Update

Hi All,

Just wanted to update everyone on Jim's grand adventure. Yesterday he was in Oriental NC. and today he finally hit the ocean! He should be at sea for the next three days or so...

At the Boat

It's a beautiful night here in Washington, it's so clear the stars actually look fake. Got down to the boat around 4:00 this afternoon and have been running around like a mad man since. After a large food shopping run, filling up the spare gas jugs and dropping the rental car off at the Greenville airport, I am officially done for the night. Was able to knock out a few other tasks as well, so all that is left is a nice wash down before we leave tomorrow.

We will leave some time in the afternoon and sail down to Indian Island tomorrow night. I will try and post as often as possible, hopefully tomorrow and the following day. Once we hit the ocean though, we will be out of range till we get in close at Jacksonville. If we are lucky enough to get a phone signal, I will give Amy the scoop and she will update the blog with general info and then I will fill in the blanks and add pics when we get in.

So good sailing to all and to all a good night.

Sunny and Good Winds Predicted

So far so good.

Trip Preperation

So I have converted the spare bedroom to the "staging" area and have it piled high with all of the stuff that will be coming along on the trip. Amy will check each item off the list as I pack the car to be sure I don't forget anything. I feel pretty good about things at this point. The planning has been going on for a while now, so all of the details are nailed down and captured.

The 5 day forecast for next week is looking good. (knock on wood) The plan as of now is to go to the boat on Monday morning and start prepping and provisioning. If all goes well, we will leave Tuesday morning at first light or the second pot of coffee, which ever comes first, and head towards Indian Island at the mouth of the Pamlico River. Depending on weather, we will make a decision to either head down the ICW towards the Beaufort inlet or continue across the bay towards the Ocracoke inlet. They both have pros and cons but weather will help us make that decision.

I just want to get started, so the next few days will be anxious ones. The preparation is done, only the sailing is left.

Love of the Sea

For 39 years, I have loved the ocean more than any other place I have known. It feeds my soul and spiritually connects me to the world. Suffice it to say, its a place I like to be.

I was very lucky to be able to know the ocean at a young age. I believe it is during this time my love for the sea took hold. Summer vacations were spent at my Grandparents house in Ft Lauderdale, FL. There, we would be on the water from morning to night. Their house was on a canal in the Las Olas islands, minutes from the ICW, Port Everglades and hundreds of miles of waterways to explore. My first boat ever was really the tender to my Grandparents 34 foot Hatteras. When I was old enough, I would row that boat up and down the canals till the light would go down and I had to be back home. I knew every boat in those canals and would look forward to going to bed so I could get up and do it all over again the next day. I loved that little boat.

When I was just a little older, I was let loose on those canals with a 6 hp Johnson outboard. That opened up my world tremendously and my "cruising" career was born. Now, I was able to travel miles up and down the ICW. Whether it was to check out the naval ships in the port (you could do that then), cruise over to Whiskey Creek for some beach combing or up north to down town, I went everywhere. The Broward patrol boats knew me by name and were always nice as long as I had my life jacket and air horn. Only now I realize the significance of Lake Sylvia to us cruisers but back in the day, it was a nice place to buzz around with out any hassles. I think about it now and I can never remember there ever being a boat anchored. My guess is that has changed.

Of course, I didn't just stick to the dingy, I would beg and plead for a trip on the "big boat". We would head down to Montey Trainers in Miami and Ocean Reef in the Keys. That was my favorite by far. We would run outside in the ocean and I would sit on the bow looking into the crystal clear waters. Occasionally, you would see a giant Ray or Dolphins on the bow wake. I would drive as much as I could, I never tired of it. Once we got into port, we would have a great dinner that my Grandmother would whip up and get ready for some exploring in the morning.

So, if you want to know where I got my love for the sea, that should sum it up. I thank my Grandparents for a lifestyle that I love and treasure. I never get bored of hearing about their adventures to the Keys, Bahamas and beyond. I hope I am as lucky as they were. I can say this though, I am very lucky that they can follow my adventures as they check this blog everyday for updates. I hope my stories are as inspirational as theirs were to me.

But it didn't end there. I always tried to stay near the water, so again I was lucky to get a summer job during college on a small charter fishing boat. I did that for a few years out of Oyster Bay Long Island. I would take care of the folks that came aboard and help the captain when anchoring and docking. That was a great gig and of course again kept me on the water.

Had an 8 year hiatus doing the work thing until I bought my first boat. That's was a 1971 Coronado 27. I knew it had to be a sailboat. I had not sailed before, but I knew the lifestyle and wanted in. Had her docked at CuttySark marina in Little Creek, Virginia. It was only a mile or so to the lower Chesapeake and a perfect place to learn to sail. I was on that boat everyday learning the ins and outs. Fortunately, I was very lucky to have a neighbor teach me the ropes. It was a great couple of years. I put a lot of miles under the keel till I sold her prior to moving to NC. She was a good boat.
Oh yeah, during that time, I was working as a mate on the Spirit of Norfolk, a dinner cruise ship that would tour the naval yards. When I was off, I worked right next door at Waterside Marina. That place was always hopping as it was where everyone would start their migration down the ICW to Florida. Mile marker 0 on the ICW. We had all the mega yachts come in and stay for a few days. One of Jimmy Buffett's boats came in one time and handed out shirts and CDs. That was a good day. :)

From there, it was on to NC and eventually Skylark. You know that story. So that's it, my life on the water.

New Pics from the Shake Down

Hey Ya'll,
Was able to get my hands on a few new pics and thought I would throw them up.

Not going to Jinx it...

...but, the crew is in place and we will be leaving for Florida between April 7th and April 12th. Weather is always a factor, but baring any major storms, we are outta here. Feels good to have the dates finally nailed down, now we just need to prep and be ready.

Being the project manager that I am, I keep a list of all the work I have done on Skylark in a Microsoft Project Plan. I have cut and paste everything done so far from the captured tasks in case you wanted to see a detailed list.

Deck
New Mainsail
Running Rigging
Anchor
Ground Tackle
Spreaders
3 Blade Prop
Port Running Light
Standing Rigging
Port Deck Cleat Remount
Jib Blocks (2)

Galley
Gusher Water Faucet
New water lines
3 Burner Oven/Stove Combo
Propane Tank
Male Hose Connector
Regulator
25' Extension Hose
New shelves under sink
Galley Utensils
Plates
Pots & Pans
Silverware
Cups
Coffee Pot

Head
Waste Holding Tank
Toilet
New water faucet
2 new Seacocks (Sink basin and Head)

Salon
Carpet
Cushions
Settee (6)
Quarter Birth (1)
110 Outlet covers
Air condoning
Flat Screen TV 19 inch

Engine
Plugs
Points
Wires
New Gas
New Scupper Seacock
Replace Gas filter
Oil Change
Oil Filter
New Throttle Control Wire

Electrical
2 New House Series 31 Batteries

Electronics
VHF
Depth Sounder
GPS for Laptop

Forward Cabin
Mattress
Anchor locker Hatch

Safety Equipment
Fire extinguishers (2)
Flares, Smoke and Flare Gun
Horn
Jacklines
First Aid Kit
Life Sling
Off-Shore Self Inflating Life Jacket

Misc.
Insurance
Registration & Title
Jig Saw
Bucket and Brush
Inlet Chart Book
Cabin Heater
Utility Knife and blades
Varnish
Microwave
Dock Line (2)
Boat numbers
Deck Plate Key
Wooden Bungs
Water Jug (Two 5 gal.)
Boat hook
Raft
Charts
Compass
1200w Generator
Spreader Boots
Bottom Job 3/25/2010
BoatUS membership 3/25/2010
Windex
Topping Lift
Zincs 3/25/2010



Florida, here we come.

Lets Try Again...

OK, so the boat is ready to go and I have someone on stand by. Would like to have one or two more folks join the crew for the trip down to Florida. Looking to leave around next weekend, April 2-4 or early the following week. If you are interested, give me a hollar. Estimating it to take around 5 to 6 days depending on weather. If you can do a couple of days, say 2 or three, we can stop in Charleston or somewhere to let off or pick up. Lets discuss travel expenses.
Thanks guys...would much rather have folks join that I know are out there doing this.

March 25th, 2010...a Retrospect

Today is my birthday, so I look back over the year and see;
I am not dead, I have a wonderful family, I have made new friends, I have a great sailboat and the where with all to sail her. All in all, not a bad year.

I do however feel like I am 80 when I'm crawling around the bilges and lazzerettes and not 39. Oh well, it is what it is. :)

Shake Down

So my buddy Matt and I left the dock at 10:00 am on the first shake down since the rigging was tuned and the hull cleaned. It was a beautiful day getting into the mid 70s. We had some wind issues though as we started out with about 3-4 knots, but the river tends to have weird weather patterns further out and it died. Completely...GPS read 0.0. We sat for a while, but around 2:00, it picked up nicely to around 8-10 knots and we took off. With a 10 foot beam, Skylark is a narrow boat for her length compared to newer models and really moves quite well in light air. We were averaging 5.5 knots with 8 knots apparent. All in all, we had a great sail. Ran wing on wing for about 4 miles coming back, what a beautiful sight that was. Of course it's a lot of work keeping her balanced and avoiding that unexpected gybe, but I only almost killed Matt once. Now I really can't wait to start the trip to Florida. More to come...

Here are a few more pics...

Me at the tiller...








Heading down the Pamlico River...

Florida Trip Update

As you probably noticed the other day, I had submitted a post looking for a replacement for a buddy that had to back out of the trip due to an unexpected family emergency. Unfortunately, after days of trying, I was not able to find anyone that could go on such short notice so I will have to delay the trip. This delay could be a couple of days or a week or two depending on weather and availability, but the boat is ready to go and quite honestly, so am I. It's a little disappointing, but it will happen soon and really, that's that. So, if anyone has about 4 to 5 days open in the next couple of weeks and feels like an off-shore trip, let me know.

A positive in all this will be a great opportunity this weekend to put Skylark through a complete shake down with a buddy of mine. Leaving tomorrow for a 2 day cruise down the Pamlico River. Will anchor out behind Indian Island if the winds are right and make sure all the rigging, sails, electrical systems, etc. are ready for the big trip. I will update with pics and a report. The weather will be in the 70s with sun and wind at 10-15 knots. Looking forward to it.

Thanks as always for following.