As I noted in my previous posting, we are in Annapolis. Again. We stop here both north and south bound. Carol flies out of BWI and we (or I) go to the boat shows.
This year was/is a little different. Instead of doing our annual maintenance a little north of here in Pasadena we did it in August in Essex, CT. This meant we had more free time before Carol had to fly out to work.
We left Mystic a week after Heather's baby shower hoping to beat Hurricane Jose to the corner of Cape May, NJ and Delaware Bay. We went to Port Jefferson with mostly adverse current and calm conditions. We could not find our usual mooring to borrow so it took us a bit to find another suitable one. After getting secure we saw the one we really wanted not too far away. Oh well. Didn't move. We then went to Port Washington to pick up another free mooring because the timing wasn't right to go through Hell Gate in NYC. At sunrise we were underway with a small trawler accompanying us and planning to go offshore NJ overnight, too. We missed seeing Mike and Heather at the Gate because we got there a little sooner than planned and "someone" did not get up early enough.
We had a pretty calm passage overnight offshore NJ. There were some swell from distant Jose but it did not get bad at all. The forecast was for huge swells by the time we got to Cape May and Delaware Bay but we beat them to the corner. It was still dark by the time we got to the Bay so we went the long way and used all of the main shipping channel. Added a little more time but not much. It was mostly nice and calm, too. Nice. Had good current up the Bay and through the C&D Canal, too. We anchored in the Sassafras River fairly early in the afternoon.
After that we had a lot of time before we wanted to get to Annapolis so we just wandered around to different anchorages. We spent two nights in Worton Creek as Jose made its closest approach to us. A few hours of a little extra wind but not too bad. It's protected in Worton. That's why we were there. Then we went to Bodkin Creek to get fuel and a shower at Pleasure Cove Marina. Chatted with friends there and had lunch at the Crab before anchoring in our usual spot down the creek.
From there we decided to try some new to us anchorages. We went into the Magothy River and went up into Sillery Bay. We anchored in Eagle Cove for two nights. A nice place. Decent protection. Then we went to Ridout Creek off of Whitehouse Bay. This is just a couple of miles north of Annapolis. We were close but had no need to get there yet. We also spent a night in Mill Creek which also is off Whitehouse Bay. A very pretty spot but not quite a hurricane hole that Ridout seems to be.
Finally we got to Weems Creek, West Annapolis. Our number three home. Right away we went to Great Harvest Bakery for one of their terrific breads and ordered Pizza Bread for later in the week.
The other unusual thing this year is some friends from the Waterbury Power Squadron are starting their first snowbird southbound trip. Al and Sue joined us in Weems Creek and we've showed them around a little, dined out together and visited each others boat. My blog entry yesterday was written while sitting next to Sue in a coffee shop. Really unusual. Not Sue, the circumstances. Okay, maybe Sue is a little unusual, too.
After the boat show next week we'll restart our trip south. We are not sure of our winter destination due to the uncertainty of the situation in Marathon and when we need to fly home to meet our new grandchild. He or she has not arrived yet.
Friday, September 29, 2017
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Summer 2017
I always make blog entry at the end of our summer in Mystic but... I forgot. We've started south and we're in Annapolis already but I'm going to pretend that hasn't happened and we are still in Mystic.
Our summer season started off very cold and windy. We got home in good time and just before the poorer weather started at the beginning of May. By the time Memorial Day weekend came around things had gotten better. We went to Hamburg Cove with the squadron and found very few moorings were in for transients like us to 'borrow'. We got there early so we got one and shared with Afternoon Delight. Heather and Mike did not join us this year due to a wedding they had to attend.
We then started our usual round of medical appointments as well as getting Perfectly Normal ready for summer sitting and hoping to be sold time. New this season was building or rebuilding two dinghies. Our RIB had seen better days. We bought it 2003 and the fabric was so thin you could see the air inside the inflatable tubes. W-e-l-l, almost. It needed constant patching so I decided to rip the tubes off and rebuild it out of wood. Yes, turning a inflatable dinghy into a hard dinghy. But first... I had to finish a dinghy kit we had in storage (and before that our garage) for more than 15 years. Had to have a dinghy to use while I was building the old dinghy. The kit took less than two weeks but the inflatable-to-wood project took more than a month. And about $300 of materials. And a little blood.
I was reasonably happy with the results of the project but with everything else that was going on I was very busy. Writing work had to get done. Pearson work and two dinghies to be built all kept me extremely busy. Where did I ever squeeze in the time to have a full-time job?
Things mostly quieted down by the 4th of July. We has a great sail over to Montauk for a holiday rendezvous but lost our port-side propeller assembly en route when we had a lull in the wind and started the engines. At times we were travelling at more than 8 knots over the ground with several knots of current against us. For non-sailors, that is fast. Very fast.
We had a week long cruise with Heather later in July that weather messed up a bit but still wasn't bad. Spent more time in Block than we planned or had done in many, many years.
In August we had the boat hauled to do our annual maintenance. We usually do this in Pasadena, MD after we've started south but decided to try a local (Essex, CT) business this year. It was a bit cheaper and we could do most of the work ourselves. We got our new propellers installed just before our two week window was up so it all worked out right. Except for the expense.
About this time a dinghy I was looking at at Defenders was reduced in price by $300. I looked at it at $900 before deciding to take on the dinghy rebuild project but now at $600 (after spending $300 on the project), it was too much of a bargain to pass up. It's a cheap PVC Zodiac that will probably not last very long with year round use but at $600 for a 11 1/2 foot dinghy we could not pass it up. We'll still use the wood dinghy when we are in Conn. and take inflatable south with us.
Just before we headed south we had a baby shower for Heather. She is due around Thanksgiving and we'll be trying to arrange our cruising destination with having to fly back for birth time. All this is complicated by the devastation in Marathon for Hurricane Irma. We're not sure we'll be able to get there.
Our summer season started off very cold and windy. We got home in good time and just before the poorer weather started at the beginning of May. By the time Memorial Day weekend came around things had gotten better. We went to Hamburg Cove with the squadron and found very few moorings were in for transients like us to 'borrow'. We got there early so we got one and shared with Afternoon Delight. Heather and Mike did not join us this year due to a wedding they had to attend.
We then started our usual round of medical appointments as well as getting Perfectly Normal ready for summer sitting and hoping to be sold time. New this season was building or rebuilding two dinghies. Our RIB had seen better days. We bought it 2003 and the fabric was so thin you could see the air inside the inflatable tubes. W-e-l-l, almost. It needed constant patching so I decided to rip the tubes off and rebuild it out of wood. Yes, turning a inflatable dinghy into a hard dinghy. But first... I had to finish a dinghy kit we had in storage (and before that our garage) for more than 15 years. Had to have a dinghy to use while I was building the old dinghy. The kit took less than two weeks but the inflatable-to-wood project took more than a month. And about $300 of materials. And a little blood.
I was reasonably happy with the results of the project but with everything else that was going on I was very busy. Writing work had to get done. Pearson work and two dinghies to be built all kept me extremely busy. Where did I ever squeeze in the time to have a full-time job?
Things mostly quieted down by the 4th of July. We has a great sail over to Montauk for a holiday rendezvous but lost our port-side propeller assembly en route when we had a lull in the wind and started the engines. At times we were travelling at more than 8 knots over the ground with several knots of current against us. For non-sailors, that is fast. Very fast.
We had a week long cruise with Heather later in July that weather messed up a bit but still wasn't bad. Spent more time in Block than we planned or had done in many, many years.
In August we had the boat hauled to do our annual maintenance. We usually do this in Pasadena, MD after we've started south but decided to try a local (Essex, CT) business this year. It was a bit cheaper and we could do most of the work ourselves. We got our new propellers installed just before our two week window was up so it all worked out right. Except for the expense.
About this time a dinghy I was looking at at Defenders was reduced in price by $300. I looked at it at $900 before deciding to take on the dinghy rebuild project but now at $600 (after spending $300 on the project), it was too much of a bargain to pass up. It's a cheap PVC Zodiac that will probably not last very long with year round use but at $600 for a 11 1/2 foot dinghy we could not pass it up. We'll still use the wood dinghy when we are in Conn. and take inflatable south with us.
Just before we headed south we had a baby shower for Heather. She is due around Thanksgiving and we'll be trying to arrange our cruising destination with having to fly back for birth time. All this is complicated by the devastation in Marathon for Hurricane Irma. We're not sure we'll be able to get there.
As I said, as I write this we are in Annapolis but my report on our passage here will be in my
next blog entry.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Mystic... Home
We are back home in Mystic again. Arrived May first, May Day. We haven't been back this soon in quite some time and it's cold. Not as cold as we were in Wrightsville Beach but plenty cold enough for us.
Our first passage was to Chesapeake City on the C & D Canal. We had a real good current and got there early in the afternoon. There is not any good spot to anchor until one gets to Cape May, NJ so there is no point in continuing on. The timing doesn't work and neither does it to New York City from the Canal in the afternoon. We anchored in the basin as there is not enough water at the free dock anymore. You need to arrive or leave at mid-tide or better and we would not be.
At 0600 the next day (Saturday) we got underway. Decent current in the Canal and part-way down the Delaware Bay. It turned against us for a while then in a favor again. All in all, not too bad. Seas were okay, too. Our passage around Cape May itself was a little too exciting for us. We usually hug the shore near the beach but there were breakers all through the area. We went out our old route through Cape May Channel with breakers and Prissy Wicks Shoal to our port. We tried to cut through them at one point but that was nearly a disaster. A fatal disaster. We made it out of potential trouble by taking the long way around. The safe way around. The longer time didn't matter too much because we had decided to go all the way up the NJ coast over night. The night passage wasn't too bad. The seas were mostly on our stern with not much wind. It was mostly a swell from a very distant storm. The wind turned to our bow (from the north) about 0230 but the forecast seas did not develop until much later in the day.
We got the chance to wave to Heather and Mike in the Hell Gate area as they live very close to there. Tough to pay attention to boat handling and waving but we managed in spite of the strong following current. Because of the weather forecast we passed by Port Washington and went all the way to our usual mooring at Port Jefferson. The next day, Monday 1 May, we headed home. The wind had not shifted yet and was on the nose (ENE) with more than two foot seas. When the wind did shift to our stern the current then turned against us. Of course. The seas went pretty flat so not so bad of a compromise. Did I mention the fog? Oh, yeah. Visibility was well under a quarter mile until we got to the New London area. We had to maintain VHF contact with a barge and tug for more than an hour as our courses were very slowly merging and he was less than a knot faster than us. Because of AIS we knew where he was and his course and speed. Once we established who and where we were he could track our radar return. Perfectly safe. We later had to check in with the New London - Orient ferries to keep us all safe.
When we got to the Mystic area the fog got denser but we were closer to the warmer land and visibility was not much of a problem. It got very thick that night on our home mooring and the next day was very bad, too. Then the wind started. 30-40 knots for some periods and 5-6 foot seas on the Sound. Nice to be home on our mooring for that. Got home early but just in time.
We'll see what our four months at home brings us. Nothing exciting we hope.
Our first passage was to Chesapeake City on the C & D Canal. We had a real good current and got there early in the afternoon. There is not any good spot to anchor until one gets to Cape May, NJ so there is no point in continuing on. The timing doesn't work and neither does it to New York City from the Canal in the afternoon. We anchored in the basin as there is not enough water at the free dock anymore. You need to arrive or leave at mid-tide or better and we would not be.
At 0600 the next day (Saturday) we got underway. Decent current in the Canal and part-way down the Delaware Bay. It turned against us for a while then in a favor again. All in all, not too bad. Seas were okay, too. Our passage around Cape May itself was a little too exciting for us. We usually hug the shore near the beach but there were breakers all through the area. We went out our old route through Cape May Channel with breakers and Prissy Wicks Shoal to our port. We tried to cut through them at one point but that was nearly a disaster. A fatal disaster. We made it out of potential trouble by taking the long way around. The safe way around. The longer time didn't matter too much because we had decided to go all the way up the NJ coast over night. The night passage wasn't too bad. The seas were mostly on our stern with not much wind. It was mostly a swell from a very distant storm. The wind turned to our bow (from the north) about 0230 but the forecast seas did not develop until much later in the day.
We got the chance to wave to Heather and Mike in the Hell Gate area as they live very close to there. Tough to pay attention to boat handling and waving but we managed in spite of the strong following current. Because of the weather forecast we passed by Port Washington and went all the way to our usual mooring at Port Jefferson. The next day, Monday 1 May, we headed home. The wind had not shifted yet and was on the nose (ENE) with more than two foot seas. When the wind did shift to our stern the current then turned against us. Of course. The seas went pretty flat so not so bad of a compromise. Did I mention the fog? Oh, yeah. Visibility was well under a quarter mile until we got to the New London area. We had to maintain VHF contact with a barge and tug for more than an hour as our courses were very slowly merging and he was less than a knot faster than us. Because of AIS we knew where he was and his course and speed. Once we established who and where we were he could track our radar return. Perfectly safe. We later had to check in with the New London - Orient ferries to keep us all safe.
When we got to the Mystic area the fog got denser but we were closer to the warmer land and visibility was not much of a problem. It got very thick that night on our home mooring and the next day was very bad, too. Then the wind started. 30-40 knots for some periods and 5-6 foot seas on the Sound. Nice to be home on our mooring for that. Got home early but just in time.
We'll see what our four months at home brings us. Nothing exciting we hope.
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Back To Annapolis
We are back to Annapolis and only had one incident getting here.
Mike and Heather just left here after a spring break - Easter Weekend visit. We took them into Annapolis to sightsee and breakfast at our favorite spot, Chick and Ruth's Delly. They got to see the noon formation/march at the US Naval Academy and visit with John Paul Jones in his crypt. Uh, at his crypt. We also all went into Baltimore to visit the National Aquarium again. All this was very tiring for Heather. She has a medical problem and another issue we are not talking about. Yet.
Carol has a follow-up visit with the doctor who did her wrist surgery before she heads off to work for nearly two weeks. After L. A. she gets to go to the Boston area and will include a visit with her brother. I actually do not have much to do on the boat by way of maintenance. Too early for an oil change. I'll find something. There's always something.
Getting here was not too bad except for one annoying incident. Okay, two. We left Wrightsville Beach after UConn lost in the semi-final Final Four game. We always lose when the start time is after 9pm. Streak ended at only 111 games because the game started at 10pm. Oh, and maybe Mississippi State played the game of their lives. They had nothing left for the Final and lost.
The passage to Mile Hammock was without incident other than a jerk who didn't know how to do a slow pass. The second day we stopped at Jarrett Bay for fuel and badly scratched the port side when we were leaving with a very strong wind pushing us onto the pilings. Spent the night in Oriental at a free dock.
The Neuse River - Pamlico system was uneventful and mostly calm-ish. Albemarle Sound started to pick up a bit when we were part way across but not too bad. We stopped in Coinjock to pay for a slip because rough weather was coming and because we pushed to get farther, ahead of that weather. The next day we crossed Currituck Sound in pretty horrid conditions that were not bad for us because it was on the stern. We got to the Chesapeake-Albemarle Canal section and all was good again. Except... the railroad bridge that is ALWAYS open closed at 0800 because maybe the weather could get bad. This closed the ICW. We were trapped. The weather was perfect at the time. Didn't matter. We were lucky a nearby marina decided to let us tie up even though we are much longer than they usually accommodate. Of course they charged us. It was their going rate but money we had not planned on spending. Only good thing was their fuel prices were very good and they actually undercharged us for some of it. Because of this unplanned stop we only stayed one night at Great Bridge. The southern free dock was full but the free spot we usually use was completely open. We talked with some people that had passed us several times in the previous few days.
From there it was a passage past the end of the ICW to Hampton, VA. This was a planned pay marina stay to shower and do laundry before our stop in Annapolis. We also had drinks with a couple from Paris who began their start of a planned Loop back in Florida. Very interesting conversation about France, the US, politics and history. Boating, too.
Entering the Chesapeake Bay was very calm to Reidville and almost calm to Solomons. There was a bit of a breeze on the way to Annaoplis but it was very fluky and we unfurled and furled the genoa several times. Too much work. Arrived at Weems Creek in West Annapolis to find tying up to the Academy moorings is no longer allowed. Picked up a private mooring we've used before and will hope the owner doesn't show up. He never has before. Yet.
A couple of days after getting here and before Heather arrived we had to rescue a local that had fallen in the creek trying to board his dinghy. We were talking with a police officer about area parking for about ten minutes before he mentioned there might be someone in the water. Fire/Rescue showed up and pointed to where this guy was. He was hanging off the stern of another dinghy and we pulled him into it and towed him to shore and the EMTs, etc. Got soggy feet but otherwise not too eventful. For us. The Maryland State marine police (DNR) showed up at least ten minutes later to rescue him. Too late. They arrested another local boater instead. This was unrelated to the reason they were called but why waste a trip. They later banned that guy from Annapolis waters for 30 days. Weird.
The Assistant Harbormaster for Annapolis chastised me a few days later for making the rescue. Said we should have let the guy drown. When he told me the reason why (refusing to help a drowning victim last year), I had to agree with him but letting him go under would have brought us down to his level. Perhaps he will realize the irony. Probably not.
A few weeks and we'll make our run to Mystic.
Mike and Heather just left here after a spring break - Easter Weekend visit. We took them into Annapolis to sightsee and breakfast at our favorite spot, Chick and Ruth's Delly. They got to see the noon formation/march at the US Naval Academy and visit with John Paul Jones in his crypt. Uh, at his crypt. We also all went into Baltimore to visit the National Aquarium again. All this was very tiring for Heather. She has a medical problem and another issue we are not talking about. Yet.
Carol has a follow-up visit with the doctor who did her wrist surgery before she heads off to work for nearly two weeks. After L. A. she gets to go to the Boston area and will include a visit with her brother. I actually do not have much to do on the boat by way of maintenance. Too early for an oil change. I'll find something. There's always something.
Getting here was not too bad except for one annoying incident. Okay, two. We left Wrightsville Beach after UConn lost in the semi-final Final Four game. We always lose when the start time is after 9pm. Streak ended at only 111 games because the game started at 10pm. Oh, and maybe Mississippi State played the game of their lives. They had nothing left for the Final and lost.
The passage to Mile Hammock was without incident other than a jerk who didn't know how to do a slow pass. The second day we stopped at Jarrett Bay for fuel and badly scratched the port side when we were leaving with a very strong wind pushing us onto the pilings. Spent the night in Oriental at a free dock.
The Neuse River - Pamlico system was uneventful and mostly calm-ish. Albemarle Sound started to pick up a bit when we were part way across but not too bad. We stopped in Coinjock to pay for a slip because rough weather was coming and because we pushed to get farther, ahead of that weather. The next day we crossed Currituck Sound in pretty horrid conditions that were not bad for us because it was on the stern. We got to the Chesapeake-Albemarle Canal section and all was good again. Except... the railroad bridge that is ALWAYS open closed at 0800 because maybe the weather could get bad. This closed the ICW. We were trapped. The weather was perfect at the time. Didn't matter. We were lucky a nearby marina decided to let us tie up even though we are much longer than they usually accommodate. Of course they charged us. It was their going rate but money we had not planned on spending. Only good thing was their fuel prices were very good and they actually undercharged us for some of it. Because of this unplanned stop we only stayed one night at Great Bridge. The southern free dock was full but the free spot we usually use was completely open. We talked with some people that had passed us several times in the previous few days.
From there it was a passage past the end of the ICW to Hampton, VA. This was a planned pay marina stay to shower and do laundry before our stop in Annapolis. We also had drinks with a couple from Paris who began their start of a planned Loop back in Florida. Very interesting conversation about France, the US, politics and history. Boating, too.
Entering the Chesapeake Bay was very calm to Reidville and almost calm to Solomons. There was a bit of a breeze on the way to Annaoplis but it was very fluky and we unfurled and furled the genoa several times. Too much work. Arrived at Weems Creek in West Annapolis to find tying up to the Academy moorings is no longer allowed. Picked up a private mooring we've used before and will hope the owner doesn't show up. He never has before. Yet.
A couple of days after getting here and before Heather arrived we had to rescue a local that had fallen in the creek trying to board his dinghy. We were talking with a police officer about area parking for about ten minutes before he mentioned there might be someone in the water. Fire/Rescue showed up and pointed to where this guy was. He was hanging off the stern of another dinghy and we pulled him into it and towed him to shore and the EMTs, etc. Got soggy feet but otherwise not too eventful. For us. The Maryland State marine police (DNR) showed up at least ten minutes later to rescue him. Too late. They arrested another local boater instead. This was unrelated to the reason they were called but why waste a trip. They later banned that guy from Annapolis waters for 30 days. Weird.
The Assistant Harbormaster for Annapolis chastised me a few days later for making the rescue. Said we should have let the guy drown. When he told me the reason why (refusing to help a drowning victim last year), I had to agree with him but letting him go under would have brought us down to his level. Perhaps he will realize the irony. Probably not.
A few weeks and we'll make our run to Mystic.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Marathon 2016/2017 and Northbound
A lot has happened and a lot of time has passed since my last blog post. Too busy being retired, I guess. I posted after arriving at Marathon for our 2016-2017 winter season and now we are in Wrightsville Beach, NC northbound. And freezing.
Heather and Mike came to Marathon for Christmas and we all had a good time. They rented paddleboards and we actually tried them. Briefly. Not for us. We'll stick with kayaks. We, once again, went on a sunset sail out of Key West on New Years Eve. It was planned for the weekend before but the weather was horrible an the trip was postponed and upgraded to New Years Eve. Still a nice time.
For the Christmas Season I collected a few items from Waterway Guide and fellow Cruising Editors and auctioned them off on the daily cruisers net to benefit the City Marina Marathon Children's Bicycle fund. Because of the auctions he heard on the net a fellow cruiser donated a very expensive bottle of Scotch. The total raised nearly reached $500. When this was pooled with all the other contributions the Marina staff was able to buy about three dozen bikes and helmets. Close to $4000 worth all together.
We also volunteered at the Celtic Fest which is sponsored by a local Episcopal Church to fund their many community programs. Because of this, I learned to pull beer from a tap and get the right amount of foam. Being able to sample the wares was a small benefit. Because we had unlimited admission we got to watch the concerts of Celtic music. Never thought I'd enjoy bagpipes (not normally a fan), didgeridoos and drums played by guys in skirts. Ya neva know.
After several years of playing softball without injury, my luck ran out this season. Pulled a groin muscle or a hamstring and then had something pop in my thigh. It took a few weeks for the blood to come to the surface and my whole thigh turned some awful colors. After more than a month I still have some soreness. Wonder if I ripped something? I guess I wasn't going to get a try-out with the Mets anyway.
The other interesting thing I participated in was the Women's March on Duval. This was in Key West in conjunction with the march on Washington in protest of the policies of the poor orange excuse of a president we now have.
We started north a couple of weeks earlier than we did last year due to Carol's work schedule. This gave us more time for weather delays and visits. We went outside from Boot Key all the way to the Lake Worth Inlet, Palm Beach on an overnight passage. We intended to go all the way to Fort Pierce but the breeze and seas started to build on the nose so we ducked onto the ICW route. This just changed our arrival time to a couple of hours later. No problem. And much more comfortable.
After about a week visiting in Fort Pierce we restarted north. We had a problem after we crossed the St John's River. The new fixed bridge at Sisters Creek was completely blocked by barges and workers. We had to crawl under the wrong section of the bridge not knowing if we would clear the slightly lower section or go aground while out of the channel. We made it. A while later we were approaching the next fixed bridge when the R.R. bridge right after it started closing with no warning. A current was ripping behind us at 3-4 kts and Carol barely got us out of serious danger without hitting the fenders or the bottom. An EXTREME situation saved by terrific helmsmanship, helmswomanship?. Needless to say, we were not happy and expressed that to Coast Guard. They may have also been gestures and words shouted at the bridge tender.
We were also not very happy when a bit later I put the boat aground in a nasty spot just short of Fernandina Beach. So solidly aground that it took TOWBOAT/US about three hours to get us free after the tide started going back up. A $1300 bill that luckily is totally covered by our insurance.
Our next annoyance was getting stuck at the Ben Sawyer swing bridge just after Charleston Harbor. It closes from 1600 to 1800 and we got there about 15 minutes late. Grrr. The only positive thing was we got to Palm Island Marina where we had reservations well after they closed and left the next morning before they opened. They'll have to catch us the next time we stop there. Maybe never.
We also stopped at Osprey Marina at the southern end of Myrtle Beach for two nights. $1/foot/night got us showers, laundry, cleaning and wi-fi. Also a chance to meet with local friends for lunch. Wi-Fi let us pay bills and watch HBO's special on the UConn Women's Basketball team.
We hoped to stop in Southport to stay at their free dock while bad weather passed. The dock is now damaged beyond safe usage and we went back to our old spot at the Pipeline Canal. This has also become a problem area as it has filled in so even our shallow draft has issues. Don't know what we'll do in the future.
Because of all this we went to Wrightsville Beach much earlier than planned. We did beat the weather which came earlier than forecast and much colder than originally forecast. We had snow!!!! on our boat. This followed by extremely cold weather. Below freezing at night and low 40s in the day. We ended up getting icicles, too. Not fun at all with the wind, too. First March snow there since 1983. 1 inch.
As I write this we're at the end of one week in Wrightsville. Carol goes off to work for two weeks as I do some minor maintenance. It is supposed to get to the 70s before the second week. We'll see.
Heather and Mike came to Marathon for Christmas and we all had a good time. They rented paddleboards and we actually tried them. Briefly. Not for us. We'll stick with kayaks. We, once again, went on a sunset sail out of Key West on New Years Eve. It was planned for the weekend before but the weather was horrible an the trip was postponed and upgraded to New Years Eve. Still a nice time.
For the Christmas Season I collected a few items from Waterway Guide and fellow Cruising Editors and auctioned them off on the daily cruisers net to benefit the City Marina Marathon Children's Bicycle fund. Because of the auctions he heard on the net a fellow cruiser donated a very expensive bottle of Scotch. The total raised nearly reached $500. When this was pooled with all the other contributions the Marina staff was able to buy about three dozen bikes and helmets. Close to $4000 worth all together.
We also volunteered at the Celtic Fest which is sponsored by a local Episcopal Church to fund their many community programs. Because of this, I learned to pull beer from a tap and get the right amount of foam. Being able to sample the wares was a small benefit. Because we had unlimited admission we got to watch the concerts of Celtic music. Never thought I'd enjoy bagpipes (not normally a fan), didgeridoos and drums played by guys in skirts. Ya neva know.
After several years of playing softball without injury, my luck ran out this season. Pulled a groin muscle or a hamstring and then had something pop in my thigh. It took a few weeks for the blood to come to the surface and my whole thigh turned some awful colors. After more than a month I still have some soreness. Wonder if I ripped something? I guess I wasn't going to get a try-out with the Mets anyway.
The other interesting thing I participated in was the Women's March on Duval. This was in Key West in conjunction with the march on Washington in protest of the policies of the poor orange excuse of a president we now have.
We started north a couple of weeks earlier than we did last year due to Carol's work schedule. This gave us more time for weather delays and visits. We went outside from Boot Key all the way to the Lake Worth Inlet, Palm Beach on an overnight passage. We intended to go all the way to Fort Pierce but the breeze and seas started to build on the nose so we ducked onto the ICW route. This just changed our arrival time to a couple of hours later. No problem. And much more comfortable.
After about a week visiting in Fort Pierce we restarted north. We had a problem after we crossed the St John's River. The new fixed bridge at Sisters Creek was completely blocked by barges and workers. We had to crawl under the wrong section of the bridge not knowing if we would clear the slightly lower section or go aground while out of the channel. We made it. A while later we were approaching the next fixed bridge when the R.R. bridge right after it started closing with no warning. A current was ripping behind us at 3-4 kts and Carol barely got us out of serious danger without hitting the fenders or the bottom. An EXTREME situation saved by terrific helmsmanship, helmswomanship?. Needless to say, we were not happy and expressed that to Coast Guard. They may have also been gestures and words shouted at the bridge tender.
We were also not very happy when a bit later I put the boat aground in a nasty spot just short of Fernandina Beach. So solidly aground that it took TOWBOAT/US about three hours to get us free after the tide started going back up. A $1300 bill that luckily is totally covered by our insurance.
Our next annoyance was getting stuck at the Ben Sawyer swing bridge just after Charleston Harbor. It closes from 1600 to 1800 and we got there about 15 minutes late. Grrr. The only positive thing was we got to Palm Island Marina where we had reservations well after they closed and left the next morning before they opened. They'll have to catch us the next time we stop there. Maybe never.
We also stopped at Osprey Marina at the southern end of Myrtle Beach for two nights. $1/foot/night got us showers, laundry, cleaning and wi-fi. Also a chance to meet with local friends for lunch. Wi-Fi let us pay bills and watch HBO's special on the UConn Women's Basketball team.
We hoped to stop in Southport to stay at their free dock while bad weather passed. The dock is now damaged beyond safe usage and we went back to our old spot at the Pipeline Canal. This has also become a problem area as it has filled in so even our shallow draft has issues. Don't know what we'll do in the future.
Because of all this we went to Wrightsville Beach much earlier than planned. We did beat the weather which came earlier than forecast and much colder than originally forecast. We had snow!!!! on our boat. This followed by extremely cold weather. Below freezing at night and low 40s in the day. We ended up getting icicles, too. Not fun at all with the wind, too. First March snow there since 1983. 1 inch.
As I write this we're at the end of one week in Wrightsville. Carol goes off to work for two weeks as I do some minor maintenance. It is supposed to get to the 70s before the second week. We'll see.
Friday, November 18, 2016
Home in Marathon
We have gotten to our winter home in Marathon, FL after an overnight passage from Ft Pierce, FL. We left Ft Pierce about 0700 on Tuesday and arrived in Marathon before noon the next day. Very fast.
Normally I would have written several blog entries before we got to Marathon but this year we did not stop anywhere long enough to do any writing except for Ft Pierce. At Ft Pierce we had several computer update issues that prevented any writing, just got some bill paying in.
We left Annapolis a week and a half later than normal due to wrist surgery for Carol to repair a break and the addition of a screw to the wrist. We were very lucky with the doctor and the surgery scheduling.
We had very good weather southbound until we got to Florida, no wind, no big seas. We had our usual stops in the Solomons, and Jackson Creek in the Chesapeake and Hospital Point Cove in the Norfolk area. The Dismal Swamp Canal was closed due to damage from Hurricane Matthew but we did not plan on going that way, anyway. We took two nights at the free dock at Great Bridge for resupply, maintenance and taking down the stuff at the top of the mast. Then we stopped at all our usual spots along the ICW. The Albemarle, Pamlico and Nuese systems were okay. Not great. Okay. Our stop at Wrightsville Beach was unusual because we only stayed one night there. Carol is 'unable to work' so there was no stop to fly off. It was extremely crowded in the anchorage but we were fine. We also were lucky we arrived on a Thursday and got the buy one, get one free Hibachi Bowl at the King Neptune Restaurant. Yum!
After Wrightsville Beach we went down the Cape Fear River and out to sea. Again. For the second year in a row flooding in the Carolinas made the bridge clearances too low for us. This year it was Mathew's fault. We had a decent overnight at sea. Not great but okay. We went in up the Savannah River to rejoin the ICW following the same pattern as last year. We were at Cumberland Island, GA planning to go out to sea again but the fog was way too dense. After a couple of hour wait we started to crawl out in hopes we were right in our 'slightly clearing' guess. We weren't but once we got to the St Marys River entrance things suddenly cleared and off we went. We went in at St Augustine having learned that just the day before the USCG had placed the channel buoys to mark the entrance. The buoys had wandered off during Mathew. The late start meant we really had to rush to get fuel, showers and dinner before bedtime.
From there it was all ICW until we got to Ft Pierce. We anchored in our usual spot in Faber Cove but our friends, Mike and Carol, were away on a cruise. We rented a car to drive to Cape Coral on the west coast of Florida to attend my Aunt Bonnie's 100th birthday party. She is doing amazingly well in spite of only very recent slowdowns due to age. Very recent. After Mike and Carol got home we were able to visit a bit, do some shopping, and get X-Rays on broken bones before moving on as noted at the beginning of this blog entry.
Now we are here in Marathon and starting to get into the rhythm of our winter home. Long time resident, 94 year old Cap't Jack, passed away the day before we arrived. The marina moorings are nearly full, much earlier than normal. Must be a good economy. Thanks, Obama.
The weather right now is terrific. Very dry and crisp. Almost like New England in the Fall except it's nearly 80 degrees. Since we got to Ft. Pierce we had a few days of passing showers but no real storms. We had some light rain on our overnight from Ft Pierce but nothing bad at all. The winds were light and/or behind us so the seas were not an issue. We went outside on our passage past Miami for the first time. Had some issues with the reefs and crab pots but we didn't hit anything hard enough to do damage.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Pasadena - Annapolis
As I write this we are supposed to be in Annapolis. We're not. We are on land in Pasadena. On land for our annual bottom painting and maintenance. It has rained all week so the bottom could not be done. They could have started on the light sanding prep work during some dry periods but they did not. After seven years we may not be coming back. It has screwed up our scheduled engine tune up in Annapolis. It's likely that will not happen although the company will try to get us in after we get back in the water. I'm doubtful.
We got to the Chesapeake Bay almost two weeks ago. We left Mystic and went to Port Jefferson on a pretty calm day. From there our timing for Hell Gate and the rest of New York City was near perfect so we went all the way to Cape May in one over night passage. It was a fairly rough trip. The seas were about two feet but right on the nose. That gave us a choppy ride. Not dangerous. Just uncomfortable. A few things, like the dinghy, took a beating. This was a slow passage and we were very late to the Delaware Bay area so we stopped in Cape May for an overnight.
We left just before sunrise the next day and rounded Cape May without much discomfort. Seas were about a foot and on the beam, so not too rough. Once we were around the Cape the angle was much better and so, much more comfortable. The light breeze did shift to being ahead of us much earlier than forecast but in the Bay it wasn't a rough direction. It did rain on and off during the day and heavily a few times but it wasn't a bad passage. We also had timed the current very well and got up the Bay faster than ever before. We got to Chesapeake City before 1500 (3PM). We stayed two nights because we had time and had never done so before. We went to the Canal Museum and went on several walks. Met some new cats, too. There are water depth issues at the free dock now so our second night we were alone at the dock even though the anchorage was full.
From there we went to the Sassafras River for one night and Worton Creek for two. We also spent two nights in Bodkin Creek awaiting our scheduled haul out day. It was a very nice, relaxing, do nothing week to make up for the one night not so nice passage. Once we get painted we will go to Annapolis for our engine tune up, if possible, and then go to the Annapolis Boat Show. After that we start south again. We are hoping that Hurricane Mathew will be gone by then. This season these storms have been hanging around far longer than is normal. This one is a serious hurricane so it would be nice if it acted 'normally' and buzzed on outta here without affecting more than Florida and the Bahamas. Oh, Carol fractured her wrist. She fell at the fuel dock of Pleasure Cove Marina while handing me the fuel hose. Landed flat on her side with no twisting but, well, old bones get brittle. Lawsuit in our future?
A week before we departed Mystic, Heather got married at Mystic Seaport Museum. We took the boat and tied up at their docks the day before and day of the wedding. We tied up at 'Bart's Dock' right next to the Boat Shed where the reception was held. This is just a few steps away from the Brant Point replica Lighthouse where the actual ceremony was held.
The day before the wedding we took the flowers aboard as well as table decorations and other "stuff". The boat looked more like a shipping barge and smelled like a funeral parlor. After the rehearsal at the lighthouse and the rehearsal dinner at Latitude 41 several female members of the wedding party stayed with us overnight. It was the first time all our berths were put to use.
The wedding day started off with a lot of photos taken of our surroundings by almost everyone aboard. It was a very beautiful scene. A bit of fog. The lighthouse and river. The seaport buildings and small craft near us. Really special. Everyone left me for hair and makeup work and I had to get all our stuff over to the reception area for the caterers and set up the wedding arch near the lighthouse. Didn't get hair and makeup done.
As it got near 1600 (4pm) the wedding party started arriving for pre-ceremony photos by the professionals. The back drop of Mystic Seaport was terrific. We even got a few photos in the Buckingham House on the museum grounds. An ancestor lived in it several hundred years ago when it was in Old Saybrook. It was very hot and the bride put some ice cubes down the neckline of her dress. The father of the bride just suffered in his suit.
The parents of the bride barely held it together as we exited the Rope Building to start towards the aisle. Barely. The ceremony was moving. Happy and serious. Funny and poignant. But mostly joyful.
And then it was time for the reception. It was a walk of about one hundred feet to it. In 90 degree heat. Find your seat. Drinks. Dances. Chat with friends and relatives. Watch the sun set. See the lights of the Mystic Bascule Bridge come on and the stars blink into view. Magical. And the beacon of the lighthouse shone over everything.
The dinner was terrific and everyone seemed to have a great time. I believe the bride and groom had fun with their friends AND family. After dinner many wandered over to the dock near our boat for conversations and just to enjoy the evening with the scenery.
At the end of it all the couple left under a blaze of two foot sparklers held over their heads by the guests as we tried to avoid setting them (the bride and groom) on fire. They left to continue the party at a nearby bar/restaurant with the younger guests as the parents of the bride and perhaps some of the other older folks called it a night. We helped a bit with the clean up so the caterers would have our things in one place for us to retrieve in the morning and get it all back on the boat.
The boat was just a few feet away and anxious to be going on our seventh cruise south away from winter in the cold of New England.
We got to the Chesapeake Bay almost two weeks ago. We left Mystic and went to Port Jefferson on a pretty calm day. From there our timing for Hell Gate and the rest of New York City was near perfect so we went all the way to Cape May in one over night passage. It was a fairly rough trip. The seas were about two feet but right on the nose. That gave us a choppy ride. Not dangerous. Just uncomfortable. A few things, like the dinghy, took a beating. This was a slow passage and we were very late to the Delaware Bay area so we stopped in Cape May for an overnight.
We left just before sunrise the next day and rounded Cape May without much discomfort. Seas were about a foot and on the beam, so not too rough. Once we were around the Cape the angle was much better and so, much more comfortable. The light breeze did shift to being ahead of us much earlier than forecast but in the Bay it wasn't a rough direction. It did rain on and off during the day and heavily a few times but it wasn't a bad passage. We also had timed the current very well and got up the Bay faster than ever before. We got to Chesapeake City before 1500 (3PM). We stayed two nights because we had time and had never done so before. We went to the Canal Museum and went on several walks. Met some new cats, too. There are water depth issues at the free dock now so our second night we were alone at the dock even though the anchorage was full.
From there we went to the Sassafras River for one night and Worton Creek for two. We also spent two nights in Bodkin Creek awaiting our scheduled haul out day. It was a very nice, relaxing, do nothing week to make up for the one night not so nice passage. Once we get painted we will go to Annapolis for our engine tune up, if possible, and then go to the Annapolis Boat Show. After that we start south again. We are hoping that Hurricane Mathew will be gone by then. This season these storms have been hanging around far longer than is normal. This one is a serious hurricane so it would be nice if it acted 'normally' and buzzed on outta here without affecting more than Florida and the Bahamas. Oh, Carol fractured her wrist. She fell at the fuel dock of Pleasure Cove Marina while handing me the fuel hose. Landed flat on her side with no twisting but, well, old bones get brittle. Lawsuit in our future?
A week before we departed Mystic, Heather got married at Mystic Seaport Museum. We took the boat and tied up at their docks the day before and day of the wedding. We tied up at 'Bart's Dock' right next to the Boat Shed where the reception was held. This is just a few steps away from the Brant Point replica Lighthouse where the actual ceremony was held.
The day before the wedding we took the flowers aboard as well as table decorations and other "stuff". The boat looked more like a shipping barge and smelled like a funeral parlor. After the rehearsal at the lighthouse and the rehearsal dinner at Latitude 41 several female members of the wedding party stayed with us overnight. It was the first time all our berths were put to use.
The wedding day started off with a lot of photos taken of our surroundings by almost everyone aboard. It was a very beautiful scene. A bit of fog. The lighthouse and river. The seaport buildings and small craft near us. Really special. Everyone left me for hair and makeup work and I had to get all our stuff over to the reception area for the caterers and set up the wedding arch near the lighthouse. Didn't get hair and makeup done.
As it got near 1600 (4pm) the wedding party started arriving for pre-ceremony photos by the professionals. The back drop of Mystic Seaport was terrific. We even got a few photos in the Buckingham House on the museum grounds. An ancestor lived in it several hundred years ago when it was in Old Saybrook. It was very hot and the bride put some ice cubes down the neckline of her dress. The father of the bride just suffered in his suit.
The parents of the bride barely held it together as we exited the Rope Building to start towards the aisle. Barely. The ceremony was moving. Happy and serious. Funny and poignant. But mostly joyful.
And then it was time for the reception. It was a walk of about one hundred feet to it. In 90 degree heat. Find your seat. Drinks. Dances. Chat with friends and relatives. Watch the sun set. See the lights of the Mystic Bascule Bridge come on and the stars blink into view. Magical. And the beacon of the lighthouse shone over everything.
The dinner was terrific and everyone seemed to have a great time. I believe the bride and groom had fun with their friends AND family. After dinner many wandered over to the dock near our boat for conversations and just to enjoy the evening with the scenery.
At the end of it all the couple left under a blaze of two foot sparklers held over their heads by the guests as we tried to avoid setting them (the bride and groom) on fire. They left to continue the party at a nearby bar/restaurant with the younger guests as the parents of the bride and perhaps some of the other older folks called it a night. We helped a bit with the clean up so the caterers would have our things in one place for us to retrieve in the morning and get it all back on the boat.
The boat was just a few feet away and anxious to be going on our seventh cruise south away from winter in the cold of New England.
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