The Prep. Volume 7: Our ride's here.......

The Only Way Home is Forward!

This rather severe-looking gentleman is Hernando (aka Hernán) Cortez, the conquistador who conquered the Aztecs for the King of Spain in the 16th century.  Among his other accomplishments are the introduction of the Catholic faith (and probably smallpox) to what we now know as Mexico.

Lesser known is his contribution to leadership science thru his Burn the Ships Rule. This rule states when required to lead a team on a journey of unknown duration and outcome, it is wise to eliminate alternate courses of action.   So, upon arrival in Mexico in 1518, he burned (or disabled, depending on which historian you believe) his ships, thereby eliminating the option that his team could turn around and return to Spain.   No way home but forward, as it were.

It is in that spirit that we introduce you to Hernando, the Rent-a-Burban who will carry us (and WAY too much stuff) from Spokane to Virginia Beach.   Quite a handsome fellow, don't you think?   Don't worry, we have no plans to torch him. His name just reflects our commitment to making this trip happen. 

But,  can he swallow the growing pile of stuff in our garage?  And can he then carry it 2700 miles across our great country?   Stay tuned to find out........

The Prep Volume 6: Neither Rain, Nor Snow, Nor Gloom of Quarantine......... .......

St Brendan's Isle (then)

In the middle ages, St Brendan's Island was like Brigadoon for the Catholic faithful, appearing and disappearing in the North Atlantic as circumstances required. The island reportedly had the ability to manage time, making a 15 day stay by St. Brendan (the Navigator) and his monks be a year-long wait for the ships on which they sailed.  A pretty useful trick IMHO, but unfortunately, there have been no recent sightings reported. (😢)

But there is hope!  

St Brendan's Isle (now)

In the 21st century, St Brendan's Isle is the go-to mail handling service for long-term travelers (Like us Loopers!).  Based in Glen Cove Springs, FL, St Brendan's will accept our mail from the USPS, filter out the obvious junk, and forward what remains to us on-demand at any address we designate. Optionally, they will open and scan the first class and send it to us via email.  All for not a lot of $.    Pretty cool, huh!

It seems they do good business.   When we enrolled, we were assigned a box # in the 16,000's! 😮

How they arrived at their business name is, like the island,  apparently lost in the mists of legend.  Perhaps its because their process is so well designed and executed, it is nye on invisible.  We hope so.  👍

To Go or Not to Go........

Time for a DECISION!

A couple of weeks ago, we set Friday, May 15 for our Go/No Go decision for a June 1 departure.  Since then, we have been continuing our packing, perusing Google Maps endlessly, and gathering information from multiple sources about Pandemic conditions along our route and in Virginia Beach.

And suddenly, its HERE! 😨

And we are ....................................................

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(Wait for it!)

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Drum roll, please..........

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More to follow. (he he!😁)

The Prep, Volume 5

A New Crew Member! (A Familiar Face)

We haven't even begun our voyage, but we have already added a new crew member.   You will all recognize Wilson, despite his new haircut.   Believed lost at sea during his last cinematic appearance, he has realigned his life, repurposed himself, and elected to sign on with the Irish Lass (in an advisory capacity, of course.)  Welcome aboard, Wilson!

Wilson comes to us as a bon voyage gift from the Board of Administration of Timberview Church in Spokane (www.timberview.org), where Wade served as Treasurer for many years.   Thank you, one and all. 😃⛪

We remain "on the hard"  here in Spokane, anxiously awaiting the pandemic "all clear" for departure for VA.  Our new targeted departure date is June 1st.  And thus far Budget has been accomodating in re-scheduling our rent-a-Suburban reservation.  (Probably because we pre-paid the entire rental in return for a discount back in January. )  Given the somewhat uneven state-level approach to pandemic closures and restrictions, we expect to re-think our cross-country course based on levels of infection, population density, and gubernatorial intelligence.   Perhaps more Nebraska and Iowa, and less Sioux Falls and Chicago. (Who knew South Dakota could be so dangerous.  Sheesh) At least we should enjoy moderating gas prices.

Needless to say, the continuing delay is frustrating.  (We find ourselves looking at pictures of the boat, just to remind us what she looks like.  😣)  Our frustration increases as we see friends launching their boats in local waters while we sit high and dry.  We continue to monitor news from other Loopers on Facebook and the AGLCA Forum.  In an effort to keep current, we have been engaged in a number of interesting webinars, including boat lists and procedures, ICW navigation, and a wonderful series on marine electronics by guru Ben Stein of PANBO (www.panbo.com).

Everybody stay healthy, OK?

(WIIIILLLLLSONNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

By the time we get to Missoula.......

April 6th: Departure Day (NOT! 😠)

If all had gone as planned (our plan, anyway), by the time you read this we would be in Montana.  Headed east on I-90 with a truckload of boating gear and pockets full of dreams.

But NOOOOOO..........

We're still hard aground here in Spokane.  😢On a falling tide for the time being.  😨

(NOT us.  NOT our boat. Do NOT try this at home.)

The news from other Loopers is increasingly grim.  Many marinas are closing, with some telling transient boats to get lost.   Fuel docks, pump outs, and fresh water are harder to find.   Waterways (i.e locks and bridges) accomodating commercial traffic are still open, but many intended only for recreational boats are curtailing operations or closing altogether.  Conditions in NYC really are starting to sound like a bad Kurt Russel movie (" I swear to God, Snake, I thought you were dead." )  And oublier trying to get into Canada, eh?  Oh, merde.

So we are lying low and filling our time as best we can.  There are lots of online boating skills classes to be taken,  And many different Great Loop cruising guides to be studied.  Manuals for electronics to be studied,  More gear to sort. Dogs to walk. The endless chatter on the Looper Facebook site and the AGLCA Forum. 

This is also an opportunity to arrange for some additional upgrades and repairs to the boat.   So we have locals in Virginia lined up for some minor fiberglass work, repair of damaged Volvo engine gauge, and a few other items.  Hey, what's a boat if you can spend money on it. right?

Be assured, we're still going.  At the earliest healthy opportunity.

Thanks for watching

The Prep, Volume 4

'splain DIS one to me, Punky......

Irish Lass's primary VHF radio is equipped with two very important safety features.

The first is Digital Selective Calling (DSC), which provides (among other things) a one-button emergency broadcast that identifies the boat and its location to the Coast Guard and other emergency responders.   It allows you to alert them to a serious situation while you are occupied with other matters.  Like plugging the hole in the boat.  Or fighting a fire.  Or performing CPR.

The second is an Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder that broadcasts our boat info, location, course, and speed to other AIS-equipped vessels.  And allows us to see the same info on them.  For Loopers, AIS is particularly valuable in narrow waterways with blind corners.  It lets you "see" that oncoming towboat around the bend pushing 14 barges of God-knows-what, rather than when you turn the corner and find yourself in its immediate path.    Similarly, when you are anchored in some snug cove, the towboat captain can "see" you before he parks his 14 barges on top of you for the night.

In order to make either of these features work, we have to obtain a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number for Irish Lass.   The number registers the specifics about us and the boat with the Coast Guard, etc.  We will program it into our VHF before we set sail.

Now, I told you all that in order to tell this:

Mere mortals can get an MMSI number quickly and easily thru BoatUS, a large national boaters association, for $25.    But WE have to apply for ours thru Federal Communications Commission.

"Why?" you may ask?  Well, because WE intend to visit Canada on our Loop.  And because of this, we have to obtain a federal Ship Station Radio License, along with our MMSI number  At a cost of $220.

So, WE have to buy this federal license that no US authority will ask us to display or produce while in US waters.  But if WE visit a Canadian port (technically any foreign port), WE must possess a US-issued license over which no one in Canada has jurisdiction.

So, being law-abiding citizens, WE are licensed.  Confused, but licensed.  😕

(And how do you spell Canada?  It's easy: "C, eh? N, eh? D, eh?"    😂)

The Prep, Volume 3

Can you hear me NOW?

If your household is demographically similar to ours, you know that the answer to most questions between partners is "What?".  Or maybe "%&##&WHAT#$%%&!!?". 

In this vein, another interesting piece of gear we have acquired is a set or Eartec UltraLite headsets,  Known in Looper circles as "Marriage Savers", these are wireless, intercom headsets that allow real-time communications between helmsman and deckhand while docking, locking thru, or anchoring.  No.  Yelling.  Required.   They even keep one ear free for the frantic honking of that ferryboat coming up behind you at 15 knots.  Best of all,  they are full-duplex, so you can continue to talk over each other and finish each other's sentences, just like at home.

Hat courtesy of Tim and Teri O'Rourke. 👍😁

A little spendy at $400 for the pair.  But WAY cheaper than all those flowers, cards, chocolates, and groveling apologies.  Not to mention jewelry,   Besides,  we saved so much on the bikes and the knives, right?