by Judy Handley | May 6, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 197, Year 9: The Waiting Game
Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Weather: More Sun than Clouds, Temp Near 60 degrees F
Location: At Home with the Goldstones in East Falmouth, Massachusetts
Since Mark found out in late October that his cancer was back, he has patiently gone through the various treatment regimens. And it was our hope that today we would find out that the tumor had been significantly diminished by the radiation treatments and that we would find out a date for surgery. But that was not to be. This is the true waiting game. What we did find out today was that the tumor has not diminished much in size but that it is not as dense as it was before radiation. Evidently that is a good thing. But we still don’t know if surgery is going to be possible. The surgeon is out of town and will return and meet with the oncologists on Thursday. After that team meeting, we will be contacted with the decision. If surgery is still a possibility we will proceed in that direction. If not, we will wait and see what happens to the tumor over the next two to three months. Evidently some tumors have a delayed reaction to the radiation treatments and some additional shrinkage could still happen. Or we could find that the radiation effectively killed the cancer cells. Or we could find that we have to wait longer to see what happens. Patience, patience. In addition, Dr. Kwak, Mark’s oncologist, reported findings of ‘something’ in the lungs. She didn’t tell us this at first, but asked a gazillion questions about how he was feeling. When he explained all that both of us have been going through with respiratory issues since last November, she said that the ‘something’ in the lungs is most probably related to that issue and is not cancer-related. But it is the ‘probably’ in that statement that is, of course, worrisome. Sooooooo . . . . . . my take on all this is three-pronged—work with the primary care physician here to do what is necessary to clear up the respiratory issues, start an aggressive exercise program (not sure what or when that might happen), and continue to work on having the healthiest diet possible. And then we wait and see. Oh, I forgot one important component—work on the patience thing!
When we returned to the Cape from Boston, we drove by Fiddler’s Cove to check on Windbird’s progress. And what a shock that was. Windbird was back in her slip with a newly painted bottom. We couldn’t believe the quick turn around, but I guess that is what can happen when a professional team is doing the work instead of just the two of us.
by Judy Handley | May 5, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 196, Year 9: Windbird Out of the Water
Date: Monday, May 5, 2014
Weather: Mix of Sun and Clouds, Sprinkles, Temp Near 60 degrees F
Location: At Home with the Goldstones in East Falmouth, Massachusetts
Windbird is out of the water. This morning when we went to the office to meet with the staff about the haul-out they explained that the haul-out would be delayed by a few hours as they were having the travel lift serviced. I didn’t know if this was good news or bad, but they got the lift working and Windbird was hauled in the late afternoon. After we picked Sam up from school, Mark and I took all three boys and drove to Fiddler’s to check on things. Windbird had just come out of the water and was still in the travel lift. There sure was a lot of stuff growing on the bottom of the keel. Fiddler’s Cove is a wonderful winter home, but during low, low tides we sit in the mud and I’m sure that encourages the growth. While Mark checked on a few things, Sam, Jonah, Ollie and I played basketball. The boys discovered the basketball hoop a few weeks ago and have wanted to play ever since and today we remembered to bring a ball. Of course, the net was too high, but they still had a good time.
If all goes well, Windbird’s bottom will be sanded and painted tomorrow and she will be back in the water by Wednesday. This is the first time we have ever let someone else paint the bottom. I can’t say I’ll miss doing it, but I sure wish I didn’t have to foot the bill for having the yard do the work. Hopefully the quality of work matches the price—which isn’t cheap.
We moved to Heather’s this morning and will probably stay here until Friday when Jed comes home. Tomorrow we head to Boston to get the results of Mark’s recent scan. We’re hoping against hope that the radiation treatments did their job and shrunk the tumor away from the veins so that surgery is possible. If so, we assume the surgery will be in a couple of weeks. If not, we have no idea what the next steps will be. One day at time . . .
by Judy Handley | May 4, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 195, Year 9: Sunday Fun Day
Date: Sunday, May 4, 2014
Weather: Mix of Sun and Clouds, Dibble Dops of Rain, Temp Near 60 degrees F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
Mark works at West Marine on Sundays, so he was off to work today while I spent my Sunday as a fun day with SJ&O. Jed left early this morning for meetings in the Raleigh/Durham, NC Research Triangle and he drove the car to catch the bus to Boston at the Bourne Bridge which goes over the Cape Cod Canal. So Heather and I took off with all three boys and headed to the bike path that runs along Cape Cod Canal for some biking fun and to pick up the car. Neither of us had really noticed how very windy it was, but by the time we got to the bike path, the wind was blowing a steady 20 miles per hour with gusts as high as 40. Sam is a strong biker, but even he could not go far when biking into the wind. So we decided to change course and go have lunch. Then Sam, Jonah and I headed for Windbird while Heather took Ollie home for a nap. Sam and Jonah really wanted to play on and around the boat, but again the wind got in the way of some of our activities. Sam wanted to take the dinghy out to practice rowing, but I was afraid the wind would sweep him out to sea. I attached a very long rope to the dinghy which allowed him to go out pretty far and then he could pull himself back by the rope. While Sam did this, Jonah used a tennis ball and one of the little fishing nets to play lacrosse. Later in the afternoon, I got in the dinghy with Sam so he could row to the other side of the marina. Jonah decided to walk as the wind was just a little too wicked for him. Once on the other side of the marina, we walked to the beach and played for a bit. But the wind was chilling, so even that activity was cut short. When it was time to row back to Windbird, Sam gave it his best go, but he was rowing straight into the wind and just didn’t have the strength to fight it. I’m a terrible rower, but I did have the strength and Sam gave me great directions. “More on this side, Oma. Now more on that side.” I could trust his directions explicitly and didn’t even have to turn around to see where I was going. Maybe he can teach me to be good rower.
Mark and I meet with the marina staff at 8 am tomorrow morning to discuss the haul-out and then we’re off to take care of Jonah and Ollie for the day. It is still going to be very windy in the morning, but possibly by tomorrow afternoon they can haul Windbird out of the water and get the bottom painted on Tuesday. Tuesday and Wednesday look like low wind, sunny days which will be good for painting. The wind returns on Thursday. So hopefully we’ll be back in the water before then. If the weather permits we’ll leave here on Saturday and head for our new summer home in Quissett Harbor. We’re beginning to wonder if we have made a mistake by not returning to Eel Pond in Woods Hole for this summer. It was such a great place, so protected. But the constant worry about hitting other boats because the mooring balls are just too close together and the hassle of finding a spot for the dinghy every time we went to shore caused us to make the move. Quissett Harbor is beautiful, but it won’t be as protected. We’re anxious to get there and see how it is going to work out.
by Judy Handley | May 3, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 194, Year 9: Windbird Sheds Her Winter Cover
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2014
Weather: Beautiful Sunshine, Temps in the 60’s
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
Today was the BIG day for shedding Windbird of her winter cover. That plastic bubble that has surrounded us all winter is gone. Heather, Jed, and boys come over this morning and with the extra help the process didn’t take very long. Near the beginning, Mark dropped a few pieces of plastic overboard and that gave Sam the opportunity he had been looking for. He was in the dinghy practicing his rowing technique while tied to the dock, but when Granddad needed him to untie and row the dinghy out to scoop up the bits of plastic, Sam was more than happy to oblige. And we were all amazed at his ability to control the dinghy and successfully rescue the pieces of plastic. He ended up spending most of the rest of the morning rowing about and eventually Jonah got in the dinghy with him. It won’t be long until Ollie joins them. My, my, they grow up so quickly.
After we finished our work, we had a picnic lunch on the foredeck. Then our work crew headed home. It was a beautiful, warm day, so I took advantage of the weather to scrub the teak deck. Once we leave here and are on a mooring for the summer, we won’t have the water for such projects, so now is the time to clean, clean, clean.
by Judy Handley | May 2, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 193, Year 9: Sunshine and Update from Lady M
Date: Friday, May 2, 2014
Weather: Beautiful Sunshine Following Early Morning Drizzle, Temps in the 50’s
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
Hallelujah, hallelujah. After early morning drizzles, the sun finally came out and it felt like spring. Love that sunshine. While it was still drizzling, Mark headed to work at West Marine and Ollie and I went to the library for story time. The community playground is just across the street from the library and there was lots of activity there this morning. Ollie and I watched tons of mulch being dumped adjacent to the playground and then watched two bobcats delivering that mulch to the play area. Then we went home to dig in the dirt in the backyard. The kids have a digging area, and we dug and dug before we had to stop for lunch and nap. While Ollie napped, I did a power cleaning . . . swept and mopped the downstairs, did the last bit of laundry for the week, and continued a bit of organizing of what the boys call their ‘storage unit’ in the dining room. After nap, it was off to pick Sam up from school, play for a bit on the playground, and then head back downtown to check on the progress at the community playground. This was at Ollie’s insistence. All day he kept signing for “more mulch.” When we returned at the end of the day, Ollie was devastated that the bobcats were no longer depositing mulch on the playground. They had completed their job. Tomorrow adult community volunteers will spread all of the mulch (at least 4 huge dump truck loads). The boys would love to help, but it is an ‘adults only’ affair. Heather and Jed are getting a delivery of oyster shell tomorrow to cover the area under the beehives and the path leading to the area, so at least the boys will get to help spread that. And they plan on coming to Windbird in the morning to help with the removal of the plastic. So these activities should keep them busy tomorrow.
What follows is the promised update from our Aussie friends Chris and Geoff (Chris is doing the writing) describing their adventures on Lady M. They have left Puerto Rico and are on their way across the Atlantic to the Med. To me as a sailing cruiser, the amount of fuel consumed by this boat is the most unbelievable part of this adventure.
“We are currently on route to Azores – the plan has changed again. Tuesday night we arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Met a few contractors who finished up some work on “M” while two tankers brought fuel down to the dock and we took it on board over the next three hours. Cleared immigration out of the USA by the skin on our teeth and left port around 0100hrs only to return to the dock as the shaft seal was letting in too much water. The problem was fixed by the engineers and we set off again just after 0700hrs on Wednesday morning.
Since then we have had brilliant weather conditions and “M” is steaming along at 15 knots. We don’t have the fuel range to get us there if we go any faster which is a shame as she wants to go. We expect to arrive in Azores instead of Madeira now in about 5 days or so. Then a couple of days to Gibraltar.
Some of the crew have been sea sick which is funny given the relatively calm conditions but I must say the Sous Chef has soldiered on and produced good food. Our watches go fast and we are feeling ok with sleep. Yesterday during my watch we had a catamaran pass us and when I checked out the name on the AIS system realised it was our friends Scott & Nikki on “Beachhouse”. I called them on the VHF and we had a great chat for a few minutes. They were completely blown away at the chances of meeting like that even though we both knew each other were in the vicinity. Small world!!
The weather has continued to be good with perhaps 15 knots of wind max and a couple of metres swell. We have about half the crew feeling unwell but doing their best to soldier on. I have given over our packet of Travacalm to the chef and her deckhand boyfriend which seems to help more than the other medication on board. Geoff is feeling really good so he won’t need it. It’s really not that bad but I am blessed with a cast iron stomach and thank the sea gods I don’t suffer with anything more than a raging hunger for food while on passage. My watches are 4 hours on the bridge and I start work in between shifts, so I spend two hours with one deck hand and two hours with Capt Scotty so time passes very quickly. At first it was a little overwhelming with all the screens and buttons and instruments but if you break it all down it’s what we have on our humble little yachts only the latest and greatest models. Our two radars are 120nm range and very sensitive, the GPS is same same and the AIS wonderful and definitely on the list for Shambala when we return. I enter into the log every hour and plot our position on a paper chart every 4 hours now that we are away from land instead of every hour. We have had to back off to around 13 knots as our fuel will not last if we push any harder which is such a pity as we could be going so much quicker. We are now ONLY using around 350 litres per hour!! Once we refuel in Azores it will be hell for leather to Gibraltar. Not sure after that as we are supposed to be in Palma, Spain by the 7th of May which isn’t going to happen so it will be up to the “boss” where he wants to meet up with his boat.
All the problems we have had seem to have sorted themselves out now and “M” is running along nicely and we are getting good sleep when off watch so all well with us. Nothing to report ocean wise it’s very quiet both with sea life and traffic. If you want to see where we are check out www.marinetraffic.com and then in the search box type in Lady M and we are the one with the KY in front of it. (there will be about 10 Lady M’s). I will send some pics via gmail when we have a better internet connection. I could get used to this luxurious life!!
by Judy Handley | May 1, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 192, Year 9: The First Day of May
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2014
Weather: Overcast and Rainy All Day. . . Again; High Temp in the 40’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
On the first day of May last year, I flew from Myrtle Beach to Boston. Jed picked me up at the terminal and I then drove him to the international terminal as he was flying to London that same evening. Mark, Lee, and Lynda were in their second day of sailing Windbird from Little River to Woods Hole. And the weather seemed normal. So it was a very different year. The weather today was once again miserable and certainly would not have lent itself to dancing around a maypole. But I have hope that tomorrow will be the beginning of something resembling spring. The forsythia bushes and tulip trees are in full bloom, so once the sun comes out, I know it will be beautiful.
Mark worked again today and he is starting to feel better. Whew! That is a relief. I’m still feeling no better, but hopefully the antibiotic I’m taking will kick in soon. Mark works tomorrow and I will spend another delightful day with Ollie. His happiness is infectious and his smile turns cloudy days into sunshine. Saturday, Mark and I go into high gear. We have to take Windbird’s winter cover off, get the framing down, and prepare Windbird to be hauled out of the water on Monday. And Jed leaves this weekend for a few days of meetings and a memorial service for his dad in DC on Thursday evening. Mark’s appointment with his oncologists has been moved from Monday to Tuesday, so that is when we will be heading to Boston to find out the results of the radiation treatments. Next week is going to be a busy one.
