Its been 20 months since my last entry. Please bear with me as I use this post to re-learn this software. Covid cut short our 2020 stay in The Bahamas and ultimately we cancelled our 2021 voyage with similar concerns. We spent last winter in Virginia where it was way too cold, with way too much snow, requiring way too many layers. Springtime is always colorful and the azaleas, dogwood, and rhododendron did not disappoint, but we couldn't wait to get back on the water. We started planning out a busy travel schedule. June finally rolled around. We joined Fabrizzio and Manny aboard Water Dawg and headed from Deltaville to Provincetown, MA, where they would spend the summer on a mooring ball. We had perfect weather for this run up the Atlantic coastline.
Two days after returning home from Massachusetts, we again departed Deltaville. NeverLand is another Selene 43 and a sister ship to Crossroads. Formerly known as Misty Pearl, we knew the boat well and were very excited to join new owners Kelly and Todd as they took her back to their home marina on Lake Erie. We followed our Great Loop route and were able to enjoy the scenery a bit more than when we were newbies in back 2018. We had tons of laughs and great times during our two-week journey to the head of the Erie Canal in Waterford, NY. We can't wait to see these great friends again next summer.
From Waterford, we flew out of Albany to Houston to catch up with dear friends Glenda and Greg (and Yorkies Jaxon and Cooper). They had just purchased a Selene 53 and we were thrilled that we could join them as crew. We made a bee-line across the Gulf of Mexico, through Lake Okeechobee, and up the Atlantic coast, around Cape Hatteras, staying just ahead of a developing hurricane. Two weeks, door to door. The weather was great and we were treated to many beautiful rises and settings of the sun. Of course, the company could not have been better.
Crossroads received some well-deserved attention over the summer months. Barry and I had developed quite a lengthy To-Do List and began checking off entries. Some items were as small as new fender covers. The biggest addition was going to be new stabilizers. Original equipment on most trawlers, Crossroads was an exception. We installed all of the electrical components, running wires in the ceiling, under the helm, and through the floors. That task was finished in time for us to spend a several days in Onancock prior to Labor Day.
We brought Crossroads back to Zimmerman's and were hauled in preparation for the big stabilizer installation. The fins were ready, new and in their crate. We were told to expect completion by November 1. Then we found out we needed a new rudder. Project creep was setting in. We waited patiently as time ticked by. Our new battery bank arrived, but we were not yet back in the water.
We flew to Provincetown and brought Water Dawg back to Deltaville with Fabrizzio and Manny. We spent our days tackling other projects. I gave Crossroads a good waxing. Barry worked on the radar. We removed our boom. We revarnished our nameboards and applied new vinyl letters. I helped Glenda load provisions onto Paradigm Shift and then said goodbye as they headed south for the winter. We were not close to getting back in the water.
The anxiety was mounting. I started accumulating dry goods and preparing meals to freeze. The fins were finally attached and we started to believe that we would be able to leave on Plan B (or were we up to Plan C), just after Thanksgiving. As our final land-based project, we marked and then loaded our new anchor chain. Crossroads went back in the water and systems were checked. They stabilizers would not work because the new sensors had not yet been received. Blame it on supply chain issues. "We'll let you know when we get them." We cancel our plans to depart before Christmas. We still have several big projects to accomplish now that we're in the water. Job Number One was cleaning the layer of filth that had accumulated on every interior surface. Louvered doors are incredible dust magnets and Crossroads has dozens of them. We removed the old batteries and installed the new ones. Barry went back under the helm to run more wires.
A new watermaker was the last big project to check off the list. Installation went well and soon we were enjoying nice, clean water. StilI no sensors. I stowed four months of provisions in every nook and cranny. We were ready, but still no sensors. Then, just as great new Christmas memories were being made, a tracking number arrived via email. Santa would bring our sensors on Christmas Eve. We did Christmas morning at mom's with Lisa and Robbie.
I then drove to North Carolina for second Christmas and Barry drove to Deltaville. He installed the new position sensors on the stabilizer heads, and after a few chats with the supplier's engineer, got everything up and running on Tuesday. We were back on track.
We closed up the house on Wednesday (yesterday) and moved onto the boat today (Thursday). We are all set to go ... again. We leave the dock tomorrow for a short shake-down cruise before turning south for Florida and picking up where we left off.
