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! 

After Annapolis

      We left Annapolis a day later than planned. But first: We picked up and left Weems Creek after a few days and went to look for a mooring. None to be found so we anchored in Spa Creek. A bit better holding in this creek vs Back Creek. After 4 nights we finally were lucky enough to get a City mooring. We paid for a week, stocked the boat, did the engine oil changes and went to the boat show.

     We spent about $2000 on a new GPS and EPIRB at the show. We also got good news. For a change. GEICO insurance will be sending a check to cover our rudder repair so we'll get back some of the many dollars we spent in September. Yay! 

     The day we planned to leave Annapolis had a nasty forecast: gale force winds with a cold front passage in the afternoon and before that, winds out of the south. The winds out of the south would make the trip uncomfortable and slow and if we didn't get to shelter before the weather change it could have gotten somewhat dangerous. Okay, very dangerous. So we stayed put. The following day had Small Craft Advisories but the wind was going to be behind us so we headed out. 2 foot seas abaft* the beam or, later on, on the stern meant it wasn't too bad of a day. Quick, also. (*nautical talk).

     So we got fuel and anchored at Solomons Island, MD. Gusty but okay up Mill Creek. Leaving Solomons was supposed to be the same as getting to Solomons, winds behind us and seas about 2ft. Nope. We began that way but when we started across the front of the Potomac River things got more exciting. 4 to 6 foot seas and winds closer to 20kts with higher gusts. We were surfing down the waves at speeds up to 10kts and steering was a lot of work. Hard work. Waves were splashing up the cockpit floor drains as well as coming over the side of the boat. We were never in any real danger, mind you, but nowhere near as comfortable as the day before. Same forecast. Go figure. That night our anchorage at Jackson Creek, Deltaville, VA was near flat calm with the almost full moon reflecting in the still water. Still water. Nice. For a change. We then headed down the Bay again. Lighter winds and smaller seas forecast but the slightly smaller seas were a bit odd and caused us to have some minor (and infrequent) queasiness. Not seasickness, just off a bit. A small LBJ bird joined us for a while on our passage. Resting I guess. Heading into Hampton Roads, leaving the Chesapeake Bay, was smooth and relatively quiet. Not a ton of traffic. We tied up at the free dock at High Street Landing Basin in Portsmouth. A nice spot but not quiet due to city noise, ferry noise and shipyard noise. The amplified street preacher didn't help but he gave up after a while. 

     This is the ICW beginning and it was an easy trip down to another free dock at Great Bridge, Chesapeake, VA. All the bridges and the lock worked out well. We get fuel, food and goodies in Great Bridge. We take down some gear from the top of our mast to make life on the ICW easier and we do laundry. It's one of our favorite spots. Did I mention it's free? Met some folks on other boats on the dock and on the second day several Kady-Krogen trawlers filled up the rest of the dock. They pretty much travelled with us down the Virginia Cut of the ICW the next day. Although it got breezy, it was an easy day. We almost made it to North Landing Bascule Bridge for the 0900 opening. Not quite. So it was a 20+ minute wait for the 0930. Expected. Along the way we saw at least 4 eagles in the trees along the canal. Very unusual this time of year in this area. We could hear them chittering away. Also unusual. A couple of brief, light showers caught us during the day but we made it to our Broad Creek, Shiloh, NC anchorage just before the heavy rain and thunderstorms started. Close call. Also, we didn't get inundated with bugs this year while anchored. 

     From Broad Creek the next passage is across Albemarle Sound and down the Alligator River. Seas were worse than forecast on the Albemarle. They built to near 6 inches. Whew. The Alligator River was not near as rough and the whole passage was uneventful. Yay! This leg is one of our longest, near 10 hours, on the ICW. It has to do with anchorage spacing. We could choose one to give us 90 minutes more time to rest but, if it's a nice day, we go to Belhaven, NC. 

     After Belhaven it's a day on the Pamlico, Bay and Neuse Rivers. All part of Pamlico Sound inside Cape Hatteras. This can be one of the worst sections of the ICW but this time it was completely uneventful. Light winds on the stern and small wavelets. We anchored in our usual spot in Cedar Creek off Adams Creek. Cell service was way worse than usual here so despite a poor forecast we left the next day. We went through a very nasty 30 minute squall just north of Beaufort (Bo fert) but the balance of the day was just showery a few times with a strong breeze on the stern. We stayed behind a tug pushing a very wide barge during the squall so the poor visibility in a tricky area was not a problem. We just stayed behind something easy to see and going the same way. The shallows on Bogue Sound were traversed with no problem, too, and we spent the night in Mile Hammock, an anchorage basin at Camp LeJeune, a US Marine Corp Base. 

     Almost immediately after Mile Hammock Basin, the next morning, is New River Inlet. It is a tricky spot that was recently dredged so it presented no problem. Right after that a fuel stop that we have passed by in recent years but were meaning to try. Easier than we thought it would be but all the boats we had been travelling with passed us by while we fueled up. We caught some at the bridges they had to wait at for the scheduled openings. The bascule bridge at Wrightsville Beach is a particular pain as it only opens once an hour. As planned we ended up at a Carolina Beach municipal mooring and walked to the nearby Publix. The wind was very strong and gusty overnight but the passage down the Cape Fear River was surprisingly easy. And fast. We also had no issues at Lockwoods Folly or Shallotte Inlets. We went aground at Lockwoods Folly in the spring northbound which caused more than $7000 in damage to one of our rudders. More accurately, the TowBoat/US operator caused the damage. Our first bad experience with TowBoat/US. We've had many good experiences with them. Many. We had mostly good current all day so we stopped early at Calabash Creek near Little River Inlet. Going further would mean a stop at a marina because there are no other good anchorages. Nope. Not for us. We used to go to Barefoot Marina but they changed ownership/management a few years ago and are no longer a good stop. 

     Myrtle Beach is a very long town that fronts the ocean but many don't know it backs along the ICW. We had no issues with the swing or fixed bridges as we went though the area and we hoped to get to our anchorage in Cow House Creek on the Waccamaw River before the rain and the wind started. Gale force winds were forecast. We stopped at Wacca Wache Marina for fuel for the first time ever and then crossed the River into Cow House just as the rain started. It did get breezy but the creek is very narrow and lined with trees so we were barely disturbed. Many years ago we heard very strange noises in the woods adjacent to us and wondered if werewolves could swim. Too rainy and windy, I guess, during the stop this year. Nothing heard.

     The rest of the trip down the Waccamaw the next day was different. It started out calm leaving the creek but got windier and colder as we went south. It was very rough at the end of river going under the Ocean Drive/Lafayette bridge but calmed down as we got into Winyah Bay. Angle of the wind, I believe. Perhaps the shape of the bay. The Estherville/Minim Canal was rough at the start but the strong winds couldn't ruffle the narrow channel much once we were past the strange floating bridge.  Our anchorage off of Minim Creek East was a bit rough in near gale winds but settled down late afternoon and overnight. It was only a 4 hour day due to wind conditions and our timing a future offshore passage out of Charleston. No need to get too soon to an uncomfortable anchorage. It was an uneventful trip to that former regular stop in the Ashley River except for a near collision with a very fast racing sailboat in Charleston Harbor. We were in the wrong and tried to avoid them, but they had to make a quick move, too. They were not happy. Shortly after anchoring across from the City Marina we remembered why we no longer come here. Yuck! Current and wind. Swinging around. Yuck! 

     Then came our offshore passage out of Charleston, SC to St. Augustine, FL. We travelled with Gelato who had been waiting in Charleston for a weather-window for this passage after a medical stop. Sue and Al are from our Power Squadron group back in Conn. They came aboard for lunch and planning the day before our departure. Our plan was go out of Chucktown, go to buoy 17 or so and turn right (south). Then stop before hitting the Florida shore. Sophisticated plan. 

     The wind started off stronger than forecast (of course) but the 2+ft. seas were on the stern so, although a little tougher steering than hoped for, it was reasonably comfortable. The wind and seas eased later in the day and overnight but they built up again early in the morning off of St. Marys River and St. Johns River. The seas near St. Augustine out in the ocean were big, too. It was a very quick passage and we were moored in St. Auggie a little after 0900, about 26 hours underway. Very, very fast. We travelled with Gelato so they were nearby through the dark. 

This is our GPS with the AIS icon showing Gelato. You can see our forecast arrival time at the Florida/Georgia border in the upper right corner. 

Us, well off Georgia (25 miles or so). Photo by Sue M. 

     Because we were on our mooring early we got a nap in, got fuel, showered and paid bills in the marina lounge (via wi-fi). We had dinner ashore with Sue and Al, too, at the  A1A restaurant. We split up with Gelato at this point and continued down the ditch the next day. Nice passage down to New Smyrna with a pit stop in Daytona for fuel. Pit stop. Get it? Daytona. OK, terrible. 

     The passage to Eau Gallie was uneventful, too. Dull, gray, boring type uneventful. We usually like boring but this segment is long and gray overcast makes it drag on. We anchored in the Banana River around Dragon Pt. once again and then got underway in the rain as soon as we had some light in the morning. The forecast was very, very bad. Heavy rain with thunderstorms followed the next day by gale warnings. Staying put meant being stuck for at least two days so when the radar did not look too awful we headed south to Fort Pierce. We got lucky. The wind was not too bad and the thunder and lightning missed us. We did get wet. Very wet. Sue and Al on Gelato had opted to stay in St. Augustine a few extra days and had a horrible time. Drastically worse conditions, up to 50 mph winds and big waves, caused at least 4 boats to break lose with one hitting the Bridge of Lions, closing it for a while. By pushing south we missed the worst of the weather. The forecast was still bad for Saturday, the next day, and we did not believe we could safely dinghy from our planned anchorage to shore in near gale conditions so we paid for a very expensive slip at the City Marina for 2 nights. Outrageously expensive. Sigh. On Saturday the wind did pick up to about 20mph but the ICW did not look too rough to cross by dinghy, certainly not the near gale forecast, so maybe we could have anchored and safely traversed the 1 mile dinghy ride in open water but the luxury of the marina sure was nice. 

     We left Ft. Pierce about 10am after topping off our fuel. The last fuel before Marathon for us. An extra (maybe unneeded) shower was nice, too. We went to a wide spot off the ICW in Hobe Sound inside of Jupiter, FL. to anchor. But first, we finally, after all these years, hit a bridge. With the top of our mast. It was the Sewall Pt./Ernie Lyons Bridge near Stewart/Jensen Beach. The sign board read 63 ft. but there was an almost 2 ft. chop bouncing us around. We've cleared this bridge when it read 63 ft. before but the bouncing did us in. Our 'curb feeler' back up VHF antenna broke off and fell to the deck. We do not know if we damaged the top of the mast or the light base up there. We'll have to look up there while we are here in our winter home, Marathon. When we get a chance. 

     The strong breezes continued the next day as well as the higher tides. When we got to the Blue Heron bridge near North Palm Beach it was about an hour before high tide and the sign board read less than 62 ft. Not a chance to go under. Did not even try. We turned around and went back about 30 minutes to anchor in North Palm Beach for 4 1/2 hours. Lunch, relax and install our new GPS. We tried again about 75 minutes before low tide at the Blue Heron bridge and made it through with the sign board reading 63 1/2 ft. Close but we've gone through with that reading before. Miss our curb feeler, however. The next morning we were up very early (0500) and picked up the anchor in Lake Worth well before daylight. This was for the bridge opening schedules and to get under the Southern Blvd lift bridge near low tide. This so-called temporary bridge (been in place for years) was built to 65ft clearance at LOW tide not high tide (MHW) as required for the ICW. We do not know why the USCG allows this kind of thing to be done. Repeatedly. Cowardice, I think. The rest of the opening bridges along the way went well. A couple were very nice to us with slightly off-schedule openings and we anchored early at Boca Raton. 

     After Boca we continued through the rest of the bridges to Ft. Lauderdale. No issues with any of the bascule bridges. Timed them well and we went out the Inlet into the ocean. Still Small Craft Advisories but it wasn't bad. Less than 2ft seas but they were confused, not organized. What we call lumpy. We have had much worse conditions on this 2 1/2 hour passage. We anchored in No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne. It was crowded when we arrived and we had some trouble getting a spot. The locals cleared out later and we reset to a great, safe spot. 

      Our next to last day south was really strange. It was a bit breezy, not bad, with some showers around when, as we approached the Card Sound Bridge, super fast, cigarette-type speed boats started zooming by us. One or two at a time then bigger groups. Some were nice enough to go well away from us, others came close enough to get us wet with their rooster-tail wakes. Then, as we got to Jewfish Creek, they all backed up to squeeze through the canal and to raft up at a restaurant for lunch. Then they later caught up to us again to pass us. Again! And again! 🤯🤬

     This is about 2/3 of the boats that passed us. Some twice. 

     We anchored in Barley Basin off Islamorada, well off ICW marker R'84'. Our last day of the 2021 southbound trip started off very soggy. Not heavy rain but a steady drizzle, or slightly more. The ocean, Hawk Channel, after going under the Channel 5 fixed bridge was under 1ft. so not too bad of an ending to our fall migration. Just a bit damp. We got to Marathon, our winter home, about noon and, after lunch, checked in with the office. One of the reasons we like it here so much is, as we approached our assigned mooring, people on boats started waving to us and welcoming us back. And when we were ashore several more folks called out to say hello. Liveaboards, whether snowbirds like us, or just people who mostly stay put, are a different breed of folks. A much nicer breed.    

     We will see how the winter progresses as we settle in over the next few days. Already have some of our volunteering scheduled and it will be nice to be a tour guide at Crane Point once again. Only early downside is the lack of masks in public or enclosed places. Hope we survive. 

South to Naptown 2021

      We got underway (briefly) from the dock at Old Lyme Marina on the first day of Fall 2021. We had been on the dock for about a week for 1000 hour service on our Yanmar engines. This was not our first thousand hour service. We are up to 4000 hours already. We were supposed to have the mechanic aboard for final testing but he didn't show up on time. Cranking up the engine RPMs to make the R.R. bridge opening, we had poor engine speed and strange noises and smells. Sigh. Back to the marina just as the mechanic showed up. A test run showed a leaking injector. This is bad. They rushed the injector to the shop the marina uses and pushed them to take care of the problem. They got it back to us very quickly and after another test run we got underway for good just before noon. Four hours late. 

     We got lucky with the drawbridge opening but by the time we got to the Sound the wind was up, the seas were up and we were losing the favorable current. Sigh. Oh, and did I mention the rain?  Okay, it wasn't terrible. Seas never got above 2ft. and the showers were brief. Could have been worse. It took an hour longer to Port Jefferson, L.I. than it would have if we had left in the morning but we were secure on a borrowed mooring in PJ by dinner time. Late dinner time. 

     The next day we planned to stay put due to forecast thunderstorms and wind. Overnight it didn't rain and it was mostly sunny, if breezy, in the morning after breakfast when Carol changed our minds about staying in PJ. We got underway in spite of Small Craft Advisories and found it wasn't too bad. For a while. The last hour of the trip was very sporty and we had a couple of quick showers along the way, too. Coming into Manhasset Bay was a bit too exciting as was picking up a mooring. We could not get a town mooring (full) and so we got one that did not afford a free first night. Didn't care. Very rough in the harbor but we could handle it. Experience. Having a catamaran helps, also. We decided to stay a second night in Port Washington but picked up a now open town mooring for that second night. Those moorings are free the first night so it worked out all right. If we had gotten one of those moorings the first day we would have had to pay for the second night anyway. 

     We had planned on going through the City on the weekend because there is less ferry traffic and we hoped the west side of the East River would be open. They close a security area in front of the United Nations building while it is in session. This year this closure extended into Saturday. We could have waited until Sunday but the weather was better on Saturday for the whole passage off the New Jersey coast. Forecast to be better I should say. 

New walking route on the Brooklyn Bridge

     We left Port Washington at 0600 in the dark. As we were going through Hells Gate, a tricky, semi-dangerous spot, we were trying to reach the bridge tender on the east side of the East River. They never responded by VHF radio or by phone, even after USCG intervention. After making us wait 15 minutes, they opened. They then had the nerve to call US(!!!) on the VHF to get our boat name showing that their radio worked and they just ignore boaters. 

     After we got through the City we headed out into the ocean off New Jersey. It was a really pleasant day. Sunny, warmish, seas about 1ft. and a nice, comfortable breeze. After getting to the Atlantic City area the wind shifted to directly in front of us so the genoa was furled and, as we continued into the night, the breeze picked up much earlier than forecast. This meant the seas picked up sooner than forecast, too. It wasn't too bad until 0100 when it got a little less comfortable. The trip around Cape May wasn't great and wasn't awful as we took the near shore route. We had bread crumbs to help us. We call the GPS track on the screen bread crumbs as it shows where we travelled previously as if we left a trail. Just follow the bread crumbs and you'll be safe because you've taken the route before. Still, it is disconcerting to be just a few hundred feet off the beach and heading straight for the lighthouse before you turn to parallel the shoreline. Since crew was sleeping I did this myself. I could have woken her up if needed but I would only do this if the boat was in serious danger. Doing the waking could be dangerous in itself. 47 years of experience is a factor in making these decisions. Not talking about boating experience here.  

     After going around the Cape into Delaware Bay things got awful. Big, close seas right on our nose with the wind. These two factors slowed us down as we slammed into every third wave or so, nearly coming to a stop. Things in the boat were tossed about and broken and salt water flying over the cockpit killed the plants on our stern as well as getting us wet. Dinghy got damaged, too. 

This may not have been the worst we'd ever had happen to us but it was a good attempt. Close. This lasted about 5 hours before easing to 1-2ft. chop at Ship John Shoal Light. The current stopped hurting us at this point, too. We went into the C&D Canal and then continued through it to the Chesapeake Bay as the anchorage basin in Chesapeake City was full. We went to the Bohemia River and anchored a bit past Veazey Cove. This was open to the wind direction but it wasn't bad. 

     From Bohemia we went to our usual anchorage in Worton Creek, MD before the Small Craft Advisories went into affect. We are frequent visitors here as it is land-locked, quiet and scenic. Deer and hawks were some of the wildlife we saw. After two days we crossed the Bay to Middle River for the first time. We took some of the secondary channels there and found our paper and GPS chart to be way out of date. Many buoys were missing. Two other electronic chart sources were accurate, however. We managed. We anchored up in Hopkins Creek. Nice but not particularly interesting. Marinas and houses all around. 

         Our dinghy on Hart-Miller Island

     Just one night in Middle River then we went to Hart-Miller Island. The anchorage was not protected from the wind direction we had but it wasn't too rough. The island was created by joining two islands with dredging material from nearby Baltimore and creating a park. We went ashore for a bit and did some sightseeing before heading back to the boat, having lunch and then getting underway again. We went up Bodkin Creek which was only an hour away and used to be one of our regular stops. From there we went to a newer regular spot: Sillery Bay in the Magothy River. We were actually only about two miles away from our previous anchorage in Bodkin Creek but to get there we had to go out the creek, south on the Bay then up the Magothy into Sillery. Maybe 8 to 10 miles and two hours of motoring. It's a very pretty spot and well protected. After a long weekend there we finally headed for Annapolis. 

     It was only an easy 2 hour passage and we went into Weems Creek in West Annapolis. We used to come here when we first started cruising south. We anchored here and then we started picking up the Navy moorings that used to be available. Picked up private moorings back then, too. It's a nice spot, close to a grocery store and a favorite bakery. We learned the bakery changed hands recently and is doing some things differently. Jury is still out on how we feel about it. The bread we got was still quite good if a dollar more expensive. 

     So we are in Annapolis until October 16th we think. We will leave right after we go to the boat show which is later in the month than it used to be. Not happy about that. We plan to look for a city mooring after a few days here. Hope we get one.  

Summer 2021

      Our summer starts when we get home to Connecticut. No matter how early. No matter how cold. And it was cold. In May. We were on a dock temporarily at Old Lyme Marina and actually plugged in to power to get heat some nights. When we moved to our mooring it wasn't bad... until it got worse. Memorial Day Weekend was almost freezing, 40s anyway. And to make it worser, it rained all weekend. Only one other boat showed up for our annual Power Squadron Rendezvous at Hamburg Cove. Oh well. Did I mention we had two other adults aboard? With our 3 year old grandson? And we could not go in the cockpit due to rain and cold? Challenging. Good thing he's cute. 

     Early summer was holding some promise that the Covid situation would start to improve. Many people, like Carol, were now getting fully vaccinated, especially in the northeast states. This was good. Our medical visits started in May and continued into June. And July. Only one of my tests showed the need for a follow-up. The follow-up indicated no issues. My oncologist believes tests beget tests and are not always a good idea. In this case he was right. Tough judgement calls for patients when a test is recommended by your doctor. Anyway, all is still good. Still in remission. For now. 

     I have been getting an infused treatment every two months. Sort of a maintenance regimen. I had wanted an injection version but my Miami oncologist was reluctant to make a switch in treatment in March while heading home.  In May, in Hartford, I got the injection instead of the infusion. It didn't work out so good. I got a fist size lump on my abdomen and an interesting rash along my belly to my side. Red then blue then white little bubbles. As I said, interesting. Nothing serious but I went back to infusions. They take longer to administer but nothing interesting happens. Like our aversion to adventures, interesting medical situations are also something to be wary of. Interesting usually isn't fatal but...

     In July we took the boat to Coecles Harbor, Shelter Island. The 4th of July weekend started nice, was pretty miserable in the middle and ended nice. The middle part included cold, rain, wind and dragging our anchor. Hauling our anchor by hand after dragging in wind and rain was lots of fun. Ah, cruising. We had intended to meet our daughter and her family there but a medical procedure interfered. Not a procedure of ours for a change. Late in the weekend old friends from the New Haven Squadron cruised in and we visited them on their new boat. First visit to another boat in a long, long time. 

     Later in July we started our 'vacation' cruise. Not our vacation, of course. Cobbe and family were aboard for two weeks. Two long weeks. 

     We started out by heading to Mystic later in the day and got to Ram Island for dinner. The next day it was Block Island. 

     

     A rare, quiet moment on 'vacation'. 

     It was crowded but we got ourselves a good place to anchor in Great Salt Pond near Breezy Point. We had a major wind shift with gusts that made us wonder if we dragged but it turned out okay. We were trapped aboard due to wind and rain for more than a day. Did I mention the three year old? 

Several beach visits and a trip to the 'zoo' marked our four nights at Block. Many visits from Aldos, too. 

     From there it was a passage to Cuttyhunk Island. It was uneventful on the way except for sea sickness for some crew in mostly flat seas. Ok, maybe it was another kind of sickness. Mostly in the morning. We got an expensive mooring at Cuttyhunk and had seafood delivered out to the boat. Then it was a few days in Hadley Harbor, also in the Elizabeth Islands. Beach visits, swimming, wading and a seal watching excursion filled our days before we went over to Lake Tashmoo on Martha's Vineyard. This is near Vineyard Haven and is very nice but with a shallow entrance. 

     After 4 nights it was back to another stop in Cuttyhunk. We visited the library and talked to local folks about changes on the island before we headed back to Block Island. Only a couple of nights in much tighter anchoring but we had a chance to visit with the Quigleys on Miss Ruby. We went to dinner together ashore and had drinks (drinks???!!!!!) at the Oar. Outboard motor troubles started here before we left for a night up the Mystic River and a visit to Mystic Seaport Museum. Yes, I work/volunteer there AND go to visit there, too. 

     A week or so after this cruise (and an expensive outboard motor repair) we went to Essex Boat Works for our annual haulout for maintenance. We discovered we had a bent starboard rudder from a botched tow by TowBoat/US on our trip north. We had more than three weeks on land and a major bill for the repair. This meant no Labor Day weekend cruise and no overnight guests aboard. Cobbe still got to see Thomas the Tank Engine in Essex and the Nautilus submarine in Groton as well as other area attractions. 

     Once back in the water we started on more expensive maintenance. This time on our engines. 1000 hour service was delayed last year due to Covid restrictions so all these expenses seem to be coming all at the same time. Ah, boating. The total oozed up over $10,000 in August and September but, as I said, some of this was due to deferred expenses. Wait until the boat show in October and desired new electronics are added to the bills. 

     As I post this entry we will just about be ready to depart on cruise #12 back to Marathon. Stocking up on supplies and wrapping up other boat preparation. Still an active hurricane season to be concerned about. Next report will be from Annapolis. 

     

Annapolis to Home 2021

     As mentioned in my last posting, we pushed on our last day to get to Annapolis and had about 4hrs of uncomfortable seas (out of 12hrs). The next day, our first at Annapolis, was fairly breezy and the wind was from a poor direction. Had we not pushed the day before we would have had 7hrs or so of rough conditions not the 4hrs we actually had. An okay trade-off, I guess. We picked up a city mooring in Back Creek, Eastport, a part of Annapolis, and then got fuel our first day there. Each day we were visited (harrassed) by geese. They climbed all over the boat, leaving 'presents' and making noise. They also decided our dinghy was a good spot to lay an egg. No, it's not.

      

     The person who measured us for a new sailcover last fall came out again to measure for corrections. We were unhappy with the results and the company promised to make it right. Re-make it right. We won't get the new cover until after we are home. 

     We made some minor repairs, changed engine fluids and got some shopping, restocking and dining out done. The weather was nice, cold, windy, nice, cold, warm, sunny, cloudy, warm, windy, and cold. Springtime. 

     We stayed a bit more than a week hoping to time the weather and winds the rest of the way up the east coast and to maybe get warmer weather. Maybe not. 

     When we left Annapolis on a Saturday it was not quite as freezing as last year. Cold, very cold, but not freezing. The wind was fairly light out of the west and later faded to near zero. Minor ripples on the Bay. It became a nice day so, even though the current was not in our favor, we decided the planned short passage to Worton Creek could be extended to Chesapeake City on the C&D Canal. There is a free dock there but on the weekends local powerboaters tie up there for an afternoon. Sure enough, one tied up in the middle of a space for two just as we arrived. And only stayed an hour. This meant we had to anchor and our trouble with our windlass continues. We could have gone to the dock when the daytrippers left but we were concerned with low water when we would want leave on Tuesday. This looked like the day when wind direction and direction of the current would combine to make the best possible passage down the Delaware Bay/River. This meant a 3 night stay and only 24hrs is allowed at the dock. It's nice to walk around on land but we are used to staying on the boat without touching land for many days in a row. There are no re-stocking options in Chesapeake City so nothing was missed by not going ashore. Okay, there is a nice ice cream shop. 

     We could have made it an only two night stay by going to Worton Creek previously but we took advantage of the benign conditions to get more miles under our keels. We are always making choices like this based on weather forecasts and other variables. Sometimes the guesses work. Sometimes........

     After 3 nights at anchor we headed out early. Very early. We often leave in the dark because the C&D Canal is well lit but because we're here much later in the Spring than in past years we had plenty of predawn light. Of course it took 40 minutes to raise the anchor due to the failed windlass. I got the method down pat using a halyard winch to help but it is slow. The current in the canal was in our favor so it we were quick but once in the Delaware River we were slowed down for the middle part of the passage. We had 1-2 ft. of chop for a while but it wasn't all that bad overall. The current improved a little in our favor and then the passage around Cape May was okay. Not great. Not as awful as past trips through the area. Just okay. We took the near-shore route very close to the beach which shortened our passage around the Cape.  

     We then continued up the east coast of New Jersey. Seas started out as 1-2 ft. on our stern quarter so it was a little rolly but not uncomfortable. After sunset the wind and waves eased to near calm but there was an occasional large swell. No problem. Going through New York City was very quick as we had great current (up to 13kts SOG) and we went all the way to Port Jefferson, L.I.  where we borrowed one of the few moorings that were in. 33+hrs from start to finish makes for a long day. Not a bad day. Just long. Getting old. Sigh. 

     Our last day on the road was rainy but calm. It was the first passage this cycle that had rain. We generally stay put in adverse conditions but this was not adverse, just wet. We completed our cruise in the rain because the next day was forecast to be gale conditions. Not good. That we avoid at all (or nearly all) cost. 

   

 So we are back in Old Lyme. We're at a dock as our mooring is not in yet. We'll move to it within a week or so. Now it's time for Carol's second vaccine injection, a trip to Long Island to get our car and see Cobbe. Oh, and our daughter and her husband, too. We will also start our usual round of medical visits. Routine. Well, we hope they will be routine. One never know do one? 

     Everyone, enjoy the summer! Come see me at Mystic Seaport Museum where I'll be a docent again, usually on the weekends. 

Miami to Annapolis

We finally left Miami after 5 nights and a medical visit. Saturday, our last day and night there, was amazing. And not in a good way. PWC and powerboat wakes constantly roiling the water with no concern for other boats. Floridiots. We did go for another walk but not to the park as on previous days. We crossed the island to the beach (south) side and walked a couple of miles. Very nice. And not too crowded. Got an arepa at one of the food trucks. Delish. As evening approached the music started up. Many, many raft-ups with each blasting sound at at least 100db. This went to 0200. We were surprised, ok, not really, that there was no enforcement of speeds in the harbor and the marine police were all gone by evening. Ear plugs and a pillow over the head did not quite keep out the sound. Amazing. When we left Miami, we went all the way to Lake Worth Inlet via the ocean. Palm Beach. Seas were about 1 1/2 feet but eased during the day. Ran into Marathon neighbors in the anchorage. Our trip to Fort Pierce, also via the ocean route, was flat calm. Barely any ripples. We stayed two nights and did extensive food restocking and other errands. Also got to see some friends for the first time in quite some time. Our passage to St. Augustine was not so uneventful. The first day and night was fine, the second not so much. Someone missed a floating buoy after Crescent Beach and put us aground. Backing and filling didn't get us free but a passing powerboat wake helped. Backing and filling is using forward and reverse at higher power repeatedly to try to swing the boat to get us free when stuck in the mud. It puts a strain on everything but with the help of the wakes we got free without calling for a tow. Maybe we should have. One engine was sputtering with a clogged Racor fuel filter, the other threw a serpentine belt and and broke its coolant water pump. Or maybe the pump broke first throwing the belt off the pulleys. Who knows? We limped into St. Augustine where things got worse. After we got to the Municipal mooring field it started to get very rough. The wind was NE and the waves were more than two feet. Seasickness meds were needed while moored. I don't think that ever happened before. The second full day (out of three) had a brief respite from the wind and waves so we went ashore for showers, laundry, bill paying and a visit with shore-based friends. We got soaked returning to the boat and never got off of it again. On Monday we also managed to make arrangements for our replacement pump and a mechanic to meet us in Thunderbolt, GA.

After four nights we got underway on one engine only and went to the Sisters Creek free dock outside of Jacksonville, FL. Nice to return there. Chatted with some boaters we'd seen before along the road. Then we went offshore to Cumberland Island, GA. It's longer than the ICW route but avoids shoal areas and traffic. We then went to two new anchorages (to us). One was barely a wide spot in the road, the other was up a small creek similar to several in the area we used before. We chose these spots so we'd get to Saturday's anchoring spot in time to watch a UCONN Sweet 16 WWB game at noon.

We got to the Herb River in Thunderbolt, GA in time to watch the basketball game on our phones and stayed two nights. Then it was two nights at Thunderbolt Marina although we only needed one. Our engine pump and mechanic arrived on the scheduled day (a miracle) so our second day let us get to a grocery store via a loaner car. Then we went to another marina for two nights. We got hit by a impressive thunderstorm there and then a day of strong winds. Carol's planned Covid vaccine was cancelled, unfortunately. We then moved on to an anchorage a little south of Charleston. Our passage after that was very long. We hit the Wapoo Creek Bridge near its scheduled opening time but there is no way to get to the Ben Sawyer Bridge opening after that without a 45 minute wait. Grrr. Hate those. The passage would have been very pleasant (okay, it was) without the delays. A nice day and we got to the shallow areas near high tide. We anchored in Winyah Bay

and then went up the Waccamaw River to Osprey Marina. Another night at a marina! Scandalous! It was okay as we got fuel for the boat and a Covid shot for Carol. Finally. We then had a short day as we only went to Calabash Creek right on the SC/NC border. This let us stage future passage timing and do some minor boat work. After that, another #@&&$%# adventure. We went by Shallotte Inlet with no trouble even though it was near low tide and it was supposed to be an issue. Lockwoods Folly Inlet was supposed to be straight-forward and we went aground in the middle of the marked channel. Two hours. About 45 minutes was with Tow/BoatUS who did not want to tow us in the direction we wanted to go. Insisted on a sideways pull and trying to wash away the sand. When I said I wanted to be pulled forward he wanted to record me stating my desires. Then he did what I wanted. And it worked. Of course. His 30 years of experience did not overcome physics and sailboat keel dynamics. Go figure. The delay got us to Carolina Beach an hour later than planned but we still managed a visit to a hardware and grocery store. A walk on the beach, too. Our passage to Mile Hammock went fine. We even saw a M80 Scorpion assault vessel. This is a new stealth catamaran that carries smaller attack boats inside. I could tell you more but then I'd have to kill you. Or I'd get investigated. Or something. Or you could Google it. Our passages to Cedar Creek and then up the Pungo River were fine. The Neuse and Pamlico were quite pleasant for a change. The Alligator River and Albemarle Sound were, too. Of course, our windlass failed after that and now I am pulling up the anchor and chain by hand. Not so fine. Extremely difficult, in fact. Painful. A couple of days of manually pulling up the chain and anchor let me work out the best way of doing this. Still not fun but less yelling. We also had our usual stop at the Great Bridge free dock so no anchoring needed. Then we went to a pay marina in Hampton, VA. We often stop here with a free night certificate but we get the coupon at a boat show in the fall. No boat shows last year. Sigh. That marina was fully booked anyway, so we went to a nearby, high-end marina. High priced. Low value. Got a 'free' 5 gallon bucket at great cost. We did laundry, showered, and topped off our water as we often do in Hampton. Ready to push home. Next it's into the Chesapeake Bay. An easy first day brought us to Reedville, VA. We stopped at a new-to-us marina instead of anchoring. It was cheap but had no services. It did have a restaurant that was supposedly very good and inexpensive. It closed 5 minutes after we arrived. Sigh. The next day we continued up the Bay. It was near calm with forecast Small Craft Advisories. Carol laughed at the conditions and decided we should go all the way to Annapolis to avoid the predicted conditions the next day. This made for a more than 12 hour day. Of course, the wind did pick up making rough conditions the last 4 hours of the day. 8 hours very good, 4 hours not so good. Sigh. So we got to Annapolis. Time for a re-measure of our sail cover, oil changes, shopping, dining and a wait for the weather to warm up. We hope. Sigh. We took an Annapolis City mooring in Back Creek, Eastport. We'll get back to back-breaking anchoring soon enough.