In the first paragraph of my previous blog, December 4th, I wrote that I was to land in Norfolk, Va. on December 8th. It started snowing on my arrival and my friend who was to pick me up and bring me to the boat backed off. There is no public transportation or Lyft/Uber from the Hampton Roads mainland to the Eastern Shore peninsula. The longest part of it (23 miles (37 km)) is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Fortunately I received a suggestion in my panic contacts.
Ben Mears has started a private service. In the long ride we found a lot in common and I have gained another friend.
Even though it was late in the evening I should have tried to find a warmer spot than the boat. It was freezing inside. With three pair of socks, I could not convince myself that I was imagining the pain. I laid awake the entire night in my sleeping bag.
But Jeannette and Ralph Orzo came to the rescue. They were the very first friends in Cape Charles. in July 2017 when I started the repair job on the shipwreck with “Fleetwood II” on the nearby Barrier Islands.
It took me until yesterday morning to get the boat ready for launching from her summer dry storage. The sanding of the bottom took longer than expected. I wrote and showed in the previous blogs the condition the bottom was in.
Even though it has been below and near freezing at night, we are here at the latitude of Tunisia, the sun warms the boat up in the early afternoon. I had some complications in warming up the oil with the engine and changing the oil and filter.
I have parked the boat at the town dock harbor master office which is closed until tomorrow. My newly ordered electric heater is waiting there for me and I expect to take up residence again on the boat after having been spoiled by the hospitality of the Orzos. Ralph has been a great help with some of my challenges, as an expert longtime sailboat owner.
At the Orzos
St. Charles church in Cape Charles, Va
This turned out to be one of the best Christmas celebrations. Last year I was in Rio Dulce. In ’22 and ’23 with Lisa in
The Pacific Northwest. In 2021 I was a few days south of Cuba in the Atlantic. I landed in Puerto Vito on the N.E. corner of Cuba, exactly 4 years ago today. I recommend viewing the video I made at a traditional New Years’ Eve fiesta
where they grill a young pig on a spit over a wood fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuKmEUEk2Jw .
With the deplorable economic situation of the Cuban people, this pig roasting luxury will be a rare event on Wednesday. I hope and pray that today’s meeting with Zelensky and our president will bring peace closer to a reality and that our Cuban neighbors will become eligible for our attention, which should have happened before Venezuela’s turn.
I still have chores on the boat and may head out on the Chesapeake to fetch my gifted folding bike in Kinsale and a furler drum for “Fleetwood III” in Amsterdam that is awaiting my pick-up in Grasonville on the Maryland Eastern Shore. I have booked moorage until January 30th here in Cape Charles at the Town Dock.
In my cover letter I am asking everyone to only use my USA 01-253 WhatsApp phone number. Until just 10 days ago you could all reach me on my Dutch 031-649 number but WhatsApp is now frequently verifying the number by requiring a code to be received from the telephone number. I put my Dutch number on snooze until I return and that was working fine until recently. I upgraded my Dutch Lebara subscription for overseas calls but that is not working (yet?).
Facebook is also starting to require frequent verifications to my email address and password. And I have lost access to my account on my laptop because it apparently is only known under my old jack@cometosea.us email address. I have access on my cellphone but that is bound to crash sooner or later. So forget using it to reach me by messenger on FB. And you will get a break from my church visits posts on FB.
Happy New Year to all.
