As with many things new in life, a first trip on the intracoastal Waterway—mine of course southward from Norfolk towards Miami—is monumental. I am not among the first to learn a new skill in mid-life, but the challenges on the water do not care if you are young or old, nice or mean, retired or weekend…

Ave and I are docked on Jekyll Island, Georgia. The trip is going well, lots of excitement along the way. I promise to write a proper blog post soon to update everyone on the trip. Meanwhile, here are some photos of our journey since the last update. ~John

For those of you who aren’t following along via Facebook (facebook.com/sailing.ave), here is a very brief summary of our trip so far and a slew of photos. Forgive me in advance if I sometimes use “I” and sometimes “we.” Ave and I are in this together, after all. I left Annapolis early Tuesday morning, December 15th. It was…

That pesky old transmission is finally out and on its way to the rebuild shop. Having now seen the process I am quite confident that I can reinstall it once it gets back to me; if true, that will save me tons of $$ on the final bill. I like saving money, especially when in…

Hidden lessons. Metaphoric meanings. Good, deeply hidden. Sailing. My journey. “Two days, and I’m exactly where I was when I started,” I told my friend Chip over the phone. “WRONG!” he cried at me. “Physically you are. Geographically, yes, you are exactly where you were when you started. But mentally? You’re lightyears ahead of where…

 Under grey skies and a small craft advisory, and with boat boy at the helm, we’re off again.  ⛵️

Some of life’s best lessons have been lain at my feet horribly disguised as disaster. I had just spent a long-yet-satisfying 8 days working on Ave del Mar on land, as documented in a few posts here like Haul Out Time and I’m Not Sure What Day It Is. My triumphant return to my marina in…

I’m searching for the route marked “EXIT.”    By the way, thank you to everyone who came out to the Open Boat. What a great time.        More updates are coming. 🙂

What a week. So much done, so much left undone (that seems to be a boating constant), and so much energy expended. Monday brings us to the end of the week of work on the boat and to, ironically, the work week. Back to reality? In a way. Two months left.  I will mostly let…

I’m not kidding. I’m also not complaining. The work is enjoyable, the accomplishments are satisfying, and the puzzles and challenges are exciting. Just don’t ask me to raise my arms above shoulder height or why there is primer on my face. It’s that kind of week is all. Yesterday I installed vents for my propane…