Thursday, August 18, 2016

Thanks!...and stay tuned.

While we are making preparations for one last, hopefully more enjoyable, run down the Chesapeake and east coast, I wanted to take a few moments to say thank you.  We have received a overwhelming amount of support via the blog and email since I announced the unexpected change in plans.

As I guess is often the case in a public forum like this, there are a few that seem to feel it is necessary to point out how you were wrong and they would have done things differently even though they don't know or understand the whole story. Fortunately, in the cruising world, those types seem to be few and far between. That is the thing about the cruising lifestyle, the people out there doing it or dreaming of doing it are simply the best.  To those, I give my sincerest thank you for all of your support.

In other news...

Plans continue for our trip south and move back to land. I'm letting my wife decide the itinerary and timing and expect we will be taking off in the next week or two. In the meantime, believe it or not, there are a few minor things that need to be done on the boat.  This time they are not really necessary for safety as they are desirable for sale.  This has given me the chance to check out a couple stores in nearby Annapolis.

Our first stop was Bacon Sails.  Known for a large inventory of used sails, they also have a large selection of other used and new equipment.  The store is somewhat similar to Sailors Exchange in St. Augustine, but they have a bit less inventory and, well, less junk.  I actually went in looking for, among other things, a replacement handle for one of the hatches.  Somehow I managed to break the handle at the thickest part (I can only assume this is an old manufacturing defect). I didn't really expect to find the old Goiot handle so I was completely flabbergasted when I showed an employee the broken handle and he pointed to 3 baskets and said he thought he saw one in one of them.  Sure enough, we found it and it was even a never-used part.  Not a bad find for $4.

We also stopped by Fawcett. It is a West Marine like store with better prices.  I ended up picking up a cabin fan to replace a noisy and anemic fan we currently have as well as a couple other odds and ends.

I've added entries for these two stores on my Better Marine page. Well worth the stop if you are in the area.

The past week has been a heat wave here on the Chesapeake, so one good thing about being at the dock is we have air conditioning. Stay tuned...we will be heading out sometime soon.

4 comments:

  1. Looking forward to reading about your cruise down south!

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    1. I hope we get a chance to visit some nice places and people along the way. :)

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  2. You give a lot of insight into your personal life thru your blog. I take away from your transparency whatever I can and it's all very appreciated!


    Though some of us might feel like we really know you and can give something back in the way of valuable input, only you really know. As always, appreciate you sharing your life's journey! Maybe one of these days, I'll do the same.

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    1. I'm glad you find my ramblings interesting or useful. I know I put a fair amount of information out there, but it is far from complete. Some personal things I just choose not to share, and much more there simply isn't enough time in the day to write about.

      Don't get me wrong. I generally love hearing from people and the insight and encouragement has been a big help on our little journey. Unfortunately, when you put things out in a public forum such as this, you seem to pick up a few that are less encouraging. Some may not be intended to be harsh or criticizing, but i can be hard to tell in a written forum.

      What I can tell you is that even with a little bad, the whole blogging part of this experience has been overwhelmingly good. If you are thinking about blogging, go for it and just be prepared for the occasional response that gets under your skin.

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