A New Path

Annie has gone through a few changes lately. When Terry and I got to Bokeelia to launch last month we noticed the the bumpkin was missing. I had seen it at the shop and assumed that it had been packed onboard before the trip. We fashioned a substitute using the boat hook and a piece of line tied with a loop as a turning 'block'. It worked suitably even in a 25 knot wind. I guess it was good that the mizzen is a small sail.

Boat hook deployed

When we returned there was no spar waiting for us at the shop. A real mystery. I have gone ahead and made a new one out of radiata pine. Yet to try out...

She also has a new cover that my friend Edward, our local sailmaker, made for me. It has snaps and a shot-weighted apron on the back to protect the transom varnish. No more plastic tarps disintegrating in the Florida sun.

Eleanor and I celebrated our 30th anniversary on the 12th. It coincidentally corresponded to our 'coming out' on the decision to move along. We will be listing our house in February and heading for Europe for an extended adventure. I will take Annie to North Carolina for storage and we plan to spend some time in Richmond, Virginia next year. I am excited about the possibility of sailing the Chesapeake. 

St. Augustine has been a great place to live. We met here in 1980...  Eleanor arriving from Mexico and I, aboard my Buchanan Spartan. We still have a lot to explore together.

December 11, 1980