IPYOA Annapolis Noon Luncheons

WOW, what a turnout we had at the 2015 IPYOA Noon Pit Beef Luncheons on the roof deck of the Fleet Reserve. (See image) This is an informal gathering of the Island Packet Fleet that has been going on for years. After stopping by the IPY Booth, visiting with the IP brokers and looking at the new yachts, we head to the Fleet Reserve, grab lunch, and head up to the Roof Top Deck and look for other IPY owners. If we all have on IPY stickers, or IPY hats, or IPY gear, then it is easy to connect and find each other. We gather around the tables, share some news, meet, chat, learn, and share IP stories. It is informal and very fun. This year we had an average of 25 Island Packet Owners at each of the daily luncheons. What a great time! Bill Bolin stopped up on Friday and visited with several new IPY owners. It was very nice to have the Island Packet Factory participate in these daily luncheons. By around 2-3 PM, we would scatter and go our own way into the massive Annapolis boat show.

Here is a summary of the attendees per day: Thank you to all who made the effort to stop in and connect with others. It was great to meet so many owners and especially the happy new owners.

These are my postings to our Facebook group, as I summarized after each day...

Thursday Luncheon 24 owners+
IP 40 SeaQuinn, Sandra and Warren
IP 380 Aspen, Steve and Maria
IP35 Marabelle, Terri & Jane
IP 420 Pappys Packet, Pam and A D
IP 45 (St. Pete, FL) Sharon and John
IP 460 Mandala, Ron and Nancy
IP 420 Tmbleweed, Jane and Gilbert
IP 45 Endurance, Tess and Tony
IP 420 Black and Tan, Mirna and Conrad
IP 38 Spindrift, Rick and Christi?
IP 380 Navy Blue, Rick and Karen
IP 35 Island Spirit, Hayden and Radeen
These are the Island Packet Owners who attended the Thursday Noon luncheon. I am sure I missed some. Who else was there????

FRIDAY NOON Luncheon Attendees...26 owners+
IP 420 Pappys Packet,Pam and A.D.
IP 40 Tintean, Ken Aiken
IP 460 Cutter Loose, Eric and Patricia
IP 380 Priority, Reuben and (Molli)
IP 37 Finistere, Ed and Pat
IP 380 Aspen, as in Around the World Aspen, Steve and Maria
IP 40 Relationship, as in 3 time owner 31, 35, 40 Chuck
IP 380 Namaste, Lindsay Geza
IP 320 Emoyeni, John and Lynda
IP 27 Meridian, Dan and Barb
IP 370 Moon Eye Valerie and Rick
IP 27 Southern Girl John and Kyrah
IP 380 Windermire, Otto and Bonnie
IP 35 Island Spirit, Hayden and Radeen
Island Packet Factory: Bill Bolin
I am sure I missed someone....who did I miss???please comment. Thank you.

Sat Noon Luncheon...27 owners. The IP fleet is strong, and connected.
IP 35 Lucille, Jeff and Sharon
IP 27 Ariel, Ken and Jean
IP 35 Eau de Vie, David
IP 380 Island Time, John and Genie
IP 440 Vivo, Steve and Linda as in new owners, congrats
IP 380 Tainui, Eric and Kathy
IP 27 Kattyshack, Bill and Marj
IP 31 Elinor Steve and Pat
IP 380 Navy Blue, Steve and Pat as in new owners, congrats
IP 420 Oro Negro, Conrad and Mirna
IP 32 Betelgeuse, Steve and Karen
IP 440 Nautilee, Lee Laurie, as in Land Down Under! FUN
IP 440 Emerald Isle, Bob and Maureen
IP 380 Emerald Isle, Bob and Maureen as in I own TWO IPs! Buy my 380
IP 420 Pappys Packet, Pam and A.D.
IP 40 Knee Deep, Dave and (Joyce)
IP 35 Island Spirit, Hayden and Radeen
I am sure I missed some one....did I?

Sunday NOON Luncheons.....20 IPY Owners
IP 38 Namaste, Geza and Lindsay
IP 380 Indigo, Linda and Grahan
IP 38 Marysol, Mary and (Mark)
IP 380 Tainui, Eric and Kathy
IP 350 Big Friend, Kirk and June
IP 420 Pappys Packet, Pam and A D
IP 420 Ore Negro, Conrad and Mirna
IP 485 Sanctuary, Michael and (Sheryl Lynn)
IP 35 Carried Away, Tom and Hellen and Brady
IP 440 Nautilee, Lee Laurie
IP 35 Island Spirit, Hayden and Radeen
...again, I am sure I missed someone, who did I miss???

THIS is a total of 76 unique Island Packet Yacht Owners, and I am proud to have met you all. We really need more time to visit and to share. Thank you again.

Maybe next year, we can coordinate better with the local IPY dealer to bring the famous IPY stickers, These provide all of us with FREE advertising for the Island Packet Product Line as we walk around the show. What a great idea.

RV Trip 1

A quick post (to be updated later, we hope) our RV Camping trip #1 was fantastic and I can see WHY boaters sell their yachts and buy a motor home. It is ten times easier, ten times more comfortable and all systems are the same. Yes these are called "Land Yachts" and I can see why. We treaveled 2,100 miles in 3 weeks with Punkie and Shane, Radeen's sister and brother-in-law. We used our nephew's rig, a 31 foot Fleetwood Tioga Motor Home. I shot 2,100 photos and I still need to go through them and pick the best ones. We will make a proper summary at that point. 

We were home 10 days before moving out and back onto our boat and now, we are heading south to the Bahamas. So, this is a quick, place holder post to be updated later....Thanks for following along.

RV Camping Map

We will be taking our first RV camping trip, with Radeen's family, out west as we explore the National Parks of Colorado and Utah. We will be using Mark and Tammy's 31 foot RV and following Punkie and Shane (Radeen's sister and brother-in-law) with their own rig. This will be our first RV trip, and we hope to learn a lot about running an RV. We imagine it is very similar to boating which is why they are sometimes called a "Land Yacht."

Here is the planned route and stops where we will spend 2-3 days at each location.

Our RV Camping Map Plan 2015 

For an interactive Google Map, click here 

then ZOOM in and look at the route details

Land Yachting begins now, let's see what this is like.....

Alaska Cruise

Alaska, the Last Frontier is one of the most beautiful places on earth. We joined Radeen's family, and together we celebrated our 35th and Lee and Judi's 50th anniversary along with their children, Darren and Tanya. We boarded the cruise ship, Celebrity Solstice, in Seattle Washington and enjoyed a 7 day cruise to Ketchikan and Juneau and then sadly the captain diverted away from Skagway due to a 50 mph gale storm. Our final port of call was Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. From there we sailed back to Seattle. The voyage into the TRACY ARM FJORD will remain the most beautiful place we have ever seen. Hands down, it is breathtaking, nothing like we had even imagined!

I shot 1,700 photos, the best 100 photos are in this slideshow providing 5 minutes of enjoyment. :-) When playing the YouTube, maximize the video for best viewing. Enjoy.

To view these photos full screen, please see this Picasa web album LINK.

----- If you are short on time, then below are the seven best photos....of 1,700 -----

Click the image for a larger view.

Ice floats past the cruise ship in Tracy Arm Fjord

Tracy Arm Fjord, one of the most beautiful places on earth! 

Radeen takes Hayden taking a photograph, very cool.
Photo-Boy at work

Radeen in the Fjord, brrrrrr, it is cold

The views are so beautiful

Sisters Creek in Ketchikan, Alaska

Lee, Judi, Hayden
Tanya, Darren, Radeen
We clean up well, formal night on the cruise ship

Thank you all for following along with our travel adventures. Please leave us a comment or send us an email, or message us on FB. We really enjoy hearing from you all.

PS:
If you like our YouTube Videos, then here is a link to ALL our videos.

Next up.....Arizona family visit, then off to New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and back to Arizona as we try out Mark and Tammy's RV for a family camping trip for 3 weeks!

Summer 2015

...we complete our 4th year of cruising...

We arrived back at our home dock, in Rock Hall, MD and there we serviced the boat with fluid changes, compounding and waxing, cleaning the hull, and varnishing the teak. After sailing a few weekends with friends, we hauled the boat out at Haven Harbour Marina and headed to PA for a summer break off the boat.

At home, we returned to working on our new master bathroom which we started last summer. This year, we selected the tile, accent stripe and finished the room. We are enjoying being home, seeing friends and catching up on what everyone has been doing. We especially enjoy visiting our neighbor, Donn, and his adorable mom, Flossie, who both are so kind and helpful. Donn maintains the most beautiful flowers and landscaping beds. It is a joy to see this right across the street from our house. Here are some photos of this wonderful summer of 2015!

Radeen reflects on our 4th year of Bahama Cruising

At home, we returned to work on the new master bath

The sundial on our deck, mounted there 30 years ago!

Gail and Freddie joined us for July 4th

Gail and Radeen heading to Annapolis, MD

Freddie and Gail on "The Yacht" 

Island Spirit decorated for the 4th of July in Annapolis, MD for
the Naval Academy Band and fabulous fireworks

The required Chick and Ruth's Delly

Gail and Freddie in the photo alley, Annapolis, MD

Radeen waxing the boat

At home, Jim and Gail, our Bahama Buddies, stop in for a visit

Wendy on the bow as we sail for Annapolis, MD

Craig at the helm, giving an upwind tacking demo to a Beneteau

Radeen and Wendy sailing into Annapolis, MD

We made it! The Bay Crossing celebration, Annapolis, MD

Our live music program is run by Craig and "The Band" very fun!

I really like this photo alley, here are Wendy and Craig

St, Michael's is also a great town, let's sail there.
Fireworks for a wedding made for a memorable night!

St. Michael's flower gardens are beautiful

Team Selfie required, Craig and Wendy

Back to that master bathroom again, sealing the concrete board

Travertine tile and the stone accent stripe

Back to the boat for our 35th wedding anniversary

More waxing and varnishing, our 35th wedding present, a beautifully maintained yacht

Back home, Diane and Gene share a BBQ with us and catch up

Ahh, the grout is finished, looking good

The overall look worked out. The black stripe picks up the black granite tops.

Anita and Mark and family stopped over for a cookout. Sooooo much fun

One last sail of the summer to try out our new main sail (a generous gift from a fellow IP 35 owner)
WOW, thank you, Richard! This is beautiful!

Radeen, trimming the jib, or maybe sleeping. She loves to sail

Sailing across the bay, testing out the new main sail

Back to more varnishing, we use this product

One more service coat on the entire boat, she is ready for a summer rest

Empty the refrigerator, clean out the boat

Take off the jib and stay sails

Decommission the dinghy, engine and fuel tanks

Turn over the boat to the marina. Here comes the haul out crane, we are going home

Island Spirit takes a summer break until Oct 1, 2015
(photo credit Jane of IP-420 Tumbleweed, formerly IP380 Memphis Belle)

My student, David, and wife, Candace, introduced us to Mackenzie, fun fun fun!

Radeen enjoying 14 month old Mackenzie

Hayden, Radeen, David, Mackenzie and Candace

Hayden and Radeen :-)

Concert Buddies, Dr. Chris, Cindi 20/20, Maria and P.J. 

O.A.R. plays the song, I feel Home, What a great band.

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And now on to the NEXT adventure.....an ALASKAN CRUISE to celebrate our 35th....

along with Radeen's brother and sister-in-law celebrating their 50th with family