March 9, 2006 To my friends and to all of the most wonderful passengers a Captain could ask for, it's time for me to plan this year's sailing events and adventures. The Volvo Ocean Race around the world already looms large in Annapolis, and that's just one weekend in May. Meanwhile, this winter's big project was the cockpit. It's been two months of steady work and just finished yesterday. I hope you like it, as this project consumed me. A year ago it was plumbing, fittings and floors, all to move aboard and done while nursing my bad elbow. It's better, by the way, and thank you all for the support.

It's hard to believe some of the numbers: Ava will soon be five; Liberté Carré is starting her fifth year. This whole business of sailing for a living got started 17 years ago. We've watched children grow up, such as the Amoruso grand-children who used to come out on the original Liberté as toddlers in their sailor suits and are now all teenagers. Bonnie & Stephen first brought their elder son, Basil, on the old boat when he was about Ava's age, then later threw a 13th birthday party for him on that boat. Now we can legally serve him alcohol. Big Jack and the sharks' beach days in Tarpaulin Cove are fond memories. We've had so many weddings onboard, they can no longer be considered an unusual sail, yet each is still very special. When will the boat be done? I dunno. It was great living on the boat from May through October. Let's begin at the beginning...

Ava driving the Quickwater to Martha's Vineyard.

Fittingly enough, the Sunday Champagne Sail on May 1st was the first sail of the season, followed in the afternoon by an Indigo Event. The women's group enthusiastically enjoyed the sail in 20 knots of breeze; it was a great start to the year. Our first wedding of the season was on May 7th, when Mariana and Targe made the world a little smaller, bringing together her Argentine family and his German. Bill O'Melian did the honors and everyone enjoyed the celebration. (The adventure continued for them in the Summer when they moved to Switzerland!) In the evening, a bachelor party enjoyed their catering downbelow while waiting out a thunderstorm. When the rain stopped, we headed out for a little motor-sail/drift by the Naval Academy until showers moved back in again. Because of the lousy conditions, we offered free passage on our Sunday Champagne Sail the next day for any of them who could make it. Only one of the guys, Patrick, was able to take us up on it, but we all enjoyed a beautiful sail. On May 17th, we took out a group from Pyrotek, a company involved in "explosive welding". You never know where you'll find expertise on a subject, but this group had ideas for solving our problem of permanently attaching the aluminum hard dodger to the steel cabintop. (For those in the know, this meeting of metals is tricky stuff.)

By mid-May, the Spring season in Annapolis was in full swing, with company outings, teambuilding, birthday and graduation parties. A group from Sunrise Assisted Living took a break from caring for their residents to enjoy a sail. Our ancient cat, Ollie, must have understood that they worked with seniors as he made himself comfortable with the group. On the 27th, Brian Steiner chartered the Liberté for just he and his wife as a romantic evening prior to the birth of their third child. It was a glorious sail down to Thomas Point lighthouse and back.

On June 1st, our new crew, Miss Colleen, arrived to assist in the crewing and boat maintenance. A floor had been quickly laid in the aft cabin and she lived aboard with us for a lovely (hot) month in our comfortable (non-air-conditioned) accommodations. The Irish beauty with her sparkling wit kept at least one of our “Gang of Four” showing up to work on the boat. Linda and Joe were married aboard Liberté on June 2nd, just off the beautiful grounds of Manresa. (Annapolis locals know the sight of this grand estate, sitting up on a bluff overlooking the Severn River.) The Kalik’s were back for another sail on the 4th, this time with hats announcing their “Bobbing on the Bay with Bob.” The next day was a first for the Sunday Champagne Sail as Brad and Chris played music. (Please note that this was Chris H. from the Chart House, not Captain Chris, who has little musical talent.)

Mariana & Targe's wedding, performed by Billy O.

We took the Chart House staff out for their annual Midnight Sail on June 14th. The weather was the best we have ever had for one of these cruises, as there was actually a breeze and we didn’t just drift for a few hours. Everything was beautiful and we actually worried about getting back to the harbor too early. That’s when we caught a crab pot. We doused the sails, dropped the anchor and Chris went for a swim to straighten things out. Then it was hoist the sails again, hoist the anchor, confirm we were clear of the buoy and off for the barn. In the end, it was no surprise we were late getting back to the dock and the beer cooler was empty. I think we got to bed as dawn approached. Ah, the life of a sailor.

June 18th proved to be another big day for Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering and their summer interns. In fact, we could almost sail into Mill Creek. (For those who aren’t familiar with its narrow, winding entrance, this would be an astounding feat.) The day was marred for us, though, when the marine toilet broke just as we neared the creek. Instead of having a leisurely lunch at Cantler’s, Chris spent the time rebuilding the head. When our guests returned to the boat after an all-you-can-eat crab feast, everything was in clean and working order and we continued the day by anchoring with all the other boats chartered by the firm, while the interns went swimming. The drift home was livened up by some great water battles between the vessels. Father's Day brought a big crowd on the Sunday Champagne Sail, including friends Richard and Jessica, their son, Robert, and Jessica's parents, Bob and Shirley. (We have Thanksgiving with this sports-loving group every year and it's a fabulous time. Just waiting for this year's invitation...) "Father" Chuck was accompanied by his daughter, Alexandra, to celebrate as well. It was a delightful cruise. Unfortunately, the weather kicked up a bit later in the afternoon when Vicky Love brought her family out. They were real troopers as the wind picked up and their spread of hors d'ouerves started to slide. We headed up the Severn River for comfort, but then dropped all sail and motored home when the drizzle became steady. We knew Vicky from the old Galley days and it was great to see her; if only we could pick the weather!

Later in the week, Donna Watson's guests witnessed typical Summer weather in Annapolis. Thunderstorms headed from Baltimore across the Bay, passing about three miles away from us. What had been a calm evening brought a strong wind shift and soon we had gusts of 20 knots. The Wednesday night race series really took a hit from the changes in weather. We ended the Spring season with our Sunday Champagne Sail, including local friends such as Tracey “Copies” and our crew for the trip north, including brother Frank and Mr. Patrick. Miss Colleen had some of her college friends visiting and the only thing we wondered was whether she would be back on the boat by the time we departed early Monday morning...

Not to worry, as the entire crew was assembled and ready for the sail to Cape Cod first thing on June 27th. Jane had the opportunity to leave Ava with her sister, Nancy, in Connecticut and fly back down for the sail north. So for Jane’s first trip offshore in the new Liberté, we had Colleen, Patrick, Frank and Frank’s friend from college, Slash. It was a gray, damp start to Delaware Bay in 25-knot winds from the Northeast. Going South in the Delaware, I was thinking of where to hide out for the Noreaster to die off. But six hours later we were six miles North of Cape May and the wind had laid down. All was good for clearing Cape May by sunset. Then we threw a belt on the engine. In a 5-knot breeze from the South, we hoisted full sail for a half-hour to get out of the shipping channel and then dropped anchor. We missed the fair tide, but we had a big dinner, installed a new belt and got some sleep. Six hours later we were off with the next fair tide.

Miss Colleen tries fishing offshore on the sail from Annapolis to Cape Cod.

There was another ship, Northbound, also on a collision course. We had time and now with the Captain fully awake, the crossing was not so intense. We jibed over and paralleled his course for twenty minutes, jibed back and cleared the shipping lane. The remainder of the passage was fog for the day, clearing in the evening and sometimes rain. About twenty miles from Gay Head the radar stopped functioning and we had to feel our way into Vineyard Sound. Tarpaulin Cove, which has become our traditional anchorage, was mostly blocked by a large U.S.C.G. buoy tender with every light on. This was blinding, ruining our night vision. We slowly worked our way by, close to the stern. (Of course, their personnel on anchor watch were closely watching us, fully armed.) We dropped anchor in the cove about halfway between the buoy tender and the only other boat there, a small catboat tucked up in a corner. The crew jested that it was probably Bud (Chris' dad) there to welcome us, despite the nasty weather. In fact, the morning watch was hailed by Bud as he headed out at 6am; I slept through it. A fair tide in the afternoon brought us to Falmouth harbor. Summer was upon us.

The crew dinner was a grand occasion as we had "extended" crew: Jane's sisters, Nancy and Susan, had coordinated a trip to the Cape to bring Ava and the car up from Connecticut. Ava's cousins, Wyatt and Cody came along as well. We began with cocktails on Bud & Eleanor's deck, followed by an al fresco dinner at our favorite bistro, Pi. It was great to see Chef Mike again and we looked forward to several more delicious meals there. Our first sail of the Summer was part of a wedding weekend for Sophie and Jason. Then we were into the 4th of July weekend, with many of our friends and regular sailors joining us. Sunday evening was perfect for Bonnie and “the Pizza Man” to enjoy the sunset, followed by a spectacular fireworks display. The holiday weekend continued into Monday, the 4th of July, so it was just as well that Tuesday morning was fogged in and the crew had a chance to rest. The afternoon cleared in Vineyard Haven and we saw the clipper ship Shenandoah, a modern 100’ sloop and two large power vessels, one a classic and the other modern. The fog started back in by the end of the afternoon and the sunset cruise ended with a harbor cruise and zero visibility. Ah! New England! In fact, the next three days were given up for weather.

The next Sunday morning was lovely, but our only reservation was for Pati & Mike, who were checking the boat out as they had it chartered in Annapolis for their wedding in September. Since they had come all the way from Chatham, the Captain decided it would be a good time to do some “official” training of Miss Colleen (she’d already been crewing for six weeks), which included a Man-Overboard Drill. It gave Jane, Pati & Mike the time to visit, drink Chardonnay and go over details for the wedding. Ava enjoyed herself as well. The next evening the office crew from the Special Olympics had an onboard clambake provided by Shuckers in Woods Hole. The sunset, as well as the cruise, was perfect! Meanwhile, members of Jane’s family were visiting, which always involves sails on the Liberté! (We do a lot of catching up with friends and family while we’re in Falmouth.)

The Sea Urchins relaxing on their annual sail.

The next morning we were fogged out, but the weather shaped up enough for Mark and Stacy’s wedding reception aboard in the afternoon. We sailed to Lackey’s Bay, where the wedding cake was cut as we sailed past a large ketch. In the evening, sisters Linda and Patty threw a party for their mom’s 75th Birthday. July 19th brought a thick fog on a sail to Vineyard Haven, where the Shenandoah appeared through the mist like a ghost. On July 21st, the new “Come Wine with Us” group joined us for a sunset sail and wine tasting. As they have already planned to come out with us again this year, I hope they understand that we can not guarantee the rising full moon and gorgeous sunset we had last year!

The next morning, we deployed our anchor and mooring buoy off Falmouth Harbor. This was a major step in our quality of life living aboard the Liberté. It allowed us to take the boat out of the harbor at night, away from the noise on the corner: cars screeching, trucks beeping as they back up, and burly men (and women) tossing around loads of newspapers. Ava was so excited on her first night away from the dock, that the first thing she did in the morning was to rush up on deck and see if we were still “out there”.

The sunset sail on July 22nd was very festive as we were joined by John Starosta and Geoff Merrill, some of my best friends for many years. (I’ll resist the word “oldest”.) We cruised under full sail in 8-10 knots of breeze - delightful! After the sail, I joined them for cocktails on the “veranda” (aft deck). In fact, many of our friends in Falmouth learned that they could find us winding down on the veranda after the sunset sail, and rumor had it that it was one of the top three places to go on a night out in Falmouth!

Janet Hassett had a surprise sail for her sister’s 50th birthday - what a nice sister! Later during sunset, John and Linda Quesnel threw a big party aboard for their 25th wedding anniversary.

On another evening, a gentleman with a back brace who had never sailed before handled the helm beautifully as we cruised off towards Nobska and back to the Heights. Since Miss Colleen was crewing that evening, Mr. Patrick took the opportunity to bring some of his friends out and just enjoy a sail. On July 30th, Ed and Gail Zamaitis had their second annual sunset sail. “Team Bates” was on deck as Patrick and Colleen crewed and Laura, just about to enter her first year at the college, served drinks. Once again it was a great shindig and we’re already planning for next year! On August 3rd, the Franklin Senior Center had perfect conditions for a cruise in the morning, while in the evening, Mark Gardner and the crew from Century 21 enjoyed a big spread of food during a lovely sunset. The next evening we had live music during Paul and Sandy Smith’s party for wedding guests. (It’s surprising we don’t have more live music aboard...)

Saturday morning’s sail was quite a sight as the local chapter of the Red Hats Society arrived in all their splendor. Then Mary Lou Bast had a birthday party for her husband in the afternoon. Joe and Barbara Hufnagel had a great party aboard to lead up to their son’s wedding rehearsal dinner at the Flying Bridge. On Sunday evening, Jane and friends (including former crew, Zona, and Chef Mike’s wife, Jen) enjoyed a gorgeous sunset on a “Ladies Night” out.

Yikes! It’s Ann and the Red Hats!

The sunset sail on August 21st turned out to be quite exciting. After a fine day of sailing, a hazy mist, then fog, settled in so we made our way back a little early from the evening sail to take a little harbor cruise. I started the engine and we pro-ceeded to take down sail. Right at the entrance to the harbor, the engine died, and a few tricks to correct the situation failed, so we anchored right away. A quick call brought the rescue team of Captain Bud and Miss Jane on the Minuteman. It was too choppy to transfer the passengers, so Bud put the Minuteman on Liberté’s “hip” and powered it back to the dock. He made a perfect landing despite the worsening conditions and all told, we were only 45 minutes late. The culprit turned out to be a clogged fuel filter which was replaced the next morning, so we didn’t miss the next night’s perfect sunset on Nobska lighthouse.

After missing their sail due to weather in 2004, the folks from New Pond Village enjoyed a delightful sail on the morning of August 25th. That evening we saw another group of “Red Hats”, as the chapter from Plymouth had a festive cruise. Saturday morning saw the wedding of John and Susan on a sail to West Chop. We had flower petals everywhere! In the evening we enjoyed a “pocket” sunset under full sail with many of our regular sailors aboard. Rain (and exhaustion) came in and caused sails to be cancelled on August 29, 30 and 31. Then it was the whirlwind of Labor Day weekend upon us. As Patrick and Colleen had gone back to school, “The Lovely Miss Jane” filled in as crew. And it took almost the entire Summer, but we had our first “Grand Slam” on September 2nd: Oak Bluffs, East Chop, Vineyard Haven, West Chop and Nobska all in one sail. The Shenandoah and the Alabama just passing to leward under full sail was the icing on the cake. The next afternoon saw another Grand Slam, which was followed by a sunset sail with Cape Cod’s favorite bartender, brother Frank. Also crewing quite a bit for the weekend was our own Miss Ava. She entertained all of the children on-board with her own toys; in fact, when one family arrived for their sail all the way from Chatham and discovered that one of their young girls didn’t bring any shoes for going out to dinner later, Ava donated a pair of her own flip flops. We really have a full-service vessel! A special word of thanks also goes out to Frank’s daughter, Miss Sarah, who greatly assisted us in bartending on a few of our sails that weekend.

We ended the season on Labor Day with three nice sails, including two great charters. The crew from Roo Bar in Falmouth came out for an afternoon sail and we could relate to their celebration of a season well done. In the evening, Dean Testa and friends enjoyed a sunset sail to Nobska, with the moon, planets and stars becoming visible before we arrived back at the dock. As the group departed in the Hummer limos, we toasted to a great Summer.

Mike, Pati & Ava taking in a Sunday morning sail off Falmouth.

We cleared the channel markers off Cape Henlopen at 9:30pm, then made good time with a fair breeze up the Delaware. The wind piped up to 18 -20 knots and we flew along in the dark. By 1:30am, the tide was slack, the wind fading and the Captain exhausted. As the engine issue remained a mystery, we anchored for the night. I slept. The next morning was clear, bright and calm. No wind meant the engine was our only source of power, it's status unknown. Time for a big breakfast! Cell phones are useful. The first two mechanics were unavailable. Peter, not a diesel guy, said "hey, you'll have to try and start it eventually to find out what's wrong." The motor started, but ran hot and sounded way off. A little gray-black smoky exhaust; "she's running rich," he says. So we hoisted the anchor and with a fair tide, we made our way slowly up the bay. It was frustrating to know we can motor at nine knots, but were only doing three. But it was in the right direction and my experience with the original Liberté taught me that, yes, eventually we would get there. Then I thought of someone who has four, big diesel engines: my brother, Jim, of Patriot Boats. Without hesitation he knew, the air filter was clogged. Well, not exactly... it was sucked right down the tube! When the mass of foam was extracted, the engine roared to life and we were back with power. By evening we were at the entrance to the C&D Canal. I chose to anchor and wait for morning and a fair tide.

Underway before dawn, the sunrise was incredible. The mist trapped in the creek hollows, high thin clouds and some puffy clouds as well, all added texture to the light. We lost the view behind the low hills around Chesapeake City, but once we passed the town, we watched as the sun "rose" again from the new horizon. Just incredible. We arrived in Annapolis that afternoon, and as sailors tend to do, celebrated a bit too much.

Party girls!

On the following Sunday, Pati and Mike were married onboard, performed by Bill O'Melian and with Ava as flowergirl. Miss Elizabeth assisted us in serving and several folks from the neighborhood were onboard as Pati used to live in East-port. We didn't have another sail for the afternoon and were able to join in the reception at the Eastport Yacht Club. The weather was fine for dancing to the fun music of the Tiki Barbarians. September 28th brought the crew from Northrop Grumman back for another sunset/dinner sail. The next day, Spaulding & Slye came out for another cruise with us, followed by The Fund for American Studies in the evening.

Plenty of room on deck for a Caribbean wedding reception.

Over Columbus Day weekend, Mike and Gayle Yoh and their family brought friends down for a sail. Gayle is from my old neighborhood in Falmouth and Ava was delighted to see the triplets again after playing with them on the beach and sailing with them in Cape Cod. Blackboard came out on a murky, misty day - again, if we could only pick the weather! Later the same day, EMC had a pirate-themed event. On October 12th, Volvo had a soiree onboard. It was calm in Annapolis harbor, but as we cleared into the Chesapeake, the wind and waves kicked up; not exactly suited for the cocktail party of fancy hors d’ouerves on hand. I could not resist, though, and we powered up our trim and drove hard for ten minutes. In anticipation of the Volvo Ocean Race, it was a very small taste of what the racers experience at sea. We soon tacked around and in the shelter of the Severn River had a lovely celebration.

The end of the Fall season quickly approached and it was over on October 28th with a cruise for Brion Harris and the Premier Planning Group. But there was no rest for the weary, as the next day was the annual Tug of War between the Maritime Republic of Eastport (www.TheMRE.org) and the United States, represented by Annapolis. (Liberté has the responsibility of setting up the center of the harbor, hosting the judges and monitoring the tugs.) The early date necessitated an early start time of 10:30am, so we had to hustle to get set up. At 8am, I discovered that our dinghy, White Knight, was out of gas. Steve at Annapolis Yacht basin opened early for us and we moved on. We started the tug a few minutes late, but “pulled” it off. (ha!ha!) Many thanks to all my helpers: Dave Apt, Admiral Bob Slaff, Mike & Emily of Pirate Adventures, SeaTow, Ham of TowBoat U.S., the Eastport Yacht Club, Bill Cusack, starters Tom & Trudy, and friends Chuck, Curt & Lynn. I could not even begin to attempt this without your help and encouragement. Thanks!

Next it was time to haul the Liberté out of the water for paint and inspection. It was no problem getting her into Herrington Harbor on November 6 during the high tide. Up into the temporary haulout area she went. Preston Logan and his U.S. Coast Guard team gave her a thorough inspection, after which Chris H. and I proceeded to scrape, sand and paint for the next week.. We stayed on schedule and were ready to launch before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as planned. The big Travelift there was moving a large powerboat and discovered an underground tank, abandoned some 25 years earlier. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, but the Travelift broke a leg. So it was December 20th before Liberté was relaunched. It was a cold, calm day and we broke through a thin layer of ice on our departure for Annapolis.

Just in time for the Christmas Holidays.

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