5/5/03:

We find that Willoughby Bay is a good place to rest and touch base with our "good ole' U.S.A." ( I put that in quotation marks because I know I've heard it in a song, and elsewhere.) I say this about this bay because it is convenient to boats that are arriving from overseas, and it is a good place to adjust, or readjust, to life here in America. From Willoughby Bay, one may observe rush hour traffic, as well as the constant regular traffic, take exorbitantly priced cab rides to several urban areas. You will also see the shipping traffic, to and from this busy harbor, indicating an active economy. Also, for your viewing pleasure, you may observe the activity at the Norkolk Naval Base. Here you will see many different types of watercraft, and aircraft, in operation, and you will come to appreciate the strength, and versatility, of the most powerful naval force in the world. It is very noisy here. Having listened only to the wind and oceans for the last two years, the sound of the traffic, alone, takes some getting used to. I don't have to tell you that the jet aircraft and helicopters are loud, and we don't get used to them.

We also saw, here in Willoughby Bay, the ducks that we remember sharing the Chesapeake Bay with, as well as the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. It is in the 50's and 60's here, and this is hard to get used to after having been so much closer to the equator during Cosmos' circumnavigation. Last of all, as I raise the anchor clear of the bay, this morning, I see that beautiful, black, sticky, Chesapeake mud that is so great for holding anchors.

Cosmos begins her passage up the Chesapeake Bay; first stop will be Tangiers Island.

5/6/03:

Yesterday started out sunny and cool, but turned into a cloudy, drizzly, and cool day. We tied up at Park's Marina, Tangier Island, Virginia, at 1545 hrs; in time to visit Hilda Crockett's Chesapeake House for a real home style, Chesapeake feast. Running both engines, dodging crab pot floats and fishing boats all day, must have made us awfully hungry to have eaten all that we did. The meal sure was worth the trip. I crawled into my sleeping bag early, last night, just to keep warm.

I awoke to the throb of big block V8's, this morning, as the watermen left the harbor in their boats to harvest the bounty of the Chesapeake Bay. This was long before daylight, and I laid awake listening to the stragglers start up their engines and wondering how cold and/or wet it would be this morning. It is a little warmer than yesterday this morning, and I got up in time to make a pot of coffee before we shoved off at 0640 hrs. We are heading for Solomons Island, today, one of my favorite harbors. It is foggy and drizzly, and I spent my morning watch watching the radar in order to avoid hitting fishing boats, aids to navigation, and shipping. To ward off the monotony, I spent a great deal of time swatting flies and mosquitoes. There is not a whisper of wind, so we had to motor all the way.

We arrived in Solomons at about 1330 hrs; and there was Don Kilpatrick, standing on the dock of the Solomons Island Yacht Club, waving, and holding a small cooler of celebratory libations. Don was the crewmember during the 1st leg of the circumnavigation and helped Cosmos through the Panama Canal, South Pacific Ocean, all the way to New Zealand. We will have Don aboard from Solomon's to Annapolis.

During our celebration upon docking in Solomans, with Don, the conversation was often interrupted by the roar of jet planes flying overhead from the neighboring Patuxent Naval Air Station. When I appeared a little aggravated at this, Don rightfully reminded me that we were hearing "the sound of freedom". It is going to take me a while to adjust to being back home. My home for the last two and a half years has been this little stateroom, in this little sailboat, slowly circling this big planet. There are probably a lot of things that I have lost touch with; like all of the other sounds of freedom, my family at home, the pace of life at home. During my life on Cosmos, my major concerns have been: what needs to be fixed, what will need to be fixed, what is that new noise I hear, when is my next watch, are we out of beer, who ate the last Snickers, and where are we going next Captain Grandpa Joe?

5/7/03:

A foggy morning; afternoon and evening showers are predicted. It is a day for boat chores while Cosmos is tied up at the dock. While Bob washes down the decks and does the dishes, I change a pump on the port engine, and reconnect a loose wire on the starboard alternator.

Don Kilpatrick, and his wife Betty, had us over for dinner at their home in Leason Cove, nearby. We were in very distinguished company there, with Nick and Jan Vartzikos, and Marsh and Fran Demerell. All of these people are transoceanic cruisers; the Demerells are circumnavigators. It was quite an honor to be toasted by these special people. The conversation was lively, interesting, and could have gone on all night. There was a tremendous thunderstorm raging outside during the evening, and we weren't even aware of it.

5/9/03:

Tomorrow is the last day of the circumnavigation, and in preparation for it, I changed the oil and oil filters in both engines. I also filled the water tanks prior to leaving the Solomons Island Yacht Club and heading for the fuel dock. After refueling, we motored to Leason Cove and tied up at Don Kilpatrick's dock. Don will be riding along with Cosmos, and crewing again, to Annapolis, tomorrow. We expect rain, tomorrow, and as a matter of fact, the weather got worse as we approached the U.S. coast and it has rained every day since.

5/12/03:

Conditions remained the same for the trip North; with heavy fog and drizzle up the bay to Annapolis. With Don aboard, we were able to spread out the watches, with each of us taking a two hour stint at the wheel. We had to navigate with the radar, GPS, and computer charts to keep on course and not hit anything. During the long run, under power with no wind, Captain Grandpa Joe and I had time to do some packing. When Cosmos got near Thomas Point, close to Annapolis, we unfurled the genoa for a Kodak moment. Some friends of Cosmos motored out to take some pictures of the boat as we approached the end of our circumnavigation. The friends were: Bill Whiteford, Teke Hoffman, Aaron Dorr, and Cecy Weyman, as well as the generous folks that owned the vessel. Tom Murphy of Advanced Yachts arranged for the vessel and reserved a spot at Fawcetts, in Annapolis' Ego Alley, for us to tie Cosmos up during the reception. Captain Grandpa Joe had dressed Cosmos with the flags of all the countries, and burgees of all the yacht clubs, we had visited around the world. Cosmos was clean as a whistle, and looking quite festive, as she rounded the turn from the harbor into the Alley. There, ahead of us, was a huge crowd of cheering, applauding, horn blowing, family and friends. They sure put a lump in my throat.

After securing Cosmos to the pier, we welcomed anyone aboard that wanted to see the boat. With the help of both my sons-in -law, and a couple of grandchildren, I off loaded all of my personal belongings. A little while later, there was a reception at The Maryland Inn. Several people spoke regarding the occasion and when my turn came, there was that lump in my throat again. I made a few comments, and thanked everyone for turning out for us. I really wanted to tell how well Cosmos was suited to the task of enduring the circumnavigation and the conditions. I wanted to tell how well Captain Grandpa Joe did as a captain, navigator, maintenance manager, social director, chef, nurse, meteorologist, engineer, treasure hunter, diver, seamstress, and general, all around, good seaman. He got to be so good at it, that I tried to get him to turn left after St. Thomas, and do the whole trip all over again. But, no, he had realized this dream of sailing around the world and is ready for a new set of challenges. With his energy, perseverance, tenacity, and ability to cope, he will probably overcome the next set of challenges just as successfully. Me, I have plenty to do, not the least of which is to relish the last two and a half years.

No, we didn't suffer any life threatening injuries. No, Cosmos didn't lose her rig due to overwhelming conditions, or suffer a knockdown or pitchpole, and we weren't attacked by pirates or run down by a freighter, tanker, crude carrier, car carrier, or container ship, and we didn't collide with a whale or a shipping container. These tragedies make for great storytelling, if they are survived. Sure we had our share of luck, but Cosmos was well crewed and provisioned, rigged strongly as an ocean cruiser, outfitted with a versatile sail inventory, engine spares, and 100% fuel redundancy that gave her about a 1000 mile range under power. We were serious about the Cosmos safety rules and they were presented to new crew early in each leg of the circumnavigation. Each crew member had assignments in case of a Man OverBoard or an abandon ship exercise. We even practiced steering manually in case we were to lose the auto pilot. There was redundancy with the GPS units, computers, charts, ground tackle, dinghies, sails, engines, lines, beans, breakfast cereal, soda, and beer. Everybody was good at something; some were cleaners, some were fixers, some were cooks, some were sail trimmers, some were fishermen. We all tried to do everything right by following the skipper's example; and we were rewarded with swift, exciting, safe, comfortable passages. Cosmos is in better condition now, than she was when she started sailing around the world. I wonder where she and Captain Grandpa Joe will go next.

Captain Grandpa Joe is also very generous; generous enough to share his dream with me and all the other crew that joined us along the way. He is also very tolerant and patient; and that couldn't have been easy with all of those different personalities cooped up aboard such a small boat for months at a time. I am expressing my sincerest gratitude to Joe for all that he has shared with me for the last two and a half years. I am also grateful to all of the crewmates that helped Joe, me, and Cosmos, to complete this circumnavigation. I am also grateful to have this Website to help with the memories, and I hope that other people have enjoyed reading the journal entries, and looking at the pictures, as much as Joe, the Webmaster, Tom Murphy, and I have enjoyed creating it.

Well, I haven't had a chance to be retired yet, so I'd better get started.

George