Waiting and Waiting and Waiting

Dad at work up the mast

     Still in Hampton, Virginia. Dad has been working away at jobs on the boat to prepare for the ocean passage as well as looking at weather forecasts and consulting with Patrice about a possible departure date. At this point the weather isn't cooperating and there appears to be no good weather window to cross the tricky Gulf Stream before Wednesday of next week. So for the time being we are stuck in an open-ended pattern of waiting. 

     We joined up with a group of cruisers doing the same passage and are now part of the Salty Dog Rally. It's free and composed of people not wanting to fork out precious funds for the Caribbean 1500 as well as people who have done the 1500 in the past. Rallies like these follow the concept of 'safety in numbers' and offer participants weather information as well as access to the expertise of cruisers with more ocean experience. While out on the passage we will check in daily with rally organizers who will track the progress of participants and ensure their safety. Despite being part of this larger group, though, our major priority will be to stick with Raftan the whole way. 

     While in Hampton we've all tried to keep busy in our own ways. While Dad works through his ever-growing list of jobs, Mom, Sarah and I have gone on lots of walks, been reading and watching movies, used a laundromat on the campus on Hampton University, and visited the Virginia Air and Space Centre. It has a ton of interactive exhibits on airplane history, US Navy History and Space exploration and while there you can fly lots of different aircraft on simulators and even land (or in my case crash) a space probe on Mars.

     Some details from the week: The temperature has cooled a lot, but despite that houses here still have gardens blooming with pansies, chrysanthemums and roses. The people we've encountered on our stay, be they cruisers or locals, have been very friendly and helpful, some even offering to drive us to stores for supplies. Sarah got a kindle of her own and we can share all our books between our two kindles. Dad ordered boat cards (business-like contact cards for the boat) because everyone else has them to keep in touch with fellow cruisers they meet. Krill continue to crackle on our hull eating algae from the carpet of marine life growing there.

That's all for now, passage info to come soon,

Nicole.

The Crew is all Onboard

     This past weekend was the first time all four crew members for the trip down south were onboard Child's Play! Although Jamie will be joining us at Christmas for the remainder of our travels, Mom, Dad, Sarah and I will be the ones making the big trip down to the Caribbean in just a few weeks.

     In honour of finally sailing together this summer and the fact that the trip is blossoming on the horizon, here are some pictures from our weekend sailing in the Thousand Islands with Granny H.

My view for the next 10 months.

My clothes are officially onboard! Ready to go. Now.

Poppers hard at work; a typical sight.

Thanks to all the hard work this summer the boat is starting to feel completely comfy and liveable!

Yay for new winch covers!

     The word of the weekend was definitely Anticipation. With the arrival of August and the completion of all the major jobs on Mor' Childs Play our minds are turning more and more to our departure in early September. So many questions crop up in our minds as we look to the journey ahead. What will the trip be like? What will we see and experience along the way? What problems and challenges will we encounter? And always prominent (at least in my mind) is how will we fare in our first ocean trial?

     Despite any doubts and concerns that exist in our minds, I can honestly say that we will never be more ready for this trip than we are now. Mom and Dad have a thorough knowledge of the boat after all the work they've done on it this summer and have a lot of sailing knowledge and experience. As for Sarah and myself, we will continue to learn about the nuances of sailing and give help wherever we can throughout the trip. It is definitely time to get out there and explore the world a bit more!

As Dad so poignantly stated this weekend, we have a crew of very capable people, and we are bound to learn a lot along the way. Not just about sailing, but about ourselves as individuals and travellers.

Until next time!
Nicole.