The calendar page flipped on Monday. It is now officially time to think about sailing, and so there are some developments to report.
First, I'm thinking seriously about getting down to the waterfront and grinding the rust off of the Mariner's centerboard, in preparation for reinstallation. Once that's done, I'll have to fiberglass over the through-hull in the cuddy cabin where I took out the head. Then I'll have to bottom paint both the centerboard and the bottom, because our as yet un-named boat will be spending the summer on a mooring.
That's another item on the boating to-do list: Secure a mushroom anchor.
On a more active level, I contacted Skip Lippincott, whom we have asked to make a new dodger for Robin. He said he may get down to Cambridge this coming week to measure. If he does, I'll go down to help out as much as I can.
When I'm aboard Robin next -- whether with Skip or alone -- I need to gather some charts. Monica has agreed to a two-week Maine cruise this summer.
The way it will work is a modification of past efforts. I had said after my last delivery of Robin from Connecticut to Cambridge that I would never do that again, and I won't. I will not set myself up for a tight schedule. It sucks all the enjoyment out of sailing.
Rather, either alone or with crew, I will head for Maine well in advance of Monica's arrival.
With only minimal stops, it is a seven-day trip. This time, I'll go no farther in a day than makes me happy. It may take two weeks or more, but when I get there, I'll be ready for Monica's arrival and for a leisurely cruise through the islands and thoroughfares that make Maine so enchanting.
I am almost certain of one thing regarding that trip. Rather than sail from Cape May, NJ, to Buzzards Bay and through the Cape Cod Canal, I will sail outside, going directly from Cape May to Rockland, ME. That would be a minimum of four days at sea, and it would cover ocean bottom where I've never been.
So I need to bring home the charts and begin studying.
Then, with the first warm weather, I'll be aboard Robin, doing all the maintenance that the winter has made necessary, along with some improvements already on the list.