Foreign Affair Sailing

We drove to Galveston to join the rest of the family for Mike and Vicky's 10th Anniversary Cruise. Ten years ago we helped them celebrate their marriage by joining them on their honeymoon cruise. Its been 10 years since that memorable day and the number of revelers has increased - some had not yet been born.

We broke the trip up into a two day drive. Along the way, we passed "Standing Brave" on US Highway 69 in Big Cabin, Oklahoma. According to Roadside America, this Indian Chief is over 50 feet tall and guards the reservation's tax-free cigarette store. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigar_store_Indian

I suppose it is OK for him to remain standing there since he is on an Indian reservation and he is in not in front of a cigar store. We do want to be politically correct.

We went to Washington, D.C. to bid adieu to our friends Scott and Freddie who have their boat, Chardonnay docked at the Capitol Yacht Club.  We also wanted to see the Draken Harald Harfagre, a full-sized replica of a Viking "Great Ship".  This ocean going Norse ship is named after the Viking King Harald Harfagre who unified the people of Norway under his leadership.  Archaeological discoveries were used as the basis for constructing the 115 foot long, 26 foot wide "Great Ship".  According to Sigurd Aase, the primary personality involved in the project, "The aim of the Draken Harald Harfagre project is to explore the world and embrace the Viking spirit."  The ship was constructed and set sail to do exactly that with stops in various ports among which was Washington, D.C.  We were able to go aboard for a tour and had time to speak to some members of the crew.  It was truly an amazing vessel and glimpse into the past.  The Vikings were undoubtedly the best voyagers of their time and their sailing vessels carried them swiftly on their voyages of discovery and conquest.   https://www.drakenhh.com/about-the-ship

Foreign Affair now has a new owner.  We wish her well.  We accomplished all we had set out to do aboard Foreign Affair and then some.  Our original plan was to cruise for 2 years.  Repeated extensions stretched our ownership to 4 years.  It is now time to move on so we can spend more time with family and explore more of this wonderful world than possible at our average cruising speed of 5 knots.  We have no regrets and many, many happy memories of our time aboard.  We do not intend to give up cruising altogether; however, our time afloat will be measured in weeks rather than years.  We thank all who were part of our big adventure and look forward to seeing again many of the people we met along the way.  To all, "Fair winds and following seas."

We volunteered to man the Seven Seas Cruising Association's booth at the Annapolis Boat Show.  Friends of ours who are members of the Perry Yacht Club back in Kansas made a surprise appearance.  Pat and his wife, Joan are also members of SSCA and live-aboard cruisers.  They didn't tell us they would be in Annapolis for the boat show along with their daughter and son-in-law, Jon.  Jon is a rigger and installed new standing rigging on our Catalina 27, Lucky Ones.  We are always amazed at how often we run into friends and fellow cruisers both by chance and design.

We returned to Maryland to complete the sale of Foreign Affair and remove the remaining items we had in storage at Dwayne's brother's house.  We also made an effort to visit with friends in the area before heading back to Kansas after we sold our boat.  Tom and Christina were among those we bid farewell.  Tom is a featured speaker for various seminars presented at the Annapolis Boat Show.  As a result, they are on the Bay in late September and head south for the winter shortly after the boat show.  We enjoyed a brief visit and dinner together in Annapolis.

We had a wonderful time renewing old friendships and making new ones at the Seven Seas Cruising Association Annapolis Gam which was held at the Maryland Yacht Club.  It was a wonderful setting and the club members were very welcoming.  The seminars on a wide range of topics were particularly good.  The banquet was served to a full house and the fellowship superb.  Nigel Calder was the keynote speaker and provided us with a humorous and informative narration of his earliest days as a cruiser.  His experiences made it clear that even the smartest among us often make dumb mistakes.  His latest book, Shakedown Cruise:  Lessons and Adventures from a Cruising Veteran as He Learns the Ropes, is a must read for anyone interested in cruising.  It is a fast, humorous read filled with anecdotes that provide not soon to be forgotten lessons of value to the cruising sailor.  Once again, the Gam was a special weekend of fun and learning in a wonderful setting.