Today we woke up to a very windy and cold morning. The weather up to today has been gorgeous for exploring Annapolis but wind is necessary for sailing so you have to except the cold that comes with it. What we hadn't counted on was the wind driving the water out of the bay and in addition to the low tide, has caused the keel to sink into the mud until the tide comes up! So, with time on our hands Marty Muench drove us all over to Eastport for breakfast. When ...

True to form, our departure date changed again. Now it looks like tomorrow noon is the time. So this morning after breakfast at the Market, Marty and Peter went for the fresh bread, fruit, vegetables, wine, etc., and upon returning we all formed a chain to transfer the food from the cart to inside the boat for proper stowing. After lunch, Peter took Erica and I on deck and explained the man-overboard procedure and gave us an introduction to the lines, rigging,...

Today Peter informed us that we would plan to leave after noon tomorrow but I hold no stock in this as our departure date has changed daily for a week now. Not his fault of course. It's a challenge this time of year to get a three day window to get out of the Chesapeake and across the Gulf Stream. It seems that it's either too windy or not windy enough. But, just in case we were leaving tomorrow, after breakfast I gathered my dirty clothes and set off to do l...

It's been a week now and the Mezza Luna is ready for sea. Unfortunately the sea isn't ready for us. The weather has deteriorated to a tropical depression on our route and now we are looking at this Saturday for a departure date. Peter is going stir crazy with the waiting but none of the crew has any deadlines to worry about. We were all given the day off and after breakfast, I went off to explore the Naval Academy. The grounds of the Academy are beautiful wi...

The big task for today was putting up Peter's new genoa foresail. What a beauty, crisp and white. Can't wait to see it full of wind. Then I remembered that when I was lubing the sheet carriages, I noticed that there was all matter of dirt and leaves and bugs trapped underneath. I got the dust broom, soapy water and brush, and started in. But the whole deck was really pretty dirty so I just started on the bow and swept the whole deck. Peter also asked me to...