K-State Dominates K-Who 59-21

Yes, this is our sailing blog but as the name indicates - we bleed purple.




















I would be completely remiss if I didn't point out the happy news of the day. The K-State Wildcats beat/pulverized, trounced KU with a 59-21 victory in football today.

Happy 18th Sailorman

18 years ago I married the most amazing man ever! It has been quite an adventure and I can't wait as we continue to sail for each new horizon. I love you Cap10 Tom!

Charleston - Best Climbing Tree Ever

I stumbled on this strange old tree while we were at the Taste of Charleston.




















I immediately thought the same thing as the kids....what a terrific climbing tree. I wanted to throw down my purse and camera and join in but alas, I am an adult (recent bday to prove just how much of adult) and I don't think adults climb trees at fancy charity fund raisers on historic plantations. Or do they? I probably should have. But then again....given my lack of grace, I probably would ended up in what appears to be primordial ooze below the tree.




















And check out the woman with them freshening her makeup. Talk about adult. There was just something about this scene that made me snap this.

Charleston Further Afield

We took advantage of one of our multiple trips to West Marine, hardware store, ice run, etc... to explore Isle of Palm and Sullivan Islands.




















The wind was gusting pretty good so these kite sailors and wind surfers were loving it.



















Cap10 Tom taking it all in.

Boone's Hall Plantation and The Notebook

Taste of Charleston was on the ground of Boone's Hall Plantation. It's pretty, historic and all. Certainly interesting to see and learn about a working plantation but I had a hard time appreciating it because of all the misery, cruelty and heartbreak the slaves endured.




















I have this issue with a lot of historical things....big plantations, old churches in Europe and such. I love history, seeing and experiencing historic sites but I always end up thinking about the poor people that suffered/died to build whatever monument. However I guess we need to remember so we don't repeat. The grounds were gorgeous. And they did a good job of telling the story of slavery from then to now.

Oh yeah....the movie "The Notebook" was filmed in and around Charleston and at the Boone's Hall Plantation. " WHAT, you've never hear of it?" our astonished dock neighbors and marina bartender said to us. No, we hadn't. I suspect most haven't but to the locals it was a big deal and therefore a big movie. Matt - dock neighbor loaned us the movie and we watched it. It was....ok. Warning - total chick flick.
They were also filming an episode of "Army Wives" on the side street from our marina. Sort of annoying because they were shooting at night and simulating lighting with a huge flashing light high atop a boom bucket. We could see it from our cockpit. Not very conducive to chill mode when fake lighting is flashing brightly every few mins.

Charleston The Food Town

Did I mention that Charleston is all things food? Turns out the annual Taste of Charleston Food Festival was going on. Thank you to my good friend Kimberly for seeing this in Southern Living Mag and alerting me right before we flew out.




















We went the second day (Sunday). It was threatening serious rain but we lucked out with only a few showers.




















It's a fundraiser for local charities. All the area restaurants have booths and you use tickets to buy small plates/tastes. Eat, drink and be merry for charity? Hell yes, we are on-board for that!




















Besides the food, there was live music, ice carving, food demos, a few product demos, an iron chef competition, and a waiter obstacle course competition.



















Jeremy - our bartender at Anson's on Friday night had given us a heads up on this one and introduced us to their waiter that was competing.



















It was an absolute hoot to watch.



















We waddled out stuffed and happy that we could help.... cause it's all about the kids you know. HA!

Mirabella V - World Largest Sloop

She was in port and all of Charleston was a buzz. Even non-sailors stopped by the City Marina to see her. From our slip looking across the Cooper River, across the Charleston skyline to the far side, we could see her mast towering above all the other buildings. We drove over to take a closer look. We could only get semi-close. For more details click Mirabella V. *That beautiful wine colored yacht in the foreground is nothing to sneeze at either. Wonder if the captain of that vessel got his ego bruised when Mirabella sailed in? Size, yachts, egos, men...sometimes those seems to be tied together. Lucky for me, that isn't the case with Cap10 Tom.

























FIVE sets of spreaders! How many does your boat have? But never fear. No manual mast climbing here. She has a cage/lift on the front of the mast that takes you up the mast.

























The furlers are larger than the average person. Look closely at the below pic and you will see people on the foredeck to give some sense of scale.




















She's big and all but she didn't even have an sushi tower aka arch and certainly not a kewl sushi tower like s/v Honey Ryder....soo...thanks but no thanks.
Speaking of mega yachts, m/v SeaFair was anchored in the Cooper River. She is a 228 ft floating art gallery. We didn't get invited on-board, imagine that! Turns out they weren't in Charleston for a show but waiting out some bad weather elsewhere.

Charleston - A Foodie Town with a Wedding Problem

Charleston is second only to Las Vegas for destination weddings. On any given weekend there are tons and tons of weddings in and around Charleston. Yeah, yeah....whatever. *Ever notice that (in general) after you are married, you really could care a less about other weddings!
Turns out that Charleston has also put itself on the map as a food destination. And I am talking serious focus on all things food. As a self-proclaimed foodie and someone who likes to cook and even better, EAT, I have really enjoyed exploring this aspect of this wonderful city. Discovering the unique foods that make up low country/Gullah/southern fare and their origins.Trying the wonderful restaurants and fabulous, yummy dishes. And best of all, meeting the fascinating people involved in this food focused town.


















We had seen a funny/goofy/kewl t-shirt during Charleston Race week that said Taco Boy. For whatever reason we found this really funny. Little did we know in April it would lead us to "Taco Boy" the restaurant with spectacular, unique soft tacos!



















Of course Tom had to get a Taco Boy T-shirt. I opted for a couple of stickers and a temporary tattoo. * What the hell am I going to do with a Taco Boy temp tattoo? But it seemed kewl when the manager gave it to me. Who knows, I might find a use for it. I will let you know.

























Of course no trip to Charleston would be complete without Shrimp and Grits but we really try to branch out and try other things and not repeat anything. Well....except Dark and Stormies as the marina bar. That doesn't count because those are practically required.















Tom treated me to a special belated birthday dinner Friday night at Anson's. I had their signature crispy flounder on the recommendation of another dinner and the bartender Jeremy. Turns out he is almost as big of a fan of live music as Tom so we chatted with him about all things music and concerts.

My NEW Best Friends

Meet the great guys at the North Sails Loft. They are doing some minor repairs and preventative stitching on our headsail and dodger. Nice guys. Kewl loft but then I am sort of sail loft groupie. I find them super interesting. Yep....sailing geek.

Charleston Again

A nice long weekend on s/v Honey Ryder was just the ticket to renew our spirits. I can't fathom why this country is STILL celebrating Columbus Day as an official holiday because it's pretty much been proven that he really wasn't the first one to discover "the new world". I cringe at the idea of celebrating the holiday because...in my opinion...he was a crappy navigator. Come on, he was! He thought North America was China/far east for goodness sake! But I will gladly take an official public holiday any time because it usually means boat time. Woo Hoo!




















We didn't do any sailing as s/v Honey Ryder is still stripped down for hurricane season. We did some boat chores, met with a rigger and popped by the canvas shop. We got to know more of our dock neighbors ie interesting/fun characters, ran errands, did touristy stuff and generally hung out.




















We had hoped to bring our old radar home to have a little fun. Ideas we batted around were putting on the back of our little day sailor. Or on top of Tom's jeep just for kicks. NOT connected - just for the joke of it. In the end it was too big, heavy and waste of time and $$ so....Tom listed it on Craigslist when we got there and sold it immediately. Cha-ching...we got eating around $$ and a local dude got a very cheap radar to tinker with and fix up.

Thanks Dad

My dad taught me to sail on small irrigation lakes and state park lakes in Kansas. I've sailed a long way since then. Thanks Dad!



















The guys took advantage of lovely fall Sunday and got some sailing in. The winds were a bit lite but they still reported a good day on the water. The smiles on their faces when they returned from the lake confirmed it.