First night on board

Getting out of AYB was fraught with a string of "not done yets", "when are you leaving?" and "oops your'e right we forgot that".  But leave we finally did and spent the first night off Ft Monroe a short 15 miles upstream from Great Bridge.  Had a challenging first night aboard with a squall and the anchor dragged at about 11pm.  Guards on shore at the Ft Monroe watched and waited for us to crash onto the rip-rap, but we re-set the anchor and spent a quiet night after that.

Next morning we shoved off early with the wind on our backs and small seas.  It was a lovely trip of about 50 miles up to Sandy Point.  The picture was taken there and that is Herk and Bella wandering the beach.  Water temps were in the 70's and air was in the high 80's...nice for May.  The evening was very quiet as there was no real breeze, and only one distant boat in the cove with us.  Perfect.

Next morning the engines would not start.  After some phone calls and sleuthing in the "holy engine room" we realized the yard had failed to connect a cable.  We fixed it and off we went.

Picking up where we left off

We bought CODA in May this year after a long, way too long, search.  Never thought we would end up with an older boat, but older she is.  CODA was built in TAIWAN and marketed by a guy from Rochester named Gordon Present.  We think he sold about 50 boats total, although we have yet to see another of this design.  Gordon can't be found these days.

We commissioned her in Great Bridge, VA at a yard called AYB.  After a fire drill of errors we finally left on May 25 and spent three leisurely weeks delivering her to Dutch Harbor, Jamestown, RI.  We will spend the summer season here doing short trips to the islands and then head south for the winter in late September.

The ICW at Great Bridge where we commissioned CODA