THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN!!!!!!

SHIP'S LOG:

Well, the Count-Down Has begun. I have chosen Monday, September 15th as D-Day, Departure Day. By that time the refi of the condo should be done and I will be able to purchase the last few items necessary for my departure. The major purchase will be two(2) 80 watts Solar panels and their installation should be rather straight forward, as well as problem free. Aside from that installation, there remains only cutting into that never-ending projects list, none of the items on which should be preventive of my departure.

Friends stopping by to the boat do slow down the the process but it is good to have visitors. Even while they have visited, I have still be able to re-glue the slats of the the cockpit grating (the first attempt didn't take), install turning blocks for the jib, hang the radar reflector, store the linens and blankets, and locate the dipstick for the engine( which was no mean feet!). You might be thinking, "How difficult can it be to find the engine dipstick?" but it was not as easy as it sound. First of all, the engine was repainted (Robin Egg Blue) some time in the recent past and the handle to the dipstick got sprayed as well. Usually, the dipstick handle is of a contrasting color so you can spot it. In addition, it is usually shaped in a circle so you can pull it, just as it is on your car and just as it is depicted in the engine manual. This one wasn't. It appears to be an after market item (someone evidently lost the original) and is "T" shaped. The tube into which it is inserted is not fixed. It is movable, quite movable in fact, and the arc through which it swings is rather large and so moves its location around. One last wrinkle, it is located behind several wires, hiding it even further. But after crawling all over the engine, I was able to locate it. Huzzah! Next will be to find the dipstick to the transmission.

MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:

September 15th! D-Day! The Countdown has begun! GULP! Checking out the charts and the cruising guide, I think that I will go down the inside, down Long Island Sound. The simple reason is that there are numerous harbors and anchorages and it will make the trip basically a series of day cruises.It may take as much as two weeks to get to the Chesapeake, but there is really no rush as I can't go south of Norfolk, VA. before November 1st. The plus is that should anything untoward happens, help will be close at hand. I will be paranoid about break downs until a.) they happen, b.) I get further experience with ABISHAG. In one sense, I can't wait to start and in another, I nervous about going. The day sailing will make the journeying a lot easier and more comfortable. The fact that I am at last counting down creates a feeling that is tough to explain, a mish-mash of fear, excitement, anticipation, concern, freedom, a whole bunch of different feelings that are bouncing me back and forth between the two extremes.If there are real reasons to delay, I can do that but setting a date helps getting things ready. With the weather, it can be too easy to spend more time sailing that getting ready. The sailing is great but to keep sailing, the work has to be done. D-Day will come, is coming and truth be told, I can't wait!!!!!!!!!