The shoulder is yielding to therapy, so all the boating plans and dreams, now more than ever a practical possibility in the coming months, are flooding in.
A chartplotter is finally in our sights. The prices have come down enough and the need, if we are to sail along and through the coast of Maine and its fog and rocks, is imminent.
Soon, I'll be going to Robin's side (at the request of Skip Lippincott, the canvass man) to oversee the fitting of the new dodger and Robin's resurrection.
Next Tuesday -- only seven days from now -- I visit the orthopedist and hope that he approves removal of the sling. Then serious boat -- and, yes, garden -- work can begin.
For now, I'm left with pawing through the charts for the summer cruise to Maine. Having already succeeded in posting photos on this blog, I'll attempt to present the charts in question, shot at home with the digital camera.

The photo at the top is the overall chart that gets you from Atlantic City, NJ, to Cape Cod, MA. Atlantic city is, roughly, along the coast to the lower left side of the chart. Nantucket is the yellow island amid the swirls of blue in the upper right corner of the photo.

The second chart shows the perils of going too close to Nantucket. Notice below the blue areas -- which indicates shoal water -- the warning: "Area to be avoided."

The third chart shows the waters between Nantucket and Penobscot Bay, which appears as the largest dent in the coastline of Maine, approximately at the center of the upper end of the chart.

Our goal will be to sail from Cape May to Penobscot Bay without running aground. We're still seeking local knowledge, if anyone would be so kind.

Inasmuch as I couldn't place the photos in this blog where I wanted to, I'm seeking some local knowledge for blogspot.com, too.