Sailboat: a hole in the ocean you throw money into!!!

The weather is hot and the spending comes easy!! My oh my, we've been having fun this week! It seems that everytime we think things are under control, we find something else that needs fixing or replacing...sigh!

Our first trip to Annapolis this week garnered wet suits for Larry and Clare and new fins for me. The dive shop was in the old part of Annapolis, and what a beautiful area that is. The old buildings have been around forever, and are absolutely gorgeous and full of history. Some of the streets are cobbled in brick and it is very quaint. It is of course, unsurprisingly, a tourist area, so is very busy at this time of year.

The heat has been just brutal for the past week or so, and it really drags you out and makes tempers VERY short. Someone was telling me she thought there had been more accidents in Annapolis this week, just because of the heat...I can see it. We're talking 110 F!! plus humidity.

All the stores are airconditioned and they were working overtime! It was like walking into a freezer in some places! However, before very long, it didn't feel particularly cool inside....until you stepped outside again! YIKES!!

So our second trip to Annapolis this week cost us a packet! Graham got a good fishing rod and gear and the boat got a deep sea rod, so that we can dine on tuna and mahi-mahi for the next year! Hope so anyway! We also bought a new motor for the dingy, so now we are mobile! We have the little 7' dingy and motor for sale (could never fit the 4 of us and the dog!) and we are hoping to sell it soon. We were lucky enough to buy a great used 10' dingy in Penetang before we left (one of the few bargains we've managed to find!)

Lucky Larry has been up to his #*% in new heads over the past few days, as the old toilets were in poor repair, and the rebuild kits were as expensive as new toilets...thus, new heads for all! What a stinky job that is, and thank goodness he won't have to do it again! We are so fortunate that Larry is a handy guy and is capable of just about anything. We'd be absolutely nowhere without him!

We had the mizzen mast (the little mast at the back of the boat) taken down in order to have a wind generator installed (we're still waiting on that...)as we decided that with the amount of electricity we are drawing - what with 3 computers running all day, fans, refrigeration, music etc, we would have to run the engine 2-3 hrs/day to keep the batteries charged up - and that heats up the below decks hugely, especially in this weather! The wind generator allows us to charge the batteries easily without the heat!

We filled up with fuel the other day, and decided to take a look around the bay while we were out...and discovered that those lousy barnacles had clogged the impeller causing the engine to want to overheat! Geesh, the work and cost never ends! Another haul out to have the bottom washed and barnacles scraped...this was our 1 and only time to have her hauled out - from here on in, Larry and Clare (because she has her scuba equipment too) will be doing the scraping underwater. Here in the harbour, it was too disgusting to contemplate!

Our next trip to Annapolis was just Larry and I, and we stopped for lunch in Galesville, at the Pirates Cove restaurant...a lovely spot. Galesville was established in about 1642 and is a pretty little village. The restaurant is obviously a popular destination - it was packed when we were there! The seniors were out in full force!

After lunch we did the errands that awaited us, and made a very fortuitious visit to Bed, Bath and Beyond (that beyond section has everything!) and I was able to get a memory foam mattress topper for my bed (Wiggy is not happy if she doesn't get a decent sleep...)along with new shower curtains for the heads (marine scene of course!), a bbq scraper and a few other odds n'ends including...yes Mum- HANGERS!!! Haha, I knew I should have insisted on bringing more hangers instead of leaving them at your place!

We are also looking at buying a kayak, as Clare is worried that she will lose her mind without internet, if she has to stay on the boat with Graham 24/7. We've been checking them out at various stores to find the best deal possible. Thats on next weeks spending list!!!

We have met lots of nice folks down here - most people are very friendly and helpful. There are a few other liveaboards in the marina, and we all chat during the day. Last night we had a visit with Ken, who just returned from a month long stint as crew on a 60 foot Sea Ray for a very rich woman! That thing costs about $900 an HOUR to run at full tilt! They went from Maryland up to New York, to the Hamptons, Atlantic City and where ever else her little heart desired! I can't even imagine having that much money! Ken's a great storyteller and we had a lot of laughs as he recounted some of their adventures!

There is a swam that lives in this harbour, and the first night he swam up to the boat, Beau just about lost his mind! He was barking away at it, running up and down the deck, not sure whether to jump in after it or run away! I've been told that the swan is always here - he has an injured wing, and never leaves. He hissed nastily at the dog, and that seemed to settle it for the dog, he figured he would just watch it from then on! Graham got some nice shots of "Gregory" as Clare named him, which I will try to post, but I am having some problems with uploading pictures on this computer (damn you VISTA!) so as soon as possible!

Today is sunday, and I had written much of this blog several days ago, and lost it when the internet disconnected and haven't had the heart to redo until now! So undoubtedly I have forgotten some things, and I know I've added others! The marina puts on a nice free "brunch buffet" on sunday mornings, and we have enjoyed it very much as a place to chat with some of the characters that make this marina a nice place to be. The best part of the past couple of days is that the weather finally broke and it has been just lovely! A good breeze, not so hot, and fair skies! And cooler nights to make sleeping MUCH more comfortable! I tell you, those 110F days nearly killed me, not to mention nearly caused me to kill Larry, the kids and the dog! Temper temper!

We are looking forward to Karina's arrival tomorrow afternoon. She lived with us several years ago as a Rotary Student from Denmark, and she is back visiting some of her pals. She is a great gal, and we are excited to have her on board and intend to make sure we actually get to go sailing while she's here! She is our incentive to get everything put away, replaced, rebuilt, cleaned or labelled! Time to get busy I guess!

Hope all is well "back home" and look forward to hearing from y'all soon!