Jenny & Domingo

Ships Log 11/03/202 13:30 N 33 09′ W77 54′ Hampton, Virginia to St. Simon’s, Georgia. Jibed to port tack. Still wing-on-wing to avoid Cape Fear.

There is no doubt that since we met thirty-four years ago at PENN, Jenny and I have traveled further to see each other than any other person I know on earth. This time was no different. Arriving in Gloucester, Virginia, via London, California, and Washington DC, she came with Domingo ready for a Southern Chesapeake adventure on Gerty. The four of us didn’t stop talking for the entirety of our time together, and they left us wanting more.

Somehow, between all the chatter, we managed to squeeze in country walks, board games, paddle boarding, swimming, all kinds of southern comfort food, cider tasting, and of course, sailing. Make no mistake, it wasn’t all fun and games. These guys were serious crew, hoisting and winching like nobody’s business. They even lugged packages two miles from the UPS pick-up point to the dinghy dock for the full cruising experience! We were sad to see them go. Not only because we love them so but because no guests means back to boat work and planning for a challenging passage around Cape Hatteras.

Since they’ve gone, we cleaned and antifouled the speed transducer and swapped the depth and temperature sensor for a new one, completing two messy jobs. Then, I returned from a massive laundry event to find Michael looking odd. His hair was sticking up over his furrowed brow as he meticulously measured the mast angle with an adjustable triangle doo-dad. The new mast rotation sensor was giving him agida. So I stayed very quiet and watched him think.

The next day, I returned from a massive grocery shopping event to find him looking even more peculiar than the day before. His headlamp was on in the middle of the day, and he had a beard. I realized he hadn’t stopped thinking about electronics long enough to shave. So I didn’t say a word. 

In the end, I’ve prepared enough food to last us throughout the four-day passage, and Michael has installed EVERYTHING, including the B&G H5000 autopilot, B&G Zeus S 7″ chart plotter, B&G H5000 autopilot keypad, B&G rudder sensor, NKE mast rotation sensor, and Triton. He says his work isn’t pretty because he hasn’t finished spiffing up the back panels on the navigation station, but I think it’s beautiful.

Last remarks

• Michael installed the mast rotation sensor using a custom O-ring kit. Evidently, he made a rubber band (to avoid having to take the mast down) out of EPDM rubber, super glue, and heat shrink tubing. So cool.