At long last we got a new dinghy...a small boat that sailors tow or hang from dinghy davits...it enables them to drive to and from the sailboat to get to the marina or other places when anchored out...it's like your personal taxi. A dinghy is not a luxury but a necessity when cruising, because it also becomes your life boat...hopefully we will never have to experience that! Our old dinghy gave up its ghost a few months ago and we were looking for a replacement. Of course anything connected with a boat means big bucks. BOAT stands for Break Out Another Thousand...or so the saying goes...LOL! Luckily I found one on the internet...a Walker Bay 8 complete with sail kit! What a find! Rick and I went to see it and before anybody could say "Bob's your uncle" we shook hands with the guy and it was a done deal! Up it went onto the truck and off we were to show it to Orion :o) Needless to say that Orion couldn't care less...but we were in 7th heaven to be the proud owners of a WB8 sailing dinghy that converts easily to a rowing dinghy or to a motor dinghy. Rick found a way to attach it to the dinghy davits on Orion...we need to find a final solution, but for now it is working just fine.
We got a chance to try out the new dinghy at Coffin Island, where we sailed on Jan. 6 and returned on Jan.8, 2011. What can I say? It is definitely a great little boat and Rick and I spent quite some time sailing up and down the beach. What fun! So much, that Rick went out again after letting me off on Orion...and here are the pictures to prove it :o) Of course the weather was gorgeous and the sea turquoise, making this an overall fantastic first experience with our new little boat...and we all know that first impressions are very important indeed! We are still deciding on a name for the little dinghy that could...
And we got another new toy...a grill pan that fits our three-burner-stove just perfectly and allows us to grill inside when it's too windy to BBQ on deck. We enjoy the small pleasures in life :o) I was so excited about the new grill pan that I grilled lots of stuff over the weekend. It's a good thing that the refrigeration is now working great and I could store the left-overs for another day...otherwise we would way about 200 pounds more by now :o)
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| Chicken-Spinach-Asiago Cheese Bratwurst with onions and zucchini |
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| Thick slices of sweet potato, spiced with cinnamon-chili-rub-mixture |
Yap...our tummies were full just in time to enjoy another spectacular sunset at Coffin Island...we are so fortunate to be able to experience paradise...and we treasure every moment!
Although we did not know it then, but this weekend was also the last one for our cat Whiskers. She enjoyed the weekend just as she always enjoyed being with us...and that is what we will remember most!
We also saw our friends Richard and Mercedes on their new sailboat...they took it for a sail to Coffin Island to say hi to us...thanks guys...we really appreciated your visit :o)
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| Richard and Mercedes on their new Beneteau |
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| View from Orion's cockpit onto Coffin Island |
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| The new dinghy at the beach...here it is used as a row boat :o) |
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| Drinking a nice hot cup of tea...enjoying the peace and quiet |
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| The captain and his new toy :o) |
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| And here is our Orion, anchored at Coffin Island |
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| We took the pictures from the beach...peace to all of you! |
We got a chance to try out the new dinghy at Coffin Island, where we sailed on Jan. 6 and returned on Jan.8, 2011. What can I say? It is definitely a great little boat and Rick and I spent quite some time sailing up and down the beach. What fun! So much, that Rick went out again after letting me off on Orion...and here are the pictures to prove it :o) Of course the weather was gorgeous and the sea turquoise, making this an overall fantastic first experience with our new little boat...and we all know that first impressions are very important indeed! We are still deciding on a name for the little dinghy that could...
Although we did not know it then, but this weekend was also the last one for our cat Whiskers. She enjoyed the weekend just as she always enjoyed being with us...and that is what we will remember most!
