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13 March 2008

Very dirty on the outside, but dry and wholesome on the inside. The usual boat nightmare of mould from humidity was non-existent. This partly due to covering all windows with thick, reflective insulation, partly due to the exceptional performance of our Caframo fans that had been running non-stop 24/7, (most but not all of which had survived), and partly due to the solar powered exhaust fans we fitted in two hatches in 2003 that continue to respond to the sunshine.

We soon caught up with old friends and new in the social world of Brunswick Landing Marina.

Bobbie and Gordon on Trawler "Namaste" with their menagerie of 2 large dogs and 2 large parrots. Juggling their world now between "Namaste" and their new 33 foot long RV.

Pam and Jim from Canada on catamaran "Aeolus." Still struggling with transmission glitches, but always a smile and great sense of humour.

Ann and Lynn on board "Sea Tramp." Also changing their lives by purchasing an RV and heading off for the first time in eight years to work on the Annapolis Boat Show without Sea Tramp. It will be interesting to see how they fare living in an RV for six months.

Rick, Eliena and fantastic little poodle, Ginger on board their new Manta 42 catamaran "Movin' On". Great name for a boat that they have just moved to from a monohull. Went sailing for a day with them to experience catamaran sailing.

New friends, Craig and Liz on board their new Leopard 42 catamaran, "Salida" who then left in April to make the 1,400 mile journey to Puerto Rico.

Roger and Darlene on the trawler "Rollsdoc", who are always willing to share their hard earned experience in marine electrics and boat refinishing.

Roger and Connie from the catamaran "Adventures" and John on his Beneteau "Misty".

Carpentry work while repairing the headliner

Varnishing the cabin sole

Rain - it's not all sunshine

We had already pre-prepared lists of "Must Do" and "May Do" jobs for Dream On, but after 22 months away, the list of "Must Do" expanded exponentially as we tested all the systems and additional glitches manifested themselves.

Added to this was an unfortunate incident when the boat next door to us pulled out to go for a day sail and was blown onto Dream On. (It can happen to the best of us!). Their anchor ran down the top of our starboard safety lines and pulled out one our stanchions. This required a replacement stanchion and base plate, and removal of part of our headlining under the deck in the salon, to reach the under-deck fitting.

The anchor windlass was not working and took a long time to resolve. Geoff dismantled the electric motor which looked very sad. Everyone who looked at this shook their head in dismay.

Finally, having given up all possible remedies for the old windlass, we bought a new one which Geoff fitted late May. It's a different type so required some rewiring of the boat but is a great improvement on the old one.

The GPS was not working, but after a few days of Geoff's fiddling with wiring the GPS awoke from its sleep.

The boat engine fired up at first attempt, as did the mobile generator and the diving compressor. The dinghy outboard went out for service and inspection and appears to be ok.

Our new dinghy arrived. We decided to go slightly larger, so that we have more space for visitors and diving gear. It looks huge on the back of the boat. We are now waiting for some good weather and a break in the job list to take the dinghy out for a spin.

Meanwhile as Geoff continued with the electrics and mechanics and generally making a mess, Iza has been busy organising the boat, (and Geoff), cleaning, polishing, and varnishing everything, and stocking up on supplies for our planned trip to Turks and Caicos. The boat has a great deal of woodwork inside and is overdue for a full varnish treatment. Achieving this and still being able to live on board is quote a balancing act. If Geoff stands still for too long, he'll be varnished!

There was work to do on the rigging as well. Geoff has made two trips up our 59 foot mast so far. Think he likes hanging out in the breeze up there!

Windlass problems

Navigating in small spaces

The new Lewmar windlass - installed

We've had a couple of visits from some very friendly manatees. We didn't realise how much they enjoy fresh water. When sprayed with a hose they drink and use as a mouthwash, with the apparent enjoyment similar to us enjoying champagne. After one such session, one rolled over on its back, flippers in the air, and allowed its tummy to be stroked while still enjoying the fresh water.

Manatees are mammals.  They are very large, and grow up to 12 feet long with a flat paddle shaped tail.  Their head and face are wrinkled with whiskers on the snout. Oddly, the manatee's closest land relatives are the elephant and the hyrax.

Manatees are found in shallow rivers and estuaries and graze on aquatic plants along the bottom or surface.  They come up for air every 3 to 5 minutes and it is rare to see them so clearly.  Previously we have only been able to see the snout break the surface, snort, and submerge again almost immediately.

Salida with manatee

On the morning Craig and Liz with friend Dave were leaving on "Salida", they were delayed by a manatee that decided to have a warm shower from the engine cooling water exhaust. We pushed the boat forward to break the spell, before "Salida" could safely leave on power.

These manatees are huge. The photo of the manatee beside 42 foot "Salida" gives an indication of size.

Brunswick marina BBQ

Tuesday 3rd June. We planned to leave Brunswick to sail out into the Atlantic and turn north for the Chesapeake. However, our weather guru, Chris Parker advises that the winds will be variable so better to leave it until Wednesday 4th.

So, with one more day to prepare ourselves for a 600 mile non-stop trip and with most of the jobs done, we will be in better more relaxed shape to make the trip.

All the stuff we had placed in storage that we did not need for our season in the Bahamas is now back on board. Also, with the wish list for the new boat in mind we have been tempted to buy a few things for the new boat when the right opportunity has arisen. So, Dream On is a little lower on the waterline than a week ago.

Lunch onboard