Special Report Leg 1 ICW

Leg 7:  Fort Monroe, VA (Norfolk) to Deep Creek Lock on the ICW:   

Sunrise Ft Monroe anchored next to Kintala

We're a power boat for the next several days.  Anchor is up by 7:30 am and we waved goodbye to Kintala.  We crossed the second busiest shipping channel in the U.S. and passed the Norfolk Navy piers.  We saw every kind of boat you could imagine.  We officially pass the ICW mile marker "0" at Hospital point and then the bridges & locks started.  The Captain is at the helm with the First Mate calling out bridge mileage and opening times.  (I have started using Garmin Blue Chart on my ipad with Active Captain, which gives us a lot more info on the fly.)  

Not sure what was going on here but the Navy patrol had us move to the other side of the channel...

Traffic!  Container ship with a tug

Bridge #1 Belt Line Railroad Lift

Bridge #2 Jordan Highway Fixed Bridge

Bridge #3 Norfolk & Western Railroad Lift

Bridge #4 & #5 Gilmerton Lift & Norfolk Southern #7 Railroad Bascule

Bridge #6 Interstate 64 Highway

We made the turn for the Dismal Swamp route and are suddenly in a peaceful, green, beautiful waterway.  We missed the Deep Cut lock opening by 15 min, which works out.  We tie off to a dolphin (pilings), set up lines & fenders for the lock, then grab a snack and relax.  The lock master opens the first gate 15 minutes early, so we can get set up.  Harry was very nice and SO helpful.  After we tell him we are staying at the free dock after the lock, he tells us where everything is in town (We see him in town later, opening the bridge and he waved).  We waited for 2 other boats, which turned out to be an off-duty lock master, who offers advice and more info on the ICW and Dismal Swamp.

Tied up to a "dolphin" outside the lock

Entering our first lock

Reaching the top of Deep Cut Lock

And the gates open

We docked at Elizabeth's free dock in front of a trawler. Our docking is improving!  The Captain is learning to manuever more precisely and the First Mate is learning to throw lines, give instruction to people on the dock and techniques for securing lines.  The high was 76F and I actually broke a sweat.  We're not complaining!  We walked into town for an early dinner and find a great Thai/sushi place (seriously, it was excellent).  We made a quick stop at the grocery store and hardware store then we're back to the boat to eat ice cream in the cockpit (no liquor store.  We're out of rum, but still have beer and wine).  One water valve is replaced so the aux water tank is useable again. Lokie's (starboard engine) idle is adjusted (per our neighbor at the free dock--a former Yamaha dealer).  

Stats:  Total time 3:42.  5.5 avg speed.  20.4 miles.

Docked at Elizabeth's free dock just after the lock

Left Maryland. In the south, ya'll!

Leg 5:  Smith Creek to Deltaville, VA

We awoke to 41F.  That stinks.  We raised anchor at 7:15 am (which apparently was set quite well, thank you very much).   We motored out of the creek and have the sails up pretty quickly (just the genoa for today).  We cut the engine as we enter Chesapeake Bay.  Again, it's choppy as the river meets the bay combined with current, tide and some wind--similar to a washing machine.  However, the NW wind was at our back and Odin surfed quite nicely with the 1-3 ft waves.  We averaged 6.1 knots, and arrived at our destination an hour early (42 miles in 7 hours instead of 8).  Our only real problem was the high of 59F didn't happen until late afternoon.  Odin excellent.  Crew a little chilly.  We saw a few gusts of 25 and 100 ft of water underneath.  For the first time, we couldn't see the opposite shore of the Chesapeake.  We end up sailing 3/4's of the time with 3/4 genoa.  The winds are supposed to decrease, but as usual, they don't.   We have to start the engines to motor into Deltaville.  Docking was less of an event.  A friendly harbormaster tells the Captain there is cable TV in the lounge--his first in 24 days.  It also turns out, the other PDQ we were interested in just arrived from here from Florida.  Small world.  I tidy up the mess down below (clothes, charts, food wrappers everywhere) and the Captain gives the outside a scrub down (oyster shells on our anchor from Smith Creek?!).  Shore power means the espresso machine and space heater are pressed into service.  We go out for dinner.  (The cat is still asleep.  She doesn't think these arrivals are worth getting up for.)

Day 2 at marina:  The marinas we've visited are top-notch.  Here we paid $64/night.  Dozier's gave us a courtesy car so we went out for breakfast, hit the Ace Hardware store (Awesome store!  Remember before WalMart & Target, when you got everything else at Ace?), grocery store and West Marine.  Since we're headed for the ICW (and a lot of anchoring) we put 60 ft of new anchor chain on the port anchor (main anchor with windlass).  We also picked up new line to replace the second reef line and the First Mate got a new foul weather jacket (that should make the sun come out!)  It rained all afternoon.  Laundry day.



Doesn't make me any warmer, but requires fewer layers.

The Captain does chores and cleans the exterior (for those keeping track, he seems to spend as much time cleaning as fixing!)

Day 3 at marina:  More rain.  We're waiting for better weather on Monday, so grocery run, more laundry, hot showers, cable TV and reading (I started the Chesapeake by Michener, so no dilly-dallying!)  THE SUN IS OUT!  Captain replaces the second reef line (bird's nest--more cleaning).  Water tanks are filled (9 days and still above 1/4 tank).  I made crab cakes & Hemingway's for dinner as we prepare to leave the Chesapeake Bay.

Stunning sunset in Deltaville (Odin is far left)

As I prepare for a hot shower at the marina, I notice water on the floor.  It turns out that when Captain switched to the aux water tank, the valve cracked and was leaking.  Most of the water drained into the bilge once he stopped the leak, while I mopped up the rest with a sponge and bucket.  The previous owner left a box of goodies, which helped, but my Captain ends up plugging the lines with a few wine corks (thanks for the cork holder, Pat!)  Gonna need more wine.

(2 corks top left)

We're low on corks--I mean spares.

Leg 6:  Deltaville to Hampton Roads/Ft Monroe, VA (across from Norfolk):  I love crab.  I hate crab pots.  It's the beginning of the season and they are everywhere.  A local told us that they won't drop them in more than 35 ft of water, so we are forced farther off shore than we planned.  Lot's of big container ships in the channel today, including a few large unidentified hovercraft.  We crossed our first shipping channel (with a Naval warship headed our way.  It was pretty far out, but looked bigger when headed straight for us).  The seas were less than 1 ft and the wind averaged 15 kts.  We were finally comfortable enough to drag the stereo over to the companionway so we could have some tunes.  I even managed to duck down below long enough to fashion a hasty lunch--sandwich for the Captain, crackers with peanut butter for me (OK, but it's not Larabars!)  The First Mate was at the helm most of the day.  The bay is starting to change colors from brown/black to green/blue.  We passed a few more lighthouses (my favorite) and Langley Air Force Base (airplane!)

"Traffic on the port side."

Not our prettiest anchorage--next to the highway, but still fun.  A SUBMARINE just went by.

Straight into Norfolk would have been a long day, ending with navigating a shipping channel that includes Naval warships and container ships.  Pass.  The harbormaster at Deltaville recommending stopping short in Hampton Roads and the crew of Kintala helped us find an anchorage at the mouth of the river, right next to the Fort.  Who doesn't want to go visit a fort?!  There's some crab pots, another sailboat, it's next to the highway (and the tunnel that goes under the bay) and it's not completely sheltered but good enough (free!)

Stats: total time 7:11, 44.4 nautical miles, 6.2 avg.  Avg 15 kt tailwinds. 

Another obligatory sunset photo at Fort Monroe, VA anchorage

It's a nice afternoon so, we have dinner in the cockpit.  My wonderful Captain makes Italian sausage with Marinara and squash.  Captain's tip of the day:  Put the cork in the dinghy BEFORE you lower it down to the water.  AND he's gone (the longest dinghy ride so far--I'll kayak it the next day).  I think he loves his dinghy as much as the sailboat--"get the wifi password while you're over there!"

"And he's off..."

And the legs are getting longer...

Leg 4 Leaving Solomon's Island for Smith Creek (mouth of the Potomac):

We decided to get up early for our departure.  It was an easy departure off the mooring ball, (First Mate released the lines running to the boat from the mooring ball & motor away) and we were hoping to beat the worst of the winds.  We're also going 5 miles farther than last time (doesn't sound like much, but we're only doing 5 kts avg SO that's an extra hour).

Motoring out of Solomon's Island/Patuxent River

We motored out of Patuxent River and put up the sails.  We motor sailed for awhile and when we decided we could maintain a close reach across our course, we shut the engine off.  We were able to do some pretty long legs before having to do short tacks back across to avoid the shipping channel.  Our catamaran can maintain about 45 degrees off the wind, which is about normal for the style of boat.  We had the water to ourselves today.  The downside of leaving early was it took another hour for it to warm up outside--loving all the layers I brought.

As we approached the Potomac, the winds started to gust to 20.  We furled the genoa, put a reef in the main and started an engine.  Our first turn put us bow first into the waves.  This was not our favorite.  The small, choppy 2 ft waves were close together, so it was a constant up and down.  We cut the next corner and the waves off our quarter was a little better.  We made the last turn into the Potomac and it didn't smooth out at all, so we started the second engine and dropped the main sail.  We were now taking the waves broad side, which was surprising more comfortable.  (The kayak stowed across the bow starts to work its way loose & flips itself over.  It will find a new home against the starboard stanchions.  Inconvenient for docking & getting into that locker, but better than losing it overboard).

We found Smith Creek and made the turn.  It was still 20 kts of wind in here, so we looked for a calmer spot to anchor.  Deep Cove was a possibility but we passed it by, for what was supposed to be, an excellent cove.  We didn't like the look of the shoal at the entrance, so we motored onto the next cove off our port.  After much discussion (you would like to be sheltered from the wind but also have to visualize how the boat will swing with a wind shift.  Will that put us to close to shore?), we finally dropped anchor.  

Stats:  2 ft seas, gusting to 20, saw max 40 ft depth, 38.4 miles, 7:18, avg 5.3 kts, sailed at least half of that.  Spaghetti with ground turkey and mushrooms for dinner.  

Amelia took an evening stroll into the cockpit.  There's no grass out here, and she doesn't know what to think of that.  She seems very interested in the dinghy.  I'd say she was trying to abandon ship, but she sleeps through the engines, waves pounding under the bow and constant motion.  We think she's going deaf, but also doesn't appear to get motion sick, even though she sleeps below the whole time!  She loves to sleep in the sun, but it's constantly moving as the boat swings.  It's taken awhile, but she's found ways to get up to see out the windows.  She also now likes to play with string.  Before she was too lazy to chase it around, but she's a boat cat now ;-)

Amelia the Cat.  "Interesting.  Where's the grass?"

Rain showers move through and we're rewarded with a rainbow.

Smith Creek anchorage rainbow

Then the bugs swarm the cockpit.  They're everywhere.  (We'll still be washing them off in Deltaville.)

We hear from our friends over at theretirementproject.blogspot.com.  They are heading north from the Bahamas back to Annapolis.  It looks like we might cross paths around Norfolk.

Captain never sleeps good on the first night.  He started the engines and backed on the anchor twice before we went to sleep but he still woke up every 2 hours to check our position.  (In the morning, he tells me he had a dream that we woke up and our mattress on someone's front porch.  We asked, "Where's our boat?"  Only funny in the morning...)

My Captain sleeps in while I warm the boat by baking brownies.  We think we're in the middle of nowhere, but at 8:00 am the Star Spangled Banner plays over a loud speaker.  Interesting.  We spend a day here, resting and working on the boat (Captain's chair squeaks, tighten shrouds, autopilot constantly beeps even though it's maintaining heading, wind direction indicator off 15 degrees.)  Apparently, we're also very close to an airport.  KING AIR!  We had this secluded cove to ourselves.

"Where are we going today?"

next post will be Leg 5:  Smith Creek to Deltaville, VA

We've officially left Maryland and are in the south, ya'll!

Sunset over Odin in Deltaville, VA

On the mooring ball

Kayaking Herrington Harbour South

Herrington Harbour South was a nice marina. A friendly harbor master met us at the dock. Clean laundry room, clean shower rooms, deli/grocery across the street and an excellent restaurant, all for a reasonable off-season (Boat US discount) docking fee of $61/night (cheaper than a hotel, more than a monthly mortgage payment). A good place to sit out a forecast of rain. However, the forecast was wrong (apparently common here on the east coast) and the sun came out the next day by noon. Kayaking and chores commenced.  The Captain gets antsy. 

Container ship traffic

Leg 3 Herrington Harbour for Solomon's island:  I knew we were in trouble when I got up and saw all the fishing boats heading out of the marina at 6:00 am. Apparently, it was not only a Saturday at the beginning of boating season, but the first day or rockfish season. The fishing boats are EVERYWHERE and towing at least 15 lines, some 200 ft long behind and BESIDE their boats (blog.potomacrockfish.com) . It's fine at the start, but after zig zagging for awhile the boats are no longer marking their lines.  We had the main up and are motor sailing at 5 kts. Finally, we clear most of the boats and get the genoa up and the engines off. This only lasts and hour before the wind dies and the fishing boats appear en masse again. 

Underway with the Captain up on the trampoline

The entry to Solomon's Island was relatively straight forward. The mooring ball field appeared where it was supposed be. With Lokie (starboard engine) dying as we passed over our mooring ball, we backed up and tried again.  Dang, that should have been easy!  Captain has the dinghy in the water before I can get the boat opened up.  We need a drink.  

Stats:  33 miles, 6:42 hours, avg 4.9 kts.

The first time we left the boat unattended.  "I need a drink."

We check in at the marina and are informed it's the Tiki Bar opening this weekend. We don't know what that is, but it's "a big deal."  We stop at the first bar that has a table and order crab chowder, fish sandwiches and gluten-free gnocchi (never seen that on a menu!)  At some point the Captain switches from beer (Yuengling) to Hemingway's (what I ordered). "We're gonna need some grapefruit juice." 

Found a drink (Hemingway at Kingfisher's restaurant)

Hemingway recipe:

Hemingway frequented the El Floridita bar in Cuba where the daiquiri was invented. He preferred the #3 with double the rum and no sugar (El Papa Doble).  In this area, it's shaken & served in a martini glass. Hemingway preferred it over crushed ice, but you can also do it in a blender. 

2-3.75 oz Rum (white, Bacardi or Havana Club)

Juice of 2 key Limes (1 oz)

Juice of 1/2 Grapefruit (4 oz)

6 drops-1/4 oz Maraschino liquer (also cherry brandy?)

(1 tsp simple syrup, optional)

Ice

Gluten-free gnocchi!

This is a mail stop (we're hoping a few packages catch up with us), so we're here a few days.  The mooring ball is $30/night.  (Not bad, but not free.)  We get all the marina services including trash disposal, bathrooms, free bicycles, shuttle to the grocery store, wifi and access to the dinghy dock (which is just across from us).  

It rained ALL night.

Our second day on the mooring ball is a nice day (Sunday). A short walk to West Marine and a bike ride to the grocery store. I declare another "no chore" day for me. Lazing in the cockpit ensues. Torrential rain all night. 

Free bikes at the marina.  Fixed gear with coaster brakes and a full load of Dr-Dek.

Third day on mooring ball:  We walk to West Marine and the post office in the morning.  The sun is out so I start my next big project. Master mattress out on deck to air out. Everything in guest berth moved to settee. Bike ride to West Marine to get Dri-Dek for master berth (warm bodies over cool water equals mold under mattress).  Dri-Dek installed.  Guest mattress moved to master berth. Sleeping bag aired out on deck. I take the shuttle to grocery store to stock up (next stop is anchoring out without a grocery store).  Upon returning I cooked a frozen pizza (cooked perfectly, by the way.  Love my Force 10 oven!) served in the cockpit.  Master mattress from on deck to guest berth.  Make master berth.  Reload guest berth.  I decided it was time for a shower and Captain sends me on my first dinghy solo.  Success = 2 outboard starts!  Hemingway's in the cockpit to celebrate with our kindles (downloading Hemingway books, including Islands in the Stream).  We watched the evening storms pass us to the north.

Dri-Dek under the master berth to fight condensation

Our mattress is right over the hull so cool water & warm bodies = mold :-(

Captain:  "That should be in the blog." Flexible tubing installed as outboard bumper (First Mate cringed every time the new outboard bumps the hull.)

Hey, nice bumper.  Very professional.

On the move

The bridge between Gingerville & Libery Marina.  It wasn't as close as it looked

Day 13 (Mon):  We left the marina today!  Our broker/instructor couldn't make it but we went for it anyway.  After we untied the lines, the wind blew us off the dock, so all the Captain had to do was put it in reverse.  We went out into the South River to practice maneuvers on a speed marker then headed for Oak Grove Marina for fuel & a pump out.  It wasn't pretty.  The current & wind were trying to blow us away from the dock, but again leaving was easy.  Release the lines and we floated away.  Then it was a short motor down to Harness Creek.  He dropped anchor 1, 2, 3, 4 times.  We finally decided it was set, but the Captain couldn't nap until I came out into the cockpit with my kindle (He had a restless night.  Go figure).  We were swinging quite a bit because of the opposing wind & current, so we finally put out the second anchor.  

Our first sunset at anchor.

This is our shake down trip.  Motor (the starboard engine is officially Lokie and port is Thor), dock (meh, we need practice), anchor (got lot's of practice!), monitor electrical draw down, water conservation, holding tank.  It's going to be a restless first night, but WE DID IT!  It's a short dinghy ride or paddle to a beautiful park with a dock.  Another 1.5 mile walk to West Marine & the grocery store.

A little rain won't stop my photo op.  Nice anchor set up.

How not to anchor

Our second day at anchor:  Well it's raining and cool, so I get up early and make percolator coffee on the stove.  Breakfast is brownies (cooked in the oven in a silicon muffin tray cut in half.  They were a little burnt on the bottom, so next time I'll move the rack up but otherwise the oven works great).  We were slowly dragging, so we moved back & reanchored with a bow & stern anchor.  (The First Mate finally gets to do some boat driving!)  The batteries got an extra charge so the TV marathon begins.  There's a break in the rain showers, so I bolted for the kayak.  I successfully paddled to the dinghy dock, tied off and exited the kayak (without swimming), threw away some trash and jogged up to get a picture of the boat from the nearest overlook (the park is closed today).  A second sailboat shows up.  My Captain makes sautéed Brussel sprouts and chicken with a bottle of Frogs Leap Rutherford wine for dinner.

Captain took the strip off of one side.  Strip or no stripe?

Third day at anchor:  A lazy day for the retired couple!  I made coffee & muffins to warm up the cabin. Then I kayaked over to the dinghy dock and walked to the grocery store (eyes bigger than backpack).  I was back by lunch, so Craig left in the dinghy (we're not ready to leave the boat unattended yet) and walked to McDonalds and West Marine.  By then, it was time time to start the risotto for dinner.  A Lost tv marathon was followed by an early night to bed (we are planning on pulling up anchor in the morning, but the real reason is it's getting chilly on the boat!  We do miss the space heater at night, but the Coleman winter-weight sleeping bag as a comforter with flannel sheets are brilliant!)  The water was like glass overnight so we slept great.

I kind if hate to leave this anchorage.  1)  It's free (yep, anchoring out is free!)  2)  I hadn't fully explored the park either by trail or kayak  3)  Did I mention there was a McDonalds?  But we're ready to keep heading south.  

Motoring out of Harness Creek

Leaving Harness Creek for Herrington Harbour:  I was up by 6:00 am.  Coffee & leftover muffins for breakfast (loving the Coleman's thermos I bought.  The coffee will burn your tongue for 2 hours!)  We were motoring out of Harness Creek by 7:30 am with the First Mate at the helm.  As soon as we entered Chesapeake Bay and picked up a heading of 200, the sails went up.  We had a wonderful quartering tailwind on a broad reach--perfect for our catamaran.  We averaged 5 kts but saw 7.0 kts very briefly (although the chartplotter claims we hit 11.4).  We saw a max water depth of 30 ft.  We also got a brief glimpse of the shipping channel.  Autopilot functional.  It was a 14.1 mile trip, that took us about 4 hours total.  We sailed a good 3/4 of that.

Sail are up!  I repeat, THE SAILS ARE UP!

Amelia the cat woke up in the middle of all this.  When I went to check on her, she was wide-eyed, but apparently it was because she was locked in our berth.  She headed out, had some lunch, and went back to sleep on the settee.  

The wind died just before we reached the entrance to Herrington harbour so we fire up the engines early.  Our docking still needs work.

It's a beautiful day.  We sit in the cockpit and have lunch.  Pretty soon we both wander off the do chores.  My Captain is swabbing the deck again.  I'm headed to do a quick round of laundry.  Amelia is taking a nap.  For the first time, as I stand at the marina deli, it feels like the ground is moving.  I guess I've gotten used to being on the boat and terra firma feels weird!  I explored the marinas eco trail, which takes me to the far side of the marina for a good photo op.

Settling in (Part 2)

The local rowing club heading back in at 6:30 am

Day 11 (Sat):  THE SUN IS OUT!  THE SUN IS OUT!  THE SUN IS OUT!  The Captain is in shorts & barefoot on deck.  Amelia the cat is taking a nap (on top of the blankets).  I've taken a sabbatical from all cleaning & errands.  Scrambled eggs (on the gas stove!) for breakfast and a smoothie in the Nutribullet for lunch (passed the electrical draw on solar panels test!).  The kayak finally splashed today, and I discovered the creek past our marina is excellent for paddling.  There are some big houses with private docks then it meanders down to 1 ft of water and turns into a reed-lined wildlife area with only the sound of the birds in the trees.  

Yep, the oven works!

After a second exterior scrub, the Captain deemed the cockpit a no-shoe zone (the interior received this designation a few days ago, after a hands-and-knees scrub).   I predicted a shoe would end up in the water--it did.  Mine.  (A couple hours and I didn't do it!)  Yes, it was fished out--turns out Teva's float?!  Drinks & afternoon snacks were in the cockpit.  Baked potatoes are in oven the oven for dinner! (The oven reach a temp of 400F, confirmed by a secondary oven thermometer.  SCORE!)  

"Wipe yer paws!"

(Overnight, a raccoon that we had been warned about, came on deck and left muddy footprints.  I should have bought the "Wipe yer paws" welcome mat instead.  The Captain was not happy. He's back out scrubbing the deck.)

Katana Sushi

Day 12 (Sun):  I purchased some supplies for our first aid kit.  Then I went for a walk to the grocery store (because we needed vanilla extract, I was tired of running errands, and I needed some exercise!)  Captain when out for a dinghy ride and then cleaned up the minivan.  Then we drove to Quiet Waters for a reconnaissance of our first anchorage.  Suddenly, it was 5:30 so we stopped at Katana Sushi for dinner.  Upon returning to the boat, we began securing things for the next morning and I worked on a "Leaving the dock" checklist.

Settling In

Day 7 (Tuesday):  We took our first dinghy ride this morning with the new outboard.  Then the Captain did an exterior boat scrub down and put the repaired genoa back on.  After some more cleaning (galley is officially stowed/organized) and errands (yep, West Marine), the first mate took the helm of the dinghy and received a grade of "perfect" (no one swam and no boats were damaged).  We capped the evening off with our first hot dinner cooked on the propane stove.  Things are coming along.

Our first hot meal is imminent

Day 8 (Wed):  It's a rainy & cold day.  A few chores & errands are completed including putting taking the old registration numbers off the sailboat & dinghy and putting the new on.  Laundry was done, thanks to Amelia the cat throwing up on the bedspread (there is something to say about laundromats.  4 loads in an hour--high capacity commercial machines are definitely faster!)  The rest of the afternoon was spent on the settee watching movies with drinks & snacks.  It's starting to feel like home around here and the project list is turning into a to-do list.  Starting to plan for leaving the marina.

"Pretty!"

Day 9 (Thurs):  The holding tank light came on so we're going to have to leave the dock to pump out soon or forever walk to the marina bathroom.  Captain had both propane tanks filled and did battle with the roller furling again.  I picked up our Honda Generator & our Amazon shipment.  The new shower curtain arrives, so the head gets a thorough cleaning and then we take hot showers (the hot water has been working for a few days, but we finally got brave).  We haven't quite got the hang of it yet, but a hot shower at home then straight into pajamas while Big Bang Theory is on feels good. 

Day 10 (Fri):  It's provisioning day for me (grocery shopping).  I've been buying a few days at a time, but it's time to load the fridge up.  It's pretty deep so I bought organizers to access the food in the back.  It's been holding a steady 36F since Captain slid a piece of cardboard between the thermostat and the side of the fridge.  Even with the overcast, the solar panels are keeping the fridge running (we do shore power in the evenings to run the heater & morning espresso machine).  I brave the gas stove and make homemade yogurt and simple syrup for my coffee.  Gas stoves ROCK!  (My sister-in-law ratted me out in TN.  "Did you pack the yogurt maker?"  THERE'S A YOGURT MAKER IN THE VAN?!  Ummmm, no?  Turns out it's a low draw and is stowed safely out of sight.)

Yeah.  A grill for my Capitan

The Captain came back from West Marine with a fitting for the baby stay, a Magma grill, more line for the roller furling & misc other toys.  A big Amazon box came to Sail Away with some binoculars & walkie talkies.  Probably time to quit shopping and start sailing.

The sun finally came out this afternoon and burgers were cooked on the grill :-)

"Hey, what are you guys doing out there?"