An Epic "Part 1" of a long weekend

This long weekend we are trying something different--hanging out at the marina!  It's hot, chance of t-storms, lots of fun folks around, and let's face it--day sails are fun, too!  After the fog of last night's party wore off, we got underway. I am trying to get more comfortable/proficient so I took the helm for much longer than I usually do.  Our neighbors were out on their boat, "Nirvana", too and we all scored great photos of the boats under full sail.

It was a great couple of hours out on the water.  The wind was so steady that we even got a little chance to relax!

When we got back we tossed the 'ole pigskin around on the beach (football season starts this week!!) before enjoying a wonderful cookout with our neighbors. I really enjoy this fun group of folks, it's like a crazy family reunion sometimes!  And finally we made it to the beach for the movie "Epic."  I think I forgot just how nice it is to enjoy a movie while sitting under the stars...

Back to school!

This week we sent the kids to school.  The 2nd Mate headed back for second grade, while Swab finally got to start kindergarten.  They were both so excited and had a great time.  But this means summer is nearly over--booooo!!!!!  Good thing the marina is hosting a big Caribbean-themed party tonight!

LaTrappe Adventure

This weekend's outing was a mix of awesome and challenging.  Pre-underway checks Saturday morning revealed a few inches of water in the engine compartment (which is usually bone dry).  ~7 gallons of bailing and investigation exposed the issue to be a kinked hose on the a/c condensate pump, with a minor contribution from a crack in the transom shower head.

And then, we were off!  The bay was quite choppy and we caught a good gust with all of our canvas up.  Result--games, papers, people made a quick trip to the starboard side of the boat.  Conditions moderated pretty quickly, and we managed a little fishing on the way to LaTrappe Creek.  We goofed off at the beach and spotted a waterspout on our way back to the boat--crazy!

Sunday was super calm so we gave the spinnaker a try.  Disaster!  Not sure what we did wrong, probably something about the crappy helmsman (me) accidentally gybing, but the sock got all tangled and we had to just muscle the whole thing back on board.  Pfffttt....

Thank goodness the pool was waiting for us when we returned!  The kids got a chance to try out their new snorkel gear for our trip this fall.  

A close to a full weekend

This morning we dinghied ashore for the slip holder's breakfast before spending the morning fishing (and catching!).  Scored a nice dinner of spot and croaker!

We are at the pool, goofing off and enjoying the final weeks of swimming this season.  This weekend has been full and wonderful, and I really don't want it to end!

 

What a weekend--and it's only 1/2 over!

We are finally back together as a family and have spent a pretty much perfect day together.  Coffee on deck, underway for a morning sail across the bay, back to the marina before rain passed through, to the movies (kids' request), a walk at the marina, climbing the tree, underway AGAIN to anchor outside the marina on a gorgeous evening, dinner and fishing on the hook, then a fireworks show off the beach, compliments of the folks getting married there.  The sunset, moon set, and stars were all perfect.  I am happy!

Pfft...get me back on my boat!

This weekend I drove to IL to pick up the kiddos while the Captain stayed behind to work and have man time. Worst.  Move.  Ever.  Ok, maybe it wasn't that bad, but ~7hrs solo driving every day for the last 4 days (with the kids for the past 2!) has been a touch hellish.  It was awesome to see my family, though, and I really loved seeing my kids interact with their cousins.  We are all very tired tonight, and getting up before 6 a.m. is going to be beyond painful, but the kids had a blast.  My sister's family is awesome, hosting the kids for over a week!