July 1999

Hi everyone,

We have spoken to several of you already, so this may all be old news. But, for the rest, I thought I should report on our whereabouts and ” fun” things that happened since the last e-mail.

When I last wrote, we were preparing to haul out at York River Yacht Haven. That went very well, with the yard working in their usual efficient manner. But, the temperature had started to climb. The day we hauled, it hit 104 F ! But, we started on our list of jobs. The floor of the boat was removed and sanded lightly in preparation for re-varnishing. It was so hot that the varnish dried on the brush! So, leave that job for a cool morning. Meanwhile, we walk around on the stringers and try not to fall in the bilge. It is amazing how much difference that 3/4 inch makes to this short person reaching cupboards, or even to climb into bed.

One of the mechanics examined our max-prop and said that it had excessive wear and that also the cutlass bearing was gone. So, we removed those,sent the prop away and ordered a new bearing. Then the prop shaft had a lot of wear. It needs to come out – but, to remove it we must remove the tool cabinet in the aft cabin and also the fuel tank ( which is full ).Where to put the tools, as all cushions are covered with things that normally live on the floor or in the aft cabin?! Right about now, the frig decides to quit and all the frozen stuff is thawing QUICKLY as it is 105! Sander, from Satori, makes a quick service call, determines the problem and gets ice for the interim. Then, as we complete taking the shaft out, Murray spots a leak from the transmission. Now that must come out as well and be sent for repair. By this point, I also have sprung a leak – just near the eyeballs!!

Eventually we have parts scattered all over the US – the prop in Washington state, the radio in Utah, the fishing reel in Deltaville VA, the transmission in Annapolis MD, mainsail and shaft in Glouchester VA.

The weather eventually cooled off and rained for a few days. Murray and Sander got the frig working and we varnished the floor and re-installed it. Things seemed much brighter when we could sit down. One morning Gerry & Roberta from Meriah II took us with them to visit Yorktown and we very much enjoyed that.Yorktown is a national park and the site where the American forces led by George Washington had a decisive victory over the British in 1770’s. Besides the historical sites, we also saw several deer grazing on the battlefields.

After many phone calls, I arranged a rental car with drop-off in London, Ont for one week from our haul out date. Of course, we don’t pay much attention to dates, and I managed to get us all set to pick up the car one day early!! So, we had a day to relax – actually we found much to fill the time.

On July 15th, we closed the hatch, loaded the car and headed out. That night, we spent with Fred & Cindy Meyer in Cayahoga Falls OH. In the morning we visited their 40 ft Beneteau ” Brass Tacks” in Vermillion OH. A Canadian- flagged, Abbott 22 went motoring down the river. It was Downwind from Pt Bruce. Mike and Karen Down were out on a vacation and were very surprised to see us there. Eventually, we had to pull ourselves away from that lovely spot and continue our drive into London.

Linda Crossley has offered us a home again this year and we stayed there for a week. Murray borrowed a car from a friend from TimberJack and we were off again. Now we are in Orillia with my mom for about two weeks, with a swing to Ottawa to see Jeremy before returning to London. Murray has a first aid course there in August for his captain’s license. Then we will stay with his mom for a while and catch up on the Rand side of the family.

Plans are to stay in Ontario until late August or so, until it cools off some in the Chesapeake. The last couple of weeks we will probably be at Linda’s. It is just as hard to get us by phone as when we are sailing. The e-mail will still work though.

If you want to try to catch us at a phone, here are some numbers.

Linda Crossley 519-433-3097 Kaye Gilchrist ( my mom ) 705-689-8633 Dorothy Rand ( Murray’s mom ) 519-424-9542

I hope everyone is having a great summer! It sure is much cooler here in Ontario, only 30 C max. Enjoy !

Heather
Heather & Murray Rand
aboard Windswept IV
Ham Radio VE3 ZUA