2018 Southbound (maybe)

     I'm writing this from Annapolis, our normal southbound extended stop. But, it's been 'interesting'.

     We left Mystic after a 'rush-job' needle biopsy on a neck/shoulder lymph node. I had an ultrasound first and with great difficulty it found a 'hot-spot'. My surgeon wanted a follow-up biopsy to be sure to eliminate possibilities. I had a small lump that appeared and disappeared over two years and everyone said it could not be serious. I had the biopsy and we left the next day.

     We stopped at Port Jefferson as usual after a nice day with a light breeze on the stern. Seas were calm but increased very slightly towards the end of the day. We had good current about half the way to PJ. The next day was even calmer as we went to Port Washington. Sometimes we continue our trip through the City from PJ but the timing of the currents through Hells Gate were not good. Stopping in Port Washington gave us the chance to see Cobbe and Heather and Mike one last time before their Christmas visit in December. We stayed two nights and almost got ourselves another cat.We went to North Shore Animal League and I really like an all gray one year old cat. He liked me too. Another couple was looking at him but he was indifferent to them. Must be my charm. Anyway, Carol said no, the timing wasn't going to work. Sigh. Oh, well.

We went through NYC the next day and had the current with us the whole way as planned. At one point in the East River, just south of the UN Building, a seaplane landed alongside us. Not too close but close enough to startle Carol.

     We then went to Atlantic Highlands, NJ inside Sandy Hook. We hadn't been there in several years as we've been going directly offshore after going through the City. This time we had to wait out weather and seas. Good thing.

     At 0630 our first morning there my oncology surgeon called me. He wanted me to return to have the suspect lymph nodes removed. He believed I had a MALT lymphoma but wanted to be sure. In any case it wasn't going to be serious. From our point of view a 0630 called from an oncologist was serious enough. All this meant we had to scramble to find a pre-op physical and a way to get back home. We were lucky Carol found an APRN to do the physical the next day in Atlantic Highlands and we planned to head to Annapolis as is normal but this time to rent a car to go home from there.

     We headed offshore a few days later than normal mostly because of the weather and seas. The window was small and the conditions were not great but not terrible. Not too much sleep overnight but we got a little. We went up Delaware Bay after rounding Cape May in late morning. That was a little exciting near Prissywicks shoal as the channel seems to be a bit further west than it used to be. Just a little. Delaware Bay is a long trip and we usually try to start it first thing in the morning but it was late morning this year and we didn't have good current until later in the day. The C & D Canal also had a counter-current so that wasn't too quick either. We exited the Canal in the dark and headed to the anchorage in the Bohemia River. Leaving the canal is a visual challenge with confusing lights but as we got a little bit away the channel and the lights simplified. Anchoring in the Bohemia was straightforward. No problems.

     The next day was a bit rough but we went to Bodkin Creek anyway. Pleasure Cove Marina is on this creek but we were not going there again this year. Just one night and then we headed to Annapolis.

     We went to Back Creek which is in the Eastport section of Annapolis. We were going to have scheduled engine service at a work dock in a week or so but first we took a city-owned pay mooring so we could safely leave the boat and go home by car.

     We stayed on the mooring for a week so I could recover after the lymph node surgery. Then I went to the Bayshore Marine work dock for 2000 hour servicing. They let me go there a couple of days early and when they were done I went to anchor right next to where were moored earlier. We sit there now as I write this.

     Gelato with Al and Sue showed up the day I left the dock as they were delayed several days by weather systems while in Atlantic Highlands. We've visited, had breakfast and dinners together and went to the Sailboat Show this past weekend. Now I'm waiting as Carol heads off to work again. After that it will be a PET Scan and bone marrow biopsy back home to find out how serious this formerly not serious Mantle (not MALT) non-Hodgkins Lymphoma really is. Turns out it might not be as minor an issue it was forecast to be. If I need major treatment we may have to turn around and go home to winter in Connecticut instead of Marathon. Not looking forward to that.

     Everything is up in the air but because of Hurricane Michael (yes, I'm serious, Hurricane Michael), we would have been delayed a little anyway. The ICW is still flooded and technically closed but it has been improving. The rain from this new storm may slow things down for everyone else, too. We'll see.