Field Trip!

We're headed to the Port of Annapolis to sail on a J-105 and watch the parade of boats out, then the start of the Annapolis to Bahamas race! We're gonna see some fast boats.

The weather is beautiful, and we've got plenty of provisions, it should be a fun day.

A Recap, Overdue

     Since our return from south Florida, we have kept busy on FORTUITOUS, and in our new Marina. Where we are now, there are a lot more people, social events, and fun to be had. There are bikes and kayaks the family can use, and even other families living aboard, which makes everything more fun!

     Mother's Day was a good time, the girls made me a yummy chocolate croissant to go with my coffee for breakfast. Then we got the boat ready, because we were heading out in the next day. We unplugged the boat, and sailed her up to the Rhode River, where we anchored out for the night. It was a pleasant spot, and we had fun with the sails, and sleeping on the hook. It is so peaceful (where there aren't storms in the area). And the moon was amazing!

Not a bad place to study, as long as the wind doesn't bother you!

There was a group of high school students on a sailing field trip, so Janele decided to row over and say hello!

The moon put on a lovely show for us over the Rhode River.

You can see the concentration...

Our return to Herring Bay was cool and chilly, but we still got to put out the sails and have fun.

After we returned, we decided to try our hands at racing. The local sailing association holds races every Wednesday night. We found a boat in need of crew, and willing to take on a family of 4. So we have started racing each week on Endeavor. It has been interesting to learn, and I am pretty sure we are getting better each time we race. Although, we are all a bit more colorful, due to bruises from climbing all over the boat and around each other. Fun!

The Fowler's with the gracious Captain Steve Howard, after completing our first race on Endeavor. We must have been alright, as he asked us back for more!

 

The colors in this sunset are a much better sight than the colors of all the bruises I have acquitted. Though I will say they have been worth it, it is a fun time to be racing. More on that later.



Yesterday's Accomplishment

An entire week's worth of laundry, including towels and bedsheets: washed, dried and folded at the laundromat in 2 hours. With help hauling the laundry to and fro, I like that timing!

School Work? Naaaahhhh

We were headed to the library today, to use the WiFi and do some research for school projects. While en route, we got stuck in boat show traffic, and stumbled onto the Maryland Ave. Spring Festival. We found parking and have been exploring.

This reminds me a lot of the Art on Lark festival in the spring. We found neato clothes, jewelry by local artists, and a new, yummy cheese dip. Score!

All in all, I think it is a way better way to spend this gorgeous spring day in Annapolis!

Fun With Knives

We're back on the boat, and slowly de-winterizing (surely this freeze is the last?) It is a good thing the heater works!

Today's job is removing the shrinkwrap, that kept all that snow off the boat while we were enjoying sunny Florida. When I asked the girls how it felt (they're doing a great job), one replied, "cold", the other, "boat-ey". Those are my girls!

Back on the boat. Lots of organizing today, and recomissioning systems. It kinda feels like we moved back home. I wasn't expecting that.

Road Trip!

We left South Florida on Wednesday. It was the easiest move out of a house to date, and probably the last time it will be easy. Tuesday evening we organized everything into piles: car; boat; and storage. We got up early Wednesday, spent about 2 hours loading everything into our car, with the carrier on top, and a trailer on the back. We even had a little room to spare!

We cleaned the house, and said our last goodbyes, for now, to Royal Palm Beach. It was a great place to spend the winter, and I think we made the.most of our time there. It was time now to work our way back toward the boat in Annapolis.

Our first stop was in Tallahassee, where we could visit with the Zurko's and thank them for their incredible friendship and generosity in our use of the cabin and then the house. I don't know where we would have been if we hadn't had those opportunities. And it was great to see them again, and recount so many of our adventures with the house in Royal Palm as our home base.

From there we continued north to Birmingham, where my parents and some brothers live. It was great to see everyone, and the kids had such a great time visiting with all of their younger cousins (6 of them are in Birmingham). Over the next several months, as we round out this experience and navigate our way back into a more settled existence, I have no idea when we will be where, let alone what we will be doing over the coming months. So it was nice to get in one more visit when we could.

Now we're on the final leg to Annapolis, and it is a loooong one. We'll arrive probably around 10 this evening, sleep in a motel, and get up early tomorrow so we can get to the boat. There is a lot to do, as she's still winterized. We need to get her systems up and running, as water and the ability to use the heads (toilets) are top on my list when living on a boat.