Greetings,

March was another fun month with many activities, and still trying to catch up on my computer problems. All of these issues are all covered in gory detail in the March Maintenance Log.

My computer problems started around March 14, and are still continuing! The general plan is to replace the Mac with a PC running Linux Mint. I am making progress, but it is slow. The computer failure put me way behind, and I am still trying to catch up. I am actually writing this update in June of 2014, and I still do not have updates for April or May of 2014 completed. February is completed, and I will be sending it out very soon, along with the March update. With any luck, I will also have April and May finished very soon!

So far, I feel pretty comfortable using the Linux Mint as my general purpose computer, but I am still having issues getting it to be my navigation computer.

We had three cruisers come into the marina this month. On the first of March, we welcomed Chris and Melany of MIDNIGHT SHADOWS. They are from Kemah, and they are on a two week cruise, with the North Pier Marina as their turn around point. It was a very cold day when they arrived, so we got them tied up, presented their welcome basket, and we went back to our respective boats to try and stay warm!

On March sixth, we welcomed Helene and Francis of the trawler MISS JAZZ. They are from Quebec in Canada, and are presently cruising the Louisiana coast. They heard about us on The Active Captain, and came in for a visit.

When they got tied up, we presented them with their Welcome Basket. We invited them over to DREAM AWAY and they joined Kitty, Johnal, Cindy, and myself for dinner. We had a great time visiting and telling "sea" stories.

The next evening, Cindy & Johnal of RUTHY, and Helene and Francis of MISS JAZZ, along with Kitty and me, went to Shuck's in Abbeville. We had a great time, and of course, enjoyed a great meal. As you can see, we really did enjoy the meal!

On March 12th, Cruiser John showed up on his boat WIND ORCHID from Annapolis with his daughter Mia, and two crewmen, Darrell and Simon. It was a cold blustery day, but we got them tied up to Pier "C" and tucked in. We presented them with the Welcome Basket, and explained about the operation of the shower trailer.

The water was very low in the bayou because of the northers. So, on the morning of the 13th, I took my passerelle from the shop over to John on WIND ORCHID. This enabled them to get on and off of the boat much more easily. Later on in the day, Kitty took the new cruisers over to Avery Island to visit the Tabasco Factory, and take the tour. They also did the Jungle Gardens Tour.

On the 14th, Kitty was the tour guide again for all of the cruisers off of WIND ORCHID. She did what we call our “New Iberia day".

She left Delcambre and drove to the Konrico Rice Mill in New Iberia. They watched their wonderful video about Acadiana in general and rice production in particular. Then they took the tour of the mill. When the tour was completed, they did some shopping in the company store, purchasing some of the goodies available.

She then drove into downtown New Iberia and they all had lunch at Victor's Cafe, which is a much visited place by the fictional character Dave Robicheaux. He is the main character in a series of books written by James Lee Burke, who grew up in the New Iberia area. It was a very tasty meal, and enjoyed by all.

After lunch, they went to the Shadows On The Teche home. Kitty watched the video about the house with the WIND ORCHID crew, and then they took the tour while Kitty stayed behind and read her book. When the tour was completed, she brought them all back to the marina.

When the crew from WIND ORCHID returned, I got some help from Darrell and Simon to load all of the chairs, coolers, and even a canopy into the truck. We then loaded the Black Beast two of the WIND ORCHID crew, and other two crew members rode with Johnal and Cindy's in their car, and we all drove to the Marine Corps League Campout.

The three Marine Corps League detachments in our area have an annual campout as a fund raiser. This event starts on a Friday night with a meal and music. Then on Saturday, there is breakfast, lunch, and a seafood dinner, also with a band. On Sunday morning, there is a military breakfast with SOS, eggs, fried potatoes, bacon and coffee. The cost for the whole weekend is $25.00 per person, or $30.00 a couple! A great bargin as it also includes door prizes and prize giveaways donated by local vendors.

When we all arrived on Friday night, the party was in full swing. We had a great meal and enjoyed listening to the band, and of course, telling war stories with all of the other Marines who were there.

On Saturday, Kitty and I went to the campout to have lunch, and then we worked the entrance booth for two hours. The crew of WIND ORCHARD and RUTHIE showed up for the great seafood dinner, and then stayed to listen to the bands. Another great day and evening.

The breakfast on Sunday started at 0800. I could not convince anyone to join me, so I went to the military breakfast alone, and throughly enjoyed myself. After breakfast, we sat around and told more war stories. About 1000, we started the breakdown and cleanup, so I stayed and helped with all of that.

When I finished the cleanup at the campout, I went back to DREAM AWAY, and got myself cleaned up to go to the SPAMalot play in New Iberia. It is a parody of Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail. We went with Cindy and Johnal, and had a great time. By the time I left the theatre, my stomach was hurting because I laughed so hard!

My generator problems are covered in great detail in the March Maintenance Log. I will do a small recap here. My starting problem with the generator turned out to be the exhaust elbow being completely clogged with soot. I am sure the cause is because my exhaust outlet is below the waterline, and there is just too much back pressure. I am planning to raise the exhaust outlet when I haul DREAM AWAY out of the water in July.

During the month of March, I made a purchase of a toy that I had been searching for for many years. I found it on eBay, and with lots of encourgement from Kitty, I decided to purchase it. Initially I called it the Red Beast, but Kitty decided to call her Ruby! She is a 3/4 ton 1988 Suburban with a Cummins diesel conversion, and a dually conversion. She has a five-speed manual transmission, and is a joy to drive. She has a way to go before she is a pleasure at which to look, but that will come with time.

Before the month was out, Kitty was instrumental in helping Gloria Wiggins form the Delcambre Historical Society, and have their first meeting. The meeting went very well, and I am pretty sure the organization will take off and will be a useful organization to keep the memories of Delcambre alive for many years to come.

Again, sorry this is so late in coming, but the computer problems I had put me way behind, and I am still trying to catch up. Hope by this time you are well into summer activities and are having a great time.

regards,

jimk

Member Seven Seas Cruising Association

WEB page http://www.dreamaway.net