We've been in Marathon about a week now. Christmas has just passed and the weather has been phenomenal!
But...
The first Norther went through last night and it's cooler now. It was a weak one so the daytime temps have dropped from the high 70s to high 60s. Until today the nighttime low temps have been about 75. Awesome. BTW: a Norther is a winter cold front in Florida. Or the Bahamas.
The Bahamas is our next, but at this point only hoped for, destination. We are planning but know a weather window for crossing the Gulf Stream may never happen safely. Should happen but there have been years one didn't. The current weather pattern had strong easterly winds but this first norther may change all that and set up a winter weather cycle that gives some crossing windows nearly weekly. We'll see.
Heather arrived here the day after we did (20th) and is staying until the day before New Year's Eve. Unlike last year she caught great weather while here. We have been doing a lot of biking and dinghying looking for wildlife. Interesting creatures sighted, including 5 foot lizards. The other wildlife sighted was in Key West. We took the bus down to there for shopping and weirdo watching. Not many weirdos this year but we did see a few 6 foot Tarpon waiting for a tourist to fall into the water.
So far the only breakdown is the failure again of our generator. It's been producing electricity, heating and cooling since October but has suddenly quit putting out enough electrons. Grrrrrr
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
In the Keys
We're in the Florida Keys again. Just barely.
At Dinner Key, across from Key Biscayne, just down from Virginia Key. Keys, right? Welllll, more like Miami.
In the Florida Keys technically, maybe. But really at a real big city. In fact as I write this we're in a hotel in the city. Not even on the boat. We left the boat on a mooring and came to a Hampton Inn to watch the UConn women's basketball team play Baylor.
This feels weird. Leaving the boat, and Cleo, and going to a hotel!
How did we get here?
We stayed about three weeks in Fort Pierce visiting with Mike and Carol and resupplying the boat. Oh, and Carol went off to work for a week and a half to get us the money that keeps me in the lifestyle I've become accustomed to.
Thanks M & C Guay for the use of the car, the meals and the friendship!
While in Ft Pierce we saw our first manatee and the first blue-bottle of the season, too. Blue-bottle? Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish. Potentially fatal if encounterd while swimming. Especially if as big as this one.
Anchored off the City Marina wasn't too comfortable most days, this season. Very persistant easterly winds made for a little discomfort. Not terrible, just a little uncomfortable. Those winds also meant we were not going outside to sail from there south. Motored from Ft Pierce to Lake Worth (Palm Beach) on the ICW. An hour of bridge delays make for a long day. From there we went offshore to Fort Lauderdale. The wind had died and the seas were down but the current was against us. We had to get very close to shore to get any speed over the ground. The last hour gave us some sailing wind and a little bit of favorable current. We anchored in Lake Sylvia, Ft Lauderdale. A very nice spot but a little crowded this time.
From Lauderdale we have to go outside to Miami. They got away with building a 56 foot bridge over the ICW in Miami instead of the required 65 feet. We need every inch of those 65 feet. The conditions were forecast to be pretty rough but we started early when there was no wind. When the breeze and seas came up they were behind us and we had no troubles. 8.8 knots was our highest clocked speed over the ground. We only realized how rough it was when we turned for the Miami channel and the seas were on our beam. 20 minutes. Not hard to take. Government Cut, Dodge Island bypass and back to the ICW and starting down the Keys. Again, just barely.
Tomorrow we head for Marathon. Probably stopping around Key Largo the first night and trying for Marathon the second. Weather permitting. Forecast again is not too great. Easterlies. If they keep up, the Bahamas passage may be in jeopardy. Of course, patterns can change in the month or so until our hoped for departure.
Photo from last years visit to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon.
At Dinner Key, across from Key Biscayne, just down from Virginia Key. Keys, right? Welllll, more like Miami.
In the Florida Keys technically, maybe. But really at a real big city. In fact as I write this we're in a hotel in the city. Not even on the boat. We left the boat on a mooring and came to a Hampton Inn to watch the UConn women's basketball team play Baylor.
This feels weird. Leaving the boat, and Cleo, and going to a hotel!
How did we get here?
We stayed about three weeks in Fort Pierce visiting with Mike and Carol and resupplying the boat. Oh, and Carol went off to work for a week and a half to get us the money that keeps me in the lifestyle I've become accustomed to.
Thanks M & C Guay for the use of the car, the meals and the friendship!
While in Ft Pierce we saw our first manatee and the first blue-bottle of the season, too. Blue-bottle? Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish. Potentially fatal if encounterd while swimming. Especially if as big as this one.
Anchored off the City Marina wasn't too comfortable most days, this season. Very persistant easterly winds made for a little discomfort. Not terrible, just a little uncomfortable. Those winds also meant we were not going outside to sail from there south. Motored from Ft Pierce to Lake Worth (Palm Beach) on the ICW. An hour of bridge delays make for a long day. From there we went offshore to Fort Lauderdale. The wind had died and the seas were down but the current was against us. We had to get very close to shore to get any speed over the ground. The last hour gave us some sailing wind and a little bit of favorable current. We anchored in Lake Sylvia, Ft Lauderdale. A very nice spot but a little crowded this time.
From Lauderdale we have to go outside to Miami. They got away with building a 56 foot bridge over the ICW in Miami instead of the required 65 feet. We need every inch of those 65 feet. The conditions were forecast to be pretty rough but we started early when there was no wind. When the breeze and seas came up they were behind us and we had no troubles. 8.8 knots was our highest clocked speed over the ground. We only realized how rough it was when we turned for the Miami channel and the seas were on our beam. 20 minutes. Not hard to take. Government Cut, Dodge Island bypass and back to the ICW and starting down the Keys. Again, just barely.
Tomorrow we head for Marathon. Probably stopping around Key Largo the first night and trying for Marathon the second. Weather permitting. Forecast again is not too great. Easterlies. If they keep up, the Bahamas passage may be in jeopardy. Of course, patterns can change in the month or so until our hoped for departure.
Photo from last years visit to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Florida again
Back in Florida again. Finally.
It's a little breezy and uncomfortable anchored in front of the City Marina but it gives us easy access to town. The wind will fade eventually.
But it's warm!
There were a few cool days in Charleston with some pretty cold nights but it wasn't too bad. Mostly 60s with plenty of 70s. Since we've been in Florida it's been mostly 70s with some 80s. And nothing lower than the mid-60s at night. We can handle that... until the first winter norther comes through. Last year it was the second week of December but it's still November (25th) right now. Black Friday as a matter of fact. We arrived in Fort Pierce Thanksgiving afternoon and had a scrumptious dinner, without killing any poor bird or pig.
We had a very quick trip here. Much shorter than last year timewise. That's because we went offshore from Charleston to St Augustine bypassing Georgia (yay!) and the northern part of Florida (boo!). I like the ICW in the northern part of Florida but not any of Georgia. 31 hours of very blue water with an amazing encounter with a very playful pod of dolphin. The overnight was reasonably warm, okay cool, not like last year when it was very cold. No sailing was involved even though we had the mainsail up. There was a fairly big swell from the east because of several days of windy weather before we departed. But no waves on top of the swell due to little wind. You wait for good weather to go offshore if you do not want to deal with big seas but you end up not sailing. Oh well.
We stayed only one night in St Augustine. Watched the UConn women beat Stanford (YAY!!!) at a local bar. WE were at the local bar not the basketball players.
From St Auggie went went back to the ICW and went to New Smyrna Beach for one night. Don't have any idea where the old smyrna is. From New Smyrna we headed down my least favorite stretch of the Florida ICW. This goes inside of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center area. They are preparing for a launch (today, the 25th) of the mission to explore Mars again. We believe we could see the launch vehicle but when we went by it was sheathed in the gantry. We stopped at the mouth of the Banana River in a nice protected spot in front of some very expensive homes. The one we parked in front of had nice friendly owners who said hello and liked our boat. From there we headed to Ft. Pierce, and here we are.
One interesting event on the last passage was encountering a small (10ft) skiff right next to the ICW near the Sebastian area that said it was disabled as we went by. Carol was on the helm and didn't quite understand what they wanted. We realized they said they were in trouble and we furled the genoa and turned around and called the Coast Guard. They had never stopped fishing so it wasn't apparent they were in trouble. They weren't, they were out of fuel. Wanted some of ours. We saw another small powerboat coming and signalled them to come over and tow these idiots. We couldn't have brought them where they wanted to go due to shallow water. They only downside to all this nonsense, besides a few minutes of time wasted, was we had started the distress process with the USCG and had to finish filling out their forms over the VHF and cell phone even though we had left the scene to the other vessel who was towing the Floridiots to shore. Oh well. It was good practice if we ever encounter a real distress situation.
I don't know if I just coined that term 'Floridiots' or heard it somewhere before. Maybe from a Carl Hiaasen novel, or James Hall. Probably Dave Barry. We've encountered plenty of Florida boaters. Probably the standard percentage are idiots, same as at home, but when you meet up with them you just have to wonder.
Anyway, we're here. It took the end of September to the end of November but we're here. Ready to spend some time in southern Florida. Then the Keys. And maybe even get over to the Bahamas early next year. We can hope.
It's a little breezy and uncomfortable anchored in front of the City Marina but it gives us easy access to town. The wind will fade eventually.
But it's warm!
There were a few cool days in Charleston with some pretty cold nights but it wasn't too bad. Mostly 60s with plenty of 70s. Since we've been in Florida it's been mostly 70s with some 80s. And nothing lower than the mid-60s at night. We can handle that... until the first winter norther comes through. Last year it was the second week of December but it's still November (25th) right now. Black Friday as a matter of fact. We arrived in Fort Pierce Thanksgiving afternoon and had a scrumptious dinner, without killing any poor bird or pig.
We had a very quick trip here. Much shorter than last year timewise. That's because we went offshore from Charleston to St Augustine bypassing Georgia (yay!) and the northern part of Florida (boo!). I like the ICW in the northern part of Florida but not any of Georgia. 31 hours of very blue water with an amazing encounter with a very playful pod of dolphin. The overnight was reasonably warm, okay cool, not like last year when it was very cold. No sailing was involved even though we had the mainsail up. There was a fairly big swell from the east because of several days of windy weather before we departed. But no waves on top of the swell due to little wind. You wait for good weather to go offshore if you do not want to deal with big seas but you end up not sailing. Oh well.
From St Auggie went went back to the ICW and went to New Smyrna Beach for one night. Don't have any idea where the old smyrna is. From New Smyrna we headed down my least favorite stretch of the Florida ICW. This goes inside of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center area. They are preparing for a launch (today, the 25th) of the mission to explore Mars again. We believe we could see the launch vehicle but when we went by it was sheathed in the gantry. We stopped at the mouth of the Banana River in a nice protected spot in front of some very expensive homes. The one we parked in front of had nice friendly owners who said hello and liked our boat. From there we headed to Ft. Pierce, and here we are.
One interesting event on the last passage was encountering a small (10ft) skiff right next to the ICW near the Sebastian area that said it was disabled as we went by. Carol was on the helm and didn't quite understand what they wanted. We realized they said they were in trouble and we furled the genoa and turned around and called the Coast Guard. They had never stopped fishing so it wasn't apparent they were in trouble. They weren't, they were out of fuel. Wanted some of ours. We saw another small powerboat coming and signalled them to come over and tow these idiots. We couldn't have brought them where they wanted to go due to shallow water. They only downside to all this nonsense, besides a few minutes of time wasted, was we had started the distress process with the USCG and had to finish filling out their forms over the VHF and cell phone even though we had left the scene to the other vessel who was towing the Floridiots to shore. Oh well. It was good practice if we ever encounter a real distress situation.
I don't know if I just coined that term 'Floridiots' or heard it somewhere before. Maybe from a Carl Hiaasen novel, or James Hall. Probably Dave Barry. We've encountered plenty of Florida boaters. Probably the standard percentage are idiots, same as at home, but when you meet up with them you just have to wonder.
Anyway, we're here. It took the end of September to the end of November but we're here. Ready to spend some time in southern Florida. Then the Keys. And maybe even get over to the Bahamas early next year. We can hope.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Charleston
Here we are in Charleston again. This is a nice place to be. The anchorage isn't too great but there's access to shore and the town is just a short bike ride away. Lots of shops and restaurants and it's really a pretty town. It's also a spot Carol can fly out of for work. We've been here more than a week with nearly two more to go. Eating our way through some of the restaurants, cupcake shops, donut shops and more!
We left Great Bridge more than two weeks ago and skipped by Coinjock. We anchored just outside Broad Creek off North River a little short of Albemarle Sound after just squeaking under the Pungo Ferry fixed bridge. Water levels were very high due to the wind direction for the last 3 or 4 days. Closest clearance since we've been going up and down the ICW (all three trips). The fixed bridge near Great Bridge was pretty close, too.
Crossing Albemarle Sound wasn't too bad because it was fairly early in the day. Able to sail, well motorsail, part way. It got a little choppy on the south side but not as bad as it can get. We ended up at Belhaven but didn't go ashore. It was pretty late after a 10 hour day. The next day we were in Adams Creek again. Our usual spot. Strange to say we have a usual spot in only our second year.
From Adams Creek we went by Beaufort (Bo-fert) and went all the way to Mile Hammock, a USMC basin. There's been some dredging before this spot and where we went aground earlier this year was deeper this time. YAY!!!! We also had a number of Harrier passes as they do their practice STOL, short takeoff and landings, very close to the ICW. Very neat, and loud. There were also a number of nearby explosions. Marines playing with their toys.
Our next stop was Wrightsville Beach. It would have been a short day but our total bridge waiting time was more than 1 3/4 hours. Yuck. Boring. Then we went to Calabash Creek right near the NC - SC border. Another repeat anchorage as was Cow House Creek the next night.
Our next stop was a new one to us, Dewee's Creek. It's just a few miles from Charleston but a 10 hour, 71 mile day is long enough. It's also very windy and the next passage to Charleston was rough also, with a foggy crossing of Charleston Harbor. Not a fun day but it was only 3 hours long.
As I write this I'm at the City Marina. Just for one night so we could have our new refrigerator delivered. Hopefully Carol has learned how not to put a hole in this one.
Another expensive mistake to add to the list we've both created.
We left Great Bridge more than two weeks ago and skipped by Coinjock. We anchored just outside Broad Creek off North River a little short of Albemarle Sound after just squeaking under the Pungo Ferry fixed bridge. Water levels were very high due to the wind direction for the last 3 or 4 days. Closest clearance since we've been going up and down the ICW (all three trips). The fixed bridge near Great Bridge was pretty close, too.
Crossing Albemarle Sound wasn't too bad because it was fairly early in the day. Able to sail, well motorsail, part way. It got a little choppy on the south side but not as bad as it can get. We ended up at Belhaven but didn't go ashore. It was pretty late after a 10 hour day. The next day we were in Adams Creek again. Our usual spot. Strange to say we have a usual spot in only our second year.
From Adams Creek we went by Beaufort (Bo-fert) and went all the way to Mile Hammock, a USMC basin. There's been some dredging before this spot and where we went aground earlier this year was deeper this time. YAY!!!! We also had a number of Harrier passes as they do their practice STOL, short takeoff and landings, very close to the ICW. Very neat, and loud. There were also a number of nearby explosions. Marines playing with their toys.
Our next stop was Wrightsville Beach. It would have been a short day but our total bridge waiting time was more than 1 3/4 hours. Yuck. Boring. Then we went to Calabash Creek right near the NC - SC border. Another repeat anchorage as was Cow House Creek the next night.
Our next stop was a new one to us, Dewee's Creek. It's just a few miles from Charleston but a 10 hour, 71 mile day is long enough. It's also very windy and the next passage to Charleston was rough also, with a foggy crossing of Charleston Harbor. Not a fun day but it was only 3 hours long.
As I write this I'm at the City Marina. Just for one night so we could have our new refrigerator delivered. Hopefully Carol has learned how not to put a hole in this one.
Another expensive mistake to add to the list we've both created.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Great Bridge
We are at a free dock in Great Bridge, VA, part of Chesapeake, VA. Now that's not Chesapeake City which is in MD. I don't know why it's Chesapeake since we are no longer on Chesapeake Bay, we are in the ICW.
Great Bridge is a nice little spot. Walking distance to groceries and library and it's FREE to tie up here. Room for 6-7 boats. It's between Great Bridge Lock and Great Bridge bridge. Confused? You can look it up. Significant Revolutionary War battle fought here.
Last Saturday we left Annapolis intending to get to Solomons, MD. A couple of hours bashing into major wind and waves made us change our destination to the Rhodes River. A real pretty and protected spot that local cruisers have their raft-ups at.
When we left the next day it was still a little breezy but nowhere near as bad and we made good time to Solomans Island. Motoring some because of the wind direction but we also had some nice sailing time. Happy. We anchored in a spot we used in the springtime where there is room for 2 or 3 boats. Within a few hours we were surrounded by 9 or 10 boats. Way too many. Way too close. We even asked one for their insurance information because of where they anchored and the weather forecast. For some reason they moved off to a mooring. Might have been something I said. Besides us there was one US registered boat (that stayed), one Australian and the rest were Canadians. I might have posted something unflattering about Canadians on Facebook being a little frustrated with their anchoring choices. I know Canadians. Canadians are nice. I'm sure they contribute to our economy travelling to the US. But.... do they have to anchor SO DAMN CLOSE???
Whoops. There I go again. Sorry. BTW: the boat I shamed into moving was from Massachusetts. Definitely not Canadians.
We had a very nice sail to Deltaville, VA and anchored next to Canadians. We made sure not to be too close and that made them (and us) friendly.
From Deltaville we planned to go to Hampton, VA but we've had the current with us for several morning departure passages and made good time to Hampton Roads where we decided to brave the Norfolk traffic and military restrictions to head into the ICW. Just barely made some last of the day bridge openings which caused some tension but... here we are! In the long ditch. Heading to Coinjock next to do laundry and then across Albermarle Sound in NC. We're actually waiting an extra day here (where it's free) to time crossing Albermarle Sound in safer conditions. Coinjock docking is definitely not free.
Did I mention we like free? We spent multiple thousands of dollars in maintenance and repairs in the last few weeks. Some planned. Some not. Ahhh, cruising.
Great Bridge is a nice little spot. Walking distance to groceries and library and it's FREE to tie up here. Room for 6-7 boats. It's between Great Bridge Lock and Great Bridge bridge. Confused? You can look it up. Significant Revolutionary War battle fought here.
Last Saturday we left Annapolis intending to get to Solomons, MD. A couple of hours bashing into major wind and waves made us change our destination to the Rhodes River. A real pretty and protected spot that local cruisers have their raft-ups at.
When we left the next day it was still a little breezy but nowhere near as bad and we made good time to Solomans Island. Motoring some because of the wind direction but we also had some nice sailing time. Happy. We anchored in a spot we used in the springtime where there is room for 2 or 3 boats. Within a few hours we were surrounded by 9 or 10 boats. Way too many. Way too close. We even asked one for their insurance information because of where they anchored and the weather forecast. For some reason they moved off to a mooring. Might have been something I said. Besides us there was one US registered boat (that stayed), one Australian and the rest were Canadians. I might have posted something unflattering about Canadians on Facebook being a little frustrated with their anchoring choices. I know Canadians. Canadians are nice. I'm sure they contribute to our economy travelling to the US. But.... do they have to anchor SO DAMN CLOSE???
Whoops. There I go again. Sorry. BTW: the boat I shamed into moving was from Massachusetts. Definitely not Canadians.
We had a very nice sail to Deltaville, VA and anchored next to Canadians. We made sure not to be too close and that made them (and us) friendly.
From Deltaville we planned to go to Hampton, VA but we've had the current with us for several morning departure passages and made good time to Hampton Roads where we decided to brave the Norfolk traffic and military restrictions to head into the ICW. Just barely made some last of the day bridge openings which caused some tension but... here we are! In the long ditch. Heading to Coinjock next to do laundry and then across Albermarle Sound in NC. We're actually waiting an extra day here (where it's free) to time crossing Albermarle Sound in safer conditions. Coinjock docking is definitely not free.
Did I mention we like free? We spent multiple thousands of dollars in maintenance and repairs in the last few weeks. Some planned. Some not. Ahhh, cruising.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Wonderful Weather
We're at a marina near Baltimore waiting to get hauled for annual maintenance. Carol is off on her first week of working. Someplace warmer than here.
As mentioned in my previous post the weather has been unsettled. No major storms but rain, fog, showers nearly every day. Blah.
We left Port Washington 24 September intending to go all the way to Cape May, NJ. Nope. After going under the Narrows-Veranzano Bridge we noticed we were sinking. Not good. We had a leak in a raw water cooling hose. The leak was after the pump so the cooling water was not going through the heat exchanger but into the bilge. In a sailboat raw (salt) water cools the anti-freeze which circulates through the engine. So we limped on one engine into Atlantic Highlands, Sandy Hook, NJ. Three dirty hours of belt changing and hose trimming got us ready to go again the next day.
We headed out about noon on the 25th for a 19 hour overnight passage to Cape May, arriving in the morning of the 26th. It was a mostly calm, non-eventful passage except for fog near the end. That fog kept us in port until the 28th when we headed up Delaware Bay. We had some fog and some showers but mostly it was calm and we had the current the whole way. Only 8 hours in the Bay! That's unbelievably fast! The passage totalled 10 hours and at the end, in Chesapeake City we had dinner with Bob and Jane Fulton and three other couples we met there. Before meeting here Bob and Jane knew only us and us only them. Old friends, new friends, good food, a good time. That's cruising!
Passages to Bodkin Creek went easy just a continuation of the unsettled weather. Hoping it's going to be good for working this coming week in Pasadena, MD.
Photo is from our passage through NYC where Heather took photos of us going by.
As mentioned in my previous post the weather has been unsettled. No major storms but rain, fog, showers nearly every day. Blah.
We left Port Washington 24 September intending to go all the way to Cape May, NJ. Nope. After going under the Narrows-Veranzano Bridge we noticed we were sinking. Not good. We had a leak in a raw water cooling hose. The leak was after the pump so the cooling water was not going through the heat exchanger but into the bilge. In a sailboat raw (salt) water cools the anti-freeze which circulates through the engine. So we limped on one engine into Atlantic Highlands, Sandy Hook, NJ. Three dirty hours of belt changing and hose trimming got us ready to go again the next day.
We headed out about noon on the 25th for a 19 hour overnight passage to Cape May, arriving in the morning of the 26th. It was a mostly calm, non-eventful passage except for fog near the end. That fog kept us in port until the 28th when we headed up Delaware Bay. We had some fog and some showers but mostly it was calm and we had the current the whole way. Only 8 hours in the Bay! That's unbelievably fast! The passage totalled 10 hours and at the end, in Chesapeake City we had dinner with Bob and Jane Fulton and three other couples we met there. Before meeting here Bob and Jane knew only us and us only them. Old friends, new friends, good food, a good time. That's cruising!
Passages to Bodkin Creek went easy just a continuation of the unsettled weather. Hoping it's going to be good for working this coming week in Pasadena, MD.
Photo is from our passage through NYC where Heather took photos of us going by.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
South again
It's our 35th anniversary and we're underway on our second cruise south. We're wondering what will break this cruise. And when.
Mixed weather today but actually got some unexpected sailing in. Motorsailing too, of course, but we didn't expect to put the sails up at all. Forecast for the next few days to a week is for unsettled weather. Not necessarily stormy, just gray and wet.
Today we got some other form of 'yuck'. Bugs. Some kind of flying ant. They just dropped out of the sky, after mating it would seem. Made a mess. Yuck.
The start of this cruise doesn't seem promising.
Mixed weather today but actually got some unexpected sailing in. Motorsailing too, of course, but we didn't expect to put the sails up at all. Forecast for the next few days to a week is for unsettled weather. Not necessarily stormy, just gray and wet.
Today we got some other form of 'yuck'. Bugs. Some kind of flying ant. They just dropped out of the sky, after mating it would seem. Made a mess. Yuck.
The start of this cruise doesn't seem promising.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Storms
We survived Irene!
With all the pre-storm hype and all the actual damage done by Irene we did okay all things considered.
On Friday before the storm I moved Infinite Improbability up the Connecticut River to Hamburg Cove, Old Lyme, CT. I added anti-chafe rags to the anchor rode of Perfectly Normal and let out more scope but we could only protect one of our boats and, of course, chose our home.
Carol drove to my location and then picked up Heather who had to evacuate Brooklyn because of potential flooding. She evacuated the city to come out on a boat during a hurricane. Some might have questioned that wisdom.
Hamburg Cove is part of 8-mile River which is about 8 miles up the CT. River. It is also totally surrounded by land and big trees. About as protected as you can be.
We met two boats with friends aboard there and met new friends who were friends of the other two boat crews. We had a little party aboard our boat on Saturday and agreed to monitor our VHF radio on Sunday in mutual support should anything go amiss.
For us the storm only made us a little nervous, not scared. The wind was around 40 knots (50 mph) so we swung around a bit but it was not violent. The surge was between 4 and 6 feet so there was little danger of our mooring pulling out. The noise from the trees, however, was amazing. The loudest 'white noise' you could imagine.
As I mentioned, we survived.
On Monday after the storm we went back to Mystic and drove to the Old Lyme area and saw how much wind/rain damage was really done. Many trees and power lines down. Electricity was not restored for more than a week.
Other good news: Perfectly Normal survived just fine in Mystic and our house in Wallingford had no damage. Never even lost power. We just had branches and leaves to pick up.
Now if this luck lasts through our upcoming trip back down south for the winter it would be great! Not likely but GREAT!
Departure is scheduled for the third week of September.
With all the pre-storm hype and all the actual damage done by Irene we did okay all things considered.
On Friday before the storm I moved Infinite Improbability up the Connecticut River to Hamburg Cove, Old Lyme, CT. I added anti-chafe rags to the anchor rode of Perfectly Normal and let out more scope but we could only protect one of our boats and, of course, chose our home.
Carol drove to my location and then picked up Heather who had to evacuate Brooklyn because of potential flooding. She evacuated the city to come out on a boat during a hurricane. Some might have questioned that wisdom.
Hamburg Cove is part of 8-mile River which is about 8 miles up the CT. River. It is also totally surrounded by land and big trees. About as protected as you can be.
We met two boats with friends aboard there and met new friends who were friends of the other two boat crews. We had a little party aboard our boat on Saturday and agreed to monitor our VHF radio on Sunday in mutual support should anything go amiss.
For us the storm only made us a little nervous, not scared. The wind was around 40 knots (50 mph) so we swung around a bit but it was not violent. The surge was between 4 and 6 feet so there was little danger of our mooring pulling out. The noise from the trees, however, was amazing. The loudest 'white noise' you could imagine.
As I mentioned, we survived.
On Monday after the storm we went back to Mystic and drove to the Old Lyme area and saw how much wind/rain damage was really done. Many trees and power lines down. Electricity was not restored for more than a week.
Other good news: Perfectly Normal survived just fine in Mystic and our house in Wallingford had no damage. Never even lost power. We just had branches and leaves to pick up.
Now if this luck lasts through our upcoming trip back down south for the winter it would be great! Not likely but GREAT!
Departure is scheduled for the third week of September.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Mini-Cruise
We completed a little cruise out to Nantucket with Heather. We were calling it a vacation cruise, out of habit I guess, but were reminded you can't take a vacation from no job at all. So... Heather's vacation.
I spent a few days solo (with Cleo) at Block Island before heading to Point Judith, RI to pick up Carol, Heather and Luca. This was supposed to also be the WPS summer cruise but the other participants decided not to followed the planned itinerary. We overlapped briefly at Block and met at Cuttyhunk and Oak Bluffs but no one else went to Nantucket. Their loss.
Luca seems to be becoming a little more civilized (a little) and we can pick her up without losing pints of blood. Mellowing. Or dying. Who knows?
Weather was pretty good. Calm to Cuttyhunk but there was a leftover swell from a distant storm. Carol hates this passage. Trip to Oak Bluffs (Ma.) was flat and the passage to Nantucket was nearly so. No sailing. We anchored for two nights there. Moorings are $70 a night there!!!!!! Bike riding and dining were the main things on the itinerary.
The trip back to Martha's Vineyard was uneventful but the trip back to Point Judith was "fun". Strong winds right on the nose. More motoring. And an alternator V-belt broke on the way. Replacing that in rough seas was not fun but we've had to do that before. Experience.
The last evening on this cruise was marked by a visit from 'nephew-in-law' Chris H. and his daughter (our grand-niece) Brooklyn. They seemed to have a great time and were interested in the lifestyle of living and travelling on a boat.
Just a couple of more boating weekends to go before our departure south in late September. Can't wait!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Summer of No Sailing
We getting ready to take a mini-cruise in just a few days. We have hardly used the boat since we've been back in Connecticut.
We've been busy with working on the house, working on our Pearson with a little work on the Dean, too. Family picnics that we used to blow off have also taken up our time. In the past we rarely let these things take away from our boating but now that we're away (on the boat) so much of the year we feel a little obligated.
We did take a little boating trip to Rhode Island for the 4th of July weekend. Dutch Harbor at Jamestown, RI. Motoring all the way as usual then Heather and eight of her friends joined us to view the fireworks display. Unfortunately an hour or so before they arrived the fog rolled in staying a few hundred feet in the air. When fireworks time came we could not see them because the cloud was right at the display altitude. Bummer. We could see the bottom of the bursts and occasionally the top but mostly we missed everything. Sigh.
The trip home on the 4th itself was eventful... of course. Fog. Dense fog. The whole way. Going around Point Judith caused anxiety because of the traffic. We can navigate fine in poor visibility but we worry about the idiots out there that travel at high speeds relying on their radar. Only one encounter as we neared Watch Hill Passage caused any cursing aboard Infinite Improbability. A boat close enough and fast enough to cause a good sized wake. One we never saw, only heard and felt. Crazy.
So that's the summer so far. Not much boating but our cruise starts later this week with hopes of getting out to Nantucket. Going to Nantucket never seems to work out. We've only visited on 20 % of our attempts. And now the first Tropical Storm has formed in the Bahamas. We'll see.
We've been busy with working on the house, working on our Pearson with a little work on the Dean, too. Family picnics that we used to blow off have also taken up our time. In the past we rarely let these things take away from our boating but now that we're away (on the boat) so much of the year we feel a little obligated.
We did take a little boating trip to Rhode Island for the 4th of July weekend. Dutch Harbor at Jamestown, RI. Motoring all the way as usual then Heather and eight of her friends joined us to view the fireworks display. Unfortunately an hour or so before they arrived the fog rolled in staying a few hundred feet in the air. When fireworks time came we could not see them because the cloud was right at the display altitude. Bummer. We could see the bottom of the bursts and occasionally the top but mostly we missed everything. Sigh.
The trip home on the 4th itself was eventful... of course. Fog. Dense fog. The whole way. Going around Point Judith caused anxiety because of the traffic. We can navigate fine in poor visibility but we worry about the idiots out there that travel at high speeds relying on their radar. Only one encounter as we neared Watch Hill Passage caused any cursing aboard Infinite Improbability. A boat close enough and fast enough to cause a good sized wake. One we never saw, only heard and felt. Crazy.
So that's the summer so far. Not much boating but our cruise starts later this week with hopes of getting out to Nantucket. Going to Nantucket never seems to work out. We've only visited on 20 % of our attempts. And now the first Tropical Storm has formed in the Bahamas. We'll see.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Home
We are at our home in Wallingford. It's been almost two weeks. We are making it as sellable as we can (again). A lot of work.
We are also trying to get used to the weather up here again. IT'S AWFUL!!!!! Rain. Rain. Rain. Our backyard is full of water and we actually had a roof leak (minor and fixed). We also have to get our Pearson ready to go in the water and to Mystic. The rain isn't helping.
Let's wrap up the end of our trip north...
We went from the C & D Canal down to Cape May, NJ. It wasn't a bad day even though we left an hour before sunrise. Reasonably calm but we had the main up and had a little help from the wind for a little while. We took a short cut right along the coast of Cape May inshore of the reefs. Even trickier than the stunt we pulled when we were southbound but this time the weather and seas were not too bad. We shouldn't make a habit of this but the time saved is so tempting. Still a long day 0500 to 1600.
After a night at Cape May and getting fuel we went to Atlantic City. Calm weather with storms predicted in a few days. We decided to just stay for lunch and dinner (six hours) and get underway again about 1800.
Seas were calm as we motored along the coast of New Jersey through the night. After a couple of rain drops the sky cleared about 0200 and the stars came out to play. Beautiful! Big 'W' out to remind us of Wallingford and our friends in the Waterbury Power Squadron. Cassiopeia (the big 'W' in the sky) is on the burgee (flag) of our Squadron.
In the morning we approached New York City and went through the Narrows-Verranzano Bridge. A lot of big ship traffic this time but since we were northbound we could get way to the side and stay outside the channel and still be in safe water. The bouyage system also seemed to make more sense or was more readable to us in this direction. The City was beautiful in the blue skies but we arrived later than we hoped and we missed getting the chance to wave to Heather as we went by the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridge area. 0 for 2 in these attempts. Since we were late we went through Hell Gate after slack water but had the current with us as planned. A little rough because of the opposing wind but not as bad as it could be. We ended up in Port Washington on Long Island. Back in Long Island Sound! Our home waters once again. We picked up the free mooring we used back the previous September. Full circle.
On Tuesday we headed to Mattituck. We had a great sail most of the way. The wind was NE at 15+kts and we just barely had a sailing angle but it went well. It's just so damn cold. Freezing. Carol has a ton of layers on. At home people are in tee-shirts but we are in a good breeze blowing over 50 degree water. Last week on the Chesapeake we had the same conditions but the water temp was 65 not 50. Big difference in comfort on the water.
Wednesday we motored home to Mystic right into the wind. Seas were not big but it was just miserable. Into the gray. Into the cold wind. 30nm seemed way longer than some of our 60+sm days recently. Statute (sm) miles are quite shorter than Nautical (nm) miles but our last day made nm seem even longer.
But we made it of course. Borrowed a mooring in the Mystic River as we waited for the tide to get higher at our marina and then went and anchored near our mooring. It was occupied by a poacher. Now who would do THAT?
Home again as I said at the beginning. Lots of work to do on the house and the Pearson and little time this summer for cruising. We'll get a little boating in as we prepare to do this all over again in the fall.
CAN'T WAIT.
We are also trying to get used to the weather up here again. IT'S AWFUL!!!!! Rain. Rain. Rain. Our backyard is full of water and we actually had a roof leak (minor and fixed). We also have to get our Pearson ready to go in the water and to Mystic. The rain isn't helping.
Let's wrap up the end of our trip north...
We went from the C & D Canal down to Cape May, NJ. It wasn't a bad day even though we left an hour before sunrise. Reasonably calm but we had the main up and had a little help from the wind for a little while. We took a short cut right along the coast of Cape May inshore of the reefs. Even trickier than the stunt we pulled when we were southbound but this time the weather and seas were not too bad. We shouldn't make a habit of this but the time saved is so tempting. Still a long day 0500 to 1600.
After a night at Cape May and getting fuel we went to Atlantic City. Calm weather with storms predicted in a few days. We decided to just stay for lunch and dinner (six hours) and get underway again about 1800.
Seas were calm as we motored along the coast of New Jersey through the night. After a couple of rain drops the sky cleared about 0200 and the stars came out to play. Beautiful! Big 'W' out to remind us of Wallingford and our friends in the Waterbury Power Squadron. Cassiopeia (the big 'W' in the sky) is on the burgee (flag) of our Squadron.
In the morning we approached New York City and went through the Narrows-Verranzano Bridge. A lot of big ship traffic this time but since we were northbound we could get way to the side and stay outside the channel and still be in safe water. The bouyage system also seemed to make more sense or was more readable to us in this direction. The City was beautiful in the blue skies but we arrived later than we hoped and we missed getting the chance to wave to Heather as we went by the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridge area. 0 for 2 in these attempts. Since we were late we went through Hell Gate after slack water but had the current with us as planned. A little rough because of the opposing wind but not as bad as it could be. We ended up in Port Washington on Long Island. Back in Long Island Sound! Our home waters once again. We picked up the free mooring we used back the previous September. Full circle.
On Tuesday we headed to Mattituck. We had a great sail most of the way. The wind was NE at 15+kts and we just barely had a sailing angle but it went well. It's just so damn cold. Freezing. Carol has a ton of layers on. At home people are in tee-shirts but we are in a good breeze blowing over 50 degree water. Last week on the Chesapeake we had the same conditions but the water temp was 65 not 50. Big difference in comfort on the water.
Wednesday we motored home to Mystic right into the wind. Seas were not big but it was just miserable. Into the gray. Into the cold wind. 30nm seemed way longer than some of our 60+sm days recently. Statute (sm) miles are quite shorter than Nautical (nm) miles but our last day made nm seem even longer.
But we made it of course. Borrowed a mooring in the Mystic River as we waited for the tide to get higher at our marina and then went and anchored near our mooring. It was occupied by a poacher. Now who would do THAT?
Home again as I said at the beginning. Lots of work to do on the house and the Pearson and little time this summer for cruising. We'll get a little boating in as we prepare to do this all over again in the fall.
CAN'T WAIT.
Friday, May 6, 2011
C& D Canal
We are at Chesapeake City on the C & D Canal. Paying for a marina again.
I hate paying for marinas.
We're paying because the FREE dock is being taken up by people who do not tie up close enough to the next boat. Too special, I guess. Also the anchoring area is filled with people who anchor too close to each other for my comfort.
We spent two nights in the Solomans because of stormy weather and very strong winds. We headed for Annapolis on the next day. Windy, just not quite as windy. It was a beat into two foot seas. We banged around quite a bit. Scared the heck out of the cat. But we did get a three hour sail in. Three out of an eight hour day. Can't remember the last time we were underway and had the engines off like that.
Tomorrow it's an early start to head down Delaware Bay to Cape May, NJ. Likely to be a very slow day against the current. Hope it's not against the wind and sea also. Everyone hates this passage. When we were northbound it was pretty nasty.
If the weather holds we should be home next week. If.
I hate paying for marinas.
We're paying because the FREE dock is being taken up by people who do not tie up close enough to the next boat. Too special, I guess. Also the anchoring area is filled with people who anchor too close to each other for my comfort.
We spent two nights in the Solomans because of stormy weather and very strong winds. We headed for Annapolis on the next day. Windy, just not quite as windy. It was a beat into two foot seas. We banged around quite a bit. Scared the heck out of the cat. But we did get a three hour sail in. Three out of an eight hour day. Can't remember the last time we were underway and had the engines off like that.
Tomorrow it's an early start to head down Delaware Bay to Cape May, NJ. Likely to be a very slow day against the current. Hope it's not against the wind and sea also. Everyone hates this passage. When we were northbound it was pretty nasty.
If the weather holds we should be home next week. If.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Stormy weather
We are at a marina in Coinjock, NC. What???? A marina?
Yep.
We needed to do laundry, get fuel, etc.
We had an eventful last few days. Dodging thunderstorms. Braving gale force winds. Bashing into very big seas. See, it's not all fun and games.
We made it into Belhaven without getting wet a couple of days ago and hoped to get ashore to buy some groceries. We got there and it started pouring. And got windier. Then windiest. It's a nice harbor but open to the direction the waves were coming from. It didn't get too uncomfortable but it wasn't great.
The next day it was very breezy but the seas were on the stern and we made it all the way up the Alligator River. We went to an anchorage recommended by 'Skipper Bob' because very bad weather was forecast. Well Skipper Bob never said the anchorage was almost 6 miles off the ICW. It took a while to get there. Once we were there it was fine for the night even though it was a little lumpy. Another boat was there and he took exception to us being in his sight. Weird. We were not anywhere near to crowding him. More than a hundred yards away.
In the morning in got even windier. Up to 40kts. We dragged. We reset. We dragged. We moved to the next cove and dropped the anchor again. We were hooked. The day turned out not to be too bad. Even had some sun but it was very humid. And windy. Did I mention windy?
We emailed several people about our location and the chances of severe weather, up to and including tornadoes. Thanks to all who were monitoring and checking on us!!!! It didn't rain until dinner time and the main (and big) T-storm cells all missed or just grazed us. At 11:30 PM a big one finally caught us. It was too late to be as bad as a tornado but it got windy and very rainy. We were swinging around but all was fine.
Today we finally crossed Albemarle Sound. It's about the size of L.I. Sound but much shallower. That means much rougher. It 15kt winds we had 3ft. seas to bash into. Imagine what it would have been like the day before with 40kt + winds. I shudder to think about it. That's why we stayed in South Lake.
From Coinjock we will be headed into Virginia tomorrow. We hope to get space at a free dock and go real grocery shopping. By Sunday will be off the ICW and into the Chesapeake.
Home soon.
Yep.
We needed to do laundry, get fuel, etc.
We had an eventful last few days. Dodging thunderstorms. Braving gale force winds. Bashing into very big seas. See, it's not all fun and games.
We made it into Belhaven without getting wet a couple of days ago and hoped to get ashore to buy some groceries. We got there and it started pouring. And got windier. Then windiest. It's a nice harbor but open to the direction the waves were coming from. It didn't get too uncomfortable but it wasn't great.
The next day it was very breezy but the seas were on the stern and we made it all the way up the Alligator River. We went to an anchorage recommended by 'Skipper Bob' because very bad weather was forecast. Well Skipper Bob never said the anchorage was almost 6 miles off the ICW. It took a while to get there. Once we were there it was fine for the night even though it was a little lumpy. Another boat was there and he took exception to us being in his sight. Weird. We were not anywhere near to crowding him. More than a hundred yards away.
In the morning in got even windier. Up to 40kts. We dragged. We reset. We dragged. We moved to the next cove and dropped the anchor again. We were hooked. The day turned out not to be too bad. Even had some sun but it was very humid. And windy. Did I mention windy?
We emailed several people about our location and the chances of severe weather, up to and including tornadoes. Thanks to all who were monitoring and checking on us!!!! It didn't rain until dinner time and the main (and big) T-storm cells all missed or just grazed us. At 11:30 PM a big one finally caught us. It was too late to be as bad as a tornado but it got windy and very rainy. We were swinging around but all was fine.
Today we finally crossed Albemarle Sound. It's about the size of L.I. Sound but much shallower. That means much rougher. It 15kt winds we had 3ft. seas to bash into. Imagine what it would have been like the day before with 40kt + winds. I shudder to think about it. That's why we stayed in South Lake.
From Coinjock we will be headed into Virginia tomorrow. We hope to get space at a free dock and go real grocery shopping. By Sunday will be off the ICW and into the Chesapeake.
Home soon.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter
It's Easter and we're in Mile Hammock Bay which is part of Camp LeJeune, NC. The Marine base sometimes uses this harbor and could toss us out without notice.
Didn't happen and we're underway on Monday. We're going past Beaufort, NC today. My last post was from Beaufort, SC. Bo - fert today, Byew - fert last week.
We met up with friends while we we're underway leaving Charleston. Symmetry has a mooring near us in Mystic and were with us when we spent January in Marathon. They spotted us going by and hailed us on the VHF radio. Because they heard us talking with Symmetry, Voyageur called us also. They winter in St Augustine and we got together with them just before Thanksgiving down there. They followed us up the ICW and we anchored near each other in Minim Creek, SC. We had them to dinner. Great meeting up with friends!
The next morning we left earlier than them and got well ahead of them. Maybe they'll catch up to us up the 'road'.
So now we're going along the longest state on the ICW, North Carolina. More than 50 hours to traverse. Virgina will be the shortest.
Nice areas, however.
Southern South Carolina is not the greatest area on the ICW. Georgia is the buggiest. And there's one small area of Florida I didn't like. The Cape Canaveral area. Except for these spots it's been pretty nice. Hope it continues.
Didn't happen and we're underway on Monday. We're going past Beaufort, NC today. My last post was from Beaufort, SC. Bo - fert today, Byew - fert last week.
We met up with friends while we we're underway leaving Charleston. Symmetry has a mooring near us in Mystic and were with us when we spent January in Marathon. They spotted us going by and hailed us on the VHF radio. Because they heard us talking with Symmetry, Voyageur called us also. They winter in St Augustine and we got together with them just before Thanksgiving down there. They followed us up the ICW and we anchored near each other in Minim Creek, SC. We had them to dinner. Great meeting up with friends!
The next morning we left earlier than them and got well ahead of them. Maybe they'll catch up to us up the 'road'.
We stayed two nights at Wrightsville Beach, NC. Oil change day and we got fuel. $250 worth. Ouch. Wrightsville is a beach town. Bikinis on the streets and in the stores. Wearers were all too young to be interesting. Well... most anyway.
So now we're going along the longest state on the ICW, North Carolina. More than 50 hours to traverse. Virgina will be the shortest.
Nice areas, however.
Southern South Carolina is not the greatest area on the ICW. Georgia is the buggiest. And there's one small area of Florida I didn't like. The Cape Canaveral area. Except for these spots it's been pretty nice. Hope it continues.
 |
| Cat excited about all this. |
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
South Carolina
Leaving Thunderbolt was fine except it was very shallow in two spots. I got stuck in the middle of the channel a couple of miles before Causton Bluff Bridge. Three minutes aground but it was soft and the tide was rising. Approaching the bascule bridge I touched a couple more times but did not get stuck. A couple of miles later I was passed by a very large powerboat that sped up after I slowed to let him pass. Idiot! He threw a huge wake a nearly killed a nearby canoeist.
Crossing the Savannah River brought me to South Carolina. The air was suddenly like perfume. No, really. I couldn't figure out what it was. I assumed it was the brush along the backs of the ICW. After a few miles the scent went away as the shore was back to the normal marsh/grass.
When I tied up to a marina at Hilton Head I smelled the perfume again. Turns out it was a flowering bush that it plentiful in the area. Cut off some and put in in a vase in the main cabin.
Carol returned from working and together we headed to Beaufort, SC. This is the Beaufort that is pronounced Byou-fert. The Beaufort in NORTH Carolina is pronounced Bo-fort.
We spent the day in town and then went to anchor in nearby Factory Creek, Lady's Island. Nice spot. Boat launch dock nearby as well as grocery, hardware and other stores. Homeowners along the shore were friendly, too. The marina had friendly staff that offered us the code for the showers for free. They also had unfriendly staff that told us the fee was $10 per use. Needless to say, we stopped going after one use.
Carol is working in NYC and visiting Heather and then will spend a weekend in Wallingford checking out the house. On her return we will spend a month pushing home and should be in Conn. by mid May.
See you then!
Maybe
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Aground (again) and more
We continued our cruise up the Frederica River to get back to the ICW. Pretty. It used to be a section of the ICW sometime in the past. Pretty deep also. As we got to the intersection with the ICW 'someone' said, "Go to the port side." Then: crunch, crunch, crunch, shudder. We are stopped. 'Someone' says, "Maybe not to port."
Stuck good.
We waited for Tow-Boat/US for an hour but we got off the shoal ourselves and continued on. Can't wait until we see the bottom of the boat.
Our next stopped was Walburg Creek. Another shortcut off the ICW that is shallow at the entrance but deep inside. It's a wide area for anchoring but has shallow enough spots. There is a forest of dead trees nearby but we didn't go to see them. There are also tons of gnats. Georgia gnats are pretty awful. The birds, however, are varied and interesting. Beautiful songs. There was also a large animal making deep, loud sounds ashore. I thought it sounded like a moose or panther but in the morning I decided it sounded more like a donkey or mule. Our exit from this creek was uneventful. Crossing the sounds of Georgia exposes you to the ocean but conditions were mostly benign.
Our next stop was Taylor Creek in the suburbs of Savannah. When we went to anchor, the windlass would not let the anchor and chain lower. Oh, crap. After a struggle we decided to go to a nearby marina. Simple and basic. The manager's name was Bubba. I think I heard a couple of banjos playing in the background. You cannot make this up.
It did have some stores, restaurants and fuel nearby so it wasn't a bad spot. Two nights. A mechanic came by but couldn't even attempt to make a repair or diagnosis. He recommended going to Thunderbolt Marina. It's a mile or so closer to Savannah in, wait for it... Thunderbolt, GA.
They were able to make a diagnosis on our windlass and give us some options. Verdict? More than $3000 to replace. Ouch. So... stuck here a while. No anchor equals no cruising.
I was able to negotiate the docking fee down 80 cents per foot per day but again, they are getting more than $3K plus $44 a day plus any other repairs or upgrades we have them do. The price does include the USA Today and half a dozen Krispy-Kreme donuts every day. What a bargain.
After the first day we started giving back the donuts.
Stuck good.
We waited for Tow-Boat/US for an hour but we got off the shoal ourselves and continued on. Can't wait until we see the bottom of the boat.
Our next stopped was Walburg Creek. Another shortcut off the ICW that is shallow at the entrance but deep inside. It's a wide area for anchoring but has shallow enough spots. There is a forest of dead trees nearby but we didn't go to see them. There are also tons of gnats. Georgia gnats are pretty awful. The birds, however, are varied and interesting. Beautiful songs. There was also a large animal making deep, loud sounds ashore. I thought it sounded like a moose or panther but in the morning I decided it sounded more like a donkey or mule. Our exit from this creek was uneventful. Crossing the sounds of Georgia exposes you to the ocean but conditions were mostly benign.
Our next stop was Taylor Creek in the suburbs of Savannah. When we went to anchor, the windlass would not let the anchor and chain lower. Oh, crap. After a struggle we decided to go to a nearby marina. Simple and basic. The manager's name was Bubba. I think I heard a couple of banjos playing in the background. You cannot make this up.
It did have some stores, restaurants and fuel nearby so it wasn't a bad spot. Two nights. A mechanic came by but couldn't even attempt to make a repair or diagnosis. He recommended going to Thunderbolt Marina. It's a mile or so closer to Savannah in, wait for it... Thunderbolt, GA.
They were able to make a diagnosis on our windlass and give us some options. Verdict? More than $3000 to replace. Ouch. So... stuck here a while. No anchor equals no cruising.
I was able to negotiate the docking fee down 80 cents per foot per day but again, they are getting more than $3K plus $44 a day plus any other repairs or upgrades we have them do. The price does include the USA Today and half a dozen Krispy-Kreme donuts every day. What a bargain.
After the first day we started giving back the donuts.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Geogia on my mind
We crossed into Georgia today. The last two days were pretty breezy but today was rougher due to more open areas. Fewer trees in Georgia. But to make up for it there are lot more flies.We had some trouble finding a calm spot to anchor. Found some trees well up the Frederica River.
We saw some of the wild horses that are on Cumberland Island. They are beautiful.
Last night was a noisy one on a mooring in Fernandia Beach. It was windy and the current kept us banging into the mooring
We spent two nights before that in St Augustine again. Dinner ashore and watching women's BB. What could be better?
There is not much water in the Georgia ICW but the tides are 6-8 feet. This means we are likely to get through, We leave tomorrow (25th) at low water so we'll see.
.
We saw some of the wild horses that are on Cumberland Island. They are beautiful.
Last night was a noisy one on a mooring in Fernandia Beach. It was windy and the current kept us banging into the mooring
We spent two nights before that in St Augustine again. Dinner ashore and watching women's BB. What could be better?
There is not much water in the Georgia ICW but the tides are 6-8 feet. This means we are likely to get through, We leave tomorrow (25th) at low water so we'll see.
.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
19 March
Carol is back on the boat after an 'emergency' trip to Las Vegas. Emergency? Fancy restaurants? Gambling? This is work?
We had a last dinner with our old friends, Mike & Carol, and some new friends, Mike & Sandy. Then one last stop at the Saturday Fort Pierce Farmer's Market and we're underway, northbound. Sunny and warm. That's not news. It's been the weather for more than a month except for one or two days of scattered showers. We're hoping we do not get ahead of the nice weather as we head north into spring.
Next long stop will be in the Hilton Head area if all goes as planned. One or two shorter stops along the way, perhaps.
Good luck and congrats to Mike and Carol's son on his wedding day.
New composting head working as advertised so far. No odor. No hold tank or valves. Nothing to clog. Highly recommended.
We had a last dinner with our old friends, Mike & Carol, and some new friends, Mike & Sandy. Then one last stop at the Saturday Fort Pierce Farmer's Market and we're underway, northbound. Sunny and warm. That's not news. It's been the weather for more than a month except for one or two days of scattered showers. We're hoping we do not get ahead of the nice weather as we head north into spring.
Next long stop will be in the Hilton Head area if all goes as planned. One or two shorter stops along the way, perhaps.
Good luck and congrats to Mike and Carol's son on his wedding day.
New composting head working as advertised so far. No odor. No hold tank or valves. Nothing to clog. Highly recommended.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Where did February go?
It's 27 Feb and we're anchored in the Palm Beach area again. Carol gets off the boat tomorrow to work again. I'll move the boat myself a little farther north. If it all works out.
Interesting trip getting to here. From Cape Coral to Marco Island we discovered an oil leak in the port engine. Got into Marco okay (nice anchorage) but recommended mechanics did not call us back in a timely manner and we moved on on one engine. We made it to Little Shark River in the Everglades on the west coast of very southern Florida. Talk about isolated! No cell service!!!! Beautiful!
From there we felt our way souther into very shallow water and banks of Florida Bay. We were able to motorsail part of the way the last two days but once we were in the Keys again that was all over.
We made our own anchorage near the entrance to Cowpens Cut. Somewhat close to the Cotten Key basin.
Then it was back to Dinner Key Marina at Coconut Grove, Miami. We had the mechanic we used in December come out, order parts and schedule a repair date. More $$$ spent. Then we went to a boat show and spent WAY more $$$.
We went over to No Name Harbor for two nights. This is at Baggs Park on Key Biscayne. Beautiful spot. A near perfect anchorage except it was a holiday weekend and crowded with noisy daytrippers.
We went back to Dinner Key and had the engine repair completed. Not outrageous... For boating.
On to Ft Lauderdale and Lake Sylvia. We like this spot and spent two nights with sightseeing by bikes.
Next port was Lake Boca Raton. A very highend place but a surprizingly nice anchorage with a park we could go to to walk to a Starbuck's to watch the UConn game on the laptop. The swimming here was stunning. Chrystal clear water. Much nicer the the Palm area.
As we get into March we really have to get started north :>((
Interesting trip getting to here. From Cape Coral to Marco Island we discovered an oil leak in the port engine. Got into Marco okay (nice anchorage) but recommended mechanics did not call us back in a timely manner and we moved on on one engine. We made it to Little Shark River in the Everglades on the west coast of very southern Florida. Talk about isolated! No cell service!!!! Beautiful!
From there we felt our way souther into very shallow water and banks of Florida Bay. We were able to motorsail part of the way the last two days but once we were in the Keys again that was all over.
We made our own anchorage near the entrance to Cowpens Cut. Somewhat close to the Cotten Key basin.
Then it was back to Dinner Key Marina at Coconut Grove, Miami. We had the mechanic we used in December come out, order parts and schedule a repair date. More $$$ spent. Then we went to a boat show and spent WAY more $$$.
We went over to No Name Harbor for two nights. This is at Baggs Park on Key Biscayne. Beautiful spot. A near perfect anchorage except it was a holiday weekend and crowded with noisy daytrippers.
We went back to Dinner Key and had the engine repair completed. Not outrageous... For boating.
On to Ft Lauderdale and Lake Sylvia. We like this spot and spent two nights with sightseeing by bikes.
Next port was Lake Boca Raton. A very highend place but a surprizingly nice anchorage with a park we could go to to walk to a Starbuck's to watch the UConn game on the laptop. The swimming here was stunning. Chrystal clear water. Much nicer the the Palm area.
As we get into March we really have to get started north :>((
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Breaking Free
Finally!
Free of the canal at my aunt's Cape Coral home.
They have a wierd tide cycle here. When we arrived there were 4 high tides in a 24 hour cycle: 2 highs and 2 higher highs. Now there is only 1 high tide in a 24 hour cycle and of course it was at 2200. The water is also a good 18 inches to 2 feet lower than when we arrived. We have been stuck in the mud for days. It took us 4 hours and some towing to get free of the mud and head out to the bay. Well after dark before we anchored. When light comes we'll see if it was good spot.
At the moment it must be a good spot because we can't see any danger. If course, we can't see much of anything.
Another adventure.
You know how I feel about adventures.
Tomorrow we hope to start heading south towards home.
Okay, okay... Home is north but south comes first when you're on the west coast of Florida.
Free of the canal at my aunt's Cape Coral home.
They have a wierd tide cycle here. When we arrived there were 4 high tides in a 24 hour cycle: 2 highs and 2 higher highs. Now there is only 1 high tide in a 24 hour cycle and of course it was at 2200. The water is also a good 18 inches to 2 feet lower than when we arrived. We have been stuck in the mud for days. It took us 4 hours and some towing to get free of the mud and head out to the bay. Well after dark before we anchored. When light comes we'll see if it was good spot.
At the moment it must be a good spot because we can't see any danger. If course, we can't see much of anything.
Another adventure.
You know how I feel about adventures.
Tomorrow we hope to start heading south towards home.
Okay, okay... Home is north but south comes first when you're on the west coast of Florida.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Cape Coral
We are now at my Aunt and Uncle's home in Cape Coral, FL. We sailed here on an overnight from Marathon. About a 24 hour passage, 125nm. During the night the breeze picked up and we had a good sail for the latter part of the passage.
We anchored off of Cape Coral and took the dinghy up the canal my aunt's home is on. Their neighbors were very happy to help out and let us come into the canal with the boat and tie up in front of all the houses and partially block the canal. We turned the boat around in a 50 foot spot and eventually tied up to a small sailboat and with lines to the walls.
We've been visiting with the family and touring the area by bike and car. We walk around the end of the canal from our boat to the back door of their home. Unfortunately we have been returning back to the boat after dinner or socializing when it is quite dark. On one of these return walks I didn't quite follow the dock walkway and found that gravity works quite well. I was swimming under water before I had any idea what was happening. Cold but not shocking. A couple of strokes and I was at the ladder and out of the water once Carol figured out how to lower the ladder. Damages: pride, ego. cell phone and slightly strained knee.
There is a possibility a few extra glasses of wine may have contributed to this adventure.
One of the cuter things seen here are the burrowing owls found in many neighborhoods. The nests must be marked to avoid disturbing them so it makes it easy to find them once you know what the markers look like. You can get quite close to them without upsetting them and they are very curious about people as long as you don't get much closer than 6 feet.
Carol goes off soon for a two-week swing through Texas, California and Minnesota. After that we start back down the west coast of Florida then up the east coast towards our homeport. Start is the key word. We'll slowly follow the warmth as it moves north. Some people in Conn are not sure that's ever going happen. Save some snow for us. Oh, never mind.
We anchored off of Cape Coral and took the dinghy up the canal my aunt's home is on. Their neighbors were very happy to help out and let us come into the canal with the boat and tie up in front of all the houses and partially block the canal. We turned the boat around in a 50 foot spot and eventually tied up to a small sailboat and with lines to the walls.
We've been visiting with the family and touring the area by bike and car. We walk around the end of the canal from our boat to the back door of their home. Unfortunately we have been returning back to the boat after dinner or socializing when it is quite dark. On one of these return walks I didn't quite follow the dock walkway and found that gravity works quite well. I was swimming under water before I had any idea what was happening. Cold but not shocking. A couple of strokes and I was at the ladder and out of the water once Carol figured out how to lower the ladder. Damages: pride, ego. cell phone and slightly strained knee.
There is a possibility a few extra glasses of wine may have contributed to this adventure.
Carol goes off soon for a two-week swing through Texas, California and Minnesota. After that we start back down the west coast of Florida then up the east coast towards our homeport. Start is the key word. We'll slowly follow the warmth as it moves north. Some people in Conn are not sure that's ever going happen. Save some snow for us. Oh, never mind.
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