We finally leave the dock
On September 9th we finally felt ready to hit the seas and we sailed around the corner from Edgewater to Annapolis.
Ginna, Niko and my Dad waving us off the dock
Queso had been outfitted with his safety gear. Besides safety issues, having a dog on the boat was my greatest concern about our adventure. Would he learn to use bow trampoline area to toilet? (Learned in just three days) Would he try escape onto the dock? (Only if a person is running by and he is on deck) Would he try to go swimming? (Not yet) Would he fall off? (As of November he has fallen off twice at dock and once while under sea) Would he be able to navigate the stairs? (easily) Would he get seasick? (not yet) Would he like boatlife? (my answer now is definately yes) Would he get in and out of dinghy? (all the time, even when we are lifting it into the air off the deck)
Our initial sail went well except that we discovered leaks in the fuel lines. So calls were made to set up repairs the next week in Virginia.
We enjoyed the old streets of Annapolis and Josephine was able to study either onboard or at the local Starbucks ashore.
We then returned to a bay between Edgewater and Annapolis to pick up our new to us dinghy and drop off our old one. Our new one is smaller but this will make it easier to lift up and down from the deck and the engine is an electric start. I had a very difficult time starting the old engine with the recoil start. The bay was great for paddle boarding and quiet.
September 12th we docked on the city wall (a first for us) in Cambridge, MD as we headed south to Cardinal, VA where we would be getting fuel line repairs at Zimmerman Marine. The city tie up was very handy for getting on and off the boat. There were not many people around but we did get to walk the busy crab processing dock which had many fisherman through out the day. There was a HUGE pile of crab shells and a distinct smell. Nate conducted a physic lab using Queso for topic projectile motion. A camera on a tripod was set up to take video in lab. No dogs were harmed in this lesson.
On the 14th of September we sailed to Mathews, VA. Everyone did well under sail. Josephine and Queso took lots of naps. I read and recommend this book (humor and physics - who knew!). Bad news, we forget to take the unattached starlink inside during the sail. The ocean got a very expensive piece of technology! Maybe a mermaid found it and has better wifi now.
Meanwhile on the west coast, Addy was using her early Christmas present, a wet suit, for regular ocean frolics. She also got her official name placard on her rowing locker.
