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

Fort Pierce

      We are now in Fort Pierce, Florida. We've been here more than a week but the internet ate my first attempt to update this blog.

      When we left Charleston it was still a little rough out on the ocean so we went down the ICW. We stopped in Bass Creek about half way to Hilton Head. The next day the weather dramatically improved and we were able to head out of St Helena Sound to the ocean. We had a somewhat nice overnight passage to St Augustine, FL. Not great but not bad.

     We got in at 0900 the next morning but couldn't get to the City Marina moorings because the Bridge of Lions Bridge would not be opening due to a 5K Race. It opened at 1030 and we were secure for a nap and lunch by 1100.

     We saw a UConn WBB game on the marina lounge TV and had a little tourism walk.

     The next day we headed south on the ICW and ended up in New Smyrna for one night. Then it was a trip past the Kennedy Space Center to Eau Gallie and the Banana River. We anchor inside the river around from Dragon Point.

     Our last day before Ft Pierce was an adventure. Several thunderstorms crossed the waterway in front of us and we were feeling pretty lucky. Oops. Nope. We got hit by several cells with serious downpours and near zero visibility at times. We got soaked but but we were never in serious danger. OK, maybe a little.

     Since we got to Fort Pierce it's been pretty windy. Not every day but most of them. We were anchored outside of Faber Cove across the Indian River from the Ft Pierce City Marina. Some nights it was pretty rough. After a week the forecast got really bad. Thunderstorms and tornadoes. We decided to go to the marina for a night. It was very tough docking due to the wind and then, of course, the wind died and it got sunny. The day was pretty nice and we got laundry and shopping done. And a little sleep.

     It didn't rain until early in the morning but the marina let us stay until after noon. It was windy again of course.

     This time we went into Faber Cove for the first time. Very calm and comfortable in there, no matter the wind direction and speed. There is a private dock that cruisers have been using but I talked to the supposed owner and he isn't pleased but didn't threaten to call any authorities. We can't find a place to park so we won't be using it much.

     Speaking of parking... we have car to park while we're here. Courtesy of our friends Mike and Carol. Originally from Conn. but now they only have a boat up there.

     Having a car for shopping is a great benefit, one we really appreciate. We also get to have their advice and help with boat issues and several dinners, including Thanksgiving. We had a great Thanksgiving with them, their family and other friends. Much to be thankful for.

       Here are some photos from Ft Pierce. We finally went to the SEAL Museum there.

These are the two Apollo capsules that were used to train the guys who would secure the flotation  collars to the actual Apollo Program capsules when they landed in the ocean after a mission.

 And this is the Medal of Honor memorial.

     The museum covers the entire history of what are now called SEALS, from WW II through the OBL mission and the events depicted in the movie Captain Phillips. 

Charleston

     Back in Charleston. Again.

     We like Charleston but the City Marina is getting less and less friendly. Wanting $5 a day for dinghy access. Threatening to tow away unregistered dinks. We will see if they tow us. Because of this we go into town less. Spend less money, too. On the other hand we have already done most of the tourist stuff over the last few years so it's not a big deal. If they knew we were sneaking into the marina showers they would be upset also.

     We have been here a week already and have two weeks to go. They weather has been terrific but, of course, it's scheduled to turn bad tomorrow. Carol leaves for somewhere on Sunday. I can never remember where she's going until she actually leaves.

     A big event for us is coming up... turning the clocks back one hour. Why is that a bigger deal for us than you? We are up with or before sunrise and in bed shortly after sunset. When we get back underway it means we leave earlier and must be anchored earlier, too. We like the first part but worry a bit about the second part. Running out of daylight on the ICW can be a problem. For some reason there are no highway lights.

We will not know if we get a weather window to go offshore from here or have to take the ICW south. Florida is one day away if we go offshore. Closer to one week away if we stay in the ditch.

How about some photos taken up to now?

Myrtle Beach

     We're at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with our first free internet since we were ashore for maintenance in Pasadena.

     We stop at this marina because it's reasonably priced and we can get fuel and water and nice roomy showers. The restaurant is good, too.

     We had a good Chesapeake Bay passage. After the boat show and Carol's work break we headed to Solomon's Island and had a nice, mostly downwind sail. The next day got us to Virginia (Deltaville) after another nice sail. Pretty unusual.

     It couldn't last. The final passage out of the Chesapeake was just motoring but the good weather continued. We stopped off at Portsmouth for one night to take down our navigation/anchor light at the top of our mast. This lets us get down the ICW with less chance of hitting the fixed bridges. Norfolk/Portsmouth is the actual start of the ICW.

     Our first ICW passage was a little interesting. There was a lot of boat traffic. A lot. It took an hour to get loaded into the Great Bridge Lock. Normally it's 15 minutes in and out. The sailboaters seemed to be afraid to tighten up and get the job done. It's unusual for us to complain about our fellow sailors.

     Crossing Albemarle Sound was not awful. It was 1-2 foot seas following us and for some reason it was a little uncomfortable. More than it should be in those conditions but not awful. We had the genoa out but it was really motoring with sail up instead motorsailing. Or sailing. The Alligator River was pretty smooth so on the whole it wasn't a bad day even though there were some light rain showers.

     The Albemarle and the Pamlico/Neuse passage a day later are very often one of our least favorite passage combinations. Both can be, and have been, very miserable passages. This time the rain was easing out, the clouds were breaking up and the wind was behind us. Seas again were in the 1-2 foot range but much more comfortable with some decent sailing. We ended up in our usual spot in Cedar Creek off of Adams Creek which is just off the Neuse River.

     After that it was a trip past Beaufort, NC to Mile Hammock at Camp LeJeune. These areas of the ICW are narrow and shallow but very protected and flat no matter the wind.

     Next we had a very interesting day. We went to Wrightsville Beach which in itself was not strange. Just recently I had connected with an older, I mean more mature, cousin on Facebook. It turned out she had been living in Wilmington, NC for some time and was just a few miles from where we were. She actually was stopped in the traffic we caused by requesting the bascule bridge opening. She came down to the dinghy dock for a brief visit. We hadn't seen each other in nearly 20 years. Kinda cool.

     A trip down the Cape Fear River wasn't bad considering the forecast and then the passage here was another easy one.

     We are now only two passages from Charleston, SC where we'll stop for a few weeks to allow Carol another work break and me a regular maintenance period. Maybe a little sightseeing will happen, too.

First Leg - First Stop

   
    We're in Pasadena, MD on shore. We were hauled Monday the 23rd, only 5 days after leaving Mystic. We're here for our annual haul out for painting and maintenance.

     When we left Mystic we went to Port Jefferson. We had light winds and a good current for the early part of the day so when we slowed down it wasn't too bad. We had a little breeze at the start so we saw the genoa for a while. There were about 3-4 other southbound boats there. From there we went to Port Washington with even lighter conditions. All motoring.

     Port Washington has free moorings for transients so it's a nice place to rest, especially since we got there early.

     Next up was a very long passage: through the City and then along the New Jersey coast overnight to Cape May, NJ. We timed Hell Gate pretty well but the passage south had the wind and seas right on the nose which slowed us down quite a bit. We had hoped to go all the way up the Delaware Bay/River but the slow passage made us stop overnight in Cape May. It was a bit choppy because we had to go right into the waves so sleeping wasn't to great.

     The cold front passed through over night so when we headed up the Delaware the wind was on the nose AGAIN. We were headed south, the wind was SE to SW. We started north and the wind shifted N to NW. Sigh. We get used to choppy. Unwillingly. Not big seas but right on the bow. Not comfortable but we made it to the C & D Canal and Chesapeake City.

     We left the C & D in the morning and went all the way to Bodkin Creek which is Pasadena, MD just outside the Patapsco River which leads to Baltimore. Had a nice sail for a change.

     We pushed our luck pushing south in spite of semi-adverse weather because the marina needed us here sooner to avoid scheduled haul outs for other boats. It worked out okay. We've got our work done and I'll be taking the boat to Annapolis to wait for Carol to come back from her job. Also getting the opportunity to go to the NASCAR race in Dover, a 2 hour drive from here.

     Oh, did I mention the buoy in New York Harbor that jumped out and attacked us? A New York mugging? No? Never mind. Nothing  to see here.


    

Summer came late. Fall came early

     It's almost time for us to leave Connecticut and head south again. It's been a little bit of an odd summer. It started off pretty cold and has ended pretty cool. We had a period of very hot weather but it really didn't last all that long. On the other hand none of the severe weather Connecticut got ever reached Mystic where we live now. We had a very near miss right after Labor Day but that's it.

     We did a little boating but much less than when we were not full time liveaboards. Our first rendezvous was at Hamburg Cove where we met up with our Waterbury Squadron friends and caught up with winter events. It was still cold then so they all got to see our cockpit enclosure for the first time. Normally it's been put away before we have any boating get-togethers. We had a short cruise to Block Island for the Fourth of July but the weather kept us from seeing the fireworks. Twice. Too foggy.

     Heather joined us for a vacation cruise (her vacation, not ours) at the end of July and we went to Martha's Vineyard for most of the week. Weather affected this trip also but it wasn't too bad. We had a warm sunny day when we went to the beach at Aquinnah, if you know what that means. Great sightseeing!

     The also great thing about this summer is the chance we had to invite relatives and friends to the boat! Marcy and Chris and the kids had a mini-cruise of Mystic:

     Carol's former co-worker Laverne and husband Walt visited us as well as fellow southern cruisers Bob and Jane from Voyageur. Great meals and conversation even if the weather wasn't that great.

     My cousin Jim and wife Joan also visited us and had a brief weather window that allowed a short cruise. It's fun taking people out of their comfort zones and getting them on the water. No one drowned.

     My sister, Monica came twice to the boat with her kids but they're really the only regular family visitors we get in the summer.

We ended the summer season with our usual rendezvous at Watch Hill/Napatree for the Labor Day holiday. Said good-bye to our boating friends until next spring.

     The oddest event of the season was the uninvited guest we had aboard late in August:

We have no idea how it got aboard and into our main cabin. Swam in, up a hatch or line? In a computer bag that was in the car while we took a walk on a nature trail? Who knows? It was a common Northern Water Snake. A baby but not at all a welcome bundle of joy.

     We're about a week away from departure towards warmer (we hope) weather. Last year was NOT warm. Maybe this year will be. More likely stormy.

     I am going to try to blog more often but we do get so busy. Sunning, swimming, exploring all take up a lot of time.

Home in Mystic

     We made it home!

     After chasing the bad weather and stopping in Atlantic Highlands we headed through the City, New York City. We were not sure we could get going because the forecast was a little shaky but it was okay at daybreak.

     We had the current with us so the trip through the city went pretty quick. They were just attaching the spire of Freedom Tower One, World Trade Center as we were going by.

     Hell Gate was with us so we squirted out of the city and then into Long Island Sound a little later at Throgs Neck Bridge.

     We started to go into Manhasset Bay, Port Washington but changed our minds a few minutes in. We decided to go to Oyster Bay because it was still pretty early in the morning. We anchored there for two nights because we had the opportunity to visit old friends and go out to lunch with them. THANKS Nina and Guy!

     From there we went to Port Jefferson, LI, NY. We got there early and went ashore for the farmer's market and lunch. We hadn't been ashore there in quite a long time. While there it got very windy but when we left the next day the wind was right on the stern so we couldn't sail without many gybes. We don't do that. We called it a day early again and stopped at Mattituck, LI, NY. Again, we went ashore for the first time in many a year. The wind died at sunset but picked up again before sunrise.

     Our last day underway on our winter cruise of 2012-2013 started off pretty boisterous. Four foot seas with the wind out of the north at 18+ knots. We almost couldn't sail because of our course angle and a lee shore to starboard. The wind was supposed to be more NW, not N. That's the way it usually goes for us. We were making good time even with the current turning against us. 7-8 knots at times. We were about halfway along Plum Island when we were forced to turn towards Fisher's Island Sound and start the engines. It had been a very long time since we sailed with no engine assist.

     It calmed down as we neared home. It also got cloudier and colder. Brrrr.

     Home on our mooring in Mystic at noon!