Our friends, Eric and Shelley, bought a new to them Back Cove 34 late last fall. We moved the boat to Florida for the winter, Jupiter. They are renting a condo for three months in Jupiter and plan to familiarize themselves with their new purchase over the winter. Our first outing was a three hour round trip up the ICW, just to start the process.
Century Club: mike pitchford
Saturday, January 8, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
on her lift in Jupiter, FL
We didn’t get to Florida until January 2nd. We took some time to open the condo and provision. The boat didn’t get any attention until Saturday. Only then did I get her uncovered and got to run the engine a bit to make sure she was also ready for the season.
Friday, December 3, 2021
Number of days:
1 day
Surely the most un-fun time in a boaters life is writing the check for maintenance. It is not that you don't want the boat maintained and ready at your whim. It is that good maintenance is either expensive or time consuming (or both).
Today I collected my FL runabout from the servicing dealer. My wallet is about $1200 lighter. But, I had a nice morning driving her back to her lift.
Friday, November 19, 2021
Number of days:
1 day
Our little FL runabout needed annual service (oil, all filters, lower end gear oil and water pump) to make her ready for the coming winter season. In many way this is not unlike spring commissioning on the Bay.
In what turned out to be driving rain ar one point, I drove the boat an hour and a half south to a boat ramp where the service folks loaded me on one of their trailers to take it to the shop.
Monday, November 1, 2021
Number of days:
1 day
dock under water
rescued dock furnature that had floated away
With cooler weather by the end of October cruising is usually over for us and winterization is underway. This last weekend in October we joined friends for a pandemic delayed long weekend in the VA mountains. While there we missed the highest water in Annapolis since Isabel in 2003.
Neighbors covered for us and the bats were ok on the dock. However, we did have a couple pieces of dock furniture float away as the water came close to two feet over the dock.
Whe we got back from the mountains I took the Key West runabout out looking for the errant dock furniture and found at least some of it.
Saturday, October 23, 2021 to Sunday, October 24, 2021
Number of days:
2 days
The last cruise of the Club's season has become known at the "Plan A/B Cruise". It has been a staple of the cruising calendar since 2012. It was designed to be one last easy overnight, to a close location, before folks put their boats up for the winter.
In this inaugural year, the cruise was dutifully planned for the last weekend in October. As fate would have it, Hurricane Sandy formed in the Carribean in late October and advanced north to become Superstorm Sandy, devastating the New York and New England coasts. On the way north the storm brushed by Annapolis and caused the cruise organizers to reconsider the planned anchorage nearby.
So, Plan B was born. Boats stayed at home. In lieu of the short overnight trip the cruise leaders hosted the would be cruisers at their home for a happy hour. In the years since the cruise has been planned with both boat cruise and land travel options, depending on the weather. In practice, except in the worst weather, cruisers have come both by land and by sea.
The 2021 installment offered very good weather. Ten boats and crews anchored in Rideout Creek, just north of Annapolis. A larger contingent arrive by car and 50+ spend a wonderful fall evening outside a members waterfront home.
Friday, October 15, 2021 to Monday, October 18, 2021
Number of days:
4 days
Friends from Annapolis bought a new to them boat, a Back Cove 34. The boat was located in Palm Coast Fl. Their choice was to take the boat back to Annapolis and winterize or keep the boat in FL for the winter, use it and join the spring migration up the ICW. They wisely chose the latter.
So, we joined them for a few days travel down the ICW from Palm coast to Jupiter. Along the way we stopped in Cocoa, Melbourne and Stuart.
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Number of days:
1 day
One of the many pleasures of boating is going out to a meal by boat. We are in Fl for a couple weeks and so took the little runabout to lunch at the Dive Bar. This is one of a half a dozen nearby restaurants reachable by boat.
Monday, October 11, 2021
Number of days:
1 day
When you leave your boat in FL over the summer you "summerize" it. This process has similarities to winterizing starting now on the Bay.
Today I had the opportunity to de-summerize our little runabout down here in FL and get her ready for the season. It all brings new meaning to "endless summer." Many boating days ahead of us in sunny south FL.
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Number of days:
1 day
Visited with ex Annapolitians, Hank and Elly Libby. Went out on their "little" boat, a Boston Whaler 280 Outrage.