Search Party!

says Brad. "I'm going to do it," says Holly, chisel in hand. Infuriated, Brad storms off threatening divorce. Maybe hard to believe but the word was said, and when it comes to the boat, a few threats of it are voiced every now and again. Frustrated exclamations of, "it's your boat" when something is going wrong - not our boat. And like the silly 1950's featured image of this post, sometimes, Brad just needs to let me deal with the boat. We both know each other have certain strengths and weaknesses when it comes to various tasks for and with CAYUGA. And this is just part of the deal when it comes to getting along and understanding each other - knowing that these moments are temporary and the current s*** show will too, pass. Heck, Brad and I love each other, if we did not, we would not have made it through any of this, and certainly not be about to celebrate 10 years of marriage and 15 since we met, in fact we already hit the 15 - on August 28, our first date. So, let's talk about how it got a bit heated - a chisel and woodwork - with the advisory to not proceed. I am not an expert with this tool, but I know what it is and what it does thanks to years of hanging out with dad and helping with his projects. They are deceptively simple looking tools, but they can do unintended damage if not properly handled. This all started because of a very silly situation that makes me totally nuts, it's my version of OCD; I do not like when things are broken or don't match or some variation of those issues. In this case, I'm talking about the hinges on CAYUGA's companionway doors. I took pictures last fall while being towed to our winter storage facility because I wanted to find a matching hinge - three are take-apart or bullet style knuckle hinges and one is a butt hinge. If the knuckles properly worked, the door is easily lifted out of place, but alas, due to the butt hinge on the port door, that was not possible. Hard to see in the photo dbut look at the bottom left, and you'll see what I mean - not to mention that it is silver (varnished over a bit and corroded). Oh, and lovely, the screws are different, and some are missing. This makes me crazy! This kind of thing makes me really wonder if people care about the things they own and want them to be in good condition. Clearly, I (we) am trying to get and keep CAYUGA that way. I scoured the internet to find a matching knuckle, but I was having little luck, then one day I stumbled upon a possible solution with what looked like a really close match except for the center part, this one having a large center ring and being flush with the rest of the hinge. This got me to thinking as the spring season wore on, what if I just replaced all four of the hinges with these? The existing ones are covered with varnish and bent, and generally a mess. Much easier to start new, right? So, I went one step further, what if I get them in chrome - everything else on the boat is silver colored, why replace them in brass? I measured the existing and got all new chrome hinges. As you know, Brad has been learning to varnish better with some help and asked the guy about the hinges. It was reported back to me that the new hinges were a little longer (figures even though I measured!) than the existing and it would take a lot more than simply unscrewing the old and screwing in the new. This was beyond what Brad felt I should be doing. I get it, he didn't want our beautiful teak possibly damaged because I am not an expert woodworker. But at what point does a boat owner relinquish their ability to work on their own boat if someone else doesn't think they can? I had owned and lived on a sailboat and had to learn to do things myself that I'd never done, how was this any different? Only, that I actually had used a chisel at least once in the past. I knew I could do it. It was a beautiful morning a couple of weeks ago, temperature in the 70s - a very welcome change from the insane heat and humidity of July - and I was headed to the boat to meet the varnish guy. Besides working on varnish and various repairs, we have also wanted to get the boat VSC (vessel safety check) certified. This requires someone who's approved to conduct such checks - usually folks from the Coast Guard Auxiliary or America's Boating Club (formerly the US Power Squadron). Brad had talked to a CGA person who has a boat at the marina, and they were showing up that morning too. And here's where it all went south. I get to the boat, meet varnish guy and Brad is completely set on me not performing any surgery on the boat to install the new hinges. We briefly discuss options: clean up and reuse the existing; try (again) to find that one replacement; return all hinges and get all smaller. I hated the idea of reusing the old hinges, it was hard enough to find what I had found and it was well past time when I could have returned or maybe even exchanged them, and there was no such hinge as what we had that I could find after an exhaustive search over the winter - if one existed it was probably in someone's old tools and gizmos bin. Then the CGA person shows up. Brad is upset because I want to understand what the process would be to do the work - which meant to him that I intended to proceed (he was correct). Brad's fury continues but now must focus on the CGA person, even so, he keeps coming back to me and telling me, please don't do it". I am trying to stay calm in the middle of the storm that's brewing. I ask Brad to focus on the CGA guy while I focus on varnish guy (who is charging money for his time). This might seem like not a big deal with each of us working on different things with different people, and those tasks demanding full attention separately. Oh no, that is not how it went down. I'm getting asked to turn on this, turn off that, while I'm trying to learn a quick lesson on skillful chisel handling. I'm trying to write this like I'm stuck in a blender at low speed getting turned up to high speed, because that's what it felt like. I'm angry that Brad is telling me not to do something I know I can do, right in front of everyone. All the while the CGA guy is going around checking here and there and I'm feeling bad and flustered that he's witnessing this meltdown (both of us at this point). We're not talking Chernobyl, more like Three Mile Island. And I'm apologizing to varnish guy every other second while trying to listen to him and relate to him that I fully get what he's telling me as he goes through what he thinks will be the job will entail and explaining a couple of really good points regarding the grain of the wood and the size chisel he might prefer for the work. I showed him the chisels we had on hand and then he offered his (really sharp!). As Wikipedia describes with reference to Three Mile Island , "Loss of coolant and partial core meltdown due to operator errors and technical flaws. There was a small release of radioactive gases". Who you think that might be in this scenario; I leave to your imagination. After both gentlemen have departed the boat, we are two very unhappy people. Brad is on fire about me installing the hinges. I'm beyond my capacity to figure out how to diffuse the situation when I know I can do the work and want to, and I just want things to simmer down. Brad leaves the boat in a big huff after we've directed some very pointed barbs at each other. I begin my hinge work. Brad does eventually return to the boat, I don't remember the sequence of events at this point, he left again and returned again, but somewhere along the line he had purchased some kind of cleaner - a sort of foaming stuff that strips paint/varnish/goo and put the old hinges in a jar to get them cleaned up. This is the kind of thing that is just a huge waste of time and money but in his mind, my hinge work should never have started and was doomed. I felt his ire was overwrought and his effort to restore the old hinges was the dumbest thing ever. Guess what - after attempting final cleaning of the first old hinge, he gave up. By this time, I was 90% done with my chiseling and had the top two hinges fully installed and working properly. To explain what my process of installation involved, first I had to chisel out almost 1/4" at the top of each leaf inset and then an additional 1/16" or so for each leaf to move inward because I had to keep the leaf flush with the edge of the door. I also found that I had to carve a new curve into each door trim to accommodate a slightly different location of the bottom part of the knuckle - you can see this in the first photo, particularly if you go back up to the photo of the old hinge knuckle location. I texted the varnish guy (and Brad) along the way and shared these photos of the progress. During it, I found all kinds of ways to hold the chisel steady and just use good old fashioned hand pressure on the wood as gently as possible but firmly so that my lines were straight and no wood was unnecessarily removed. I very lightly sanded each area after successfully trial fitting to prepare for a light coat of varnish later. I was worried that my chiseling would be too tight that once varnish was applied the hinge would not fit, therefore I tried carefully to allow for a tiny bit extra space but nothing you would notice unless you were this fellow: Anyway, in the end, we joked about having threatened "divorce", shared this story with a bunch of friends who know the dynamics around here, not to mention having lived through a lot of this boat with us, and laughed a lot, but mostly, Brad concluded the text message chain with the varnish guy saying, "I STAND CORRECTED". The doors look perfect - the installation a full success, the tools were returned, and yet another chapter of I love chiseling, is in the books.

Whenever I see the word "troubles", it almost always makes me think of that iconic Star Trek episode The Trouble with Tribbles . "Aye, they're into the machinery alright," is the line I'm thinking of that Scotty utters while carrying an armload of the furry, purring Tribbles. Whatever is in the CAYUGA machinery, it is certainly trouble. So let me tell you the story of this week and where we are with Mission Impossible: Water - Episode 1. This past Monday, I arrived to the yard, we chatted about the plan for the day and headed out. CAYUGA looks amazing. Her white boot stripe is perfectly white, whatever that cleaner they used, it went from yellowed and stained of the Bay's waters to looking freshly painted. Such a minor thing when compared the transmissions and engines but hey, that's what people see as she motors by them. A sharp looking girl, with everything as it should be. I was so excited. It was the first day away from the dock. Not only did her boot stripe look fabulous, but her transom, with the black finished around the chrome exhaust ports, just popped brilliantly. Her undergear was glowing from the Propspeed which looks gold-ish and if you ever have felt it after it's applied, it's rubbery! The paint "flexes" so nothing sticks. I had it on my sailboat's prop and decided it was more than worth it given the importance of props on a motor boat... Monday was in the 50s with a light breeze, so it wasn't a glorious outing that we were about to commence upon with regards to the weather but it's March in Maryland. And that means, memes galore and one weather forecast that sums it all up (from 2023 but still applies), seriously, you have to check out that site - that guy is intense, especially when it comes to snow (yes, I love snow). Sidebar: we paid a few extra dollars on our boat insurance to put the boat in prior to April 1 because March in MD. Look, if I don't laugh about this insanity... Anyway, we were off to go fill the gas tank, and since the preference is ethanol free, the only station around with that is a Royal Farms out on the main highway, Route 404. We're going for a ride, on pavement, first. It was interesting to drive behind the boat on the highway, with the driver never going above 45-50 mph. Fine with me. Since boating is not unfamiliar to folks in that area, it was kinda no big deal. Pulling into the station was a little bit surreal though, I have never personally watched a large boat pull up to a gas pump, on land. But this is what it looked like: After the fill stopped at some allowed amount, I went into the store and asked a very helpful woman behind the counter to put a hold on a few many more dollars so we could get this done without that limit again. Well, we never needed the amount I'd requested so that was a pleasant surprise. Which got us all thinking about how much had actually been put in back in early December during the engine break-in. Apparently, more than we thought. Oh, I know, you think we're goofs for not knowing these things but these old gas gauges aren't perfect and I don't know at what level the pickup is, so we don't really know how much gas is in that darn tank unless it's totally full. Before we left, a fellow walked up to the driver and engaged in conversation and asked about the boat. I knew the guy! How random! Brad knows him well, but I've met him before and he recognized me too. Of all the places to run into someone you know, with a beautiful classic boat, on a trailer, at a highway gas station. I think the best part was when the driver said, "the owner's right over there". Back on the highway, we're headed to the boat landing to launch for the first time in 2024. A smooth slide into the water amidst a bevy of folks fishing off the edges of the town landing, as well as a few Town officials monitoring whatever it was they were monitoring... and it was time to start the engines. But a little before that, one of the Town officials strolled over to say hi to the Denton folks and they pointed me out (again) and the fellow came over and said he thought I had a very fine boat. CAYUGA says thank you again! So now, it's go time. The engine guru was aboard as was the electrical guy, who is a diesel engine guy but he knows all the other important wiring aspects besides the engines. Good to have so some knowledge aboard. And so I turn to engine guy as he looks at me, and we, as I think it happened, were thinking, who is starting this baby up? I defer to him to make sure it starts the way he wants it to and he turns the ignitions. Both engines, one by one, fire up and find their idle after the usual warm up. This is a BIG deal. But taking it in stride because it's as it should be, after a few minutes, with me now in the captain's seat, I turn and ask if we're ready to go. I get the nod and so it's time for me to remember how to drive a boat. Believe me when I say, it's been TWO LONG + years of no touch or feel of CAYUGA and I was really starting to dial into her right when the season ended back in 2021..... oh geez that was soo long ago! I was so incredibly nervous all day. The morning work meeting was a breeze compared to sitting there thinking about how I didn't want to get it wrong the first moment off the dock. All way over from Annapolis I was freaking out in the car, my right foot felt like it was going numb so I kept fidgeting to make sure my body wasn't going paralyzed. Back surgery in 2009 led to some weird stuff I deal with so it was a combo of nerves, sitting, anxiety, etc. and anyway I arrived just fine. I've sort of come to enjoy my weekly ventures to Denton, although I am looking much more forward to my, hopefully, daily ventures to CAYUGA at the dock where I can relax on her, fuss about something to clean or fix, take her out for spin, maybe dinner at the club by water, or raft ups with friends, anchoring.... dreaming. Are you still with me? Pulling out of the launch ramp, there are, as I mentioned a bunch of folks fishing. I don't know how they thought this would go but I can only avoid so many fishing lines if you'd seen it. Luckily, we snagged no lines and everyone was cool. Pretty much I felt like I got the girl pass, maybe that's horrible to say, but really, how many girls drive boats like this? I can't imagine they've seen that often. I want to recall current flowing upriver with wind coming downriver. The current can be pretty significant, more than half a knot, so maneuvering at slow speeds is always fun. In the end, I tried to stay calm and just went with the flow so to speak and up, past the oyster bed shallows to starboard, in the middle of the channel we went. I was cautioned that by engine guy that he didn't know the waters super well, but I recall when CAYUGA was first delivered to Denton, taking a quick ride with the Denton folks, and them mentioning about the water depth and hazards - I remembered. Let's not run aground first time off the dock. We go slowly, the idle is not the same as I remember, the gears are finding themselves, the engines are sounding OK. And now we are headed down the river, a few fusses here and there but under the bridge and with the caution to mind the few residential docks on the east side of the river not to go fast as we pass, we push forward at 6 knots. As you can see, it was clouding up a bit, but it was the most beautiful day I will remember for a long time since it was THE day. You can see the gauges here, with the RPMs at about 1100 each, however, the engines are not in harmony if they are reading exactly the same, and they aren't if you notice - the starboard gauge is slightly higher and that's about where you hear the engines sync. It's all how you hear it. It's not handled electronically; it's something you just have to know. I grew up with that. It's such a cool feeling to hear it and feel it and know it. Maybe a lost art, and I have to wonder how many girl boaters are out there like me who are doing this? I wish I had a screen shot of my Garmin chart plotter, which thankfully when it turned on for the first time since... the track up the river was still in memory and that was awesome - just stay on that or around it so we won't find the bottom. Maybe this OpenCPN screenshot helps. Right above the "clr 24.9" (bridge clearance for any boat going under at mean lower low tide) is a tiny blue indent in the dark brown of the Town of Denton, and that's the boat landing. The Upper Choptank River Buoy 2 is where we went and turned around before heading south. It's narrow looking, but at low tide it's really narrow when you see where all the marshes and oysters bars and such appear. Our adventures this day took us as far south as Daybeacons 78 and 77 with the depth 9 indicator being the approximate ground zero for our fate. I can share that the waters in the river run deep at the outside of the curves and you can find well over 10' of depth and if you stray into dark blue (not shown on this screeshot) you better turn. Once past the residential docks with no boats in sight, it was time to ramp it up! The moment had arrived to open it up and go for the ride we'd all been waiting for. I took the throttles and began pushing forward, past 1200 RPMs, 1500, 1800, 2000, 21---- nope! The port engine stops. When an engine is off but the ignition is on, there is a LOUD bell. So the bell goes off and above it I call out to the enginer guy - and throttle back on starboard immediately and into neutral. Now we are floating about in a river, with a current, a narrow channel, a stronger breeze, and one engine not working. I love yachting. But it was really good while it lasted. Episode 2 coming soon.

Fall is in the air and the recent cold snap has turned the verdant landscape into vibrant bursts of colored foliage. It's Holly's favorite season, leaves turning bright reds and yellows, shifting summer winds into fall with some of the best sailing anywhere on the east coast, and our first voyage with CAYUGA beyond the safe harbors of our beloved Annapolis. Tomorrow morning, after an extra hour of sleep (!), we begin our transit from Whitehall Creek over to the Eastern Shore, up the Choptank River, and ultimately to the Town of Denton where CAYUGA will get some tender loving care over the winter. Given the time change and earlier sunset, we're breaking up the travel into two days, plus we need to arrive on a weekday for the haul-out. So, our trip tomorrow lands us in Cambridge for a tie-up overnight at the Cambridge Yacht Club . In addition Holly's pleased to dock locally for a visit to one of her favorite breweries... RAR . It looks to be a spectacular few days ahead, with favorable wind at our backs, a minimal current, and today was already a success with a lovely road trip over to the boatyard to drop off one car for the ride home on Monday. Fingers crossed for reasonably calm waters and decent temps as well; I think it's going to be chilly sleeping weather Sunday night aboard, but we're fearless sailors. (is there a power boater version?). We've been looking forward to the run across the Bay and up the length of the Choptank for many reasons, but one is traveling where we have not yet been. While it should be easy-peasy, even a short trip in mostly familiar waters requires a bit of forward thinking. That includes boat prep, passage planning, and provisioning. The better the prep and planning, the less likely we are to have I love yachting issues. Thanks to Holly, on the maiden voyage, we had the first aid kit when I was unfortunately sprayed by hot coolant fluid from a broken hose. That said, CAYUGA has been running well – knock on varnished wood. Boat prep will consist of the usual visual inspection including checking fluids, belts, and hoses. And making sure all safety gear is aboard and in operable condition. The rest is up to the ole gal. Holly has sailed on the Choptank for log canoe racing, out in the river off the shore of the Tred Avon Yacht Club, but never power boated further than Island Creek right around the corner (so to speak) from Oxford. Oxford is where CAYUGA began her forays into Bay waters when she was delivered from CT, on a very, very rainy, cold early May day. That inauspicious start behind us, tomorrow, we will motor through Knapps Narrows (with a pit stop for fuel), past Oxford, Island Creek, and onward up the river to our dock for the night. Monday will be the true adventure as we wind our way slowly up the remainder of the Choptank into historic Denton. The Choptank is meandering and narrowing from Cambridge to its headwaters. And probably has some wicked current too... the guidance given is stay in the middle of the markers and closer to the outside of the turns (where the water runs deepest). Oh, this is going to be interesting! The Denton folks have a little area along the river next to the Choptank River Yacht Club (a delightfully unassuming place) and there's where CAYUGA will get hauled and then towed into her own indoor space. The picture is of CAYUGA being delivered to Campbell's Boatyard in Oxford where she first arrived in MD. I can't pass up a bit of the old-school world of passage planning, which is pretty straightforward, to share with you. Holly and I are still loyal Power Squadron (now known as America’s Boating Club) members, therefore, we (mostly me) plan and plot courses in advance with nautical protractors and paper charts. For this passage, we will be using Chart 12266 to get through Knapps Narrows and to Cambridge. From there we venture to Chart 12268 to get from Cambridge up to Denton. Looking at the 12268 chart, and how that river just keeps on going, reminds me of a movie with a river and a crazy Marlon Brando character, but regardless, this is going to take some time... CAYUGA is equipped with an older version Garmin chart plotter, and we both have navigation apps on our phones, but we always have paper charts at the ready just in case. Furthermore, reviewing paper charts is still the best way to get the big picture of where we are going and the obstacles between start and finish. It’s also a way to gauge how long the various legs of the trip will take. Yep, good old course, time, speed, and distance - dead reckoning. We will leave the dock knowing where we are going – magnetic courses to steer – and about how long it should take to get to the destination at average speeds. With the hard part of navigating an unknown body of water researched, my provisioning is the easy part. It'll be the usual cooler bag with ice, Modello, some wine, and healthy snacks. No chance I'd forget the water, Holly always makes sure we have that too. With extra blankets, warm clothing, first aid kit, the usual music playlists and some jazz and Chicago (for Don), full tank of gas, and an attitude of "time to get off the dock", wish us luck. And with fingers crossed, next week we will NOT have an I love yachting story to share with you. But then, what would be the fun in that? Remember, where there's a boat, there's a story.

A little Mediaeval odorous resin chat now that CAYUGA is (again) in the water and operating, so far, wonderfully, knock on varnished wood. From an earlier post titled “ I Love Vanishing ” on October 26, 2021, I'm back at it, learning, fussing, cussing, and finding my Zen moments in applying perfect (well almost) varnish. A bit about that Zen stuff, based on the wisdom of Pooh of course, one could say our attachment to CAYUGA has led to suffering, oh so true. However, in practicing concentration on my technique I aim to achieve a varnishing Nirvana and be liberated from my bitterness towards fussy brushes, taping, drips, sandpaper, and a chemistry set of thinners and solvents. More correctly, I'm seeking harmony with varnish, because the more I force it the worse it is, instead I am learning to appreciate it, go with it, and find the happiness and even humor ending with total serenity with varnish. The Tao of Pooh - it's on the shelf in our library, perhaps I should read it. Holly wrote this part because she knows me all too well. Anyway, it's no joke for the routine maintenance of a late classic with lots of brightwork that needs constant attention. With the hot summer sun shining down on the ole (I love saying that word) gal all day long, the varnish takes a beating. But from observation, two things have changed with boats over the past several years. To paraphrase Fletch, it’s all outboards nowadays. And no brightwork. We are bucking the trend with CAYUGA’s twin gas inboards and ubiquitous resin-coasted teak. My "what's bugging Brad" gripe is that if you think it's easy to find anyone who will show up as promised and do your brightwork for a reasonable cost today, well, fuhgeddaboudit. So, you are best served learning how to varnish and love it. In order to return to my deep Zen, I have hired an instructor who comes with an extensive background in yacht joinery and is way more expert than I am, truly an artist. He has been giving me some excellent tips while I work alongside him. Let's start with how many varnish layers I would prefer to have on at the beginning of the season, at least 7. Why? Based on many discussions with many fellow varnishing novices and experts, the conclusion is the sun burns off about 1 layer a month. If we are in the water in late April/early May through November, we're burning off a lot of what we put on - a never-ending cycle. So, let's get started with the routine and all that is the world of varnish. Holly recently painted the kitchen and for fun I picked this color for the temporary backsplash. She really likes Frogtape, perfect lines, and no bleeds. However, for each type of project... there's the right tape, and the particular tape Holly used is not appropriate for varnish work. I picked up 3M Precision masking tape, made for marine applications. If you check out the enormous number of tapes to choose from, well, don't, it will make your head spin. Taping straight lines, or around curves takes some practice but mostly patience. On to the sandpaper. The smaller the number the bigger the grit, not unlike wire gauge where the smaller the number the bigger the wire. Thus, you would start sanding with 180-220 grit, specifically in my case on already varnished wood. When getting to the last layer, you should use 320-400 grit, which is in the extra to super fine category. And always clean the sanding residue with a damp cloth or cloth dampened with a little bit of thinner. As for brushes, the standard consensus is badger. I use Redtree brushes (you can see me using it in the other post). Although I've used foam brushes and suppose there is still value in them for some applications. Otherwise, caring for the badger brush is as much an art as applying the varnish. I've learned to clean with mineral spirits - dipping for a first round, then wiping off and dipping a second time and now it's clean. Holly notes that foam might be a contributor or perfect vehicle for air bubbles which can cause the applied varnish to look and feel bumpy. Let's talk chemistry sets regarding solvents and the actual varnish itself. In the post I referred to at the beginning, I've evolved from Captain's to Flagship High Build varnish (both are Petit products). But the expert I've got helping me, likes Epifanes. Both are excellent, but everyone has an opinion on which to use, and I think more experts use Epifanes, though I'm not done with my survey, it is ongoing... One important aspect is to have the varnish at the right consistency - of this I have no mastery whatsoever. I confounds me. Flagship says right on the label that thinning is not usually required. It also says, right on the label, do not shake container - it's the very first thing stated. So contrary to James Bond’s famous line... varnish should be "stirred, not shaken." Captain's too says thinning is not normally required, and goes on to say, just as does Flagship, "although on warm days use thinner at 5-10% by volume to ease brushing and maintain good flow and leveling". Help me, somebody, is thinning varnish an art or science, I have yet to get it right in practice. This one is a “damn it,” why did that happen? Two spots are rippled. And, when I attempted to sand the ripples out, the sandpaper dragged and got clogged up, as if the varnish did not, and will not, fully dry. I ask myself why? Like every good student, I learned what I did wrong. I must have patience, 24 hours before the next coat can be put on or you get this. I wet sanded to remove the ripples. I've determined that varnishing is like golfing, few ever master it, like the saying goes, "no one wins at golf". And the wisdom of Bob Hope, "If you watch a game, it's fun. If you play at it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf". I don't do golf, but I do work at varnish. Holly on the other hand, enjoys golf and ain't half bad, perhaps she would be really good at varnish. In the end, as always... I love yachting, every last sticky, ripple-y, drippy, bubbly bit of it. Ready to go back in place. My basked of varnish goodies. Project status.

Wow, it's been ages! You probably forgot about us. Last we left you it was back in late 2024 and we were going through quite a lot and decided to step away and see where the process took us. While it has been truly stressful and Brad and I have struggled at times to deal with everything - including each other, it's boating time again and we have much to look forward to. Brad's younger daughter said that it would all be worth it when we're leaving the dock, headed to the club for a glass of rosé and a dip in the pool, then back to the dock while the sun sets. She's not wrong and this is she after a bit too much of that rosé. I think we laughed over this for hours. Anyway... we have worked our way through the extensive repairs and reconfigurations, and the boat is planned to launch next week. Close friends have been our best support and shoulders to cry on. One day, it was so bad that a girlfriend came over with a bottle of wine and a 500-piece puzzle and we proceeded to finish both. I started the day distraught and inconsolable, and ended it feeling only gratitude for great friendships and how much fun we had. Which brings me to the present and the fun times we are soon to have with the new and improved CAYUGA. Sidebar: I can't help but think of the song and how it applies to our situation. We've been waiting on this boat every year (2022, 2023, part of 2024, and so far, 2025), but we need to be present; for each other, for other boating adventures, and even in the mundane like me puttering around in my gardens or enjoying typing up this log entry. Fitting that this live performance was done by the water (Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard). Looking forward to a summer without fuss (how many fingers are you crossing right now?), Brad mentioned designing a house flag for CAYUGA. It was prompted by a friend who recalled there having been plaques of house flags hung on the columns of the first deck of the club. Unfortunately, they were either discarded or returned to their owner during a renovation, and they never came back. But our friend has a brilliant idea to restore the tradition with a club event where members are given crayons, markers, paper, a few glasses of wine of course, and create new flags. That said, I'm not going to assume everyone knows what these flags are. They are also called private signals or personal flags and are of a unique design that represents a boat owner's personal identity. Really, anyone at all can have a house flag. Also, typically they are a "swallowtail" flag shape, but can be any shape. Here's an example: While waiting for friends to join us the other night for dinner, we asked the bartender to hand us paper and pen, and we got a thinkin'. Believe it or not, after all the conflagrations over the past months whenever the boat is the topic, we clicked on this. Our design criteria were reasonable and few: colors of our respective state flags, NY and PA use our initials (first, middle, or last) had to a be a swallowtail flag shape uncomplicated design easy to read, identify and understand something that incorporates CAYUGA. Let's start with the colors. I did a quick web search and found a super site for flag color specifications: Flags Color Schemes - SchemeColor.com . Awesome resource. We agreed that the background should be a blue. The initials might look best in yellow. And our graphic probably good in gray. Although we allow that these colors might switch positions once the flag is mocked up by Prestige Flag . More on colors, keep on reading! Regarding initials, Brad started the design with a C shown first and then a T. I wanted to consider the flag shape and how to incorporate the initials with the shape. The best way was to lead with the T, follow with C, and the C use the swallowtail as its open counter. Open counter? Frankly, this is what I was thinking... one order of ankimo onegaishimasu! Maybe you knew. While I didn't, my intuition was sure there had to be a name for it, and per Wikipedia and the now all too prevalent AI overview search results, it's defined as: the area of a letter that is entirely or partially enclosed by a letter form or symbol. An open counter is a counter that is not completely enclosed by the letterform. Examples of letters with open counters include "c," "e," "G," "s," and "u". This is where the idea came from, the house flag of E. Bates McKee (see ship's log Final Voyage: Xanadu II ). Now we've got to incorporate CAYUGA into the flag which given the designer, Hunt, was so obvious. Hunt uses an arrow as the crossbar in the letter "H" (I have this hat with CAYUGA embroidered on the back). We'd use an arrow to connect the T and C together! Awwww.... so cute! The only thing left is to finalize the colors and get the proof from Prestige. For argument's sake, these are the state flag colors we're working with: NY's colors are L-R - Catalina Blue, True Blue, Cyber Yellow, American Yellow, Electric Orange, and Salem. PA's colors are L-R - Resolution Blue, Tangerine Yellow, Middle Blue, La Salle Green, Venetian Red, and Arsenic (yikes!). Feeling patriotic? Resolution Blue and American Yellow are pretty good choices. But contrast wise, Catalina Blue and either Cyber or Tangerine Yellow might be better. We shall see. As for the arrow, we'd like it to be gray to match CAYUGA's colors, either Awlcraft Medium Gray or Whisper Gray, but it may be best in Insignia White. This is where having studied Interior Design in college probably gets a little bit in the way; I'm totally taking these colors way too seriously. Mercifully, the state flag colors are provided in not just RGB and CMYK but also Pantone so Prestige can get it just right. Isn't that special? Without further ado, this is a rough drawing I did in Adobe Fresco. I am still working on swapping around the colors though. Funny enough Brad's daughter's initials are TC, both daughters actually. Rosé daughter caught that. Last but not least, a little flag etiquette for everyone and let's just call it a refresher for the 2025 boating season. (a wry post I came across that says it funnier than I) Regarding a house flag, it's flown at the top of a single-masted boat (sail or power), or from a starboard spreader, or the forward (or in some cases main) mast on a multi-masted boat.  On a mastless boat, it can be flown from the bow staff, although I've read that it would not be flown at all in that case (but what would you do if you had a house flag? come on, ya gotta fly it).   A house flag is akin to a family crest (but could you this image on a flag??) not really... therefore, the design should be simple but still reflect personal interests, family traditions, initials, or hobbies as well as in good taste and avoid duplicating designs used by others or foreign ensigns (fancy nautical speak for a national flag). I was disappointed that Brad did not want a unicorn on our house flag. On another front, there's some controversy over the starboard spreader and what flies there. The Cruising Club of America (CCA) has specifics , as does Chapman's Piloting and Seamanship , and even our own club. Though, most importantly, Brad's take on flying flags from spreaders unless it is per CCA rules is clear. But grumpy old guy aside, according to what I've stumbled across on the innerwebs, starboard is more important than port for flag regarding hierarchy. It may be all in the same vein as starboard's priority when sailing or the starboard under power rules, or even that left-handed was not a thing long times ago. Anyway, if I had a sailboat, conceivably, based on the research, and all caveats ever, I could fly my Past Commander's flag on starboard spreader and the house flag on port spreader. "Pfffft" says Brad. The last word on house flags, and if you just like yachty words: The private signal is normally displayed when the ensign is hoisted. It may be displayed at the mainmast truck of schooners and power yachts and at the mizzen truck of yawls and ketches. Cutters and sloops may display the private signal sewn to the leech of the mainsail, approximately two thirds of the length of the leech above the clew, or at the truck in lieu of the burgee except when at anchor. At anchor, they may display the private signal at the jack staff. The private signal may be displayed at night. - Fleet Captain Ernie Godshalk, March 29, 2024 (CCA) In the end, CCA simply has this to say, "f lags shall be flown properly or not at all ". To sum up (by way of example): burgee at the bow, yacht ensign at stern (our staff happens to be located slightly to starboard - proper), and my U.S. Power Squadron (America's Boating Club) Past Commander's flag at the mast, which is where the house flag will fly. Do I love yachting? Sure do. I labored over a whole post just because of a house flag... but I had fun in the moment, while also anticipating!

Holly is typically laser-focused and a task master. But there are times she can’t seem to make up her mind. Deciding on the graphic design and font for lettering CAYUGA onto the transom is stymying her. It’s like when we sit at a bar with more than two IPA’s on tap to choose from. Me, if Stella is on tap, done. Not Holly. She will get tastes of the various IPA options and thinks about each seemingly forever. It’s not uncommon for me to have finished my first before she decides and orders. That’s how the boat name graphic design choice is going – slow, with no selection yet. She directed me to a website called MrFonts.com and to click on the Google Fonts tab. I immediately found one I liked on the page with font names that begin with the letter A. Holly wanted me to look at the font page for every letter in the alphabet. I am way too ADD for that. So, as luck would have it, I got sent a photo of the boat when she was called PUG, with a fine shot of the transom. The yachtsman, Blair Brown, who had her built, is at the helm. Anyway, I like the font he used and suggested we copy it. Holly agreed to my surprise and utter amazement, sparing me another night on the Mr. Fonts website. But we are not done and still have to make a final decision between the designs. We are using Accent Design in Annapolis for creating and applying the name. Chris has exhibited the patience of Job while being asked for just one more mockup. I swore to him that this was the last one we would ask him to do. So, here's a poll for you to vote on what you think would look the best. Holly took a quick, highly un-scientific poll at her office and it was a tie between two of the choices with an outlier picking one of them no one else did. Let's see if you can do any better! Looking forward to your choices and thanks for joining the fun.

From the beginning, I have wanted to have a particular diagram of CAYUGA. When I had the sailboat, it was much clearer and of course relatively new (1 previous owner for only a year) regarding any diagram or layout of what is what and where. The first year of owning CAYUGA, we simply used her and didn't fuss much about anything. We knew we would be taking her for service in the winter season and would have things checked out. I would get the diagram I was interested in having. That brings us full circle to the week before Christmas. We haven't shared much about the boat since back in late September. Much has transpired and we needn't talk about it with the world. We did mention we'd filed an insurance claim and to that we did get a check to get a new port gear. CAYUGA is on the Eastern Shore again with an outfit that is known for its work with Bertrams, among others - this is an example of the 31' Bertram (not their work but so you can see the very classic kind of boat it is). They do all kinds of boats, and very big boats too. Positively, we've gotten a lot of thumbs up on going there, from all kinds of folks. A working yard with marina, I was impressed. Brad too. Time will tell. So I went over for a meeting with a few of the guys and this was specifically about the electrical system. I've wanted to get a diagram of it from the beginning because I know over the years things have been installed, taken out, changed, bigger batteries, etc. The wiring is a disaster, at least to me. Apparently, they think so too. Hence the call for a meeting. We went over the main issues and possible solutions, and of course, I asked about the pie in the sky overhaul of the whole system. I'll be getting an estimate for the main issues and a small venture into an overhaul without some of the insanity. Oh boy, another $$$! I love yachting. The boat had smaller engines when first launched and whatever electrical system at that point in 1984. Much of that wiring still exists as well as a few of the instruments - which are no longer connected on one end but are the another. Madness, I tell you. Brad and I are in full agreement that the electrical system has to be taken care of. We are getting new gears (paying for the starboard ourselves) and with all the effort on that, the last thing anyone wants is the boat having an electrical short (see! I got that title in here) that leads to a sad ending because we didn't take care to fix it. This is what the wiring looked like in 2021 - both engines shown - the starboard has the bus bar just lying there with a zip tie somewhere, the port is even worse. Seriously? The battery has wires that connect with a fuse (the red squarish piece), but a wire got loose at some point and Brad fixed that. Under the deck sink there's a mess of wires that come in for the solar panels and the instruments on the mast like the radar dome, etc. That black rectangle has been a mystery (something about the batteries but maybe not). However, a couple of small improvements while over in Denton were mounted bus bars - it's a start. It was an interesting conversation with the guys, and one of them was young - he was taking copious notes - he's apprenticing. Cool. The black rectangle was solved. Separate note: Brad and I were invited aboard a boat of one of the guys when CAYUGA arrived at the marina - he has redone his entire boat under the floorboards. Yes, as they say, you could eat off the bilge floor. And wiring, OMG, seemed like everything was just where it should be. I, again, have hopes, high hopes even for getting a real electrical diagram. I've built a binder for the boat which includes as much of the information we have gathered about anything in the boat, and it has a lot of specifications on all kinds of items. Like, the serial number of an engine, model number of a carburetor, the year something was replaced or serviced, etc. And eventually, I'll have a battery consumption chart. CAYUGA doesn't need to plug in, she likes getting sunshine. A trickle charge from the solar panels does the trick. Of course, with the antiquated way the wiring is done through various connections, we lose a lot of efficiency and charge power. Goal? Fix all we can, avoid electrical mayhem, make sure the bow thruster has juice, the bilge pumps work properly, and most importantly (!), understand how long we can play the stereo at full blast.

This year has been just that. Ups. Downs. Twists. Turns. And we are still riding along, white-knuckled, screaming, wondering when we can get off and get back on solid footing. Since the port gear exploded, we have endeavored to get it fixed. Of course you say, and our adventure has taken us all across the country, back in time, and for a brief moment, other countries. As such, Brad has been on fire! He's cataloged a long list of numbers for transmission shops and making sure if it's a dead end, he doesn't accidentally call twice. Thankfully Brad enjoys research, and listening to the old marine guys, but primary to the task, he's channeling his inner detective, hoping to crack the case of the elusive parts. June 26 was the fateful day for our port gear. Going into July, we were hopeful to find the parts we needed. Our gear guy was searching and contacting all the folks he knew (all the same people Brad called too and then some). Basically, the whole month was a u-joint yoke hunt and what might be alternatives, until July 30th. That's the day we reluctantly filed an insurance claim after getting nowhere with finding the parts and not getting much help from the folks who had been working on the boat, plus hearing really bad news about ostensibly never finding the parts. But we keep looking. August brought in the insurance sleuthing and trying to figure out exactly what happened. As of now, I am not convinced of any one thing, but I have my suspicions and hope they will be or have been investigated fully. I have voiced that rather firmly. But we do not have a report yet... One of the things very important for us to provide the adjuster is an estimate to get the repair done. We are between the rock and hard place. What a disaster. One other August development of note was when Brad reached GL Power and spoke to the owner, Harry Allen. We were on to something. After what we were told was a reasonably exhaustive search, including Europe, it was discovered, right at their own headquarters in Ohio, that GLP had an old Paragon, our model, on display. It was dismantled, but to no avail, there's a reason it was on display - it didn't have all the parts inside. But that's not the end. A little reminder on the history; Paragon Power was not always that, it started as Paragon Gear which was bought by Twin Disc, got its name changed somewhere along the way and then finally Great Lakes Power (now GL Power) bought Twin Disc. Parts were around, but at some point GLP discontinued Paragon and tossed parts. Our gear guy tells us he tried to get some of those parts but had no luck. And by the way, all the transmission guys know each other no matter what state they are in, and most are twice as old as our gears. So you can imagine the stories we've heard about the days of old and the transmissions of yore... Meanwhile, in pure frustration, I went so far as to say we're going to do new gears and even engines, and some boat deck reconfiguration, etc., because f-it, we're not planning to sell the boat for a long time, she is a beautiful, capable boat that has the luck of 2024, like me. Brad shuddered at the idea of the cost of that. Me too. We'll keep our engines, but new gears may be the only choice if we can't find parts. I must digress to say that each month has brought some kind of hurdle. Besides the boat having its own, I too have been enjoying a monthly escapade of setbacks. August was the death of my laptop. Luckily, I had the extended warranty and Dell came to the house and replaced the hard drive. What that it were the case for CAYUGA! But besides that favorable outcome, August hadn't gotten by without an issue. Don't believe me? July had handed me a sick dog - a bad ear infection. Only 4 more days in September, I wonder what's in store? Yesterday we had a very near collision. A car driving too fast lost control around the dead man's curve in our community as we were heading home. Had it not recovered, Brad and I would probably have been at the emergency room. Let's continue. Sometime around the beginning of September, GLP was considering machining the parts we needed. I was thrilled and shared that with friends who have of course been following along and asking about the status. And then... Yesterday, we got the disappointing news that GLP will not be able to help us. Reason? Attorneys. I leave it at that. Brad sent him the September PropTalk and the Ray Hunt Design summer 2024 quarterly articles about me (Brad very lovingly combined them) and while not helpful, Mr. Allen had very kind words and was supportive besides his attorneys, so at least he knows of our CAYUGA and wishes us well in our endeavors. Unfortunately, that does not fix the problem. But my fame is not limited to these two publications, no! The Antique & Classic Boat Society's quarterly magazine, ACBS Rudder, will have an upcoming article written by me. As of now, we are still hunting down proper estimates to do whatever repair we will need to do. You see the difficulty. Without finding the parts, how can anyone give a real estimate? Chickens. Eggs. Horses. Carts. Getting an estimate to put in new gears should be easier but that too have proved unusually difficult. If I worked in the industry, you can be sure I'd take this challenge on. It's a bit complicated but the outcome would be serious glory. But yesterday. And I need to go back to the one entity, Marty Brown Racing, who refurbished the engine - of which has worked flawlessly. Brad called Marty yesterday to ask about engine rotation. Shall we dive in? CAYUGA is equipped with two engines, one rotating as it would "normally" and one counter-rotating. This is to work with the way the props rotate. They spin outward - the starboard prop is a right-hand and pushes clockwise. The port, the opposite. Our engines function by the way the camshaft is set up. Our Paragons have zero to do with how the props spin, however, they are right and left working because of the engines and props. If I've got this wrong, please contact me - don't just laugh at the girl and her boat. What we are finding is that most gears today do not work that way. There is only one manufacturer, that we know of so far, Velvet-drive, where the v-drive itself can be reversed. That would be our solution if we go with new gears. Back to Brad's call with Marty. The question was what it would take to change the cams on an engine. Marty answered but then asked what were we trying to do? Brad explained the issue with the u-joints and to Brad's surprise Marty said he had a guy who might be able to machine what we need. While this seems to be exciting news, there is so much left to sort out for that to happen, but we may actually for the first time in 3 months, see a faint, very faint, glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Hope , again? Here's what needs to happen: insurance still needs estimates to wrap up we still need estimates for a refit - this scenario is outfitting new gears both port and starboard if this is the path, then the rest is moot, and the boat goes to that shop we still need estimates to fix the broken gear which involves the gear guy Marty Brown a mechanic who takes things out and puts them back in we have a space lined up at a yard where she could be hauled and stored for the fix we need would need an estimate from a shrink-wrap person to build an enclosure so the mechanic can work on the boat over the winter we will have the boat towed by BoatUS to wherever the boat needs to go While this may sound not all that hard, our insurance person said he'd never seen such a complicated ordeal for what is otherwise a simple claim. Cue the Rube Goldberg machine: I love yachting!

These pictures are shortly after the complete destruction of the port U-joint Wednesday afternoon and the morning after cleanup of the transmission oil and small debris. Bottom line, Brad, me, and our mechanic are all safe as is the boat. She may be trailered back to Denton. Or, we stay in the water, and figure what's next. Someone remarked that we could remove the port prop and limp around on one engine nearby not far from the marina until a solution presents itself. I don't think that sounds like fun, but moreover, we need to get to the bottom of this first. So, I ask you dear readers and fellow yachters, do you use your old boat or old car such that you expect it to perform as it should? Or do you baby the heck out of it and fear a failure at any moment if you should use in a normal way? We had the belief based on the restoration and rebuild and all the marine industry folks we'd worked with that we would be able to have the boat perform. However, only 3/4 of it performed as it should, 2 engines and 1 transmission/v-drive, while 1/4 decided to fall to pieces. I'd pushed her up to 3600 RPMs on our return from St. Michaels, which is only about 800 or so less RPMs than when disaster struck. Was failure imminent at some point in the future and we just hurried it along? Who knows, at least not at this time, but having our mechanic (note - he is not a transmission person) aboard was, if anything, comforting. Remember this picture from this previous post ? Basically, the "neck" between broke. The Paragon died. Right now, all the experts are conjecturing and tasked to figure out how to fix this. What exactly happened is now a figure pointing exercise. Frankly, if someone would just step up and say, you know, I think I fucked up, I'd respect that and think a turning point had been reached where my shaken confidence would be renewed in the folks involved. It's a possibility that we will fully ditch the remaining Paragon and go with new (or new to us) gears. If that is the direction - there'll be stories a-plenty. If I loved yachting before, now I'm married to it. I can't sell a broken boat, so I've got to see this through. I don't want to sell the boat, but you can't blame me for thinking about it. 2024 keeps landing punches when I was getting hopeful that things were turning around. Silly me. So, all I can say is bring it on - and as someone suggested yesterday, "get a second mortgage, redo it all new and then refi when rates go down - you only go around once".

Known to anyone paying attention to any news, in particular those reading about events in the State of Maryland, a ship hit a bridge and the bridge collapsed. Tragic for the loss of life and after that, all of the other mess the M/V Dali created. A good friend said in a text yesterday, "good riddance". Agreed. Brad and I signed up for bridge updates so we know when traffic is messed up in general or there's an accident (traffic is messed up) or some other event that causes... traffic to be messed up. But I digress... See, we live at the end of a peninsula and at the foot of the Bay Bridge so it's both convenient and not so. Overall, our community is a small slice of heaven, surrounded by state forest and the Bay at our feet.. Part of what makes the community so great is that there's a small marina, and it affords us fantastic views of the Bay. Going back a few years, we had a front row seat for the Everforward grounding. But yesterday, after a bridge update, we decided to walk out to the marina and watch the departure. Here's the email: Yesterday was very windy, gusting upwards of 25 knots. There were more than 4 tugs involved - we could see two on the starboard side alone, plus one behind and we assume another two on the port side, maybe more. There was a marine police escort and a CG boat following. Of course the local media had a helicopter buzzing overhead once the ship got closer to the Bay Bridge. Frankly, it was a bit nerve-wracking to think of the worst-case scenario but the "out of an abundance of caution" shutting down the bridge was smart. I tried to do some narration, but the wind was louder than me. Another person out watching had binoculars and he said to look at the bow where I could see wreckage of the bridge. That was eerie. So here's what we saw in pictures and video: And that's a wrap on the M/V Dali. She's currently moored in Norfolk, VA. It was a good I love yachting day for Dali, having it made it past the Bay Bridge and out of MD. Good riddance.

We want to recognize those who we have relied on to maintain and enhance CAYUGA. To keep even a smaller boat running well and looking good requires building a team of marine specialists, such as engine and electrical professionals, varnish specialists, and other parts and accessories suppliers. logo from cobe website From the outset, when CAYUGA first got splashed in the waters of the Chesapeake at Campbell’s in Oxford, we have come to rely upon Cobe Marine in Pasadena (headwaters of the Magothy River) for advice and parts for our two Marine Power gas engines. Not only does Cobe seem to stock the parts for our thirty-year-old engines, but they order and quickly get what we need if they don't have it. Just this week, we wanted to replace the engine thermostats on both engines (more on that I love yatchting issue later). I called Cobe and was informed there was one and could get the other the next day. The next morning, I had an email proactively letting me know that the completed order was waiting for me to pick up. To back up, two years ago, it was Cobe who recommended that Marty Brown Racing rebuild the engines for us. As those of you who have read prior posts about the refit of engines and gears, our experience with Marty Brown was excellent. So, here is a massive shout-out to Cobe Marine – a local marine business – that is integral to our ability to be good stewards of CAYUGA.

Greetings ILY fans! Many of you know that one of the things I have wanted to do with CAYUGA is to take her to St. Michaels for the annual Chesapeake Chapter's Antique & Classic Boat Show. This was its 36th year and running. I had done a previous post about it " Boat Show Time " and the ongoing frustrations with getting the boat in the water. 2024 has been a challenge and too often anything but good. Specifically, as an example, on January 1st I woke up after a lovely dinner party the evening prior, and while sitting at the dining room table enjoying my espresso, I happened to look at my ring finger and oh no! one of the sapphires was missing from my new ring! I could not believe it and was fighting the idea that it was a bad omen. Well, from there, things went downhill. The boat was having issue after issue. There were two unexpected and tragic deaths of past coworkers. Work problems. Identity theft. Landscaping mishaps. And a bizarre family development. Even minor everyday things have taken the difficulty scale to new heights. If normally it takes one time to do something or should be a short process, it's been anything but. 2024 is the year of persistence, patience, perseverance, and a big pain in the ass. But, perhaps my string of bad experiences may be winding down, or at least on vacation? I picked up my ring last Wednesday! A good start to hopefully a string of positives. So on to the main story. A good one. On Thursday afternoon of last week, June 13, we departed the marina at approximately 1pm and arrived at St. Michaels around 3:30pm. CAYUGA ran well. Her port engine started with some barking but fortunately, that went away and our ride down the bay was into a 12 knot breeze that she handled admirably. I juiced up her RPMs while we turned into Eastern Bay to run over the quartering waves and once around the point and headed south through Prospect Bay into the Miles River, we slowed down and cruised along enjoying the scenery (12 knots in video). The weekend was fantastic. The weather was great. I slept on the boat while Brad drove back and forth to take care of the dog (she does not like the boat - it's too loud). I made a beautiful arrangement with flowers from my gardens, set up a pitcher of iced cold hibiscus tea on a serving tray (a wedding gift with the island of Bermuda carved into it - our favorite place), and displayed the CAYUGA engraved glasses. We looked great. Folks stopped and asked about her - we were all too happy to oblige offering many to come aboard. I had signed up on a whim to be judged to find out what folks thought of her and learn what we would need to do to make her competitive next year. That judging took place Saturday morning. The awards ceremony was a Sunday luncheon. I'll just get to it. CAYUGA won a Gold Level award in her class - Late Classic. I had not expected that. I never even considered it. Not in my wildest dreams. Not even a little bit. The only award higher is Platinum. I was so surprised and stunned and speechless, except to say to the audience while holding back tears, "Thanks Dad". Not my usual calm, collected self when handed a microphone. In past stories, I've shared how Dad is the reason I was introduced to boating and found I loved it, so being Father's Day, the tears just flowed both sad and happy. CAYUGA motored home with her first, of what I hope to be many, awards and accolades. We have much work to do! I'll tell you all about how I prepped her in an upcoming story. But for now, I am on the lookout for more good things to come. Time for some bubbly to celebrate the accomplishment and a huge thank you to all of you who have supported us, in every way. I'm exhausted but it's all been worth it.