Northbound 2024

       We departed Marathon early on St. Patrick's Day. The forecast had wandered around from moderate to light and back again. It ended up closer to moderate than light but it wasn't too terrible a passage. Just 2ft seas forward of the beam. It was hot but with high overcast so we didn't cook our brains. Breeze kept it okay, too. We anchored at Tarpon Basin, Key Largo. I went in for a swim in the 80° water to check the depth sounders and the knotmeter. No issues but it was a good thing I checked. We had a light warp from a crab or lobster trap wrapped around our starboard propeller. Not tightly wrapped so the engine didn't jam but it would have eventually. Nice. 

     Of course the next day while getting underway I discovered the starboard exhaust mixing elbow separated from the exhaust manifold. Perhaps from vibration caused by the line on the prop. Just a guess. Maybe unrelated. The repair took 2 hours of sweat and pain. It lasted 30 minutes and failed again. After letting the engine cool for an hour it only took another 30 minutes to retighten again. It's temporary as the gasket is burnt and leaking some exhaust. A little. Probably won't die of CO poisoning. Maybe. The 2 hour repair involved looking, guessing and trying. The 30 minute repair was the result of the earlier experience. Just as soon pass on the experience of fixing things. 

     We ended up at Marine Stadium at Virginia Key, Miami. They were setting up a huge stage on land for a concert of groups we never heard of. Lucky to be missing it. Because of the weather we stayed 2 nights. At 0200 the first night a boat came in and blasted 'music' for about an hour before departing. While here we shopped for cheaper insurance and reviewed summer haul-out options. Changed our minds about summer storage (again) to go to Thunderbolt, GA instead of the Charleston, SC area. It's slightly cheaper, closer to where we are, but we will have a longer drive home. Still very expensive but we are limited in our choices due to our beam. South Carolina presented property tax issues for us. No thanks. The 2nd night in Miami was slightly quieter (not bad) but the concert venue was testing part of the light show. Flashing lights. Lasers. All night. Weird. Quiet anyway. 

     Winds were fairly light when we went out of Government Cut Inlet into the ocean the next day. Nearly on the nose, however, so we had about 1ft seas on top of 2-3ft swells. Not great but not all that uncomfortable. We went into Port Everglades Inlet (Fort Lauderdale) back onto the ICW then had to deal with all the bascule bridges. Not fun but more comfortable than north winds on the ocean. The VHF radio noise can drive you nuts, also. Too many bridges too close together and poor radio procedures. Floridiots. 

     We anchored in Lake Boca, Boca Raton. It was more crowded than any week day that we'd been here previously. Spring break crowds? Someone blasted part of a song at 1130 at night but otherwise it was quiet. Wasn't even a complete song before it went off. Weird. 

     The passage towards and beyond Palm Beach went well. Not too hot. Breeze on the stern and we made all the bridge schedules. We anchored at Peck's Lake near the north end of Jupiter Island for the first time. This made the next day's passage in the forecast rain a little shorter. It was still breezy when we got underway from Peck's Lake but as soon as we turned north it was fine as the wind was at our stern. This meant the rain was at our backs, too. It never rained too hard as the serious storms went south of us. Marathon and the Keys got seriously affected. The rain paused just as we got to the Vero Beach City Marina for fuel and to register for a mooring for the weekend. The wind picked up as the rain ended which made our raft-up to another catamaran a bit of a challenge. The wind was forecast to be more than it actually was but also forecast to crank way up later at night. It did. Overnight gusted to 50. Steady 30-35. Dock line stretching noises but otherwise all was fine. Slept through most of it. Our neighbors are new to boating and worried about the line stretching and other noises. Also our wind generator has taken to making noises above 35kts of wind. When we talked they were surprised to learn we slept through it all. Used to it. Worry about other things. Not sure if they were reassured by my lack of concern. There really wasn't an issue but you don't know until you have experienced it a time or two. Or a dozen. Or two dozen. Our time at Velcro Beach had wind and rain and cool weather but wasn't the washout that was predicted. Wasn't terrible but not quite the nicest. 

     Our passage from Vero was very fast due to a strong breeze being behind us. We put the genoa out and reduced engine RPMs and flew up the Indian River. Reduced fuel use, too. It was a little choppy, briefly up to 1 1/2ft seas, before easing to under 1 ft. We anchored just north of the Sally Ride Memorial bridge south of Titusville, FL. A little lumpy to start but it quieted overnight. There were 6 transient boats anchored in the spot. I had never seen more than one. The next day was slightly less windy but it picked up as we anchored at Daytona Beach after a brief fuel stop. Started gray but ended up a nice day and an easy passage. Once again the wind eased after sunset. Leaving Daytona was almost, but not quite, foggy. Wind was light but it was an all day gray day. Slightly cool because it just seemed damp. Not a bad day but it just seemed dull. 

    Passed by friends at Palm Coast. Former boat owners from Marathon. 

     No issues along the way and we stopped at St. Augustine Municipal Marina and got a mooring. The forecast was not good and had the potential to be horrible but we got ashore for showers before the rain started.

     Nao Trinidad, a replica of Magellan's flagship, at St. Augustine. 

The severe weather missed and we just got rain. The winds picked up after the rain on our second day as we were getting back to the boat after lunch and errands ashore. Jane Fulton took us around as Bob wasn't feeling well and couldn't join us. As we got back to the boat the wind pushed us into the folded up boarding ladder just right (just wrong) and we popped one of the inflated tubes. A very big rip. Wonderful. We've hit that point dozens of times without any issues. It wasn't all that hard an impact. @@%&$ happens. 🤬💩 We don't think we'll need the dinghy again before we are hauled out. It's repairable just a major pain in the 🍑. More repairs before layup. Grrrr.  

     It was cold when we left St. Auggie (54°) and a bit breezy. The wind was not an issue on the ICW but made tying up at the free dock at Sisters Creek, Jacksonville a little tricky but not awful. All big powerboats tied up with us this time. Unusual. While here we notified our insurance company of our location and our intention to haul the boat for hurricane season near Savannah, GA. As we will no longer be considered full time liveaboards our rates went down. Still outrageous but lower. We'll actually get a refund. It's something but it just means we overpaid. Still shopping for cheaper. 

     It was colder still when we left Jacksonville the next day. Turtleneck, sweatshirts, long pants. Socks!!! Got off the dock easily and had an easy day. The shallows near Amelia Island were negotiated with relative ease as it was almost to mid-tide. The shallows at the Cumberland Dividings had been dredged but the dredge working just past them made the passage a challenge briefly. The operator was very helpful in getting us by him. Had to hug the vessels very closely, however. We ended up in Umbrella Creek off of Jekyll Sound for the second time. An out of the way spot with no wind protection but deep and wide. 

     It was slightly warmer the next day but still cold. We got underway about an hour later than normal due to the tide and a shallow area in Jeckyll Creek, about 45 minutes away. We crawled slowly through the area and made it fine. Saw about 8ft at lowest. The rest of the day was reasonably easy. Fairly deep through the other shallow areas. There is a 6 to 8ft tide in Georgia so with planning (and luck) you can get through. Usually. We stopped early at Crescent, GA on the Crescent River because the next potential anchorage spot was 20 miles farther on. 2 to 3 hours farther on. No thanks. 

     Our last full cruising travel day was slightly warmer. Still long pants but fewer layers. Again it got to near 80° in the afternoon after a cool start. Our passage timing got us to Hell Gate after mid-tide so it went by with ease. We anchored in Herb River within sight of the marina where we will be hauled out. The Hell Gate in Georgia is completely different than Hells Gate in New York. Georgia's is very narrow and shallow connecting two rivers. It has little current. The New York version is much deeper and very swift due to the hydrologic difference between Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean south and east of the City. It also has an S-curve to make it even more challenging. One you have to time the tide to have the current with you, the other (Georgia) you have to time the tide to have enough water under your keel(s). 

     Our last day underway didn't start until after 1230 and ended at 1315. We picked up the anchor, went out of the Herb River into the Wilmington River. From there it was only about 15 minutes to the marina. We drove right into the travellift without tying up and were hauled out. Four days of cleaning, repairing, oil changes, packing and moaning and groaning followed. I can't believe there is so much stuff! And we're not taking everything! We learned the marina does not allow people on boats on land to sleep on them overnight. We had to get a hotel room about 15 minutes away. By car. Oh, we don't have a car. This meant getting a Lyft each way every day ($$$) until we picked up the truck we rented to ship our stuff home. Or at least to Massapequa. The rental from the Savannah area was less than half the price as it would have been from Marathon. Same company. When we went to pick up the truck at a Home Depot they didn't have the one we reserved (cue the Seinfeld episode) so they gave us a larger truck. Made packing easier but it's a bit harder to maneuver and gets poorer gas milage. Parking is an adventure, too. We finished packing in mid-afternoon and got on the road for a couple of hours.

     Some of our stuff on the boat - all of our stuff on the truck. Looks like a lot on the boat, not so much on the truck. 

     So, we drove home. The end of an era. Almost 15 years of the full time liveaboard life has come to an end. We may return in October to cruise back down to Marathon. May not. Boat may sell. May not. It's strange transitioning to a new lifestyle at this stage of our lives. Strange facing all this uncertainty at this stage of our lives. I know, it's all an adventure. If you been reading this blog for all these years you know what I think of adventures. 

     So. Hmmm. I guess this is the end. Maybe. No more need for a blog about the cruising liveaboard life. If the boat doesn't sell and we return in October maybe the blog will return. Maybe not. 

     Bye for now. 

Weird Marathon Winter

      About a week after the Celtic Festival we had a couple of virtual showings of the boat and several requests for more info. With a virtual showing the broker walks on, around and through the boat with his phone in his hand and showing everything to the potential buyer via the video feed to their phone. Semi-high tech. The first virtual visitor flew in from Texas 2 days later for an in-person visit and then made an offer on the boat. It was close to what we wanted and we accepted the bid. This had been all too quick and we were going to have to prepare for leaving our home and lifestyle of 14 or so years. It was a lot of work, especially for Carol, to organize and clean the boat and what came next was even more work. For both of us. 

     Our outboard motor decided it was time for the carburetor to start acting up again. Ethanol in gasoline messes up boat carbs, clogs jets, etc. It takes about 2 years for the gasoline to start messing things up and, guess what, it's been about two years since the last time I swapped out the carburetors. I clean the carb and put it with my spare parts until it's time to make the swap again. It's not that hard but wrestling the outboard off and then back on the dinghy is a pain. A major pain. Back. Knees. Wrists. A reminder why we put the boat up for sale. Things that were very common and easy are no longer easy. Still common, unfortunately. Hoping not much else wears out or fails before we sell. These are not faults or defects, just normal wear and tear from full-time use. Sigh. 

     Our survey was in Key Largo, roughly 50 miles from Marathon. Before we went there with the boat we drove to Miami for a visit with my oncology-hematologist to do some blood tests and a check-up. All good. For now. 

      Alabama Jacks after our Miami visit. 

 

    Our passage to Key Largo was a bit lumpy but calmed as we went east (north). We anchored between Rodrigues Key and Rock Harbor after about 7 1/2 hours underway. It was very hot. Our haul-out location was in Rock Harbor, Key Largo. The breeze picked quite a bit after we anchored and it was a slightly rough night at anchor. Not terrible and we were comfortable knowing our anchor would hold with just a little extra scope. No one was near us. The morning was rough as we got underway to the marina that would haul us. We got to about 15 feet away from their wall and went aground. Apparently the strong winds (about 17kts) blew the water out of their basin. We struggled to get free but after nearly 30 minutes, with the genoa out and a lot of backing and filling, we got turned around and got away and headed out without getting ourselves hauled for the survey. We went to another marina a couple of miles away and up the Port Largo Canal to pick up our broker, the surveyor and 2 of the 3 potential new (we hoped) owners. We then went back out to sea to start the survey and have a demo sail. The sail was great! We hit 8.6kts. and the sail was enjoyed by all. We had not seen the mainsail in a while. This was all in Small Craft Advisory conditions. Sporty. We then went back to Marina Del Mar to continue the survey. The canal is very narrow with a lot of traffic. You have to call out securite warnings several times especially at a spot called 'crash corner'. Ominous but obvious why it's called that. A very tiring, frustrating and long day. The potential owners seemed nice as well as the surveyor. The surveyor seemed to be thorough and meticulous. Seemed. He worked for the new owners, not us. He spent a lot of time showing and instructing one of the two women that came from Texas, the 'official' spouse of the original visitor who made the offer a couple weeks earlier. Slightly unusual living arrangements let's say. Not quite defined for sure to us. No matter. Nice people. 

     The second day of the survey started with a 'free' breakfast from the marina. At what they charge for dockage (not paid by us) it wasn't exactly free. Everyone arrived a little after 0800 and got to work again. At 1030 we got underway again to try to get hauled out at the other marina. The one with very shallow water. There was more water due to less wind blowing it away from shore but we still got stuck. With some maneuvering and help from a man from the marina we finally got in position to be hauled. After an extremely rushed inspection we got away. With a lot of bottom bumping, slow downs and temporary groundings. The survey showed the bottom of the keels were damaged by the groundings of the previous day. Minor, easily repaired damage. But still damaged. By the marina chosen by the new owners for the survey.  We then returned to our docking spot at the other marina and the survey continued. A couple of items will need attention but should not have affected the sale. If all was perfect we could have asked for a whole lot more $$$. The long day ended after 1600 again and all were exhausted. Except Cleo. 

     After three tiring days (including the passage to Key Largo) we got underway to head back to Marathon. The passage started out great! Fast. Comfortable. Then it got a bit sporty. Not terrible at all but choppy. Still fast, however. All in all it was a nice sail. We were home at Marathon but it was another tiring day. 

     We got back into the regular routine, pickleball, happy hours, Crane Point tours, etc. Then nasty weather hit us again (damn El Nino) and we stayed on the boat for three rough days. The day before we were scheduled to get the survey report our buyers decided they no longer wanted the boat. They are going to buy a house instead. A bit angry here. We disagree with our broker on our next steps but what we agree on is that the boat is back on the market. The next day we had our first video visit and we know there are around ten other interested parties but, of course, we don't know how serious any of the others are. We were not at the beginning of the process again but close to it. Video visits are steps three or four with in-person visits, offers, contracts, surveys, etc. to follow. Again. Grrrr. Just before we had our second in-person visit we received a copy of the survey. Carol printed it out at our local library, 164 pages. Crazy. It was signed by a surveyor who was never on the boat. Turns out our surveyor was a student. Not how he represented himself. Some strange things were noted. Some irrelevant. Some things missed. And a few things we will need to correct. All-in-all, it was okay for our boat's age and price. Not perfect. A few items in the report indicated to me some lower level of expertise, on the surveyors part, than he claimed. Oh, well. The survey, as wrong as it was in some parts, should not have affected the buyers decision to buy or not buy. If they were smart. Apparently not. They spent a lot of money (a lot) and cost us some money just to back out in the end. Without a real reason. Sigh. 

     So we got back to our winter routines and our original plans to haul the boat somewhere in the south (for the summer), come home, live with our daughter and her family and look for a dirt based home in Connecticut. Then we would return to the boat in the fall to sail back to Marathon. Not sure if any or all of this will happen. Not sure exactly what the future will bring. Not sure we're ever sure. Another adventure. We got to work on the survey issues that were legitimate, changed the engine oil and continued to prepare for showings or a departure northbound. We had a family with kids visit the boat but they did not make an offer. 

     A few weeks later Paul and Karen Rosa came to Marathon to visit. They sold their house (and boat) and bought a mobile home to cruise the United States. They parked their home in Key Largo and drove their tow vehicle down. We showed them the marina and took a cruise around the harbor. Great to see long time friends! 

     The final couple of weeks had us preparing as we always did. Resupplying food, fuel and water and cleaning the bottom of growth. It only takes a month to get plenty of drag inducing barnacles, grass and fuzzies to collect under water. We also prepared our taxes and took care of other financial issues. What fun. 

     The weather really got nice our last few weeks in Marathon. Hot at times with high humidity. Not our favorite conditions but better than cold and wet. BTW, cold here is under 68°F. Brrr. Everything got stocked and topped off (food, water, fuel) and we did a tour of our favorite restaurants. We went to our last few Friday social hours and the monthly brunch and gave a last few tours at Crane Point. I got a chance to say good-bye to friends there as well as Rocco and Charlie. The latter two are African Spurred Tortoises that I pet and feed sometimes. I also give mini-talks to visitors about them occasionally. They were very friendly to me on my last day. Hugging and rubbing up against me. Of course, the previous week I gave them some sweet treats, hibiscus flowers and apple bits which may have led to the affection. Apparently Charlie forgot he bit me the previous week. On the finger and totally my fault as I gave him too small a piece of flower. Still hurt like hell. A deep puncture wound with no tearing. They have strong beaks and powerful jaws. Totally not aggressive but... Anyway maybe his extra affection was in hope of getting more of my blood. Not sure how sweet it is. 

     It was a very unusual winter season. El Nino meant up and down weather patterns. Cold (for here) and rainy at times. More storms than usual but also very warm days, too. Up and down. It was up and down emotionally, too. Putting the boat up for sale. Dealing with the preparation. Dealing with Essex Boat Works not wanting to take responsibility for the damage they did to our saildrives. Issues with the survey. The sale falling through. New interest but then no new offers. Finally we just decided to enjoy our last month in Marathon like normal and look for a marina to haul us out for the summer hurricane season. We plan to leave the boat in the Charleston, SC area and drive home, spend time with the kids and then look for a dirt based home in Conn. It'll be a change. We have no idea if or how it will all work out. An adventure. 

     I may have mentioned before just what I think of adventures. 

Marathon early winter 2023

      We started off the season being sick. Common cold but annoying. Not covid. Carol got it from Kaia then passed it to me. I lost my voice but improved after a few weeks. Carol's persisted and turned into a sinus infection. My congestion and cough lasted awhile longer beyond being sick. 

     I started playing pickleball before I should have but kinda took it easy until I was healthier. After a week in Marathon I started giving tours at Crane Point again. Cleo started losing weight again and after another very expensive vet visit, lab work, etc., we found that she is getting old. Duh. Kidney issues. Elevated blood pressure and more. Her meds are very costly. Sigh. 

Turkey vultures circling overhead in Marathon. Same birds as in Old Lyme? 

     Bad weather moved in and lasted nearly 5 full days. By bad weather I mean gales, downpours, windshifts and other nice stuff. Anchored boats dragged. Moored boats fended off anchored boats. Generally not a good time. Improbability fared pretty well, secured to the pilings of our friend's home at the south edge of the harbor. We had to adjust our fenders several times and replace a couple of chafed fender lines but had a lot less stress and tension than our moored and anchored friends. A lot of reading got done. Some cleaning and organizing. Minor other chores, too. We had trivia and bingo played over the VHF radio as we monitored the weather situation, available if a major, life-threatening event occurred. Unusual weather even for the Keys. Normal is a day or two of poor weather then back to paradise. Not 4+ days. Missed pickleball, Crane Point and food shopping but we did not run out of food. That would take a few weeks. After about 25 days secured to the pilings we got a mooring assigned to us. Not a bad one:  K-3. Bad means a distant location. Low numbers are closer to the marina and prefered by us. At about the same time, our broker came out to photograph the interior of our boat for the sales listing websites. Then Christmas came. 

     A Green Turtle (sea turtle) at the  Marathon Turtle Hospital we visited Christmas Eve with the visiting kids. 

     We drove a huge Ford Explorer to Miami airport to pick up the kids and grandkids. Three rows for the car seats and adults. Hard to park but surprisingly comfortable. We went to a famous football coach's restaurant in Key Largo coming back home. Kinda not too bad. Service was friendly, anyway. 

     Our first tourist trip was to the Marathon Turtle Hospital. I hadn't been in about ten years. Cobbe had a great time having seen a Jack Hannah show on TV about the place. Later in the week they released, at Sombrero Beach, three rehabbed green turtles we had seen at the hospital. Cobbe got a close-up look with the other kids. Some of the adults needed better training about manners, however. 

     The weather wasn't great, a little cool, but only one morning was a total washout. Several beach days happened for them as well as a trip to Key West. I participated in none of those, thank you. After eight days we returned everyone to the Miami airport and did some shopping in Homestead on the way home. 

     We continued preparing the boat for possible potential buyers and had our broker out to take mostly interior photos. Still playing pickleball and volunteering at Crane Point. We also volunteered at the Celtic Fest again. It's fun, has great music and has all the free beer (mostly Guinness brands this year) we could drink. For us that is very little. I learned my lesson quite a few years ago in over-serving myself at this event. Ok, I was voluntarily reducing the inventory of a hard cider to save it from being wasted as the remainder of the keg was paid for and would have been dumped at the end of the festival. My story, and I'm sticking to it. It rained very hard for about 90 minutes the 2nd day (Sunday) of the event which cut down the demand for beer. Everything closed down for a while but the deluge eventually stopped and the music resumed a little late. Fun and enjoyable despite the delay. The rain was a symptom of this year's El Nino weather pattern. Cooler. Breezier. And more rain, too. This is our 3rd El Nino winter in 14 years. Not too bad. 

Barn owl at the raptor exhibit at the Celtic Festival. 

     This mid-winter posting is a little later than our normal, as it includes the Celtic Fest. We will continue our usual activities and add preparation for showing our boat to potential buyers to our routine. We'll see how it all progresses. Medical checks for Cleo and me coming up. Separately. 

Vero Beach to Marathon

      Because we picked up many days on our passages from Cape Charles and we never stayed more than one night in any harbor we got to Vero Beach with several days in hand before our scheduled flight out of Miami. As noted in my previous posting we travelled more hours most days and by the time the weather window opened for an offshore passage out of Charleston we were already through Georgia. When we got to Vero we actually had time enough to get all the way to Marathon except the weather for an offshore passage was not very good. Awful actually. Plus we had cancelled our rental car reservation down there and didn't know if someone could watch the boat and Cleo. So we relaxed a bit in Vero. First time in a while.

     We went to the Saturday farmers market by bus, watched the UConn women on the marina TV on Sunday, took the bus for a few groceries on Monday and did the oil changes and other maintenance.  Then went to Mike and Carol's home in Fort Pierce for lunch and a good long visit on Tuesday. Great catching up!

     Renting a car the day before our flight let us get gas station diesel instead of buying marina fuel, saving $1.50 per gallon. Getting our boarding passes and going through security in Miami was surprisingly easy and relatively quick. The flight to JFK was a bit lumpy on a 737 but the middle hour was smooth enough. We spent one night at our daughter's house then drove our own car to Connecticut for a medical visit for Carol and a stop at our storage unit to get my suit for the wedding. We got an AirB&B condo for 3 nights for the 6 of us and went to the wedding rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself. On our extra day everyone went to the Science Museum in Hartford except me. I went to see my drug dealer (Walgreen's) and went to visit Mystic Seaport Museum to see what was new, visit fellow volunteer friends and just to absorb the atmosphere I like so much. 

   

  Our return visit to JFK was amazingly quick and easy. TSA was very efficient. Our flight back to Miami on a B-777 (first time) was smooth except for a kid kicking the back of my seat for 2 out of the 3 hour flight. What fun! Miami airport was a zoo and the road traffic was bad until we cleared the Lauderdale area. Before we returned the car we got more diesel and really restocked the fridge and lockers. The weather while we were gone was very, very bad but it improved much sooner than originally forecast so after our one day of shopping we got underway. 

      Our 1st day on the road had good, if breezy, weather. The wind and current against us slowed us most of the day and the bascule bridge schedules slowed us even more. This made it a long day and we anchored in North Palm Beach after 9 1/2 hours. Pushing past an intermediate anchorage gave us more options for our 2nd day. Our 2nd day had us go offshore out of Lake Worth Inlet (the Palm Beach area) and head to Miami. Another long day. Especially because of the Gulf Stream current against us. We were not actually in the stream being only 1 to 1.5 miles off the beach but the northbound flow drags adjacent water along with it slowing down southbound vessels. It was a nice day with high thin clouds and warm temperatures except for the early morning period when we were a bit cool. We ended up in the Marine Stadium Basin at Virginia Key, Miami 11 hours later. We had kind of a Thanksgiving dinner and went to bed. 

     Our penultimate day started off not as rainy as the forecast. The rain delayed about an hour or so. It started off misting, then light rain, before the deluges started. It poured. Zero visibility at times. We each went through several changes of clothes as most everything got wet. Soaked. Wrinkled fingers. Soggy feet. What fun! We haven't had a rainy day passage in a long time as we try to avoid them. Just as bad as we remember. We ended up in Barley Basin near Islamorada and Upper Matecumbe Key. A 9 hour day. 7 wet hours. Yuck. 🌧 My cold symptoms got worse as Carol's slowly improved. It took her 2 days of coughing and sneezing  before she infected me. Thanks. She probably got it from Kaia and not someone at the wedding. We have vaccines for every other old people disease but the common cold is not one of them. Sigh. 🤧🤢🤬

     Our last day on our southbound season started off cloudy and breezy but improved. It warmed to the 80s and the breeze eased once we were off the ICW into the ocean. A nice passage and only 5 hours. The City Marina was full up as expected so we went on the waiting list for a mooring. There are actually more empty  moorings than boats on the waiting list but they are out of service due to maintenance issues. Not an apparent great business model. Maintenance and repairs might be done in the slow season (summer) not the busy winter season. Sigh. Government bureaucracy. The anchorages looked full and unsafe so we were glad we arranged to borrow a couple of pilings of friends who live on the harbor. The pilings are in back of their house, in the water, and made a good, safe tie up for us until we get a mooring ball. Thanks Dale and Vesta! Carol has been playing Mah Jong at the house with Vesta and Gwyn for a few years now. Gwyn helped out with the arrangements, too. We got the chance to visit then go to the marina to register and pay for dinghy dock access as well as showers and other marina amenities. Other boating friends dropped by to say hello but we are holding off on meeting up with other long time friends here until our colds get better. 

     I should start pickleball as soon as I'm well and start being a tour guide at Crane Point again, also. The usual stuff. We also have to start organizing and cleaning the boat for potential buyers. Hard to do when there is no external place (like a house) to store things. We'll get by. 

     I will likely post a midwinter blog at some point and by the time we are scheduled to leave in the spring we may have a better idea of what our future might look like. Maybe. Maybe not. 

After Annapolis 2023

      We got underway after a week in Annapolis. Only one engine (port) is operable. Our starboard transmission failed as we trying to pick up our first mooring a week ago. Exploring showed the saildrive had no gear oil at all in it. The port drive had some oil (but not much) so it didn't fail. The new seals installed in August apparently failed after less than 50 operating hours. Inspections included diving under the boat to eyeball the saildrives. Conditions in Naptown were mostly gray while we were there but improved the last couple of days. Our passage to Solomons was a bit foggy to start but ended beautiful, warm, dry and with a light to no breeze. 

     In Annapolis we got a couple more vaccines each, food shopped, dined out and did boat work. Boat work was mostly trying to figure what was wrong with the saildrive and searching for someone/ somewhere to get it worked on. Also had the outboard  starting pull cord snap. Rewinding that was lots of fun. Took hours but after a couple of tries finally got it right. I now know the trick to doing it. Also did our regular battery maintenance. 

     My cell phone case finally wore out. The buttons fell off. Of course, after I stopped using the case I dropped the phone on a sidewalk. New phone needed. Sigh. It was a rough week. 

     Our passage to Jackson Creek, Deltaville was mostly uneventful. At times there were ripples on the water, like when we were crossing the front of the Potomac River, but mostly it was flat calm. Nice. A long passage but nice. Leaving Deltaville gave us a little breeze. Very light but not flat calm. We went to Cape Charles Harbor to be hauled out just as we started having trouble with our other saildrive. Difficult maneuvering with only one engine and that one only able to go in forward. We likely have serious internal transmission damage from loss of gear oil and seawater intrusion.  

           Saildrive seal showing damage.

     Interesting seeing all the internal parts of a saildrive transmission. And what can break. Perhaps could have done without that knowledge. 

     While waiting out the search for and the delivery of new saildrives we explored Cape Charles (doesn't take long) and found some pickleball courts and players. We also discovered a nature preserve with trails through the woodlands out to the Bay. Our marina had a loaner golf cart to help get around town but getting groceries meant using the local (free) bus service. 

     After two weeks ashore a young woman I met playing pickleball loaned us a car (SUV) and that let us get farther afield than the golf cart allowed. We went on some hikes in a few not-so-nearby park/nature center areas and did a little exploring of surrounding towns. Groceries were much easier to get on our schedule and not dependent on the bus schedule or reserving the cart. Thanks Jackie!   

     Cotton boll we picked on the side of the road, probably illegally. 

     Pickleball was very interesting. I thought I was a decent player and I do quite well in Marathon. Out of 3 dozen players there I am in the top 5 in ability. Here I am the worst. Really. What a difference playing top players! Someone, trying to be kind, said I wasn't the worst but struggled to point out someone clearly worse than me. Playing with one of (not the) top players got very frustrating. For her. Trying to pull my level of play up. Oh well. Playing challenging people makes you better.

On our walk at Kiptopeke State Park. Also saw the sunken WW II cement ships that are now a breakwater. 

     We got underway after 3 weeks of delay and installation of two new saildrives to replace the ones severely damaged by Essex Boat Works. Cost us about $16K. Hope the insurance comes through so we don't have to sue the marina directly. Easy passage to Portsmouth, VA and we squoze into a very tight spot at the free dock in South Basin. 

     The next day had us make a fuel stop a Top Rack Marina for one of the cheapest prices we will see this trip and then go to Great Bridge for a stay at the north free dock. First time using our old spot in quite a few years. More recently we've been using the south docks. In Great Bridge (Chesapeake, VA.) I got a new phone (finally!), saw our drug supplier (Walgreens), got some groceries and gear oil to replace what was wasted in our old damaged saildrives. All packed into one afternoon so we could press on. 

     Leaving Great Bridge we went an extra long time, passing Broad Creek and going all the way across Albemarle Sound to the Little Alligator River. This is just off the northern end of the Alligator River and a couple miles from the swing bridge. First time spot for us. Not great protection but none needed due to the tail end of the great weather we've had since Cape Charles. The breeze picked up overnight so we now know why this was not a highly recommended spot. Wasn't terrible. In the morning we picked up, went through the Alligator River swing bridge and went all the way to Bear Creek near Mesic, NC. This is just a bit south of Hobucken. We wanted to go to R E Mayo in Hobucken for cheap dockage and shrimp but it was full up. Oh, well. Bear Creek is only about 3 miles further and we'd used it once before. 

     We got underway just as it started getting a bit light. Being in a no hazzard area made it possible and we are still pushing to get south ASAP. Not wise. After a very long day (11 hours) and several changes of mind as to our destination, we ended up at Mile Hammock, Camp LeJuene (the Marine Base). Mile Hammock had more boats than we'd seen in quite of few years but not over crowded. We left at first light and ended the day on a mooring in Carolina Beach. We got cold water beach showers and I went to Publix for a few items. Met some new people on a nearby boat because Carol could not restart the outboard. Turned out they had been to Mystic Seaport recently and had  taken a Viking Cruise similar to the one we have scheduled next year. 

     We left early again the next day although early is getting later and later each morning. Someone wanted to keep pushing (again) so we passed by Calabash Creek on the NC/SC border for a pay marina, Osprey, in Socastee near Myrtle Beach, SC. Just about an 11 hour day. 😟 We got a shower, hot this time, and then went to bed. Very cold in the morning when we left. We stopped at Wacca Wache Marina for fuel, probably the cheapest we will get anywhere south of here. It got very windy as we were leaving and the passage down the Waccamaw got choppy. Winyah Bay was very rough but the 2-3ft waves and the wind were behind us so not a problem. Near freezing cold, however. We anchored for the second time in South Santee River just off the ICW. No wind protection but good holding in the strong but declining winds. We were comfortable enough. 

     Several mentions of the cold the last few days but now it's really cold. About 8° above freezing. Real freezing. Not quite as windy as it's been, but still breezy. With that breeze and the cold 🥶 we had several extra layers of clothes on but to no avail. Cold. Cold. Cold. We went through Charleston and pushed on (at my suggestion for a change) to Tom Point Creek, a spot we haven't used in a lot of years. We sat out a major gale here too many years ago to remember. 

     It was just past low tide when we left the next morning so shallow areas were getting deeper as the day went on. All good and not quite as cold. Not quite. We went through Beaufort, SC but we just missed the Ladys Island Swing Bridge at noon so we sat around until 12:30. We ended up in a new spot for us, Bull Creek across from Daufuskie Island. A very nice spot. Lots of dolphins. 

     It was just before low tide this time when we left but when we got to the shallow areas it was after low and the water was rising. Most of those areas had been dredged within the last year so we had no depth issues. We cruised very slowly through the one tricky area for two reasons. 1 - although it was dredged, it was not a straight path and not all that deep and 2 - we were ahead of schedule to pass through a de-construction area that has limited open channel periods. Even though we traveled very slowly for about 5 miles we were still early and had to sit idle for 30 minutes. Oh well. Better than being late and waiting 90 or more minutes. After that delay all went well and we ended up at Walburg Creek where we last anchored about 10 years ago. Nice but a bit too deep. We didn't hear the strange animal noises in the woods we used to hear in the past. Werewolfs probably. Too tired after Halloween I guess. We did see the ghost forest on St. Catherine's Island. Look it up. 

     We got up very early as Daylight Saving Time ended and both sunrise and sunset are earlier by the clock. We were also up early because of a shoal at the southern entrance of Walburg Creek and the tide was falling. We wanted to get out at least 75 minutes before dead low. We went very slowly and zig-zaged our way and made it out with depth to spare. A little extra depth. Because of this departure we had a rising tide throughout the day and the shallow areas were passed in relative comfort. We stopped at Jekyll Harbor Marina for fuel. It was very expensive but almost $1/gal. cheaper than down the road. Crazy. Shortly after getting fuel we went to Umbrella Creek to anchor. A new spot for us. Deep and wide but little wind protection. We were fine. Light breeze. 

     It was warmer on wake up than it has been but still cool. Warms quickly as we are near the Florida-Georgia border. A little tense due to going through shallow areas at low tide in the Cumberland Dividings. We were cautious but had no troubles at all. No troubles in the Fernadina- Amelia shallow areas either. We ended up early at the free dock on Sister's Creek outside of Jacksonville, FL. Took on some water and did some cleaning with our extra time. Preparing for boat broker photos and possible visit by a looker. Nice spot and surprisingly not crowded. 

     We had difficulty getting on the free dock at Sisters Creek because of the current but were very comfortable overnight. Getting off the dock in the morning was even worse. We ended up tearing two fender straps and were lucky to recover the fenders. The passage to St. Augustine was non-eventful even though crossing the St. John River was made briefly interesting by dredging and traffic. Our meeting with our boat broker was cancelled so we had the opportunity to meet up with Marathon friends who sold their boat almost a year ago and moved ashore, about an hour away from St. Auggie. Great get-together! Great catching up with Kate and Allen. The friends we usually meet here were away in Europe. I also got some computer time in to arrange our bill paying. Major credit card charges from our repairs and a vacation cruise scheduled a year from now combined to make an interesting financial month. 

     After leaving St. Augustine the Crescent Beach bascule bridge made us wait for a slow sailboat to catch up to us. The Matanzas Inlet shallow area was interesting. It was being dredged and the dredge was way off to the east and away from the normal channel. We had to leave it to starboard even though it was off to port. Maneuvering involved a sudden 90° turn to port to avoid floating pipelines. Fun. Then we cut in front of the dredge and took another 90° turn to go alongside it closely. Great fun. 

     The normal route is the light blue area with C-81c and C-81d to port. Floating pipes were at the 1st 90° turn and the dredge was at the 2nd 90° turn. Fun piloting! The darker blue area is under 6ft. Well under 6ft! Like 2ft. Or less. The dredging is making major changes. We'll see how long it lasts this time. 

     The rest of the passage was easy and non-eventful except we just missed the George Musson bridge opening and had to wait 20-25 minutes. Sigh. We anchored in our usual spot in New Smyrna Beach opposite the yacht club. 7 or 8 years ago we spent a lot of time anchored here while I went to the hospital at 4am in great pain. Stayed a while. Oh well. 

     An easy, uneventful day followed. As we approached Cape Canaveral we could see a Falcon rocket poised for launching in the evening. The Kennedy Space Center is in sight a long time as we approach and as we go around and go by it. One reason: the buildings are awful big. Huge. The Haulover Canal bridge was open for repairs. The Jay Jay Railroad bridge was open as usual. The NASA/Addison Point bascule bridge has been replaced with a fixed bridge. This meant no major slow downs and another non-eventful day. Nice. We anchored around Dragon Point in the Banana River near Eau Gallie in a spot we've used for a lot of years. Nice. The only problem was noisy neighbors. No, not the people ashore. Birds. Dolphin. The birds squawked all night. Left presents on the deck, too. And the dolphin fought, frolicked, fed and/or f--ked all night. Noisily. And bumped into the boat. A lot. Sigh. We've been to plenty of anchorages with lots of dolphin around but none are like this one. Don't know the reason. It's nice but... sleep is nice, too. 

      For the first time this season we woke and put on short pants and a tee-shirt and nothing else. No jacket needed at 0630! Nice. It did get a bit warm on the way to Vero Beach where we picked up a mooring for about 2 weeks to let us leave the boat and fly home for a wedding. We met with several boating friends already moored there and will likely see more before we leave. Maybe make new friends, too. 

     Our time in Vero and our passages to Marathon will be in the next posting in 2 or 3 weeks. 

Fall 2023 to Annapplis

     We started our 14th voyage south under blue skies and a 15kt. headwind. Yuck. 3 to 4ft. seas all day. The original forecast was for 5 to 10 kts. but we knew for days it would be worse. And it was. We had to go anyway to catch a small weather window for the offshore NJ portion of the trip ahead of awful weather coming up right after that.

     Our 2nd day started at Port Jefferson, NY and was beautiful with blue skies and light breezes. Breezes on the nose, of course. We stopped and took a free mooring at Port Washington, Long Island, NY. 

Throgs Neck Bridge. West end of Long Island Sound. 

     We then started very early the next morning to get to Hell Gate before the current turned against us. Also the East River passage in front of the United Nations Building was scheduled to close at 0900 for security reasons. We passed under the Narrows-Verrazano Bridge about 0830. We were out of the City and on our way.  Once we were out of the Ambrose Channel we had the wind and seas at our back as we went down along the New Jersey coast. Seas were under 2 feet and even less in the overnight. Because the wind and waves (light as they were) were behind us we had a very fast passage. Rounding Cape May about 0100 the next day was very easy. Almost calm. We went right up to the beach and curved around the point.

Our GPS track around Cape May. Close to the beach. At 0100. 

 The trip up Delaware Bay was a little lumpy due to the wind angle and it is stressful and somewhat difficult staying in the shipping channel at night because of the many confusing lights. The GPS plotter helps but is not all you need. The Mark 1 eyeball is as important. The wetware between the ears is also an important piloting tool. Another tiring overnight passage ended successfully at Chesapeake City, MD on the C&D Canal where we anchored to wait out Ophelia. We had favorable wind, seas and/or current for most of the trip and because of that we cut about 5 hours off our previous elapsed times. 30 hours instead of our previous 33 hour passages. In a sailboat, that is a huge difference. Makes the lack of sleep almost worth it. Almost. Getting old for this. 

Bridge over the C&D Canal at Chesapeake City, MD the day before Ophelia gets here. 

     We held tight during the winds of T.S. Ophelia in the anchorage basin of Chesapeake City. Steady winds in the low 20s with gusts probably in the low 30s. Maybe 40. Hard to tell. Our anchor bridle's hook pulls the anchor chain up to the surface when the wind gets over 20kts. Stretching itself and the rode but reducing our scope. Doing its job. When it gets 6" or more above the surface we know it's sporty. It was sporty. Nice, however, when there is no fetch. It means there are no waves. Stays comfortable. Unless we drag. We didn't. 

     We got underway on Monday after three nights. Winds were light but there was a light fog with some mist. Waves were under a foot so a nice passage if mostly gray. We ended up in Sillery Bay on the Magothy River near Acadia, MD a part of Baltimore. Seems this is becoming a regular spot. With good reason. It's a scenic, comfortable anchorage with decent holding in a convenient area. 

     Our passage to Annapolis wasn't quite as nice. It was very rough after we exited the Magothy, 3 ft seas forward of the beam. When we turned south the seas were behind us so the comfort level went up and it wasn't a bad sail. Still misty and cold, however. When we got to Annapolis the Spa Creek bascule bridge was stuck in the open position and we snuck through. Usually bridges fail in the closed position blocking boat traffic. This time the cars were blocked. 😀🤷‍♂️ The moorings we wanted were already taken and the one we picked up was too small for us (spacing) and we were told to leave. We had to wait for the bridge, which had closed, to attempt to reopen before we could move on. It worked, we went through, and picked up a mooring in front of the US Naval Academy. First time picking up one of these. Not our first choice due to wakes, noise and fetch from one direction. More expensive, too. Oh well. Sigh. We plan to spend a week here before continuing south. The forecast for then is good but there is plenty of time for it to deteriorate.

      

Summer 2023. Part 2

      A couple of days after the 4th of July, which was a stormy, muggy day, we drove to Martha's Vineyard. The trip was surprisingly smooth with an easy passage over the Bourne Bridge onto Cape Cod. It had been a long, long time since we drove. Decades. We used to go to P-town frequently but since the mid-90s mostly got to the Cape and Islands aboard a boat of ours. It was interesting seeing Woods Hole Passage from a different perspective. The ferry passage was smooth and easy. There was a little chop down at the small boat level but it would have not been bad for us if we came through here the way we usually do. Certainly not as quick, however. 

     View of Woods Hole Passage from Woods Hole. Opposite our usual perspective. 

     The house we stayed at was interesting. A bit old fashioned but it was the first time staying at a summer rental and we don't know what is the norm. Older furniture but reasonably well equipped. It was about a mile from the Vineyard Haven center on a dirt road. Turkeys and rabbits in the backyard at times.

 

     Rabbit was a little scrawny. 

     We went to Oak Bluffs (several times), Edgartown, a couple of street fairs and a few different beaches. Too many beaches, in fact. Everyone had a great time except me. Too many beaches. I don't love spending too much time at beaches. They are hot. Sandy. Lumpy. Buggy. Cancer causing burning solar rays pour down, too. Uncomfortable to say the least. Skimpy ladies bathing suits in sight might have helped. But not by much. Everything else was fine. Got my share of ice cream, fudge and more. They're already planning a return trip next year. 

     While we were gone, Connecticut and most of New England had several days of severe weather. It just brushed us briefly in MV. The river raged for many days after we got home. An ugly muddy brown color with a very strong current. We had no inbound tide for nearly three weeks. We also had many large trees, branches and other debris come down river for weeks, too. It was more than a week before the water went down enough to see any beach on Calves Island adjacent to us. 

     In addition to our Connecticut doctors, we drove all the way to Manhattan twice to consult a specialist regarding Carol's heart/pulmonary issues. All these visits have yet to give us any definitive answers. Our visit to our dermatologist was more interesting. For the 2nd time (1st time was quite a few years ago) I pointed out a suspicious spot on Carol's back to the doctor and was correct in my assessment: basal cell carcinoma. It's not serious if caught early. Due to my diagnostic skills I was offered a job in the office. I declined. Also, I did not perform the surgery. I am, however, available to do inexpensive full-body scans for skin cancer checks. Women only.

      My semi-annual hematology visit was uneventful except my oncologist is moving on to another hospital system and leaving me. He'll be too far away for me to be a patient. Our last conversation indicated he thought our lifestyle contributed to my successful treatment. He also thought my original situation was much more serious than I thought it seemed at the time. My relatively easy treatment cycles were not indicative of the seriousness of the situation/diagnosis. I never tried to minimize my experiences but it didn't seem to go too bad. Not great but... could have been worse. Way worse. I have had several friends who joined the club and are no longer with us. That kind of worse. Only those in the club can truly understand the change in your perspective. No matter how your journey evolves. 

     The first full week of August had the boat on land in Essex for our annual haul out for bottom painting. We also had each hull/sail-drive seal replaced. These were overdue according to Yanmar but they turned out to be fine, could have gone another 6+ years. Huge waste of money. A lot of money. $7000 plus another $3K for the usual bottom work. These seals keep the ocean out of the boat, seal a large hole in the bottom of the hull, so we got some peace-of-mind anyway. In that $7K was  lower drive-unit seal replacements, too. Those were actually needed. Sigh. I keep reminding myself that it is still cheaper than living on dirt. 

     After that, the kids came to Old Lyme and we headed to Block Island. It was an easy, calm passage. Six hours, however.

                         At anchor.

      The weather at Block wasn't all that great, three straight cloudy, cool days with some rain but the kids visited sea life touch tanks, the local animal farm as well as several trips to the beaches.

                         Enjoying Aldo's.

      The return trip was rather sporty with very big seas and a heavy downpour but the serious winds (gusts, 60+MPH) and tornados missed us. The passage was very quick (over 9kts SOG at times) with good current and wind angles, however. The day ended up very nice in Mystic, anchored near the Museum. I worked morning shifts twice and the kids went to the youth oriented exhibits and play areas and had a lot of fun. Cobbe got an exclusive tour of the Morgan and spaces unavailable to the public, a perk afforded me as a volunteer. After my second day at work we picked up the anchor and re-anchored out at Ram Is. for a swim session. The passage to Old Lyme ending the mini-cruise was directly into a light breeze and uneventful. 

     Just before the Labor Day weekend we finally got the marina mechanic to starting working on our engines. This was regular preventative maintenance that's needed every 1000 operating hours or so. Or about 2 years of our east coast travelling routine. It's expensive but neccessary for piece-of-mind and the long term life of the engines. Often something is found that needs replacing. Something unexpected and expensive. This time only the raw water pumps needed unplanned replacing. We probably could have put this off a bit but it's easier done early than later. Safer, too. They cost about $75 more each than the last time they were replaced. Sigh. 

     This work period was at the marina dock, a mixed blessing. It is sometimes hard to get on and off the boat at a fixed dock due to tide height changes but it's nice to have just a short walk to the heads or to the car. It means no dinghy rides which are occassionally rainy dinghy rides. This work period happened during the worst heat and humidity of the season. Brutal not being pointed into the wind, our usual cooling method. Luckily our air conditioner worked after 6 or more years of sitting idle. It needs dock supplied 50A, 220v electricity to operate and that's a rarity for us. It cooled the boat from 90+° to around 70. Not bad. Dried the interior air, too. Ahhh. 

     After a high stress/speed engine test in the river we returned to our mooring. We crammed in last minute shopping and chores, prepped the boat and I worked a Friday afternoon and a Saturday morning at Mystic before heading to Long Island to visit the kids and drop off our car for the winter. A train and launch ride home to the boat in the rain completed our summer season. 

     Got underway for cruise #14 south on 19 September in slightly rougher conditions than forecast. Okay, a lot rougher. Next report: Annapolis, MD. Probably.