May, 2009

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Pentecost Sunday 31 May

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

Well, I got to speak in tongues at the Pentecost service at the Latin mission here. And I must have been filled with the Holy Spirit because my Spanish was understood. At the end of the service first time visitors are asked to stand up and identify them selves. I took the opportunity to bid my hermanos y hermanas “adios” and I told them how much I had enjoyed worshipping with them these 6 weeks here. Many came for “embracos”  afterwards. I love these people and will miss them. I probably learned more Spanish in those 6 visits than my cruising through P.R. and the D.R. because the priest speaks clearly and slowly and I have the English version on the left page in the missal. The communion song was “Pan de Vida, Cuerpo del Senor”, which is at times sung in Anglo services and an emotion for me.

I am hanging, with a list to port, in the travel lift, ready for a drop in the river on Tuesday Morning.  This way I can get under the keel to fair and bottom paint and to paint the spots where the jacks were placed. The yard personell has Sunday and Monday off. Here are a few pictures of the new paint job. I will put on another picture once I am in the water. I am slowly getting used to the color and the graphics help to liven it up some. To-morrow I will be putting the Monitor steering vane back on and re-install the back stay tangs, lights, etc., on the transom. It has become very hot here and difficult to pick the right hours of the day to paint/Awlgrip.

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My Grib files show good conditions for the next four days to sail to the Chesapeake. And unless something drastically changes that will be the plan. It should take about 4 to 6 days. I will try leave right away on Tuesday morning. Plan “B” would be to go into Beaufort N.C. if the weather deteriorates at Cape Hatteras and sweet talk Jeannine into coming to fetch me. I have my winter clothes and European charts/guides to pick up at the McDonnells and a sail to receive from Annapolis and provision for the crossing and things to get back to Lynne that are still on the boat.dsc_0008

I also post a picture of “SanSan” the boat that was launched just before me, yesterday. Have you ever seen this kind of underwater Grafitti? They are a young family who worked on a flush deck Ericson 36. Gia is, I believe, is 5 years old and she would be cruising the yard on her pink bicycle. I have a lot of admiration and envie for these young couples who do not get sucked into the tread mill but follow a dream before they retire. dsc_0002Go see their web blog at www.sansan.livesaildie.com

Once I am on my way on Tuesday/Wednesday this blog will be daily updated with my progress to the Chesapeake.

May 26 “Salto Mayor” (Big Leap) for Sotomayor

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

I am delighted, muy feliz. 

A violent thunderstorm is fading into the distance. Strong winds whipped the rain in many directions. Looked like a snow blizzard. I am booked to be back in the river a week from to-day. I am not happy with the choice of finish paint, color and the way it brushed out. But it will have to do.

Sunday May 24 Green Cove Springs

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

# 3 daughter wondered why I was not updating the blog every day. I will once I am on a passage. But ashore I will only report on items of interest. And who wants to hear about me being cooped up in the cabin for a solid week in a steady downpour? Friday the rains let up for a couple hour periods, long enough for me to ride into town for groceries and laundry soap. Yesterday. Saturday, I managed to sand down the first coat of finish paint, do my laundry and go to the evening mass with my Latin brothers and sisters.  It is an about 20 minutes bike ride and I got into church just before a heavy cloud burst. Next weekend, Pentecost, will probably be the last time I get to go to the old Sacred Heart Church and I’ll miss these hermanos y hermanas. There are only about a 100 people attending in this tiny old church. The new church, in the suburbs, where the angloes worship,  holds clopse to a 1000 souls. But it is a poorly designed structure, impersonal and when I was able to ride in there last year with Howard and Susan, from the marina here,   I seldom came away the way I do from this little mission church. I love the priest and the Mexicans have an uncomplicated faith like I encountered in the Pacific and beyond. The men are real men and the women are real women. I am getting off on my soap box again. Bear with me. I love the men and women here at the marina but there are so many weird/twisted soap opera relationship acts playing out here that would blow the minds of most.         This morning Randy Register dropped by. I saw him last on March 1st in Boqueron, P.R. , he treated me to my birthday dinner and then that night my folding bike was stolen.  His boat is in St. Thomas. He’ll be back with Debbie his girlfriend later in the week. We had good times together here last year.

Progress: To-day I applied the second coat of the finish paint. And if the weather does not throw me another loop I should be back in the water on Tuesday June 2nd.  If there is a good one week weather window I’ll sail to Chesapeake otherwise I’ll rent a car and drive up to Virginia to get my winter clothes and my European charts/guides at the McDonnells.

Web Site Maintenance: While I was cooped up in the cabin during the one week monsoon I did some web site maintenance. All links that were directed through www.cometosea.net have now been changed back to www.cometosea.us so, in case you had directed others to the old NET links, you’ll need to change them.  I have also started to break down the long slide shows of the Circumnavigation. Right now the slide shows of the 2005/2007 circumnavigation are in three parts: a) California through the Philippines b) Vietnam through Bali c) Christmas Island to Virginia. These three slide shows run for about 45 minutes each and because they have backgrounbd music take a while to download from the internet.     I have broken off VIETNAM which is now just a 16 minute slide show at www.cometosea.us/albums/albums/Vietnam.pdf go take a look. (I will upgrade the audio to this file as soon as the Adobe experst have figured out what went wrong with my Photoshop Elements software)

I plan to break up the rest as well eventually so that you can see the slide show at the same time that you are reading the country Log.

Tuesday May 19

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

The first coat of the new paint went on on Sunday. I have mixed emotions. The color is called Adobe Tan. It is a two part epoxy paint. I think it will grow on me and after a couple more coats and wet sanding and buffing there should be a shine to it. It started raining and storming on Sunday evening and it has kept me inside the cabin, doing  chores kept for a rainy day.

May 10 GCSM

Monday, May 11th, 2009
Moon Rise through the Crane Tops on river barges

Moon Rise through the Crane Tops on river barges

Moon Set over "Fleetwood"

Moon Set over "Fleetwood"

Saturday May 9 Green Cove Springs, Fl.

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

In the previous post I asked for your help to get Jim Thomas out of jail. He made it out Jim and I and the Muscular Dystrophy Association thanks all of you for your help. In case you still had the thought sitting on the table you can go to the link at : https://www.joinmda.org/chesterva09/jthomas

The “Fleetwood”  methamorphosis project is going well. I have the primer and the paint. It is a two part epoxy paint. The color is called Adobe Tan. The transom will stay in the original mahogany clear finish. It has been very hot and gets into the nineties inside the boat at mid afternoon.

Most of the old photo albums are now also coming up on this web site; so, I have taken the “Under Construction” sign down but there are still a few wires to be reconnected. I will do so while the epoxy is curing.

Sunday May 3rd Green Cove Springs

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

100_12431On the 27th of April I became Great Grandfather for the second time, this time from my grandson David Leon and his wife Katie. Madison Amora born at 7 lbs. 4 oz . You will agree that she is a doll  and precious. I hope to get a peek at her before I leave for Europe, in June.

May 1st Mug Race party at GCSM

Friday, May 1st, 2009

 

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The annual MUG RACE send off party was held yesterday evening here at the marina. The race is supposed to be the longest sailboat race on a river.  A great barbecue dinner and good entertainment. I did a few dances with the ladies here. I took pictures of the event and of a lot of the guests and posted it at : MUG RACE 2009  

I have also dusted off the photo show of last year’s party and posted it at : MUG RACE 2008 and will keep it there for a while. If any one wants to be mailed copies. Let me know. I apologize if I misspelled any one’s names.

I started sanding on the bottom and broke the grinder. This has cost me a day of running around for repairs.