Log Book
Nov 2009
Nov 2009
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| November 2009 |
Richmond Yacht Club
Well, we are living on the boat in our berth at Richmond Yacht Club. We gave the renters in
our Antioch house generous notice to move out – until Jan 15 – and then discovered to our
dismay on Nov 20 that they had not paid rent for Oct or Nov. So now we and our property
manager are dealing with that and hoping not to be forced into the eviction process. In the
meantime we have a place to live – very comfortably – and we will get back into the house when
it happens.
Susie played bridge with the RYC group “Deck Hands” and met other bridge players. One of
them has invited Susie to play with a group at her home. So until she gets a job, she will enjoy
playing bridge whenever she can. Sam and Susie still play Baja Rummy on the boat most every
evening still – we keep a running score book and as of the end of November, Susie was leading
by 3 games. But Sam has been on a lucky streak – he was 5 games behind earlier in the
month.
We went to a Thanksgiving potluck dinner for Martinez Swingers, our old square dancing group,
and got re-acquainted with friends. It looks like we will be able to get back into the “swing” of
things very soon. We plan to take a refresher course in January, but in the meantime we will try
dancing with them as we are able on Wednesday nights, and maybe some hoe downs too.
The first RYC cruise-out since our return was the popular annual “Turkey Trot” to Benicia Yacht
Club, the day after Thanksgiving. We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with Susie’s
daughter Jennifer and her family in Sacramento, then returned that night to the boat with Susie’
s 8-year-old grandson Hunter. Friday morning we left for BYC – it was alternately cloudy, misty,
sunny, and then finally a full blown rain-storm started about 15 minutes before we docked. So
we tied up, ran the power cord and turned on the heaters, and stayed inside to play cards –
UNO which is one of Hunter’s favorite games. Friday evening when it cleared we went for a walk
and up to the clubhouse to see who was hanging about. Saturday delivered blue skies and
wind, so we walked through the town and had ice cream for lunch – why not? Susie walked
without her cane the entire time, about 3 hours with maybe 30 minutes sit-down time. She was
very tired, but that’s OK, she is building up her stamina and the strength in her legs. Saturday
evening we played some monopoly with Hunter in the clubhouse, then had dinner with the RYC
group. On Sunday morning, Susie’s daughter Jennifer (Hunter’s mother) came down to join our
little group dock breakfast party and took Hunter home. We motored most of the way back, with
a friend’s boat “Lassie” on a tow line (they had an engine problem), because there was so little
wind. For a while both boats were able to sail, but to get back before dark we re-started the
engines and re-attached the tow line. Only mishap – when Sam went below to use the head,
Susie decided to take the up side of a buoy instead of the down (those directions being relative
to the 3 knot current flowing through the bay) and we hit it on the starboard beam side. Made a
loud crash, but apparently no damage other than some more paint missing, and “Lassie” was
able to steer away from the buoy and avoid it altogether. Chalk that up to Susie’s lack of
experience at the helm with both currents and towing – you can bet she learned something from
that bang-up.
So as you can see, we are still enjoying life - sailing, playing, dancing and cruising – what else
is there to do until we get jobs?
Well, we are living on the boat in our berth at Richmond Yacht Club. We gave the renters in
our Antioch house generous notice to move out – until Jan 15 – and then discovered to our
dismay on Nov 20 that they had not paid rent for Oct or Nov. So now we and our property
manager are dealing with that and hoping not to be forced into the eviction process. In the
meantime we have a place to live – very comfortably – and we will get back into the house when
it happens.
Susie played bridge with the RYC group “Deck Hands” and met other bridge players. One of
them has invited Susie to play with a group at her home. So until she gets a job, she will enjoy
playing bridge whenever she can. Sam and Susie still play Baja Rummy on the boat most every
evening still – we keep a running score book and as of the end of November, Susie was leading
by 3 games. But Sam has been on a lucky streak – he was 5 games behind earlier in the
month.
We went to a Thanksgiving potluck dinner for Martinez Swingers, our old square dancing group,
and got re-acquainted with friends. It looks like we will be able to get back into the “swing” of
things very soon. We plan to take a refresher course in January, but in the meantime we will try
dancing with them as we are able on Wednesday nights, and maybe some hoe downs too.
The first RYC cruise-out since our return was the popular annual “Turkey Trot” to Benicia Yacht
Club, the day after Thanksgiving. We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with Susie’s
daughter Jennifer and her family in Sacramento, then returned that night to the boat with Susie’
s 8-year-old grandson Hunter. Friday morning we left for BYC – it was alternately cloudy, misty,
sunny, and then finally a full blown rain-storm started about 15 minutes before we docked. So
we tied up, ran the power cord and turned on the heaters, and stayed inside to play cards –
UNO which is one of Hunter’s favorite games. Friday evening when it cleared we went for a walk
and up to the clubhouse to see who was hanging about. Saturday delivered blue skies and
wind, so we walked through the town and had ice cream for lunch – why not? Susie walked
without her cane the entire time, about 3 hours with maybe 30 minutes sit-down time. She was
very tired, but that’s OK, she is building up her stamina and the strength in her legs. Saturday
evening we played some monopoly with Hunter in the clubhouse, then had dinner with the RYC
group. On Sunday morning, Susie’s daughter Jennifer (Hunter’s mother) came down to join our
little group dock breakfast party and took Hunter home. We motored most of the way back, with
a friend’s boat “Lassie” on a tow line (they had an engine problem), because there was so little
wind. For a while both boats were able to sail, but to get back before dark we re-started the
engines and re-attached the tow line. Only mishap – when Sam went below to use the head,
Susie decided to take the up side of a buoy instead of the down (those directions being relative
to the 3 knot current flowing through the bay) and we hit it on the starboard beam side. Made a
loud crash, but apparently no damage other than some more paint missing, and “Lassie” was
able to steer away from the buoy and avoid it altogether. Chalk that up to Susie’s lack of
experience at the helm with both currents and towing – you can bet she learned something from
that bang-up.
So as you can see, we are still enjoying life - sailing, playing, dancing and cruising – what else
is there to do until we get jobs?
| PHOTOS for Nov 2009 |