The Next Phase

I’m on my way back to Tahoe, via Minnesota where I meet Libbie and we see Katie’s family.

I am writing this sitting in Washington Reagan airport waiting for my flight and reflecting on the past two days.

(And no, there is no sign of my laptop, so this blog entry is happening on my phone).

Needless to say, the trip coming down the Chesapeake from Baltimore was fun. Driving Selkie is a dream, and she handles very well regardless of what the conditions are. She just purrs steadfastly along at around 7.5 knots.

I remarked to Libbie in a phone call that this was the first time I sat in my own boat in 38 knot winds at 42 degrees and I was bone dry and comfortable. Mind you, this was turning the corner into

Annapolis Harbor and not out on the open ocean, but as we went in, a Catalina 36 like our old boat While I Can, was heading out, reefed, and everyone on the boat was looking cold in the 42 degree weather.

The stabilizers (which are big moving fins on the bottom of Selkie to keep her from rolling side to side) function well and make for a comfortable ride.

Having the heat set to 68 degrees on a blustery, cold day in the boat certainly helped.

This is a new phase of boating for me.

Selkie now sits at Solomons, Maryland waiting for work to be done. I talk to the yard manager and things should start next Tuesday.

When Libbie and I return in a month, she should be well ready to go for our extended trip to the great lakes and eventually Mackinaw City, Michigan.

In the meantime, Libbie and I have a ski season to wrap up, before we turn our attention to getting the final packing done for our extended trip. There is a possibility than when we leave Tahoe, we may not be back before September. We shall see what happens there.

In the meantime, Selkie has checked as many boxes for me as possible for now, and when Libbie finally sees her, I think she will be very pleased.

I can’t wait until she finally sees Selkie for the first time.