Saturday, December 21, 2019
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.
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Marathon Winter 2019-2020
Here we are, home in Marathon.
We got here almost two weeks ago, a little earlier than normal because of Carol's work schedule. We skipped a Wrightsville Beach stop and only had a couple of extra days stopping due to weather so we were here with about four days to spare.
We're getting into the swing of things in our Marathon home... ordering parts and gear we need, doing our oil changes, scheduling outside maintenance, and doing more urgent repairs. I also already started volunteering at Crane Point Hammock and Nature Center as a trolley driver/guide. We've been recruited already for our stint at the Celtic Fest in January pulling taps in the beer tent. Going to try to sample less of the wares this year.
How did we get to Marathon this year? What's happened since my last entry from Annapolis?
A couple of adventures but nothing too unusual.
We left our Back Creek, Annapolis Municipal, mooring with one day still on the clock. Hate spending money on a mooring and then not using all the days paid for. It was a Sunday during the Annapolis Boat Show so we were going to be a little ahead of the southbound crowd and we were trying to beat some weather. I went to the boat show two days and Carol went once. We had received vendor passes from a company we have purchased from and also recommended to others so it was free for us this year. Cool.
We had a breeze and small seas behind us on our passage to Solomons Island with minor occasional sprinkles. The next day to Jackson Creek in Deltaville, VA was even nicer. And calmer.
Then we had a breezy day (with sailing) to Mobjack Bay and then up to East River which feeds the Bay. We were hauled out at Zimmerman Marina to install the new propeller assembly we bought to replace the one lost off of New Jersey. Once out of the water the tide went down and we could not be relaunched. We had to wait until evening to float and stayed overnight at the marina. No extra charge.
The next day, leaving Zimmerman, was horrid. We bashed right into big seas in Mobjack Bay. A number of things broke (see above... repairs in Marathon) and we got very wet, maybe a little seasick. And grumpy. Maybe. After two hours or so we rounded York Spit Light and turned south to go down the Chesapeake Bay. After that things were not quite as bad. Not great. Just not horrible. Entering Hampton Roads we encountered a submarine we had to stay out of the way of. The Navy escort could have been a little clearer about their location and route but it all worked out. Shortly after a deluge started. We could hardly see as we headed up the Elizabeth River with the wind and rain in our faces. Not being able to see in this high traffic area is not generally a good thing. It stopped raining just as we were arriving at the Portsmouth, VA free docks.
From there we went to Great Bridge to get fuel and tie up at their free dock. Shopping and taking down our masthead light was on the agenda. We were near Al and Sue on Gelato for the first time on this trip and went out to dinner with them. They were going to be driving home to attend a special family event so we would again be ahead of them for more than a month. Because of future weather we only stayed one night in Great Bridge.
From Great Bridge we continued on the Virginia Cut and had semi-choppy conditions on Currituck Sound but it was on our stern so no issues. We anchored in Broad Creek. The breeze continued to be fairly light and mostly behind us as we crossed Albemarle Sound and went down the Alligator to Belhaven. We were kind of pushing it because we knew the weather was going to turn nasty. Very nasty.
We tied up at expensive Belhaven Marina, getting the last (and exposed) spot. We had an awful two nights bouncing all around. The cheap city docks would have been better but they were full. A couple of the big powerboats near us had a poor experience, too.
From Belhaven we had a pretty good passage through the Pamlico and Neuse system, anchoring in our usual spot in Cedar Creek, off Adams Creek. And from there to Mile Hammock, Camp LeJeune, it was easy, with no shallows issues to speak of, but we had some rain. We stopped at a new spot, Casper Marina in Swansboro, for fuel. Cheaper than our old spot near Beaufort, NC.
Next we had a brand-new passage. We left Mile Hammock and went by the New River Inlet with the usual caution but no real problems. The route we were told about worked fine. Then we headed towards Wrightsville Beach with the current behind us most of the way. This let us get through the swing and bascule bridges in a timely manner with little delay. We decided to pass by Wrightsville as Carol had no work scheduled and we had plenty of supplies aboard. We went through Snows Cut and down the Cape Fear River out into the ocean. We've exited the ICW and went out for an ocean passage before from Cape Fear but not all the way from Mile Hammock. The breeze was behind us and seas were basically small so we had a nice sail for a few hours before the wind faded. Not bad at all through the night but the seas started to build behind us the next day. We sailed for about four hours before the wind was directly behind us and we were surfing down 2 to 3 ft. seas with some 4 to 6 footers just for fun. When we turned to head for Port Royal Sound we had those big seas, which of course got bigger, on the beam and then in front of us. Twelve miles of very nasty. Not as bad as Mobjack Bay the previous week, but bad enough. Getting an expensive slip at Hilton Head Harbor Marina was a relief.
After Hilton Head it was all on the ICW. Through Georgia we mostly hit mid-to-high tide and the recent dredging was a big help. Hell Gate was a snap. We anchored at some of our usual spots, Kilkenny Creek, Frederica River and Cumberland Island. Carol hit a couple of shoals along the way but we're not going to mention that. Or all the missing bottom paint on the lower keels. Hmmmm.
We went back in the ocean for the passage from St Marys River to Saint Augustine. Two nights on a St. Auggie mooring got us internet, showers,shopping and a dinner out. From there we made our normal stops at New Smyrna and Eau Gallie (Dragon Point) before getting to Fort Pierce. We only stayed one night at Ft. Pierce but did stay late to go to the Saturday farmers market. We had a long conversation with RVers from Connecticut, comparing our life styles. Because we left much later than our usual sunrise we went to a new to us anchorage spot past the Hobe Sound Bascule Bridge but before Jupiter near R '38'. A wide spot in the 'road' but not bad.
Then it was the terrible passage to and through Palm Beach with all the bridges we have to wait for. We did well on timing except for one which was nice enough to wait a few minutes for us. We anchored in Lake Boca at Boca Raton just as a downpour started. It was crowded with locals but we found a safe spot to sit out the storm.
From Lake Boca we went to Ft. Lauderdale and out in the ocean to Miami. Ft Lauderdale was breaking down after the boat show so there were way too many mega-yachts drifting around and messing up bridge passes. Arrrrr. The ocean was a bit choppy, just off the nose, but not too terrible. We anchored in No Name Harbor of Boggs State Park in Key Biscayne. We're in the Keys! Yay! It wasn't crowded at all so it was nice and we had a great swim.
Now that we were in the Keys we went to Barley Basin off the ICW off of Islamorada and then we went home to Marathon the next day. The ocean passage wasn't too bad as the seas were out of the northeast, not quite behind us. It was still very hot and humid as it has been since we got to Georgia.
It has been very hot and humid in Marathon since we got here except for the first cold front which lowered the temperature to only 80. Today as I finish this blog entry we've had our first real norther and the high today will only be 70 to 74. Brrrr. People are complaining about wearing jeans and sweatshirts. Low was in the upper 60s. Really Brrr.
Tomorrow back to 80. Sorry freezing people up north.
We got here almost two weeks ago, a little earlier than normal because of Carol's work schedule. We skipped a Wrightsville Beach stop and only had a couple of extra days stopping due to weather so we were here with about four days to spare.
We're getting into the swing of things in our Marathon home... ordering parts and gear we need, doing our oil changes, scheduling outside maintenance, and doing more urgent repairs. I also already started volunteering at Crane Point Hammock and Nature Center as a trolley driver/guide. We've been recruited already for our stint at the Celtic Fest in January pulling taps in the beer tent. Going to try to sample less of the wares this year.
How did we get to Marathon this year? What's happened since my last entry from Annapolis?
A couple of adventures but nothing too unusual.
We left our Back Creek, Annapolis Municipal, mooring with one day still on the clock. Hate spending money on a mooring and then not using all the days paid for. It was a Sunday during the Annapolis Boat Show so we were going to be a little ahead of the southbound crowd and we were trying to beat some weather. I went to the boat show two days and Carol went once. We had received vendor passes from a company we have purchased from and also recommended to others so it was free for us this year. Cool.
We had a breeze and small seas behind us on our passage to Solomons Island with minor occasional sprinkles. The next day to Jackson Creek in Deltaville, VA was even nicer. And calmer.
Then we had a breezy day (with sailing) to Mobjack Bay and then up to East River which feeds the Bay. We were hauled out at Zimmerman Marina to install the new propeller assembly we bought to replace the one lost off of New Jersey. Once out of the water the tide went down and we could not be relaunched. We had to wait until evening to float and stayed overnight at the marina. No extra charge.
The next day, leaving Zimmerman, was horrid. We bashed right into big seas in Mobjack Bay. A number of things broke (see above... repairs in Marathon) and we got very wet, maybe a little seasick. And grumpy. Maybe. After two hours or so we rounded York Spit Light and turned south to go down the Chesapeake Bay. After that things were not quite as bad. Not great. Just not horrible. Entering Hampton Roads we encountered a submarine we had to stay out of the way of. The Navy escort could have been a little clearer about their location and route but it all worked out. Shortly after a deluge started. We could hardly see as we headed up the Elizabeth River with the wind and rain in our faces. Not being able to see in this high traffic area is not generally a good thing. It stopped raining just as we were arriving at the Portsmouth, VA free docks.
From there we went to Great Bridge to get fuel and tie up at their free dock. Shopping and taking down our masthead light was on the agenda. We were near Al and Sue on Gelato for the first time on this trip and went out to dinner with them. They were going to be driving home to attend a special family event so we would again be ahead of them for more than a month. Because of future weather we only stayed one night in Great Bridge.
From Great Bridge we continued on the Virginia Cut and had semi-choppy conditions on Currituck Sound but it was on our stern so no issues. We anchored in Broad Creek. The breeze continued to be fairly light and mostly behind us as we crossed Albemarle Sound and went down the Alligator to Belhaven. We were kind of pushing it because we knew the weather was going to turn nasty. Very nasty.
We tied up at expensive Belhaven Marina, getting the last (and exposed) spot. We had an awful two nights bouncing all around. The cheap city docks would have been better but they were full. A couple of the big powerboats near us had a poor experience, too.
From Belhaven we had a pretty good passage through the Pamlico and Neuse system, anchoring in our usual spot in Cedar Creek, off Adams Creek. And from there to Mile Hammock, Camp LeJeune, it was easy, with no shallows issues to speak of, but we had some rain. We stopped at a new spot, Casper Marina in Swansboro, for fuel. Cheaper than our old spot near Beaufort, NC.
Next we had a brand-new passage. We left Mile Hammock and went by the New River Inlet with the usual caution but no real problems. The route we were told about worked fine. Then we headed towards Wrightsville Beach with the current behind us most of the way. This let us get through the swing and bascule bridges in a timely manner with little delay. We decided to pass by Wrightsville as Carol had no work scheduled and we had plenty of supplies aboard. We went through Snows Cut and down the Cape Fear River out into the ocean. We've exited the ICW and went out for an ocean passage before from Cape Fear but not all the way from Mile Hammock. The breeze was behind us and seas were basically small so we had a nice sail for a few hours before the wind faded. Not bad at all through the night but the seas started to build behind us the next day. We sailed for about four hours before the wind was directly behind us and we were surfing down 2 to 3 ft. seas with some 4 to 6 footers just for fun. When we turned to head for Port Royal Sound we had those big seas, which of course got bigger, on the beam and then in front of us. Twelve miles of very nasty. Not as bad as Mobjack Bay the previous week, but bad enough. Getting an expensive slip at Hilton Head Harbor Marina was a relief.
After Hilton Head it was all on the ICW. Through Georgia we mostly hit mid-to-high tide and the recent dredging was a big help. Hell Gate was a snap. We anchored at some of our usual spots, Kilkenny Creek, Frederica River and Cumberland Island. Carol hit a couple of shoals along the way but we're not going to mention that. Or all the missing bottom paint on the lower keels. Hmmmm.
We went back in the ocean for the passage from St Marys River to Saint Augustine. Two nights on a St. Auggie mooring got us internet, showers,shopping and a dinner out. From there we made our normal stops at New Smyrna and Eau Gallie (Dragon Point) before getting to Fort Pierce. We only stayed one night at Ft. Pierce but did stay late to go to the Saturday farmers market. We had a long conversation with RVers from Connecticut, comparing our life styles. Because we left much later than our usual sunrise we went to a new to us anchorage spot past the Hobe Sound Bascule Bridge but before Jupiter near R '38'. A wide spot in the 'road' but not bad.
Then it was the terrible passage to and through Palm Beach with all the bridges we have to wait for. We did well on timing except for one which was nice enough to wait a few minutes for us. We anchored in Lake Boca at Boca Raton just as a downpour started. It was crowded with locals but we found a safe spot to sit out the storm.
From Lake Boca we went to Ft. Lauderdale and out in the ocean to Miami. Ft Lauderdale was breaking down after the boat show so there were way too many mega-yachts drifting around and messing up bridge passes. Arrrrr. The ocean was a bit choppy, just off the nose, but not too terrible. We anchored in No Name Harbor of Boggs State Park in Key Biscayne. We're in the Keys! Yay! It wasn't crowded at all so it was nice and we had a great swim.
Now that we were in the Keys we went to Barley Basin off the ICW off of Islamorada and then we went home to Marathon the next day. The ocean passage wasn't too bad as the seas were out of the northeast, not quite behind us. It was still very hot and humid as it has been since we got to Georgia.
It has been very hot and humid in Marathon since we got here except for the first cold front which lowered the temperature to only 80. Today as I finish this blog entry we've had our first real norther and the high today will only be 70 to 74. Brrrr. People are complaining about wearing jeans and sweatshirts. Low was in the upper 60s. Really Brrr.
Tomorrow back to 80. Sorry freezing people up north.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Annapolis Fall 2019
We're in Annapolis once again. Southbound. Again. It's Boat Show time. Again. Work time, too. Again.
This is only our second day here. We'll stay for two weeks and we're paying for a mooring. Again. Hate that last part but the anchorages are full. I'm sure we could have squeezed in somewhere but we are pretty conservative about the space (swing room) we need to anchor. Conservative, or experienced. The city mooring, although expensive ($180/week), let's us sleep at night without worrying about dragging. The holding is barely fair and, as I said, it's crowded.
Our passages here were mixed but generally pretty good. Heading from home to Port Jeff was choppier than forecast and we were going right into it. Not big seas but right on the nose. PJ to Port Washington was flat. The free moorings are no longer free but no one came to collect any money so I guess that makes'em free still. The United Nations, being in session, was going to close the East River on Monday so we had to rush to go through the City on Sunday. Early, to catch a fair current through Hell Gate and the rest of the City, too. Stopped in Atlantic Highlands where we scrambled last year to find a doctor's office to do some unexpected pre-op tests. No such issues this year. The anchorage was crowded because a lot of snowbirds wanted to get through the City and wait out the southerly winds offshore New Jersey. Got to chat with some people we knew on the VHF Net in Marathon. Put a face to the voices we've heard.
The offshore passage off New Jersey was almost great. Merely very nice. We had North to Northwesterly breezes and behind the beam seas. We actually sailed. This turned out to be a problem because somewhere off off NJ we lost the propeller and hub assembly off of the saildrive that was not running because we were sailing. See, sailing is bad. motoring is good. At least that's what our daughter always said. Almost $2300. to get the parts shipped from Denmark. Now we have to find someone who can haul us out.
We went up the Delaware Bay against the current and on one engine but it was mostly smooth, if slow. Anchored in Chesapeake City which was semi-crowded but fine. We beat most of the people who were in Atlantic Highlands with us because they didn't go overnight or didn't want to go against the wind and current in the Delaware. My theory is 4 knots is faster than zero knots.
Once in the Chesapeake Bay we went to Worton Creek as usual, but in unexpected small craft advisories enroute, and then spent a weekend up in Sillery Bay on the Magothy River. Quiet. Relaxing. Nice swimming.
And here we are. In Eastport. Back Creek. On a mooring and doing some of our usual Annapolis things... Chick and Ruth's, Bay Shore Marine, Giant, Great Harvest Bread and more, I guess. Oil changes and some other work are coming up when Carol flies off to California. Then it's back on the road. Heading for the Keys.
This is only our second day here. We'll stay for two weeks and we're paying for a mooring. Again. Hate that last part but the anchorages are full. I'm sure we could have squeezed in somewhere but we are pretty conservative about the space (swing room) we need to anchor. Conservative, or experienced. The city mooring, although expensive ($180/week), let's us sleep at night without worrying about dragging. The holding is barely fair and, as I said, it's crowded.
Our passages here were mixed but generally pretty good. Heading from home to Port Jeff was choppier than forecast and we were going right into it. Not big seas but right on the nose. PJ to Port Washington was flat. The free moorings are no longer free but no one came to collect any money so I guess that makes'em free still. The United Nations, being in session, was going to close the East River on Monday so we had to rush to go through the City on Sunday. Early, to catch a fair current through Hell Gate and the rest of the City, too. Stopped in Atlantic Highlands where we scrambled last year to find a doctor's office to do some unexpected pre-op tests. No such issues this year. The anchorage was crowded because a lot of snowbirds wanted to get through the City and wait out the southerly winds offshore New Jersey. Got to chat with some people we knew on the VHF Net in Marathon. Put a face to the voices we've heard.
The offshore passage off New Jersey was almost great. Merely very nice. We had North to Northwesterly breezes and behind the beam seas. We actually sailed. This turned out to be a problem because somewhere off off NJ we lost the propeller and hub assembly off of the saildrive that was not running because we were sailing. See, sailing is bad. motoring is good. At least that's what our daughter always said. Almost $2300. to get the parts shipped from Denmark. Now we have to find someone who can haul us out.
We went up the Delaware Bay against the current and on one engine but it was mostly smooth, if slow. Anchored in Chesapeake City which was semi-crowded but fine. We beat most of the people who were in Atlantic Highlands with us because they didn't go overnight or didn't want to go against the wind and current in the Delaware. My theory is 4 knots is faster than zero knots.
Once in the Chesapeake Bay we went to Worton Creek as usual, but in unexpected small craft advisories enroute, and then spent a weekend up in Sillery Bay on the Magothy River. Quiet. Relaxing. Nice swimming.
And here we are. In Eastport. Back Creek. On a mooring and doing some of our usual Annapolis things... Chick and Ruth's, Bay Shore Marine, Giant, Great Harvest Bread and more, I guess. Oil changes and some other work are coming up when Carol flies off to California. Then it's back on the road. Heading for the Keys.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Fall 2019
It's September, 2019. Not quite fall, it's next week, but we are less than a week from heading south on our tenth cruise to avoid winter weather as best we can. Hard to believe it's going on ten years already.
We did a little less boating than we usually do in the summer now but came close to normal as the season drew to an end. We had a little more than the usual number of doctor visits as those numbers continue to increase as we get older. At least we are getting older. Two visits to oncology, two to dermatology, two to the dentist and one for eyes and one general physical make for a busy summer. An interesting medical event was watching a computer create a new cap for a tooth in a big machine before my eyes. Technological advances in medicine can be very interesting as well as expensive. Keeping us alive anyways. I think. Maybe.
We did more than go to doctors although it sometimes seems that's all we do. I volunteered to work at Mystic Seaport Museum for most of the summer. Except for holiday boating weekends I worked on Sundays and some Mondays introducing visitors to the Seaport, giving an overview to help them decide what to see. Had fun challenging some kids to find certain things and report back to me in return for me giving them a sticker. Kids still love stickers. I did about 90 hours from June to the middle of September. Next year I'll probably do more. When we get back down to Marathon I'll go back to Crane Point Hammock and volunteer there again. All this is assuming they both want me back.
We did more than just work of course. Carol actually cut back on her work for the Joint Commission to one week per month. We started off the season going to Hamburg Cove up the Connecticut River to join the Waterbury Power Squadron on our annual start-of-season cruise. Heather, Mike and Cobbe met us there. We had seen Cobbe a month earlier so it hadn't been too long since we had seen him. Growing and evolving rapidly as kids do between ages one and two. Still fun 'tho.
Cobbe came to the boat a couple of times, with Mom, but not for any cruises. We did head out to Block Island and the Cape and Islands beyond for a two week cruise at the end of July and beginning of August. Had pretty good weather and Cobbe really enjoyed the ocean. Waves broke over him several times without him getting very upset. Or drowning. He loves the beach.
We had our annual haulout at Essex Boat Works but, because the weather was extremely hot and humid, we had them do the sanding and painting. More than $1200 extra but very worth it. Getting too old for that. Still had some health problems from the heat but nothing too serious or long term. It would have been awful if we had done the heavy work ourselves. Was still tough just doing the engines, the saildrives and sanding and Awgripping (painting) the scrapes on the topsides. Of course it turned cooler and dryer right after all the work was done. Been fairly cool since then, too.
We went over to Watch Hill/Napatree for the Labor Day weekend. Everyone joined us and we met Tom and Vicky of Afternoon Delight there. The rest of the Squadron headed to Block but we did not have time to get there early enough to get a spot to anchor.
So that's summary of the summer. As best as I can remember. More or less. Close enough. A lot of things revolved around activities at the Seaport but after 36 years of membership there I'm still learning new things about the place as an insider now. I know the secret entrances, get insider briefings and gather the behind the scenes gossip, too. What fun.
Next blog should be from Annapolis. Next weekend we'll be dodging the hurricanes and the United Nations New York City schedules to try to get near to there in one piece.
We did a little less boating than we usually do in the summer now but came close to normal as the season drew to an end. We had a little more than the usual number of doctor visits as those numbers continue to increase as we get older. At least we are getting older. Two visits to oncology, two to dermatology, two to the dentist and one for eyes and one general physical make for a busy summer. An interesting medical event was watching a computer create a new cap for a tooth in a big machine before my eyes. Technological advances in medicine can be very interesting as well as expensive. Keeping us alive anyways. I think. Maybe.
We did more than go to doctors although it sometimes seems that's all we do. I volunteered to work at Mystic Seaport Museum for most of the summer. Except for holiday boating weekends I worked on Sundays and some Mondays introducing visitors to the Seaport, giving an overview to help them decide what to see. Had fun challenging some kids to find certain things and report back to me in return for me giving them a sticker. Kids still love stickers. I did about 90 hours from June to the middle of September. Next year I'll probably do more. When we get back down to Marathon I'll go back to Crane Point Hammock and volunteer there again. All this is assuming they both want me back.
We did more than just work of course. Carol actually cut back on her work for the Joint Commission to one week per month. We started off the season going to Hamburg Cove up the Connecticut River to join the Waterbury Power Squadron on our annual start-of-season cruise. Heather, Mike and Cobbe met us there. We had seen Cobbe a month earlier so it hadn't been too long since we had seen him. Growing and evolving rapidly as kids do between ages one and two. Still fun 'tho.
Cobbe came to the boat a couple of times, with Mom, but not for any cruises. We did head out to Block Island and the Cape and Islands beyond for a two week cruise at the end of July and beginning of August. Had pretty good weather and Cobbe really enjoyed the ocean. Waves broke over him several times without him getting very upset. Or drowning. He loves the beach.
We had our annual haulout at Essex Boat Works but, because the weather was extremely hot and humid, we had them do the sanding and painting. More than $1200 extra but very worth it. Getting too old for that. Still had some health problems from the heat but nothing too serious or long term. It would have been awful if we had done the heavy work ourselves. Was still tough just doing the engines, the saildrives and sanding and Awgripping (painting) the scrapes on the topsides. Of course it turned cooler and dryer right after all the work was done. Been fairly cool since then, too.
We went over to Watch Hill/Napatree for the Labor Day weekend. Everyone joined us and we met Tom and Vicky of Afternoon Delight there. The rest of the Squadron headed to Block but we did not have time to get there early enough to get a spot to anchor.
So that's summary of the summer. As best as I can remember. More or less. Close enough. A lot of things revolved around activities at the Seaport but after 36 years of membership there I'm still learning new things about the place as an insider now. I know the secret entrances, get insider briefings and gather the behind the scenes gossip, too. What fun.
Next blog should be from Annapolis. Next weekend we'll be dodging the hurricanes and the United Nations New York City schedules to try to get near to there in one piece.
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Mystic Spring 2019
We are back home in Mystic. We have been for nearly a month. Too busy, I guess, to update this blog before now.
A number of things have happened since we got home but let's start back in Annapolis, my last entry.
We left Back Creek, Eastport, shortly after Carol got back from her work trip. It was warmish but cloudy and became somewhat foggy as we headed north on Chesapeake Bay. Small Craft Advisories were forecast, too. Seas built to about six inches. We managed.
We went to Worton Creek to hide out from a coming storm. Another spring gale. Sigh. We stayed two nights and had a slow drag the first morning. After moving farther south in the harbor to the softer bottom area we did not drag. Go figure. We had done fine for a close approach tropical storm a few years ago with no issues.
From there it was only a few hour trip up the Bay to the C&D Canal and the free dock at Chesapeake City. It has been dredged and was just fine. We were the only boat overnight and had dinner and several conversations with passing tourists.
Easter Sunday dawned with us ready to get underway for the dreaded Delaware Bay. This Bay is dreaded only because it is mostly boring. It can be rough, especially at the mouth, but usually it is just boring. Last year the last few hours while nearing the mouth were very rough and the trip around Cape May was especially atrocious. This year the Bay was fine and Cape May was only a little uncomfortable. Semi nasty. For 45 minutes. We'll take it.
The trip up the coast of New Jersey, offshore over night, was not too bad. Not freezing. Not too breezy and with smallish following seas. Had much worse in the past.
The most interesting occurrence was on the approach past Sandy Hook, NJ to head into New York Harbor. We saw a Humpback Whale waving his pectoral fin at us. Well, maybe not at us. Looking for ladies more likely. Anyway, he seemed young. And not too big. For a whale. Very cool.
Going through the City we had some sprinkles but were still able to wave to Cobbe and family while passing through Hells Gate. Also cool. We tied up at a free mooring at Port Washington.
The next day we were heading to Port Jefferson but changed our minds because the arrival would be too early. We headed to Duck Island off of Westbrook, CT instead. We hadn't been there in several decades. We used to anchor there so Heather could play on the beach. She doesn't remember that. On the way our starboard engine raw water pump belt broke. What fun. It took me nearly three hours to replace it and the serpentine belt in front of it while Carol steered. What fun.
The next day was mostly uneventful as we headed home to Mystic. We found our mooring ball had sunk but we were able to pick up the pennant without a problem.
Our arrival home meant a babysitting job for Carol and the start of many doctor visits. More parts removed. On me and the boat.
Change of belts on the port side engine to keep both sides the same and oil changes on all engines. We came back one day to find our boat was missing. Well, we could see it. It was half way towards Brewer's Marina aground in the mud. The mooring had broken in light winds after a week or more of much heavier winds. Go figure.
We are temporarily on the marina dock, taking someone else's spot, until the mooring is repaired. The new marina owner is slow to do anything and not very truthful. We'll see what happens.
Next up is Memorial Day Weekend at Hamburg Cove and also orientation for a volunteer job at Mystic Seaport Museum. We'll see how that works out.
A number of things have happened since we got home but let's start back in Annapolis, my last entry.
We left Back Creek, Eastport, shortly after Carol got back from her work trip. It was warmish but cloudy and became somewhat foggy as we headed north on Chesapeake Bay. Small Craft Advisories were forecast, too. Seas built to about six inches. We managed.
We went to Worton Creek to hide out from a coming storm. Another spring gale. Sigh. We stayed two nights and had a slow drag the first morning. After moving farther south in the harbor to the softer bottom area we did not drag. Go figure. We had done fine for a close approach tropical storm a few years ago with no issues.
From there it was only a few hour trip up the Bay to the C&D Canal and the free dock at Chesapeake City. It has been dredged and was just fine. We were the only boat overnight and had dinner and several conversations with passing tourists.
Easter Sunday dawned with us ready to get underway for the dreaded Delaware Bay. This Bay is dreaded only because it is mostly boring. It can be rough, especially at the mouth, but usually it is just boring. Last year the last few hours while nearing the mouth were very rough and the trip around Cape May was especially atrocious. This year the Bay was fine and Cape May was only a little uncomfortable. Semi nasty. For 45 minutes. We'll take it.
The trip up the coast of New Jersey, offshore over night, was not too bad. Not freezing. Not too breezy and with smallish following seas. Had much worse in the past.
The most interesting occurrence was on the approach past Sandy Hook, NJ to head into New York Harbor. We saw a Humpback Whale waving his pectoral fin at us. Well, maybe not at us. Looking for ladies more likely. Anyway, he seemed young. And not too big. For a whale. Very cool.
Going through the City we had some sprinkles but were still able to wave to Cobbe and family while passing through Hells Gate. Also cool. We tied up at a free mooring at Port Washington.
The next day we were heading to Port Jefferson but changed our minds because the arrival would be too early. We headed to Duck Island off of Westbrook, CT instead. We hadn't been there in several decades. We used to anchor there so Heather could play on the beach. She doesn't remember that. On the way our starboard engine raw water pump belt broke. What fun. It took me nearly three hours to replace it and the serpentine belt in front of it while Carol steered. What fun.
The next day was mostly uneventful as we headed home to Mystic. We found our mooring ball had sunk but we were able to pick up the pennant without a problem.
Our arrival home meant a babysitting job for Carol and the start of many doctor visits. More parts removed. On me and the boat.
Change of belts on the port side engine to keep both sides the same and oil changes on all engines. We came back one day to find our boat was missing. Well, we could see it. It was half way towards Brewer's Marina aground in the mud. The mooring had broken in light winds after a week or more of much heavier winds. Go figure.
We are temporarily on the marina dock, taking someone else's spot, until the mooring is repaired. The new marina owner is slow to do anything and not very truthful. We'll see what happens.
Next up is Memorial Day Weekend at Hamburg Cove and also orientation for a volunteer job at Mystic Seaport Museum. We'll see how that works out.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Annapolis Spring 2019
Back at the Annapolis Library in Eastport again!
While we were in Wrightsville Beach this year I experienced 3 offshore gales in 3 weeks making it a bit rough in the anchorage at times. Luckily the gales didn't actually occur on shore so the winds only got near 30 knots or so. Bad enough. The anchor held well as we had plenty of rode out and the holding is good except for one spot. How do we know which spot is not good? Well, you could guess.
I also found out they now have a 10 day maximum time you are allowed to anchor. How did I find that out? Got a warning notice from the local Ranger. Had a long conversation with him and was allowed to stay a bit beyond that time. Until Carol came back from her work trip. We won't be staying that long in the future due to a work schedule change we're planning on in the summer and knowing the new rule, we'll plan for it. We wondered why the local long term boats were no longer anchored there. Thought it was the hurricane blowing the trash out.
Any way we got all our boat work done - alternator replacement, fluid changes, etc. - and headed back up the ICW. Mile Hammock at Camp LeJeune was our first stop but first we had to go aground just past New River Inlet. The markers are out of place but we did fine until just past the inlet channel when we went aground slightly to the red side of the channel. That growing shoal has not been addressed recently, just the ones associated with the inlet. Those are pretty bad, too.
Going through the Browns Inlet area of the ICW and the Marine firing range was a snap as that area has been recently dredged, too. That dredging only lasts a year or so, fine in the spring, poor in the fall. Sigh.
Our next day had us stop at Jarrett Bay for fuel only to find they were closed. This slowed us down enough that we did not get to Cedar Creek until after the rain caught us. The good news was we beat Louisville in the NCAA WBB regional final to head to the Final Four for the 12th consecutive time.
The next day was our Neuss River/Pamlico passage. Once again we violated our rule about not going on the Neuss when the wind is out of the north. Bad weather was coming and we wanted to get to a safe place. The Neuse started out bad (1 1/2 ft seas) and then got worse (3-4 ft seas and bashing into them). Three and half hours of misery. Sigh (again).
We went into Belhaven where we often anchor but stayed at the Town Dock at $1 per foot per night. No services but a very narrow, protected spot for the wind direction. It blew very hard and poured down rain. The wind also blew the water out of the area. There isn't much tide, water level depends on the wind direction and strength. It went down several feet but came back in time for us to leave two days later.
We then went to the Alligator River to anchor in a southern spot we've used before. Did not hook a tree on the bottom and our trip the next day up the Alligator and across Albemarle Sound was pretty easy. Nice.
We anchored at a new spot to us because of the distance and time of our legs here which all had to do with our timing to get to Annapolis and the weather we'd encounter. The spot was on the north side of Buck Island between Shiloh and Coinjock, NC. Fairly close to the ICW so we got some day wakes. There were no trees nearby for protection but the weather was not windy and we were fine.
From there we went to the free dock at Great Bridge. En route the Centerville Turnpike was nice enough to delay their opening for our arrival and the RR bridge that screwed us a couple of years ago opened just as we were approaching it after a slow train went over it.
We stayed two nights at Great Bridge (don't tell anyone, you're only allowed one) and then had an easy passage up to Hampton, VA. We had another coupon for a free night there at the City Pier and did our laundry.
Then it was back to the Chesapeake Bay. When we get here it seems like we're almost home. We're not, it's several hundred miles away, but the Bay is very similar to Long Island Sound so we start thinking of home. The passage from Hampton was better than we guessed it would be. The seas at the start were behind us and eased as we went north and the day went on. We stopped in Reedville, up Cockrell Creek, for a passing, short-lived storm. Then it was on to Solomons Island in near flat conditions.
The passage from Solomons was in forecast Small Craft Advisories. Turned out it was absolutely flat calm for four of the six hour trip and less than a foot seas after that. We'll pay for that.
So here we are in Eastport/Annapolis. In Back Creek. We anchored for two nights then went to a municipal mooring for three nights as the weather turned very breezy, gale force in fact. A downpour after midnight on Sunday, Monday morning, was the hardest ever experienced on the boat. And we've been in tropical downpours. Felt like the blast of a firehose for quite some time. After that it was back to anchoring for a couple more nights. Moorings cost $30 per night. We're too poor for that.
Our trip home is going to be tough to start with. Another gale is forecast so we plan to head up the Bay to Worton Creek to hide out and be ready to stage for our trip down the Delaware Bay and off shore to New York and Long Island Sound.
We'll see how it goes.
While we were in Wrightsville Beach this year I experienced 3 offshore gales in 3 weeks making it a bit rough in the anchorage at times. Luckily the gales didn't actually occur on shore so the winds only got near 30 knots or so. Bad enough. The anchor held well as we had plenty of rode out and the holding is good except for one spot. How do we know which spot is not good? Well, you could guess.
I also found out they now have a 10 day maximum time you are allowed to anchor. How did I find that out? Got a warning notice from the local Ranger. Had a long conversation with him and was allowed to stay a bit beyond that time. Until Carol came back from her work trip. We won't be staying that long in the future due to a work schedule change we're planning on in the summer and knowing the new rule, we'll plan for it. We wondered why the local long term boats were no longer anchored there. Thought it was the hurricane blowing the trash out.
Any way we got all our boat work done - alternator replacement, fluid changes, etc. - and headed back up the ICW. Mile Hammock at Camp LeJeune was our first stop but first we had to go aground just past New River Inlet. The markers are out of place but we did fine until just past the inlet channel when we went aground slightly to the red side of the channel. That growing shoal has not been addressed recently, just the ones associated with the inlet. Those are pretty bad, too.
Going through the Browns Inlet area of the ICW and the Marine firing range was a snap as that area has been recently dredged, too. That dredging only lasts a year or so, fine in the spring, poor in the fall. Sigh.
Our next day had us stop at Jarrett Bay for fuel only to find they were closed. This slowed us down enough that we did not get to Cedar Creek until after the rain caught us. The good news was we beat Louisville in the NCAA WBB regional final to head to the Final Four for the 12th consecutive time.
The next day was our Neuss River/Pamlico passage. Once again we violated our rule about not going on the Neuss when the wind is out of the north. Bad weather was coming and we wanted to get to a safe place. The Neuse started out bad (1 1/2 ft seas) and then got worse (3-4 ft seas and bashing into them). Three and half hours of misery. Sigh (again).
We went into Belhaven where we often anchor but stayed at the Town Dock at $1 per foot per night. No services but a very narrow, protected spot for the wind direction. It blew very hard and poured down rain. The wind also blew the water out of the area. There isn't much tide, water level depends on the wind direction and strength. It went down several feet but came back in time for us to leave two days later.
We then went to the Alligator River to anchor in a southern spot we've used before. Did not hook a tree on the bottom and our trip the next day up the Alligator and across Albemarle Sound was pretty easy. Nice.
We anchored at a new spot to us because of the distance and time of our legs here which all had to do with our timing to get to Annapolis and the weather we'd encounter. The spot was on the north side of Buck Island between Shiloh and Coinjock, NC. Fairly close to the ICW so we got some day wakes. There were no trees nearby for protection but the weather was not windy and we were fine.
From there we went to the free dock at Great Bridge. En route the Centerville Turnpike was nice enough to delay their opening for our arrival and the RR bridge that screwed us a couple of years ago opened just as we were approaching it after a slow train went over it.
We stayed two nights at Great Bridge (don't tell anyone, you're only allowed one) and then had an easy passage up to Hampton, VA. We had another coupon for a free night there at the City Pier and did our laundry.
Then it was back to the Chesapeake Bay. When we get here it seems like we're almost home. We're not, it's several hundred miles away, but the Bay is very similar to Long Island Sound so we start thinking of home. The passage from Hampton was better than we guessed it would be. The seas at the start were behind us and eased as we went north and the day went on. We stopped in Reedville, up Cockrell Creek, for a passing, short-lived storm. Then it was on to Solomons Island in near flat conditions.
The passage from Solomons was in forecast Small Craft Advisories. Turned out it was absolutely flat calm for four of the six hour trip and less than a foot seas after that. We'll pay for that.
So here we are in Eastport/Annapolis. In Back Creek. We anchored for two nights then went to a municipal mooring for three nights as the weather turned very breezy, gale force in fact. A downpour after midnight on Sunday, Monday morning, was the hardest ever experienced on the boat. And we've been in tropical downpours. Felt like the blast of a firehose for quite some time. After that it was back to anchoring for a couple more nights. Moorings cost $30 per night. We're too poor for that.
Our trip home is going to be tough to start with. Another gale is forecast so we plan to head up the Bay to Worton Creek to hide out and be ready to stage for our trip down the Delaware Bay and off shore to New York and Long Island Sound.
We'll see how it goes.
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Wrightsville Beach work break
We are in Wrightsville Beach, NC again for Carol's work schedule. Be here about 2 1/2 weeks because we got here a little early as usual. Have to have a safety/weather buffer.
This year we had a few adventures getting here. Boy, I hate those!
When we left Marathon we had a very good offshore passage to Fort Pierce. Very quick and fairly smooth. More than 200 miles in about 26 hours. The Gulf Stream can be your friend. We visited with the Guays, shopped and also drove to see Sue and Al on Gelato who were in Velcro Beach... Vero Beach to non-boaters.
After three or four days, we left. Then the fun started. Sigh. After we went through the bascule bridge we noticed the cabin starting to fill with smoke. This is not a good sign. It turned out the port side alternator was burning up. No flames yet but only because we shut down the engine quickly. Then came hours of phone calls to diagnose the problem and to find a replacement. We guess that water spray or mist from an earlier raw water pump leak coated the outside of the alternator and some water must have gotten in to the wiring inside. Or the salt. We were lucky to find a Yanmar dealer in Cocoa, FL. who could have a new one on hand the next day, and maybe install it.So we parked there for two nights and because we could not get into the marina near there we just took the part and went on our way to install it at a later date. By disconnecting the wiring we could run the port engine without the chance of fire. Our alternator on the starboard side would continue to charge the batteries just fine. Al on Gelato, Jeff from Bay Shore Marine in Annapolis, and the Yanmar guy in Cocoa were all very helpful with info and advice.
So we moved on. But not after watching a night time launch at Cape Canaveral from our nearby anchorage. Very cool. Unfortunately our adventures were not over.
After getting past Matanzas on our way to St. Augustine the bascule bridge at Crescent Beach failed as it was opening for us. It made a loud clunk we could hear from the boat as it opened and it was stuck, unable to pass cars either. After a while we realized it would not be opening soon so we went back to Marineland Marina a few miles behind us. It took a day and a half for repairs to be completed. We went on a couple of hikes and had dinner with our St Augustine friends, Bob and Jane.
So two days later we were back on our way. We were the third opening of the morning and we were still worried about the bridge not working for us. But, we made it through. The next bascule bridge is at St Augustine and as we waited for its opening schedule the bridge tender told us the Crescent Beach Bridge failed to close properly behind us and was out of order again. Kinda funny but still a close call for us.
From there it was a passage to the free dock on Sisters Creek near Jacksonville, FL. On the way we bumped a crab pot float but it didn't seem to be a problem. At the time. The next morning when we started the starboard engine we could not engage the transmission without the engine stopping. Arrrrr. We had caught a pot warp the day before and now it was wrapped around the propeller so we could not move. We had to wait for the current to ease before I went into the cold, dark water to cut away the lines. I have a wetsuit for cold water but I didn't put on the air tanks, just held my breath. It took an hour. It was very hard to see underwater in the early morning light and hard to cut away the line. I actually wasn't too cold because of my suit and the exercise but it was not exactly fun. So we got underway about two hours late which wasn't a problem because our next anchorage (Cumberland Island, GA.) wasn't too far away. The passage there was a problem because we had gone aground on that route two years in a row. I consulted the TowBoat/US operator, my guidebooks and online sources to decide on the proper way through the area. Although not all the sources agreed with each other we got through and were in Georgia that night.
From there we had fairly short days underway to time the tides through Georgia. The ICW there is pretty shallow but the tides are six to eight feet so there is water enough to get through, just not all the time. We plowed some mud up in Jeckyll Creek but made it through. Other passes were timed fairly well to have enough water, including Hell Gate in GA. and McClellenville in SC.
When we reached Winyah Bay south of Georgetown, SC we were boarded by the Coast Guard for a safety check. We passed inspection just fine and I was able to resist telling them what they forgot to ask about. I'm learning. Slowly.
Our next stop was Osprey Marina near Socastee, SC in the southern Myrtle Beach area. We stayed two nights, fueled up, did laundry and had dinner with Carol's former co-worker, Laverne, and her husband. Leaving there, it was very difficult getting under some fixed bridges due to flooding. We made it but it was close. Just squeaked by. Another night at a marina near Southport, NC and then here we are in Wrightsville. I installed the new alternator successfully but ended up up with severe back spasms due to bending, lifting and trying to crank wrenches in poor posture positions. Tough getting old but at least, for the time being, I am actually doing that. Getting older.
Next are oil changes and stocking up on food, etc. for the next push north.
This year we had a few adventures getting here. Boy, I hate those!
When we left Marathon we had a very good offshore passage to Fort Pierce. Very quick and fairly smooth. More than 200 miles in about 26 hours. The Gulf Stream can be your friend. We visited with the Guays, shopped and also drove to see Sue and Al on Gelato who were in Velcro Beach... Vero Beach to non-boaters.
After three or four days, we left. Then the fun started. Sigh. After we went through the bascule bridge we noticed the cabin starting to fill with smoke. This is not a good sign. It turned out the port side alternator was burning up. No flames yet but only because we shut down the engine quickly. Then came hours of phone calls to diagnose the problem and to find a replacement. We guess that water spray or mist from an earlier raw water pump leak coated the outside of the alternator and some water must have gotten in to the wiring inside. Or the salt. We were lucky to find a Yanmar dealer in Cocoa, FL. who could have a new one on hand the next day, and maybe install it.So we parked there for two nights and because we could not get into the marina near there we just took the part and went on our way to install it at a later date. By disconnecting the wiring we could run the port engine without the chance of fire. Our alternator on the starboard side would continue to charge the batteries just fine. Al on Gelato, Jeff from Bay Shore Marine in Annapolis, and the Yanmar guy in Cocoa were all very helpful with info and advice.
So we moved on. But not after watching a night time launch at Cape Canaveral from our nearby anchorage. Very cool. Unfortunately our adventures were not over.
After getting past Matanzas on our way to St. Augustine the bascule bridge at Crescent Beach failed as it was opening for us. It made a loud clunk we could hear from the boat as it opened and it was stuck, unable to pass cars either. After a while we realized it would not be opening soon so we went back to Marineland Marina a few miles behind us. It took a day and a half for repairs to be completed. We went on a couple of hikes and had dinner with our St Augustine friends, Bob and Jane.
So two days later we were back on our way. We were the third opening of the morning and we were still worried about the bridge not working for us. But, we made it through. The next bascule bridge is at St Augustine and as we waited for its opening schedule the bridge tender told us the Crescent Beach Bridge failed to close properly behind us and was out of order again. Kinda funny but still a close call for us.
From there it was a passage to the free dock on Sisters Creek near Jacksonville, FL. On the way we bumped a crab pot float but it didn't seem to be a problem. At the time. The next morning when we started the starboard engine we could not engage the transmission without the engine stopping. Arrrrr. We had caught a pot warp the day before and now it was wrapped around the propeller so we could not move. We had to wait for the current to ease before I went into the cold, dark water to cut away the lines. I have a wetsuit for cold water but I didn't put on the air tanks, just held my breath. It took an hour. It was very hard to see underwater in the early morning light and hard to cut away the line. I actually wasn't too cold because of my suit and the exercise but it was not exactly fun. So we got underway about two hours late which wasn't a problem because our next anchorage (Cumberland Island, GA.) wasn't too far away. The passage there was a problem because we had gone aground on that route two years in a row. I consulted the TowBoat/US operator, my guidebooks and online sources to decide on the proper way through the area. Although not all the sources agreed with each other we got through and were in Georgia that night.
From there we had fairly short days underway to time the tides through Georgia. The ICW there is pretty shallow but the tides are six to eight feet so there is water enough to get through, just not all the time. We plowed some mud up in Jeckyll Creek but made it through. Other passes were timed fairly well to have enough water, including Hell Gate in GA. and McClellenville in SC.
When we reached Winyah Bay south of Georgetown, SC we were boarded by the Coast Guard for a safety check. We passed inspection just fine and I was able to resist telling them what they forgot to ask about. I'm learning. Slowly.
Our next stop was Osprey Marina near Socastee, SC in the southern Myrtle Beach area. We stayed two nights, fueled up, did laundry and had dinner with Carol's former co-worker, Laverne, and her husband. Leaving there, it was very difficult getting under some fixed bridges due to flooding. We made it but it was close. Just squeaked by. Another night at a marina near Southport, NC and then here we are in Wrightsville. I installed the new alternator successfully but ended up up with severe back spasms due to bending, lifting and trying to crank wrenches in poor posture positions. Tough getting old but at least, for the time being, I am actually doing that. Getting older.
Next are oil changes and stocking up on food, etc. for the next push north.
Friday, February 15, 2019
Leaving Marathon 2019
We are leaving the Marathon vortex.
The vortex is the tendency of boaters to come to Marathon and never leave. We are leaving to head back to our summer home in Mystic, CT. Again. Starting our 9th return trip. People say it's still winter up there and we tell them it takes us until May to get there and, although they're confused, they can accept that weather.
We did a lot this winter season although winter is to a different standard than we used to know. While most of the country had a difficult winter, ours was warmer than usual. A lot of 80 degrees. A lot of 'highest temp. in the country' days and only a few cool periods or rough northers. Not hard to take.
I was involved in raising money for the local Kid's Bike Fund with auctioneer Mike Barber again. A new record amount was raised and a new high in the number of bikes purchased and given to the area children was achieved. Strange to think it all started with the idea of donating a couple of Waterway Guide cruising guides a few years ago to getting cruisers to donate more than a hundred items to be auctioned at a live auction.
I also started volunteering to be a tour guide/trolley driver at Crane Point Hammock Nature Center in December. Once a week I would take two tours around the property for about 90 minutes each. I would tell them about the history and ecology of the hammock and the people who owned the property in the past. I got to talk to a number of tourists from the northern parts of the U.S. as they tried to escape their winter weather. Education and entertainment were my twin goals and I had fun doing it. Got a fair amount of tips, too. Those were turned over to the Foundation.
Mike, Heather and Cobbe visited us for a week at Christmas after we had flown to NYC for his first birthday at the beginning of December. Interesting development period for him. Just started to walk, then standing up on his own without pulling himself up, then running around like crazy.
We flew home to Connecticut for a doctor visit in January and was I given another three months to live. Hope to keep those piling up. We also took that visit as an opportunity to visit with Cobbe, Heather and Mike, seeing them for a third time this winter, before coming back to Marathon. We were two miles from home (in Marathon) on the airport shuttle when we were rear-ended by a huge dump truck, the construction semi type. The shuttle van was stopped for traffic for a while before we were struck. The van was tossed at least 50 feet, with the brakes on. We could smell the burned brakes as we gathered our wits after the impact. Carol thought we were
on fire. The truck driver came out of his vehicle with his cell phone earbuds still in. Distracted driving. We were a bit sore for a few days and Carol had a bump on the back of her head but we were lucky, given the size of the truck. We were sitting next to the window that did not shatter. Other passengers were not so lucky but they also had no significant injuries. We settled with the insurance company a week or so later and got a few bucks.
I volunteered again to be a beer puller for the Celtic Fest at the park for two days. Somehow I became an expert on ciders and other beers when, in fact, I know nothing about beer and little about hard ciders. Looking and sounding authoritative goes a long way it seems. Being able to BS on ones feet is also a required skill. Helped at Crane Point as well.
So now we're leaving Marathon tomorrow (2-16-19) in what looks to be a nice weather window. Hope it holds. Planning to go offshore all the way to Fort Pierce in one overnight shot. Plan to visit Gelato in Velcro Beach, too.
We'll see what the future holds for us. Short and long term.
The vortex is the tendency of boaters to come to Marathon and never leave. We are leaving to head back to our summer home in Mystic, CT. Again. Starting our 9th return trip. People say it's still winter up there and we tell them it takes us until May to get there and, although they're confused, they can accept that weather.
We did a lot this winter season although winter is to a different standard than we used to know. While most of the country had a difficult winter, ours was warmer than usual. A lot of 80 degrees. A lot of 'highest temp. in the country' days and only a few cool periods or rough northers. Not hard to take.
I was involved in raising money for the local Kid's Bike Fund with auctioneer Mike Barber again. A new record amount was raised and a new high in the number of bikes purchased and given to the area children was achieved. Strange to think it all started with the idea of donating a couple of Waterway Guide cruising guides a few years ago to getting cruisers to donate more than a hundred items to be auctioned at a live auction.
I also started volunteering to be a tour guide/trolley driver at Crane Point Hammock Nature Center in December. Once a week I would take two tours around the property for about 90 minutes each. I would tell them about the history and ecology of the hammock and the people who owned the property in the past. I got to talk to a number of tourists from the northern parts of the U.S. as they tried to escape their winter weather. Education and entertainment were my twin goals and I had fun doing it. Got a fair amount of tips, too. Those were turned over to the Foundation.
Mike, Heather and Cobbe visited us for a week at Christmas after we had flown to NYC for his first birthday at the beginning of December. Interesting development period for him. Just started to walk, then standing up on his own without pulling himself up, then running around like crazy.
We flew home to Connecticut for a doctor visit in January and was I given another three months to live. Hope to keep those piling up. We also took that visit as an opportunity to visit with Cobbe, Heather and Mike, seeing them for a third time this winter, before coming back to Marathon. We were two miles from home (in Marathon) on the airport shuttle when we were rear-ended by a huge dump truck, the construction semi type. The shuttle van was stopped for traffic for a while before we were struck. The van was tossed at least 50 feet, with the brakes on. We could smell the burned brakes as we gathered our wits after the impact. Carol thought we were
I volunteered again to be a beer puller for the Celtic Fest at the park for two days. Somehow I became an expert on ciders and other beers when, in fact, I know nothing about beer and little about hard ciders. Looking and sounding authoritative goes a long way it seems. Being able to BS on ones feet is also a required skill. Helped at Crane Point as well.
So now we're leaving Marathon tomorrow (2-16-19) in what looks to be a nice weather window. Hope it holds. Planning to go offshore all the way to Fort Pierce in one overnight shot. Plan to visit Gelato in Velcro Beach, too.
We'll see what the future holds for us. Short and long term.
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