by Judy Handley | Jul 2, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 237, Year 7: Rowing on Eel Pond
Date: Monday, July 2, 2012
Weather: Hot and Sunny
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
It was a good day. I went into Falmouth in the morning to get a gas can and
gas for the new Honda generator so we could finally try that out. I found a
1.5 gallon can at West Marine. But when I got back to Windbird with fuel
and we tried out the new generator, it just wasn’t charging the batteries.
The generator ran just fine, but the energy just wasn’t getting to our
batteries. Mark then had to trace all of the electrical path to find the
problem. It took most of the afternoon, but he finally got it working for
us. I drove back into town to pick up Sam and Jonah at 1 pm and brought
them back to Woods Hole. Heather had to work this morning, successfully
airing her second Living Lab program, and Jed stayed home with Oliver. He
brought him to Woods Hole around noon so he could nurse and Jed could go to
work. Then Heather helped get all three boys out to Windbird for the
afternoon before going back to work. It all worked out very nicely and
Oliver was very happy that he could have momma’s milk and not from a bottle.
We have not been very successful with the bottle thing. Jonah and Oliver
took naps but Sam was really not sleepy. He read for a long time and then
we told him he could dig into Granddad’s fishing box which is a cooler
located on the aft deck. He has been dying to get into it and take a few
items for his own little fishing box. Granddad’s hadn’t been opened since
last summer, but I told Sam to report to me his findings and to be very
careful of fish hooks. I was in the main cabin with Oliver as he just
wouldn’t settle when I had him in the cockpit and Mark was napping. So Sam
was on his own and he was amazing. He listened so carefully to all
directions and he took no chances. When Heather arrived he showed her some
of the big fish hooks and I think she might have thought we were crazy for
letting him explore the fishing tackle on his own. But Sam is getting older
and is ready for some big boy challenges. Once Heather was onboard and
could hold Oliver, Sam and I took off in the dinghy. He wanted to try
rowing. Rowing a rubber dinghy is never easy, but it is almost impossible
without a seat in place. But Sam stood up and learned quickly how to move
us about the pond. When the dinghy started too much in his direction, he
would give directions to me to row on the other side. Sam is a strong
little boy and it almost brought tears to my eyes to see him rowing. He
really is growing up. We rescued a few beer bottles that someone had thrown
in the pond which Sam thought was quite an adventure and then we rowed to
the town dock to fill up a couple of our five gallon jerry cans with water.
I was once again in awe of Sam’s big boy skills. He hopped out of the
dinghy and onto the dock, brought the hose to me, and then climbed a ladder
and turned the water on for me. And when one can was full, he turned the
water off so I could transfer the hose to the other can without getting
water in the dinghy. I couldn’t have been prouder of him. When we returned
to Windbird to see what was happening there, Jonah was up from his nap and
he hopped in the dinghy to row around with us. He tried rowing for a while
and then he decided that he just wanted to watch. We rowed around until we
found the sailboat that belongs to a friend of Sam and Jonah’s from school
and then we hurried back to Windbird when we saw that our neighboring power
boat was about to jab it’s propellers into our side once again. We pushed
the boat away with the dinghy and both boys thought that was great fun.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply
messing about in boats . . . especially with your grandchildren.
Tomorrow we go to Boston to meet with an endocrinologist about Mark’s
parathyroid issue. Messing about with doctors is certainly not as much fun
as messing about in boats, but it is one of those activities that you learn
to accept. Mark has had really wonderful experiences with his doctors, so
we will hope tomorrow just adds to that.
by Judy Handley | Jul 1, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 236, Year 7: Boat Projects
Date: Sunday, July 1, 2012
Weather: Hot and Sunny, 80’s in Woods Hole; Late Day Thunder Storm
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
During the summer, whatever the temperature is in Woods Hole, it is usually
a good 10 degrees warmer in East Falmouth. So today while we were enjoying
a balmy 82 degrees with a nice breeze, Heather and Jed were roasting in the
90’s with no breeze at all. Mark wasn’t a ball of energy, but he did feel
good enough to work on a few of the boat projects we have waiting in the
queue. We put up our staysail and now just have to wait for a totally calm
day to put up the headsail. Then we can go sailing!!! Later in the day,
Mark climbed up on the aft arch to install the blades in the wind generator.
We took them out in December when we covered the boat and stored them behind
the books on the port shelf in the v-berth. The installation only took
minutes, but the search for all the parts was an all-day affair. Since the
blades were behind the books on the port side of the v-berth, I started
there in the search for the piece the blades attach to. I took all the
books off the shelf but the attachment piece was not there. While I had all
the books off the shelf, I figured I should go ahead clean the wall, shelf,
and ceiling before returning the books. My next thought is that the piece
could be behind the books on a shelf in the aft cabin. Again I removed all
the books, but found no piece. But I took advantage of the empty shelf to
do a little more cleaning. My next thought was that they might be in a
cabinet in the v-berth where we store winter sweaters and various pieces of
electronic equipment. Bingo. The attachment piece and cap were there, so
finally we could get the wind generator going. Earlier in the day when we
were just beginning to think about doing this job, Alan and Helaine
Kanegsberg called to tell us that to turn on the computer and go to
volvooceanrace.com to watch some live footage of a port race. The Volvo
Ocean Race was once called the Whitbread Round the World Race. The name has
changed but it is still the premier off-shore round the world race. Mark
and I both watched while eating lunch. It was an exciting race, but then I
had to tear myself away and keep looking for those missing parts. Alan
laughed when I said that I couldn’t find the parts. He reminded me that the
boat is only 42 feet long. But somehow we manage to constantly misplace
things and spend hours looking through every storage area in those 42 feet.
I went into town late in the afternoon to get gas for our new Honda
generator. Jed had loaned us one gallon jerry can but it had some old fuel
in it. I went to three different gas stations, but none could process the
old fuel. I went to Walmart to try and buy a one gallon can, but they were
out of all sizes. West Marine was already closed for the day, so my trip
was in vain. We’ll just have to get that generator going on another day.
And then when I got home we had to deal with another problem. We have had
bumps in the night from a power boat on an adjacent mooring twice now and
each time we have gotten a little gash in our hull from the huge prop
blades. We talked to the marina manager yesterday and he promised to come
out do something about the problem. But then today our “bump” was a butt to
butt meeting with a sailboat on another adjacent mooring. This happened
just after a huge afternoon rain storm when there was a period with
absolutely no wind to keep all of us facing the same direction. We had no
problems like this last year and we have to do something tomorrow to assure
that this doesn’t continue. We will be away all of next weekend and I don’t
want to spend the whole weekend worrying about Windbird getting beat up.
Next Saturday is Mark’s 70th birthday. We are postponing the celebration
until after his chemotherapy sessions have ended, but we are traveling to
Portland, Maine for the 50th wedding anniversary of our friends, Alan and
Helaine Kanegsberg. We are also hoping to visit with my sister-in-law Sue
and her husband Brad who summer in Kennebunkport, Maine, and then stop in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire on our way home on Sunday to have dinner with our
trio of friends there. It is an ambitious itinerary for Mark, but he’s
hoping he’ll feel up to it. As long as he has time to nap between
activities, he seems to be fine. When we get home on Monday, he will have
his 11th chemo session. Then there will be only one to go. That is cause
for real celebration.
by Judy Handley | Jun 30, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 235, Year 7: Jonah’s Birthday Celebration
Date: Saturday, June 30, 2012
Weather: Mostly Sunny Day, Warm
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Jonah’s birthday celebration started in the morning when he opened the front
door and saw his shiny, blue push bike sitting on the front walk. Sam got a
new bike for his big brother present, so both boys were elated. Sam is
growing so fast that he has totally outgrown his little bicycle, so it was
time for a new one. Jonah is not quite ready to ride on a bike with
training wheels, so the little push bike was perfect for him. Then came the
grandparent presents. Our gift to him was a little Craftsman tool workshop
and his main present from his other presents was a lacrosse stick. He has
been borrowing Sam’s and he was sooooooo excited to finally have his very
own. We bought the wooden, not the plastic workshop. It is not quite as
fancy, but is quite substantial and will give him years of enjoyment. He
immediately built a chain saw, put on the safety glasses we gave him, and
went out to clean more limbs off trees. Daddy has been doing this and Jonah
has obviously been watching as he knew just what to do. While doing that,
Uncle Justin, Auntie Jo, and Ziggy called to wish him a happy birthday. And
then right after naps, friends arrived for the party. There were no more
gifts as Heather and Jed had asked friends to donate to the local elementary
school playground fund. Another friend who had a birthday last week did the
same. What a good idea.
We got back to the boat after 9 pm and we were both in bed by 10 pm. I am
writing this log on Sunday morning as I was just too tired last night.
These all day birthdays can wear you out! Mark made it through the day just
fine. He was tired and spent a lot of time napping, but he did have the
energy to come outside and join us for a great deal of the party. He held
Oliver during that time and loved it. Oliver is a wonderful reminder of why
Mark is going through this awful chemo in the hopes of assuring that cancer
doesn’t return.
We have no agenda for today. We’ll just see how the day plays out.
by Judy Handley | Jun 29, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 234, Year 7: Proud Owners of a Honda EU2000i
Date: Friday, June 29, 2012
Weather: Another Gorgeous Day After Morning Clouds
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
We’re not very good at this “living on a fixed income” thing. Instead of
buying a cheaper alternative or looking for a used generator, today we
bought the top-of-the-line Honda EU2000i. Thanks to all who responded to my
call for help in last night’s log. Rich Corbett, a friend we met through
our log, wrote saying that he didn’t think we would be satisfied with
anything less than the Honda. When we read that, we looked at each other
and we knew he was right. Then our son-in-law Jed did some research for us
and his response was, “You get what you pay for.” Again, we knew he was
right. The marine environment is tough on generators and the reason we
didn’t buy one for our trip around the world was that we didn’t want one
more thing to work on in exotic places. But running our powerful diesel
engine an hour or two a day here in little Eel Pond for another summer just
didn’t make sense to us. And buying a cheaper alternative that could end up
costing us much more in the long run with expensive repairs also didn’t make
sense. We know lots of cruisers who have a Honda generator and we know they
are the most reliable out there. Once we decided to bite the bullet, we
actually toyed with buying the even more powerful EU3000iS, but when we
found out it weighs over twice what the EU2000i weighs, we changed our
minds. The EU2000i weighs about 60 pounds and can be easily carried by
either of us. It is small enough to fit in the cockpit until we get some
sort of permanent cover built for it on deck. We know it is as quiet as
generators come and we know that it is reliable. So for double the money,
we hope we get double the performance. Unfortunately our gas cans are in our
storage unit in New Hampshire, so we have nothing to buy fuel in to try out
our new purchase. The gas cans we have here all have gas mixed with oil for
the dinghy. We hate to buy new gas containers when we already have more
than we need, but somehow I think we’ll buy a small container tomorrow so we
start using the new purchase.
It was cloudy this morning and we slept in a little later than usual. We
ate breakfast and did some internet research on generators, and before we
knew it, it was almost noon and time to eat lunch. So it was well after
noon when we got out of here. When we left we still didn’t know if we were
going off-Cape to Home Depot and Lowes to look at generators or if we were
going to a farm store that sells irrigation equipment and sells Honda
generators to buy one. But in either case we had to drive across the bridge
over the Cape Cod Canal and fight our way back through holiday weekend
traffic later in the afternoon. So as long as we were out there, we decided
to drive Portsmouth, Rhode Island to buy the adaptor for our dinghy pump
that we have somehow lost this week. Our dinghy still has a slow leak, and
after our week staying at Heather’s, it was quite deflated. We spent the
last three days searching for an adaptor close to home, but we came up with
nothing. When we called the AB dealership in Rhode Island this morning and
found out it would be Tuesday before they could send us one, we decided that
we should go get it for safety’s sake as getting in and out of deflated
dinghy is tricky. So we spent our afternoon driving to Portsmouth to get
two adaptors, one that we will put away for safe keeping, and then coming
back to Wareham in Massachusetts to get the generator. We also stopped at a
Target to get some decorations for Jonah’s birthday party tomorrow. We
actually didn’t have too much traffic coming home. We arrived in Woods Hole
around 6 pm and spent an hour on land assembling Jonah’s birthday present
before heading out to the boat. We will head to Heather and Jed’s in the
morning for a birthday brunch and gift time for Jonah. Then we’ll either
come back here so Mark can rest for a few hours before the party starts at 4
pm or we’ll find a place for Mark to rest at Heather and Jed’s and I will
help with party preparations.
by Judy Handley | Jun 28, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 233, Year 7: Shopping Day
Date: Thursday, June 28, 2012
Weather: Gorgeous Day with Temps in the 80’s
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
The early morning sky was true blue and the air was crystal clear. It was
obvious from the start that it was going to be one of those beautiful New
England summer days. Unfortunately, we had to spend the day shopping . . .
for Jonah’s birthday, for a generator, for food. And this took us all day.
I hadn’t planned to keep Mark out all day, but it happened. He was feeling
good this morning but by evening he was feeling really lousy. Hopefully a
good night’s sleep will help.
On the way back from Hyannis we stopped at Heather and Jed’s to pick up food
we had in their freezer and refrigerator. Jed’s parents had just arrived
and we got to visit for a bit. We will see them again on Saturday for
Jonah’s birthday celebrations but then they leave on Sunday morning. We
will go over on Saturday morning for the opening of presents from family and
then go back again in the late afternoon for Jonah’s party. It is going to
be a big day for that little one.
Our search for a generator was not very successful. We only looked at Home
Depot here on the Cape today and only found one that might work. We’d love
to have a Honda, but they are just too expensive. We’re hoping to spend
only $500, not $2,000. We will continue generator shopping tomorrow. If
anyone out there has a suggestion, please let us know.
by Judy Handley | Jun 27, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 232, Year 7: Back on Windbird
Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Weather: Mostly Sunny
Location: Eel Pond, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
It feels like we have been away from our home on Windbird for a very long
time. It was over a month ago that we moved to Heather and Jed’s while
Windbird was out of the water. We did stay onboard a couple of nights
after we got back from the trip to West Virginia, but then Jed went to Italy
and we moved back in with Heather to help her during his absence. Jed got
home tonight and his parents are coming to visit tomorrow, so we moved out
to make room for the other grandparents. We love staying with the grandkids
and are going to miss being there with them all the time, but there is no
place like home. It was after sundown when we got to Woods Hole tonight.
We got in the dinghy and headed out to Windbird and I immediately got that
feeling that keeps us living aboard. It was a warm evening and the
twinkling of the shore lights on the pond made it look magical. Mark and I
both have the same attraction to the water and it seems we can never get
enough of it.
