2025-08-10 A week apart, Dean single handing and Kris helping parents.

It's been a busy week for both us.  Kris flew out on Sunday to Bend, Oregon, where here parents live.  Her Mom is ailing, and was in hospital, but moving into Memory Care.   Kris's Dad is 93 and needed some moral support during the transition.  Kris's sister still works, so Kris flew out to help. 

That means Dean was on the boat alone - OH NO - what trouble could he get into?

Dean became Mr. Busy with projects, deciding to tackle a few items that were easier when living alone and Kris could not spend hours planning and directing, and fussing over the project.

Dean sanded our salon floor and applied new Varathane to it.   The first coat was great, but the second coat ended up with lots of little bubbles.  So sand and try again, after walking into town for a new roller.

We had purchased supplies to add more epoxy to our table-top, so he got busy and did that project as well. 

 

Floor and table looking great

Dean found other jobs to occupy him while the floor Varathane dried, like scrubbing the outside of the boat.

You can see the port hull is clean, while starboard still has some yellow stain.

While Dean was busy on the boat, Kris was sitting in the hospital room, and cleaning her parent's house.  Her Mom hasn't been physically able to clean for a while, and let's just say her Dad is less than enthusiastic.   Kris started a top to bottom scrub of every room when not in Hospital, or moving her Mom to the Memory Care facility.

On Wednesday, Dean single-handed sailed the boat 21 miles from Port Jefferson to Port Washington.

Gray sailing day

 

Only other boat on the water

Meanwhile, Kris kept scrubbing.   One job was to empty out her parent's camper and truck to get it ready to sell.   Let's just say that her folks have a lot of stuff everywhere.  A lot.  A LOT.  The water line on the truck/camper went up a few inches.

All this stuff plus more in the camper not used for last 10 years or so.   

When not cleaning at the house, Kris went in with her Dad daily to visit Mom in Memory care.  And spent some time watching the wildlife.

Mother deer and fawn in backyard of parent's house.

These deer were eating the grass right outside the Memory Care facility.

The deer were doing more than eating.

When you have to go - you have to go

 

Different from the wildlife Dean was seeing.

Think maybe a young green heron on the rocks next to dinghy dock in Setauket.

Friday Dean left Port Washington, and headed west through New York, and then just kept going for an overnight trip to Lewes, Delaware.  The weather for the upcoming week had only southerly winds, and that is the direction we wanted to go.  Option A was for Dean to go now by himself, or Option B wait for Kris and have a very miserable trip south.  Went with Option A.

 

Kris worried the whole time, and checked his live track, and called him often to make sure he was still on the boat.

Going through New York

Panorama shot - that's why the lifelines look wonky

The Queen Mary, docked in New York

Lady Liberty

The overnight sail got a bit chilly.  Dean actually put on sweatpants and shirt for the overnight journey.  Not many boats out, and winds lighter than forecast, so more motoring than wanted, but not bad seas - so all in all a decent trip.

Nice full moon on the overnight trip

Dean was quite tired, but a successful, singlehanded 30-hour trip.   Good job Dean

Dean made it safely, and anchored in Lewes, DE

Kris spending her days cleaning, helping her Dad, and visiting Mom in Memory Care.  Her Mom is going downhill quickly.  Hospice is doing their best, to keep her comfortable.

View of the mountains that you see when driving from Kris's folks into town.  South Sister and Broken Top

Dean will hang out in Lewes a few days, Kris plans to fly back on Tuesday if all works out.  Plans are flexible.

2025-08-03 Good times in Block island, then brisk sailing, and Kris flies out

 Spent Sunday in Block Island just relaxing on the boat.  A bit of a rainy day.  Kris worked on a small project, putting in LED strip lights in the V-berth and engine room. It made a big change - should have done it a long time ago.   

Kris also did some cooking prep of beans, rice and made her oatmeal-walnut-flax-banana-applesauce-cinnamon bread that she has for breakfast.

Engine room with old light that we upgraded with LED 

Now with old light removed, and strip lighting installed around edges.  Much brighter.

Monday we went to town, got rid of trash, and did a walk around.  Not much has changed since we were here in 2023.   The hotel that burned down shortly we left in August 2023 is still not rebuilt.  

Bridge between dinghy dock and main town

National Hotel-Built in 1903 after the original one burned down - seems to be a trend here.

Not a very busy main street early in the morning.  Later will be packed with people

Busy but nice dinghy dock

We spent a lot of time on Monday measuring our jib.  Kris made up a nice sketch of all the dimensions to send to the sailmaker.   We got quotes from Mack Sails and Doyle sails – who both have built the special Manta jib with the camber spar feature, so we were confident both would do OK, but Mack had a much lower price.   We asked Doyle to lower the price, and they did – so we went with them, as Mack has had some bad reviews, and frankly, their communication just stinks.   We should have a new jib in 6 to 8 weeks.

Tuesday was just a lazy boat day.  Dean read a book, and Kris played a computer game off and on.  Kris’s Mom is in hospital, so lots of texts and call between her and her sister arranging and figuring out plans going forward for their Mom going to Memory Care.

Wednesday, we walked into town and had a nice lunch out.  Ate at "The Lunch Bucket".  Good fries, and burgers were not bad either.   They even had Impossible burger (meatless), so Kris was happy about that. 

Yummy lunch

Thursday we were up and left before 6:00 a.m., and we wanted to move 72 miles west to Port Jefferson.  Kris needed to be to catch a flight on Saturday to Bend, Oregon to help out with her parents' situation.    Day started with more wind than expected, but then we had to motor through fog so thick that we would see what we hit, just before we hit it, but no time to avoid it.  Luckily, that only lasted an hour or so, and then it lifted.  And then it came back.  And then it lifted – and you get the picture.   By 11:00 the fog was gone and by noon the winds built, and we were having a great sail.  Then the winds built, then the winds built.   Jib only, current with us going 10 knots.  Quite the day.  Got in to Port Jefferson by 5:15.  Oh, did we mention the torrential rain.  Dean had to change out of wet clothes twice from going forward on deck, and we were both soaking wet because – yes – torrential rain while anchoring.    So glad we sailed today, as tomorrow is forecast to be even worse.

Kris on shift, wearing her foul weather jacket in the blustery day

Friday another rainy, cloudy day, highs of 75, so stayed on boat and Kris got ready for her trip.  Turns out the weather was better as far as rain, but windy in the morning and no wind in the afternoon.

Saturday Kris took an Uber for her two Uber, three train, three flight trip to Bend, Oregon.  She made it in fine by midnight Saturday, but tired.

Dean will be a bachelor for a bit now.  Kris plans on coming back in a week or so.