The People of Pier R

There were some constructive things accomplished today. We retrieved the boat trailer from storage and took it to be inspected so that we could get it registered in Texas. That is the first step toward selling the trailer. (Amazingly, the trailer is worth as much as the boat.) We also spent a couple of hours working on the boat. Kathy continued the process of refinishing the brightwork (sailor-speak for the the teak woodwork) and Walt worked on removing the surface rust from the above deck chrome and stainless steel. Then, we rewarded ourselves with a nice 2 hr sail and a grilled fish dinner.

Probably the best part of the day was meeting more of our neighbors. There were a lot of people around today. Chris is another beginning sailor about our age with a boat similar to ours. He has had the introductory sailing course but doesn't have a regular crew and is trying to learn to sail his boat single-handed. Captain Jack Small may be the most experienced sailor on our pier. We haven't yet figured out whether he owns an ultra-nice 45 ft yacht or just skippers it for other owners. We can learn a lot from him. Alan is also about our age. He has a Watkins 29. He is from England but has lived in Australia and New Zealand. Now he is retired in Fredricksburg with his wife from New Jersey. Jerry is another retiree who lives in San Antonio. His boat is Rowdy and is a really nice antique wooden boat that he has done a great job of restoring. Jeff and Ann are from Longview. They have recently sold house and vehicles and are committed to a sail to the Bahamas and beyond. They are also beginner sailors. Why not?

Alan (from England) is here without crew. We have offered to sail with him tomorrow which would be great. He has a very nice boat that is a little larger and much more sophisticated than ours. It should be an interesting day.

We apologize for the lack of photographs. We forgot to bring the cable that we need to connect the camera to the computer. We are taking a lot of photos though, and will post them when we return to Lubbock (unless we go the Bahamas with Jeff and Ann).