Another tropical storm has turned into a hurricane her name is Dolly and she is heading for Matamoros Mex./brownsville Tx. my old stomping grounds.

I have been touching base with potential crew for next winter everything is beginning to come together so get or be getting ready if and when November comes.

I hope to circumnavigate the delmarva peninsula in late Aug. or Sept. getting my sailing at night certification and some clestial navigation under my belt.

Later………..

They breeze through with a fury, and leave high water and rough times for boats on the water, so far this year we have had two of them. Bertha is now in the north atlantic with Christobal curning up the coast of North Carolina and with another tropical storm [noel]  crossing Cuba the east coast of Florida and the Bahamas may be next?

The storms are necessary to break a drought or put out wild fires or clean the air or just readjust the thinking of the inhabitants of the coastlines. But for sailors these storms represent the fury of nature directed at their boats so riding out a hurricane or tropical storm can be harrowing to say the least [during the storm] and after, to those that have survived, to embrace the calm sun filled skys and seas with a cool one is so very rewarding that in a strange way you can not wait for the next one. The excitement is larger than life itself!!!

Personally I can wait but I know that reality, when it sets in as a hurricane, is waiting like the black hand to reach out and touch a sailor that ignores the weather I sometimes have to wonder how many return to talk about it?

Summer is breezing by faster than a subway train or a hurricane!

Here it is all ready July and in a scant 90 days we will be voting on a new president, finishing up with hurricane season, and preparing to sail south toward marco island Fl. and the carribean this winter.

Progress on the puffin is comming along, we have taken her out 8 times this spring and made some command decisions about the deck. Work on the cockpit will begin in late aug. Then the plans for the winter are coming together so shiver me timbers.

What a day,a little overcast, cool or should I say not all that hot, slight breeze , not all that humid, all in all a great day to be out on the water. I have no lidea just where the crew is haven’t heard from any of them but i’m sitting on deck watching the parade of boats leaving ingrqam bay after anchoring for the night to watch the fire work display which got delayed for rain on the 4 th.

I guess this life style of a cruiser has it’s ups and downs I’m not crusing yet but to go you need crew you can count on. A boat needs crew that are dependable and are there when you need them not just when it is convienient for them! This is all so new to me I really just do not know what to expect next with crew it seems like they are kind of like the weather unpredictable? Or what ever  …—…

The weathers fine 78 dungrees light winds forecast calls for storms and high winds tonight. I’m on the boat. tomorrow the crew should be comming for a day sail and crab feast I’m going even if they don’t show cause I rigged up a system so I can bring the boat into the slip solo. Step one is done…—…

We’ve had her out a number of times for day sails and taken some pics. check out the puffin web page for the sail and sailing pics. I think it is under the newer slide show tab.

Mike and I are about to begin the rebuild of the cockpit and maybe the aft cabin enlargement at the same time and a cruise to tangier island, a great day sail across the bay. Later this summer the Potomac and after that who knows guess it will all depend on crew.

Well it is about half way through summer and the crew is comming together it looks as if the cruise south will be happening this winter hooray.

I have been out more times this spring and each time the boat is eaiser to sail. I rigged up some extra lines and now have a system that stops me befor I run into the pileings or another boat so now I can come and go solo If I want to.

The rerpairs are on schedule so every thing is looking great 5 folk have joined as day sail crew with one ready to commit to this winter the others want to join for a week or two at a time so get ready the plog will be more regular so keep watching.

                                                                      Fair winds