Passages to Marathon 2020

     This posting is about our 2020 passages to our winter home in Marathon. No need to mention my health situation except to say I will soon get a maintenance injection of Retuxin in the hopes of maintaining my current remission. That's it. Only mention. Immunotherapy, not chemo. Everything else is about our trip to the Florida Keys. 

     We left Annapolis after a week on a City mooring. We had someone come out to the boat to measure our boom for a new sail cover and then we left town. We only went a few miles to anchor up the Rhode River because we left much later than our normal time. But, but, but, what about isolation and Covid? Believe me, we are well aware of the need to protect ourselves. Me especially. Our visitor wore a mask as did we. He only was on deck, not even coming into the cockpit. I was a little close to him in the dinghy. We do the best we can. 

     After we restarted south we went to the Solomons area. After fueling we went a little farther up Mill Creek than we usually do. The spot we wanted had three boats and our usual spot wasn't ideal for the predicted wind direction and speed. It was a nice, protected spot. Maybe we'll go there in the future, too. We had a dilemma while in the Solomons. It was predicted to be Small Craft Warnings the next day but not until 1100. This meant we could probably get south of the warning area before the warnings started. Probably. The warning area was the Potomac River and north on the Chesapeake Bay.  That was three hours south of our anchorage and started four hours after our normal departure. A little close. It was going to be mostly calm before the warning started. Should we leave in the good conditions and hope to get south of the impacted area before it got bad? Should we stay put because the next day would have lighter winds and from a much better direction? Trust the forecast for wind arrival? Tempt fate by not going when it's nice? Will we get future bad weather because we didn't go in the early morning good conditions? Tempt fate by going into known afternoon risky conditions when it is quite nice in the morning and for half the passage? What to do??? Any guesses?

     We stayed put. Did a couple of minor projects and sat in beautiful, calm conditions. The wind did pick up quite a bit later in the morning. The trees were swaying semi-violently but we would have almost out of the area when the wind started. Oh, well. Getting old. Making choices based on comfort. 

     When we left the next day Small Craft Advisories had been extended but started at Drum Pt. and north. We were at Drum Pt. Leaving the Solomons area was a little rolly with seas up to two feet on the beam. Not terrible and once we got out in the Bay and turned south all was fine. Seas were on the stern and faded through the day. Crossing the Potomac River was okay. We've had it bad there. Not this day. We ended up in Jackson Creek, Deltaville, VA. in our usual spot. Then we went south out of the Chesapeake. Conditions were pretty calm and when we entered Hampton Roads we had a lot of military traffic including a small aircraft carrier, a LHD: the USS Bataan. Plenty of traffic was on the VHF and we had several overhead passes of surveillance aircraft as we passed the Naval Base. We tied up in Portsmouth at the High Street Landing free dock. Someone came by to hand us the rules and tell us when we could ignore them. Nice. On our walk most were masked and very friendly. Only one (well dressed) couple asked us for money. We passed. 

     We left a little later than normal because of bridge opening schedules and still were held up by railroad traffic at the Gilmerton (road) Lift Bridge. We made (a little late) it to the 0930 locking at Great Bridge, Chesapeake. VA. After fueling at AYB we tied up at the free south Battlefield Park dock. Rain was forecast for at least two days but it was light at the times we walked to the grocery store. When I needed to go up the mast to take down our navigation lights (anchor and tricolor) and our Windex, we did it early on the second day before the rain started. While at the dock we met a friend of Sue and Al (Gelato) and chatted with him quite a while. We also chatted with another catamaran couple and offered appreciated advice. I note the appreciation because I'm not all that used to it. We also went to the Battlefield Museum that is in the Park. It was a long time coming and this was the first time we found it open. It was an interesting history tour in a very small museum. Only took us about 45 minutes to go through it. And we read everything. And chatted with the docent. We had previously read all the signs in the park about the battle and knew a fair amount about it but it was still worth the $5 admission fee. The battle in 1775 changed the course of the Revolutionary War before it really got started. 

     There was a chance we'd have to stay three nights at Great Bridge but the predicted thunderstorms were delayed. We got underway and got to an isolated anchorage (Broad Creek) a little north of Albemarle Sound before the sky turned black. The storms missed us and it stayed warm enough to swim and shower. At night it got very weird. I got up for a pit stop and heard strange noises outside. It was like the whirring of the wind generator (no wind) or a pump running. I went out to check it out and quickly dived back inside. The were a few mosquitoes and at least a million (no exaggeration) midges. The underside of the cockpit hardtop was black with bugs. The under-canvass forward shelf was inundated. It was really gross. And a little scary. A few of the little bastards got in the boat but quickly got swatted. The next morning proved to even more gross. I sprayed and the ones not already dead soon were. The cleanup took hours. People on the VHF and Facebook were talking about the experiences they had with the bugs. Boats several miles around us had similar experiences. If we had a million bugs (easily), how many were there to invade the other boats, too? I will remember the sound forever. 

     The next day crossing Albemarle Sound and going down the Alligator River was uneventful (that's good) if slightly choppier than forecast. After a Belhaven stop, the Pamlico and Neuse crossing was the same: uneventful and slightly choppier than forecast. We'll take it. We've had horrid days here. Cedar Creek off of Adams Creek was pretty and restful. Our only change in routine was a brief stop along the way at the R. E. Mayo docks for shrimp. Delish! 

     From Cedar Creek we went to Mile Hammock, the anchorage basin at Camp Le Jeune. We paused for fuel at Casper's Marina. The marine base was quiet. Until about 9pm when several helicopter or Osprey landings were made. Very noisy but that is to be expected. It did not last as long as some others have in the past. Then we passed by Wrightsville Beach and headed to Carolina Beach and a municipal mooring. $20/night. Got a little rain  shower but really got lucky because the sky turned black a few times with storms coming very close but just missing us. We stayed two nights and did some minor grocery shopping. We also went to the beach. After that stop we left and headed down the Cape Fear River. It was only a little choppy with waves on the stern but it was very slow as we were going against the flooding current. We did not head out into the ocean as we have a few times in the past. We turned right at Southport and continued down the ICW. We had no problems at the usual trouble spots because we got to those areas near high tide. We anchored in a formerly usual spot just into South Carolina, Calabash Creek. The next morning we crossed the ICW and went out of Little River Inlet into the ocean. It was supposed to be fairly light winds with small seas on the stern. Well, on the stern was accurate. It got up to six foot on the stern with winds shifty on the stern so we had to furl the genoa. It kept wanting to gybe. It wasn't an uncomfortable passage but required an upperbody workout to go in a reasonably straight line. The passage into the Winyah Bay channel was a bit exciting for thirty minutes or so, then it was just slow. Against the ebbing current. We anchored in a spot often used by us near the ICW. 

     

     The next day we went to the ICW again. It was foggy and there were dredges working right at the beginning of the canal. The rest of the day went okay as the tide was rising so the shallows were not very. We stopped for fuel at Isle of Palms Marina and continued on through Charleston. We just made it through the Wapoo Creek bascule bridge before it closed for the day and Elliot Cut's adverse current slowed us down to 3.0kts. before we stopped at a new-to-us anchorage in the Stono River above the fixed bridge. 

     After that we continued south through South Carolina, something we've usually managed to avoid. This time we were hitting the tricky shallow spots at or near high tide so it wasn't too stressful. Carol didn't like this passage that much. Boring. I did not agree. You have to pay attention to the route and there are those usually tricky spots to keep you alert. I saw an eagle in the morning and later in the day it rained. Heavy at times but not awful. We got to Beaufort (Bew-fert), SC a little after 1500, missing the bridge opening. The bridgetender did not tell us there could be a 1530 opening so we went into Factory Creek to anchor. We used to come here a lot. We saw Fleetwing a fellow Waterway Guide contributor at a the local marina. The next day we had to wait for the first bridge opening at 0900. This meant a late (for us) start. Except for no rain it was much like the previous day. We got to the shallow, tricky areas at or near high tide so had no issues. Crossed the Savannah River into Georgia, another something we'd rather avoid... Georgia. We got fuel at Thunderbolt Marina, a place we used to love but has gone down in hospitality and competence, and then we anchored again up the Herb River. Saw and said hello to My Time Too for the third time on this trip south. We followed him out of the Herb River in the morning and down the ICW. Most of Georgia has stayed reasonably deep and although we started at low tide we were fine and of course the tide kept rising through the day. Even Hell Gate was pretty easy. We waited outside it for a large northbound power vessel and then cruised through. It is still narrow if deeper than in the past. We anchored in the Crescent River once again. We seem to hit this spot if we have to take the ICW route through Georgia. We don't always stop here because we do not always take the ICW and northbound we stop somewhere else. Hurricane Epsilon's waves kept us out of the ocean even though it is very far away and not affecting our weather. At this point Hurricane Zeta was brewing near Cuba and we were worried about possible trouble ahead. 

     

     From Crescent River we had an interesting day. Fog alerts were posted but it was clear where we were. When we started. After 30 minutes or so it got down to near zero visibility. We could see the front of the boat so it wasn't the worst fog we'd ever been in but it was a good try. We had to go through the Mud River about an hour from low tide in a few hundred feet of visibility. Not a good idea. We made it seeing just under 10 feet of water. Not too bad. For Georgia. Major dredging was done in the last year or so which means water depths are mostly better. Jekyll Creek, another bad spot recently dredged, had a rising tide so even though it was an hour past low we had more comfort. This photo shows what happens when you don't pay close attention. 

     We made it to our anchoring spot off Cumberland Island, GA. Saw a few of the wild horses as we were coming in. Saw a docked submarine at the dock at Kings Bay Naval Base. 

     We went offshore out of St Marys River Inlet. It was a bit rough bashing into the waves heading out but the current was ebbing so it was fast. When we turned south it wasn't too bad. Not great but okay. We avoided the shallows of the Amellia area and all the weekend local boats that were out. Heard from friends that the local boats made their ICW passage to St. Augustine annoying. At St Auggie we got a municipal mooring and stayed two nights. Laundry, fuel, water, showers and dinner out were on the agenda. Chatted with friends on Peppromenon but didn't visit good friends who are local. One is on their boat and reasonably isolated like us, the other is more possibly contaminated by Florida. Sorry B & J.      

     From St Augustine there were no major issues. We stopped for fuel in Daytona and anchored in our usual spot near New Smyrna, G'45'. This is opposite the yacht club and walking distance from a hospital. How do we know where the hospital is? Scroll back 5 or 6 years in this blog archive. The next day was a bit boring. We were going into a fairly strong breeze which slowed us down a bit and gave us some small chop but mostly it was only hot and humid and not really an issue. The bridges were not an issue including the ones that need to be opened. We saw quite a few Osprey which is good but towards the end of our passage we started getting followed by a large number of terns. They were close and swooping in our wake but didn't seem to be scooping up any fish brought to the surface. Just strange behavior we hadn't seen before. We stopped at Eau Gallie, Dragon Point. We leave early every morning, at first light usually, so we pass by boats that passed us the day before. They are still sleeping or the crew is preparing their breakfasts for them. Must be nice. Our trip to Fort Pierce was no exception, we were passed by boats that had passed us in the past. It was also a repeat of the headwinds slowing us down with hot and humid conditions cooking us. A few more clouds than the day before kept us from burning up. The day was longer/slower than in recent years due to current and the Ft. Pierce (Banty) bascule bridge schedule. Also as we approached the Ft. Pierce fixed bridge a barge slowly pulled in front of us and filled the channel. We had to wait for it to come to a rest against the fenders of the bridge  then try to creep by in the remaining horizontal space. Oh, we also have to be sure our mast will clear under the bridge. We knew it was near low tide so we believed we would clear and had to ignore that issue as we dealt with maybe 5 feet of clearance on each side of our 24 foot beam. What fun! Anyway we did not hit the bridge side, the barge or the overhead. Lucky again. 

     The next day we were up early as we usually are and headed out the Ft. Pierce Inlet. We were against the current so our exit was a little slow but it was not rough. Carol Guay was ashore at the Inlet and waved and took pictures.

Good to see her even though we could not visit this year. When we turned south in the ocean the waves were behind and reasonably small. We had the genoa out for a couple hours but sailing did not help us much. When the wind starting shifting on our stern we had to furl. We tried again later in the day for another two hours with the same result. It got choppier as we neared the Lake Worth Inlet and it got slower as the Gulf Stream comes closest to the shore here. We were a mile or so offshore and the Stream is more than 5 miles away but somehow it pulls the water along and slows down low powered craft.

The only other places the current had a major influence on us was after Miami and before Fowey Rocks. After that the Keys turn farther west and away from the Stream. Overnight was fairly calm with small waves (under one foot) on the stern. Our biggest concerns were the thunderstorms. Earlier in the day isolated storms passed around us just giving us a little rain for a short period of time. At night it can be more scary but we got lucky again. We could see the darker areas around us indicating rain and could see the lightning behind us or to the west. It was quite beautiful and the near full moon was popping through the gaps in the clouds to illuminate the towering cumulus clouds. It was very clear (if not raining) and sharp atmospherically. We could see very far in the dark and in great detail. Doesn't happen like that much. Morning found us off Matecumbe Key still in the Florida Straits. With daylight we turn and continue west in the Hawk Channel. We tend not to use Hawk Channel at night because there are hard objects to hit and there are thousands of crab pot floats to try and catch our props. We got to our Marathon City Marina mooring ball about 1315 which was a little later in the day than we were expecting.

The current slowdowns the previous day could not be made up with times of good current. It was a long day which followed a long night which had followed a longer day. Carol thinks we are getting too old for these long passages with limited quality sleep. Could be. We made our decision to go offshore hoping the conditions would be decent (they were) and because the forecast for the Keys and south Florida is awful. Terrible. Not very good. Any passages in the coming week (ICW or ocean) were going to be treacherous with winds at gale strength. Not good. We will be reasonably safe and secure on our rental mooring. We will see. 

     So that completes our southbound passage for the fall of 2020. It was fairly quick with few stops and as much isolation as is possible. Here in Marathon we will not participate in any social events (most are already canceled) and the marina's mask guidelines are as they should be. We will just have to see about their enforcement. I will probably be a tour guide at Crane Point again but only if I can be sure my groups must wear their masks 😷.  

We will stay here nearly four months unless something drastic occurs. Hey, it's 2020, who knows what new crap will happen? Storms? Kicking out non-residents? Locusts? Meteors? Shark attack?  Crocodile attack? We have one of each of the last two so that possibility is not zero. Locusts are unlikely but we do have stinkbugs which are worse. 

     Next blog entry is probably not until just before we leave here. Unless  something drastic DOES happen. 

No Health

      We are in Annapolis after the first part of our cruise south and there will be no mention of my health. Oh, wait, that was a mention. Sigh. Anyway, there's no need for an update as there's no change. That's good. So for the first time in a while this entry will be like they used to be: just about our travels to and from Florida. 

     We got underway from Old Lyme after a few breezy, cold days and my last weekend of work at the Museum. It was still breezy and cold but not quite as breezy or cold as it had been. The wind was going to be from the north or northeast and the current was going to change in our favor soon after we got to Long Island Sound. After passing north of Long Sand Shoal we turned towards Port Jefferson. The wind and seas were behind us so the two to three foot waves were not uncomfortable. Our SOG was very good, also. It only got rough as we neared PJ. We borrowed the same mooring we grabbed last fall but this time we were not asked to move. When we left PJ the next morning it was quite sporty. Waves came right down the channel and bounced and slammed us all around. When we got around Old Field Pt. it was slightly better. Slightly. We discovered our man overboard pole had left the boat somewhere off PJ. The lines and shock cords couldn't take the pounding and it took off. We made a general announcement about the pole on the VHF so people would not think someone went overboard and start a search. Been a while since we lost something expensive. Usually when we have major expenses it's because we hit something. 

     We stopped at Port Washington for the night and grabbed a formerly free mooring. I guess they are still free when no one comes around to collect. We never go looking for someone to pay. The moorings were not full but most were taken. We saw a number of boats we've seen along the road in the past. The next morning was less breezy and a little warmer. We had to leave at first light to insure we had a good current at Hell Gate and through the City. The East River was calm but the Upper and Lower Bays were choppy. Upper due to wakes, Lower due to the wind. We got to Atlantic Highlands, NJ before noon to rest up for our upcoming overnight passage. The wind was from a good direction and was forecast to ease overnight but we decided we'd wait for calmer seas as Teddy moved farther away from us. An unusual sight was 'smoke' off the Freedom Tower. The cool, early morning air was damp but not hazy or foggy. The sun reflecting off the glass warmed the air near the building and made a very localized cloud like fog that drifted away from the skyscraper making it look like it was smoking. Eerie considering what building it was and the history there but it was a fascinating phenomenon.  

     When we got underway for our New Jersey offshore passage it was almost calm with a breeze on the beam or slightly aft. Seas built to one foot and almost on the bow. As the day progressed seas built to one to two feet and more and on the nose. Overnight it was cool but not cold and not too windy. Steering was easy but sleeping was not. It was just lumpy enough with 2ft seas to make it uncomfortable below. Oh well. Daybreak found us right at Cape May. Seas were not bad and on the port side stern. Would have been worse if we were going into the waves. The current was against us nearly all the way up the boring Delaware Bay. It only turned in our favor at the Salem Nuclear plant but was back to against us as we entered the C and D Canal. Eventually it was neutral  as we got to Chesapeake City where we anchored. We had an easy day going to Worton Creek the next day. It was near calm with good current. The next passage, to Sillery Bay on the Magothy River, was even calmer, again with good current. We had a Blue Jay join us for almost an hour as he rested on the bow. When he flew off we were miles from where he joined us. Wonder if he could or needed to get back to where he started. Never know, I guess. 

     Anchoring in Sillery Bay was pleasant for one night before we headed to Annapolis. We waited for a rain shower to go by and got underway. The larger Bay was a bit lumpy but not uncomfortable and we still had a favorable current. It was a quick trip anyway. We went into Back Creek in Eastport but found all the moorings and anchoring spots were taken. No boat show this year and it was still full. We then went over to Spa Creek. Surprisingly, this area was not as crowded. Usually it fills first. We took a city mooring for a week. Closer to town but a little further from groceries and marine supplies. Oh well. The other interesting event was going through the Spa Creek Bascule Bridge that connects Annapolis to Eastport. A quick search said it had a 62ft horizontal clearance. No way! When we went through we found about 5ft on either side of our 24ft beam. Very tight. We've gone through tighter bridges but this was close enough. One way water traffic for sure. Post passage research showed the opening was 40ft. Seemed less. 

     So we'll stay put for a week or so. We'll do some maintenance, restock groceries and medications and get fuel and water. About the time we are ready to go the weather is forecast to be good (probably will change) and the current pattern will change to against us not with us (will not change). We shall see. Next posting may not be until we get to Florida but it could be sooner if adverse events occur. 

     Not that that ever happens. 

  

     

End of summer 2020

      We've come to the end of meteorologic summer and are just into September. This posting will be about our summer activities and update my health situation.
   
     Way back at the end of May we went up to Hamburg Cove for our usual Waterbury Power Squadron rendezvous/Memorial Day Weekend. Although we had boats rafted to us, we really never got physically close to anyone. In June we went there again, twice. Once for some boat chores easier done in calm water and once for some fairly rough weather. We could have stayed on our Old Lyme Marina mooring and rode it out but we went for comfort and caution.

     At the end of June and into July we had a cruise with Heather, Mike and Cobbe. We spent time at Block Island and within the Forks of Long Island. As previously mentioned, Cobbe enjoys being on the boat but really loves the beach. He likes being with Grandma and Grandpa, too.
   
    We had another raft-up in Hamburg Cove in July, this time with Gelato. We stayed on our own boats and felt safe enough. Nice to converse with friends. Then we had a second cruise of Block Island with Cobbe and his parents. We mostly followed the same route as the earlier cruise, but in reverse order.

We ended up the Mystic River off of Mystic Seaport Museum where I had an afternoon of work. Cobbe loved the kids games, raising a sail and playing on the boats in the playground.  He also enjoyed the tour of the Morgan, the last wooden whaling ship in existence. Grandpa's work assignment was the deck watch for the afternoon. Still cool to say that. 

     In August we had a tropical storm pass well west of us. This meant the winds were out of the south and were forecast to be pretty strong. We went up to Hamburg Cove again for the protection there. It was gusty but not terrible. We could see the trees swaying and knew the power went out in the area but didn't see the massive electrical failures that were scattered throughout the state. Some had no power for a week. Fortunately this did not affect my doctor visits and tests in Hartford. 

     As we are now at Labor Day Weekend we sailed to Coecles Harbor again. This time we went to the marina for a mooring and daughter and family drove there to meet us. Cobbe quickly gets into the rhythm of boating. Playing, preparing the table for our meals and, most importantly, swimming... at the pool and the beach. 

     We are now just a few weeks away from heading south for the winter again. There are risks going south but winter indoors is a risk as well. The Florida Keys have handled Covid issues correctly but the rest of Florida and the other states along the way are much more stupid. Except for fuel and/or grocery stops we are reasonably isolated and safe. Safeish. 

     Besides my weekends at the Museum we were mostly occupied with medical visits and tests. We have always scheduled our medical visits for the time we are in Connecticut in the summer, eyes, teeth, PCP, etc. but in addition to those I have more new doctors because of my lymphoma and its effects. Now I have a cardiologist and endocrinologist added to my collection of physicians. As I mentioned previously I wore a heart monitor for two weeks and that led to a cardiac ultrasound. That test seemed to show part of my heart was not contracting with the rest of my heart. This sounds worse than it really is. It's not that uncommon but it led to another test, a cardiac MRI. That's more of a big deal. You're in the machine for about an hour and constantly asked to hold your breath for different amounts of time including nearly a minute. Had no trouble doing any of this. The good news from the MRI counteracted the concerns raised by the ultrasound. The anomalies shown by one test were explained by the other. Some muscle bands that should be horizontal are more vertical leading to the appearance of problems. It's genetic and while unusual, it's not all that rare. Works so far. And should continue to work. We hope. My oncologist says the heart is important. It's needed to move the chemo drugs around. Apparently that's a cancer joke. I laughed. A little. 

     So my heart is doing fine. It can be affected by chemotherapy but hematologists and cardiologists are not in total agreement. Because of multiple CT and CT/PET scans we've seen an unchanging nodule on my thyroid. Sigh. Another thing to check out. I saw an endocrinologist and had another ultrasound. This one on the neck. It showed I had two small nodules and a cyst. Fortunately they are not an issue. Just something to watch once or twice a year. Another doctor added to my collection. Sigh. The VQ lung function test I mentioned in my last posting came back with a 'could not be more normal' report from the radiologist so that was good. These tests are a pain in the... wherever but they have been reassuring so that's good. Positive results. Mostly. 

     So that's the summer summary. Medical visits, tests, a few cruises, a few hiding in Hamburg Cove days and the start of my maintenance lymphoma treatments. It's more immunotherapy than chemotherapy using only one of the drugs (retuxin) of my previous regimen. This will happen every two or three months in an effort to keep the lymphoma at bay. The longer the indolent period, the better. Treatments have been improving constantly and although a cure may not be on the horizon hope for a "normal" lifespan is not unrealistic.

     Anybody know what "normal" is anymore? 

PS: August edition of Points East had an article by me. September edition had a letter to the editor and a mention in the editor's column. www.pointseast.com

   

Setbacks and Progress

     Cycle 6 is over now that four weeks have passed since my last infusion. I would have had my next chemo by now if there was a Cycle 7. There may be future infusions of Rituximab as maintenance but that has not been decided. I will meet with my oncologist in two weeks (as this is being written) to evaluate my condition and decide on the short-term future. First there will be more blood work and a CT scan.

     I had a bit of a setback a few weeks into Cycle 6. I had an off day on Day 6 but this was pretty normal. Just didn't feel 100%. Not terrible but a low grade headache with very minor nausea makes you feel a bit off. Easily taken care of with Tylenol. The next day I had my annual visit with my primary care physician and I felt fine. He cut back my diabetes medications because my A1c and my daily blood sugar levels were a little low. Otherwise all was okay.

     A few days later, Days 11 and 12, I got really bad. We had Steamers (clams) for dinner on a Saturday night and I thought I had food poisoning overnight.  A fever with chills, shakes, nausea and intestinal distress made for a bad night which lasted all the next day, too. This was what we were warned about way back at the beginning of chemo but had never happened. My oncologist warned me that Cycles 5 and 6 could be worse than I experienced previously. Cycle 5 had me just a little more tired but it was nothing really noticeable. This event in Cycle 6 hit me like a two-by-four upside the head. If this had happened throughout my chemo I could say I had truly suffered. It hadn't. I haven't. I realize how lucky I have been. One really bad day and a few vaguely off days over six months. Could have been worse. Way worse.

     The other interesting event happened this month, too. We broke quarantine/isolation and went on cruise with our daughter and her family, including our grandson. We were on a beach at Block Island when I got a call from my cardiologist. This was not as bad as a call from my cancer surgeon at 0600 a few years back but still disconcerting. She was reporting on the heart monitor I had worn for two weeks and giving me the results of my cardiac ultrasound. The PVCs were a bit more than we expected and the ultrasound showed a minor abnormality in a tip of the heart. More tests are now in my future. Sigh.

     As I continue writing this posting, some time has passed since the previous four paragraphs. Several weeks to be more exact. I've had my usual bloodwork, a CT scan and my planned follow up visit with my oncologist. He told me my cardiac issues are not chemo/lymphoma related. If they were, they would be much worse. Much, much worse. So that means I may have some heart issues. We still have tests coming up for them. Nothing appears serious but we are checking. One never knows do one? The other interesting side note was the bad day I mentioned previously was not chemo related and very likely was, in fact, food poisoning. This was my first guess, but one we dismissed. So now I am back to suspecting spousal poisoning. For my money, probably.

     Oh, by the way, I did get a report on my lymphoma status and the CT scan results. The doctor used the word "remission" which kind of surprised me. That's good news, of course, but my type of blood cancer is chronic and not 'curable'. Still, we'll take the good news. I will get maintenance doses of the Retuxin every few months starting in September. The idea is to ward off future relapses or a return to an active lymphoma state as long as possible. The infusion is not chemotherapy per se but immunotherapy. It doesn't have the side effects of the Bendomustine, the other part of my recent infusion cycles.  Advances in the treatment of this cancer have been very rapid and delaying a likely future relapse will mean better, more effective treatments down the road.

     So, all good news on the cancer front. My lymphoma is back to being indolent, which is great. I still have a cardiac MRI coming up with X-Rays and a VQ test for lung function or blood clots there but these are more exploratory than for serious heart issues. I think. I hope. We will see. Then I'll see an endocrinologist to check my thyroid nodule. Been there a while with no changes but we are in the check everything mode these days. My 'don't go looking for problems' philosophy seems to have gone out the window as I have aged. Sigh.

     Next posting will report on future tests and I'll also get back to reporting on boating events. Yay!

Last Cycle

     Last cycle of chemo is in progress. Well, it's the last cycle for now. There will likely be more chemo in the future. It could be just an occasional maintenance cycle or it could become another full run of chemo. It could just be medications in pill form. Treatments are evolving rapidly and no decisions or future options will be discussed until my next CT scan and bloodwork analysis, about six weeks away. I'm sure I'll have ongoing blood and lymph node checking long into the future, probably forever. Or forever for me. As I've said before, there is no 'cure' for my disease. It's chronic. It's forever. If I continue to be lucky, I'll die with this not from this. Of course who knows when that will be or when it would have been without this disease. Does anyone know when they will go, or from what?

     Well, actually, I've met/known some who know almost exactly when or why they'll go. Luckily, so far, I'm not one of those.

     Day 1 of this cycle went well. The IV was started quickly and easily. Not even a pinch as the needle went in. We also planned out the maximum rate the meds would be infused ahead of time. Past cycles here at the Smilow Center haven't all found us on the same page.  I want to avoid a reaction caused by too fast an infusion rate and I also want to avoid dying of boredom from too slow of a rate. It took about 3 1/2 hours to infuse the larger, slower rate drug so my total time was about 6 hours. Not too bad. While I was getting my infusion Carol picked up Pho (a Vietnamese soup) for us to have for dinner. This is almost a tradition now although we've had to substitute Thai instead once or twice in the past.

     Day 2 of the cycle is always quicker but this time the IV wasn't started perfectly. Same nurse but I had a significant pinch this time. Actually said "ouch" just as the right 'connection' was made finally. Oh well. I was on the road back to the boat in an hour or so. I felt fine on days 3 and 4 of this cycle and almost (but not quite) 100% on day 5. This is normal and I really don't feel that bad when this happens. Just a little off. Can't complain. Or I do, but I shouldn't. Day 6 or 7 sometimes is the day I feel the worst during the month. This cycle it was Day 6 and it was a little worse than past months. Just off. Don't feel right. Tired. A little nauseous. Grumpy, although that's hard to believe, headache, just semi-miserable. It passes. One day. Sometimes 1 1/2 days at most. Again, for one day, I can take it. Could be worse. Much worse.

     So that's it. For now. The 6 months seemed to go quickly in spite of all the changes in society and our environment in that time. I've changed. A bit. Maybe. But everyone changed, too. Perhaps not willingly but nonetheless.

     Since my last blog entry boating has started up a little and we've opened up our interactions with people a little. Very little. We had a rendezvous at Hamburg Cove with some of our Squadron members with maybe half the numbers of past get togethers. We didn't allow anyone aboard but by rafting our boats together we could talk but still be 6 to 10 feet away from each other. Some came by dinghy and conversed from the water, still maintaining a proper, safe distance. Perhaps not as wisely, I restarted volunteering at the Mystic Seaport Museum. I give a quick overview to people coming in and also answer questions. I am wearing an N-95 mask with gloves and people coming in are also required to wear face masks. I'm entirely outdoors in fresh air and keep a large desk between me and people. Or I try. Very hard. Some others don't. A bit of risk probably. I hope my anti-viral medication prevents all viral infections. Don't tell the Orange A-hole about it. He may cause a run on that, too.

     I'll probably make another entry here after my next CT scan and blood results. Improvements in blood numbers may not be great initially but should improve as we get farther away from the chemotherapy. It's almost like a sine wave. Things should improve a lot then go downhill in the future. We can only hope that future is actually well into the future.

Cycle 5

     We're into Cycle 5 of my chemotherapy. This means this is the fifth month of two days of chemo. This is our second cycle at St Francis Hospital's Smilow Cancer Center clinic. The first three were in Miami, last month (April) was also here in Hartford. We have one more cycle scheduled (June) and then we'll see where go from there. More CT scans and blood draws are certain.

     I had a CT scan the day before this cycle started and my doctor was very pleased with the results so that was good news. The only not so good event was when I changed my medications and diet for one day in preparation for the CT scan I got a little light headed while driving. I drifted out of my lane and scraped a bridge. Luckily there was no serious damage to the car (or us), we just scraped a wheel and damaged a wheel cover. A check of alignment and a tire rotation and we were good to go. Going to have to be very careful about driving for a short while. This had the potential of being worse than going aground in the ICW in March. Carol didn't react quick enough then either. Gonna get in trouble for that last sentence. Anyway, got lucky. All is good now.

     As mentioned in my last post, we are based in Old Lyme now so our drive to Hartford is less than an hour. That helps.

     Day 1 of this cycle had some issues as they gave me my retuxin at a flow rate of 150mg/hr instead of 150ml/hr. This was way too slow. Took forever. 5 1/2 hours instead of 3 1/2. Boring. Very boring. That was two errors in two cycles here at Smilow. This one was on the conservative side, no problems. The first, last month, could have caused a reaction but it didn't. I felt the difference in the slightly too high infusion rate last month. Too slow this month only caused boredom. Probably unrelated but overnight between day 1 and day 2 I had nausea and a wicked headache. No vomiting, just didn't feel good. As good as my reaction to chemo has been my oncologist said I'd start to feel worse as I got down towards the end of my therapy, Cycles 5 and 6. Oh well. We will see.

     After day 2 of this cycle we are back on the boat. We took it up to Hamburg Cove on the Connecticut River for the weekend because it's a very wind protected cove and we sat out a Tropical Storm here many years ago with good results. No results actually. In a major storm, no results are good. It is forecast to be very windy. The wind protection will not stop the near freezing temperatures, however. Did I mention more than a dozen times in the last few entries how much I hate the cold? You'd never know how long we lived through Southern New England winters before we became snowbirds.

Anyway, day 2 of this cycle went easy. It usually does. Only  one drug and it's only 15 minutes after about 30 minutes of prep. This blog won't be posted until a few days have passed. I want be sure there are no issues. There shouldn't be but I wouldn't want to jinx it by being over confident.

     As I resume writing this entry (and wrap it up) it is day 4 of this cycle, Sunday. It continues to be very cold and windy but today is sunny so it has warmed the boat up nicely. We had some snowflakes just before sunset yesterday. Snow! In May! Ridiculous! Saturday, day 3, I took my anti-nausea meds as a precaution. Maybe I would have needed them as I had a hint of 'not quite feeling right' but I take them as recommended by my Miami infusion nurses not as suggested by those up here. Sticking with what I know and has worked for me so far. Today, Sunday,
I feel fine. Sometimes the vague 'not so good' feeling lingers into Sunday but not today. That's nice.

     So, to recap, the first 4 days of Cycle 5 have passed. Minor events occurred but all is good. Still. Feel fine. Blood and scan results are good. One more cycle is planned for June then there will be more tests about six weeks later. Those will point to the directions we will take in the future. Will we have future 'maintenance' chemo? Will we just monitor my blood numbers? There is no way to really know yet. Like many who have had a cancer of some kind it is always in the back of your mind, if you're lucky. It can be in the front of your mind as you directly deal with the treatment but it can slip out of your immediate future if things go well. But, it is never going to go away entirely. Back of your mind is better than front of mind anyway. We can hope.

     Humm, have I said that before?


   

Final Passages North

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     Bye for now.

Cycle 4 in the age of Covid-45

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     Until next time...

 

   
   

Northbound like the old days

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

   

   

Cycle 3 and Northbound

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chemo, Cycle 2 and more

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

     After this point this blog is post cycle 2 infusion. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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