A Gneiss Upgrade

Back in May I mentioned a little update to our galley spice wall, but I wanted to give it some more attention. The original magnetic spice wall went up in 2012 (check out the original post, "Nice Rack!") and it worked quite well for us. While it originally held 18 round tins, we really could only get 15 to stay well on it. Over the years the tins rusted and were hard to open, were replaced, and then started to rust again. I decided to see if there was another way.

Enter Gneiss Spice, a Maine-based, zero-waste, plastic-free (if you opt out of jar labels) company that deals in exquisite, fresh spices and beautiful glass jars. Does that freshness matter? You bet it does! And usually glass on a boat is a no-no, but I decided to give it a shot and ordered a "test jar" of dried chili. The jar stayed on my magnet wall well and the spice was yummy so we went all in and ordered 12 more large jars and 7 small jars of spices. You can pick your own or order a culinary set, and all the spice names are hand-stamped on the lids. And the customer service is fantastic!

Even the packaging is beautiful!

My spices were pretty, even in the shipping box! We took in the aroma of each and I immediately started planning menus. I love that I am able to have so many more spices with the honeycomb of hexagon jars than I did before. In fact, I have some real estate to fill on the wall still. We've had a few offshore runs since putting these up and haven't had issues with them falling, so I think it's going to work. Super happy with this addition to the galley!

Love how this looks and functions. Can't wait to add more!

~Jo, 1st Mate

A new “car!”

WE GOT A NEW DINGHY!!!

Sorry, a bit excited here. Our dinghy is our car, our truck, our tow, our sunset chaser, our fishing boat…so much to a cruiser. So why get a new one? And why now?

Our trusty 10-year old Walker Bay Genesis heading out on a hunt in Bahamas.

We got our Walker Bay Genesis Hypalon RIB about 10 years ago and she has served our family well. Lots of cozy seats, a nice dry floor, and a rotomolded hull that could handle any shoreline. But as the kids got older (bigger) we noticed that deck flexing under the weight of all our gear, we couldn’t get up on plane anymore, and our trusty old truck was just looking a little abused. And we had budgeted to replace it around the 10-year mark. Add in our first tube leak and we decided to start shopping! 

We have several friends that are really happy with their Highfield aluminum-hull RIBs and their 310 model looked perfect for our size boat. We all liked the idea of a stiffer hull and shiny new hypalon tubes! The Skipper wanted the “classic” model with its dry floor and a locker (and 25+ pounds more weight) while the 1st Mate was leaning towards the more spartan “ultralight” model (in hopes that our small outboard would get us up on plane in a lighter boat and recognizing that we aren’t getting younger/stronger). The debate carried us through the whole cruising season in the Bahamas and up half the east coast, but thanks to my solid reasoning (and COVID-related supply issues), I won and we placed our order for the 310 UL (ultralight)!

As getting a dinghy requires a freight shipment and we are on a Navy base we sort of expected some drama, but working with Defender Marine and their chosen freight carrier, A. Duie Pyle, went so smoothly. Cost quotes and shipping schedules were clearly communicated and our delivery arrived right on time. And the driver was awesome and darn near dropped our freight right on the boat ramp so we wouldn’t have to carry it too far! There are a lot of agreements about inspecting the shipment and unpacking carefully to cover everyone, but the boat was packed really well and as we peeled back the layers of cardboard, plastic, more cardboard, foam sheeting, and more plastic we found a pristine, new dinghy!

Totally impressed with how well this item was packed and shipped!
(And happy for cardboard recycling right on base!)

Trent pumped it up to spec while Frank prepped the packaging for recycling (as much as we could) and I unpacked and assembled all the accessories. From initial contact with the driver to tying the new dinghy up next to our boat took an hour and a half. It was awesome!

Trent's hard work paid off!

The Fleet--S/V Lehe Paine, Ol' Sara, and Saratoga

The next day Frank knocked out annual maintenance on the outboard and we were finally able to take the new dinghy out for a spin! She really planes easily with two people, and we even managed to plane with all four of us. We still may go for a bigger engine later this year, but we will play with this configuration for a bit.

Skipper, small engine mechanic...all in a day's work for this guy.

First family outing! We got up on plane, but that was without anchors and gear.

So we are ready to say goodbye to “Saratoga” and welcome “Ol’ Sara” to the fleet! (QUIZ—Where do our dinghy names come from?)

~Jo, 1st Mate

Back home! (sort of!)

After a few days of dodging storms the Captain and kid crew met me at our dock for the next MONTH! That's right, we paid for a whole month. Why? We have some boat projects that would greatly benefit from access to shore power and water, we have some big deliveries to get ready for (a new "car!"), we have some shipments to prep (boo, shipping the girl to France!), and this spot put us in reach of all of that and friends and family. So where the heck are we? Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland (a.k.a. NAS Pax River)!

There are two military marinas in the area that are priced the same, but this one was much nicer and deeper. Getting to use these military marinas is a huge financial win for us. The transient rate for our vessel is about $350 per month here, including power, water, and wifi. We would get 3-4 nights at our old marina in Herring Bay for that same amount. While the amenities aren't quite the same as those found at our old resort marina, and we have to drive about an hour to see friends, it's still a win. We have our car so this really made the decision for us. After a week here I can say that this was a good decision. While the dock we are at only has single 30-amp service at each slip, the slip next to us is vacant so we can fully power up and run the air conditioners (not a big deal if we can't as the solar panels provide what we need for house usage). The marina staff is super friendly and extremely competent, which has not always been our experience on bases. We have close access to a decent bathhouse with a washer and dryer ($2.50 for a complete load), easy parking, a commissary (our grocery store) nearby, a pool we can use as a retiree family, and plenty of safe, walkable roads for exercise. There is even an easy-to-access pump-out here! The only thing that's missing? Fuel, but everyone just goes across the river to Solomons Island for that. And our neighbors have been super nice and inviting. So...we like it!

How have we spent our time during this first week? The kids got their second COVID jab, we found a great skatepark a mile away, we hit the base pool, Katreina and I made some sweet new pillows for the cockpit, we visited friends in Rose Haven, all four of us knocked out our dental exams, Katreina and I got some "girl time" with local friends, the guys hit one of their favorite paintball parks with friends, I deep cleaned the port side of the salon and treated the wood, we started cleaning up the old dinghy (to sell it!), I began a "refresh" of the composting head, and we found amazing Thai food. Busy, fun, and productive week! 

2nd jab...DONE! Let's travel!

Our peaceful marina and some of our pool and marina fun.

K helped me make some fluffy new pillows for the cockpit.

Cleaning cabinets and bulkheads and refreshing the forward head (yep, that's a toilet seat that I'm spray painting!)

Thai food! I have a friend who has a love affair with Khao Soi, but says it's tough to find in the U.S. so when I saw it on the menu I just had to try it! Soooo good!

~Jo, 1st Mate

EC—the Harbor of Hospitality (again!)

I’m sitting in my favorite coffee shop downtown as we wrap our semi-annual visit to Elizabeth City, North Carolina. If you haven’t been reading along with us, the Skipper grew up nearby so this stop, with its 48-hour (-ish!) free docks, makes it easy for us to visit friends and family. We debated skipping it this spring as the city has been reeling from a police shooting of a black resident during an arrest. Nationwide media had been on the scene and tensions were understandably high, but after getting an update from local friends we decided to come. I’m so glad we did. 

Lehe Paine tied up at the free dock at Mid-Atlantic Christian University

We didn’t stay long, but we did manage to see family and friends, restock the boat, clean the boat, hang out in the community, help mom around her house, and visit with other cruisers passing through. The boy and I marked Memorial Day with a MURPH workout at a local gym, I walked downtown almost every day, and the boys got their fill of Bojangles food!

This crew spans Frank’s youth (mom) and high school years (Jesse), our pre-kid years at the marina (Earl and Deb), and the post-Mrs. Jesse years (Rachel’s family). Great night with great friends!

MURPH with my boy and Rachel at No Limit Fitness—1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and another 1-mile run!

Dirty work to get the car running, air gun fun, games, and good times with family and friends.

Geocaching along the Dismal Swamp Canal, exploring EC, and drinks around town.

And then the crew left and I stayed! Our car was here (with a flat and a dead battery, but we fixed it!) so I stayed an extra night and will slowly make my way north, staying on the boat when I can.

Our tiny home leaving EC without me!

This town is much like my hometown...similar size, working hard to accept the changing economy, an old downtown separated from the “new” strip malls, trying to bolster change and hold on to the past all at the same time, and for the most part full of hard-working folks that just want to live in a safe, prosperous town. And it, in my opinion, remains as a fantastic stopover for cruisers transiting the ICW.