Mast Up!

I'm a firm believer that it's the little things in life that are important. Below you see our new spider web remover bought as a gift by Mike and Marlene. It holds an important place in our "necessary equipment" department. I probably killed 30 spiders today as we dismantled the
cradle that held the mast above the deck. Those little fellows came out from every hiding place.





Our mast went up today with the help of this OLD equipment at
Hop-O-Nose Marina in Catskill, NY. This pully was used during the original canal days. I must say that it was a far cry from the stuff they use at Irish Boat Shop, but it worked!

Now our job is planning for the next leg. Where shall we go? We consulted the state map, a guide to the Hudson River, the Waterways Guide , the phone and talked to lots of people. (It seems that that is the best source of information.) In two days we'll be in Haverstraw Bay and meeting Jon and Sharon Morris and their two kids (Don's sister and her family). It will be fun to introduce the boat to non-sailors. They will spend the night (6 people in a little space!!!!) and we'll sail or motor to a swimming beach for a day of laziness. It will be so much fun. We just wish that Kyle and Ryan could be with us too. They love their cousins and the boat.

Just a little note about what a small world this is.......we met a couple in Waterford from Sparta, NJ. They knew exactly where Wantage, NJ, is (Don's family is there.) They found us again in Catskill and we had dinner together. Turns out they knew Melissa (from the second blog) and someone else that Lou knew. We couldn't believe it!