.  Who knows, maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks. 

Dave continues to look for new ways to market Orion. This led him to start working with Northstar Marine, who agreed to list the boat on their and other websites accessible only to brokers, while letting us continue to try to sell it ourselves.  Through discussions with Shawn at Northstar Marine, Dave decided to lower our asking price to $94,900.  This has resulted in our first real traffic on the boat, with several people actually coming to tour her, including someone from as far away as Toronto. 

As the month ended, we took a trip to Richmond to celebrate our grandson, Jayden’s, 6th birthday, returning to Hampton with Droz, who spent a week with us.  

Summer’s heat arrived with a vengeance as July began and has given us only rare breaks.  So, we were grateful for some time off the boat to visit with family and friends.  After celebrating the Fourth with a picnic at Steve's house, we spent a week at the beach with Cathy’s family and our grandson, Droz, followed by a weekend with our daughter’s family in Jarratt.  

After a great time away, we arrived back to the boat in time for -- you guessed it -- the next heat wave.  

When not traveling, Dave continued to explore new ways to market Orion, and was also steadily reducing clutter on board (and increasing our cash flow) by selling off equipment that we no longer need, such as our original Garmin 172C chartplotter and its accessories.