Actually, Baltimore is lovely and the bright sunshine is cheerful; it is just the heat and humidity that are much less so. We cooled off the boat with the air conditioning after we arrived yesterday afternoon but have been relying on fans since then. At least today there is a slight breeze. And, luckily, the marina has a pool, so I jumped in there mid-afternoon.
Peter is working on installing new electronic equipment for navigation and moving the Garmin radar monitor to the pilot house. He needs to do a repair on the track for the mainsail, so I get to hoist him up in the boatswain's chair in a couple of days. Also, I need to do a bit of sewing on the mainsail and clean accumulated mold and dirt out of all the durades. Because Mantra has been docked at a marina on the Patapsco River, we really should hire a diver to clean the hull and the propeller before we leave. The weeds and barnacles will reduce our speed by at least one knot per hour if we don't. In addition to these minor issues, the refrigeration system died so Peter sent it off for repair in early August. It is not done yet, so we are relying on dry ice to keep food and drinks cold. Otherwise, the boat is perfectly ready to sail and live aboard! We plan to leave from Baltimore the middle of next week.
Tomorrow, we are renting a car and driving to Washington to visit our friends Lori, Michael and Elizabeth. We are all going to see Hamilton at the Kennedy Center on Friday evening, and then Peter and I will spend the night with them before heading back to Baltimore.
The tasks on the boat can keep Peter constantly busy, but I can only do cleaning and minor jobs for so long, so I plan to spend some time visiting museums and the waterfront. I am looking forward to the Walters Art Museum, the Peabody Library, the Baltimore Museum of Art and maybe even the Historic Ships of Baltimore. (Yes, I know that the Aquarium is the major attraction here, but I have been there several times in the last 25 years.) There is a seven-mile long promenade that extends from Canton Waterfront Park to and around the Inner Harbor. The marina is situated right along the promenade, so it couldn't be more accessible. I will brave the heat and humidity in the early morning hours or in the early evening to explore along this beautiful walkway.
It's 4 p.m. now, and I am sitting in the lounge of the marina, taking advantage of the Internet and the air conditioning.
We plan to be living on Mantra for the next three months, heading north to New England for the fall and then working our way down the eastern seaboard in order to make it to the Bahamas for Thanksgiving with our friends Paula and Andrew. We will be home for Christmas and, yes (because we have already been asked in August!), we will be hosting our annual Christmas party. Apparently, it is one of the social events of the season, so how could we not?
Peter is working on installing new electronic equipment for navigation and moving the Garmin radar monitor to the pilot house. He needs to do a repair on the track for the mainsail, so I get to hoist him up in the boatswain's chair in a couple of days. Also, I need to do a bit of sewing on the mainsail and clean accumulated mold and dirt out of all the durades. Because Mantra has been docked at a marina on the Patapsco River, we really should hire a diver to clean the hull and the propeller before we leave. The weeds and barnacles will reduce our speed by at least one knot per hour if we don't. In addition to these minor issues, the refrigeration system died so Peter sent it off for repair in early August. It is not done yet, so we are relying on dry ice to keep food and drinks cold. Otherwise, the boat is perfectly ready to sail and live aboard! We plan to leave from Baltimore the middle of next week.
Tomorrow, we are renting a car and driving to Washington to visit our friends Lori, Michael and Elizabeth. We are all going to see Hamilton at the Kennedy Center on Friday evening, and then Peter and I will spend the night with them before heading back to Baltimore.
The tasks on the boat can keep Peter constantly busy, but I can only do cleaning and minor jobs for so long, so I plan to spend some time visiting museums and the waterfront. I am looking forward to the Walters Art Museum, the Peabody Library, the Baltimore Museum of Art and maybe even the Historic Ships of Baltimore. (Yes, I know that the Aquarium is the major attraction here, but I have been there several times in the last 25 years.) There is a seven-mile long promenade that extends from Canton Waterfront Park to and around the Inner Harbor. The marina is situated right along the promenade, so it couldn't be more accessible. I will brave the heat and humidity in the early morning hours or in the early evening to explore along this beautiful walkway.
It's 4 p.m. now, and I am sitting in the lounge of the marina, taking advantage of the Internet and the air conditioning.
We plan to be living on Mantra for the next three months, heading north to New England for the fall and then working our way down the eastern seaboard in order to make it to the Bahamas for Thanksgiving with our friends Paula and Andrew. We will be home for Christmas and, yes (because we have already been asked in August!), we will be hosting our annual Christmas party. Apparently, it is one of the social events of the season, so how could we not?
