Voyage 2004-2005: Chapter 1

15 Aug 2004, Slow Progress, 39 08.344 N/ 076 14.103 W

Progress is slow in preparing Jule III for Voyage 2004/2005. We have been busy performing our Advanced Research Corp work, getting Jule III ready for the trip, and fixing up our dirt dwelling. Our last sail was in late June with family and friends where swabs Collin, Shannon, Christina, Chris; and captains Bob and Ann went on a day sail in the middle Chesapeake. Poor Shannon felt a little Mal de Mer aggravated by too much booze the night before. Yep. a few minutes after this picture was taken, poor Shannon was leaning over Jule III. She and the topsides survived without incident.

Our 'grandson' Collin was anxious to drive the the boat. He did quite well except when his mind wandered and he did a few 'crazy Ivans'. We had to postpone his lessons every so often when we were in danger of an accidental jibe. We hope to get him on the water many times before we head South in October.

Our current homeport is Shipwright Harbor Marina in Deale MD. It is a great place with a more relaxed atmosphere than our previous port (watch out for the grumpy travel lift driver). The management has three or four major feasts every year. We took the crew to the summer barbecue where they ate well and later enjoyed the pool. Georgina was the lady of ceremonies for this occasion and everything was perfect.

In late June, we took LV Jule III (Rialta RV) down to Florida with swab Collin. His first experience on an Atlantic Ocean beach was quite rewarding (and entertaining). Bob played with him in the surf until he (Bob) got too tuckered. Collin had so much fun chasing the waves until he finally got tuckered also. Both Bob and Collin were not too far from an early bedtime.

On our way back home in LV Jule III, we stopped by to see the (former) crew of SV Celena. They traded their boat for a very nice dirt dwelling in Palm Coast FL and now are learning the intricacies of retirement living. Most of our Georgetown crowd have retired from their boats. Kind of sad!

Good friends of the family (Curtis and Marlo) got married in July and that ceremony brought friends from around the country. Chris and Trish are old friends of our son. They are getting married in late September on the schooner 'Patricia Divine' at Port Annapolis. We plan to head up that way and help celebrate this joyous occasion. Of course, mates Sammantha Jane, Levi and Gina will attend the festivities also.

5 Sep 2004, Leaving Shipwright Harbour, 39 08.344 N/ 076 14.103 W

The time has come to say farewell to Shipwright Harbour marina. We found the marina to be an excellent place to keep Jule III. The people are friendly, the accommodations great, and the slips roomy. However, we bought a slip at Anchorage Marina in Baltimore MD to minimize our cost of berthing the boat during the summer months. The 'kids' were anxious to board the boat to visit their new home. However, the weather would not be kind to us on our first trip to Anchorage.

The wind was 15-20 kts out of the NE veering to the E. We were sailing with jib and 'jigger' (mizzen) and often sailing over 7 kts. Once we entered the Patapsco, the wind would often gust past 25 kts. Ann didn't have here magic bracelets and she was fighting mal de mer. We were new to Baltimore but once we saw Fort McHenry, we knew we were almost home. We had to weave through the anchored boats as we approached the marina. It looked like the Southbound Cruisers' Reunion would be well attended based on the many boats at anchor.

As we made our initial turn into the marina, we received a friendly wave from Frank and Joanne of SV Fantasy Island. We passed SV Belami (the weather guys) as we entered the main fairway. After our last turn, we saw E 49 and entered the slip during a lull in the wind. Nice slip, nice marina! We will only stay here a month, then head for Annapolis for a wedding on SV Patricia Divine, then a last visit to Shipwright to stage our voyage South in late October. We heard on the VHF that a fatal accident occurred on a boat across the Bay. We heard later that he has struck by a jibing boom and fell overboard. Subsequent efforts to resuscitate him were not successful.