Inconceivable: March 2011

Friday, March 25, 2011

The Swedish ship at the fuel pier on the night of the Super Moon. There was a crew of 54 people, 45 students made up of 17-18 year old boys learning how to be an able seaman and the girls were all learning to be Marine Biologist. The crew work the boat for lengths of time 3 weeks up to 2 months depending on which year of schooling they are in. We spent an hour or two on board their ship and talking to them about their experiences. The ship was originally a cargo ship built around 1954. The masts were added back in the 90's when the sailing school first started.

Coolest German Boat. It is a trawler/Sailboat. Andrew loved the workspace in the engine rooms.

Car Carriers. It was really cool to see them loading and unloading the ships. The cargo dock next to us is no longer in use. The cargo ships now use the dock on the other side of the Aquarium and for us their is less rocking due to the ships maneuvering in front of us as well as all the pilot ships and tugs. The City of Charleston is going to be extending the length of their walk way all the way around to the point of the city and then up the other side. We woke up one day to see the USS Farragut ship 99, in port. This was a liberty port for the men and women who proudly serve our country and helped with the pirates in the Gulf of Aden. It was cool to be able to show the kids what a working party was and how many line handlers were on deck. I did not capture a picture of USS Farragut.

Stairs

Our drama with Marquipt is in its third week. We are still waiting on our final piece to the puzzle. As you can see our steps go all the way across the finger pier. Bob is ok with the steps going all the way across to his boat but we feel bad so we haven't been using them. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the last part arrives before we leave Charleston. We do love the stairs and it is so much easier to board the boat with your arms full of laundry or groceries!

350 feet of line

For those who know Andrew well, they know he loves a challenge and learning new skills. We found some time to actually tackle our biggest goal yet, new lines. Andrew bought the splicing tools needed for the job, a Japanese Marlin Spike, a pusher and a fid. We ordered 3/4 inch double braided lines in black with orange accents to match the colors of our boat. Each of us made at least one eye splice. I did the lock stitching and whipping on all the lines. Andrew is taking care of the last step, melting the ends to stop fraying. 2 - 50 foot lines, 2 - 35 foot lines, 4- 20 foot lines and 4 - 15 foot lines. Can't wait to see them in action.

Chess Club in Charleston

Mrs Susan started a chess club that meets once a month at the Charleston Main Street Library. For the last 3 months Sabastian and Paisley enjoyed playing with other kids and learning the game of chess. Mrs. Susan teaches a new move every month. Chess club is for 2 hours and then we look for new books to check out and then off to the playground near the Charleston Maritime Center to let off steam and play. We have really enjoyed our time with fellow homeschoolers.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Super Moon in Charleston on March 19,2011

We threw together a Super Moon BBQ and invited a few neighbors over to celebrate the Super Moon. Most of us boaters pay attention to the moon cycle to watch for the flux in the tides. It has been a cool to watch us go up and down on the floating dock and measure ourselves to the fix pier. We saw crazy tides during the February full moon and knew it was going to be exciting during the Super Moon. The day was warm sunny. It was a wonderful way to say good-bye to the last day of winter. Andrew, the captain and cook of Inconceivable, fixed 3 racks of ribs, hamburgers, corn pudding, and potatoes. All in our little oven. Bob brought Cesar Salad. Lyn and Jack brought over baked beans. The Duning family brought over chips and guacamole dip. Tyler brought over his guitar and a wooden flute and a Turkish Flute.

Our gathering started with Andrew and Tyler fishing out a bloated opossum from the water. Not the way to start a party but it needed to be taken care of. I could not look at it long enough to get a picture. After that adventure the party started. Tyler played his guitar for us and we all played the flutes. Paisley definitely enjoyed playing the Turkish Flute. We all had a fun time hanging out and talking boating. Lynn and Jack officially completed their Loop in under 12 months. We welcomed them into the marina when we noticed their Burgee and we were delighted to find out that they had just crossed their wake. Jack and Bob are both from New Jersey so we talked about where to stay in New York City. All of us got our cameras ready and headed out to various spots to get a picture of the moon. The kids were off playing with Chief, Tyler's Pit Bull. We were waiting for the moon to come out and the clouds started to appear. We patiently waited and saw a red moon begin to shine through the clouds.It was a beautiful site to see. Several hours later when the clouds disappeared the moon had a beautiful glow. We ended the night with Cole and Cooper spending the night. The kids had fun building Lego and playing a Backugan card game. The NCAA games were on and we rooted on the Spiders and Rams. I am excited that they both made it into the sweet 16!