New Dinnerware and a Memorial Day Double Raft-Up

After being onboard for an entire year, it was finally time to purchase new dinnerware so we could stop using the stuff left onboard by the previous owners. Ooh! China? Crystal? No and no! This is not the first class dining room of the Titanic. We need something durable. Something that won't shatter easily. And, of course, something fun (we are on Boat Time after all). Enter the Happy Chic line from JCPenney.

I wanted something "nautical" without being all anchors or knots so I was ecstatic to find waves and fish and, yes I know, anchors. The bowls are part of another set (the JCPenney Home Collection) but they fit the rest of my set so nicely. We've been using everything for a couple of weeks and love the entire set so far. Plus, the highball glasses and the salad plates remind me of the Norwegian Cruise Line fish logo which makes me think vacation thoughts.

There is one issue with so many of these types of plates -- they are not recommended for use in the microwave. Easy solution: keep a few regular plates around. This is where you say I thought you wanted plates that weren't breakable. Yes, but I also want to be able to microwave leftovers. So, I have a small set of microwave-happy plates stored in a drawer. To further protect them from an jostling that may occur when are underway, I kept the cardboard pieces that came with the set and they sit in between each plate. Since they aren't our everyday plates it's not much of a hassle.

This past weekend was the unofficial start of summer. And if it's Memorial Day it must be Fairlee Creek. We both took Friday off and took a slow cruise over. At 10 mph it took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there but that also allows for pictures of majestic herons in flight.

It also meant we were passed by our friends that left after us. But look how pretty Elisa's Ring looks out on the water.

We had a three boat raft-up for the night.

Bliss, Elisa's Ring, and Luv'n Life IV

Living in the middle of Baltimore, there is so much light pollution it can be difficult to see the stars. Fairlee Creek on the other hand is much darker. Knowing this might be one of my few chances this year to see a meteor shower, I set my alarm for 2 am, laid out on the bow, and watched the stars sit perfectly still. The highly anticipated shower was a bust.

Here's a fun storage idea seen at Fairlee. No room for your kayaks on board? Tie them onto your dinghy and tow them to your destination.

We stayed until 3 pm the next day then set off for Sue Creek for a raft-up with more friends. We were the first to arrive and it took a little time to decide on a spot large enough for the number of boats that would be coming. Sue Creek is a popular anchorage spot in Middle River. It's quiet, it's protected, and it's easy to get into. Because of this, there were already many boats and we were lucky to find a spot.

No sooner had we set our bow and stern anchors when our radio started blowing up with ETAs of the rest of the raft-up. We may have set a record for how quickly we grew from one to six boats (and then three more).

Serenity Now... Insanity Later, Let's Go O's, Bad Influence, Almost Home, Toy Yot, Luv'n Life IV, (unnamed), Grand Passion, and Vida Boa.

We had two more nights of "forced relaxation" before it was time to head home. (Or, in our case, bring our home back home.) Summer is taking off in the right direction.