Plain Jane Plain Talk
Journals from the road, trails and at sea
Category: 2009
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It’s hard to describe the tranquility at Mosquito Lagoon. With winter temperatures in the 50’s — there were no mosquitoes here! This area is a vast body of shallow water, in between the barrier island and the mainland in central Florida. Utterly peaceful, quiet and undisturbed views abound. There is no shortage of dolphins, pelicans…
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I awoke to a brisk 48 degrees inside of Cat Maudy. Soxy was glued to me under the covers and it was obvious that we had not yet reached “the south”. Today would be a full day of motoring on the ICW, with many 65′ fixed bridges to navigate under. Rumor has it, that the…
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37 degrees in St. Augustine FL? I had to look twice at the thermometer just to be sure. It couldn’t possibly be 37 degrees — after all, we are in FLORIDA! But, we are still too far NORTH. And, as much as St. Augustine is a very cool place to hang….it’s just not cool at…
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The port side rudder was LOCKED into place. It would not turn – making steering Cat Maudy a challenge. So when we paid a visit to the St. Augustine Marine Center – (who were short on staff due to the December holidays) – we weren’t sure what to expect. Would Cat Maudy need to wait…
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Our new found fishermen buddies Holland and Shawn found some of the best fishing grounds inside of the St. Augustine Inlet, and only a few yards away from Cat Maudy. Naturally I cheered like a wild woman when Holland caught his first Sheepshead fish (the fish that have human like teeth). Sssshhhhhh. Cheering for a…
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Christmas Eve at the Pizzeria and Christmas day at the Columbia Restaurant in historic St. Augustine – with CAT mates Rick & Linda (MakeItSo), Larry & Karen (Chateau sur la Mer), Shelly and Lynn (Anythings Pawsible). The jammin’ and Christmas sounds of St. Augustine made for a festive atmosphere as we took a break from…
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5:30AM, on December, 22, (the day after solstice, and the second shortest daylight hour day), a convoy of 3 catamarans departed the Charleston Harbor in SC. The temperatures were a balmy 45 degrees, and light winds. After waiting dockside for 6 weeks due to a series of excuses such as: work, inertia, flu, boat repairs,…
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As cruisers arrived at the Charleston Maritime Center – Dockmaster Bob generously volunteered to OPEN the KITCHEN doors and the adjacent conference room to cruisers for a Thanksgiving feast. Living on a boat, I have learned to cook with a single propane cooktop burner – which basically means I skip the cooking notion altogether and just…
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Busy with client work, sailing Cat Maudy out of Charleston is delayed – until after December 1. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t spend some time capturing local flavor. My Charleston tours are more like an exercise jaunt around the tip of the Charleston SC peninsula. Notable sights include: Grasses at low tide Lake…
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After a 72 hour sail from Baltimore MD to Charleston SC, we take in the sights including: The Historic BatteryThe Recently built Ravenel Bridge …and everything inbetween. Waiting 30 days…for Admiral Captain Jane to arrive.
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Delivery Crew (L to R) Bill Edward, John Martin, Pat Todd, Frank Rubright Baltimore to NorfolkDeparted Balitmore 0919 140nm 21.5hrs avg: 6.6kts SOG Norfolk to Cape Hatteras148nm 23hrs avg: 6.4kts SOG Cape Hatteras to Cape Lookout77nm 11hrs. Avg: 7kts SOG Cape Lookout to Frying Pan Shoals79nm 9hrs 8.8kts SOGFrying Pan Shoals to Winyah Bay67nm 8hrs…
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Notes from dockside: Friday, Oct 16, 2009 9AM:On an unusually COLD (40 degree) and drenching rain day in Baltimore, Cat Maudy departs the docks at Anchorage Marina…to head south to Charleston SC. Captain Pat heads up a very capable 4 man crew of John Martin and Frank Rubright from Michigan, and Bill Edwards from Baltimore…
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Rich from Georgetown Yacht Basin, Galena MD worked on Cat Maudy’s saildrive problem. He had the drives out of the boat a couple of hours after we were blocked on the hard.Rich found that in addition to the rubber diaphrams we needed prop shaft seals and damper plates on both drives. So while Rich was…
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We left Georgetown Yacht Basin in the pre-dawn. As we motored through the twists and turns of the Sassafras River area of dense fog were sculpted by a light NE breeze. This of spit of land provided a very nice photo op and then I made kinda B & W. We moved along at idle.…
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As I scanned google maps looking for the ideal bike route, Betterton, MD – with a whopping 6 streets and a public beach at the mouth of the Sassafras River stood out. Betterton. Yes, I liked the sound of this. I imagined that life was tranquil, slow to be precise – and that would be…
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Is traveling to Georgetown like time traveling into the past? It is and it ain’t.. Georgetown Yacht Basin is the only yard able to haul very beamy cats. So in the mid-Atlantic region GYB is THE destination for big cats.
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Jane and I departed the dock at 1300 hrs. we had a very good 10-15kts from 045. close hauled we were making 7 and 8 until we reached the bay and the wind increased. We were nearly at the eastern shore and the weather was looking a little nazty so we turned back. This course…
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Wed 8/26/2009 The winds were light – but it didn’t matter. We simply HAD to get away from the dock. With new sails installed, sika fully cured, and my triathlon now OVER — we headed out of the Patapsco River. Our destination would be Hart Miller Island for an overnight rendezvous with fellow CAT travel…
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What started out as a minor “CLEW” repair, morphed into needing new sails. The clew, is the end of the main sail, that attaches to the stern end of the boom. It looked like the attachment had worn out…but apparently the entire sail had no life left in her. So, while Cat Maudy was down…
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Months ago, when researching HOW to install acrylic windows with SIKA 295UV – Captain Pat ended up having a conversation with the Sika Eastern Seaboard Tech Rep. aka…Mr. Sika himself. During this conversation we learned:1. No person or boat yard in the mid-Atlantic is certified in properly installing Sikaflex2. Any boat yard that tells you…
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Monday 7/27 My inner voice screams “walk away”! I’ve known Captain Bill for years. He has done hundreds of east coast deliveries, many east coast to the islands, the islands to the east coast, and one trans-Atlantic delivery. He is levelheaded, even tempered, completely competent, and has every quality required for a captain on a…
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Tidewater Marina is located in a quiet industrial section of Baltimore – where the landmark highlights appear to be a cruise line pier, the Baltimore Sun, Walmart and Nicks Fish House. With our salon window redesign underway by repairman Clifton at Tidewater – molds of the new window hatches, grinding and fiberglass dust all added…
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As we departed from the Docks of Anchorage Marina with our big blue tarp draped over the windowless portals of the salon – the skies and waterways were a buzz with police copters and inflatable dinghies. Sure enough a B’more body was missing – and a massive search was underway in the harbor. As we…
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Without windows, rainy days present a challenge. Our ‘big blu‘ tarp leaks. It rains inside. Daily afternoon thunderstorms, add a touch more drama. 50 knot winds during one recent intense electrical storm set the bucket brigade on Cat Maudy into perpetual motion. We watched helplessly as one of our 2 outer blue tarps flew off…
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Don’t try this at home…or on your boat. Unless of course, you want to save $20,000+ in boat yard labor fees. The salon window replacement project began in “concept” – last fall. Without adequate weather or temperatures, windows replacement waited until the following spring. Spring felt more like monsoon season in the tropics. We waited,…
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Day 1 – Baltimore to AnnapolisWith a full day of scrubbing the inside port hull (mold removal) and stocking up on fruit and salad fixin’s – we were ready to depart for a 3-day sailing weekend with daughter unit Emma and newbie-sailor Mike. This trip would be Mike’s first time out on the water, and…
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(Captain Pat) Back in the day… …Cruisers had many little tricks for preserving fresh food on board the cruising boat. None of those tricks included a Frigoboat keel cooler refrigeration unit. You can probably google preserving fresh eggs and find that eggs can be kept for a very long time without refrigeration. Ok…we’ll save that…
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The windlass install is complete. In this shot the chain, solenoid, motor, and gearbox are visible. This project was complete on 5/10. We decided to replace the old windlass on 4/19 and started the project with 4 days of dis-assembly. The old windlass was a Diport AG with a much larger footprint and easily twice…
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This year we are in dire need of a good rain. This year we are in dire need of a windlass fix. Driving south toward DC you’ll pass over the itty bitty Patuxent River. It has been an almost dry river bed for a few years now so this abundant spring rain we are hiding…
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Last December while in Sea School working on my USCG Captain’s license…I met “Captain” Jane. What are the odds in a predominantly male merchant marines – that I would meet another femme with the ‘jane name’. We instantly became friends, and shared sailing stories during class breaks. At least I thought we were sharing sailing…
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After a winter in Baltimore, or for no other apparent reason, our automatic anchor windlass has decided to act up. The windlass is a motor that turns the chain holding the anchor…allowing either the anchor to get dropped into the water….or to bring it back on deck. Our best guess, is that the bearings are…
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(Captain Pat) … that I have spent the winter in a dark corner of the basement sucking my thumb while in the fetal position due to this window nightmare. Well… almost. While gas prices were “lower”, we took a road trip out west – a real Lewis and Clarke adventure. This provided a wonderful distraction…
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Cat Maudy gets new cockpit boat cushions on the cheap… * discounted Microfiber upholstery fabric from G Street Fabrics @ $7/yard * reuse existing cushion material * use velcro to fasten ends* use the existing foam to cut new materials * spend a 7 hour rainy day with good friend Husqvarna Viking sewing machine and…
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We’re back on-board Cat Maudy after a 9 week stint on land. So, what’s changed?– the seagulls (along with all of their friends and relatives) have invaded our dock– the city of Baltimore has installed a shed with a solar powered conveyor belt to help capture storm runoff pollution.– our windows are still broken. Yes,…
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Earl Grey…our Cat Maudy CAT companion, and buddy of 17 years….had to move on to the after life. Earl was an amazing lilac point siamese and shared with us his knowledge on life: – No fear. Earl had no issues standing on the bow of Cat Maudy…at the very edge. – Always lending a hand.…
Plain Jane Plain Talk 