The one photo shows the new dinghy, which will be carried back there on the swim platform. With it up like that, people cannot see the Breaking Away name on the back. But it does have advantages for launching and retrieving quickly and easily.
The other photo is from last Wednesday, when I swam down to examine the propellor after I had run aground (gently, luckily). Boy, was that water cold! The good part was that the wetsuit still fit me 24 yrs after I first bought it. And, the prop was fine!
We had an exciting time yesterday and this morning, sleeping overnight at anchor in a secluded cove, and returning to the marina during a small-craft advisory. The trip down yesterday afternoon to the Wye River was superb. The guy finished installing the davit system for the the dinghy at about 11 am, and we left an hour later. The Wye River is about 10 miles south of here. We entered the river and soon found a nice secuded spot to anchor. We then launched the dinghy for the first time....and boy, did I ever launch it, accidentally. I pulled out the incorrect bolt, and instead of gently lowering the dinghy into the water, it fell back into the water like a lead balloon along with the weight of the engine. Major oops. Luckily, nothing or no one was injured. I then started it for the first time, and the three of us went scooting around exploring. However, the wind came up pretty strong, and it wasn't that much fun any more so we headed back to the boat.
But when we returned to the boat, we could see it had dragged its anchor! So we needed to lift it and replace it where we dropped it in the first place. But it dragged again, so in total darkness, we raised anchor and sailed back out into a more open area. I watched intently for hours, and I finally decided the anchor was holding, even when it got VERY windy. So, I was able to go to bed. It surprised me all evening long just how much we were swinging in the wind. Good thing nothing was close to us. For dinner we turned on the generator and used the oven to bake two frozen pizzas.
By morning it was VERY windy, and normally I would have stayed where I was and not tried to move, but George and Jan had their flight home from the Baltimore airport so I had to head home even though there was a small craft advisory. We did quite well I thought. The boat handled superbly in those wind-tossed waves. I figured the landing would be tricky in those strong winds, but it was a little calmer here in the marina and all went like clockwork. We discussed a "plan" ahead of time of how to grab certain lines and prevent the boat from blowing into the two pilings on the side of the berth.
All in all it was a successful trip, but I'll have to ask the locals why we dragged anchor. Maybe it was just too soft under us to get a hold.
The time with George and Jan was fabulous! I thank them for coming and helping me have a good time and learn new things about handling the boat, what the galley needs for good cookin, and what items I still needed to purchase. Also, George is a great chef and made yummy meals. Jan took incredible photos of bald eagles, ospreys, flowers, and so many other shots.
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