May 1, '24 

Harbor One Marina, Old Saybrook, CT

Ran the boat down the Connecticut River from Portland (winter storage) to 
Old Saybrook.  Commissioning the boat revealed our Starlink is not working.  Contacted Space Ex and awaiting parts.  Not a bad place to hang out!  Our plan is to head to Shelter Island when our Starlink is up and running,

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May 6, '24 

Finally time to get this party started.  We left Harbor One today in beautiful calm conditions.  Arrived Coecles Harbor to sunshine and 75 deg.  We'll launch the dink in the morning and explore Shelter.  

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May 8, '24

Left Shelter I.  Headed to Three Mile Harbor in East Hampton.  Part of the ritzy "Hamptons".  Really nice town but leave your wallet home.  The shopping here rivals Greenwich Ave or Rodeo Dr!

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May 9, '24

Decided to take advantage of calm sea conditions to head to Block I.  If we waited, the next opportunity would be next week.  To our surprise, Block hasn't woken up yet from winter slumber.  Docks not in yet anywhere.  We are basically alone here.  Workers at Champlins said things are opening this weekend.  At least our walk into town yielded some groceries!

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May 13, 24

We left Block today to visit Newport.  Weather forecast was part of the decision as it's suppose to blow in the next couple of days. Newport is a well protected harbor and there's more going on in the early season.  We have a reservation at Newport Yachting Center for 3 nights.  It will be good to get some dock time in.  Michelle took care of my birthday gift with a visit to 5th Ward Liquors.  Unbelievable  but they actually had some Pappy Van Winkle, E.H.Taylor and Weller.  Went for the Weller as the PVW was a schmid out of our budget.  Need a Rangers win tonight to lessen my stress.  LGR!

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May 20, 24

Finally got a weather window to move on.  We had a week of wind and cold gray skies in Newport.  Great place to be hunkered down.  Tons going on with great eye candy.  That is if you like looking at superyachts and racing sailboats.  Our destination....Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard. 48NM from Newport.  Should be about 5 1/2 hour run.  I haven't been here in years but my memory says it is a awesome spot.  Hoping for weather improvement on this leg.  

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May 25, 24

Perfect day today to head east to Nantucket.  Sunshine and light breeze for the first time in a long time.  22 NM and about a 2 hour run.  1st stop....Bar Yoshi for celebratory Margaritas.  This is a spectacular place.  As luck would have it (just kidding) the Figawi race is this weekend.  126 sailboats racing from Hyannis to Nantucket.  Imagine 1000 drunk sailors stumbling around this weekend.  Should be interesting.  If you haven't figured it out...Figawi....it's "where the Figawi"...got it? 

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May 31, 24

Sadly we left Nantucket this morning.  We will miss everything about this beautiful place except the prices.  Next stop is Provincetown by way of Woods Hole (spending the night on the hook in Hadley Harbor) and the Cape Cod Canal.  We'll make this a 2 day'er as it's about 100 miles.  A little pork ribs on the bbq, and maybe a Bullit on the rocks and we'll call it a night.

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June 1, 24

What goes bump in the night?  We were awaken by the unpleasant (understatement!) sound of the anchor alarm at 4:45 am.  The wind had switched 180 deg and Alta was precariously close to the rocks.  (Sorry, no time for pics).  For the first time in my boating life we actually bumped the bottom.  Hauled ass...i mean anchor...and got the hell out of there.  I guess on the positive side, the early start meant an early arrival in Provincetown.  We transited the Cape Cod Canal.  The 7 mile canal, built in the early 1900's  cuts off all of Cape Cod.  Not scenic and full of currents and eddy's it wasn't awesome.

We arrived at P Town and from the water looked great.  As luck would have it, our arrival matched up to the beginning of National Pride month.  This place was in all it's glory.  A little freaky but kind of like watching a car crash.  I'll leave it at that.  Although we had perfect weather the wind picked up at night and the direction changed.  We had 4 footers in our anchorage for the night. Another rough night.  After the Rangers loss, this was the proper end for this day.

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June 3, 24

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We made the move this morning to Plymouth.  To be honest, the beaches in P Town were awesome.  Best seaglass day in years.  However, my brain couldn't take any more visits to town.  The ride over to Plymouth (about 25 miles across Cape Cod Bay) was blessed with an encounter with a North Atlantic Right Whale.  We got very close and it was amazing.  Rare opportunity to see a giant beast in it's natural habitat.  Michelle was actually scared of the animal as it was about the same size as our boat.  She was like...can we get outta here now! So, Plymouth looks aok.  That said, I was thinking that Plymouth Rock would be a bit more special.  Turns out it's just a small rock...

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June 6, 24

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So, Plymouth was just ok.  Very touristy.  Kinda dumpy.  Not our cup of java,  Needed some fuel so we headed to Brant Rock in  the fog (Taylor Marine) and dieseled up.  We'll stay the night at the marina and head to Scituate where we hear good things.

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June 7,8, 24

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Scituate was very nice.  Worthwhile stopover.  We had dinner at a wine bar that had, no kidding, 20,000 wines.  The wine list, as you could imagine, was a bit much.  We settled on some "recomended " flights.  Up early and headed to Downtown Boston.  I'm thinking that this will be interesting.  The navigation itself has roughly 30 waypoints.  Lots of things to hit.  High speed ferries, idiot sailors, idiot fisherman, a million harbor tour boats, Codzilla and every jet landing at Logan trying to land on Alta (it felt like).  By some miracle we made it.  We're staying at India Wharf.  There's a million people staring at us.  

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June 10, 24

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Smells like fishsticks!  So, we left Boston and headed to Gloucester.  This is a commercial port, but had to stop here due to our love for the movie "Perfect Storm".  Some cool sites but lots of seagulls (you can guess what that means) and as luck would have it, we are moored right behind the Gorton Fish Factory hence the smell.  We'll be leaving in the morning...

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June 11, 24

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Made the move to Newburyport (Merrimack River).  Nice easy 3 hr ride.  Amazing currents in the river.  We're moored right in downtown Newburyport so close to the action.  I'm surprised that the boating scene is so quiet.  Very few boats on the move.  Hopefully, there will be more cruisers soon.  

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June 13, 24

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We have some weather coming in tommorrow so made the move to Kittery/Portsmouth.  We'll hunker down on a mooring at the Portsmouth Yacht Club.  Beautiful area.  When you think of Maine, this is what it looks like.  Kinda cool that we're literally on the border of New Hampshire and Maine.  So, we are officially cruising Maine now! 

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June 15, 16, 24

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Spent a few days in Kittery / Portsmouth.  Met up with the former owners of Alta.  It was good to hear about the boats history.  We talked boats for 5 hours while putting a nice dent in the bourbon supply.  Time to keep moving so we are on to Portland.  We'll be on the docks in downtown Old Port for a few days.  This is a big little city on the water.  You won't go hungry here as there about 100 restaurants in the Old Port area.  Should be fun.

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June 21, 24

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I'm a little past due so I'll update the last few trips.  After Portland we ran to Harpswell.  We heard it was a nice quiet spot.  That it was.  One thing we're realizing is trying to take walks in Maine is a little dangerous.  As slow as things move here the Mainiac's drive like it's NASCAR.  I guess everything is kinda far so just put the right foot down a little further.  Plus, they spent all their money on lighthouses so not a dime for sidewalks.  

After Harpswell we jumped to Boothbay Harbor.  Stayed at the yacht club and got member's prices for drinks.  So, thumbs up to Boothbay for the least expensive drinks since we started our adventure.  (By a lot).  Next stop...Camden.  We made a service appointment for Alta at the famous Lyman Morse yard.  They build beautiful boats that could be confused with works of art.  Alta is showing an intermittant "code" that I wanted to get looked at.  Turns out it's nothing so all good.  Camden is your typical Maine town.  Lobster rolls everywhere!

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June 29, 24

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We left Camden and ran about 40 miles to Northeast Harbor on Mt Desert Island.  This is the home of Acadia National Park.  Friends from Ridgefield drove up to meet with us to hike Acadia.  Really nice hiking with spectacular views.  We're spending a week here to take advantage of all there is to do.  As remote an area we're located, I'm amazed at the number of gorgeous yachts that call this area their home base.  That plus the fact that the Hinckley Yachts factory is right down the road.  So, there are more Hinckley's here than lobsta's.  Ok, that's a fib but a Hinckley sighting anywhere else would be a big deal.  Here, not so much.  

This will be our most Northern stop in Maine.  We'll be heading south as we need to be on Long Island (NY) for my nieces wedding in August and spending time with family in Block Island.

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Jul 5, 24

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Ok, headed south.  Long run from Northeast Harbor to Harpswell and then Biddeford Pool.  Dolphin Marina has been a nice stop.  Their nicety is bringing coffee and blueberry muffins (really good ones) to the boat every morning. Nice bike ride and lunch on the dink at Baily Island. To our surprise, the firework show on the 4th was phenomenal.  The show was 45 minutes.  

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Jul 13, 24

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So, we've had an issue.  My laptop would not turn on.  I tried everything including taking it apart completely.  No luck.  Not so easy with no car.  Problem resolved with an Uber ride to Best Buy and a shiny new Macbook Air.  To catch up...we left Biddeford Pool to Pepperall Cove.  The small harbor we stayed had a report the day before of a whale feeding right in the harbor! 

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​https://www.wabi.tv/2024/07/05/off-duty-officer-captures-amazing-video-humpback-whale-kittery/

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Next stop was Rockport.  A neat typical New England town.  We tied up in front of the "iconic" Fish Shack".  Well, turns out the "shack" is the photo op in town.  The image is literally on everything.  So, we had crowds of people walking by.  From Rockport to Cohasset.  A really upscale town just north of Scituate.  We would like to spend more time there but sorted out the computer issue and did some varnish work on Alta instead.  On to a fuel fill and a well deserved bath for Alta in Brant Rock. Next, a jump over to Provincetown as a stopover to Nantucket.  Not too much in the way of pictures as we've been running in pea soup fog and high winds for the past 10 days or so. We had gusts to 40 knots!  We did cruise past a juvenile whale and a pod of dolphins.

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Jul 14, 24

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Nantucket!  Ah, good to be back in home waters.  As cool as the cruise to Maine was...TBH...the best cruising areas in the Northeast is the LIS, Block, Vineyard, ACK, Narragansett Bay etc.  Gorgeous beaches (almost none in Maine), clean water (Yup, cleaner then Maine) Great harbors and anchorages.  Oh, and the water is warm!  Not the 55' ice bath up north.  We'll hang here for a while and chill.

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Jul 26, 24

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So, after 10 days in Nantucket with beautiful weather we jumped over to Falmouth to do some provisioning.  We did meet up with our neighbors Marta and Ian and had a cool time at Bad Martha's Brewery. Great pizza and suds.  Today we ran to Newport.  Kinda of a shitshow here but it is what it is.

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Aug 8, 24

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We spent nearly 2 weeks in Newport.  Nice spot.  Great harbor scenery and activity here.  Services and provisioning super easy too.  Headed to Block I to be located for my nieces wedding on Long Island.  We realized that it's not easy getting to Long Island from Block.  Kinda like the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles.  Family visits and hangin in Block for now. Lots of dolphins and seals in the harbor.  I don't ever remember seeing that in 40 plus years coming here.

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Aug 26, 24

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Still in Block. We got hit by a thunderstorm that threw 60 mph winds at us for about 45 mins.  Visibility zero.  A bunch of boats dragged in the anchorage including the 100' tug St Petersburg.  We were fine but the Marine Patrol and Safe Sea boats were very busy helping/saving boats during the maelstrom.  I cannot imagine being on board during a hurricane.

  I guess we don't get tired of this place.  Probably staying here until after Labor Day.  Then to Newport for the boat show.

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Sep 4, 24

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Now In Newport.  We'll miss our daily visits from the dolphins and seals.  On our way to Newport, we saw a boat land a giant Bluefin Tuna right in Narragansett Bay.  This year has been strange for sea life.  From the sharks to whales to dolphins I do not remember so much activity so close to shore.

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Sep 29, 24

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Enjoyed our time in Newport.  The boat show was world class.  We moseyed to Coecles Harbor and Sag Harbor for a few days and then to Portland Boat Works via Old Saybrook.  Alta will be hauled for some major maintenance work.  We're headed to Croatia for a vacation from our vacation.  When we get back we'll hang in Old Saybrook for a bit while we attend to some personal things.  Towards the end of the month we'll start our trek south.

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Oct 30, 24

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Well, it's been a bit since I've updated this blog.  October has been very busy.  We started the month by getting the boat up to Portland Boat Works (up the CT river) for a bunch of maintenance work.  The boat was hauled and worked on while we enjoyed a vacation from our vacation.  We  went to Croatia and (believe it or not) boarded a small ship (only 16 cabins) and cycled and explored the Dalmation Islands with our friends (Doty's, Hutchings and Boudiettes).  Awesome trip!  Great food, friendly locals and beautiful sights.  Put Croatia on your list of must go's.

We also accomplished all our Dr's visits and completed our list of boat projects.  My big project was installing solar panels to upgrade the boats charging systems.

Now the plan is to head south.  We'll head out on the 31st with stops in Huntington harbor, Atlantic Highlands NJ (running through NYC), Point Pleasant NJ, Atlantic City, NJ and Cape May.  We'll visit Justin and Erica when we're in NJ.  So, hope all goes to plan but, as always things could change.  We'll figure the stops in Maryland and Virginia after NJ.

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Nov 5, 24

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Bad weather delayed our start.  So, we left Old Saybrook on Wed 10/30.  Cruised to Huntington Harbor and anchored in the basin at the Eatons Neck Coast Guard station.  Crazy but the last time I was there was more than 50 years ago.  My dad and I used to camp on the beach there with the little 15' boat we had.  Man, time flies.  Woke up early and we made the epic cruise through New York City.  Was very cool but challenging at the same time.  We anchored in the Atlantic Highlands and once again we had to stay due to high winds.  On Saturday we got to Barnegat Light, New Jersey.  Had a nice visit with Justin and Erica (They live in Cherry Hill).  Checking on the forecast...Both Tuesday and Wednesday are no go days.  Winds to 30 knots and 5 foot seas.  We'll hang out here on Long Beach Island and head out Thursday to Cape May.

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Nov 8, 24

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Left Barnegat Light on Thurs 11/7 and cruised to Cape May.  Dropped the anchor for the night and ran to the mouth of the C&D Canal up the Delaware Bay.  So, if you're wondering why we didn't run from Cape May to Virginia Beach (on the outside) the answer is that it's too long a run.  The Maryland coast has no ports to break up the trip and I'm not a fan of running at night if I don't have to.  So the "normal route" is to go through Delaware Bay, C&D Canal (Chesapeake and Delaware) and down the Chesapeake.  Tomorrow we'll go through the canal and go to Annapolis.  

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Nov 9, 24

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Spent a miserable (very windy and rough) at the mouth of the C&D Canal.  Couldn't leave the anchorage fast enough.  Now in Annapolis.  Will hang for a couple of days. 

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Nov 13, 24

Annapolis = Cool Spot.  Lots of history and lots of good food.  We explored while we waited out some high winds.  Met like minded cruisers Wendy and James.  They'll be heading south as well.  Hopefully, our paths will cross again.  Their experience will be a good resource down the waterways.  We've moved to Solomons Island.  Looks like a neat spot so we'll check it out for a couple of days.

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Nov 22, 24

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Moved from Solomon's Island to Deltaville to Hampton and now on to Coinjock.  This is a popular spot on the ICW.  They're famous for their Prime Rib.  We're not moving too quickly but trying to do a bit of exploring.  We'll be in the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway) through North Carolina to Charlston SC.  No point in going out in the ocean off the Outer Banks.  It's known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic.  Nuff said.

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Nov 24,24

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Left Coinjock Marina this morning.  Cool spot in the middle of nowhere known as the boaters mecca for ICW cruisers.  The restaurant is well known and worth the stop by itself.  It did not disappoint.  We've moved on to the Alligator River where we'll anchor for the night and head to Belhaven tommorow.  Hopefully we don't run into the rivers namesake :)

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Nov 25, 24

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Arrived Belhaven...Headed to Oriental tmro

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Dec 7, 24

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To catch up...We arrived at Jarrett Bay Boatworks in Beaufort, NC.  There's a Caterpillar dealer on the docks so we decided to chase down a minor issue with the throttles.  Turned into 5 days waiting on technicians and a part.  So, we had Thanksgiving there.  A really cool spot if you're a boat gearhead (like me).  They build stunning sportfish boats and it was neat to see the build process plus all the yachts they service there.  One of the few boatyards that can haul boats up to 600,000 lbs.  No joke.  We got back on the water again and pushed through Topsail Beach, Southport, Myrtle Beach and on to Charlston SC.

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Dec 13, 24

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Friday 13th...spending our 2nd night in Savannah.  We'll be headed to a couple anchorages  and then Florida.  St Augustine, Cocoa Beach, Daytona Beach will be our overnight stops.  We've decided to stay in Fort Pierce (Safe Harbor Harbortown) for about a month.  It will be nice to take a break from the grind of the ICW.  After that we'll wait for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.  Looking at The Abacos to explore.  

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Dec 19, 24

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Arrived Safe Harbor Harbortown. We had dolphins swimming in the boat wake for 30 miles.  Amazing animals.  We will spend the holidays here and unwind.  The weather is straight up summer.  Folks in the pool.  Swimmers in the ocean.  So strange to see that at the end of December.  It's not a bad thing.

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Feb 2, 25

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So, I will never tire of the color of the water here in The Abacos.  Gorgeous aqua clear water.  Amazing. 

A little catching up...We spent 6 weeks in Florida.  Nice place with nice people and a lot to do.  Almost everything is outdoors.  If you like the tiki look then you're a fit.  We traveled from Fort Pierce to Palm Beach (yup, crazy nice and $$$$) spent a night anchored in front of Tiger Woods place on Jupiter Island (I called...he didn't answer).  Then to Palm Beach waiting on a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream.  Finally got it on 1/28.  We had a nice crossing in the Bermuda Triangle through the Gulf Steam.  Our first destination was West End, Grand Bahama.  We stayed in the marina Old Bahama Bay, cleared customs and immigration.  Place was full! 

Ok, so we made it to the Bahamas.  The loose plan is to head to Elbow Cay and Hopetown via Sale Cay and Green Turtle Cay.  We'll make stops along the was to explore the Abacos and maybe Eleuthera.  (No name Cay to check out the pigs today).  We have no time table so we will figure things out as we go.  We're on Island time now!

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