Back on the water

After all the repairs to the boat and an insufferably hot month of July we finally made it out of our slip today! Went from having no wind, to being close-hauled in such a wind that I wasn't exactly having fun, to having our genoa somehow tangle around a spare halyard in 15kts downwind, to me stepping through an open skylight (ouch!), to being anchored in Shaw Bay off the Wye River. We were treated to a beautiful display of bald eagles and osprey before a line of rain and thunderstorms rolled through. I enjoyed a refreshing shower on the transom in the middle of the rain! Movie night on board was a hit--Iron Man 2! And now it's time for a drink and a cigar in the cockpit, while we stargaze (or identify our neighbors' anchor lights!).

Sky Lab!

We picked an extremely hot and humid weekend to tackle two long-awaited jobs. One was the re-sealing of the cabin skylight. Permatex flowable windshield sealant topped with 3M 4000uv may have done the trick there...so far, so good! But the real remarkable job was the install of the solar panels, a.k.a. "Sky Lab". I'm really proud of the Captain--totally designed the install of the entire system. While it's not hooked up yet, the panels are in place and it looks good! Bring on 450 watts!

A fresh look

Finally!!!! After a total of 2 weekends, getting stabbed by needles, cursing my small table, learning how to cut/glue foam, and a few tears, the entire settee has been reupholstered! We re-used the foam on the backs, but used new, 4.5" thick, high-density foam on the seat cushions. It's all covered with Sunbrella interior fabric. Perfect? No. But it is a heck of a lot better than what we had!

Home at last!

After 18 days away we are back home! We got the call this afternoon that the boat was back in the water so we rushed to get it moved. Water tanks are filled, a/c is on, and beds are made. The riggers still have some work do, but at least we could move back. My sis-in-law's family was wonderful and let us stay with them for about 10 days of that time and we can't thank them enough, but is so great to be home!!!

All set!

Laundry is done, bags are packed, boat is moved, vehicles have moved, and we are ready to go! We celebrated Katreina's "graduation" from kindergarten tonight with a big dinner at the Dogfish Head Alehouse and the kids are snuggled up in bed in the hotel room. In 8 hours we'll be on a plane headed to Mexico!