Letter to Friends and FamilyHolidays 2005+ Larger Font | + Smaller Font
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Written by Trudy and Graham |
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November 28, 2005 Hello to all our family and friends, Where did this past year go? Just last December we were afloat in the warm, blue waters of the Bahamas and here we are now, sitting beside a cozy log fire at our house in Oxford on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The year started out with our quest to find at least one glass fishing float (a.k.a. “Portuguese glass ball”) located somewhere among the remotest islands of the Bahamas. With a couple of direct hurricane strikes the previous summer, we figured at least a couple of beaches would have been turned over enough to expose some hidden treasures. With lots of legwork and the able assistance of friends Kimberly & Bruce aboard Nice'n'Easy and Dave & Beth from Grateful Attitudes, Trudy eventually struck gold and was momentarily speechless at the sight of her first ball and the words “Made in England” branded on the base! We went on to collect a total of sixteen balls of varying shape and size, and between us and our friends, the southern Bahamas gave up more than three dozen! Once again we had the pleasure of returning to the First Friday in February Farmers Cay Festival (“5F”) where we met up with our friends Chris & Mike on Bel Ami. This year we spent all our time in the race committee boat chasing Bahamian sloops, helping run races and throwing cold beer at the competitors. Amongst all this, Graham found time to spear fish with his like-minded hunter friends while Trudy helped arrange beach barbeques to share the bounty. March saw us back in Georgetown, Exuma, where we found ourselves reunited with friends Jon & Merry and their children Chris, Kat and Daniel aboard Tookish, a “Stevens 47 Custom”, Sparkman & Stephens designed cutter-rigged sloop. We first met them the year before on their journey south to the Caribbean and an unforgettable appointment in Grenada with the category 5 hurricane Ivan. This time around they were on their way north to Wilmington, North Carolina where they planned to move ashore, put the boat on the market and send their oldest off to college. Strangely, despite having no prior plans for moving up to a bigger boat, we found ourselves negotiating the purchase of Tookish, and were soon northward bound so we could return home and put Luna Azul on the market. In early April we departed Marsh Harbour, Abaco bound for Beaufort, North Carolina. After twelve hours of unpleasant pounding conditions, moderating winds deserted us completely and once again afforded us the opportunity to verify our cruising range under power. As we motored along in perfectly calm seas we were sometimes accompanied by pods of dolphins riding our bow wave, and for the first time noticed hundreds of lethal man-o-wars jellyfish floating by with their oddly triangular “sails” just breaking the surface. Four days later we pulled in to Beaufort with nearly twelve gallons of diesel left in the tank – we’d used around 36 gallons for the 450 mile trip. We had Tookish surveyed at the Bennett Bros boat yard in Wilmington, NC in late May, and delivered her to the Chesapeake in late June, early July. We were both excited to finally sail around Cape Hatteras rather than travel our usual route up the ICW to the Chesapeake Bay. With the top of Tookish’s mast being nearly 65’ above the water, negotiating fixed bridges can be either a heart-stopping experience or very expensive, depending on state of the tide… taking the outside route was a most welcome relief. A few days after we arrived back in Oxford, Ann (Graham’s mum) flew in to join us for a boat warming party and some much appreciated manual labor around the garden. July was a shock to Trudy’s system as she found herself returning to the working world after a three year break. More specifically, she started a ten month program called “Critical Care University”, which is orienting her to be a Registered Nurse in the emergency department at the local hospital. The first month was spent solely in the classroom, and after that there are ten week placements on a medical/surgical ward and currently the Telemetry (heart monitored) unit. In the New Year she starts the regular three twelve hour shift a week in the emergency room. September rushed by, pausing just long enough for someone to write a contract on our old boat Luna Azul. Graham spent numerous days over the following six weeks providing help and advice to the new owner, Keith, a recently retired veterinarian. In late November, Keith and Luna Azul departed Oxford, heading south down the ICW to Florida, the Bahamas and beyond. He is renaming the boat After You, so if you happen to find yourself anchored next to her, please drop by and introduce yourself. Keith – may all your voyages be safe, with fair winds and calm seas. Graham spent the second week in November studying to obtain his ABYC Certified Marine Electrical Technician rating. All he’ll say is that it was a very long week with lost of rather dry material and a two hundred question test. Results are due sometime in the next week or so. As the year draws to an end we find ourselves spending time with local friends; Trudy went to the Maryland Renaissance festival with Caroline from Libre and Ashlei from Oxford Boatyard, and Graham has traveled to a couple of air rifle competitions, and each Thursday we join Oxford Boatyard’s Braxton for her “Orphan dinner” - an evening of amazing food, friendship and company. We hope this reaches you all well, and wish you all a wonderful holiday season. Lot of love, happiness, understanding, giggles and smiles Graham, Trudy, Shadow and Sylvester
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Copyright © 2004 Trudy and Graham Norbury. All rights reserved. |