s/v 'Puff' the Snapdragon, a great loop Great adventure!

[CharlieJ]

Good  luck Bruce. Keep in touch as you do the loop.

Tehani should transit the Mississippi River locks tomorrow. We're ( Tehani and I) 34 miles from Harvey Lock tonight. Harvey is Mile 0 of the Gulf ICW. Increases both ways from there- east and west.

Maybe two weeks from the home Marina  ;D I'll be glad to get there. This cold weather iis wearing. 29 yesterday AM and 34 this AM. I've had long johns on!!!

[skylark]

Have a great trip!

[Snapdragon]

An epic voyage Charlie.  You have certainly attained HERO status in my book.  Grog to ya!

[Jim_ME]

Great photo of Charlie on Tehani.

Good to see the trailer repaired, modifications, and Puff back in the water. It will be interesting to read your entries as you cruise the Great Loop.

Fair winds,
-Jim

[JWalker]

bruce thanks again! we really enjoyed our time with you and nancy.

the epoxy repair we did to the dingy is holding up great

fair winds on your trip...i look forward to reading your posts

[Snapdragon]

Finally got around to moving Puff out of Marquis Basin and over to Destiny Marina on Escambia Bay.  Nancy and I got a late start Thursday evening and spent the night anchored in one of our favorite spots at Bay Point on Blackwater Bay.  The night was chilly and the thick morning fog didn't lift until noon.  There was absolutely no wind, so we had to just motor along on glass-smooth water all the way.  The fog suddenly rolled in again just as we were entering the marina.  We had just enough time to make it in safely.   :)

[Destiny Marina]

Finally got around to moving Puff out of Marquis Basin and over to Destiny Marina on Escambia Bay.  Nancy and I got a late start Thursday evening and spent the night anchored in one of our favorite spots at Bay Point on Blackwater Bay.  The night was chilly and the thick morning fog didn't lift until noon.  There was absolutely no wind, so we had to just motor along on glass-smooth water all the way.  The fog suddenly rolled in again just as we were entering the marina.  We had just enough time to make it in safely.   :)

We are so happy to have Puff,Nancy and You here.. Glad to be part of your Great Loop Adventure... :)

[ntica]

Nice reading. will follow this thread. Do like the name "puff" ;)

[Snapdragon]

Thanks ntica.  
Two stories about naming our boat "Puff".

"Jakeindenver" and I  acquired our Snapdragon 26 sailboats at about the same time.  Unknown to each other, we both decided to name our boats "Puff".  When he discovered that we had chosen the same name, during a telephone conversation with me he offered to use a different name to avoid confusion even though we would be sailing on different coasts.  A true gentleman!  

When Johnnie, Morgan, and Max (of WoolyBahBah fame) were invited to stop over with us for a few days during their cruise south, they accepted our invitation with some trepidation.  We had never met.  Only knowing from our sailfar posts that Nancy and I are from the "flower power" generation and lived in a rural setting gave then pause to consider whether the word puff was used as a noun or a verb (as in "to smoke").  I think that they were somewhat relieved to find that we were not ageing hippies growing our own medicinal herbs.  Naming ones boat can be an adventure!

[Oldrig]

whether the word puff was used as a noun or a verb (as in "to smoke").  I think that they were somewhat relieved to find that we were not ageing hippies growing our own medicinal herbs.

Hey Snapdragon,

Guess I'm showing my age ... I had the same thought. ;D

"Puff" is a great name for a smallish sailboat, whatever the derivation.

--Joe

[Snapdragon]

My good luck is still holding in spite of my lack of intelligence.  I broke the rear axle on Puff's trailer about six months ago about 20 ft from the barn - very convenient for repairs.  Logic would dictate that the front axle, being the same age and subject to the same abuse, would soon suffer the same fate, but would I listen?  Yesterday when I made the turn onto the road in front of my house on my way to launch, the fates gently reminded me of my neglectful ways.  Fortunately I was only about 100 yards from the barn and it was no real problem to trailer the needed timbers and tools out to the road.  Unfortunately, it's going to mean a delay of several days while a new axle is ordered and installed.  A small price to pay.  It could have been much, much worse!

[JWalker]

Oh man....were you out of the road?

I can't imagine that with all the traffic on your road!!!!  :o

ok, just kidding.

Stinks but at least you were close to the barn!

And twice!!!!

The gods must be smiling on your because off all the good will you show to passing cruisers  ;)

[ntica]

It's beautifull little ship!

[Jim_ME]

Well now you have both axles redone so you should be good to go for a long while.

Nice to see a twin keel boat sitting so low on a trailer. It gives one the impression that the entire trailer could disintegrate to dust and the boat would sit happily upright on her keels on the ground...  :)

[Snapdragon]

At the risk of being declared the official wimp of the Sailfar crowd, I admit to being a slacker this summer because of the weather. It doesn't seem to affect some (unnamed) heroes over inTexas that are my senior by some years, and I marvel at their toughness. 

It's been a long hot summer, and here on the Florida Gulf Coast we've had plenty of rain showers on an almost daily basis. The humidity has been high enough to meet the requirements for the "chunky style" definition of air. The oppressive heat and weeks of windless conditions make one question the wisdom of committing to a particular date for another try at the "Great Loop". 

In spite of the weather, i've been able to do a few improvements to Puff to get her ready. I've installed two 50 watt solar panels on the new aluminum arch connected to a 15 amp charge controller and AGM deep cycle battery. A 1000 watt inverter supplies power to the cabin 110 volt outlets. 
I've done a few clean-up, tighten, reinforce, simplify projects that should make life on board a little easier. And now, i wait for a break in the weather. 

[Snapdragon]

Today's picture of Puff, ready to go.  I can post text from my ipad, but I haven't learned how to post pictures from it yet.

[CharlieJ]

And which Texans would that be??

Heat index today 104 and I was mowing up at the farm. A long neglected job it seems cause it was two feet tall :'(

Your work sounds great. What solar panels did you choose? Need one for Necessity.

[Jim_ME]

Hi Bruce, Congrats on getting Puff in the water.

It's been a long hot summer, and here on the Florida Gulf Coast we've had plenty of rain showers on an almost daily basis. The humidity has been high enough to meet the requirements for the "chunky style" definition of air. The oppressive heat and weeks of windless conditions make one question the wisdom of committing to a particular date for another try at the "Great Loop".

Since you already have a trailer, have you considered trailering Puff North to a cooler place to sail--say to Chesapeake Bay or even the Coast of Maine?

-Jim

[Snapdragon]

C J, I ordered the two 50 watt solar panels through Amazon.com. Name-brand is HQRP, but i really think any of the fine Chinese made products would work as well, and have the same razor sharp corners. The monocrystalline cells do look good and seem to perform well so far. 
Jim, I've never been one to do things the sensible, easy way. If I can't do this thing by sailing (or motoring) all the way, then maybe I should just get an RV.  I just feel the need to meet this challenge. 

[Snapdragon]

On Thursday (Aug 9th) afternoon, after a particularly heavy rain shower brought some welcome relief from the heat, I packed a few things and had Nancy drop me off at Marquis Basin where Puff was anchored. My intent was to spend a few days sailing the local area to see if I could tolerate the heat. Getting under way, I motored down the Blackwater River until I began to catch a little breeze.  I set sail and had a delightful, slow ride down to one of my favorite anchorages at Bay Point. Anchoring for the night, I was encouraged by a relatively cool breeze that continued through the night, with only occasional light rain.