Crew Again!

This week Dylan and Dee Dee officially became crew again. We threw off the lines on Tuesday with the crew in their official places on the flybridge. Immediately, we had a bridge to have lifted and a lock to go through. It's fortunate the captain had the crew there to help.

It wasn't long before the crew heard the first dolphin snorts and pandemonium broke out. Of course, since Dee Dee's, um, episode last winter, they are no longer allowed to investigate alone. So Daddy took them out.

Unfortunately, there were no actual sightings but that didn't mean the crew didn't remain hopeful.

We tested the new anchor chain by spending two nights in the New Point Comfort anchorage. The crew got to test out their new bow nightlight, a solar powered lawn light purchased last week from the hardware store. The last one died after 2 years. Daddy even decided to spring for the $4.97 version rather than the cheaper $2.97 one. Nothing is too good for the crew.

At Fishing Bay Marina in Deltaville, Virginia they enjoyed two days romping in the big field behind the pool and even got to meet a couple of boatyard dogs. By now the crew certainly had their sea legs back.

Tomorrow we're off for other anchorages and new marinas. Dylan and Dee Dee will be be fulfilling their duties as aCappella crew while keeping ever vigilant for those dolphin snorts.

Getting Ready

Dylan and Dee Dee wanted to apologize for not doing a better job of keeping up their blog. It's not like they've just been lying around sleeping. Well, OK, maybe just a little... But mostly they've been helping Mom and Dad get ready to head out.

Of course, it all looks very glamorous on the blog - romping on the beach, going on dinghy rides, meeting new people. But there's another side of cruising with projects and chores and provisioning. It's hard work.

The big project last week was replacing the anchor chain, all 300 feet. The new chain had to be laid out on the dock and marked. The old chain had to be removed and then the new chain drawn into the chain locker.

It took three days and at the end the crew was so exhausted from watching they had to take a another nap.

As if that wasn't enough there was a huge reprovisioning which meant Mom and Dad had to make repeated trips off the boat only to return with load upon load of bags. When will they learn that it's just so much easier to order from Chewy.com? They bring it right to the boat!

There's been cleaning inside and out. Daddy's been spending more time in the engine room. And don't even ask about the new refrigerator we had to install. It's all very exhausting. But in a couple of days we will throw off the lines and officially begin the next stage of our cruising life.

This crew is most definitely all in!

No Turning Back

It's been a whirlwind week as the crew helps do the final clearing out and cleaning up of the house. There's been no time for nostalgia and barely time to sleep but they wanted to share a some pictures of their recent activities.

It took Dylan and Dee Dee 3 days to travel from Maine to Virgina. At first it looked a little touch and go as Daddy crammed everything we just couldn't live without into the rental car. The crew wasn't sure there was going to be room for them but he left just enough space in the backseat for two little heinies.

Luckily, Dee Dee made the cut - the vote was 2 to 1...

There was a stop at the Defender Industries headquarters in Connecticut where Mom and Dad had a meeting while Dylan and Dee Dee got to hang out in the store. They met tons of people, were even "recognized" by a few, and got to enjoy the stash of treats behind the counter. They've been working on brushing up their resumes so they can apply for a job there as soon as that spot opens up for Chief Treat Tester, Face Licker, and Nap Taker. They're pretty sure they're a shoo-in.

Today we're back onboard and settling back in. The kids were happy to find their favorite spots still in good order.

Where'd It All Go!

Last week was a doozy. People started arriving on Tuesday putting up tents and tables. They were carrying things out of huge trucks and setting them up on the driveway, patio, backyard, garage, wherever there was a bit of space.

Thursday they started hauling stuff out of the house - including Dylan and Dee Dee's prized dog beds (see previous post). There were 8 or 10 folks here for four days. It kept the crew very busy keeping an eye on everything.

Then Friday night there was a "Preview" where tons of folks were wandering around looking and touching.

Maybe Dylan and Dee Dee knew something was up on Saturday when they woke Mom and Dad at 6 am. The auction started at 11 am with another preview starting 9, so of course, people were knocking on the door before 8.

It didn't take long for the place to be overrun so we made our own run for it. Off to Dexter, Maine to visit with our beloved JoDee, owner of Birchwood Kennels, the place that produces the most beautiful and sweet Labradors in the world.

 
Friends assured us that the auction proceeded just fine without our participation.

This was a special day not only because we got to see JoDee but JoDee lives on a lake and has lots of Dylan and Dee Dee kin. Dee Dee even got to play with her papa, Sarge, the second most handsome Labrador in the world (right, Dylan?).

The crew reminded us that for them, this was technically a work day as they were testing out their Kurgo car harnesses in the water. Such a hard working crew...sigh.

We had a wonderful day and really didn't want it to end. Dee Dee even caught a chicken - sorry no pictures of that - we were all too busy intervening. But finally we had to head back to Castine.

We pulled down Main Street to hordes of cars still parked around the house. The crew decided it was best to visit the town dock until the event was over. No sooner had we parked than the winds began to howl, the sky opened up, and pea-size hail began to pound the roof. We watched boats heeling over in the harbor until it became so thick we couldn't see anymore. We heard later the winds clocked at 60 knots. There were lots of trees and massive limbs down around town with power lines down in places.

We wondered about those tents at our auction but all was well when we finally arrived back at the house.

We have a few more days of "camping out" in our empty house before we head back to the boat. This summer has been quite the adventure for all of us. But we hope our best adventures are still to come.