I had posted earlier that Drift Away is now in Annapolis. That is not quite correct. We are in the Maritime Republic of Eastport, an independent micro-nation.
The bridge over Spa Creek that connects Eastport and Annapolis was closed for repairs back in 1998, effectively cutting off the community of Eastport from Annapolis. In a meeting on Superbowl Sunday, and no doubt fueled by copious quantities of alcohol at Davis' Pub, it was decided to secede from not only Annapolis, but from the union. They declared themselves the Maritime Republic of Eastport.
Eastport declared "war" on Annapolis. In November of 1998, the first tug-of-war between Annapolitians and Eastport-aricans (they refer to themselves as such) was held. The night before the big event, a group of Eastport-aricans raided the Annapolis city hall and replaced it's flag with that of the Maritime Republic of Eastport.
In reality, this group is more than just fun and games. They also raise money for area charities through their events. Their motto is "we like it this way". I could live here.
On another note, Pam and I have a friend from Stamford who sold his powerboat and bought a sailboat this past spring. He taught himself to sail over the summer. He left Stamford in November, planning on eventually making it to St. Thomas. His first stop was Chincoteague Island which is at the southern end of Maryland, a whopper of a trip, especially for a relatively new sailor. He then sailed to Hog Island and then Norfolk.
He was experiencing some trouble. His alternator burned out, his autopilot broke, and he's got boat leaks galore. He called Pam and I and sounded pretty dejected. We convinced him to come to Annapolis to get fixed up and to spend Thanksgiving with friends. He agreed and sailed non-stop, arriving yesterday in pea soup fog.
Our two pit bulls, Ruby and Chevy, know Miro from Seaview House Marina in Stamford. They were very excited to see him and were all over him, especially Chevy who likes to rough house with Miro. And vice-versa.
Miro teases Chevy by keeping tug-of-war toys away. In his Slovakian accent, "You can't have dis. Miro's toy."
Chevy responds as pit bulls do and ripped his hand off. Naw, not really. They're just playing, and Chevy's fangs didn't go that far into Miro's hand.
And in the end, they're best buds.
Pam fed Miro a great chicken dinner and I did my job of getting him well lubricated. I delivered him back to his boat, not expecting to see him until at least noon the next day at the earliest. I took the dogs for their potty walk at 8 AM today and there he was, awake and smiling broadly. Mission accomplished.
Today we removed the alternator from his engine since he doesn't need it (he has a wind generator) and borrowed friend Chuck's car and hied ourselves to the local NAPA store to get a shorter fan belt. All he needs to turn is the water pump. We'll install the belt tomorrow. We also ordered a new pinion sprocket from eBay. Hopefully, that will be here Friday or Saturday and we can get that fixed and he's good to go. Hey, every boat leaks, that can wait.
Miro is thinking about going back to Stamford to work and replenish his cruising kitty. He says he'd really like to install a new engine and do some other expensive things on his boat, and he can find work easily in Stamford where he knows people. Pam and I are trying to convince him that, like us, he can work on his boat just as easily down south, if not easier because the weather is better. He's waffling a bit now. I think Pam showing him sailing magazines with bikini clad women on white sandy beaches may have had an impact. And I'm thinking that a talented guy like Miro (he does construction) can find work anywhere. We'll see what happens.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It will be Pam and I, now joined by Miro, at Kate and Chuck's for Thanksgiving. Go Ravens!
The bridge over Spa Creek that connects Eastport and Annapolis was closed for repairs back in 1998, effectively cutting off the community of Eastport from Annapolis. In a meeting on Superbowl Sunday, and no doubt fueled by copious quantities of alcohol at Davis' Pub, it was decided to secede from not only Annapolis, but from the union. They declared themselves the Maritime Republic of Eastport.
Eastport declared "war" on Annapolis. In November of 1998, the first tug-of-war between Annapolitians and Eastport-aricans (they refer to themselves as such) was held. The night before the big event, a group of Eastport-aricans raided the Annapolis city hall and replaced it's flag with that of the Maritime Republic of Eastport.
In reality, this group is more than just fun and games. They also raise money for area charities through their events. Their motto is "we like it this way". I could live here.
On another note, Pam and I have a friend from Stamford who sold his powerboat and bought a sailboat this past spring. He taught himself to sail over the summer. He left Stamford in November, planning on eventually making it to St. Thomas. His first stop was Chincoteague Island which is at the southern end of Maryland, a whopper of a trip, especially for a relatively new sailor. He then sailed to Hog Island and then Norfolk.
He was experiencing some trouble. His alternator burned out, his autopilot broke, and he's got boat leaks galore. He called Pam and I and sounded pretty dejected. We convinced him to come to Annapolis to get fixed up and to spend Thanksgiving with friends. He agreed and sailed non-stop, arriving yesterday in pea soup fog.
Our two pit bulls, Ruby and Chevy, know Miro from Seaview House Marina in Stamford. They were very excited to see him and were all over him, especially Chevy who likes to rough house with Miro. And vice-versa.
Miro teases Chevy by keeping tug-of-war toys away. In his Slovakian accent, "You can't have dis. Miro's toy."
Chevy responds as pit bulls do and ripped his hand off. Naw, not really. They're just playing, and Chevy's fangs didn't go that far into Miro's hand.
And in the end, they're best buds.
Pam fed Miro a great chicken dinner and I did my job of getting him well lubricated. I delivered him back to his boat, not expecting to see him until at least noon the next day at the earliest. I took the dogs for their potty walk at 8 AM today and there he was, awake and smiling broadly. Mission accomplished.
Today we removed the alternator from his engine since he doesn't need it (he has a wind generator) and borrowed friend Chuck's car and hied ourselves to the local NAPA store to get a shorter fan belt. All he needs to turn is the water pump. We'll install the belt tomorrow. We also ordered a new pinion sprocket from eBay. Hopefully, that will be here Friday or Saturday and we can get that fixed and he's good to go. Hey, every boat leaks, that can wait.
Miro is thinking about going back to Stamford to work and replenish his cruising kitty. He says he'd really like to install a new engine and do some other expensive things on his boat, and he can find work easily in Stamford where he knows people. Pam and I are trying to convince him that, like us, he can work on his boat just as easily down south, if not easier because the weather is better. He's waffling a bit now. I think Pam showing him sailing magazines with bikini clad women on white sandy beaches may have had an impact. And I'm thinking that a talented guy like Miro (he does construction) can find work anywhere. We'll see what happens.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It will be Pam and I, now joined by Miro, at Kate and Chuck's for Thanksgiving. Go Ravens!
Why not replace the alternator. He needs at least two charging sources, three is better.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of boat is it?
He's convinced that his wind generator is more than adequate to keep his 380 amp battery bank charged. If there's an extended period of no wind, he has a Honda gas generator he can run.
ReplyDelete