Days Ashore II - 22 December thru 15 January

This entry picks up from the previous Days Ashore news ending on 21 December and hopefully isn't redundant. After our pleasant family time during the Christmas and New Year holidays, some pleasant time with friends and neighbors, and completing some administrative responsibilities associated with our other life ashore, we are again returning to our cruising life. The next picture probably gives you one good reason why we're "hauling for better weather" where we hope there won't be any snow to shovel!

Today is Saturday, 12 January and it's mild outside. However, we've had cold (see the picture above...temperature 15, wind 40 mph, windchill too low to stay outside to measure!) to very mild weather while we've been ashore. We left home to return to Windreka on Wednesday, 9 January and are heading for SC via VA and MD. While we were ashore, we repositioned our retirement assets in anticipation of the market and economic turmoil we are bracing for in 2008 and are comfortable we have done all we can to weather the storm. But enough of that!

After Joe's dental appointment on Monday, the 14th, we expect to be back on the boat on Tuesday, 15 January and ready to depart in less than a week. Joe has a new computer to install on the boat to run our navigation software. Joe likes the Cap'n and has updated our chart database with all the current charts we need. The computer is a neat little shoebox-sized device with lots of storage. It doesn't have a fan and runs on filtered 12vdc power over a wide range of temperatures...if we run into the upper or lower end of the computer temperature tolerance, we'll be ashore, either shivering under an electric blanket or sweating in front of a heavy duty air conditioner. The display is a 19 inch monitor on a swivel mount that doubles as a DVD movie screen so we can relax with a good movie if the weather isn't cooperating. Besides wiring the computer into the boat 12vdc system, Joe has to interface it with our GPS. On paper it's all straightforward, but on a boat...well, you know!

By the way, we don't depend on electronic charts and Windreka will always be a paper chart boat. The electronics are backup and convenience tools of secondary importance and we aren't totally dependent on them...although they are really kewl to use.

Other than the computer, there are a few other necessary tasks...provisioning, engine and generator oil changes, etc...before we're ready to go.

Our friends, Greg and Judy should arrive on their boat, My Destiny, a sister Whitby 42 by 18 January and we'll try to rendezvous with them at Brunswick, GA about then. After that, we have to make some plans and we'll publish them as soon as we know what they are. At the top level, we'll head into FL and find a departure port to cross the Gulf Stream and clear into the Bahamas where we expect to spend most of our cruising time.

So there you have it...we've got all the Explorer Charts http://www.explorercharts.com/, Skipper Bob's best advice http://skipperbob.home.att.net/, and all the other references we think we'll need. We'll leverage Greg and Judy's experience, cruise conservatively, and end up somewhere in http://www.bahamas.com/bahamas/index.aspx. We think we're prepared...we're certainly ready...stay tuned!