Finally going back to the boat!!

Bill received another clean bill-of-health from MD Anderson Cancer Center on his latest post-surgical follow-up visit.  That is such a relief!!!  Next follow-up test is scheduled in December, although the doctor requested that he have a simple blood test wherever we are in September and mail in those results.  So, after 7 months away for this medical situation, we are finally returning to S/V BeBe tomorrow.

As I posted in April, BeBe was moved to Gocek when our berthing contract in Fethiye ended.  She was hauled and some work has already been performed during our absence -- cleaning, waxing, polishing and things like that.  The bottom has been lightly sanded and is ready for new Micron 77 anti-fouling to be applied late this week.  We will arrive in Gocek on Tuesday evening.  First thing Wednesday morning we will find BeBe in the boatyard and get started on the work we will do personally -- remove the prop; drain and replace transmission fluid; service the bow thruster.  That is routine maintenance work that we prefer to do ourselves.  Then the painters can finish up.

After BeBe is launched then a new stern arch will be installed and solar panels added.  Major work this year!  Not required by any means but an improvement that we will enjoy.

Our granddaughter Elisabeth, a/k/a BeBe, is returning with us to spend the remainder of her summer holiday aboard S/V BeBe......her sixth summer sailing aboard her namesake vessel.  Grandson Zachary cannot sail with us this summer.  His summer hours are filled with tutored viola lessons for chamber orchestra next year and with football practice starting in late July.  We will miss him greatly.

For Bill's recent 66th birthday I gave him a ride in a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress.  The Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston offers fee-paid rides in several vintage aircraft.  The Flying Fortress was the one that interested Bill the most.  I figured those planes are getting so old that if he ever was going to fly in one then he had better do it soon.  I'll let him write about that experience when he feels like doing so.   


We spent a few days enjoying Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula.  Thought about buying a beach house for retirement but those are so over-valued now that we nixed that thought after talking to a couple of real estate agents.  We will look into that again when we are ready to stop cruising  ........  and that will be years from now.

We will be wintering in Turkey again this next season.  We decided it was simply too late in the year to try to sail to Croatia and Italy this sailing season.  It would have been such a rushed trip and those places deserve a more relaxed visit.  Besides, Turkey is wonderful and there are still places we would like to visit in this beautiful country.