Projects

Carrie Rose spent the winter on Kent Island, Maryland. It was the last spot on a cruise that took her from the Vermont shore of Lake Champlain, through the Chambly Canal and the Hudson River to Jersey City, New Jersey, then out into the North Atlantic pass Cape May where she turned north again to transit Delaware Bay and into the Chesapeake Bay via the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. By any account, it was a hell of a cruise.

Carrie Rose spent the winter at Island View Marina on a crab alley. She was visited once in March while on the way to see Charlotte’s mother in Sumter, South Carolina. Stuff was dropped off (including a case of wine) and stuff was taken off. Looking around the interior now it is not obvious that anything was taken off but believe that Carrie Rose is and has been in the process of shedding weight.

When here last the anchor chain and rode (all 400 feet of it) was taken out of its hiding place, which was then sealed for leaks and it all repacked. It was quite the task. Will any of it come out again when called upon to do so, time will tell.

Chopin Preludes are playing in the background and the music makes a hot day much cooler. The projects accomplished start to list themselves. The dingy that was almost destroyed in a mishap — it fell off the stern while being lowered in a suspect manner — was fiber glassed (read repaired) and has two coats of varnish on it. As do the stern saloon doors, the panels on the pilothouse doors, and the Wee Lassie canoe strapped to the pilothouse’s roof.

The saloon window blind’s teak cornices were re-engineered for the two inch blinds that were ordered rather than the one inch blinds that they replaced. A short (!!!) in the outside solar panel-to-battery connector was diagnosed and repaired. The newly refurbished LED cabin roof light was wired in place, and what should have been a simple four bolt attachment of the outboard engine mount, turned into a couple of hours whittling and sanding unforgiving plastic before using clamps to force it into place.

The sweet canvas making couple from Cambridge came calling to collect what was owed them and give us a demonstration of how the new bimini works, very well actually.

Half of the fourth day of living on the hard (yes, we are still on land, Monday is launch day) was spent in Easton, MD washing 30 lbs. of damp mildew-y clothes. An art museum was visited in the historic town center and a bucket was bought at the new town’s center Lowes and how’s that for the exciting cruising life…

After talking to George, the owner and chief mechanic, of Island View a slip was procured for the summer; home base from which to venture out on the bay and to return to should there be any errant hurricanes.

There are a few more projects but aren’t there always. It is part of the good life here on Kent Island, or wherever Carrie Rose might rest her weary diesel.

June 2016