DeLaMer Sails South: Departure Day Approaching

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Departure Day Approaching

DeLaMer is fully provisioned, Steve has scheduled the last of the commissioning items to be completed, and Bob is finishing last minute projects.

Our departure day is Thursday, October 4th, weather permitting. We've hired a Captain who teaches to go with us from Harpswell, Maine to Cape May, NJ. After spending 4 hours on the boat with him on Saturday, we are really looking forward to sailing with him and learning more about coastal navigation, overnight sailing, radar, and weather.

We will be sailing/motoring non-stop 24 hours a day at 6 knots. Our route, which is about 430 nautical miles, will take us from Harpswell to the Cape Cod Canal, to Long Island Sound, through Hell's Gate and New York City, and the final 30 hour stretch to Cape May.

When our skiing friends, Mark and Pauline Wells, left the boat yard last weekend, taking our car home for us, the die was cast. I have to admit, I experienced a moment of anxiety having committed to venture out into unfamiliar territory.

As the day approaches, we are both excited and ready to embark on our new adventure.

Cruising Anecdotes

LAUNDROMATS

As I thought about the charm and adventure of live aboard cruising, laundry didn’t appear on my radar screen. At home I never considered my washer and dryer a luxury. Wearing something once constituted “dirty clothes.” Living aboard, we have resorted to “the sniff test” to determine dirty. Amazing how long a shirt can be worn before failing my olfactory screening!

My most interesting Laundromat experience occurred as we were getting ready to leave Maine. I had been doing our laundry at Steve and Stephanie’s home all summer and hadn’t had to contend with commercial Laundromats. The day before we cast off, they were under the weather with a 24 hour bug. So, I headed to Cook’s Corners with two large mesh bags filled with towels, sheets, and dirty clothes.

The last time I remember being in a Laundromat was at least two decades ago. Laundromats have gone high tech! Reading the numerous signs on the walls, I must have looked perplexed. The attendant, well into her 70’s, came to my assistance asking, “Do you want a single, double, or triple load machine?” Explaining the difference she said, “The triple load costs $4.50 a load, the double $3.50, and the single $2.50.” Looking at my large mesh bags she took things into her own hands, determined I needed two double loads, and led me to a row marked “Double Loads.” Next she questioned, “Are you going to sort your laundry into colored and whites?” I nodded yes, and thought “Doesn’t everybody?”

She was in control. Pulling out a tray at the top of the double machine, she read the directions to me, pointed out the slots for the coins, and led me to the coin machine. Feeling her mission accomplished, she left me to load the clothes by myself and returned to watching the movie channel on TV.

Shortly after my double loads started, a local couple came in. They had the triple load routine down to a tee and obviously, from their conversation, knew the attendant. It was difficult not to listen, especially since I am particularly skilled at and entertained by eaves dropping.

Just as I was settling in for some local gossip, a scruffy looking old man came with a bottle wrapped in a paper bag. He was halfway through the Laundromat, headed for the restroom, before the attendant spotted him. She was after him in a flash, shooing him back out the front door with both arms flying. “Get out of here you! Get out of here! You’re not going to pee on all over my bathroom! I’m not cleaning up after you! Get out of here!” Knowing he wasn’t going to win this battle, he retreated with the retort, “You don’t have to make such a scene!” If there has been a contest for repetition, this attendant would have won hands down. The next ten minutes were devoted to peeing, drunks, cleaning bathrooms, and indignant comments concerning the fact it wasn't her responsibility to clean up after him.

By now my two double loads were ready for the dryers. I thought I could handle that by myself. Silly me. I had the dryers set for medium heat. My self appointed mentor informed me, “You’re towels will never get dry on medium. Set it to high.” I obliged, and deciding I had had enough local color for one day, retreated to the front of the Laundromat to read my book. The next thing I know she’s in front of me saying, “Do you smell your laundry? Your clothes smelled like they were burning! I opened the dryer for you – you should have had it on medium.” I refrain from saying the obvious.

As I’m folding my overheated very dry clothes, I overhear her say to the local couple, “That dryer overheats. I’ve reported that machine to my boss for weeks. One of these days they’re going to have a fire.”

The moral of this story – don’t look bewildered when entering unfamiliar territory.

DeLaMer Sails South

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Departure Day Approaching

Alligator River Brown!

Wisteria Along the Alligator River

Sunrise At Pungo Anchorage

The Oriental Dragon

Captain Bill Hooper

Wrightsville Beach

Wilmington Mansion

Wilmington, NC

USS North Carolina

Union Street Cafe

Lunch On Our Own Veranda

My Birthday Cake

Dolphin From Friend's Boat in Keys

Socastee Swing Bridge

Waccamaw River

Estherville Cable Ferry

Eagles in Nest

Dolphins Portside

The Captain

Sunset at Butler Island

Eagle In Nest

Egrets

Church Creek Sunrise

Church Creek Sunset

Mark and Pauline

Castillo San Marcos Fort

Ponce de Leon Statue

Flagler Hotel

Flagler Hotel Fountain

Flagler Monument

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Jekyll Island Hotel

Another Jekyll Cottage

Live Oak Trees Covered with Spanish Moss

Sans Souci Cottage

Rockefeller Cottage

The DuBignon Cottage

Crane Cottage

Fishing Off Our Port Side

Tailgate Fishin"

New Smyrna Beach Dock Walk

The Dredger - Just Before We Went Aground

Another Dolphin Companion

Daytona Beach Bridge

Dolphin Companion

Mansions and Megayachts

Water Taxis

Fort Lauderdale Mansions

Bob and John

Dolphins Under Our Boat

Sunrise March 29th

Hawk Channel - "SuitsUs"

Marathon Marina Boot Key Harbor

Drying the Sail

Keys Fisheries Restaurant

Enjoying the Day

Crab and Lobster Pots

A Storm We Found Before NOAA

Florida Lobster

Florida "Pink Shrimp"

Unloading the Shrimp

Fishbusterz's Wharf

Dolphin at Boca Chica Marina

Boca Chica Sunset

Boca Chica Sunset

Conch Blowers From "A" Dock

Boat From Great Island Boat Yard

Shrimp Boat at Sunset

Hogfish Bar and Grill

Returning to Port on WindStar

Light Winds on WindStar

Birthday Party Horns

Party Animals

Gailard - A Friend From the Past

A Birthday Toast

Key Lime "Birthday Cake"

Bob's Birthday