Road tripping

  I made a last minute decision to head to Annapolis, Maryland to ostensibly see the big boat show but really I wanted to see some friends. When my great parents said that keeping the big girl so she didn't miss school would be no issue, I started loading up the car. Kitty and I would make it a road trip of almost 3,000 miles round trip. Mark was supposed to fly in to meet us but work prevented him from coming so it was just me and my wee co-pilot for 9 days.

The drive would normally be accomplished by me in a straight shot of 24 hours but since Kitty can handle around 550 miles a day before she howls in protest, it took us quite a bit longer. Kitty became adept at checking into hotels, meeting new people and going with the flow. I became adept at eating at nothing but Cracker Barrels on the road. When you have a kid who can't eat gluten and is picky, CB is your friend. She happily ate green beans, mashed potatos, carrot and a little bit of chicken every. single. meal. I didn't even eat one single burger as my ordering was limited to what I could split with my tiny, fussy eater. They also have lots of sparkly, shiny kitsch to look at, which toddlers find highly entertaining.

All in all, it was a great trip. We saw friends from Majestic and Patience Two who are all wonderful, wonderful people and very dear friends.  We met friends from Anything Sailing, SV Wildest Dream and the Puzzled gang.We hung out on their respective catamarans and got to experience agoraphobia. We went to the boat show and saw the equipment we needed to see in about 30 minutes (thank goodness. I never need to go to another boat show ever). We saw the leaves changing. We had such a wonderful time, just me and my wee one. Being able to spend time with just my little girl was a gift. She and I have never had such a long time alone. It made me fall in love with her all over again. We came home to Maura and Mark, having missed them terribly and hugged them and just drank them in. It was perfect.

We didn't have time for a sail but managed to go for a chug on Patience Two on the Magothy river. I could learn to love catamarans

Kitty's favorite thing to do is wave and say "hi" to everyone. People in restaurants, hotel lobbys, rest areas and cars driving by.

Kitty wanted to run with the big kids from RV Puzzled, Zach Aboard and Tig and Serena.

I am 100% over boat shows. Just too crowded for my tastes.

Mary from Patience Two

made this, which is the coolest stack pack ever. Not only is is purple(win!) but the super cool waves are made from phirtex so any water drains. You will not be seeing anything similar on Ceol Mor unless I can bribe Mary into making us one...

Chuck and Mary of Patience Two's back yard view. Kitty and I stayed with them for a few days and got to wake up to this view....

Not a brilliant shot cause we were driving at a good clip but that is a cockatoo behind that wind screen. that big burly biker kept tucking his head under the screen to nuzzle the bird. Awesome.

                                                 Eventually, my wee girl did actually sleep.

Dyneema Experience Draws to a Close

The Dyneema Experience ends officially on Friday. I've given it my all and the results will be what they will be. I've had a great time and no matter how it ends, I am so grateful to each and everyone of your for your support and encouragement along the way!

Thank you to Dyneema, DET 2011 team members, Gleistein Ropes, New England Ropes, Gottifredi Maffioli, Lancelin, Marlow, FSE Robline, Unlimited Rope Solutions, Anything Sailing, Sailnet, Cruisers Forum, Zero to Cruising, Forgeover, Zach Aboard, Dock Six Chronicles, Excellent Adventure, SV Totem, West Marine Rigging Services San Diego, Crunchy Couture, Kemah Boardwalk Marina and The Bungalow. Most especially, thank you to every single one of sailors who have discussed Dyneema rigging in depth, at length and over and over again for months on end. To everyone of you who followed us, offered encouragement and shared of your time to make this a great run- THANK YOU!

And on Monday, its back to very sexy photos of electrical wiring and battery banks.

*We came in second! Thanks all! Now no more Dyneema posts, I promise!*

Meet SV Conviva

Preparing a boat for extended cruising is not exactly scintillating. While we are making good progress on our shiny new electrical system and while we find options for toilet plumbing infinitely fascinating, I understand that you might not. Since you've all been such troopers in hanging in there and following the blog while we suffer through the boring stuff, I thought I'd share a bit of excitement with you.

Meet the crew of SV Conviva. Tucker and Victoria, have suffered through all the boring bits of pre-cruising prep work and now have reached a big goal. They are casting off and setting sail in just 4 days. 4 DAYS! I am so excited to see them begin their grand adventure and look forward to watching them achieve their other goals. Their plan? Once around the world- with kids.

Sometimes its easy to get bogged down in the minutae and set backs that come with getting ready to cast off. Its easy to lose sight of what the end game is and it really helps to see others who have been where you are just now beginning the real journey. Sometimes the best way to keep your eye on the prize is to take a peek just beyond your own horizon.

So fair winds and following seas to you Conviva. I look forward to reading about your adventures both big and small. Now go out there and see what you can see...isn't that why a sailor goes to sea?