March Was Not Very Boatish and Then I Lost Access to My Blog

First I apologise for being off line for several months.

I'm hoping that this is the first post following the long hiatus and that I 

can begin posting again and fill you in on the remainder of the long winter. It is 

because my computer has refused to cooperate, locking me out of the blog!

Four days visiting family in Atlanta, four more with daughter and grand daughter 
here in New York, one visiting in Connecticut, five preparing two large meals-- 
adds up to 14, Half the month right there. And the cold weather came back with an 
icy grip that it refused to release. One short duration visit to the boat was 
solely to heave the thick blanket of heavy wet snow off of the canvas cover. 
That's one advantage of the white plastic that most folks use and have to fill 
land fills with each year -- snow slides off more readily. And in cold windy 
storms the flakes are small and light and blow right off from the canvas. But we 
had four late winter snows, one with no wind, so the heavy slushy weight was all 
borne by the canvas, straining it and making the boat top heavy if winds were to 
come up. 
 
During all that cold weather I wrote up and submitted an article for a sailing 

magazine on the Canadian central half of last summer's cruise. The first 
draft described the whole cruise but just about doubled the suggested word 
limit, requiring the edit. They will let me know if they 
will publish it. It's the kind of article they like, and I wish I had had such 
an article before we went -- a plan -- to be followed to the extent convenient and 
practicable. If I had read such a story, we would have stayed longer in Nova 
Scotia and spent less time in Maine on the way back. 
 
I attended my last Corinthians event, a very pleasant dinner, half a mile from 
our apartment, at Il Corallo in Grenwitch Village. It was just me and Professor 
Larry, an officer of the Club, who, I hope will sail with me and other 
professors I know in May. I don't race and the organization's cruises are too 
short, formal and at the wrong time of summer to fit into our cruising plans. So 
I found I enjoyed let's say three lunches or dinners a year, but had to add a 
third of the annual dues of $135 to the cost of each meal.  I hope and plan to 
remain friends with the Corinthians who I know. It's a social organization, not like 
my congregation which I have a moral duty to support. I have no ill feelings 
toward the Corinthians organization or any of its members. 
 


The biggest day of the month was the annual Defenders Warehouse sale way up in 
eastern Connecticut. A heavy snow the night before made me fear the drive but 
the roads were clear and I met up with Dave and Gene in New Rochelle for the two 
hour drive, getting to the warehouse before the 9AM opening. 


A big line had 
formed already but we get reasonably good parking. I got paint, water repellant 
the for the dodger and Bimini tops, new Genoa sheets and first reeling line, but 
the biggest damage was new electronics. I had planned to replace the existing 
Standard Horizon cockpit VHF radio with a plug and play replacement with AIS. On 
sale $316. But instead I upgraded, meaning replaced the existing chart plotter, 
radar dome and VHF with Raymarine products, at a cost ten times as high plus 
some tricky installation problems. The old technology was nineteen years old, 
and the Commodore/co-Treasurer approved, but I'm still not sure I did the right 
thing. We got back to New Rochelle by 2:30 and then the guys helped me get the 
stuff from the car, up the ladder and into the boat. 
 
A few more Work days to whip all the end of all the new lines, give the 
remaining cabin sole boards their third coat of polyurethane, etc. and a couple 
of "Other" days foe dinner and theater with boating friends. 
 
An open house at the Club -- a reception for prospective new members. Some nice 
folks, some of who will join and good free wine and finger foods. I gave the 
Commodore the $50 ($10 per person) I had collected during the Winter Land Cruise 
to the Jinishian Galery and joked that it should be applied to the 
(non-existent) Cruise Committee budget line.