Last leg to Marathon

      We dragged up the anchor in Faber Cove, Ft. Pierce and got underway in nice conditions. Fort Pierce Inlet was slow due to the incoming current but the ocean was calm with a long, slow swell. Comfortable. An easy day ended anchored in Lake Worth, Palm Beach, FL. 

     In order to get to the Miami area in  daylight we got up at 0400 to head back out to sea. Lake Worth Inlet is an all-weather, all hour waterway. Wide and well lit. And we've been in and out in the dark here several times. Heading out was easy and the sea was mostly calm. Started out with seas of 4 to 6. Inches, that is. Then they went down to ripples from there. The only issue was in calm conditions powerboat wakes can travel for miles. Wind driven waves knock down wakes but we got quite a few big ones from boats that had long passed out of sight. We ended up in No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne. It's Baggs State Park and where Carol went for the first swim of the 'season'. A tiring 11 hour day but it got us past Fort Lauderdale and the boat show congestion (FLIBS). 

     When we get to Key Biscayne we feel that we are finally in the 'Keys' even though Key Biscayne is really Miami. The park is 'the Keys', the rest is Miami. When we leave there to head south in Biscayne Bay we are 'in the Keys'. Clear water. A clean scent in the air. Feels like home. The passage is a bit tiring as it is a long day to Upper Matecumbe Key (Islamorada) where we anchor for our last night southbound. The gap between good anchoring spots for us make it a short day or a long day and we choose to go further and end our day between 3 and 4 o'clock. About 8 hours. Not too bad. A cleansing swim in clear, shallow, almost warm water let me find and cut some fishing line caught in a saildrive zinc. We may have a hull/saildrive rubber seal issue to deal with in Marathon. Nothing crucial, just an annoyance. Another one. Our night at anchor got a little rough as the winds got up near 20kts. Made for 1ft. waves and noise. There were also professional fireworks on shore for some reason. And after 10 o'clock, too. Kinda late. Oh, well. The winds eased about 0400 as forecast and we got underway at our usual time. The water in Hawk Channel was calmer than forecast. Lighter winds. Nice 1-2ft seas on the stern. Not a bad last day. Warm. Sunny. NE breeze. Would be a nice all-winter forecast. Not likely.

     We arrived at the Boot Key Harbor City Marina in Marathon, FL. about noon. Our earliest arrival day by a few days and we got the smallest number mooring ball we ever had, too. C-1. Probably the closest we've ever been to the dinghy docks. 

     Because we arrived earlier than usual it seemed a little quiet. It will get busy in the next few weeks. Activities will ramp up. 

     Let's sum up this year's cruise south: It went fairly well. Fairly easy. Our first couple of days in Long Island Sound were mostly rough. Then our passages off New Jersey were nice and smooth. So were our days in the Chesapeake Bay before our haul-out. Our time in Annapolis was nasty due to the remnants of hurricane Ian but once we started south again it was nice. We had one extra day in Oriental for rain and thunderstorms but even that was brief and we still got some walks and shopping in. Dining out, too. That was it for lay days until Ft. Pierce where we stopped for an extra night to visit friends. Our offshore passage off South Carolina and Georgia was a snap as were our hops off the coast of Florida. All that added up to no delays and our early arrival to Marathon. Now we have to hope no late season tropical weather gets us. 

Autographing my Points East article. Not quite sure if they were yanking my chain in requesting the autograph. 2nd time ever for a request. Weird. 

  

Offshore and to Ft. Pierce

      We left Charleston at first light. Sunrise wasn't until we were in the shipping channel headed out past Fort Sumpter.

 It was almost totally calm and not quite as cold as it had been. The forecast was for near calm at Chucktown with a north or northwest breeze and 2ft seas in Florida waters. That is pretty much what happened. Go figure. At times the sea was glassy with a very small, gentle swell. At other times there were ripples on the water. The breeze picked up as we neared the St. Marys channel, at first on the beam, and then later on the stern. St. Marys Inlet is the border of Georgia and Florida. The seas were up to 2ft but because they were behind us we were quite comfortable. 

     During the first day we had 3 different large pods of dolphin come to us and play in our bow wave. Stern wave, too. The ocean was so clear we could see down into the depths and it seemed the dolphin were swimming in air. We've had this happen a few times over the years but it is still amazing to see. The thrill hasn't faded. 

      I don't know if this dolphin video will play for you. 

We ended up in St. Augustine as planned after 27 hours at sea and got a city marina mooring. The seas entering the channel were a workout for the arms but at 2ft we were not uncomfortable. We caught up on some of our sleep, showered ashore and did some shopping in the tourist traps. We also went out to dinner at A1A restaurant out on their balcony. Even though it was 70°, it got a bit chilly. Good food, however. 

      The next morning we got underway about 20 minutes later than usual because the sun is getting up later and later. We had an easy time dealing with the bascule bridges and the George Musson was nice enough to hold the opening a couple of minutes so we could get through there without a 30 minute wait. They do not have to do that but some tenders are nice enough to help the boaters out if possible. We appreciate it when they do. A couple of the fixed bridges were very low (okay the water was high) and we had to crawl under them. We made it without hitting anything. We stopped for fuel at Daytona Beach. It was the most we have ever paid. Over $400 for 78 gallons. Highest rate we have ever paid, too. Ft. Pierce will be only a dime cheaper per gallon but we won't take on as much. Sigh. 

     So we anchored at New Smyrna at a wide spot in the road. I left some kidney stones and half my prostate here 6 or 7 years ago. The anchorage was a bit rough due to the wind and the wakes from passing-by local weekend boaters. Both were forecast to fade overnight and did. 

     Crepuscular rays at sunrise at New Smyrna. 

     Departure from New Smyrna was problematic. Our windlass woes got worse. Sounds like a gear issue on retrieve and an electrical issue on lowering. Makes no sense. Not going to be fun the last stretch to Marathon. We went down to Eau Gallie and anchored around Dragon Pt. This is just north of Melbourne and a regular spot for us. This passage seems long when it is nice out like it has been recently and endless when it's dismal as it has been a few times in the past. Our nice weather stretch was forecast to continue. Going to Fort Pierce was tricky because the water was very high at several of the bridges. We barely made it under the Wabasso and the 2 Vero Beach bridges. It was a very close call but we made it. The fact that we are finally into 80° weather made it better.  After a stop at the City Marina for fuel we crossed the ICW to anchor in Faber Cove, Ft. Pierce. This is a favorite spot but while we were here we observed a boater dinghying back from someone's personal dock after trespassing through their yard. Those are people who end up ruining it for the rest of us. Powerboaters. From the midwest. Sigh. 

     We will stay in Ft. Pierce 2 nights, visit old friends, and then head out on our last segments to Marathon. The weather forecast is great so we will probably inlet hop... go offshore each day and come in each night. Next posting will be from our winter home. 

Great Bridge and beyond

      We left Great Bridge very early, about an hour earlier than normal. Being a holiday, the Centerville Turnpike Swing bridge did not have the opening restriction until 0830. Went through it by 0725. I had to call the bridgetender to convince her it was a Federal Holiday and that they should be opening on request. It wasn't until we were through that I told her the holiday was my birthday. #70.

      We sighted multiple eagles along the way. Other raptors, too. It was very, very cold but calm. 

     As mentioned in the previous post, we got the new Covid booster while in Great Bridge and of course, I got very sick the next day. Chills, fever, sore eyes, sore shoulder. I'm used to it. Happens every time. Still sucks. 

     We ended up in a usual anchorage in Broad Creek, just before Albemarle Sound. We were between Shiloh, NC and Jarvisburg, NC. We did not get the bug swarm Carol feared. A transient in Great Bridge said they got them 2 or 3 weeks ago. All dead, I guess. Cold snap was good for something. The Albemarle Sound crossing was uneventful. Light breeze behind us. It isn't always this nice. Blue skies but cool. Warming up! Basically uneventful all the way to Belhaven, NC. I bumped the bottom of the Alligator-Pungo Canal when I squeezed to the side to give room to a northbound barge. I guess that's an event. No big deal. We went aground in the same spot 10 years ago. Not this time. Our passage on the Neuse/Pamlico waters was also uneventful. Not quite calm but light 1ft seas were mostly astern. We ended up in Oriental, NC at a free town dock. We got there early enough to get a spot as we watched the live camera feed on the internet as we were travelling on the Neuse River to be sure there was space for us. Of course someone scooted in after my last check of the feed just before we entered the harbor. They were just there to get coffee at the shop across the street but it forced us to switch our tie-up side at the last moment. An annoyance but no big deal. We planned to stay 2 nights due to forecast thunderstorms. 

     There is a slightly strange theme in Oriental. They have dragon eggs, okay painted rocks, all around the area. On our walks we sighted at least 6. Then there is the actual dragon. No, not the one painted on the bench. 

   

 The town is named for the sign board from the wreckage of a ship lost near Cape Hatteras in the early 19th century and found by the then newly appointed postmaster's wife. Yes, she found the name board along the outer coast 25 miles away and suggested the name of the town be changed to match it. Not strange at all. This is likely the origin of the oriental dragon themes that abound here. 

     Anyway, after one partly rainy day, we got underway again. Our passage to Camp LeJeune, the Marine Corp base, was a little cooler and a lot cloudier than forecast. We had good current most of the way so, in spite of a fuel stop, we made good time. Our trip from Camp LeJeune, Mile Hammock basin, was nice. Great weather, with blue skies, if a little cool to start. Our passage through the New River inlet area was taken slow because it is shallow and difficult to navigate but we did okay. It's been dredged (ongoing) but it's still an adventure. We just barely made the 1100 Figure Eight Island swing bridge opening but, having done so, the Wrightsville Beach bridge 1200 opening was easy to make. We got a municipal mooring at Carolina Beach again for one night. At $20/night, the cost is reasonable. We sat out weather and did some exploring here this past spring. Not this time. We departed Carolina Beach slightly later than normal to try and time the currents. It worked reasonably well. The Cape Fear River had ripples building to 6". Nice. The current when rejoining the ICW at Southport was good and stayed mostly good all day. Lockwoods Folly only caused minor agita and Shallotte Inlet was a breeze. We anchored at Calabash Creek just into SC once again. Our trip through the Myrtle Beach ICW area after that was slow due to adverse current most of the day. Started off wearing short pants but with a sweatshirt and it warmed up from there. We stopped at Wacca Wache Marina for fuel and then went right into nearby Cow House Creek where our anchor winch failed. I thought it was the down switch but after investigation apparently it's not. The relay clicks but does not engage. The 'up' function works, however. Strange. Still investigating/guessing. Our passage down the Waccamaw River was swift and smooth. Winyah Bay had small waves behind us so that was comfortable, too. Once back in the ICW at the Estherville-Minim Canal we passed by our usual anchorage at Minim Creek because it was very early in the day and a new-to-us anchorage at the South Santee River would get us closer to Charleston for the next day. We got a few repairs done including getting the windlass working properly. No great genius of mechanical ability was involved. I have no idea why the relay was kicking in correctly. Or why it stopped previously. A future problem coming I suspect. I reconnected the wires I had snipped while testing it the day before. Boating is fun. Anyway, the South Santee anchorage is exposed to the wind and has a lot of current but conditions were benign and posed no problems. 

     When we got underway for Charleston it was very, very cold. Not quite freezing but with the breeze... brrr. Wore many layers. The shallows of McClellanville were less worrisome because we anchored 45 minutes closer to it in the South Santee. We beat the low tide. By just a little. Once again, for the 2nd year in a row, we anchored in the Ashley River where we used to regularly stop years ago. It was a 'fly off and work' stop for Carol. Not a great anchorage due to wind and current. Not a great place to be alone like I used to be. Great city, however. We haven't visited it in a while. 

     We are going to head offshore from here. Small weather window again. Remember, this past spring didn't work out so well. Supposed to be nice here and a bit south but northern Florida may not be so great. We shall see. 

     The next posting will be from Florida, maybe Marathon. Uh, if we survive. Funny, we never used to question that. 

     

South from Annapolis

      Our time in Annapolis was a bit damp. Hurricane Ian was a long way off to the southwest when we got there but we still got outer bands which gave us a lot of rain and wind. Near gale winds. Our first night was the worst of it but our anchorage spot in Spa Creek had a good enough holding bottom and wind protection so we stayed secured. Then Ian dissipated and was absorbed into a strong cold front. This caused more rain and wind. Very slightly less wind but just as much rain. More than 4 days and 5 nights worth of rain. The weather radar showed the swirling rotational pattern of a hurricane but it wasn't even considered subtropical. It certainly wasn't warm. Brrr. 

     At least our first walk to the pharmacy in Eastport was pretty.

    

We got a couple of brief breaks in the rain and got to a bakery, the drug store (twice) and the water dock at Truxtum Park. Then, after 5 nights, we left. In some rain. And wind. At least we got our needed meds but not our needed vaccinations. Re-scheduled those for our next multi-day stop in Great Bridge. Oh, well. 

     Our trip to Solomons was in Small Craft Advisory (SCA) conditions but the rain was mostly passed. The wind and seas were behind us so we were not all that uncomfortable. Not bad at all. Mostly 2ft but 4ft seas happened at some points. The Solomons anchorage areas were mostly full with transient boats which was a little unusual. They may have stayed in port due to the weather we had been out in. Also, perhaps like us, cruisers are not gathering at the 'too late in the month this year' boat show and are already on the road south. Luckily there are many areas to anchor so no problems. 

     Finally we got back to cruising mode, up early and 8 hour days. We went south to Deltaville, VA, crossing the mouth of the Potomac River in 1 ft. following seas. Conditions eventually became totally calm and we anchored in a usual spot in Jackson Creek. After a beautiful and calm night we headed out in near calm conditions which eventually became almost 6 inch seas. A breeze developed on the nose which caused the wavelets. It was also a day of adverse currents which became awful as we went into Hampton Roads. Our time enroute was 90 minutes longer than our average passage time due to the current. We went into the High Street Basin in Portsmouth to dock but there was no room due to local small boats taking up space. They do not stay overnight so the space becomes available eventually. Just not when someone could use it. We went back a short way to anchor off the Portsmouth Naval Hospital. We've been there many times and it's okay but not great. Holding ground is only fair, crab pot floats abound and it is exposed to ICW and commercial traffic wakes. Pretty 'though. The Hospital is on the near shore and the battleship Wisconsin is across the river. Exteriors for the TV show NCIS were filmed nearby. Whoop-de-do. In the morning we picked up the anchor earlier than we used to because it was Saturday and the Gilmerton Lift Bridge was not restricted as to opening times. When we got there a very large barge wanted to come through the bridge northbound and the waiting vessels squoze to the sides of the channel. This let us go through first southbound as we were the only boat positioned properly after the barge passed. It didn't really matter as we have to wait for the schedule at the Great Bridge Lock anyway. The lock was full and the boats were slow going in and out but we made it through for the 10am Great Bridge bascule bridge opening. Our planned fuel stop at AYB was delayed by other boats so we tied up at the free dock on the opposite side of the ICW briefly. We then untied and went to the fuel dock, filled up and then went back to the free dock for two nights. This is one of our favorite ICW stops. Free dockage. Groceries close. Pharmacies, restaurants, a museum, a library and walking trails are also features. What else could one want? Did I mention the free dockage? 

     We went up the mast to remove some equipment to allow us to get under some bridges on the ICW, got a couple of vaccinations each, picked up more meds, got groceries, did some routine and minor maintenance and then got underway to continue south. 

     Next posting may be from our home in Marathon. Maybe sooner. Who knows? 

Cruise # 13 Start

     We started our 13th cruise south about a week earlier than average. We planned for a haul out where we used to have it done in the past and needed to adjust for the time ashore. The last five or so years we've been hauled for our annual maintenance in nearby Essex, CT. 

     Our first day underway was beautiful and nasty. Beautiful if you were on land, warm, sunny and dry. Nasty if you were on Long Island Sound bashing straight into the wind and 3+ft. seas. Nothing major broke. Several minor things did not fare as well. Some fresh blueberries flew out the fridge and decorated the galley. Think blue puree all over the floor. Several dinghy tie down lines chafed through but that was nothing new. Sigh. 

Throgs Neck and Long Island Sound behind us on day 3.

     Our start on our 2nd day was delayed because of very strong winds but we eventually left Port Jefferson in late morning when the wind eased. A little. The angle of the wind and seas made for an okay passage even with the heavier winds and we ended up on a free mooring in Port Washington, NY. Then we got underway very early the next day to go through New York City with the current. Hell Gate can be lots of fun (not) if you have an opposing current. The forecast was good so, even though we wanted to hopscotch down the NJ coast with day only trips, we decided we would do another overnight passage offshore to take advantage of a two day weather window. The seas were not quite calm, there were ripples on a gentle, small swell. We'll take it. Not our calmest overnight passage but close to it. The Cape May rounding was easy as we followed our previously established route on our GPS. We call it 'following the breadcrumbs'. You put your vessel icon on the recorded previous course track on the GPS screen and steer your boat so your icon stays on the track. It's still a bit scary to rely on your GPS and go very close (maybe 100 meters or less) to the beach to make the rounding. In the dark. Flat calm seas and a half moon overhead made it as close to easy as is possible. A few hours later we heard a sailboat that was behind us went aground in the Cape May Channel. We use that route if it is safer (due to wind and waves) than the beach route. We do not know if they screwed up or the channel had shifted from bad weather recently. 

     

     Going up the Delaware River was slow but calm. Nice boring sunny weather and seas about zero inches is nice (for a change) but when the current is against you, it's a slow passage. Boring, but boring can be nice. Beats having an adventure. Hate those. Last year this section was so rough our stern plants died from salt water spraying over the entire boat. We ended the day (two straight days that is) anchored in Chesapeake City. Very warm and dry. We planned to wander around the upper Chesapeake Bay until it was time to go to Pasadena, MD to get hauled. 

     

After two nights we went down to the Sassafras River. We've anchored near the mouth but this time we went about 90 minutes up the river to Georgetown/Fredricktown. We went just because we never had before. Pretty, but not really worth it. We stayed at a Sailing Associates Marina fixed dock for the price of a mooring and got showers and a swim in the marina pool. By not really worth it, I mean not worth the time it takes to go up the river and the time it takes to get back to the Chesapeake Bay main channel. 90 minutes each way. Like I said, a beautiful area but there are areas just as nice that are not as far off the road. After getting back to the Bay it was only another 90 minutes to be anchored in Worton Creek, one of my favorite spots. We sat out several storms here in the past but our run of great weather continued. We did not sight any of the eagles we could hear in the nearby trees.  

     When we left Worton the next day we, in fact, did see a bald eagle on a daymark right outside the creek. Impressive. The passage down the Bay was nearly flat calm and we went into the Magothy River and Sillery Bay to anchor for a few days before heading to our haulout facility. One of Carol's favorite spots, it is very beautiful, landlocked, quiet and protected. Our great run of weather was going to come to an end while there and it's not a bad spot to do nothing. 

     We didn't quite do nothing but fairly close. In Chesapeake City I did battery maintenance which I forgot to do monthly over the summer. This could have been bad and almost was. In our little cove in northern Sillery Bay I did engine oil changes before the serious weather change hit us. Other than that, it was mostly nothing. A little writing about our experiences and a lot of reading. Oh, and some observations of the sights around us. Just watching the day go by. The horses grazing on land, the birds swirling about overhead, fish tails snapping at the surface of the water, the nettles pulsing by below, the clouds drifting by above. Like I said, a total waste of time. 

     When we picked up the anchor after three nights and one serious storm the anchor was a bit difficult to pick up. Dug in well. That's good but makes for some work. A trade-off. We also saw one of the eagles we'd been hearing around us. I may be wrong but we seem to be seeing more and more bald eagles in the upper Chesapeake. Nice. We won't see them in our next stop. Too suburban. That stop was Bodkin Creek where we anchored to await our scheduled haul-out. 

     

     We got hauled out at Pleasure Cove Marina for the first time in 5 or 6 years. It went well and was only a little more expensive than Essex Boat Works in Conn. Carol likes it better here because it is cooler than it is in Conn. in August. Duh. Boat looks pretty but the new depth sounder we installed does not match our GPS. Very upset with the GPS Store where we bought it. It cannot be replaced without hauling the boat as it would leave a large hole in the bottom of the boat. Not good. 

     

     We left the marina after 4 nights and headed to Annapolis. A bit lumpy along the way but the 2-3 foot seas were mostly behind us (as was the 15+kt. breeze) so it wasn't too uncomfortable. It was fast anyway, even against the current. A clean, smooth boat bottom surely helps.

     We got 94 gallons of diesel when we got to Annapolis and then looked for an open City mooring. None available. We anchored well up Spa Creek and hope we will hold on as a gale, the remnants of hurricane Ian, will hit us our first night. Not likely to be fun. It is supposed to rain most of every day we are here but we already stocked up on groceries in Pasadena courtesy of a ride from a semi-local boating friend, Gwyn. We just need to get some pre-ordered prescriptions and flu and Covid boosters. 

     We are not going to the Annapolis Boat Show for only the second time in 35 or 40 years. It is too late this year and we would be late to my medical appointments in Miami in November. Sigh. We will miss going to the show. IMHO, they made an error with the scheduling. 

     We plan to be in Annapolis 4 or 5 days, weather dependent. Of course surviving the first night is weather dependent, too. I hate "I" hurricanes. 

Summer 2022

      As we come to the end of the summer of 2022 and prepare for our fall migration this will be a summary (or summery) of the season. I'm kind of thinking of it of the summer of not seeing because of cataract surgery in each eye but let's start at the beginning. 

     After our arrival in May we spent time tied up at the dock at Old Lyme Marina. This is because our mooring is not installed until mid-May usually. It helped being on the dock because of the colder than normal spring weather and we could plug in to get some heat at night. Not to run full time but to just take the chill off. The marina was way behind schedule due to winter weather issues and Covid running through the staff. They were vaccinated but caught an Omicron variable. No one had very serious symptoms, fortunately, but, of course, it wasn't fun either. We have not caught it. Yet. Still alive. It would be very serious for us with our compromised (nearly nonexistent) immune systems. 

     By the end of May we had started our seemingly endless medical visits. I have a PCP, endocrinologist, dentist, cardiologist, ophthalmologist, oncologist, dermatologist and I'm probably forgetting someone. Then there are various blood draws and scans thrown in. Carol has the same visits to schedule, removing the endocrine and oncology doctors and adding pulmonology and rheumatology. Scheduling is fun as we try to get all these done in Connecticut. In Miami we only do my oncology follow-ups. Faith in, and comfort with, the medical options available here are why we cram in most if our medical visits in the summer. Yes, there is quality care in other parts of the country but there are places where there is not. There are known unknowns and unknown knowns. Huh? 

     This year we opted for my cataract surgery in both eyes. Knew this was coming after observing the changes over many years. Wish I had done this last year. The problems we had were unique to us living on a boat. You can do no lifting,  bending down or pulling for one week. This is an impossible restriction while living on a boat. Then there is two weeks between each eye surgery. Of course there are multiple doctor visits before, during and after each procedure. The actual surgery is not long, difficult or particularly uncomfortable but suddenly one eye has a new, clear lens and sees much better than your old eye did. It still needs correction however and you no longer have the right prescription/correction in your glasses. One eye is new, one is old. Then you have the second eye done a few weeks later and you have correct glasses for neither eye. You have to wait weeks before you can be measured correctly. Your eyes have to settle after having your original eye lens lasered into oblivion and replaced with an artificial one. Once both eyes were done I could read just fine but could not quite see well enough to drive. You can opt for close vision or far vision but the combo option has not been perfected yet. I had 20/60 vision which is not quite legal to drive. This was a tremendous improvement over my 20/200 previous vision but I still needed glasses and there was a built in delay before the exam for, and the eventual delivery of, new glasses. Hence the summer of not seeing. About a month and a half all together. 

     Our first summer venture was to Hamburg Cove for our Memorial Day Rendezvous. Not too many Waterbury Squadron members have boats any more so only three boats showed up. Our starboard saildrive/transmission started making a strange noise and then failed to be in gear while maneuvering around the moorings. It took more than two months to get a mechanic to come to the boat to make repairs. Still makes noise but it is working. Because we sat for so long barnacles grew crazily on the boat and props. Not much rain made for saltier river water and very unusual growth. Because of my eye surgeries I could not go in the water and no paid diver would come to us. Sue and Al of Gelato came to the rescue (THANKS AL!) and dove to scrape our props which let us get to Block Island with the kids. The boat bottom was still covered in marine growth and we were slow but, with the props cleaned by Al, we could get underway. Cobbe's behavior mostly okay in an almost 5 years old kind of way and Kaia's 5 month old developments were nonstop. 

     I had fewer days at the Museum due to my eye surgery issues but I worked in a rotation of the different exhibits we interpreters (docents) man and the variety helped pass the time. As much as I love having the deck of the last wooden whale ship in the world, the very hot, dry summer combined with my health situations made the air conditioned exhibits much more comfortable than the Morgan. The Museum had several social/dining events for the staff and volunteers as well as the workshopping of a new play and CPR/AED training. There is something special about being an 'insider' at the Museum and having 'inside information' and background knowledge and then sharing it with visitors. Plus, after nearly 40 years, I still love just wandering around the grounds. It's a special, historical place. 

     Carol's health issues, after several dormant years, crept up. MOHS surgery on her temple for Basal Cell skin cancer was relatively minor but the process was, uh, interesting. Except for the actual cutting, I observed. Close up. Like I said, interesting. The photos are kind of gross, however. Not posting them. But, all good. No trace left. Stamina became more of an issue, too. Very brief walks led to heavy breathing and fatigue. Cardiology thought it to be a pulmonary issue. The pulmonologist believed it to be a cardiac issue. Sigh. At least her non-original equipment heart valve still seems to be working fine. Warranty has long expired, however. 

     We had planned to go to Coecles Harbor, Shelter Island for Labor Day Weekend to meet the kids. Unfortunately Kaia caught Covid. She was the only one not fully vaccinated yet and, of course, everyone else also developed it. Much milder in the vaccinated but still not fun. 

                            Sick baby

     The passage to Coecles was surprisingly quick considering it was mostly against the current. The first night was breezy and a bit choppy but not terrible. Then it turned beautiful. I managed to do some bottom scraping and to put new zincs on the props. The used zincs I put on a few weeks earlier vanished. Hope these stay put. They are very expensive but neccessary. The hull was badly covered in growth but the props were okay after Al scraped them for us and I touched them up a few weeks ago. The passage back home on Labor Day was fine, too. Poor current direction but the forecast rain held off until we were home several hours. When the rain started, it went on for 40 hours. And heavy. Major flooding occured all over southern New England. 

     The last week in Old Lyme was for stocking up, putting things in and taking things out of storage, and a few more medical visits and tests for Carol. At least I am done with medical until November in Miami. Done with chemotherapy for good. Bloodwork and oncology visits will continue every three months or so. CT scans will be periodic, too. If/when my remission ends the treatment will be in pill form unless there are further advancements in treatment options before then. Not pessimistic about the future, it's just the type of lymphoma I have. Chronic. Not curable. Not aggressive. Should be years of remission. It's been 2 1/2 so far. Could be worse. 

     As I post this entry I have one more weekend at the Museum and Carol has one more doctor visit. Can't head south without the cardiologist's okay. Carol is also going to see the kids for our last weekend in Conn. and I'll join her briefly to leave our car there in Long Island for the winter. 

     The next posting should be from Pasadena or Annapolis, MD. 

Homeward Spring 2022

      After 4 nights we left Annapolis on a Monday morning. We usually stay longer but this year we seemed to be making a lot of 4 day stops. Most unplanned. Future weather was a potential issue and we did all we needed to do in the 4 days. Some boat stuff inventory, groceries, meds, a booster shot and more. We also got the chance to enjoy downtown Annapolis and some restaurant dining, just not as much as usual. 

        Our mooring in Back Creek, Eastport.

     Departure day was cold and gray but seas were only a foot so it really wasn't bad. Just against the breeze and current. We went half the distance we could have gone, to Worton Creek, MD, a regular spot for us. Very protected. After one night we got underway to complete the passage to Chesapeake City and out of the Chesapeake Bay. It was very foggy, maybe 1/4 mile visibility, until we got near the canal and land was closer on both sides of us. Cool, not cold, but still against the wind and current. Not bad, however. We tied up at the city's free dock for 3 nights and then went to anchor in the basin for 1 night. This was for the tide state when we planned to depart at first light on Saturday. So after 4 cold, windy nights at Chesapeake City (there's that 4 again) we picked up the anchor on a cold, not so windy morning and did not go aground leaving the basin. It was very cold with ice on the deck but the current was in our favor and we flew up the canal. I slid across the deck once and fell once while raising and cleaning the anchor and chain. Ice is fun! Delaware Bay was mostly flat and our passage around Cape May Point was easier than it has been in years. Faster, too. Nice for a change. The sea was okay as we headed towards Atlantic City but the wind and seas increased the last 2 hours or so of our passage. A little discomfort after a mostly good day was the price to pay for the forecast for next day. We left Atlantic City at first light for a long day at sea. We had very light winds but the residual swell was around 2ft. with small wavelets on top. Once in a while it was flat calm and seas averaged well under 1ft. On the stern, too. Made for a comfortable day. We can't remember when we had as nice a passage as this off the NJ coast. Of course, we can't remember last week, never mind years ago. Once we got near NYC we went into Coney Island Creek to anchor for the night. This is about 2 miles from the Narrows-Verrazano Bridge so we were staged for our passage through the City.  The anchorage was new to us and it was interesting. It is landlocked with a lot of very old vessel parts and gear lining the north side. We were worried about wreckage on the bottom, too. Fortunately we did not hook onto any debris and get stuck. We anchored more than 1/2 mile from the noise (music?) but it was still very loud. The bottom mud was gross, with an oily smell/feel to it. There is a park along the south side which could be worth exploring but, of course, we were not getting off the boat. 

     We delayed getting underway in the morning due to a passing thunderstorm but once we got going it wasn't too bad if cold and damp. 

     The passage through the City was swift because of current timing but it was a bit choppy with wakes, etc. It was decided to pass by Port Washington and head to Port Jefferson on Long Island. Big mistake. Just after passing Manhasset Bay it got rough on the Sound. Rainy, too. Conditions were not forecast to be like this. Sigh. After getting beat up for a couple of hours we bailed out and headed into Oyster Bay. As soon as we turned into the Bay the waves were no longer an issue but visibility, which wasn't great to begin with, got worse. We found our way in and anchored where we have in the past. Normally this is a pretty spot but the weather made it less attractive. Gray, dull, misty, rolly and isolated. The day was not a great re-introduction to our home waters of Long Island Sound. Interestingly, as we turned into Oyster Bay after being cold, wet and bounced around, we came across 3 groups of Optimist prams, sailing dinghies and board sailors out tearing about in the nasty conditions. Probably a hundred small boats all spread out. Goes to show: sailors are crazy. Or dumb. 

     Oyster Bay is normally a beautiful spot but our stay was gray, damp and dismal. However, we were comfortable enough. From there the forecast was for light winds from the east or northeast (our direction home) with heavy overcast but not much chance of rain. Against the current, too. Mostly the same forecast as when we came into Long Island Sound the previous day. That didn't work out so well. We headed out, unsure of our destination. Would it be Port Jefferson? Branford? Duck Island? Or maybe all the way home to Old Lyme? The were several calculations, recalculations and course changes but we ultimately decided to press on home. The current didn't slow us down as much as we thought it would and the next day was forecast to be rainy all day so we pushed on. The seas were mostly flat and it didn't rain so the 10 hours underway didn't seem so bad. An overcast, dull, calm day can seem boring but sometimes boring is nice. Adventures are highly overrated. 

     Coming home into the Connecticut River after 7 months away. Nice. 

     This trip north as a whole saw more long underway days, more long weather delays/layovers, more lingering cold days and one horrible passage. Nice times occured, too. Nice times don't seem to get mentioned as much. Human nature, perhaps, but rest assured, the good times/ great times, make it all worthwhile. We wouldn't continue our lifestyle otherwise. 

      So, we are home. At our main home at Old Lyme Marina. We'll go and visit the grandkids, get our car back, start our medical visits, start work at the museum again and start on boat maintenance projects. In other words, enjoy the summer. Hope it gets warm soon. 

Next blog posting will be after the summer. Try to survive the wait 😝 

To Annapolis 2022

      After 4 nights at Osprey Marina we got underway again. It was the longest we had ever spent at a transient marina dock. Fortunately, it's reasonably priced, but the the price no longer drops on the 4th night. Oh well. We stayed for bad weather the first night, to watch the Women's Final Four on two nights, to clean up after our offshore adventures, to do some chores/maintenance and to just relax a bit. Our first passage from Socastee was a short one to Calabash, right on the SC/NC border (Little River). Short and easy. 

     Then it was on to Carolina Beach. No incidents along the way which means we did not go aground at the shallow spots we have visited in the past. We had several overnight thunderstorms and breezy days. It was nice not anchoring farther along the road in windy conditions. Made for more restful nights, four restful nights. Okay, one was a bit exciting for a while. Severe lightning and gale winds for a few hours. We did some hiking while at CB. Down to Carolina Beach Lake, along the ocean and up to the State Park. They claim the lake is the closest lake to an ocean but it isn't much bigger than a pond. The State Park is a little farther walk away but Carol found a Venus Flytrap plant even though it is a little early in the season for them. We also saw a Pitcher Plant that is also carnivorous. 

  Carnivorous plants. Flies and ants mostly.

     More importantly, we went to Britt's Donuts, said to be the #2 doughnut shop in the U.S. They only make one kind, a very light, glazed, yeast doughnut. Fried in front of you. Very good, but not Neil's of Wallingford, CT. Supposedly Neil's is only #6, but with several dozen varieties that are all great, we have to go with our former home town's shop. There are a couple of shops in Boston at the top of the heap that we'll have to try. Someday. 

     Once on the road again, it was an uneventful, if cold and breezy, passage. New River Inlet was tricky as usual but we made it through to Mile Hammock, the anchorage basin at the USMC base, Camp LeJuene. There we hung on in gusty winds until morning. Nice to reaffirm our anchoring skills and holding ability of our anchoring system when it is windy in a semi-exposed anchorage. Especially when it has been a while. Mile Hammock is nearly land-locked but the trees are only on one side. Of course, the wind wasn't from that direction. We got underway in breezy conditions and it stayed that way all day. Cold, too. Very cold. An uneventful day (nice) ended at our usual spot in Cedar Creek, off of Adams Creek which comes from the Neuse River. It was still very windy. And rough. It was forecast to ease with evening so we hung on and hoped. It did, in fact, calm down and become a nice night. The next morning remained calm although the passage on the Neuse River and the Pamlico River/Sound system was a bit breezier than forecast. It was nothing like previous days and never got up to 1ft seas. Okay! We anchored up the Pungo River where it turns away from the ICW. This is just a few minutes before the Wilkerson Bridge which is on the Pungo-Alligator Canal. It stayed breezy overnight but nothing uncomfortable. Travelling up the Canal is very protected from the wind. We saw several small deer for the first time here and cleared the two bridges easily. The main Alligator River was a little lumpy at the south end but the wind eased as we went north. Albemarle Sound was easy, also. We anchored in our usual spot in Broad Creek near Shiloh, NC. This is a very small, isolated spot in the swamps. It can be buggy but we like the privacy and the comfort level. It seems like the middle of nowhere but cell service is good and it's beautiful in a barren sort of way. From there the next passage is usually okay but Currituck Sound can be rough. It wasn't but we had to interact with a barge along the way. We were just barely faster than him so we had to chat a bit to make a safe pass. He was polite and professional. They usually are but there are exceptions. We tied up at the free dock at Great Bridge, Chesapeake, VA as we always do. We restore the top of our mast to its normal configuration, get fuel and restock grocery items. Oh, some treats often get bought and consumed here. 🍦🍪🍰😝 

     Great Bridge was a warm, pleasant stop (humid, too) but I got some bad news and got involved in a Boot Key Harbor controversy. The bad news was I lost a friend to Lymphoma. He had been struggling for more than a year with the treatments and never had much of a prognosis. His symptoms went unrecognized for quite some time. Pneumonia was the final burden. Fair winds and following seas, Mike. I will miss you and be thinking of you. Best wishes to his S/O, Vicky. 

     The BKH controversy may get messier in the future. A friend was helping someone with diesel engine issues and there was a small flash fire with burns involved. The person getting helped then went the whining posts to Facebook route and others picked up with commenting on the situation without knowing the facts or the people involved. I know one of the people involved and chimed in with comments on the commentary, not the original incident. I know the character of only one of those involved but wasn't present so I don't know the facts but I commented on others making their comments even though they were not present either. Sigh. Any comment? 'Expert' commentary and opinion seems to be our new national sport. 

     Our passage to Hampton, VA was reasonably pleasant. Only a 30 minute delay at the N&S #7 RR bridge. Folks that left Great Bridge an hour before us were sitting at the bridge waiting also so they were there 90 minutes or more. Yuck. Total passage was only 4 hours. Breezy and cold, but okay. Hampton City Marina gives out vouchers for a free night on their docks at the Annapolis Boat Show in the Fall. When we get one we take advantage of it. Gets us close to the Chesapeake Bay and we do laundry and other minor preparations. Did I mention it's free? The Bay was roughish the day we went to Hampton but not bad the day we actually went on it. 180° shift in wind direction (yay!). Seas started out 1-2 ft on the stern but faded to less than half of that. Unfortunately we got stuck at our anchorage (Reedville, VA) for days due to a wind shift back to the north (boo!). It got tense a short while when a gusty front came through the first night. The wind direction was not predicted, was stronger than forecast and was from the longest fetch direction. The boat held on. One person and one cat slept through it all. No lightning was seen or thunder heard which is why the cat was fine. After we had 80° weather the previous week, the wind and cold hit harder. Not fun. Some things that were planned for Annapolis got done here. The oil changes, reconfiguring the GPS - VHF wiring so the AIS info comes up on the older GPS, and other minor stuff were tasks that could be done while waiting out the weather. Reedville is a popular cruise destination for boaters on the Chesapeake but when we are here it is not the season for shops and museums to be open so we do not get off the boat. If it was nice, we might but if it was nice, we would not be staying. We stayed 4 nights and had strong winds, rain, strong winds and strong winds and rain. Oh, and cold. Very cold. There were a couple of short breaks (very short) but none were long enough to get anywhere safe or safely. On the west side of the Bay the next safe anchorage is at least 6 hours (or more) away and hours north of the Potomac River, a difficult area in poor or marginal weather. There are no anchorages between Reedville and Solomons that could serve as a bail out if conditions get bad. So we wait. For days if need be. Travelling up the east side of the Bay doesn't work for us.

     So we got to Solomons, MD after a 4 day delay and about 3 hours of lumpy conditions and 3 hours of nice conditions. The winds were light but on the nose so seas were up to 2 feet as we rounded Smith Point Light to start across the face of the Potomac River. 3/4 of the way across conditions improved greatly. It was never bad, just a little lumpy. The fuel dock we use was closed so we just went to anchor up Mill Creek. We had plenty of fuel to get to Annapolis. It's just more convenient here. Leaving Solomons was quiet but once we were outside in the Bay, it was a little lumpy. 1 to 2ft seas to start but once we were headed north the waves were on the stern and we were quite comfortable. Seas built to 2ft with occasional 3 footers as the wind got a little stronger as we pressed on north to Annapolis. The current was behind us pushing us the entire passage so we made great time. We arrived about 90 minutes quicker than the last time we made this passage, averaging more than 8kts over the ground. It would have been a miserable, slow trip if we were going in the opposite direction. It's why we waited for a southerly breeze. That, and the rain. And the storms. And the gales. 

     So, we are on an Annapolis city mooring in Back Creek of the MRE, the Maritime Republic of Eastport. We will get fuel (extremely expensive), groceries, medications, hardware and other necessities for our push home when the next weather window arrives. It doesn't look like a real break is in the offing so we are not sure of our upcoming passages. Our plan is to stay 4 nights which is less than our usual stay but we previously had several unplanned 4 night stays before getting here. Stay tuned to see if we get badly beaten up (again) or get lucky. Next blog posting will be after we are home in Old Lyme. 

     

Vero to Socastee

       Wait, where is Socastee? Thought we were going to Annapolis? Well, we are but events changed our plans a bit. Adventure description follows and remember, we hate adventures. 

     Socastee is near the southern end of the Myrtle Beach, SC area. Myrtle Beach is about 60 miles long so there are several towns along the way. 

    We left Velcro Beach before sunrise in partly cloudy and warm conditions. It was a bit breezy and only got worse. As forecast, however, the wind was behind us and was not an issue for our catamaran. With the genoa and motoring we occassionally got up to 8.5kts over the bottom. Fast. We made it to Addison Pt./NASA Causeway bascule bridge before it closed for rush hour and then anchored just beyond it. It was lumpy and we very slowly dragged our anchor in the windy conditions. A reset worked out better. Overnight was okay with some rain but the morning rain was a no-show. We went to New Smyrna and anchored in our normal southbound stop just as the rain started. This was about half the distance we could have covered but tornado and thunderstorm warnings made a good reason to stop early. We had to reset our anchor as we swung close (they said) to a previously anchored boat. More likely we were floating differently in the wind/current combo, not dragging. Anyway, the next day we stopped in Daytona for fuel then kept going. We anchored in a new spot for us, off Fort Matanzas. A lot of current,  (nowhere near the worst we've been in) but a very nice spot. Scenic, historic and semi-protected.

                       Fort Matanzas

Should have come here a couple of years ago when the Crescent Beach Bridge broke for two days. It's less than 2 hours south of St. Augustine where we went next for the weekend. After having local friends, Bob and Jane, to the boat for lunch on Sunday, we went out to sea on Monday. 

     We needed to avoid a part of Georgia because a bascule bridge was broken and could not open for us. When we would have gotten to the bridge it would have been too windy and rough at that time to go out into the ocean so before that we decided to try to skip Georgia entirely and go directly to Charleston offshore. This is normally a full day, an overnight, and a part day of travelling out at sea. It started out great. Seas were under a foot and diminished as the passage went on. We had a near flat calm from 1400 (2pm) to 0200 but after that, things changed. For the worse. Way worse. Seas quickly climbed to 2-3ft and the breeze grew to 12kts at just a slight angle away from the path we were taking to Chucktown. Of course, it got worse again. Way worser. After 4am, seas built to 6-8 feet and the wind was on the nose at 20-25kts with higher gusts. This slowed us down considerably. Our arrival time went from 1030 to after 1600 (4pm) and the boat was being beat up by the waves. Items that had never been moved by weather, lines that have never chafed and things that had never gotten wet in adverse conditions were all affected. We got sprayed while steering, of course, but while Carol was in the forward port corner of the cockpit sleeping we were hit by a solid wall of water. I got soaked steering as usual but the water went through the underside of the forward bimini and dodger and onto Carol. That was a new experience. After numerous 10ft seas (our biggest ever) we decided to change course a little after sunrise. Instead of continuing on to Charleston we headed for the Edisto River entrance. The angle of the wind and waves improved but they did not get any smaller. A problem (or two) was still coming up. The river inlet channel had a shallow spot (a bar) out in the ocean and the wind speed and sea angle (and heights) was making the approach a major challenge. We called the Coast Guard on the VHF radio to let them know what we were going to attempt and to set up a communication schedule so they would check with us if we did not contact them in ten minute increments. First time for us to ever do that. If they called us and we didn't respond it would mean something bad had happened. Real bad. Then they might send out a vessel to investigate. Might. Eventually. Well, it worked out okay. It was a struggle to maintain control with the wind and seas on our stern quarter. A real workout. A wet workout. But we made it into calmer water and lived to tell the tale (duh). We had confidence in our boat and reasonable confidence in our boat handling skills but there was room for doubt. A lot of room.  

     We have gotten sea spray plenty of times. We've had waves come over the bow and then over the hardtop bimini and over our heads. But we never had solid walls of water hit us like these did. It will make great stories in the future but at the time that was pretty far from our minds. Carol said a condo purchase suddenly sounded much better than in the past. I often post these blogs saying, "it wasn't the worst we'd ever been in, but a good attempt." Well, this was now the worst we'd ever been in. 

     We had to travel inland on the Edisto several miles before we rejoined the ICW but even with all the wind, the water was mostly calm because there was no fetch. We were quite comfortable and got a start on clean up and reorganization of the boat, inside and out. We anchored in the Stono River just outside Elliot Cut, a spot we've used on other passages. This is just outside (south) of Charleston. So, we did not get quite as far north as we planned but our chances of getting injured (or worse) dropped dramatically. We did have fatalities on the boat, however. The plants on our stern were killed by the salt water that hit them. RIP.

               Dead plants and grass

 We got a late start the next morning due to bridge schedules and went through Chucktown to Minim Creek near the little village of Quarantine. We planned to go all the way to Winyah Bay to anchor but the wind was too strong for that semi-exposed anchorage. Our secret spot off of Minim Creek is much more protected. It was still breezy in the morning, gale warnings in fact, when we departed. We got up early to try and beat the forecast storms but it did not get as light as early as it did the previous morning. Heavy cloud cover, I guess. We knew it was going to be a nasty day but the wind and waves would be on our stern so we would not be uncomfortable, much like our first passage after Vero. We stopped for fuel at Waca Wache Marina and in doing so turned into the wind and current to tie up. Sporty. While fueling I had difficulty avoiding being knocked over by the wind. Especially the gusts. We pulled away from their dock with brilliant boat handling skills and continued on to Osprey Marina. Once there, we were squeezed into a small spot and waited for the storms. This is a very narrow hurricane-hole type spot but the wind was still rocking us. The trees on either side of us were waving back and forth dramatically. Enough so that we worried we could be hit by one if it broke or was uprooted. Tornado warnings were posted and we wondered why you can be in a spot that will protect you in a hurricane but not a tornado. We do not want to find out the answer to that question. Our passage to Socastee should have taken us about 6 1/2 hours. It took us 5. Including the 30 minute stop for fuel. That's what wind and current on the stern will do for you. And why it's so miserable when it's against you. 

Solid water went through these windows like they were not even there. Popped the snaps without ripping them. Considerate. 

     So, we are at Osprey Marina in Socastee, SC near the Myrtle Beach area. Staying 4 nights to let spring catch up to us, do laundry (a lot got salt soaked) and to visit a former co-worker of Carol's who recently got very bad health news. From here it's a couple of days to Carolina Beach where we will stay a couple of nights. Then we will continue up the ditch to Annapolis. Hopefully we will not need another blog entry before then. 

PS... Imagine being at the beach out in chest-deep water. A wave comes and you kind of bounce up and the wave passes under you comfortably. That's normally what a boat does. Now, move back so the water is at your knees. A big wave will come above you and drive right though you, smashing you into the beach like a solid wall of bricks. That is somewhat like what we experienced. Not every 10ft wave does that but every once in a while one will catch you and smash you. Two or three times an hour is enough to ruin your whole day. 

     Start humming the words to 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'.

PPS... we know others have experienced conditions much worse than what we had. Good for them. 

PPPS... look up lee shore. 

Velcro Beach

      As I mentioned in my previous blog, we left Marathon earlier than usual to go to Vero Beach, FL to make flying home easier and to be better staged to continue our seasonal journey north after our visits home. 

     We pushed out of Marathon in order to try and beat some forecast bad weather along the way. From Marathon the ocean portion of the first passage was okay, but not great. We decided not to go all the way to Fort Pierce offshore and overnight. It might have been okay but marginal. Conditions were to be no worse than previous ocean passages but we try to avoid heading out in iffy situations because great conditions often deteriorate to poor conditions so it's better not to start out when it is barely okay. 

     We went back to the ICW from the Channel 5 Bridge under the Overseas Highway and had no issues. We did push on farther than usual and anchored in the NE corner of Barnes Sound. We sat out bad winds here once before and knew it would be comfortable. We could hear Card Sound Rd. in the distance but traffic is normally fairly light on that alternative route into the Keys.

     From the Key Largo area we went to Miami. And kept going. The boat wakes from weekend Floridiots were amazing, another reason not to stop in Miami. Future weather concerns were more of a factor. The ocean conditions were not too bad but the wakes from passing powerboats still affected us. We decided to push all the way to Lake Worth Inlet (Palm Beach) even though we knew we would arrive well after dark. Being on the ocean at night is not an issue but travelling on the ICW at night is not a good idea. We were not actually going to go into the ditch (ICW) as there is a nice anchorage between the inlet and the waterway. We were settled a little after 9 (2100). Only the dredge between the breakwaters and all the confusing lights made it a little tense for a short while as we came in. 

     After a night in Lake Worth we went outside into the ocean again. Not bad but rainy 🤷‍♂️🌨. With a chance of thunderstorms ⛈😰. We intended to go all the way to Ft. Pierce Inlet but it got a little windier than forecast and the wind direction became less favorable. Seas went from under 2ft. to 3 to 4ft. which is less fun. The angle of the waves changed and slowed us down. Also, it is not very comfortable. Not terrible but not great. We decided to bail after about 90 minutes of this change in conditions but it was well after we passed Jupiter Inlet. We left the ocean and went back to the ICW when we got to St. Lucie Inlet. This inlet can be dangerous in certain conditions but we knew it would be okay in these circumstances. Well, "knew" might be an exaggeration. Anyway, doing it this way meant we skipped all the bascule bridge delays and only had to worry about the fixed bridge we brushed last November. The inland waterway was fine and we went under the bridges without issues. We ended up in Faber Cove in Ft. Pierce, one of our regular spots, where we could hide from the forecast strong winds. We pushed just so we could be in this great, secure place when the winds came. Got rained on for the same reason. 

     Velcro Beach is only about 2hrs north of Ft. Pierce by slow boat so after two chilly nights (55°) in Faber Cove we picked up and went to Vero. It was still windy and coldish but this part of the ICW was only a little choppy and it was an easy passage. We tied up at the city marina's fuel dock to take on diesel and to register and then we went to our mooring. We had to raft to another catamaran and were lucky to have help from Sue and Al from Gelato who have been in the mooring field all season. Their names should be familiar from several past blog postings. 

     Staying at a new place for more than a day or two means you have to get comfortable and familiar with your new location. What are the marina procedures? Where are the heads and showers? Where does the trash go, etc.? You also want to know where restaurants, grocery and other amenities are. What is there to do in the area? We were lucky because our friends on Gelato have been here a while and could orient us and old friends, Mike & Carol, live one town away and also know the area well. Within a few days of our arrival we had lunch out with one and dinner on board with the other. We also went to the weekly marina social hour to meet people one afternoon and then to the happy hour of the local squadron of the United States Power Squadrons (America's Boating Club) the next evening. Social butterflies, whew!! 

     We went to the Saturday Farmer's Market, also. Bought some veggies, bread, OJ and pastries. Delish. It was not quite as big or as nice as the market in Ft. Pierce but not bad at all. It seems we crammed in all the local activities while Carol was still in Vero while leaving nothing but chores aboard when she was gone. 

     The bus service is very nice. And free. It gets us mostly anywhere we might want go but, of course, it takes time following its route instead of going directly to our destination. Transfers are involved in the farther destinations and that takes time, too. Better than biking, however. Or walking. We went way out near the airport looking for an archeological dig that we didn't know closed a couple of years ago. We then took a different route the next day to another part of the airport to pick up our rental car to drive to the West Palm Beach airport to fly to New York to meet our new granddaughter. Carol went first and then I followed a week later. The baby being delivered a week earlier than planned kinda messed things up. Oh well.

Kaia Mae Carol Caramanico.

 

     

     Full head of dark hair. Her older brother is blond. Go figure.

One is 4 years, one is 4 days in this photo. He's so excited to be a big brother. Cobbe and Kaia Mae. 

     A week on shore in the cold and snow up north with the plane flights and a cooped-up four year old thrown in made me appreciate our snowbird lifestyle. Cute baby 'tho.

Tiny.

     After returning to the boat it was 5 days of projects and tax prep before returning to West Palm Beach airport to pick up Carol. JetBlue turned out to have let its customer service reputation fall badly. They messed up and were uninterested helping making it better. Good luck, deal with it is their new (to us) attitude. 

     Mother and baby issues made the end of Carol's time up north stressful but it has since mostly worked out. Not everything went as smoothly has one would hope but it has been improving. 

     Oh, and this happened, too...

     As we wound up our time in Vero Beach, we stocked up on food, fuel and water, started watching the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, and went in the water to clean the boat bottom of barnacles and fuzzies. The water here is nowhere near as clear as it is in Marathon  and the current is very difficult to deal with. Fortunately the bottom was not too bad. Little hard growth, mostly larval. 

     While we still had a rental car we drove all the way to Miami for my continued remission maintenance treatment. 150 miles each way. The news was good, however. Bloodwork results were great, mostly human, and after two more treatments in Connecticut I should be done. If/when my remission ends, with luck well in the future, the next treatment is not chemotherapy. Pills instead. 

     As we get underway northbound again I'll try to summarize our time here in Velcro.  Nice. Not great. Carol didn't much like it. Being here longer than her, I got to meet new people and get slightly more involved in the local boating community. There is lots to do in the city and there is great (free) bus service but few of the things available was of interest to us. The farmer's market was good. Expensive but good. There is no free Pickleball and the people seem to be a bit more snooty than we generally experience. Not really referring to the boating community here. But. 

     Anyway, we would not tell people to not come here but our preference is still Marathon. But we will tell people not to go there. It's too crowded. But a lot more fun. 

     As I get ready to push the 'publish' button on this blog entry (3/22/22), we plan to depart tomorrow. Our next planned blog entry will be after we get to Annapolis, MD. Planned. It is three passage days to St. Augustine, FL from here and we will stay there 2 (or 3) nights. There are some possible weather issues enroute and beyond St. Auggie? Who knows? We will take our time and take on the broken bridge issues and other situations as they happen. Cruising. 

Marathon 21-22

      Our first couple of weeks in Marathon this season started out as expected. We kind of have to get oriented, catch up on computer work (bills, insurance, misc. stuff), get to Miami for a medical update and chat with old friends. Pickleball started early as did UConn WBB. I also started being a guide at Crane Point after a year's hiatus. November was a top 10 wettest month in Marathon but most of the rain was before we got there and the one day we drove up to Miami. A foot of water was in the dinghy when we got back. Soggy feet 😬. A great stretch of weather ended November and continued into December. 75° in the day, upper 60s at night. Winter had started up north by this time with cold, ice and snow. Ahhh. Oh, sorry, not rubbing it in. Really.

      Don't miss it at all. 

     It occured to me I hadn't written about what a typical week was in paradise. Carol flew north to visit our daughter and her family at the beginning of December. A planned brief visit turned into more than a week due to a pre-school Covid exposure for Cobbe. A week or more away for her was not unusual in the past but since Covid, then her retirement, it had been nearly two years since I had been on my own for a longer stretch. I get up about 0700 most days and only need to put on shorts and a T-shirt. First, an engine gets started to charge the boat batteries. This lasts about an hour while the cat gets fed, her litter box is cleaned and I make my breakfast. The dinghy is put in the water about this time, too. After breakfast and cleaning up, personal cleaning up occurs, too. Then it's time for the net. A net is a VHF radio conversation with a controller or organizer that allows cruisers or liveaboards to find out what is happening in the area, ask for help with boat problems, vent about harbor issues, sell or buy boat items to/from fellow cruisers and to play a round of trivia. A recent trivia question asked about the origin of the word 'trivia'.**

     If it is a Tuesday or a Thursday it is then time for a couple of hours of Pickleball. We have four games going at a time at the adjacent City Park. It is a lot of fun, good exercise and injuries are rarer than when I played softball. After that comes a needed rest period back on the boat, lunch, a nap and finally a much, much needed shower. The rest period and nap are similar but not quite the same. One is more to rest the legs. 

     If it is a Saturday then it's a one mile bike trip up to Crane Point Hammock where I am a volunteer tour guide. For about four hours I talk about the history and the environment of the hammock to visitors. A 'hammock' is an island of trees or a cool, shady place according to the language of the early residents, the Tequesta. I drive up to 7 passengers on a golf-type cart around the 63 acre preserve, taking two groups during my shifts. 

     The other days of the week call for a couple of one mile (each-way) bike trips for groceries, some boat maintenance and/or repairs and a nearly daily check for mail and packages at our marina lounge/office.

Amazon is the liveaboard's friend it seems. The photo above is from February, not Christmas time. The population of the entire 100-mile island chain that makes up Monroe County (the Keys) is about 60,000, maybe the same as one good sized town/city back in Connecticut. So imagine one town, or very small city, stretched out along 100 miles with all the stores in that town also spread along that length. Oh, and you don't have a car. Makes for limited shopping, hence Amazon and other mail-order shopping. We are actually quite lucky to have two grocery, West Marine, Home Depot and a few boutique-type stores within walking/biking distance. One of the reasons we live here. We also have several very good restaurants (along with some not-so-good ones) nearby, but I digress. 

     Back to our daily life description.

     Some relaxing, basking on the bow in the cool breezes of 75° sunny days happens occassionally. Someone has to do it. Dinner for us happens about 1700-1730, 5-5:30pm, just before the sun sets in December. That is also something different from back home, up north. We are much farther west in the time zone so sunset is around 6pm when we get here and after 6 when we leave. The earliest sunset is around 1730 with sun light always before 0700 in the morning. SAD is less likely here. We are usually in bed by 7pm (I know, early) but there is at least an hour of reading before sleep and don't forget the UConn women's basketball games at 7pm several nights per week. Stay up very late (9pm) for those ;>)

     The weather in general is low to mid 70s from November to March. 80ish when we get here with some repeats during December. Rain is mostly in November (once or twice a week) but all day rains are rare. Brief showers are more common. We get maybe 5 or 6 days in January or February (but not both) when temperatures only get up to the low to mid 60s. We break out the long johns then. Brrr. Complaining starts at 65°. As a fundraiser we actually auction off knit scarf and hat sets for a lot of $$$. $50 to $90 for a custom made scarf. They are not in stores down here. So after a nice stretch of weather from mid-November to mid-December, it turned hot and humid. 80s and sticky. Not our favorite but we'll take it over our former winter weather. 80°+ weather continued into the new year and we were swimming without a wetsuit under the boat (for cleaning) 31 December and 2 January. They had a Polar Plunge here New Year's Day but they had to jump in quickly before the scattered bag of ice cubes melted in the 75+° water. Still, they could say they pushed away ice to go swimming. A cold front, what we call a norther, came through on the 3rd with some showers and it dropped the temperature from 82 to 73 that day and the overnight temps finally got back under 70. Some days of only mid-70s were followed by some 80s again but the trend into January was back to normal, low to mid-70s. We like the cold. And by cold I mean low to mid-70s. Below that, as I said, is what we call freezing. Brrr. 

     A little more than a week into January is the Celtic Fest. It is a fund raiser for the community programs of the local Episcopal Church. It is a major event celebrating Irish and Scottish heritage with many musical acts, athletic events, sheep herding demonstrations and more. We volunteer for a couple of 3 hour shifts each to help out even though we have no connection to the church. (I consider myself a lapsed Pastafarian). It is tiring but fun and, in exchange, we get free access to the concerts (great bands!), free T-shirts and all the beer we can drink (because we work as servers). All the beer we can drink doesn't add up to two whole beers over 4 hours. Lightweights. Anyway, great fellowship and a great cause! 

     Then it is back to our routine and my health checks and maintenance drugs in Miami, including a CT scan this time. All indications from the tests continued to be positive. Remission holds on. We also discussed future treatment scenarios when this indolent period ends. And it will end. Eventually. This is not negativity but reality. The positive is there are several treatments that work well for when the next remission ends. And more for after that. So, all good. Medical advances are moving rapidly in this field. In 1999 this was an awful disease with tough treatments and poor outcomes, often quick outcomes. Now it can be chronic, not acute. So, this will always be with me and may not kill me before old age (or Carol) gets me. 

     We had another, and much more serious, norther come through in mid-January. Gale winds, heavy rain and 1 foot whitecaps made for a fun couple of hours but the same storm had ice and snow from the mid-Atlantic up to New England. I imagine they were not too worried about us when the temperature here dropped from 76° to 69-70° within 30 minutes. Then after that it seemed once a week we had a cool-down to near 60° for one day with a warm-up to the normal low 70s. This is the effect of the major weather way up north. Upper Florida got freezes, we got very cold, 60s. Sigh. 

     Got a call from my cancer clinic in Miami offering me Evusheld, a new drug combo that seems to help immunocompromised people like me with protection against Covid and other viruses. It's a pain in the butt to drive 2 1/2 hours to get two pain-in-the-butt (literally) injections but hopefully my resistance will improve. Only the 11th person in the Sylvester system to get this. Still in Phase 3 trials. Minor injection site discomfort from one injection and none from the other. Go figure. Less than 2 hours noticing the IM lump and then no other side effects at all. All good. 

     The last week of January brought another cold snap, 60° high temps, with strong winds that lasted 2 days before it got back up into the 70s. Seems to be a pattern here. Each one of the cold snaps meant seriously bad weather up north. Can't complain. Oh, yes we can. And do. 

     The end of January and the beginning of February found us preparing to start north. A little early this year because we plan to stop in Vero Beach, FL for about a month to allow us to fly home to meet a still unborn baby girl. Grandchild #2. We know her name but are not allowed to say. 🤐 It will take about a week to get to what we call 'Velcro Beach' because there doesn't seem to be a very good weather window for an offshore passage. Sigh. Not every year. Not this year. Vero Beach is called Velcro Beach by cruisers because we seem to get stuck there and not move on because it is so nice there. Never been tempted because it is much, much nicer here in Marathon. 

     I was a morning Net Controller one day a week for about a month and also gave a talk to our fellow cruisers over the VHF radio one evening about Mystic Seaport Museum. That all came to an end as we stocked up on food, water and fuel between rounds of pickleball and guiding tours at Crane Point preparing to get underway. We also say good-bye to as many friends as we come across as we exchange plans for the coming year and discuss coming back to Marathon again. Or not. It is very much our hope to return again. And again. This is the end of our 13th stay but we are planning for more.  

My next blog posting will be after we are at Vero Beach and after K...(whoops, almost gave it away) arrives. 

     Looking for lunch in the marina butterfly garden. 

** Trivia** Latin root, 'tri via', 3 roads. Or where 3 roads meet. Long story how 3 roads evolved into the current meaning of trivia. I don't get into long stories. No never. Ha! LOL!