Final Passages North

     No, not those final passages. Just completing our tenth snowbird round trip back to Connecticut.

     After some really nasty weather in Annapolis we decided we would take some shorter passages the rest of the way up the Chesapeake Bay. Our paid time on the City mooring was up and there was no need to stay in the area as there was nowhere we could go that was open. After a two mile round trip walk for a few groceries we got underway.

     We went up to Bodkin Creek in Pasadena, MD for our first night. This was an easy, quick passage to a place we've anchored frequently. It's near a marina we used to use for annual maintenance haulouts. The next day was windier earlier than forecast, of course. Our angle across the Bay was fairly rough but once we turned up the shipping channel it wasn't too bad. We stopped in Worton Creek, another frequent overnight stop. Very protected so we didn't notice the increased wind. The pattern seemed to be better winds in the mornings then tougher each afternoon so our plan of short passages was working. So far. It was still quite cold. Hard on exposed eyes. Our four hour passages continued up to Chesapeake City, MD on the C and D Canal. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal connects Chesapeake Bay with Delaware Bay and is, I think, the third busiest level water canal in the world. That's by memory, not Google, so I may be off. They have a free (for 24hrs) dock for boaters. With Maryland closed for recreational boaters we had the dock to ourselves. BTW, we are NOT recreational boaters. We are aboard our mobile home. That's our story and we're sticking to it. We borrowed some 15a electricity for overnight heat and left early the next morning. We were thinking we would be stuck there a while because of the weather patterns but we hoped if we left early we would have good conditions most of a long day down the Delaware River/Bay.

We left the dock before 0530. Sub-freezing conditions but very, very pretty. The current in the canal was in our favor so it was a quick passage to the Bay. Of course this meant the current in the Delaware was against us for an hour before it turned in our favor. Once the current was going in our direction we flew south, hitting 9kts for a while and averaging near 8kts. How does this work? Magic? Boaters and pilots know that we are travelling in a moving medium, water or air. If either are moving in your preferred  direction you pick up speed relative to the earth. Speed Over Ground (SOG). In this case the ground is under the water. Of course the opposite is true if the current (air or water) is against you. We are more used to it being against us, it seems.

     Once we got to the Cape May area we ran out of favorable current and light winds. Both turned against us. With a vengence. Very choppy and slow around the Cape. Two hours of misery. Our trade off for the earlier nice day. We were trying to remember our last nice trip around the Cape. It must have happened before, we just cannot remember when.

     We went into Cape May Harbor to anchor to wait out the weather. Again. It was blowing pretty hard when we anchored off the USCG station but from a direction with no fetch. All good. During the night the wind faded but in late morning of the next day the wind got very strong, and from a long-fetch direction. It was very strange. The wind went from near zero to 20+kts in mere seconds. We worried about dragging our anchor but after a while we could tell we were set well. At night the wind faded again so we decided to get up before sunrise again to get underway. We went up to Atlantic City in following seas (2-3ft) and breezes in about 5hrs. We took a very expensive slip at a crappy marina for fuel, showers and laundry. The shower was lukewarm in a cold room and the fixed dock made getting on and off the boat difficult. The wind at night eased again so the boat quieted down. After this one night we left the marina to anchor out in the main harbor south of the fixed bridge and east of the USCG station there to wait for another weather window.

     The wind blew at about 20kts all day but the forecast said it would ease overnight. Briefly. We took the chance. Our passage started before 1900 (7pm) and was a little rough to start. Going into 2ft seas is worse than going with 2ft seas but they were ocean two footers, not chop, so we didn't bang too much. During the night the wind clocked around to the south which was a much nicer direction. It faded away for a while which was even nicer. Skies cleared up and the stars were very sharp but it was very cold. We took one hour shifts instead of two hour watches. The wind at our backs instead of in our faces helped also. A little. Going around Sandy Hook, NJ was tricky in the dark but it got light before we completed the rounding. There are a lot of buoys for several different channels and the lights of the City make this area very tricky. It takes two of us together to do the piloting.

     We anchored at Atlantic Highlands, NJ about 0730, had breakfast and took a long nap. Until lunchtime. The forecast weather front delayed a bit but hit us hard in the early afternoon. Very hard. Heavy rain and at least 40kt gusts. The National Weather Service said it got up to 60mph. Our anchor held. Later in the evening, about 1645 (6:45pm) another blast of cold air came. We guess it was 40kts again but steady. We dragged. This means our anchor was being pulled through the bottom and we were not staying put. Very dangerous. I could barely stand upright on deck as we struggled to reset the anchor safely. It took a while (30 minutes) but with a lot of extra chain out we got ourselves secure again. The problem was we couldn't be sure we were secure until time had passed. And night was nearby. And we were bouncing in two foot waves. In other words, sleep did not come early. Or easy. Sigh. Boating. Once in while we wonder.

     Overnight the wind eased a little. Very little. Enough that the waves dropped to 1ft instead of 2. Carol got semi-seasick. In bed. Laying down. Never happened before. During the day it continued to blow and stayed choppy. So much for coming here for protection behind the breakwater. The wind finally eased during our second night and we got underway first thing in the morning. Heading for the big City. Before we got to the Narrows-Veranzano Bridge it started sleeting. That's how cold it was. Sleet in the face on a boat is an excellent facial exfoliant. Highly recommend it. Nope. We arrived in Port Washington on Long Island to get a formerly free mooring. Now they are $25 per night. It includes launch service so we took it to the Stop and Shop for groceries. They were totally out of fresh vegetables. Zero. None. Zip. Zilch. Oh, they had a couple of green peppers and a few onions. That's it. Once again we are staying put for two days to let bad weather go by. Seems to be the pattern. Seems like it will continue.

     The second day in Port Washington was cold and rainy and we sat on the mooring and shivered. Pretty miserable. All day. We had storms inside briefly, too. The only positive was the launch driver did not come around to collect the mooring fee on the second day. Don't know if it was our charming conversation the day before or it was too miserable to come out to collect from only one boat. Probably the latter. We got underway before 0700 on Saturday to head to Port Jefferson, L.I. It was cold, of course, but sunny. It was also flat calm. We haven't had a nice day since uh, I can't remember. A long time. Absolutely flat water. Not a ripple until we were close to Port Jeff. We expected to pick up one of the private moorings that are packed behind Old Field Beach. We've been 'borrowing' one of these moorings for ten years, before or after the main season. To our great surprise, there were no moorings. They were all gone. Not a trace. This part of the harbor is quite deep so anchoring requires a lot of anchor rode to get proper 7:1 scope. Scope is the ratio between the water depth and length of the anchor rode. Also, it was forecast to get breezy on Sunday so we put out extra chain. There was not another boat in the anchorage so swing room was not an issue. Preventing dragging was our concern. Again our pattern of one nice day followed by two crappy days was going to hold. The only difference was how nice this day was. Unusual.

     After the one nice day we had another two miserable days (and nights) at anchor. Very windy and lumpy. And cold. Very cold. We are sick of the cold. We did, however, secure a summer mooring in Niantic so that was settled. On Tuesday we got underway for Duck Island off of Westbrook, CT. It was a little choppy but not too bad. Wind was northwest and we were heading northeast. 1 to 2 foot seas were not too bad. It was about a 5 hour passage as we were continuing our short day pattern. It helped enduring the **$$@#** cold. I am really sick of the cold. During this passage we were notified the mooring we thought we had in Niantic wasn't available. We were too big for it. We scrambled for another, cursed, made phone calls and finally got a mooring at our 3rd or 4th choice marina. Sigh. We'll have to get by and try for our 1st choice next year.

     We got underway from Duck Island at 0745. It was cold, of course, but the breeze was fairly light. Seas were well under 1ft. We turned up the Connecticut River and headed to our new marina. The Old Lyme drawbridge once again expressed displeasure at our proper radio procedure. I taught boating safety, navigation and radio procedure for thirty-five years. The habit is ingrained. We also go through about three dozen bascule, swing or lift bridges each way each year as we go south and back up here in the north. The only place we get a complaint from the bridge operator is right here on the Connecticut River. I bite my tougue and continue to use proper radio procedure.

     Shortly after going through the railroad bridge we tied up at our new marina, Old Lyme Marina. We tied at one of their fixed docks in a very strong current with some difficulty. Our mooring has not yet been installed. It is going to be exposed to river traffic and the southwest to the northwest so we may not be happy here. We'll see.

     So this ends our tenth round trip for the winter season. It is very cold here which has only happened once before this early for us. It was a bit different from other trips because of the pandemic, Carol's job changes and my health changes. The chemotherapy session schedule affected our winter in Marathon as well as our passages north. As I've mentioned before, schedules are very bad for cruisers. We don't like them and they are bad for us. Sometimes dangerous. We now have medical schedules that are necessary but annoying. We continue to endure these treatments in the hope we won't need them at some point. I know this is a chronic condition which will not be cured but I keep hoping we'll have gaps of normality. The problem with this hope is I have rarely been normal and these days we no longer know what normal is. Remember, we are not in the same boat but we are in the same storm. The boat we are in here is pretty good. We have to be thankful.

     Bye for now.

Cycle 4 in the age of Covid-45

     I'm starting this blog on day 1 of Cycle 4. It's been a hassle getting to this point. Mostly due to travel and other restrictions. My last post told of our travel to Annapolis. Here I'll tell you about our travels to Connecticut and what happens with our chemotherapy cycle, before, during and after.

     We called in to the doctor's office a week ahead of time and things started changing. They wanted us to be in the state two weeks, in quarantine, before they saw us. My doctor, knowing how we live, said we didn't need to do that. We have self-quarantined on the boat for a lot more than two weeks. They did change our initial appointment from Wednesday to Thursday, back to what I wanted originally. Carol had rented a car from Hertz in Annapolis at a place we used before. She got a Lyft to the place and found it was gone. Hertz is her company's preferred provider and Carol has a high status level with them. She also has an option to use competitors. She got a car from Enterprise which was across the street. She had to use real money however, not points. Boo. We also heard from the hotel we had booked. They said they were closing. At least they notified us almost a week in advance. We got a similar room at another Hilton corporate family hotel. Payment by frequent user points was messed up, of course. These hotels are having troubles due to fewer people travelling. They are reducing facilities like pools, gyms and food services. Understandable. They don't seem to be reducing their prices, however. Masked and gloved, I didn't go near the check in desk. Once in our room we went to work with our bleach wipes. Everything we could possibly touch got wiped down, by both of us. The drive to the Hartford area was uneventful, just long. Almost 6 hours. Traffic was pretty light and only up to moderate in the NYC area. One positive, at least, in this restricted era. At the hotel we found our 2nd favorite restaurant had closed even though it had a takeout business before the shut down of the state. We had to settle for 1000 Degree pizza even though we usually get Italian after day 1 of my cycles, not before. Oh the sacrifices we have to make because our orange 'leader' delayed any response to the virus for so long. At least we are still alive (so far), many have had it far worse.

     Our Day 1 of Cycle 4 started early and we had to eat the breakfast food we had brought ourselves. No food service at the hotel. They put out a couple of packaged muffins and some apples. First rate. Uh, no. Carol was not allowed to go into the Smilow Clinic with me. I was going to be all alone. No support. I would tough it out. As soon as you enter the building you have to get a temperature scan and answer 6 questions about travel and exposure to sick people. I answered these questions over the phone the day before and would answer them again several times during the admission process. At each level. It got to the point I would count out six no answers when they started the first question. 60+ years of being a smart ass doesn't just stop with a cancer diagnosis. They understood they were repeating the questions, I understood they had to ask them. I had my blood drawn before 0900 and then went to my chemo chair. Had the room to myself to start. They had converted the  eight chair room to a six chair room and then taped off two of the chairs to make the room four chairs only. You had an empty chair and curtains between you and the next person. There was someone opposite you in the room but it was about ten feet. Close enough to chat anyway. Apparently they also had a few private rooms and another small communal room. I was in the primary room. I had been here in December for an iron infusion. They started organizing for my treatment but I had to see my oncologist before I could start the treatments. He was late. Of course. We talked about my experiences with my Miami oncologist, my first three cycles and possible future treatments after these six cycles. Nothing definite, just possibilities and options and the chances of new treatments being developed before we get to future stages.

     By the time I got back to my chair other people had come into the other chairs in the room. There was some turnover as some had quick treatments or, in one case, the gentleman was tossed out because he was too healthy. Good news. Didn't need his infusion just continual monitoring. We had to wait for my doctor's new orders to filter into the system. An injection of retuxin was planned but we (me actually) were concerned about a possible reaction which could happen a few days into the future given my adverse reaction during my cycle 2. We could be on the boat 350 miles away and/or out of immediate range of urgent treatment. We stuck with what we knew was a good method and flow rate for me. They changed the order of my drugs while I waited for the retuxin. Bendomustine went first. This is not an issue. The other change was some prep drugs being pills not IV meds. Takes longer for effects but not a problem otherwise. Snuck a nap in. Talked with lady across from me after her nap. She was getting blood due to aplastic anemia and perked up after half had gone in. During our conversation she broke off to speak to her nurse and referred to me as a young man she was talking to. That hasn't happened in quite some time. She was 9 years older that me. How to I know? We have to give our names and DOB several times to different people as they do multiple confirmations of the right drug to right person at the right time. I also ask to see my name on the IV bag and ask what other meds I'm getting and what they are for. In Miami we caught an error that way, well before the possibility of a serious problem. I was called to a wrong room at the wrong time instead of the person on the list above my name. Carol caught that but here I was solo. There actually was a minor mistake anyway. We had decided on a max flow rate of 150ml/hr but a nurse assumed I was due for an increase to 200. By the time we caught the error I felt I was doing okay at that rate and we would continue it. I noticed the difference but it was minor. When I saw the number on the machine I checked in with all my systems and decided I would be alright. Some minor pressure changes felt in my head but nothing important. Brain issue? No problem. Breathing or heart issues would have got my attention. My primary nurse had to have a chat with nurse that had made an assumption. Those can be bad. Not this time.

     We headed home about 1630 and went to a takeout Thai restaurant as the Vietnamese Pho place we liked was closed. The Thai was quite good but it was slightly spicier than I requested. Normally that is how I like it but my treatment has me take the heat down one notch. It's interesting how chemo makes you more in touch with your body. You are more aware of how the poisons affect you in the short run and through the 28 day cycle. One more interesting thing from the morning as I was checking in. They always check your weight but they also wanted my height this time. I am 6' 1", I have been for a long time. I wondered if I might have shrunk with age. No, I was an inch taller. Had I grown? No, I don't think so. Operator error. The only other issue on day one was lack of sleep overnight. This had happened before. It's the steroids. When I slept it was fine, it just wasn't long.

     Day 2 of Cycle 4 started early again but not quite as early. 15 minutes later. Today my weight showed a 10 pound gain. Overnight? No, I don't think so. These electronic weigh machines are always erratic. I have had these impossible 10 pound variations before. We got my pill form drugs, waited for 30 minutes for them to kick in and then started the bendo again. About 15 minutes later I was done and ready to get on the road back to Annapolis. I got my next month's schedule including a C-T scan to check on my progress. The most important event was stopping at Neil's Donuts in Wallyworld on the back to the boat. 7th best donut shop in the U.S. Traffic again was good and we made good time. Colder in Annapolis than when we left two days ago. And much windier. Over 20kts with higher gusts.

     As I finish up this blog entry it is the end of day 3, Saturday. I usually wait until after day 4 to post in case there are any adverse reactions. I don't anticipate any. I am taking two different anti-nausea medications today and Sunday as a preventative, before I feel sick, just in case. I feel fine, luckily. We are going to stay in the Annapolis area a while longer and then cruise slowly up the Bay. It is too early to head home. And too cold. Now we're just hoping our precautions in Hartford were good enough to avoid catching the Covid virus. Back to nearly complete isolation.

     The biggest takeaway from this cycle was the infusion room I was in this time. The four chairs in the room made the experience more communal. I mentioned this after my December infusion of iron in the same room. This time I was getting chemo with people getting chemo or blood or some other infusion. This was unlike in Miami where I was in a private room with Carol. There still was a sense we were all in this together or at least we knew what the others were experiencing. We may have had different blood cancers and getting different treatments but we were sharing a similar, bonding experience. No one talked much about what we were going through in our conversations but I felt a connection and I think they did too. There is something to be said about the private rooms we had in the past but the community experience was good for me, too. I'm glad I had both experiences. Well, maybe I'd prefer not to be going through this at all but I know in spite of the disease, I have been pretty lucky with the type and severity of my situation. Chronic, not acute. Long term treatment but not necessarily life shortening. We hope.

     Before I start Cycle 5 I will have to have another scan to see what is happening inside. Bloodwork has continued to improve and we will still  check that monthly.

     Until next time...

 

   
   

Northbound like the old days

     Our passages north continue with this entry with no health issues mentioned. Just like the old days. Like last year old days.

     Oh, okay, one mention: I still feel fine. 100%

     After we left Fort Pierce and headed north on the ICW we stopped at Cocoa/Cocoa Beach. We stopped here last year to get a new alternator from Yanmar but this year it was just because we went far enough for the day. Next it was onto Daytona. The marina we get fuel from was closed but we got slightly more expensive diesel from the marina next door. This closing was supposedly not COVID-45 related. We anchored in our usual spot near the nearly finished Memorial Bridge.

     Next, it was onto Saint Augustine. Enroute our port engine started bogging down with low fuel flow. I knew the Racor filter had junk in it as this had happened a few times before. I had purged the bottom of the bowl for temporary improvement. Now we were beyond that. Normally we get two years of engine time before changing these filters but somehow, somewhere we picked up some junk. Or it's growing in the fuel tanks. That happens, too. It's not quite as clear why one engine's filter got clogged up and not the other. Yes, I checked the other engine. This 15 minute job takes more than twice that when working while underway. With a hot engine. In hot weather. While pissed off. Ah, cruising.

     This year the Crescent Beach bascule did NOT break before we went through it. We normally get a mooring at the municipal marina in St. Augustine but when we called, they were full. We reserved a slip at a Waterway Guide advertiser up the San Sebastian River in St. Augustine. Before we got there we got a phone call saying they did, after all, have a mooring for us at the city marina. Despite being one third the cost, we passed on it. This got us to a very nice nearby fruit and vegetable stand and a Winn-Dixie.

     The next morning it was a later start due the Bridge of Lions schedule and then out the St. Augustine Inlet. The inlet was very rough. Rougher than expected although maybe we should have expected the sea state because of the wind direction. SE brings the swells into this less than perfect inlet.  They say 'local knowledge required' here for a reason. We've been in and out of here before but maybe a little more experience would have helped. Maybe not. Once we got farther away from the inlet it got almost calm. There still was a swell with some very small waves but it was quite pleasant. Genoa was flying and moving us along swiftly with help from the engines. Passage speed is more important to us than sailing pleasure. I planned to take us via the nearer to shore, buoy to buoy route up the coast of Georgia and South Carolina but someone else voted for the direct route to Charleston. This route is shorter but more exposed. You can guess which route we took. It was a nice day with some breeze and small waves. Sometimes we'd get some big swells up to 4ft. well aft the beam but these were not uncomfortable. Sleeping on my first off watch was a little too rolly for me but subsequent sleep periods were very nice. Cleo snuggled up with me (or on me) for hours. At 0200 we finally had to furl the Genoa as the wind faded and came more from in front of us. The stars were very sharp as it was crystal clear out. Cool but not cold. It did get damp. We had a beautiful crescent moon rise about an hour before an equally gorgeous sunrise. We passed through the shipping channel to Chucktown (Charleston) about 1100 and continued on. Late in the afternoon we came to the channel to Winyah Bay and headed in. It got very rough with an increased wind on the beam and a poorly marked channel to make us (me) nervous. Not fun at all. It was about an hour of this until an often used anchorage of ours arrived. 33 hours of very nice and 1 hour of not so nice (horrid) is something we have to trade off sometimes.

     Here is what we accomplished: with two days and one night of continuous traveling we covered the same ground as eight days of ICW travel. How does that work? Remember in my last blog posting I said it took about 24 travel days from where we were to get to Annapolis and we only had 24 days to get there. No cushion for weather or other delays. Not a smart thing to do. We move around 8-9 hours a day (moving on the ICW at night is not a good idea for recreational vessels) and that covers 40 to 60 miles. That's how we figured it was going to take 24 days. This is also our 10th trip northbound so there is a lot of experience to go by. So 8 days of distance covered in 2 days gives us a net gain of 6 days. This our new cushion for weather issues or other unplanned events. Does this now make sense? I hope so.

     From Winyah Bay we went up past Georgetown and up the Waccamaw River to Osprey Marina. We like the low slip and fuel prices here as well as the hospitality. The hospitality has slipped by necessity due to quarantining which was ramping up more since we left St. Augustine. Paying for the fuel and slip was through a window. Minimum contact but no goody bag we've come to expect. Whining and praising past handouts, including the peanuts, eventually got us some of the stuff. It was hand delivered, an isolation violation but I risked it. Yum.

     A long day got us up to Southport, NC. and another marina for fuel and an overnight slip. Our former anchorage in this area has mostly silted in. A little more human contact but we did our best to not get too close. The passage from Osprey Marina to South Harbor Village Marina involved going through the Shallotte Inlet area. It was about 6" above low tide and we saw a minimum of 11ft. of water towards the red side of the channel. There was a shoal before one of the green buoys but we knew to stay away from the green side and could actually see the shoal. The next tricky area, Lockwoods Folly, was straight and deep. No problem. The long passage picked us up another spare day for the future. We often take two days to cover this distance.

     After this we took two shorter passages to Wrightsville Beach and then Mile Hammock near Camp LeJeune, the USMC base. No issues, even at New River Inlet. This area is tricky but it hasn't changed much since last year so we knew the correct route. Right after is another tricky area, Browns Inlet. It is being dredged so we only had to squeeze a bit to port to follow the correct route. It's not the zig-zag it has been in the past. This area does not stay stable long just as Shallotte dredging also doesn't last long.

     We stopped at Casper Marina for fuel only and continued on to our usual anchorage at Cedar Creek off Adam's Creek just before the Neuse River. The anchorage was a bit rough due to the wind direction but the wind shifted to a better direction before bedtime.

     We started out out an hour later than our normal because of the wind speed and our direction on the Neuse. We hate going north into a north or northeast wind on the Neuse. It's awful. It started off slightly less than awful, 10-12kts and 1 1/2ft seas on the bow and improved as we went along. The Bay River was nearly calm as was Pamlico Sound and the Pungo River. A long day got us to an anchorage up the Pungo off the ICW. From there, the next day, we went under the Wilkerson Bridge up the Pungo-Alligator Canal to the Alligator River. The Alligator was fairly rough but the wind and seas were on the beam or slightly aft of it so it wasn't awful and we had an okay sail. The Albemarle was similar, not great, not terrible. We anchored up in Broad Creek, our normal spot here, as it got nice and warm again. We were able to shower outside in private.

     Shortly after we left Broad Creek we ran into very dense fog that didn't lift until we got into the narrower part of the river. Warmth from the land dissipated the fog. Currituck Sound was hazy but except for a brief time at the southern end we could navigate just fine.

     After we went through the North Landing Swing Bridge (which only opened one side of the bridge) disaster struck. The idiot at the helm wasn't paying complete attention, was changing a chart page, and put us off to the side of the canal and aground amongst the submerged tree stumps. For 3 hours. We got towed off by Tow Boat/US for about $1200. We have insurance to cover our dumb mistakes like this so we won't have to pay anything. BOAT/US loses money on us. It seems one of us does something really stupid every couple of years. We make sure we pay the (about) $125 premium. Last year's $1100 tow was due to someone else's lack of maintenance not ours.

     We tied up at Battlefield Park's free dock at Great Bridge, Chesapeake, VA. Stayed two nights, got fuel at AYB, went up the mast to reattach our nav/anchor light and wind vane and went grocery shopping. Grocery shopping is a major project these days. I do not want contact with virus carrying humans. We wore gloves (two layers for me) and N95 face masks. Looked ridiculous but that's what I have to do these days to minimize risk to my stressed immune system. Dressed like I was, some woman still asked me to reach for and hand her a higher up item. I told her I was protecting myself, not contagious. She still got too close to me. Sigh.

     From Great Bridge it was a short trip up to Hampton, VA. Another marina but we had a coupon for a free night to use. We stop here almost every year to do laundry. As long as they keep giving out the coupons at the Annapolis Boat Show we'll stop here. The biggest issue was a nearly one hour wait at the #7 railroad lift bridge for four trains to pass. Grrr.

     After Hampton we go into the Chesapeake Bay. Seas were around 2ft at the start, 1 1/2ft most of the day, near calm for a while, then rougher at the very end. The direction of the waves was not so good, otherwise it could have been okay. We went to our usual northbound stop in  Cockrell Creek, Reedville, VA. Rough weather followed us here. It blew very hard out of the north for days. A couple evenings had near calm conditions to tempt us to leave on a night passage but we didn't try until the fourth morning. A mistake. Turned around after 90 minutes a few miles short of Smith Point and returned to Cockrell Creek. We still had another weather day in the bank and didn't need to bash into the wind and seas for six hours. So we didn't.

     The wind faded later on Saturday so on Sunday we headed out again. It wasn't quite as calm as forecast but it was fine. Mostly 6" seas and very briefly closer to 1ft as we got to the north side of the Potomac River. The direction made the seas no problem all day. Anything but north and we are happy. Wind direction for the passage to Annapolis? North. Of course. Our course? North, of course. Confusing? For non-boaters, wind direction is where the wind is from, course direction is where you're going to. If both are the same you are going into wind and waves. Not what we like.

     Our passage from Solomons Island to Annapolis started off nearly calm and the first few hours were nice. It got a bit lumpy for 90 minutes or so with frothy 2ft seas on the nose but then as we got farther north it settled down to under 1ft seas. Of course going into the wind made it feel colder.

     So now we are finally in Annapolis on a city mooring in the MRE, the Maritime Republic of Eastport. We are going to rent a car to drive to Hartford to start my fourth chemo cycle. It could be the most dangerous part of this spring. Going to a hotel with people. Going to a hospital with sick people. Actually the clinic is next to the hospital and they are keeping non-patients out. Carol cannot come with me for the first time. All the patients have compromised immune systems like me so perhaps they've kept themselves protected. We've avoided contacts with people since my last chemo cycle as much as possible and now we are going into a red zone of infected people, the whole state of Conn. End of medical update. I am feeling perfectly normal. My next blog entry will be about our car trip home and my experiences with my medical issues.

     Before we start our passages further north we'll be doing oil changes and other normal, routine maintenance. All the things we like to do in Annapolis are now off limits to us or closed all together so there is not much else for us. More isolation time. People often ask how we spend so much time with just the two of us on the boat. It's never been an issue. Okay, maybe not never but now everyone knows what it's like. Except our view is almost always much nicer, interesting and fun.

   

   

   

Cycle 3 and Northbound

     At the end of my last post, Cobbe and parents were still visiting. He enjoyed seeing manatees, dolphin, many species of fish and especially the Cassiopeia jellyfish in Boot Key Harbor. He also took my guided tour of Crane Point Hammock and Nature Center. After the family visit we started preparing the boat for our passages north towards home and Carol flew to Ohio for work.

     The weather was forecast to turn nasty for a while so I took the last window to head out into the ocean by myself to get up to Miami to meet Carol. The ocean passage was not bad, some swell, and I went up to the Channel 5 bridge to return to the ICW inside route. The only problem was Cleo got seasick. Not used to being at sea after 4 months in harbor, I guess. The ICW part of this passage was very hot and calm. Without our usual helm change every hour, I got a little too much sun. That is something I am supposed to avoid. Oh well. I anchored in Tarpon Basin at Key Largo for the night. It was fairly crowded with 6 boats there.

     The next day was a passage up to Key Biscayne. Not as sunny and hot to start and I had a 15 minute, zero visibility deluge to make it interesting. Luckily the waterspouts and 60mph winds went elsewhere. Also had some fun dolphin encounters to balance out the weather issues.  No Name Harbor at Key Biscayne was packed with boats so I had to anchor outside the harbor to wait for Carol.

     Carol flew into Miami on Saturday and cabbed to No Name. Because of wind and current we went up to Virginia Key for wind protection and less current. This is a new anchoring spot for us on the opposite side of the island from Marine Stadium. We tried to leave Miami on Sunday but encountered 8 to 10 foot seas just off the bow and 20 to 25 knots of wind from the NE in the ocean off Miami. Gusts were higher. Needless to say, we turned around and went back to Virginia Key. A waste of 2 hours of fuel and subjecting the boat and us to a lot of wear and tear. We stayed at Virginia Key until Wednesday, totally messing up our plans for Cycle 3 of chemo and our trip to Fort Pierce.

     On Wednesday we again left Virginia Key and headed out to the ocean. We met up with only 2-3 ft. seas on the beam and had a not too terrible sail to Ft. Lauderdale. Not real fun but nowhere near the worst we've ever had. In Ft. Lauderdale we took a mooring at Las Olas City Marina. Expensive but it meant we had showers, dinghy dockage and some security while leaving the boat for medical treatment.

     Having been in Miami and taking the boat to Lauderdale, we then rented a car to DRIVE back to Miami (Coral Gables). Make sense? Actually it does. The reasons are above plus we were also a day closer to future anchorages.

     The drive to Coral Gables was about 75 minutes long with traffic which was way less than past drives to chemo from Marathon. With all the hassles of getting to the Cancer Center, the infusion this month was a breeze. The IV was started on the first attempt, I had no bad reactions to the drugs AND there were snacks again. What more could I ask for? We even got back to Lauderdale with time to go out for dinner which has become our pattern. Went to a dive we've visited several times in the past. Southport Grill. My blackened Mahi on a Ceasar Salad was really, really good.

     Day 2 of this cycle was not scheduled until 2pm because only one drug is put in me on these second days. We used the time to go and mail our taxes, get a propane refill and go to a BJs store. Going to BJs was not well thought out. We got there 10 minutes after it opened to find a line the length of the store outside. COVID-19 panic buying was happening inside. We scored the valued toilet paper and tissues but I had to abandon the cart and snare the packages by hand and run. This was our normal restock for our northern run but everyone else was hoarding. The line to exit/checkout was the whole depth of the store plus the width. Crazy. We were lucky to get out of there in about 45 minutes.

     After taking care of that boat business, it was back for more chemo. Who would think the commute and chemo would be the easier part of the day? It took 2 tries to get the IV started but after that it was quick and easy. We breezed through and headed back to the boat.

     Saturday morning we got underway taking the inside, ICW route. This let us get fuel at Sands Harbor Marina. The bridges between Lauderdale and Palm Beach are a pain but we got through them without major waiting time. A night anchored at Lake Worth was followed by a pleasant ocean passage to Fort Pierce. Started a little choppy but ended up fairly calm. We spent an afternoon/evening with old friends, Mike and Carol, and then it was back on the 'road' north.

     We are only one day behind our planned days of chemo and travelling time but now we have a 'schedule'. We have to be in Annapolis, MD in 24 days to drive home for Cycle 4 of chemo. Cruisers know that schedules are very bad, no good things. Very dangerous. And we have no cushion now for the inevitable weather delays. Annapolis is 24 travelling days away. Pushing to make a schedule makes for very bad decision making. We know this and will have to fight the urge to take chances. We have some alternatives if we fall behind but none of them are great. We'll have to see how it all develops.

     Oh, to wrap up... I'm feeling fine after the chemo and all the hassles. 100%

Chemo, Cycle 2 and more

     I'm just a few days from the beginning of cycle 2 of my chemotherapy. I'll sum up the events of the last month, tell you how this cycle goes, and talk about the aftermath of the 2nd infusion cycle.  Our daughter, her husband and their child (our grandchild) will be visiting Marathon the week after Cycle 2.
   
I mentioned in the last post how the first few days after the chemo I had a hint of nausea that was easily controlled by prescribed medications. After about two days I stopped those meds and felt fine. Basically I felt really well for quite some time. I took it a little easy as instructed but felt maybe I didn't really need to. I didn't... but. Before we got to week 4 I started to feel a little more run down. I got tired easier, sooner. My blood pressure dropped enough that I stopped taking my blood pressure medication as I had to do just before my first chemo round. Still feel good but now I know I'm not quite 100%. I would guess that my first round of drugs is wearing off. One dose, of course, doesn't cure you. Otherwise one wouldn't need 6 cycles. Hopefully 6 cycles will be enough to keep me healthy well into the future. If we do maintenamce doses or move on to the next phase of treatments remains to be seen. My oncologists have different opinions/suggestions and treatments for my type of lymphoma are evolving rapidly so options 6 months from now will be very different from options a year or two or five into the future. At my age, talking about a future 20 to 25 years down the road is not unreasonable. At my age,  having lymphoma and talking about a future 20 to 25 years down the road is just as reasonable. What's to complain about?     

     After this point this blog is post cycle 2 infusion. 

      Day 3 of Cycle 2. Or first day after 2 days of chemo. As smoothly and relatively easy my first round of chemo went this round was the opposite. A lot went wrong. Nothing went smoothly and we had a dead rental car battery to deal with, too. What fun.

     It wasn't my intention but I may have made Cycle 1 and chemo in general sound like it was a breeze. Many people have very difficult experiences with chemotherapy but mine went fairly smoothly with only minor effects. My experience with Cycle 2 was not quite the gentle breeze as it was with Cycle 1. Closer to a gale, or at least a significant storm. But the bottom line is at this point I actually feel better on Day 3, Cycle 2 than I did on Day 3, Cycle 1. Go figure.

     We arrived to the Cancer Center early as we did not hit traffic. Got my blood drawn after a little wait and then sat around for a while. We were told my oncologist wanted to see me before the infusion but after the blood results were in. Then we found out  he was out sick and I would see the APRN instead. I went over to his office and got vitals checked and eventually saw blood results. We also requested a EKG to check for occasional irregular heartbeats. The old ticker has been irregularly irregular meaning sometimes there are little skips, sometimes it's all normal.

     Bloodwork showed a drop in White Blood Cells which was expected but neutrophills were good. Red Blood Cells and all the results associated with them improved which was hoped for. So, all-in-all, results were good. That was the end of the easy day.

     We got a new-to-us nurse (male) who failed at starting an IV, then I had a blow-out on his second attempt. He wisely went to get a more experienced and skilled nurse to start the IV. She failed the first time, too. I was a bit dehydrated due to the extended time since breakfast and liquids but they all said my veins looked great and they couldn't understand why they had problems. Once we started with the benedryll and other pre-chemo drugs I developed a sub-Q rash on my arm above the IV site. It faded fairly quickly. Then the Retuxin started. We started at a higher rate than last month and ramped up the flow rate quicker. This was because I tolerated the drug well last month. This was a mistake. I had a major reaction. My whole head and neck area was affected pretty badly. Itchy scalp, flushed and swollen face and my throat closed up. Not completely. That would have been bad. We stopped the infusion and got several antihistamines via the IV. The swelling went down after a little while and we resumed the infusion at a slower rate. The other big problem was my nurse was not quite as nuturing as my nurse last month and failed to get us lunch, snacks and drinks in sufficient quantities. They are not servants but patient comfort is actually important in this whole process.

     After the Retuximab infusion was finally complete, we started the Bendamustine portion of the chemo. This infusion is pretty quick. There is less drug and it goes in rapidly. We were done later than planned but after the reaction events I still felt good. Better than last month even. Might have been the steroids or the extra antihistamines but I felt fine. Then...

     We ordered food from the Italian restaurant we liked last month and went to pick it up for takeaway. The rental car would not start. Dead battery. Sigh. Hospital security gave us a jump but it took time. We were late to pick up our food. Late to hotel check in. And late to eat our dinner. Have you noticed the focus on food and other comforts. You might find that theme common to chemo or radiation patients. Not sure of the psychology here. I'm not analysing myself or other patients in other situations. Not today.

     Day 2 of this cycle was the same as the previous month, breakfast at the hotel, a short nap and some shopping on the way to the clinic. We went a little early to get an EKG done. They had tried during the infusion on Day 1 but two of the leads failed so we couldn't get an official reading. With the leads that were working we could see I was having PVCs (an irregular heartbeat) and a slightly faster rate than normal for me. No print out but Carol could read the screen. All this is a result of the chemo but no one seems to be concerned except Carol. And me.

     We had another delay on Day 2 as our rookie nurse failed to order the drug for infusion when we got there. Sigh. This meant another late start on the road back to Marathon. She also took two tries to start an IV line even though I was thoroughly hydrated this time. So ended the active portion of Cycle 2. As I mentioned, I felt even better on and after the second day of this cycle than the previous month and I felt very good after Cycle 1. It was everything else that made this a frustrating cycle. A friend whose husband went through all this last year warned us that every treatment for him was different every time and not to expect consistancy. Well, I can hope, can't I?

     Our daughter Heather and her family, including grandson Cobbe, arrived on Day 4 of this cycle. I was stll feeling great, still better than during Cycle 1 at the same point so activities were not curtailed at all for them or me. I didn't go to the beach with them because I'm not supposed to spend a lot of time in the sun and I didn't go to Key West with them because I do not want to spend time walking around and getting tired someplace I've been to a lot of times but the Dolphin Research Center and Crane Point Hammock are all places I did or will visit with them.

     Cobbe loves being on the boat (and being with grandma and grandpa - MeMa and Papa) and riding in the dinghy as well as swimming in the ocean, in a local hotel pool and seeing all our wildlife. He loved the dolphins at the Dolphin Center as well the exotic birds there. He is always pointing at the pelicans, gulls and buzzards (turkey vultures) flying all around the boat. Of course all the airplanes on approach to our airport grab his attention, too. He has seen sharks and other large fish nearby but he hasn't seen manatees or dolphins around our boat yet. That will likely happen before his week here is done. It's just part of our normal environment.

     So that's the summary of the start of Cycle 2. We plan to prepare the boat for our northbound passages, then Carol will have a work week away. We will scoot up to Fort Pierce, FL, drive back south to Miami for Cycle 3 and then push up to Annapolis, MD for the drive home for Cycle 4 in April. It's all very complicated, much more complicated than we prefer to have our life be but sometimes you just have to deal with what comes up.

     

Chemotherapy

     As a follow-up to my post about upcoming changes in our lives due to health this blog is about pre and post first cycle of chemo.

     Right after Christmas we drove up to the Miami area to meet my new oncologist. This doctor was kind of a mentor to my Smilow Cancer Center oncologist in Hartford.  Many other oncology/hematology physicians think he is on the forefront of the latest in lymphoma research and treatment. He focuses only on lymphoma. No other blood cancers. I have to say we were impressed with him and his team. And it was an entire team that we met with. We were told that I was the typical MCL patient in regards to gender and age and that there were only about 3600 people with this particular type of lymphoma. So, although we were previously told that not having an aggressive form of lymphoma was rare, this type of lymphoma (MCL) was often not aggressive and so, my situation was not all that unusual. So, having lymphoma is not too great, having this type usually isn't horrible. We shall see. I also learned I probably have a defective Sox 11 gene. I have other defective jeans but washing usually takes care of that. Again, a lack of Sox 11 expression was associated with an indolent subset and a favorable prognosis. If you understand any of that you are way ahead of me. I like the favorable prognosis part, however.

The above paragraphs were before my first chemo cycle, the following will be after that first cycle.

     Well, I've gone through my first chemotherapy infusions. It was... not what I expected.
   
     In Hartford there was a communal room where people were getting chemo and other treatments, about eight stations in the room. Each person may have been getting treatments for a different cancer, be in a different stage of their disease but there was a sense of community, an all-in-this-together feeling. In Miami (Coral Gables) people were in separate treatment rooms. Roomy and private but no sense of community. I may have some cycles up in Hartford in the future and be able to make a comparison.

     In the week or so leading up to my first treatments I was not feeling well at all. My blood pressure was very low, I was very tired and, of course, my anxiety levels were creeping up. Not scared or real worried but mostly a kind of new situation, first time, unknown process kind of anxiety. Wondering about the steps involved and how I would handle the drugs and potential side effects.

     In the waiting room before my first session I met a lung cancer patient who, if I remember correctly, was on his third treatment. He looked like he could run a marathon and had great things to say about the staff at the Sylvester/Lennar Center. He was extremely positive and wished me good luck and said all would go fine.

     We were led to a private room that was open to the windows and a great view. The room had the usual computer and IV flow machines as well as a TV and comfortable chairs. For the patient and a companion. More family could have been accommodated in chairs just outside the room.

     My chemotherapy infusion nurse (and all the others that I had over several days) was very positive, outgoing and very helpful in answering questions. She (they) believed in the process and had faith in positive results having seen so many. She also knew how to minimize side affects and told us how to how to avoid issues once we were home.

     The most important part of this whole process is... there were snacks. At least that was what Carol was most concerned with. Lunch. They brought a box with sandwiches, drinks, cookies and more. The steroids in the meds do make you hungry. The nurses know this and food is part of the comfort they provide. We made a serious dent in them.

     More than an hour before treatment starts you have blood drawn and then the the two chemo agents are custom made for the patient. Several IV medications are given before the actual chemo mostly to prevent adverse reactions. Rituximab is the drug that generally causes the first side affects and must be monitored while being infused. The rate of infusion is important, especially for the patient's first cycle. The drip rate is increased over time. As I was tolerating the infusion well the rate was slowly increased. The only noticeable effect on me was some facial flushing and scalp itch as the flow rate was increased. This went away before the infusion was over.

     As a contrast, the second medication, bendamustine, goes in much quicker and has few infusion issues. This is not to say there are no side affects, just none associated with the infusion.

     After we were done with Day 1, Cycle 1 we went to our hotel. Miami is about 115 miles from our home in Marathon so we rented a car and stayed at a hotel using Carol's business points. We had a very large, and surprisingly good, pizza for dinner in our room. The first significant side affect to all my drugs was to come later that evening. A result of all the steroids was absolutely no sleep. Zero. I wasn't uncomfortable. Didn't toss and turn. Just didn't sleep. Wasn't tired at all. As we used to say at Cytec when I worked the midnight shift, sleep is highly over-rated.

     Day 2, Cycle 1 had us back at the clinic for my second infusion. The second day is just the bendamustine alone. It has to be 20-24 hours after the first dose but doesn't take long at all. I was a bit tired by then and the ride back to Marathon didn't allow a nap but I wasn't feeling too bad. We made a shopping stop with no problems.

     Once were back in Marathon on Day 3 I could tell that I might have had nausea if I did not take the medications prescribed before I got the symptoms. Got ahead of the problem and so didn't have the problem. Very good advice from the nurses I had. By Day 6 I am no longer taking anti-nausea meds but I am taking the anti-viral and anti-bone pain meds. I do not have any pain, just preventing the possibility. The anti-virals are critical. I have a compromised immune system and a minor cold could become major or some weird, rare virus could attack me with very bad results. Very bad. As in brain turns to gelatin bad. Okay, that is extremely rare but the chances are not zero. I prefer zero.

     So, I am still early in my first cycle. It's a 28 day cycle and changes can be expected through day 14 but nothing should be extreme or unmanageable. We will see how I feel as the days go by and then we start all over again as day 29 becomes Day 1, Cycle 2.

     As I said earlier, the unknown causes the most worry. We are out of the realm of the unknown.

This was attached to my arm to give me an injection 27 hours after leaving the clinic. Flashed a light every 5 seconds. All night and day. #borg

Changes in Blogging

     I've been writing this blog for more than ten years, I think. It's been mostly about our travels on Infinite Improbability and other life events. I'm going to continue to write here about our boat journeys but I am also going to increase writing about life events. Starting now.
     About a year or so ago I talked about having to suddenly drive home from Annapolis for medical tests. In more recent blog postings I mentioned seeing various doctors including an oncologist but I have been vague about it all. Close family has been kept up to date as well as some friends that have been aboard our boat or been involved in watching Cleo for us when we went back home for health checks. I am now going to be more open and document what has been happening with my health and what may be happening in the near or long term future. BTW, I do have a long term future. At least as much as most people can expect. Coming back to Marathon from a medical check in February 2019 we got hit by a huge Peterbuilt dump truck (we were in an ten-passenger van) so unexpected future shortening events are always in the cards for all of us.
     I have Mantle-Cell Lymphoma, a non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. More than three years ago during an annual physical my doctor noticed some lymph node lumps in my neck. I was sent to a cancer surgeon who found no evidence of any issues. The next year's physical found no lumps. In 2018 the same lymph nodes were evident again and I went back to the cancer surgeon who said cancer doesn't come and go but we should do some checks anyway. An ultrasound, a needle biopsy, lymphectomy, bone marrow biopsy, and CT/PET scan all followed. Ever been hit upside the head with a two-by-four? Those who have had a cancer diagnosis know what I'm talking about. Others, too.
     Anyway, I am going to increase the circle of people who know about this, go public so to speak. Why? I have seen a number of inspirational cancer diaries over the years and although I have doubts about being inspirational (major doubts), I do have some ability to write and to observe those around me. I can (and do) claim to be a professional writer. Again, why? Simple. I have written. I write. And I have also been paid a time or two to write. That is the definition of a professional writer. Being paid. The amount doesn't matter.
     So now, after another round of blood tests, a CAT scan, a CT/PET scan, and a colonoscopy to search for a cause for my anemia, I have sat in a special chair amongst a group of people who were getting some form of chemotherapy while I was getting a couple of infusions of iron. The people looked healthy, they looked sickly, they looked tired, they looked defiant, they looked experienced but most of all they looked around at the others knowing they were all sharing a similar experience. Except me. I was a fraud. Not getting chemo. Just some IV iron.
     That's going to change. After more than three years of probably having the disease and a little more than a year after diagnosis, I am going to have to start treatment (chemotherapy) in January. The day after Christmas I am seeing the world's premier oncology/hematologist who happens to be in Miami, only a hundred miles from here in Marathon. The accolades are according to my oncologist who is only the director at the Smilow Cancer Center at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford.
     So that is the summary. We'll start the chemo cycles in January. They'll go two days a month for six months and then we'll see where we go from there. I may not have been lucky in contracting this disease but I have been pretty fortunate in having an indolent form of the cancer. It's not been particularly aggressive. I have also been lucky in having health care providers who are connected with some of the best in their fields. I've also been pretty fortunate in having the support of my wife, Carol, her medical knowledge and her doggedness in questioning options and dealing with some of the insurance and billing people. Ok, so dealing with insurance and billing hasn't been all that great.
     Our ever expanding group of boating/cruising friends has been encouraging and we'll just have to see where it goes from here. I will be keeping all informed through this blog going into the future.       
      And I plan to keep having a future.