Coffin Island...Easter 2011

At last...sailing pictures again...and very beautiful ones that tell their own story of our wonderful weekend at Coffin Island...crystal clear water...white sand beaches...beautiful weather...great friends...can you feel the love?

We sure did (!) and enjoyed "the simple life" on board Orion...but that's nothing new, or is it?

Coffin Island is indescribably beautiful...pictures tell more than a thousand words! We had a very relaxing time...our friends Richard and Mercedes were already anchored there and our friends Bob and Joan joined all of us for a day on Saturday. How fun!

Here is a photo of our anchor chain, taken from Orion...the water reflections, the clearness, the white sand on the bottom...it is all quite unbelievable, even for us, who sail to Coffin Island almost every weekend!

We feel so blessed! Life is good, and at least we can share the pictures for everybody to enjoy with us :o)

Despite the holiday weekend it was not very crowded...what a nice surprise! There were quite a few boats during the day, but by evening all but two of them had left the island. It was peaceful with even the music subdued...all in all a very enjoyable weekend. Thank you to all fellow boaters :o)

We had a rain shower on Friday night...of short duration and welcomed by the thirsty vegetation on the island! Otherwise the skies were blue, the winds were calm, and the spirits were high :o)

Food...of course we had to eat! This time around we decided to go without cooking, because we agreed to spend most of our time snorkeling, beach combing, and having fun with friends :o)

So I prepared stone-ground whole wheat and flax wraps filled with turkey breast, Havarti cheese, lettuce leaves, tomatoes, and sour cream...accompanied by plain old potato chips :o)

It was a feast...so good that my non-raw-veggie-eating hubby gobbled them up with mumbled remarks of  "these are so good"...can you believe it?

Some work had to be done though...cleaning Orion's bottom, which Rick did in record time all the way down to the full keel...WOW. I helped a little bit by brushing the waterline (a black stripe around the perimeter of the boat just above the water)...it was good exercise, but pretty yucky work...ugh...little creatures all over my shirt...ugh...but I survived! I don't know why Rick doesn't get bitten by those creatures...I sure do...but I'll spare you the pictures.

On the left you see Richard, Mercedes, and their dog "Copper" having a good time in the water :o)

And on the right you see the Easter Eggs that the Easter Bunny's helpers left on Orion's deck on Sunday morning. Hmmm...we saw one of the helpers leave on a red kayak...hmmm...just like the one on the picture above...

We say thank you to the Easter Bunny's helpers and want them to know that the hard-boiled eggs made a delicious lunch for us, sliced and put on 7-grain-bread...quite yummy indeed!

My smiling captain always warms my heart...I feel so privileged to share this wonderful life with him!

Another look at our backyard at Coffin Island...the white clouds on the horizon look like the cream on the pie...don't you think?

We sailed back on Sunday afternoon in strong winds and waves...hmmm...the forecast didn't mention any wind. Never mind, we are used to a "bumpy ride" when we sail back to Salinas...the wind is always on our nose or so it seems, which does not diminish our spirits...we love to sail...it's as simple as that :o)

The sun goes down in a golden ball...who needs television out here? Saying good night for now until the next post on this blog...

Oh...and saying hi to Grandpa Harvey Klumb, who really enjoys our blog and the pictures! It was nice to hear all the stories about your trip with Rick from North Carolina to Florida and back...2000 plus miles in a week...way to go at 91 years of age! We love you!

God bless all of you!

March Madness...Fun in the Sun...Part III: The Petersen's

Also in March of this year Rick and I had the pleasure of meeting one of the most wonderful couples ever right here at the marina. Mr. and Mrs. Petersen, simply known around here as "the Petersen's", have a sailboat and visit Salinas from time to time to relax and enjoy being on the water. Nothing unusual about that, but you see...Mr. and Mrs. Petersen are in their early nineties and that makes for an interesting story! With their permission...here it is.

When Mrs. Petersen and I met we were immediately fond of each other. We only spent a little time together, but we chatted and laughed, and now have something like an inner connection :o) Mrs. Annette Petersen is a very very special person (although she completely denies that she is special)...she has her own business which she developed out of her love for creating whimsical figurines, mainly forest mice! All of her creations have special meanings, and many have reached the status of being collectors' items. Her children have learned her art and design and handcraft their own little mice with her, making "Wee Forest Folk" a small family business with a registered trademark! I put a link to their website http://www.weeforestfolk.com/ here and under "kewl links" at the left of our blog. Mr. Petersen is also very special...he is the captain who not only navigates his own sailboat but his wife's happiness...at least it seems like that to me! In other words: The Petersen's are one of a kind and we feel privileged that they consider us friends :o)

Here is a link to an interesting artist profile on Mrs. Petersen...http://www.weeforestfolk.com/AnnetteArticle2011.html...of course you will find the link also under "Kewl Links" on the left of our blog.

Mrs. Petersen gave us one of her creations as a gift...a little mouse angel, getting ready for her first flight from a cloud. So adorable that I cannot put it into words! And so appropriate at the same time, because Rick and I will be leaving on Orion for our first journey of a lifetime soon, and we are just as excited and a little fearful as Mrs. Petersen's creation :o) This made Mrs. Petersen very happy indeed, and I promised her to find a very special place for the little mouse on Orion...and I did! She is sitting right in front of a miniature bronze sailboat in our salon...how appropriate!

It gets even better...Mrs. and Mrs. Petersen returned to their home and a few days later I received a small package in the mail...it was another one of her creations! And as if it was all meant to be, we have two lamps in the salon...so there was an instant home for this second precious figurine :o)

Thank you so very much Mr. and Mrs. Petersen...we love you and wish you all the very best...God bless you and your family...see you again next year!

March Madness...Fun in the Sun...Part II: Coffin Island with our friends from Germany, Canada, and Puerto Rico

Orion anchored at Coffin Island

On the first weekend in March we got out to sea again...to our beloved Coffin Island! We were joined by Ulrich and Renate, our German friends, who lived in Puerto Rico for 10 years. They arrived a few days earlier to attend the same wedding we went to...it's a small world :o) So we invited them for an overnight at Coffin Island on Orion and they happily accepted. We had a nice sail out to the island, where we were joined by our Canadian friends Peter and Liz on their sailboat ( a Passport 40) "Kynda". Peter and Liz had sailed to Salinas earlier in February to meet up with us...will tell more about them in the next post on this blog! As said...March was the month of meeting lots of old and new friends here in Salinas...what a remarkable experience! We all had a great time at Coffin Island, especially because we even met our sailing friends from Ponce there...Richard and Mercedes and Bob and Joan! What a wonderful surprise for all of us :o) Too bad I did not take my camera to the beach when we were all gathered there...ah well...the nicest times remain in our hearts :o) 

Ulrich and Renate

Ulrich and Renate sure enjoyed themselves and even got into the "cold" water without moaning and groaning...hmmmm...at this time of year it feels kind of chilly to us tropical kids, so you can hear us moaning and groaning when we get in, hahahaha. I guess it's all relative! Of course I am wearing my shorty wet suit...seriously :o)

Tada...me in my wet suit...told you so!

Rick with Orion in back

Ulrich

Renate

Hello Claudia and Vanessa in Germany...we missed you!    

Last but not least hello to my triplet brother Willi in Germany...We miss you Willi!
We stayed overnight at Coffin Island and pulled anchor in the morning to head back to Salinas. We had an almost uneventful trip...if it hadn't been for the engine cooling system not working properly (again)! Luckily we could sail most of the way and eventually arrived back in port. There we said goodbye to our friends from Germany...thanks for joining us...we had a great time :o)

March Madness...Fun in the Sun!...Part I: A friend's wedding...

March was a busy month for us. A nice kind of busy with lots of fun activities and lots of old and new friends, making our life even more special. I can't believe March is already over...as they say "time flies when you are having fun"!

We enjoyed Hannah's and Luke's very special wedding on March 5, 2011 in the mountains of Ponce, Puerto Rico...thanks guys for inviting us...we had a wonderful afternoon into the night chatting and catching up with Hannah's and Luke's family and friends whom we had not seen in years! Oh yes...a lot of dancing and celebrating and toasts, especially to the hosts Lou and Deb at Hacienda Pena, made this a perfect day :o) Hannah went to the same school as our children, and her and her sisters Raechel and Rebekah together with their parents Ed and Debbie have been our friends going back over 14 years here in Puerto Rico. And now Hannah is married to Luke! Time flies and the kids grow up! You can see both Hannah and Luke and Debbie and Ed smiling contagiously below :o)

Okay...so where is the boat connection you may ask? Well...here it is...Everybody was really interested in our life on Orion...we happily answered many questions and received ohh's and ahh's for being full time "boat people" :o) Guess we are doing what a lot of people dream of doing...Yap...we are still pinching ourselves :o) and Yap...we love this life :o)

Hannah and Luke and most of their families and friends went back to the mainland a few days after the wedding...We wish Hannah and Luke all the very best in their future life together as husband and wife...so nice that they call our island paradise "home"...God bless you!...Come and see us anytime on the boat!