Spending Time at St Michaels

I want the people of Joplin to know that they are in the hearts and thoughts of people everywhere. Of course, NautiNell has the “Port of Joplin” on her stern. Every day, Mike and I are surprised by those that take the time to stop and tell us how sorry they are. They always tell us to pass their words on to those we know in our hometown. Mike and I always point out that Joplin is our home and we know that although, it may take a very long time, Joplin will become the great little town it was before May 22, 2011. God Bless you all.

Friday turned out to be rather an uneventful day. Mike did fix one of the heads though and the other one seemed to fix itself! We took a dinghy ride around the area. It’s very nice here and there are some very nice homes. I was told that this area is “old money”. Well, they do know how to spend it! Big homes, big boats……

We went over to El Sea and visited with them for a while. They are from Nashville TN and are both licensed captains. They have boated this area before and spent a lot of time on the Tennessee River and the Tenn-Tom. It was great talking to them. We soak up as much information as we can. They are staying until Sunday, I believe. We are either leaving Sunday or Monday. Haven’t decided yet.

Of course, when we got back to the boat, the head (the one that fixed itself) decided it wasn’t fixed after all. Mike needs to order a repair kit. We’ll order it at West Marine and pick it up in Annapolis when we get there. At least the other one is fixed! Between the heads and the generator, Mike is keeping busy. Actually too busy. Surely things will get better….. Right?

We enjoyed another sunset and watched the osprey. There’s a nest with a baby in it and he doesn’t like to be left for very one. He has become quite vocal. Mom comes back with food every few hours.

Saturday has been a great day so far. We’ve learned to relish the good days when there is nothing to fix because we know that it could change at any time.
The weather is beautiful here. They forecasted a slight chance of rain the last couple of days, but it hasn’t even been cloudy. This morning we took the dinghy back to town. We had planned to go to the farmers market, but didn’t get around early enough. Surprised? No, of course not. Anyway, we did get in town in time to have lunch at the Carpenter’s Saloon. Just in time to enjoy the “singing bartender”.A 300+ pound – openly gay man - singing "New York, New York". Even doing the high kicks! Quite a sight!

We walked on down to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. This museum consists of 15 buildings. There were several boats, both original and replicas. It was worth the time spent. If you are ever in this area, I would highly recommend this museum.

After the museum we walked back to the grocery store- more beer and Diet Pepsi! We spent the evening on the sundeck just kicking back. I must not forget the renaming ceremony! See my other post for info on that. It deserved a separate posting!

The kids across the bay were shooting off fireworks. That was fun to watch. Guess we’ll hang around here a few more days. No real reason to leave! The number of boats has grown to about 16. All are sailboats except three. This side is definitely less crowded than the other. We saw boats going in every direction on the other side. Some rafted up with a dozen or more having a ball. It reminded me of Lake of the Ozarks some. Of course, it is Memorial Weekend!

Sunday has been a very relaxing day. The weather is gorgeous. We have close to 20 boats anchored with us now. Most of them are sailboats. It’s really pretty to look over the bay and see all the boats. Many are decorated with flags (including us).

We plan to leave out early tomorrow morning to go back to the west side of the Bay. We are going to drop an anchor in Rhode River. This is only about 15 miles from Annapolis. On Tuesday, we will boat on in to Annapolis and stay at a dock a couple of days. By then, we will have anchored for seven days in a row! I’m looking forward to a little dock time. There’s laundry and grocery shopping to do. An Admiral’s work is never done.

Remember, the other day I said that we were watching the nest of the baby osprey. Well, guess who decided it was time to fly! It was so cool to seem him fly around and back to the nest. His parents weren’t even there to see it. By the time mom got there, junior was already tucked in his nest waiting on dinner. Kids!

I’ll talk more later. Till then!


Admiral “C”

Gremlins Among Us................

For the past few weeks, Mike and I have been busy keeping up with every little thing that has gone wrong on NautiNell. Mike has been kept especially busy. He seems to go from project to project. Now we’re not really complaining, but we are making this observation. This afternoon, we realized that we never have performed the ceremony to rename this boat! When we bought this boat it was named Oceanic III. We felt that this name was a little too regal for us. We spent a lot of time trying to find the name that would be just the right fit. Thus, we declared and documented her as NautiNell. However, the most important thing that we forgot was to perform the renaming ceremony. If this ceremony is not conducted, bad luck can follow. After all, we don’t need any bad mojo!

According to legend, each and every vessel is recorded by name in the Ledger of the Deep and is known personally to Neptune, the god of the sea. The first thing we must do is purge its name from the Ledger of the Deep and from Neptune’s memory. We offer great libations to the mighty ruler and we pour some into the sea from east to west. (It helps if the captain drinks a little too, of course). We also are to drop something into the sea with the old name written on it. When the purging ceremony is complete we can then begin the renaming of the vessel.

This, of course, takes more alcohol and it is poured on the bow of the boat saving at least one glass for the captain. This is to show the sheer appreciation we have for the great ruler, Neptune. The next step is then to appease the gods of the winds. This helps assure fair winds and smooth seas. We do this by facing north and pouring a generous amount in a flute glass and flinging it to the North. We then do the same to the West, then the East and finally to the South. All the time asking for permission to use each god’s mighty powers to pursue lawful endeavors, whatever they may be.

FYI --

Wind gods

North - Great Boreas
West – Great Zephyrus
East – Great Eurus
South – Great Notus

Tonight we performed this ceremony. May it be written in the great Ledger of the Deep. And may it be known to the great god of Neptune this 28th day of May 2011.

Hopefully now all the gremlins will be cast off the NautiNell and it will be smooth motoring from now on. (Hey, we had to try it!)

Till Next Time!

Admiral “C”

St Michaels, MD

Again, I want to say that our hearts are with those affected by the Joplin tornado. They are our family and friends. Although we’re not there, you are constantly in our thoughts and prayers. Take care.

This morning (Thursday, May 26, 2011) we actually left about 8:00 a.m. We headed to St Michaels which is just north of Cambridge and still on the eastern shore of the Bay. It only took us about two hours to get here. We were on the Choptank River although it’s hard to tell any difference between the rivers and the actual Bay. It all looks like ocean to me! Anyway, it was a beautiful day and the waves were next to nothing. We had what is called a following sea most of the time.

We anchored out in a great area along with another boat or two on the south side of St Michaels. We read that this location is usually not as crowded as the northern side. Since Memorial Day weekend is coming up, we thought that would be a good idea. So far, we’re right. There are only about five boats here now. Three of them are sailboats. Another is a trawler – El Sea. They are also loopers and are from Tennessee. The loopers are everywhere!

After we settled in with the anchor, we decided to launch the dinghy and venture into town. It’s just a short ride in the dinghy over to a dinghy dock. Then it’s only a few blocks to the town. It’s a very quaint little town. It reminds me of Key West. Lots of old homes that have been renovated and well maintained. In fact, Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld both have homes here. – Haven’t seen them yet. We walked to a neat little place on the water called Foxy’s. We had a great lunch and then did a little sightseeing. We stopped at the Acme Grocery and then the Village Mart (a liquor store that has a meat counter). Again we almost bought too much to carry, but it was only about three blocks to the dinghy.

We watched a beautiful sunset while we cooked dinner. It was almost a perfect day. I say almost because just as we were thinking that everything was fine, both heads (toilets) decided not to work. It’s going to be an interesting evening. Mike will fix them in the morning, I’m sure. He seems to be able to fix everything so far. He’s just getting very tired of working! But that’s what it’s like having an older boat. Well, most of you know that – that’s what it’s like owning a boat period! They don’t call it BOAT for nothing! Bring On Another Thousand! Oh well, I’m not whining - well maybe just a little bit.

Till next time!

Admiral “C”

Solomons Island to Cambridge

First – Before I post anything about our trip – I want to say that our hearts and our prayers are with all of Joplin. As most know, Joplin was hit by a massive tornado on Sunday May 22. Our family is okay. However, Mike and I have many friends that have lost their homes. We know several families that have lost a loved one. While there is massive destruction, Joplin will survive. Joplin will build back and be stronger than ever. While we may not be there, please know that we are definitely there in spirit.

On a much lighter side - Yesterday (May 24) we left Solomons Island, MD. We had been staying in the Solomons Harbor Marina since Friday evening. We had planned to only stay a day or so. However, since we were able to have cable we stayed a little longer. We were able to keep informed about the storm by watching CNN and the Weather Channel.
We had a really nice stay at Solomons. On Friday and Saturday nights there was a band at the Tiki Bar right off the stern of our boat. It turned out there were a few other loopers staying there as well. We visited with “Free to B”, Rock Chalk and Sweet Pea. We also ran into others at the neighborhood West Marine. It’s fun being able to catch up with the other loopers and hear their stories. I even got to eat pizza one night. Thanks Jim and Dale! Mike was out numbered!
Our neighbor, Tony, had a 43’ sailboat “Gypsy Crickett”. I finally was able to see the inside of a large sailboat. It was beautiful and had lots of space. More than I had imagined. Still think I prefer the trawler, but who knows…..! Tony had retired from the Navy and was currently being contracted by them. He’s a drone pilot. Mike kept telling him that he was an “oxymoron”. He was down for the week while his wife was in Arkansas. He and his dog “Wolfie” took the Gypsy Crickett out to go fishing by themselves. That seems like a lot of boat to take out by yourself.
One day Mike and I decided to walk to the store. It turned out to be a little farther that we anticipated. And a lot hotter! We also bought more than we should have since we were walking. We did make it back though - with Mike carrying a 30 pack on his shoulders! We’re going to get bicycles! SOON!!!
We took several dinghy rides around the marina. There are several marinas that really run into each other. Lots of boats! Too bad there wasn’t a store with dinghy access!! Did I mention we’re getting bikes soon!! Thought so.
We left Tuesday around noon. You know we really need to start getting out earlier! Anyway, we left around noon and had fair seas (no waves!). We took it slow and steady. We had decided to cross over to the eastern shore to Cambridge. We tied up to the city dock free of charge. We were able to contact a good friend we have there. Susie McDonald met us at the boat. We had a ball catching up on everything and even went out for Mexican. I hope she enjoyed it as much as we did.
We had originally planned to go north to Annapolis from Solomons. However we were told that it is Commencement Week and with it also being Memorial Weekend, be decided against it for now. Our plan B was to across to Cambridge, on to Oxford and St Michaels. This is all on the east side. Then later next week, we will cross back over and check out Annapolis. We’ll spend a few days in Annapolis then head to Baltimore. I want to spend some time there. All the guide books tell of lots of cool things to see and do there. After we leave Baltimore, we will head on up to Chesapeake City and the C&D Canal. The Canal will take us over to Delaware Bay. Everyone says that once we get on Delaware Bay, we just keep going. No good place to stop or will we want to. We’ll keep going until we get to Cape May – a good days trip. Then we’ll head up the Jersey Shore toward New York. I’m looking forward to Atlantic City. I may just have a little put back to give to the casinos there.
Well, we’re spending a real lazy day here in Cambridge. The weather is beautiful and the dock is free. Can’t beat that! We checked things out in the dinghy this morning. Must have worn us out, because we both took naps afterward.
Having steaks tonight on the grill that have been marinating. You have to do something to the steaks around here. They aren’t the best. Now if you want crabs, they’re everywhere! They even serve crab pizza! - No, didn’t try it.
Well, until next time.
Admiral “C”

Finally on our way!

Finally - May 18, 2011 - The Nauti Nell has finally left to begin cruising the Great Loop. After what seems a lifetime of planning, working, saving and praying - we are finally on our way!

We left Waterside Marina about 1:00 p.m. We had planned to leave earlier (don't we always), but there were a couple of things Mike needed to do before we set out. I had plenty of laundry and other chores to do also, so I didn't mind. Anyway, those "Loopers" that had planned to leave - did so earlier so we were left to venture out on our own.

We passed back through the entrance that gives way to the great Naval Base. The size of some of the ships there are unbelievable! We had to venture across before we went out to meet up with Chandler from Signature Canvas-Makers. He was the one that repaired our eising glass. And what a great job he did! He had also made us some covers for some of the electronics on the flybridge. We needed to pick them up. It was an interesting test for Mike to pull up beside the dock and let me get the covers from Chandler. It was a very small dock and there was about a 3 knot current flowing. Mike did a good job and we were finally on our way out to the Bay.

As we ventured on the skies began to become quite ominous. It looked like we were about to experience our first storm while out in the Bay. Mike thought that we could out run it but that's pretty hard to do when you're only going about 10 mph! It was actually going in the opposite direction than we first thought. It circled around us and the skies grew dark. In fact, we saw a "tail" drop down out of the clouds for a few minutes and then go back up. Lucky for us it stayed up! We finally just slowed down to about 3-4 mph and waited and watched it move on. Of course, we were listening to NOAA the whole time!

Finally, we were able to move on and find a good spot to drop anchor. After all, that little storm wasn't going to cause us to waiver! HA! Well, we did find a beautiful spot in Mobjack Bay in the Southwest River. We toasted our day and had a great dinner. Yes, we had crabcakes once again! We thought this time we were going to be missed by the oncoming showers. However, we were very wrong! The storm came up fast and we had to ride it out. The storm had 40-50 mph winds and hail. NautiNell is tough and we rode it out safe and sound. However, NautiNell can sure make some strange noises during a storm. We are getting quite an experience early on!

We left early the next morning about 8:00 a.m. We wanted to make up some time that we lost yesterday. It was a beautiful morning. We really didn't have any problems and Nauti Nell is doing a great job. Most of the other loopers were staying at Doziers at Deltaville for a few days. We weren't really ready to stop there so we passed them by. We'll all catch up later. We thought we'd stop at Windmill Point at this neat Tiki Bar and have lunch. But our minds were changed when they said that it would cost us $10 to dock! Never mind that!

We did finally stop at Chesapeake Boat Basin in Indian Creek which is part of Fleets Bay. We're not far from Reedville where we had spent the first few weeks. We first stopped at the marina for provisions only to find that the nearest store was 1.8 miles away! In fact, it was in the town of Kilmarnock where we had bought our furniture - the town that has a Wal-Mart! We walked up hill to the store - all 1.8 miles! Finally found it and only bought what we thought we could carry back. As we were drudging back to the boat, a friendly local pulled over and offered us a ride back to the boat. He said that "we transients were easy to spot and thought we might like a ride". He was right! After we got everything put up, we decided to anchor out just a little ways away in the bay (still on Indian Creek). It had been a beautiful day, but it was starting to cloud up. We sat and watched the evening approach. We spotted something out in the water swimming across at a pretty good speed. It turned out to be a deer! I didn't know they could swim like that! Anyway, as soon as she touched land - off she went into the woods. We had a wonderful evening without any storms!

The next morning we set out about 7:30. We planned to make it to Solomons Island, MD where we would dock a few days. There is a lot to do in Solomons Island according to the cruising guides. We're also having a problem with the generator. It keeps shutting down after it runs a couple of hours or so. This way we can be plugged into power while Mike checks it out. It was a beautiful day and pretty much uneventful. The navy has a base at Solomons Island (Cedar Point). They were doing live target maneuvers this afternoon. Fighter jets flew over us along with several helicopters. It was quite a sight to see. Glad we weren't the target!! We arrived at Solomons Harbor Marina about 2:30. We're all set and having a bit of Happy Hour. There is even a live band playing at the Tiki Bar just across from our sundeck. Imagine that! I think it's going to be another great evening.

Till later!

Admiral "C"

p.s. As soon as I have a strong internet connection, I'll post some pictures.

AGLCA Rendezvous - The

We had a wonderful time at the Spring Rendezvous. We met several people that I'm sure will be come good friends. It will be fun to visit with them along the way and share each others experiences. A shout-out to Jim and Dale of Sweet Pea. Sorry we were unable to connect up with you at Doziers. We'll surely see you in a few days!

Mike and I tried to be sponges and absorb all the information that was offered to us at the workshops. However, we are getting older now and let's just say - I hope we took good notes!

The area where we stayed was nice and very entertaining. From the dancing waters at the park to the "Pirate Ship" parked at our stern, there was always something to see. There was even a wedding on the Pirate Ship one afternoon. A couple of days ago, a huge boat pulled up along the Pier. It turned out to be owned by the US Government and was flying the Navy 4 Star flag. This means that a 4 Star Admiral was on board. It turned out that it was the 4 Star Admiral that is in charge of the US Fleet! We're not sure what was going on, but several gentlemen (from the middle east) along with some "security" and US Navy personnel went out for a cruise. Before they even pulled away, the gentlemen were being served wine, etc. Gifts were exchanged when they returned about an hour later. Like I said, there were alot of things going on around there!

Till next time!

Admiral "C"

Prelude to the Great Loop

What a week! We're now in Norfolk VA at Waterside Marina. This is where the Rendezvous is being held. It really seems surreal being here parked among all these boats. It's hard to believe that we are really doing this! We look over the marina and see our boat packed in side by side with all these others and realize that our dream is really coming true. NautiNell stands tall and proud!

This week has consisted of really stepping out of our comfort zone. We had become "comfortable" on NautiNell sitting at the dock in Smith Point. We needed to gather up what confidence we had and begin our trip south about 70 miles to Norfolk.

We had planned to leave early Tuesday morning. However, Mike had checked the generator the day before and found that the impeller needed to be replaced. He fixed that Tuesday morning. After packing up everything and saying our goodbyes to Dan and Jeanne, we set out about the "crack" of noon. It was a beautiful day with hardly any wind. It was a perfect day for us to set out. We were finally starting our adventure. After months of planning and weeks of working, we were finally on our way.

Nervous! - but on our way!

We made it to Fishing Bay about halfway to Norfolk and dropped anchor. This was really going to be a test - staying on anchor! Mike and I have always preferred to anchor out rather than stay in the dock; but this was a lot different than being at TableRock Lake! It was a beautiful area and we toasted a magnificent sunset. Stepping out of your comfort zone can be very rewarding!

The next morning we awoke to seagulls and a beautiful sunrise. Still enjoying the morning, Mike started the engines. Well; that is, he tried. Only one of the engines would start. After much troubleshooting, Mike remembered that this had happened before and that he had to start them from the flybridge. Bingo, bango! They started! (However, I should say that we probably have the cleanest battery terminals around now.)HA! We finally were able to leave about 10:00 a.m. Another beautiful day with hardly any wind. We couldn't have asked for better weather the last two days. Now NautiNell isn't what they call a fast boat. We've found that the most economical speed is about 6-7 knots. It will go faster; but with the cost of diesel these days, we decided what the hurry..... So, we had expected to arrive at Norfolk around 3:00 p.m. We arrived at 5:30 p.m. No big deal....

Now arriving at Norfolk was a little disconcerting. We saw several black hawk helicopters flying overhead along with military jets. There were warships and a destroyer. We even saw a boat being towed by a helicopter. Hard to say what that was all about. Training exercise?? Anyway, we felt VERY SMALL! Finally we had to give way to a Russian freighter! She was bigger and definitely faster. No problem, Captain!

After finally making our way through the traffic, we arrived at Waterside Marina. This place is great. It is right in downtown Norfolk on the Elizabeth River. Parking the boat was a challenge. Everything is a little tight. Mike did a good job. Didn't even leave a mark on the boat next to us - when he bumped it! Hey, we're rookies at this! Of course, there was an audience too. A lot of the loopers were already here and it was right in the middle of their happy hour! The one good thing was that once we were settled - it was still happy hour! Loopers are really big on their happy hours. LOL

We spent most of yesterday checking out the area and just relaxing. We had lunch at Snappers and walked around the park that runs along the marina. We also hired someone to fix our eising glass. They came and picked up our canvas and should be bringing it back Saturday. Hope so! As the day went by, more and more loopers arrived. We've heard that there are over 200 registered for the Rendezvous. At least 30 boats should be here. It should be interesting and a lot of fun!

This morning was a little cool. Mike spent alot of time out visiting our boating neighbors. We walked over to the Mall area. I think I'll go back tomorrow and leave him on the boat. He's not much of a shopper, you know.

Everyday and evening there are dinner cruises that leave out of here. Along with huge sailboats and barges, they make quite a sight to watch. This evening we sat on our boat and listened to a band playing in the park. They also held sailboat races on the river. Not real exciting to watch - speed is not the issue here - but the boats were pretty and very graceful. The park was having a festival called "Bubbles and Bluejeans". It was a wine tasting gala. We walked around the park but didn't partake in the wine.

Now, it's late Friday evening. Mike has gone to bed. I'm sitting here still trying to absorb everything and to grasp the fact that this is really happening. We are truly blessed.

Until next time!

Admiral "C"

Countdown to Cruising Time

It's been a busy few days. Mike and I have been trying to wrap up projects so we can concentrate on charting our first major trip in the NautiNell. We'll be leaving in a day or so to go south to Norfolk. The AGLCA is holding their Spring Rendevous there and we are planning to attend. There is always an abundance of knowledge at these workshops and we plan to absorb all we can.

Wouldn't you know it - now that we are about ready to leave, we finally begin socializing with some of the great people here. The weather has been beautiful here so there are more boaters out and about. A few of the boaters have docked here at Smith Point Marina. It's been really fun talking to them and hearing there stories - from a 24' open sailboat to a 36' Grand Banks to many of the large charter boats. They all have stories to tell.

Friday night, Dan and Jeanne, owners of this marina, invited us to a mixer at the Reedville Fishermen's Museum. We were very excited and jumped at the chance to go. We had wanted to go to the museum, but had not had the chance. The Fishermen's Museum has several exhibits showing the history of the menhaden fishing industry that played a huge part in the development of Reedville. The menhaden is a fish that is used to produce the Omega 3 fish oil and is used in cosmetics, etc. At one time, it was used to produce heating oil in the area. There was a operating skipjack, Claud W. Somers, that is over 100 years old. At one time Reedville was a flourishing town. Although the fishing industry isn't what it used to be, Reedville is still one of the major ports for the landing of commercial fish in the US. In fact, it is only second to Kodiak, AK. Okay, enough of a history lesson, but you get the idea that I really enjoyed the museum.

There was quite a group of people at the mixer. Everyone is so friendly and helpful here. Afterwards, we went to a local restaurant named Tommy's. Again we had wonderful food. Everyone that was at the museum was pretty much at Tommy's too.

Saturday morning we figured we better stock up one last time. We used the courtesy van and made one last haul. We've become regulars at the Food Lion and the local true value store! It really seems strange being here without a vehicle. We are truly boat people now!

It was a beautiful day on Saturday so we took a dinghy ride. We probably went a mile up the Little Wilcomico bay. It was more like a river with beautiful homes on both sides. Life is good. We really have been enjoying the dinghy.

Saturday night we were invited to Dan and Jeanne's for burgers. There were two other couples there also. A big shoutout to Ray & Paula and Harry and Carol. What nice people!! Dan and Jeanne's home has a wonderful view. We really enjoyed their company and their friends.

Today was a nice relaxing day. For Mother's Day dinner, we had wonderful crabcakes on the grill. This area does know how to eat!

Oh, I almost forgot - the ice maker out on the sundeck now works! Yea!

Well, it's countdown time until Tuesday when we plan to leave out of here. Wish us luck! I'll post more later!

Admiral "C"

Bon Voyage - visit home

Hi Everyone!

The first thing I want to say is - Thanks to all our friends and family. What a wonderful send off we had. What a great week we had! We are going to miss each and every one of you.

For those of you that don't know - Mike and I left last Wednesday morning for our final trip home before we take off on our big adventure. The object of this trip was to take the pickup truck home AND a truck load of "stuff" that we thought would fit in the boat. It turns out the boat is a little smaller than we seemed to think it was when we were home earlier. Anyway, we headed out on Wednesday morning(April 27) which means we were driving through Kentucky when all the tornadoes were being spotted. Lucky for us, they went south toward Alabama. But the sky looked very wicked that afternoon. We spent the night in Lexington and watched a lot of the weather channel. Well, that is after we had a few at the Horseshoe Bar and Grill next to the motel.
The next morning we actually got on the road fairly early for us. We finally made it home to Joplin about 6:30 p.m.

We stayed the week with Dick and Debbie. A big shoutout to them! Thanks for letting us stay and for making your home our home. We couldn't ask for better friends. We love you guys.

It was a little strange that morning waking up to Cody barking and to a cat walking around on our heads. For a second, I thought I was back home on 33rd St. Then I really woke up and didn't know where I was for a short time! However, before the week was out, Mike and I were feeling like we were home.

Saturday night was awesome! Again, a great party at the Elks. This was a lot like the one 12 years ago, only without the snow! We enjoyed visiting with everyone. And like Sue said - We were surprised to have so many friends - wanting to see us leave! What a party! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did. One thing I did find out though - I'm not nearly in good enough shape to keep up with the dancing Lydia! Grandma had a time keeping up!

We spent Sunday finally getting the rest of our things out of our house. We only had one room full, but it seemed to take forever! Finally we got it all moved out. Joleen can now have the entire house to herself. Joleen, anything left there can now be considered yours to do with how you want. LOL!

We flew out of Joplin Tuesday morning. We had a pretty uneventful trip. We did have to make two connections, but they went off without a hitch. In fact we landed in Richmond fifteen minutes early! That hardly ever happens! Richmond is about 80 miles away from our boat. So we had to find a driver to take us to the marina.
He showed up in about 5 minutes and off we went. Mike enjoyed talking to him about this area. He got a lot of his questions answered. He was just a young guy that drives to and from the airport for extra spending money.

Thanks to the ladies in Kilmarnock for the heads up about Tyler. It worked out great. He picked us up and dropped us off with out a hitch.

We plan to leave here either Monday or Tuesday of next week to go to Norfolk. It depends on the weather. The Rendouvous that is being held there begins on the
14th. Until then we still have a lot to do.

Will post more later. Hopefully with pictures from the party.

Until then!

Admiral "C"