Stardate 12442.4

Captain's Log: Stardate 12442.4
At the end of May, the Enterprise was proud to participate in the Venice Yacht Club 2024 Memorial Day Weekend Blessing of the Fleet, where we had 17 boats gather in the Gulf of Mexico for a reef ceremony that pays tribute to members who have passed over the last year followed by a "parade" cruise to the VYC docks where each boat is announced and then blessed.

Some images:

On board were myself, Admiral Ellen, Past Commodore Gus Olsen and his wife Karla, and our club's Fleet Captain, Linda Alloway. And, oh yeah, enough pepperoni, cheese, crackers, and patriotic-themed cupcakes to feed a small country.

I'm happy to say the ship performed well and I believe everyone had a great time. I'm not so sure about Linda though, because as soon as we returned to the dock, she ran off the Enterprise so fast that we think she acheived warp speed:

The only part of the Enterprise that was not blessed was the Phasor (I swear I didn't name it) 8KW Generator, which appeared to be cursed. Thankfully, I expect that to be fully restored by this Thursday, more than a week before our upcoming long-range cruise back to the Florida Keys.

Stardate 12394.3

Captain's Log: Stardate 12394.3
Last weekend, the Enterprise participated in the 2023 Venice Christmas Boat Parade, an annual "competition" to see who can get the most lights on their boat, followed by driving around a narrow, sometimes shallow, channel in complete darkness, all the while hoping your radar doesn't fail and that the captain on the boat in front of you knows where he is going.

There were over 40 boats this year and reportedly over 60,000 spectators along the shoreline of Nokomis, Casey Key, and Venice Island. In fact, the parade this year got some great press in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Here is a photo of the Enterprise in the parade (last boat in the pic):

Aside from the thrill of being on the Enterprise and the joy of hearing my wife and her friends (New band name: Ellen and the Off-Tones) singing Christmas carols, my favorite part of the parade is a slow drive-by past the main dock of the Venice Yacht Club, packed tight with our many friends and fellow members, who started chanting "Ent-er-prise! Ent-er-prise!"

One member even shot this video. I wonder if she thinks it's great?


So now with Stardate 12400.0 just a couple of weeks away, my best wishes to all for a joyous holiday season along with a happy and healthy (and fun-filled) new year.

Stardate 12371.0

Captain's Log; Stardate 12371.0
It's neen almost two years into my refit and command of this new Enterprise and it's been quite an undertaking getting acclimated to the new systems and warp drive technologies. Overall, I could not be happier with this shift to a new type of starship. Yes, there are added costs, but that is nothing compared to the ability to explore new civilizations at far greater speeds and comfort.

Since commissioning, we have done countless day cruises along with voyages to Captiva Island and Fort Myers Beach (Estero Island.) Also, a few months ago, we embarked on a two-week voyage with every stop literally boldly going where we had never gone before -- Boca Grande, Naples, Marathon, Stock Island, Key West and Marco Island. On that trip, we went with a "star" fleet of boats, and I'm happy to say that the Enterprise was the only one that did not have any mechanical issues.

Some visual records of the past couple of years:

Last week, however, I noticed an issue with the port warp nacelle intermix coolant valve (the port engine propellor shaft seal):

After a full inspection, it was determined that it needs to be replaced, and since the starboard seal is the same age, we might as well do that one as well.

So, the Enterprise was put into spacedock to undergo the repairs, as well as some new hull paint:

Is it going to be expensive? Well let's just say I'm going to be eating a lot of Chef Boyardee and Ramen noodles over the next few months....

Assuming all goes well (does it ever?), we should be relauched in the next few days, so we can continue her upcoming planned voyages to Sarasota Yacht Club, a Thanksgiving trip to Bird Key Yacht Club (shouldn't that be Turkey Key Yacht Club then?), Useppa Island, and a day trip to Cabbage Key Island in honor of the passing of Jimmy Buffet -- the restaurant on Cabbage Key was where Jimmy had the infamous "Cheeseburger in Paradise."

Stardate 12112.3

Captain's Log: Stardate 12112.3
Word has started to spread -- the Starship Enterprise, NCC-1701-B, is due to be decommissioned from service in Star Fleet. Yes, the boat is for sale and there has already been some interest.

1990 C&C 37/40+ "Starship Enterprise" on YachtWorld

Now I know this brings up a lot of questions from the hundreds of readers of this Captain's Log blog. Will our quadrant be safe without the Enterprise here to protect us? What's next for you? Will there still be a blog? Will there be another Enterprise?

There’s a scene in the film First Contact where after setting the Enterprise’s auto-destruct sequence, Doctor Crusher asks Captain Picard if there will be another. His reply was, “Plenty of letters left in the alphabet.” While this may mark the beginning of the end of the voyages of this Starship Enterprise, the next boat will also bear the name and the necessary Starfleet Registry number: NCC-1701-C. She will continue the voyages we have begun, boldly going where no man, or no one, has gone before.

As for the Captain's Log blog, it's not going anywhere, but I am working on a major upgrade, including a move off of Blogger and on to WordPress. And, to give you an idea of what's beeing planned next, I've set StarshipSailing.com to expire and have registered StarshipBoating.com. Much like the ships in the Federation when moving up to the next model, the Enterprise-C will be newer, have better technology and she will be much faster. Not sure yet what exactly she'll be, but we are narrowing it down. She will be able to explore the strange new worlds of the Gulf and Southern Coastline - perhaps also to the Bahamas and Beyond -- and all at warp speeds that it won't take days or weeks to get there.

For more information about the Enterprise-B, please feel free to reach out.

Stardate 12094.0

Captain's Log: Stardate 12094.0
Yesterday, Ellen and I drove to Marco Island and back. I won't get into any details, except to say I'm now, at least mentally, closer than ever.

Stardate 12084.4

Captain's Log: Stardate 12084.4
With Tropical Storm Eta threatening the Gulf, our cruise to the Naples Sailing and Yacht Club had to be cancelled, and I find myself pondering what lies ahead for the next several years boating in this area.

And, while I think I'm still quite a ways away from making any real decisions, one letter - just one letter - keeps popping into my mind:

To C or not to C. That is the question.

Between that, challenges surrounding work, some of the local racing personalities and the current election debacle, I'm finding myself on edge. On the election front, we may not have a result for weeks. But I do believe by the end of this week we'll have a clearer picture, especially after the next day or two when Arizona flips harder and faster than Nadia Comăneci.

As for racing personalities, things have been pretty quiet and moving along without incident for the past few weeks. That is, until this morning when I received an email from John Lynch regarding the race schedule, specifically a New Year's Day race called the "Flyboy's New Years Day Regatta" in which the Venice Sailing Squadron or Venice Yacht Club would have no role and John would make all the rules - clearly still bothered by some of the rules that I recommended and VSS imposed for this year's Fall and Spring Series. Here is an excerpt from Jon's email, along with a photo of the trophy that he created for the event:

Sounds like a great plan - after a night of staying up late and heavy drinking, let's race our boats in an event where there's probably no regatta insurance in place. I'll pass.

As for the trophy -- Look, I am well aware that my mind may be a little more "off" from the norm, but, seriously, doesn't that thing look like something that may have come out of John's ass?

.... or maybe perhaps something he enjoys putting in.

Have fun, guys.

Stardate 12079.5

Captain's Log: Stardate 12079.5
Yesterday marked the first time since February that the Enterprise raced, and only the second time here just outside the Venice Inlet. The winds were often well over 15 and we did not have enough crew on board to do things right. In addition to me and Ellen, we had Andy, a great-loop powerboater, and Tom, who usually sails on the club boat, Joy, but decided to come with us when their skipper imposed a masks-while-racing mandate.

The day started with a rather contentious skipper's meeting as our Fleet Captain Racing, Goree, laid out some of the new rules, much to the displeasure of one particular skipper. Thankfully he stood (and whined) alone. Kudos to Goree for taking the initiative and doing things right.

Joining me at the meeting was Glenn Vitaglione, who moved down here from City Island a year or two before we did, and admits he was pretty surprised to see the Enterprise in her Venice slip. Glenn could not join us racing yesterday due to another appointment, but he hopes to get on board again soon. I remember Glenn being on board the Enterprise during a City Island race many years before, having fun, and proudly exclaiming. "We're sailing through the Neutral Zone!"

In our division, we had us, Fruition, Raegan-e, Spray and Joy. I immediately took a liking to Raegan-e, as she looks like a well-kept boat, and I thought she was named after, in some way, Ronald Reagan. Our starts (pursuit starting here) were very close to each other and at one point, Raegan-e came our way from windward to try and foul us. "Leeward boat!" i exclaimed.

Then he exclaimed, "Leeward boat!"

Huh?

After a few seconds, he said he forgot what "leeward" was and apologized. No harm, no foul, and, in the end, a good laugh and light-hearted way to start a series.

As for Spray, I'm not sure why the boat is named Spray other than, perhaps, a call for a can of RAID or possibly some wild form of explosive diarhrea. Nevertheless, I give credit where it's due and they sailed well, only losing second place by five seconds.

Fruition dominated the day, even though they were short-handed as well. We, on the other hand, were dealing with some mechanical issues, difficulty getting sails trimmed being just plain overpowered with too few people on board. Nevertheless, with our main luffing and the jib undertrimmed, it did feel great to blast past Joy at Warp 6.3 within a few yards of the finish line and claim our fourth.

With such a strong east-north-easterly, we had some real trouble getting off the dock (new stanchion and support are on order) and pulling back in. With a few repairs and some much-needed lubrication to do, I think we'll be ready to try this again next week. We should have Glenn, Dave Cook, and perhaps Tom and Andy again, but I think I need to put in some effort to gain a regular crew who will get to know the inner-workings of the Enterprise.

Perhaps I can also work on getting Captain Dave Beaver fired from his job so he loses his house and has to move down here from New York for good. Hmmmm....

Stardate 12074.9

Captain's Log: Stardate 12074.9 

This past week has been an interesting one, starting with a C&C Yachts Rendezvous, but, due to coronavirus, this one was held virtually:

We talked about our boats and how we were all doing for about an hour, even sharing our screens of some glamour shots of our boats. 

And, just to clear up any misconceptions, my official statement is that what you are looking at behind me is not a Zoom Virtual Background, but actually my home office, complete with a widescreen 600-inch television. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

On the video call was JohnKelly Cuthbertson, the son of George Cuthbertson, one of the "C"'s of "C&C". JohnKelly is pouring through his father's archives of drawings and photos, planning to put it all online someday. Way cool. 

Meanwhile, locally, we just published the Notice of Series and Sailing Instructions for the Venice Sailing Squadron's Fall and Spring Series (which starts this weekend.) I must have some sort of brain tumor for volunteering to help organize the racing here, especially with all of the PTSD leftover from running EBYRA for so long, but it needed to be done. 

The system here was woefully unfair and strongly benefitted the previous orgaznier. Thankfully, we had an interested committee who listened to my ideas and arguments supporting them, and we'll be seeing some nice changes this year. I won't mention the name of the previous organizer, but let's just say he reminds me of Santa Claus -- that is -- a Santa Claus who is heavy, with a flowing white beard, who delivers a sack full of crap down your chimney. 

Will I race the Enterprise here? Probably, but not immediately. First I need to see the coronavirus numbers stay low here for another few weeks. Then I need to assemble a crew. Given the level of racing, triangle 5-mile courses and other factors, I think the spinnaker will remain in storage. But it could be fun to JAM it (Jib and Main) around the course every couple of weeks. Stay tuned....

Stardate 12072.1

Captain's Log: Stardate 12072.1 

The Enterprise returned back home to Starbase (Venice Yacht Club) yesterday after a voyage to the South Seas Resort at Captiva Island as part of an organized club cruise. We left early Thursday morning (after a necessary quick servicing of the impulse engine) to head down the ICW towards Captiva. 

Unfortunately the heavy winds and sea state left over from Hurricane Sally moving north kept an outside passage out of the question. Instead, it was a pleasant motoring complete with opening drawbridges, waving boaters, swaying palm trees, and beautiful homes. We've only been living here for just over a year now and, as we crossed into Charlotte Harbor, the reality of it all hit us: 

We were boldly going where we had never gone before. 

After a few hours of travelling further past Costa Cayo and Cabbage Key, along with some soaking, yet refreshing, downpours of rain, the Entreprise had arrived at the resort's marina.

The next day, as we waited for the rest of the fleet to arrive, we were getting ready to head to the pool, when my wife exclaimed that there was a huge spider in the cockpit. Intruder Alert! As I went to go kill it with a water bottle, it was discovered that it was not really a spider, but a very small blue crab.

And that, my friends, is the closest we'll ever get to a Florida version of The Deadliest Catch. 

Poolside at the resort was heavenly, and we kept having to remind ourselves that, in the past, we'd have to get on a plane and fly for hours to experience this. But now, we were only 40 miles from the house.

To get around the island, one could use their trolley system, but I decided to rent a vehicle for the weekend. Of course, being in my mid-50's now, I wanted to make sure I got something sporty, where I could feel the breeze running through my hair, and it had to be shiny red.

That evening, we went to Doc Ford's Restaurant to have dinner and meet the other boat cruisers (and a few that came by car.) The dinner, and the company, was nothing short of fantastic. I understand through the organizers, Vince and Maria Pelliccia, that this was an impressive turnout, especially with three sailboats in attendance -- The Enterprise, Joan Marie III (Boat abd Joan Foster), and Endeavor (Dave and Cheryl Cook). A fourth was scheduled to attend, but backed out due to weather concerns. 

The next day, after a brief shopping trip in town (minor photon torpedo hit to the credit card) we joined the group at the pool for some fun in the sun. After some time there, we transported ourselves to another pool to take advantage of the two water slides. One was very twisty and the other very high speed where I could swear I saw Vince Pelliccia "catch air" as he skimmed into the pool. 

At 4:30, we invited a few people over to the Enterprise for some drinks -- Klingon Blood Wine (tastes a lot like Cabernet Souvignon), Andorian Rum (tastes a lot like Bicardi), Federation Margaritas, and Romulan Ale (not sure what it tastes like, but it is blue). The group was adventurous and finished off the Romulan Ale in no time. Afterwards, we piled onto our sporty carts (Marc's had a Firebird logo on the front) and went into town for an open-air dinner and live music. What a fabulous time we had as the sun set in paradise.

After dinner, we went aboard Vince and Maria's powerboat (Fin & Tonic) for some more drinks and great conversation. Their boat is beautiful for sure and I can certainly see the attraction to the lifestyle, but I'm not ready to give up Dacron just yet. 

The next day, some of the group were contuining on to Pink Shell Resort and Marina, but we decided to head back for other commitments. In the end, between the gorgeous locations, the fabulous weather, having air conditioning inside the Enterprise, and these great people, we are going to more and more of these events. Great times.

Stardate 12049.7

Captain's Log: Stardate 12049.7
After being stuck indoors here in Sarasota for far too long a time due to coronavirus, I decided the best way to social distance and enjoy the sunshine is to get on board the Enterprise for some voyages around Venice and the Gulf of Mexico.

Other boaters and spectators along the Venice Jetty would often wave and admire how cool the boat is, which led me to a new challenge. How do I make an awesome 1990 C&C 37/40+ named the Starship Enterprise cooler? There was only one way....

First step was finding the right installer and getting the right equipment:

What is that, you ask? A new warp core? A new plasma injector coil for the impulse engine reactor? A new phase inducer to regulate the yield of a photon torpedo? Sorry, all your guesses are wrong.

Phase 2 involved some preliminary installation:

Phase 3 was going to be a difficult one. Unlike City Island, where a short haul is just a 20-minute ride around to the other side of the island, the best travellift in the area is 21.8 miles south down the Intracoastal Waterway at Gasparilla Marina. This multi-day excursion involves leaving a car there, bringing the Enterprise down, driving home, they do the work the next morning, drive back, bring the Enterprise home, then drive to go get the car. So, the night before, we dropped a car off in Gasparilla and planned to get to the Enterprise the next morning.

To go down by boat, you basically have three options: The ICW the whole way, go out to the Gulf and go in safely through a big inlet (which adds almost 10 more miles to the trip), or cut in at one of the smaller, less-marked shallower inlets, and, frankly, my lesser knowledge of the area combined with the changing sands and slight distrust of Navionics, had us opt for the ICW.

It would be a hot trip, all motoring, and six bridges to contend with. But all OK by me with our goal - the make the Enterprise more cool.

And so we started down the ICW from Venice, with our first bridge just ahead, the Hatchett Creek Bridge.

And after some radio calls and some timing waits (not every bridge is open-on-demand), we passed the Hatchett Creek Bridge, the Venice Avenue Bridge, Circus Avenue Bridge, Mannesota Key Bridge, the Tom Adams Bridge and the Grand Spring Bridge.

We puled into Gasparilla in under four hours (including a twenty-minute wait at Grand Spring) and headed on home.

The next morning, we arrived to find the Enterprise hauled and a new thru-hull in her hull just to the right of the keel. After a fast power wash, we were back on board for the voyage home. On checking my watch and knowing how much a stickler the Grand Spring bridge operator was on time, we accelerated to get to the bridge by noon, plowing through the marina at almost Warp 6 and through their channel at Warp 7. Time was tight, but thanks to some bridge maintenance, the opening was delayed to our favor and we passed through quickly enough after a five-minute wait.

The best was the Tom Adams bridge, whose operator seemed to have a perfect knack for timing approaching boats and opening/closing bridges - We flew through that one at full speed. Nice!

The four others were without incident and the Enterprise was back in spacedock (my slip) in just over a three hour voyage. All that was left to do was grab a beverage, drive back to get the other car, find some dinner and collapse.

Dinner, by the way, was at Sharkey's on The Pier in Venice -- our first experience at this famed beach-side restaurant, and now someplace we'd highly recommend for casual dining with an awesome view.

The next day, I met with the installer for the final phase. And, after a few hours, it was mission accomplished -- The Enterprise was now cooler -- with air conditioning!

That's 82 inside (only on for a little over an hour) with it being 96 outside. And, she'll get down to the low 70s if we want it to. Plus elimination of mold, mildew and humidity.

16,000 BTUs of power!! (insert Tim Allen grunts here.)

There are still some tweaks to go, including some cleaning up of the woodwork and the need to install an automatic bilge pump for the condensation.

So even during the hottest of Florida sun days, the Enterprise will always be cool.

Stardate 12030.1

Captain's Log: Stardate 12030.1
Last Friday, my wife and I decided to take a break from the television and head on out on a Coronavirus Cruise on board the Enterprise.

As good as it was to be on board the Enterprise again, it was beyond eerie to be passing the Venice Jetty, Venice Beach and Casey Key Beach with nobody to wave to. Nobody fishing. Nobody sunbathing. Nobody just taking a stroll. Empty.

There were a few other boaters, some people on JetSki's, and some people on kayaks (a/k/a speed bumps), but nothing near what things should be like on an beautiful April afternoon in Florida.

All because of the Wuhan Coronavirus. And yes, that's where it started, and that's what it should be called. All with no attempt at any form of racism - like Ebola, Spanish Flu, or Rocky Mountain Fever. Seriously people, calm the fuck down.

My office has been closed for over a month now. People are losing jobs and shops/restaurants are closed (some probably for good.) It's insane and surreal at the same time. And I hope, when this is all over, heads will roll.

Wrap them up in an excessive amount of toilet paper and light them on fire. No need to add lighter fluid. A slow burn is better.

For now, let's find away to confront this thing and solve it. A cure. A treatment. Anything. Anything that will get us back to airplanes, conferences, concerts, beaches, clubs and, hey, just to a supermarket without thinking you're at risk if you're not dressed up like Dustin Hoffman in that movie "Outbreak".

Let's get our best people on it:

Stardate 12016.1

Captain's Log: Stardate 12016.1
With the Enterprise's facilities awaiting a new head with a working electronic controller board, along with the growing concern of using a bucket as a temporary replacement, the ship remains in spacedock for the next couple of weeks. Today, however, was to be the third and fourth races in the VSS Spring Series (yes, it's February), and Captain Gately was kind enough to invite me on board the USS Fruition for the day.

Turns out that one of the marks, A, is gone, and Captain Gately had volunteered us on a mission to drop a temporary around two miles away. However, with Fruition's new impulse drive not being fully broken in yet, RPMs had to be kept down and this was shaping up to be a slow voyage. The further we got from shore, the breeze increased to an average of 19, with gusts well into the 20s. Waves were well over 6 feet at times. Fun.

And then I was told that if it is over 20, VSS cancels its races.

I found that somewhat surprising, even though the wind heavily-favored the bigger boats. As I pointed out: Do you know what they call a day where it blows over 20 in San Francisco? They call that Saturday.

And I know how well the Enterprise does in over 20. Over 25 and we exceed established warp limits.

Anyway, after countless attempts to hail John Lynch, we were notified to not drop the mark and the races were cancelled for the day. And then we began our slow roll-y trek back home. It was disappointing, but I get it.

Fruition's crew does seem like a great bunch and it would have been fun to race with them. I can't say what the average age on board was, but I've seen younger faces on money. Anyway, assuming the new head doesn't surprisingly arrive early, hopefully I'll get to sail with Fruition next week.

In the meantime, it looks like I'll be meeting with VSS's top brass to work with them on co-sponsoring a regatta in April. Red Alert! Shields Up! All crew to battlestations!

Stardate 12010.7

Captain's Log: Stardate 12010.7
Yesterday marked the first time in almost four years that the Starship Enterprise went racing -- but this time in the sky-blue pristine waters outside of Venice, Florida -- a stark contrast to the murky dark-brown septic-tank-quality waters around City Island.

The challenge here isn't so much the actual racing (triangle courses with a pursuit start system) but in obtaining crew. Through the club's membership, we were able to obtain John Delappa, a skilled Tartan 37 owner, and Tom Leonnard (see my earlier log entry about jingle-bell underwear.) With me and my wife Ellen, that would give us four. Barely enough, especially in a real breeze.

Desperate times call for desperate actions, I suppose. So, I sent a landing party to beam over to to the USS Fruition in the middle of the night to loosen her engine's head gasket and fill the piston chambers with water.

And then, boom, we had joining the team Captain Bill Gately, Mike Kirk, and Shaun Graser, all from Fruition, and all looking for a boat to sail on while Fruition is hauled for weeks, getting a new engine installed.

Shaun Graser volunteered to handle the Enterprise's main, and did so to perfection. Shaun is the club's former Fleet Captain Sail and Commodore, which made us wonder what crimes he committed to warrant a judge to order such a punitive level of community service.

Mike Kirk is a former C&C 27 owner out of the middle of Long Island Sound. All in all, a pleasure to have on board, and, I must admit, there was something oddly familiar about having someone named Kirk on board the Enterprise-B. I just hoped we didn't encounter any Nexus energy ribbons while en route to the start line.

Then there's Bill Gately, the Captain of the Fruition, who is probably the saltiest New England sailor I've ever met. I can't think of any way that sailing with Bill could be better, except, maybe that damn accent - "Ya gaht eleven minutes and fauty sehcehnds to yah stahrt" and so on.

Bill is very proud of his crew, and Fruition, a 1981 Serendipty 41, and boasts about them and the boat at every opportunity. At one point, someone asked if there was a way to sheet the jib a little further outbound (which there is not). Bill proudly exclaimed, "On my boat, I have another track for the jib cars."

To which I replied, "Yeah, well, on my boat, I have a working engine."

Unfortunately, Tom hurt his back and sent a subspace message that he was not going to make it, opting instead for a day on his couch watching Star Trek. But, we had six, and that was going to work.

We had two races yesterday, and it was becoming clear who our standard nemeses would be -- A low-rated rocket named Regen-e and another C&C named "Spray". We didn't do bad for our first foray into this zone (two fourths,) but with a little work and a dedicated team, I think we can be a real contender, possibly adding a pickle dish or two to the trophy case someday.

When we returned to the dock, I started my mental list of things that I need to fix before the next race, while mass quantities of Heineken were consumed and Shaun began to explain what his daughter does for a living. I didn't catch all of it, but something about the supervision of ordering thousands of red shirts to meet retail orders. Something about that, the large quantities of red shirts, sent chills down my spine.



All in all, a great day. We can't wait for the next one.

Stardate 11993.4

Captain's Log: Stardate 11993.4
Last night, the Enterprise participated in her first Venice Christmas Boat Parade, kicking off what I expect to be a long tradition of winter boating down here in sunny Florida. The parade, made up of 31 boats, travelled along the shallow waters of the IntraCoastal Waterway to literally thousands and thousands of spectators along the shoreline and on numerous spectator boats.

Of course, Ellen and I want to give a world of thanks to our brave crew and new friends Mary, John, Sandy, Tom, Cathy and especially VYC Sailing Fleet Captain Bob for putting us all together. They all came bearing flashlights and Christmas attire (including a risqué set of Santa-style boxer shorts complete with a jingle-bell fly,) all doing their best to hide their trepidation about stepping aboard a boat named "Starship Enterprise" with a captain who is more than a little unfamiliar with the local waters -- in the dark no less.

The festivities started the night before at the club with the annual "Lighting of the Fleet":

The VYC docks were PACKED with members and guests strolling along and taking in the sights of all the lit-up boats. How lit up was the fleet? I think Fruition alone had to have close to 3,000 watts of bulbs on his rig alone. Multiply that by over 30 boats and I heard that, by the next day, there was enough stray current in the water that the local fishermen were catching fish that were already filleted and grilled.

But then on to the parade. After my short safety briefing and explanation about some of the systems on the Enterprise (Ellen still hates my using-the-head talk where I say that nothing goes in the head unless you've eaten or drank it -- and that if you do put something other than that in the head, be prepared to eat or drink it,) we started up the impulse engine and proceeded at one-quarter impulse power towards the Albee Street bridge.

We were all treated to a beautiful sunset as we started to line up in our pre-assigned position, with the Enterprise designated at 28th in the 31-boat fleet (all the sailboats were at the end, proving once again the adage that you save the best for last.) Then, over the radio, the countdown began. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... the Enterprise's inverter was switched on lighting up the boat and inflating the snowman and Santa Claus on the bimini. Each boat in the fleet came alive. Just ahead, a C&C 35 Mk III, whose light patterns I studied closely so as I'd be able to follow her on the route. Behind us, Fruition's lights came on at precisely 6:00pm. I think her crew was pretty well "lit" by 6:05pm.

Ellen and I have witnessed a few holiday boat parades in the past while December vacationing in the Caribbean, and, as fun as spectating was, we always wondered what it would be like to actually participate in one on the Enterprise. It was fantastic! I admit I was worried about visibility, running aground and keeping the Enterprise in position during the speed changes, but all went amazingly well. And a BIG thanks to all on board for shining lights on the red and green channel markers and pointing out parts of the shoreline.

Were there boats more lit up than the Enterprise? Yes, but I really wanted to see where I was going, especially as a local newbie.

What I found to be especially fun was that some of the boats incorporated music into their theme. One powerboat was repeating the Snoopy / Red Barron song. Fruition was looping Mariah Carrey. Joan Marie III has some selections from the Frozen soundtrack -- all which got me to thinking -- if I were to rig up speakers around the boat next year, what could I possibly chose as suitable music for the Enterprise's participation?

And then it came to me. Perfect!!

Next year! Oh yeah!

Thanks again to all for a wonderful night and, hopefully, we'll be spending more time with these new friends actually sailing the boat. And, also thanks to Power Fleet Captain Vince (Why did his name have to be Vince?) for the encouragement to get involved at the club event and in the parade.

Stardate 11978.9

Captain's Log: Stardate 11978.9
It's been an interesting and eventful past couple of months, starting on Stardate 11959.7, where the Enterprise departed City Island, NY for the last time.

The day prior, I had taken some work colleagues out on a morning cruise, only to have some fuel problems with the impulse drive -- the primary filter was clogged with some Denebian slime and we had to be towed back in. After lunch, it was a hectic afternoon changing filters and accommodating the delivery captain and his crew with some of the nuances on the Enterprise in preparation for her over-1,400-mile journey. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Chris Cloe and preparation by Jim Schwartz, she was ready to go the next day under the temporary command of Captain Rick Brass, who usually helms the USS Imzadi out of North Carolina.

As we stood the dock watching her go, still somewhat excited over the upcoming house and office move, as well as the start of a whole new lifestyle, I admit I was a little melancholy about the end of an era on City Island with my CIYC friends, the brave crew of New Freedom and the end of EBYRA.

And then I thought, Fuck it. In a little over month, these people will be winterizing their boats and I'll still be applying sunblock.

Later that day, my father was out on his vessel, the Great American Nude, and was able to see the Enterprise pass under the Verranzano Bridge, go between Staten Island and Brooklyn, and venture out to the Atlantic Ocean, leaving New York behind.

Thanks to the SPOT transmitter Captain Brass bought aboard, as well as my own hidden GPS tracker, I was able to follow the voyage down to the South, switching back and forth between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. In North Carolina, a passing fishing vessel was able to take this beauty shot:

The trip was not without its perils, including a week-long stop in Marathon for fuel polishing and a replacement lift pump, but I'm told the Enterprise was performing well. On that last day at sea, it looked like the arrival would be close to midnight and we just HAD to go out to see her arrive.

Now, just about 40 years ago (December 6, 1979, or Stardate 7993.2), a film hit theaters, which, to be perfectly honest, was not very good. But, in rare moments, had some beautiful sequences, such as this one, where a brand-new refitted Enterprise has departed space dock and is leaving Earth's orbit:



The ship -- The lighting -- the moment -- all beautiful. Perhaps a moment that will never be captured again.

That is, until my wife Ellen grabbed her iPhone and shot this footage of our Enterprise clearing the Venice Florida Jetty:



Add a little score from Jerry Goldsmith and we may have just topped it!

So now the Enterprise is at her new home, her slip at Venice Yacht Club:

She can sail here year-round -- and explore so many beautiful places like Tampa Bay, Clearwater, Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Naples, the Keys, and so much more. Her new home is well-maintained and the pool and tiki bar are just a few steps away. The club features a calendar stuffed with events and the restaurant is beyond delightful. The members are all friendly and more than welcoming.

Granted, some may be a little older -- For example, this was heard just last weekend being yelled from one table to another at Sunday Brunch: "You're here??!! I thought you were dead!!"

Perhaps it is sad that one person thought another had passed on, but, personally, I find it even sadder that I didn't get to use such a line on Richie Coar when I had the opportunity.

New friends. New adventures. New life. And, like everything else, we are excited to face it all. Boldly Going.

Stardate 11959.2

Captain's Log: Stardate 11959.2
Today, with the tide, the Enterprise departed City island Yacht Club for the last time, all to start her two-week bold voyage to her new home at Venice Yacht Club.

All systems appeared to be working well, and I believe Rick, Jim and Chris (the delivery crew) will have a pleasant trip to the Sunshine State.

Stardate 11954.2

Captain's Log: Stardate 11954.2

Phase Four complete.

Stardate 11952.8

Captain's Log: Stardate 11952.8

Phase Three complete.