In the process of transferring the hosting for my SoloMan Dutch and English websites, from Holland to Go-Daddy, the Dutch web vanished in a puff of smoke. It took me yesterday and today to get it back up. But I made a few improvements and added links in the side bar, of this  site as well, for a quick way to find all my slide and video albums as well as my YouTube videos. The latter is indexed by popularity. The first one uploaded on Christmas eve 2016 has nearly 9,000 views. So, maybe, you might like it as well. I am still learning, started out with the Go Pro and now also have a good video set up on my new Nikon camera. 

If you have been contemplating splurging on the color  version of SoloMan you have until March 31st to take advantage of the temporary, once in a Blue Moon, price reduction. On April 1 Amazon reduces my royalty on this version. I have redone all the Kindle versions of SoloMan and The Mastmakers’ Daughters and as I reported in the previous blogs they look a 100% better than the previous versions. I have also updated, all the paperback books at the same time. I am still expecting answers from Amazon to have them replace the worst problems with the Kindle version in the period between November 2016 and April 2017, when I was underway. Amazon has a good system to catch the errors on the print versions but not on the e-book/kindle. But I have this under control now. 

Repair progress: The weather remains cold and windy but I have had a few days with the sun warming the boat up enough to epoxy the engine well. I have lowered the engine mount bases, 2 inch thick Iroko which had to be lowered nearly 4 inches. It is going to be a very tight squeeze, lengthwise. I am holding my breath, looks like the 4″ exposed shaft from transmission to the packing gland may end up with as little as one inch. My next big expense is going to be the replacement of the Harken rudder bearing. I may have to bite the bullet at close to $800. I had hoped to replace just the inner part of the bearing, the rest is still in good shape. If the engine placement goes without a hitch then I hope to be able to float for the April 27th Blessing of the Fleet. 

I have been walking the stations of the cross on Friday evening here at the Saint Charles of Borromeo church with my Latin hermanos y hermanas. Last Saturday the Knights of Columbus cooked up a great St. Patrick’s Day dinner. Most of the small congregation knows me by now by name. I have made many wonderful friendships with them and others here. I am looking forward to celebrate Easter with them.

There are a few coincidences on the calendar this week which make for a special Passover and Easter. March 31st is another Blue Moon. It is also Jewish Passover/Pesach and Purim was last January 31st which was also a Blue Moon. Easter is on April Fools day. If you you are born after after April 1 1956 this will be the first year for you to celebrate Easter on April 1, Mardi Gras on March 13 and Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday on March 14. This will be the third time for me. It happened in 1956 and 1945. I have searched when Passover might have been on a Blue Moon day before but most likely that will be a once in a life time/blue moon occasion. 

 I wish all my Jewish friends a Chag Pesach kasher vesame’ach חַג כָּשֵׁר וְשָׂמֵחַ and my Christian friends a Blessed and Happy Easter. 

Our mother gave the homily on Good Friday, just before the 1945 April 1 Easter Sunday with the Dutch women prisoners in the Dachau concentration camp. Her theme was: “The risen Lord Jesus Christ was first seen by women, by women who had knelt at the foot of the Cross”. 

“View from the Cross”

James Tissot, Brooklyn Museum of Art