Moving on

The anchorage here in Ocean City Maryland is not the greatest with jetskis and lots of traffic. I'm the only one here and I think that I can make the cape May Anchorage by nightfall. And good wind for sailing finally. Wednesday and Thursday are no go days because of the wind from the north.

Made it to Ocean City, Maryland

After getting beat up by yet another thunderstorm this afternoon, I decided that enough was enough and I pulled in to wait out the Stormy conditions. They are supposed to disappear Thursday.

Leaving from Reedville

Saying goodbye to my very best friends Walt and Mary.

My new to me light air Genoa is ideal for these conditions.

Provisioning for leaving

I'm getting ready to push off Saturday for New York. It is a little late to be starting the great loop and there is no way that I am going to make Demopolis by the end of hurricane season so I have resigned myself to pulling the boat out and winterizing it somewhere along the way, I am not going to go down that horrible Delaware, but am headed to Norfolk down the Chesapeake which is the shorter way anyway. Today I am planning to fill several jugs with diesel to top up my tanks, get some ice and last minute salads.

Launching the new genoa

The wind was light enough first thing in the morning to raise the sail safely to check it out and see if it fitted okay.

Weather window looks possible for Saturday for heading north.

Back home

I arrived back to the boat yesterday and am getting ready to let go the dock lines once more. The boat had a faint odor of "old boat" with a couple of cups of water in the bilge which wasn't that bad considering I have been gone for 4 weeks. Weather doesn't look ideal for the next few days for going north to New York but something will come along.

Captain's license

I have decided to study for a Captain's license for boating. I really have no interest in working again but I must say that I have had such a great time with the delivery of friend's boats lately that I would be up for doing more. What made me think of getting it was a conversation with a captain in Annapolis who said that I could be taken to court by an insurance company if anything went wrong on a voyage. From what I gather, the Captain's license protects you from this. So anyway the downside to all of this is that I have to go back to school!!!!!! I thought that I had seen the last of a classroom 40 years ago. Anyway I purchased a new Nook from Barnes and Noble and downloaded the $17 complete study guide on it.

When I first heard that I could be sued, my first reaction was that I would not do any more boat deliveries, but after I considered what it would take, it is not that big of a deal. Ok it costs several hundred dollars and I have to study for the test but exercising my brain is not a bad thing and I have plenty of time when I am cruising to study for the test. From what I can see, there are 3 aspects to conquer. One is the experience, which in my case is cruising on a boat full time for 4 years and a lifetime of boating. Secondly understanding the "rules of the road" when it comes to boating, and reading this book will hopefully reinforce what I already know. And finally memorizing all the answers to the questions that they ask in the exam.

Wish me luck!