Well, here I am ready for what should be my last venture down the Ohio River.

Yesterday I worked frantically getting the boat ready... AGAIN. It seems that every time I go sailing, I have a TON of work to do before I can leave. There are always repairs to the boat that I have put off until the last minute.

This time I had to fix the mast bracing. At sailing camp, I pulled the boat out of the water each night and left it at the boat ramp. On the last day, I hooked the truck to the trailer and wheeled around the parking lot in preparation for launching. But I forgot to look up. I "wheeled" a bit too close to over-hanging trees. The limbs caught the standing rigging and almost pulled the mast down. I was very fortunate that nothing broke, but a top triangle bracing was bent. I had put off straightening it until the last minute.

But when I tried to bend the bracing back, I discovered some crumbling aluminum bolts. So I had to take the whole assembly apart, straighten the pipes and go to Lowes for some new bolts. That turned into a pretty major project.

Then I wanted to put more fiberglass on the bottom. Yes, on the persistent leak. This one spot in front of the keel slot has cracked repeatedly. I have decided that the swinging keel is causing the keel housing to move, which puts unusual strains on that part of the bottom of the boat. At sailing camp, I used a hand rasp to scrape away everything down to raw fiberglass so that I could make a really good patch. Then I put probably a quarter inch of fiberglass on it. It seemed to do the trick, but I wanted to put more on for insurance. So I put several new layers. Another time-consuming task. But I feel very confident about my leak-point. I will be very surprised if it leaks again, but then... I have been surprised before.

Then I discovered that a trailer tire was badly worn. It was worn only on one side of the tire, the inside. That indicates that my axle is either bent or not aligned properly. I suspect that my boat is too heavy for these tires and this trailer. When I get back from this trip, I will have to either get a stronger trailer or get a new axle. That'll be my major project for the winter.

I had to take the old spare and put it on the ground. I was a little worried about the old spare because those tires were on the trailer when I got it, and it seemed to be dry-rotted. But it held air fine, so I was ready to go.

I started very early, packing my gear and loading the boat. I had to make sure I had food, water, sails, tools, life jackets, boat hook, oars, and all my sailing electronics - GPS, tape recorder, marine radio, digital camera, PDA with keyboard, and attendant cords and adapters. It took until 8:45 before we were able to get underway.

Sarah and I were excited about vacationing without children for the first time in 24 years. It is really different. Of course, we talked about the boys and wondered what they were doing the whole time.

When I got almost to Bardstown, I noticed in the rearview mirror that something was flopping on that old tire I put on last night. When I stopped, I found that a big hunk of the tire had delaminated! We made it into Bardstown without a flat and stopped at a tire place to get a new tire. The man there said I would probably have to get a new axle and that would cost almost as much as a new trailer! It's always something with this fifty-dollar sailboat. And Yes, the tire cost exactly $50! This fifty-dollar sailboat means that I have to spend $50 on it almost every day!

We got to Buffalo safely and joined Carol and Ralph. Carol is going with Sarah to do flea markets and garage sales while Ralph and I sail down the river. Ralph can only go with me over the weekend, 2 days, but I am glad for the company.

We arrived in Owensboro by 5, 4 Central time. Ralph plans to stay on Mountain Time (Eastern) so I will too.

We went to Red Lobster for a wonderful supper. It was fun remembering that the last time I ate at that restaurant, I had just been on the river for four long, hard days. I was so glad to be off the river, and so hungry that Red Lobster seemed like heaven.

Then we drove down to the river and checked out the boat ramp for launch tomorrow. There were quite a few pleasure boaters on the Ohio River, and the river was beautiful in the late evening sun. We should see lots of boats over the long weekend, but only near the launching ramps.

We came back to our rooms at the Days Inn and looked over the charts a bit before settling in for the evening. Ralph and I plan to sail 50 miles on the river to Henderson for tomorrow's run. That should be quite easy. And best of all, the weather forecast calls for party cloudy all week long! So far no serious thunderstorms and no long steady rains. The week is shaping up to be a good few days on the water.

Now if only I don't have any major problems! I almost always manage to have some kind of major problems on the water - serious leaks, bad weather, motor problems, something. It seems like I am snake bit. The average human being would have given up on this FUN long ago, but here I am continuing to believe my destiny lies just around the next bend. The wanderlust pulls me to keep adventuring even though it is a tremendous amount of labor and expense and trouble.

Well, I pray for fair winds and good sailing. In fact, here is an excellent prayer for the occasion from Sea Psalms by John Jay Hughes:

What is it, Lord, that lures me forth?
Why start the engines, cast off the lines, hoist the sails?
Why embark upon a sea of troubles,
the unknown dangers of the deep,
when I could have security ashore?
Does the destination beckon-
the nearby cove, the magic isle, the distant continent?
But all these I could reach by other means:
more swiftly, in greater comfort,
and without the perils that threaten my small craft
Does adventure call?
Yet often I find boredom, and sometimes abject fear.
What is it, then, that lures me forth?
To this question I found no answers until you showed me, Lord.
You beckon me, beyond the far horizon.
"Launch out into the deep," you said to Peter and his crew,
weary from a night of fruitless toil
"Leave the still waters near the shore,
abandon what you know and all security,
and you shall find the great reward."
Help me, Lord, like them to venture and to dare,
to do great things, for you.

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