We Are Back in Cruising Mode

We left Spring Cove Marina in Solomons on October 1, after four months. This summer was our time to visit family and friends and to complete a few boat projects.

Late last May we were still in the Dismal Swamp sitting out an all day rain event, when we received word that Linda's mother Elizabeth, aged 88, passed away. At the time she was in a nursing home recovering from hip surgery and plans were being made for more permanent arrangements, so it actually came as a surprise. We had already made arrangements with a marina on Solomons Island for the summer so we checked with them to be sure we could arrive a few days earlier than planned. We were still two days away but the weather was not cooperating. We moved the next day to Hampton in a light drizzle, but were then pinned down there for a day because of high winds and seas on the Chesapeake Bay. The following day the wind clocked around enough that we decided we could probably get some sails up to help pound through the waves. It worked as planned and we arrived at our new summer home late in the afternoon to be greeted by Linda's sister Dale and her husband Steve. They were driving up from Florida and we had made arrangements for them to pick us up on their way to Penn Yan in upstate New York. On the return trip they dropped us at BWI airport as we already had tickets to fly to Cleveland to retrieve our car from storage.
Having made reservations at Spring Cove Marina, site unseen, we have been extremely pleased. It was perfect for a long term stay. They have a large tree covered park like area with several picnic tables and charcoal grills, which we especially liked.
Our summer was a mix of many boat projects, getting Ariel ready for another couple years on the go, interspersed with visits to family and friends. In June we spent a week vacationing with our three children and their families in a large Victorian house we rented in Grand Haven, Michigan. It was a real treat to have everyone together. There was a pool, which is all that was needed to keep our four grandchildren happy. The vacation home was located within a couple blocks from the downtown area with it’s shops and restaurants and also just a few blocks from the very active waterfront. It was touch and go that Pamela would be able to travel to our gathering so late in her pregnancy. Just a few weeks later, on July 23, their second daughter, Claire Parker Supelak was born.

In mid June we returned to upstate New York to visit family. We stayed with Norm's mom which has become our adopted land home base. We moved all of our belongings from our shipping container to a garage owned by Norm's mother. With the passing of Linda's mother, the future of the property on which the container is has become uncertain.

We were at the marina for four months, actually slightly longer and were anxious to get back to traveling. We made one last trip to visit our families, which took us to New York, Ohio and Michigan. We spent a couple days with each of our children and grandchildren. We stayed with Norm's mom a few days while she recovered from a needed surgery. She recovered quickly and she and Norm's brother Bill brought us back to Ariel and then spent the weekend. We had a wonderful weekend which included a day in Washington DC. Bill had never been to Washington. He did a tour in Viet Nam with the 173rd Airborne, and as difficult for him as it was, he visited the Viet Nam Memorial.

Just before leaving Spring Cove Marina, we had a surprise visit from Harry and Barbara Cochran, church friends from Franklin, MA. They travel around the country in a 5th wheel RV and we enjoyed exchanging experiences with them. There is so much commonality between the RV community and the cruising community. Our paths have come close to crossing several times in the past couple years so it was very nice to finally connect.

Claire Parker Supelak

Norm's Mom and brother Bill

Harry and Barbara Cochran