Think I am getting the hang of this!
Century Club: mike pitchford
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Number of days:
1 day
My 1984 DS II came back to the Bay and my care after an extended period of neglect. I began restoring it last fall but it spend the winter covered on the lift getting little attention. I had the wooden parts, tiller and hatch boards rebuilt and worked today reassembling her and getting her ready to sail.
Tuesday, June 22, 2021
Number of days:
1 day
Boyz Book club shuttle craft
Since 2009 I have had the pleasure of being a member of the Chesapeake Boyz book club. The group has been fairly steady in membership,10 to a dozen of us. We are old guys broadly spread politically but tied together by boats and the Bay.
Over time some have moved to Florida and one has passed on to the big book club in the sky. We have a core of members from the beginning and some new old guys along the way to bolster our ranks.
The attraction is not so much the books as the comradery, opportunity to discuss worthy issues raised by the read and generally solve the problems of the world, at least in out minds.
For the past year and a half we have done our almost monthly meetings by Zoom. In May, with COVID on the decline, we had our first in person gathering, a raft up of several boats in Whitehall Bay.
Today we had our first since COVID gathering at our of our homes. This is more our norm and it was nice to get back to same. And, since it was on a nearby creek, I got to go by boat!
Saturday, June 19, 2021
Number of days:
1 day
Father's Day creek cruise
Father's Day weekend just had to be a boat weekend for a boat owning father and grandfather (me). Saturday started with an exercise run in the rowing dinghy. Shortly thereafter the first part of the family arrived, son, daughter in law and first grandchild. She was now two and owing to COVID had not been properly exposed to boats and the Bay.
fortunately she immediately gravitated toward the water. We hustled her into her life jacket and launched the inflatable for a short row so she could touch the water.
Later in the afternoon the family loaded onto the trusty center console and cruised about the creek, stopping to visit with friends.
Friday, June 18, 2021
Number of days:
1 day
our dinner shuttle
In a sure sign of getting back to normal six of us (all long vaccinated) enjoyed a nice crab cake dinner outside at one of the group's home. As is out custom on the creek, we took the little boat over rather tan drive. It is actually closer by boat though it takes a bit longer to park :-)
Thursday, June 17, 2021
Number of days:
1 day
morning row vehicle
shuttle to downtown and easier to park
Went for a row in the morning and later took the 17' center console over to downtown Annapolis for lunch and afternoon meetings. Easy to park!
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Number of days:
ready for a morning row
This morning the exercise choices were many. I could walk/run, ride the bike and also take a row on the newly restored rowing dinghy. The pleasant weather after the overnight resin empowered the latter and so I chose that. Very nice.
Monday, June 14, 2021
Number of days:
1 day
ready for the season
Summer is upon us and moving fast. Temps have been up and down but the solstice will be here before we know it. I worked on and completed summer season prep for our little creek boat, including replacing the starting battery. Naturally I had to go for an evening test run!
Saturday, June 12, 2021 to Sunday, June 13, 2021
Number of days:
2 days
round robin dinner and hapy hour
Friday was foreboding with rain all day and cool for June temps. The Friday part of this cruise was skipped for most. Saturday opened up cool with a slight off and on mist but the day promised to get better. By the Saturday lunch and round robin dinner/happy hour at anchor over 40 folks had joined on dozen boats and a few land yachts.
Monday, June 7, 2021 to Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Number of days:
3 days
"summerized" and strapped down for hurricane season
We were back in Florida for a few days to "summerize" out little condo and little boat. South Florida is a great place to be in the winter, but the summer and early fall can be hot, though not always hotter than the Bay. It is also hurricane season and that calls for special prep.
The condo gets all porch furniture brought inside and hurricane shutters closed. The boat gets strapped to the lift and the lift gets raised to the max in preparation for strong winds and storm surge. The boat also gets the bimini removed, covered, the fuel stabilized and the engine fogged, much like winterization on the Bay.
Before all this we took her out for a couple days. First trip was to dinner at a local waterfront restaurant, same with the second trip. This part of Florida you have to love. We can boat over a short distance and get to eight nearby waterfront restaurants. Off season the seating and service is quick!