Home at Mystic

     As I write this we have been home almost a week. Back in Mystic. Back to working (for one of us) and boat upgrades and repairs and mail hassles and medical visits and family visits and occasionally just relaxing and enjoying our beautiful home mooring.

     We had a pretty decent and relatively easy last leg to home from Annapolis. Our passage to the C&D Canal and Chesapeake City was fast and smooth except for the debris in the upper Bay. Our passage from Chesapeake City went smoothly also except for getting caught in a large branch as we pulled out of the basin in the dark (0445). Luckily it let us go without causing us any major headaches. The upper part of Delaware Bay also had major patches of debris and these were impossible to totally avoid so we had to plow though some of the patches and hope the thumps on the hulls were not going to come inside the hulls for a visit. Ended up with no obvious damage. When the water warms enough for swimming maybe we'll learn differently.

     The second half of this passage turned into a very nice sail and going around Cape May was very nice for the first time in a while. The wind started picking up when we got into Cape May and we were stuck there for an extra day.

     When we left Cape May it was almost calm. Nice, easy seas. We stopped in Atlantic City for a few hours rest and food before continuing on towards the big City. Had a sail for a few hours but then the breeze faded as we got into the night. Not quite calm overnight but close enough. Pleasant... for a change. Going through the City went well as we had timed the currents so they were with us. It was our last nice day.

     We stopped in Port Washington for one night before continuing on with rainy days but light to no winds to and from Port Jefferson and to home. After being behind our normal schedule for more than a month we actually got home a few days early.

     Here are some photos from Annapolis. These are the ducks that would wake us in the morning by tapping on the hulls for the food growing on them and upset the cat by walking around the deck or resting on our back steps.

Dismal Swamp Canal vs the Virginia Passage

     This post is more for our boating friends instead of our usual travelogue about our adventures. I mean to compare using the Virginia Cut near the start of the ICW or using the Dismal Swamp Canal.

      Maybe not of interest to non-boaters. It is also only our opinion. Opinion. Based on our experiences and having a 44' catamaran with a 24'beam. And less than 4' draft.

VIRGINIA CUT.

Positives:

slightly shorter
slightly quicker
Great Bridge has a free dock
and has a grocery store within walking distance
and there's a great Irish bar to watch UConn NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four games
Great Bridge Lock just controls water flow and doesn't raise or lower you much. Easy
On weekends the opening bridges are on request
Coinjock has competing marinas, one with fuel
Broad Creek at the southern end is a very good anchoring spot
at the northern end you can get free dockage if you miss the last bridge opening, you just need
to eat at their restaurant which we hear is good

Negatives:

Steel Bridge. the schedule is not great, it gets very congested in a narrow area
There are more opening bridges to wait for but after the first one southbound you usually
get decent timing for the rest
The fixed bridges can get low if the wind is blowing water up the ICW. We need more than 64'
Pretty shallow in Coinjock Bay and north of there (Currituck Sound), even for us. 2014 particularly low waters.
Commercial traffic... barges.
Fast powerboat traffic... wakes.

DISMAL SWAMP CANAL.

Positives:

Beautiful
Free dock at Elizabeth's Dock at Deep Creek Lock
walking distance to groceries
Very friendly (Robert) lock master at Deep Creek. a lot of knowledge
Dismal Swamp Welcome Center with free dockage
Very protected from any wind
No commercial traffic
Few fast boats with wakes
Free dockage at Elizabeth City for 48 hours
Gus. At Elizabeth City Docks
Cheap, clean showers. Not really interested in the revenue. Just pay once. Shhh, don't
pass this on to other boaters
Very nice free museum at Elizabeth City
Did I mention beautiful?

Negatives:

Narrow (we're a cat)
Snags and deadheads slightly more likely than Virginia Cut
Lock and bridge schedule
Overhead trees
Shallow for many sailboats
ESE exposure at Elizabeth City if windy. Can be rough
Excessive crab pots in the Pasquatank River E of Elizabeth City. No organization
hard to make a path through. May be the biggest reason to avoid this route
No nearby groceries in Elizabeth City
Heavy rain. OK, maybe not on the days you're there

That's it. Make your choice. Have fun.

Mike on Infinite Improbability.

Annapolis

     We're here in Annapolis, MD. West Annapolis to be exact. In Weems Creek on a borrowed USNA mooring. We've been here almost two weeks and we'll be leaving Saturday, 3 May after Carol gets back from her travels. There have been very few transient boats come through here (2) this year while we've been here. Don't know why unless it's because the moorings we use now say No Trespassing on one side. The other side is blank so that's the side we go by.

     Had a couple  of days of flooding rains but were very protected from the winds we had. I attended the Spring Boat Show last week. It wasn't all that great but there were several people I wanted to meet there so it was a success. We had three vendors come out to the boat to give estimates on work we think we'll want done in the area when we come through here in the fall. Can't wait to see the amounts.

     Our passages from Elizabeth City were not too bad. It was very windy when we left to head to the Dismal Swamp Canal but it is so narrow and treed that there are no issues. Getting to Elizabeth City was troublesome due to the high amount of crab pots that are spread everywhere. No organization. No paths through them. We were lucky not to catch one or two. A reason not to choose this route again.

     We met a great lock master, Robert, at Deep Creek Lock. Very friendly and offered morning coffee, etc. before we got underway.

     We stopped in Hampton at a dock because the wind and anchoring space wasn't that good. The passage into Chesapeake Bay started off a little rough but mid-way it settled down and the following days were good until the last hour or so before our Annapolis arrival.

     We are hoping Delaware Bay is reasonable in the next few days. It can be nice. It can be horrid. We've had both. Last spring our trip around Cape May was one of the most miserable 2-3 hours we ever spent. Ah, cruising.

     We'll be home soon. Less than two weeks barring unforeseen weather or breakdowns.

Dismal Swamp

     We are in Elizabeth City, NC for a couple of days. Rain and forecast wind made us chose this stop. It's Route 2 of the ICW, an alternate route that will take us through the Dismal Swamp Canal. We've never taken this route as it is a little longer and has more locks. But with the wind forecast it is more protected and safer to travel. It is shallower and has overhanging trees so we'll see how it turns out.

     Since our stop in Charleston we've had pretty nice passages. Quiet, not a lot of other northbound traffic. We stopped in North Myrtle Beach to watch the Regional Finals for UConn WBB and we were happy with the results. Then it was on to Carolina Beach to get a mooring so we could rent a car to drive to Nashville, TN to watch the Final Four games in person. About 650 miles each way. Our passage up the Cape Fear River to Carolina Beach was the smoothest, fastest passage we ever had here. Usually it's against the current or wind. Or both. With rain, too. Not this time. Got us worried because it was too easy. Karmic payment often comes down the road.

     The trip to Nashville went well once we swapped out the rental car for one that didn't have a wheel about to wobble off. Carol gets cars and hotel rooms for free but the scalped tickets cost us big bucks. Double face value. We met up with some old friends while there but missed connecting with other UConn fans we know. The biggest event was:

WE WON! UConn WBB are National Champions again!

     Ninth time. We've been present for four of those times. This was our fifth Final Four. We don't always win. The men won also and we enjoyed watching their games in a sports bar with many other loud and crazy UConn fans. A local asked us if we have to take all the championships and, of course, we had to say, "Yes, all for us."

      When we got back to Carolina Beach we had the chance to meet up with some Monitto cousins we rarely see and have dinner with them. Nice to catch up.

     Our passages to here in Elizabeth City went pretty smoothly. The Neuse and Pamlico systems were unusually benign although the Albermarle started to kick up a bit as we were ending our crossing. The wind and seas were behind us so it was okay. I also have to say this is a very friendly and helpful town. Free docking and lots of assistance available at little or no cost.

     Tomorrow we cross into Virginia then it's a couple of (probably) windy rough days up the Chesapeake to a two week stop in Annapolis. We'll be investigating several expensive upgrades to our boat while we're there and planning for our fall southbound trip when we'll have that work done. Maybe.

Charleston. Again

     We are in the middle weekend of a two week work stop (for Carol) at Charleston, SC. Again.

     It's cold but there have been a few nice warm (70s) days here and there but mostly it has been cold since we left Florida. Even before we left Florida.

     The winter in Marathon was the warmest of all our stays so far but the rest of the country, including mainland Florida, has been a little on the cool side. Okay, cold side. A bit snowy, too. Pity.

     We left Marathon at the end of February with 80 degree days and that lasted us only three or four days travel north. We did get some last swimming in at Key Largo, Key Biscayne and Boca Raton. Lake Boca Raton is surprisingly beautiful, with crystal clear water in a landlocked anchorage. We actually don't swim much while in Marathon because the Gulf Stream isn't that close so the water isn't toasty warm. Only 70 or so.

     We only stayed a few nights in Fort Pierce near our friends Mike and Carol as we needed to start pushing north. Top off our supplies, visit, watch UConn WBB and head off. Ft Pierce was the start of the downhill weather pattern. Windy, cold, rainy. It was also the start of our outboard engine issues.

     We anchored in a new spot in the northern Indian River area, short of Titusville, on our way to Daytona then Saint Augustine. We were only in St Auggie one night but got the chance to meet up and have dinner with our good friends from Voyageur, Bob and Jane Fulton. Maybe we'll see them up in New England in the summer. The Daytona stop let us go to a bar we know for WBB.

     You can see how great the weather is here. It got worse.

 

 

     A couple of days of cold, unpleasant weather culminated in a stop at St Mary's, Georgia for part of a day at a marina. Cheap at $1/ft but still, a marina. Gale winds convince us to spend money. After that it was a stop in a new place for us, Kilkenny Creek. A recommendation of Bob Fulton. Not bad but shallow water was quite a ways off the ICW. From there we pushed on right by the Savannah area to Hilton Head Harbor Marina. Not a cheap spot but nowhere nearby to anchor. We got there too late for the basketball game but the next day we were in Factory Creek, Beaufort, SC and were able to walk to a very good Mexican restaurant with many TVs. AAC Champions beating Louisville (again). From there it was a two night stop in Tom's Point Creek. It wasn't a new spot for us but we anchored a mile farther up the creek to get tree protection for near gale winds. All worked out fine and from there it was only a half day to where we are now in the Ashley River, Charleston.

 

     In another week will head off towards Carolina Beach to get a mooring to leave the boat on while we head to Nashville by car for the WBB Final Four. Hoping that the UConn team will be there, too. We've never done this before. Final Fours? Yes. Leaving the boat? No.

 

 

Two photos from the last few days in Marathon. Winter 2014. Sigh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weather

     It's been more than a month since we arrived in Marathon. The most fun we've had is teasing people a little north of here about the weather. OK, a lot north of here.

     The weather has been mostly great. It stayed pretty much in the 80s until well into January. Then a number of fronts (northers) came through bringing wind (from the north) and cooler temps. We've had a couple of days when it barely reached 60 but when this happened in was in the single digits (or less!) back home. Most of the cool days have been in the mid 60s and the nice days are in the 70s. 80s are probably gone for a couple of months. That's quite okay.

     What do we do besides tease our friends? I play softball three times a week. Carol has yoga a few days a week when she is not off working. There's bike riding, dinghy trips to the beach and cruises looking for the manatees. While Heather was here we went to Key West ($1.50 bus ride, 50 miles) and visited the Dolphin Center a little north of here. All this in weather that required long pants or long sleeves for about 5 days in the last 40. And we complained about those 5 days. Ha!

     We have also had mechanics out to the boat to do repairs beyond my 'fix it 'til it's broken' skills. Generator starter, injector pump and heat exchanger repairs. Yanmar starter and alternator repairs, too. Big $$$$ but way cheaper than home taxes, maintenance or repairs. And easier to take than snow shoveling.

     We had the chance to rent a car to go to Cape Coral to visit my 97 year old aunt for a couple of days. We also went to the T A Edison winter home and workshop in nearby Ft Myers.

 

 

     His buddy Henry Ford had the home next door.

     I had to promise my aunt to come back for her 100th birthday party.

     We've got another month to suffer through before we start north again. Maybe we'll go to the Turtle Hospital again. Or Key West. Or the beach. Or the Hurricane Bar. Or our own Tiki Hut for Saturday evening jam sessions. Or - or - or... just can't decide. Too tough.

Marathon

     We are now in Marathon in the Florida Keys. It will be our home for the next two months before we start heading north again.

     I left Fort Pierce on my own a few weeks back. Carol was off at work and was flying back into West Palm Beach. Instead of her getting a shuttle back to Ft Pierce it's easier to bring the boat there to meet her. It went smoothly except for my failure to start the starboard engine. Ahrrrr... more work to be done while in Marathon.

     From West Palm we had a short passage to Lake Boca Raton. This is a very nice anchorage right off the ICW with very clear water and nice scenery. 

     Another planned short day was to Lake Sylvia in Fort Lauderdale. It was good we got there early because it was very crowded. We got the last spot and it was only 1100. Many boats came in over the next two days and left to find room elsewhere. We had planned only one night here but it was very windy and the next passage was going to be offshore to Miami. We cannot go down the ICW to Miami in protected waters because some a**h*les built a bridge with only 56ft clearance instead of the required 65ft. Then obviously someone got a little payoff to let them leave the bridge as is instead of building it properly. Sigh. Florida.

     Because we were in Lauderdale an extra night we were able to watch part of their annual Holiday Boat Parade. Biggest in the world. Too big, actually. And too long. Not to mention very commercial.

     After that the passage to Miami was long (although only 20nm) and had some minor discomfort because of the breeze, which was on the nose, making it a little choppy. Not terrible but not great. We got into No Name Harbor in Key Biscayne but this was very crowded, also. Chatted with some friends on Exuberant that were there, also.

     The next day gave us breezes behind us for a change so we had a nice sail down Biscayne Bay. We got stopped by the USCG for a safety check but once again our VSC* paperwork was good enough to avoid a major safety inspection. We has a bit of a rough night at anchor near Tavernier because the wind refused to shift past north to north-northeast and give us shelter from the waves. Wasn't bad, just was supposed to be great. We were comfortable and alone anyway.

     One last sail offshore with better than forecast conditions brought us to Sisters Creek and Boot Key Harbor. Marathon.

And here we are. Settled in for the winter months. Heather and Luca flew down for the holidays. It has been windy since we got here. And 80 degrees. We can take it. We understand the weather back home has been very cold and snowy. And also very warm. Depending what day or what time it is.

     We want to wish all our friends and families the best holiday season possible. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

     Cleo also gives an enthusiastic hello, too.



*VSC = Vessel Safety Check. Administered by the US Power Squadrons or USCG Auxiliary