Inaugural Post 2010

Dear Friends and Devoted Followers,

In this, my inaugural post for the 2010 Windleblo adventures, I will attempt to succinctly update you on the last few day's happenings.

First, the punch line: I've arrived safely in Scandinavia, found the boat as perfect as when I left her, and have completed this year's initial voyage, an eight nautical mile jaunt from our winter storage cove to Hallberg-Rassy harbor (click the webcam link once on the HR website) in Ellos, where I am now comfortably docked.

I am writing to you in the first person singular, rather than plural, because, as some of you may not know, I have traveled here this year without Jocelyn who is busy with professional affairs. I miss her horribly and have had to manage settling in without her. My job now is to move the boat 700 nautical miles to Gdansk, Poland, where she will join me June 17th with our daughter Emily.

Helping me in this task is Philip Dear, a friend of John's from Tufts who rendezvoused with me in Gothenburg last Thursday after completing a semester abroad in Copenhagen. Philip is already proving to be an affable fellow and willing seaman. Tomorrow, my beloved friend Martin Neumayer, of Vienna, Austria, and a Mahina cohort, joins us. This completes the cast of characters for Leg 1 to Gdansk.

So far, there's good news and bad news.

The bad news. As I arrived here, I was beset by a raging cold which, when combined with jet lag, has kept me on half throttle. Coupled with several minor baubles, my start here has not been as flawless as desired. These baubles include:
1. When inspecting the boat after arrival, I discovered that the port and starboard gate stantion support struts were significantly bent. Johannes and his brother Urban (my winter storage guys) initially denied responsibility, but I insisted the damage was not there when I left the boat with them last fall. That's when they recalled an incident which must have caused it. They then repaired the stantions without much ado and a hullabaloo was averted.
2. The bowsprit I ordered from Johannes was not fabricated as expected. This means we will have to come up with Plan B (yet to be deigned) for flying our beautiful new gennaker.
3. Vickie Vance of HR Parts was not able to deliver the life raft cover and whisker pole we ordered. She says the European economy has slowed things down significantly this spring because companies have laid off so many workers and can't keep up with orders.
4.When I tried to network my brand new laptop with the onboard navigation system, it would not work. I called Furuno USA tech support last night (4 pm Pacific time) and was instructed to download their newest software, a 1.65 megabyte file. Repeated attempts overnight to do so failed. I've just returned from the Uddevalla MacDonalds where I was able to complete the download on their fast, free wifi system.

As you can see, I am right back in the thick of the cruising lifestyle, complete with all the associated pleasures, trials, and tribulations.

I promised good news, some obvious by now.

1. I'm on my boat in Sweden readying for more adventure.
2. The boat is as beautiful as when I left her last September.
3. I have a beautiful wife who will join me soon.
4. I am assembling a fantastic crew who will ensure a good time until then.
5. Life is good.

Unlike last year when I documented everything photographically, I have yet to use my camera. I will remedy that soon and post a slideshow for your viewing pleasure.

If you haven't already, please sign up as a a Windleblo blog follower and make a comment so I know you are there. If you are already a follower, please add a comment without delay. I look forward to hearing from you.

Love,
Captain Jack