Today's the day

It looks like the weather is going to hold and that means we can finally get under way. As soon as coffee and breakfast are out of the way, we will slip our lines and head out on the Bay toward Norfolk.
We would have liked to cruise the Chesapeake a bit, but with this late of a start, there's no way we'd get to Marathon in time for Bev to start work. So we'll head for Norfolk today and the Dismal Swamp tomorrow.
Watch for SPOT updates.
Wish us luck!

Diabetes

Here's a note from Bev:

Not many of you may know that October is Diabetes awareness month.
My youngest son Daniel was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 11 years old. He is now 24 years old and is the father of two beautiful little girls. Everyday is a juggling act for him to make sure he takes good care of himself and keeps his glucose regulated by diet and insulin. Some days he may have to test his glucose up to 6 times and may have to take as many as 5 shots in a day.
There are 3 million people who have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Most are children under the age of 20.
I want there to be a cure in his life time so he will be able to see his girls grow to be beautiful intelligent women and have children of their own. Diabetes is an auto immune disease that attacks the pancreas, the organ that produces insulin. There are several factors that causes a persons to have type 1 diabetes. Heredity is one. I want more than anything to see diabetes be a illness of the past. It can only happen by research.
I therefore set forth a challenge for the Walkure and her crew (Mike and I) to see if our travels in the month of October can help to raise donations for research.

Go to this link:

Fowers Team

You can make a pledge for the miles we travel in October, or a specific total. All donations should go directly to the JDRF.

SPOT will help you keep track of this for you and you will also be able to see where we are by google earth. Make sure you sign up for our Yahoo email group to get the daily updates. You do not need to have Yahoo email to join the group, any email address will work.
Thanks so much for your help in assuring other parents that their kids will have a fighting chance!

Splash!

Well, folks, we're a boat again! Walkure is in the water and floating nicely on her lines. The launch was yesterday, and now we will take a few days to get everything sorted out, bend on the sails, stow our gear, provisions, etc, and we will be ready to go cruising again.
Last weekend the Maritime Foundation of Mathews held a Maritime Heritage day right here at the marina. There were exhibits of locally built boats, some great models of Chesapeake work boats, food and music.
Also, our friends Laurie and Paul from Verkennen stopped by to visit. They attended the fair with us and shared we had dinner together a couple of times. Laurie taught Bev how to catch crabs and we all had some great crab cakes from their catch.

Almost done

We're getting very close to launch time. The boat is almost ready. We're hoping to "splash" the boat Friday, or perhaps Monday. Either way, it won't be long.
On the trip up here we were disappointed in the power of the Tohatsu engine. It ran fine but it just didn't have the thrust of the Yamaha. So we bit the bullet, went into debt (darn it, I just got that credit card paid off) and bought a new Suzuki High Thrust model with power tilt. (Yamaha won't sell me an engine unles they install it and they won't come here to the marina.) SO...if you know anyone in the Virginia area who wants a good engine, the Tohatsu is for sale. (It's a good engine, just not the right one for this boat.)
This Saturday, Mathews County will be holding their annual "Heritage Day" fair right here at the marina. Y'all come!
Here are a few pictures of the repairs. One is of the newly repaired and painted bilgeboard, one is the finished skeg, and one is of me mounting the new motor bracket I designed to hold the power tilt engine. The bilgeboard is now back in place and functioning. As soon as the new motor is mounted and painted, we'll be ready to launch!

Bolger Memorial

This past weekend in Gloucester, MA, a bunch of Bolger fans held a tribute to Phil, who passed away suddenly last May.
We were very sorry that we could not attend because Walkure is on the hard here in VA, but we were there in spirit.

Click on this link to see the first photos of the event:

Bolger Memorial Photos

Repairs progress

We're still here in VA working hard on the repairs, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The old lower molding, which had rotted, has been replaced with trex, a synthetic decking lumber. Once we polish the old bronze rub rail and put it back on you'll never know the difference - except it won't rot again.
We've added a mini bow sprit to hold an anchor roller.
The new skeg is mounted on the bottom and is just waiting for clear weather so we can prime and paint it.
The starboard side bilgeboard has been completely rebuilt and is just waiting for prime and paint.
The old motor bracket had developed a crack, so we are replacing that too.
It's coming along. It won't be long now.

Repairs

The starboard side bilge board is almost rebuilt, just needs a little more epoxy and then paint.
Also, here's a shot of the new skeg (upside down.) I will post another pic as soon as it is mounted on the bottom.
We were hoping to be under way by the 14th, but it looks like it will be another week after that until we can splash the boat. Lot's of work yet to do.

A few more pictures

Here are a few more pictures of our road trip. Also, I've included a shot of the boat "on the hard." Note that the rub rail is off. We are replace the old, rotted, wooden rail with a new "trex" rail that will never rot.

A few pictures

Here's the first batch of pictures from our road trip:
The first picture was taken at my sister's office. (She's the team leader at the Middletown Vet Center.) The dapper gentleman in the green sport jacket is Ed Kerwan. He was the model for the soldier in the WWII recruiting poster he's standing near. The other gentleman is the son of the artist who drew the poster.
The second picture is my sister's dog "Abbie" having a chat with Morgan. Morgan was a big hit with Abbie. Bev had given Morgan a pretzel and he shared it with Abbie, making them friends forever.
I've included a picture of my sister's house. This is the one she is selling. She will be moving to Wolf Lake in September. She had wanted a house in the woods, and a developer bought the two lots next to her and bulldozed them flat to build two really ugly houses. She got so upset that she sold her house.
The last picture is our friends Tim and Julie from Florida who stopped by during their "Family and Friends Road Trip."

Coming soon

Coming soon...genuine "Walkure" merchandise!
Now you can declare yourself an official member of "Walkure's" crew!
Through a special arrangement with Iconic Silk Screens of San Diego, CA, (Bev's son Ben owns the company) we will soon be offering our exclusive line of custom T-Shirts. Each shirt will be of the highest quality and will feature on the front a replica of the boat's name in a font which matches the graphic on Walkure's quarter. On the back will be one of our unique designs created to bring fun and laughter to your friends and family.
Prices will be announced soon, but don't worry, they will be very reasonable.
Also, if you have a business (or a boat) and want custom T-shirts or caps silk screened, see the link on our links list.

We're on Howard's site

While browsing through Howard Livingston's site, I discovered a picture of Bev and I at the Marathon Seafood Festival back in March. I Remember Cindy (Howard's fiance') taking the picture, but I didn't know they had put it on the site.

Mike and Bev at Seafood Fest

I am assembling some pictures of our road trip north and will be posting them in a day or so.

Horn Harbor

I think we have found a summer home for the boat, Horn Harbor Marina. It's a small marina located a mile or so off Chesapeake Bay, in the hamlet of Port Haywood, VA.
The yard is small, but they have a 25 ton lift (Walkure only weighs 4 tons) so the haulout won't be a problem. The rates are reasonable and they have pickup truck we can use if we put gas in it. We can do all our own work on the boat and stay on the boat while we're working (saves motel costs.) The marina has a swimming pool (great after a hot day of sanding and painting) and a clubhouse with TV and a kitchen we can use. It looks like a great spot to dry the boat out and get some maintenance done.
While we were in the Norfolk area, we went ashore one day on the Portsmouth side. It's a neat town with a restored historic district and lots of shops, etc. We had lunch at a little spot called "Longboarders." If you're ever in that area the food is really good and lunch was cheap. Right next door is the "Bier Garden" which features 350 different beers.
In Portsmouth we saw one of the prettiest boats I've ever seen. "Redbird" is a small brigantine that was built over a 10 year period but one man. She's now for sail. I don't know why, but I imagine the upkeep has gotten to be too much. She's got a ferro-cement hull but everything else is bright finished wood. Owning such a boat would mean constant sanding and varnishing. Nice too look at, not so nice to keep up.
As we were leaving Norfolk we passed by the Navy base and saw 3 aircraft carriers, the Carl Vinson, CVN-70, the Theodore Roosevelt, CVN-71 and Harry S. Truman, CVN-75. Kieth was an hour or so behind us and got to see a submarine entering the harbor.
Norfolk harbor is very busy and we were dodging huge ships for hours as we made our way down the Elizabeth River and out through the mouth of the harbor. It turns out we had set out on a rising tide and had to fight the current past Old Point Comfort. There was really no choice since, had we waited for high tide, we would have run out of daylight before reaching safe anchorage for the night.
The weather has been great. It's a lot cooler here than in Florida this time of year, quite comfortable. The nights are cool enough that we don't run the fan and even have to use a blanket. The days are warm, but not uncomfortable. The marina owner, Diane, claims that the weather is like this "all year 'round." Hmm, seems like hyperbole to me.
By the way, Morgan is learning to navigate! (See the picture of him "helping" the captain with his charting.)

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:37.3684
Longitude:-76.3011
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:07/09/2009 17:52:25 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37.3684,-76.3011&ll=37.3684,-76.3011&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Norfolk

We've made it to Norfolk, VA and we've been treated to a parade of tall ships, a waterfront "Harborfest" and the best fireworks we've seen in a long time.
Saturday night the city set up two fireworks barges and ran two synchronized fireworks shows. It looked like the blasts were right on top of us. Wow!
We took a tour of the battleship "Wisconsin" and took a picture of Walkure from the deck. (You have to look close, she's way off there in the distance.)
We plan on doing some shopping in town today, and probably head out tomorrow for the yard where we will do our haulout. We still have not decided exactly where that will be, but some phone calls today will sort that out. There are a few good choices near here and we want the best deal we can find.
My battery is getting low, so I'll just post some pictures.

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:36.8438
Longitude:-76.3009
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:07/03/2009 12:04:16 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.8438,-76.3009&ll=36.8438,-76.3009&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:36.746
Longitude:-76.341
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:07/03/2009 06:52:39 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.746,-76.341&ll=36.746,-76.341&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Elizabeth City

We are getting ready to leave Elizabeth City, and we will miss the place. The town's reputation as the "Harbor of Hospitality" is well deserved. The town dock is free for 2 days.
The grocery store in town has a shuttle service that picks up boaters at the dock and takes them to and from the store for free. We were able stock up on food at good prices and the ride was free. Cool!
Last night the mayor of the town came by and hosted a "wine and cheese" party for the boaters and gave us some good information regarding our upcoming trip through the Dismal Swamp.
There is a story behind the rose bushes. Back in the 80s two gentlemen started bringing a rose to every female boater who came into the harbor. Over the years the tradition grew into the wine and cheese party. Now that both the original "Rose Buddies" have passed away, the rose bushes have been transplanted to the park at the waterfront.
We also met a retired teacher named Kenny who helped us trim Morgan's wings. He owns the conyer and the yellow naped Amazon sitting in the tree near the docks.
The people here have been friendly and really made us feel welcome here. We will definitely plan a stop here on our way back.

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:36.2982
Longitude:-76.2185
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/29/2009 20:27:15 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.2982,-76.2185&ll=36.2982,-76.2185&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Alligator River

Well, we're now within 90 miles of the Chesapeake. When we were in St. Augustine it seemed like we would never get there and now it's a matter of days. We're now more than 1100 miles from Marathon. Hard to believe. We've been able to travel almost every day and that has made a lot of difference.
When we were in Oriental, we met Harry, a WWII vet who has been sailing for many years. He sailed all the way to Argentina and back in a 27 foot sailboat. Now that's some sailing. (See the picture of Harry and I in this post.)
Last night we were anchored in the Alligator River near Tuckahoe Point. A nice quiet anchorage and for once, no storms. The night before we were in the Pungo River and we got slammed with a severe thunderstorm. The anchors held, and everything is fine.
Today we are in the Alligator River Marina. We stopped in for fuel and met a older lady who is sailing her 30 foot boat by herself from Tampa to Cape Cod. You meet the neatest people on a trip like this.
Tomorrow we hope to be in Elizabeth City. The townsfolk welcome boaters with a rose for the ladies and a wine and cheese party on the dock for everyone. We plan to stay 2 days and do some provisioning and then it's on to the Dismal Swamp. After that we will be in the Chesapeake.

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:35.9062
Longitude:-76.0293
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/28/2009 17:38:53 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.9062,-76.0293&ll=35.9062,-76.0293&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1