Well put, Col. I've been caught in some nasty storms, up to Force 8, which scared the living Hell out of me. The boat came through those storms just fine, but the old fart behind the helm was sweating bullets.

One of the most disconcerting things is when there is sheets of lightning associated with the storms I get caught in, and I have an aluminum mast sticking 46 feet in the air that seems to be saying "OK, go ahead and hit me - is that all you've got?" And, of course, when you are sailing on the open waters of Chesapeake Bay, which in places is 23 miles wide, or just a dozen or two miles offshore, the sound of the thunder rolling across the water is frightening to say the very least.

Hopefully, the weather prognosticators are correct in the upcoming, long range forecast and I'll have a fun week to 10 days or more sailing around the Delmarva Peninsula. My daughter is going to visit my home every two days to assist my wife in doing some of the things that require constant attention from me. I told my wife that it would have been my fondest wish to have her along with me, but in her present physical condition, it is just too dangerous. Probably too dangerous for me, but I'm a bit crazy, so it really doesn't make any difference.

Here's a map of the area I will be sailing. I keep the boat at the very top of Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Susquehanna River.

Thanks again, everyone, for your concerns,

Gary