After Annapolis

      We left Annapolis a day later than planned. But first: We picked up and left Weems Creek after a few days and went to look for a mooring. None to be found so we anchored in Spa Creek. A bit better holding in this creek vs Back Creek. After 4 nights we finally were lucky enough to get a City mooring. We paid for a week, stocked the boat, did the engine oil changes and went to the boat show.

     We spent about $2000 on a new GPS and EPIRB at the show. We also got good news. For a change. GEICO insurance will be sending a check to cover our rudder repair so we'll get back some of the many dollars we spent in September. Yay! 

     The day we planned to leave Annapolis had a nasty forecast: gale force winds with a cold front passage in the afternoon and before that, winds out of the south. The winds out of the south would make the trip uncomfortable and slow and if we didn't get to shelter before the weather change it could have gotten somewhat dangerous. Okay, very dangerous. So we stayed put. The following day had Small Craft Advisories but the wind was going to be behind us so we headed out. 2 foot seas abaft* the beam or, later on, on the stern meant it wasn't too bad of a day. Quick, also. (*nautical talk).

     So we got fuel and anchored at Solomons Island, MD. Gusty but okay up Mill Creek. Leaving Solomons was supposed to be the same as getting to Solomons, winds behind us and seas about 2ft. Nope. We began that way but when we started across the front of the Potomac River things got more exciting. 4 to 6 foot seas and winds closer to 20kts with higher gusts. We were surfing down the waves at speeds up to 10kts and steering was a lot of work. Hard work. Waves were splashing up the cockpit floor drains as well as coming over the side of the boat. We were never in any real danger, mind you, but nowhere near as comfortable as the day before. Same forecast. Go figure. That night our anchorage at Jackson Creek, Deltaville, VA was near flat calm with the almost full moon reflecting in the still water. Still water. Nice. For a change. We then headed down the Bay again. Lighter winds and smaller seas forecast but the slightly smaller seas were a bit odd and caused us to have some minor (and infrequent) queasiness. Not seasickness, just off a bit. A small LBJ bird joined us for a while on our passage. Resting I guess. Heading into Hampton Roads, leaving the Chesapeake Bay, was smooth and relatively quiet. Not a ton of traffic. We tied up at the free dock at High Street Landing Basin in Portsmouth. A nice spot but not quiet due to city noise, ferry noise and shipyard noise. The amplified street preacher didn't help but he gave up after a while. 

     This is the ICW beginning and it was an easy trip down to another free dock at Great Bridge, Chesapeake, VA. All the bridges and the lock worked out well. We get fuel, food and goodies in Great Bridge. We take down some gear from the top of our mast to make life on the ICW easier and we do laundry. It's one of our favorite spots. Did I mention it's free? Met some folks on other boats on the dock and on the second day several Kady-Krogen trawlers filled up the rest of the dock. They pretty much travelled with us down the Virginia Cut of the ICW the next day. Although it got breezy, it was an easy day. We almost made it to North Landing Bascule Bridge for the 0900 opening. Not quite. So it was a 20+ minute wait for the 0930. Expected. Along the way we saw at least 4 eagles in the trees along the canal. Very unusual this time of year in this area. We could hear them chittering away. Also unusual. A couple of brief, light showers caught us during the day but we made it to our Broad Creek, Shiloh, NC anchorage just before the heavy rain and thunderstorms started. Close call. Also, we didn't get inundated with bugs this year while anchored. 

     From Broad Creek the next passage is across Albemarle Sound and down the Alligator River. Seas were worse than forecast on the Albemarle. They built to near 6 inches. Whew. The Alligator River was not near as rough and the whole passage was uneventful. Yay! This leg is one of our longest, near 10 hours, on the ICW. It has to do with anchorage spacing. We could choose one to give us 90 minutes more time to rest but, if it's a nice day, we go to Belhaven, NC. 

     After Belhaven it's a day on the Pamlico, Bay and Neuse Rivers. All part of Pamlico Sound inside Cape Hatteras. This can be one of the worst sections of the ICW but this time it was completely uneventful. Light winds on the stern and small wavelets. We anchored in our usual spot in Cedar Creek off Adams Creek. Cell service was way worse than usual here so despite a poor forecast we left the next day. We went through a very nasty 30 minute squall just north of Beaufort (Bo fert) but the balance of the day was just showery a few times with a strong breeze on the stern. We stayed behind a tug pushing a very wide barge during the squall so the poor visibility in a tricky area was not a problem. We just stayed behind something easy to see and going the same way. The shallows on Bogue Sound were traversed with no problem, too, and we spent the night in Mile Hammock, an anchorage basin at Camp LeJeune, a US Marine Corp Base. 

     Almost immediately after Mile Hammock Basin, the next morning, is New River Inlet. It is a tricky spot that was recently dredged so it presented no problem. Right after that a fuel stop that we have passed by in recent years but were meaning to try. Easier than we thought it would be but all the boats we had been travelling with passed us by while we fueled up. We caught some at the bridges they had to wait at for the scheduled openings. The bascule bridge at Wrightsville Beach is a particular pain as it only opens once an hour. As planned we ended up at a Carolina Beach municipal mooring and walked to the nearby Publix. The wind was very strong and gusty overnight but the passage down the Cape Fear River was surprisingly easy. And fast. We also had no issues at Lockwoods Folly or Shallotte Inlets. We went aground at Lockwoods Folly in the spring northbound which caused more than $7000 in damage to one of our rudders. More accurately, the TowBoat/US operator caused the damage. Our first bad experience with TowBoat/US. We've had many good experiences with them. Many. We had mostly good current all day so we stopped early at Calabash Creek near Little River Inlet. Going further would mean a stop at a marina because there are no other good anchorages. Nope. Not for us. We used to go to Barefoot Marina but they changed ownership/management a few years ago and are no longer a good stop. 

     Myrtle Beach is a very long town that fronts the ocean but many don't know it backs along the ICW. We had no issues with the swing or fixed bridges as we went though the area and we hoped to get to our anchorage in Cow House Creek on the Waccamaw River before the rain and the wind started. Gale force winds were forecast. We stopped at Wacca Wache Marina for fuel for the first time ever and then crossed the River into Cow House just as the rain started. It did get breezy but the creek is very narrow and lined with trees so we were barely disturbed. Many years ago we heard very strange noises in the woods adjacent to us and wondered if werewolves could swim. Too rainy and windy, I guess, during the stop this year. Nothing heard.

     The rest of the trip down the Waccamaw the next day was different. It started out calm leaving the creek but got windier and colder as we went south. It was very rough at the end of river going under the Ocean Drive/Lafayette bridge but calmed down as we got into Winyah Bay. Angle of the wind, I believe. Perhaps the shape of the bay. The Estherville/Minim Canal was rough at the start but the strong winds couldn't ruffle the narrow channel much once we were past the strange floating bridge.  Our anchorage off of Minim Creek East was a bit rough in near gale winds but settled down late afternoon and overnight. It was only a 4 hour day due to wind conditions and our timing a future offshore passage out of Charleston. No need to get too soon to an uncomfortable anchorage. It was an uneventful trip to that former regular stop in the Ashley River except for a near collision with a very fast racing sailboat in Charleston Harbor. We were in the wrong and tried to avoid them, but they had to make a quick move, too. They were not happy. Shortly after anchoring across from the City Marina we remembered why we no longer come here. Yuck! Current and wind. Swinging around. Yuck! 

     Then came our offshore passage out of Charleston, SC to St. Augustine, FL. We travelled with Gelato who had been waiting in Charleston for a weather-window for this passage after a medical stop. Sue and Al are from our Power Squadron group back in Conn. They came aboard for lunch and planning the day before our departure. Our plan was go out of Chucktown, go to buoy 17 or so and turn right (south). Then stop before hitting the Florida shore. Sophisticated plan. 

     The wind started off stronger than forecast (of course) but the 2+ft. seas were on the stern so, although a little tougher steering than hoped for, it was reasonably comfortable. The wind and seas eased later in the day and overnight but they built up again early in the morning off of St. Marys River and St. Johns River. The seas near St. Augustine out in the ocean were big, too. It was a very quick passage and we were moored in St. Auggie a little after 0900, about 26 hours underway. Very, very fast. We travelled with Gelato so they were nearby through the dark. 

This is our GPS with the AIS icon showing Gelato. You can see our forecast arrival time at the Florida/Georgia border in the upper right corner. 

Us, well off Georgia (25 miles or so). Photo by Sue M. 

     Because we were on our mooring early we got a nap in, got fuel, showered and paid bills in the marina lounge (via wi-fi). We had dinner ashore with Sue and Al, too, at the  A1A restaurant. We split up with Gelato at this point and continued down the ditch the next day. Nice passage down to New Smyrna with a pit stop in Daytona for fuel. Pit stop. Get it? Daytona. OK, terrible. 

     The passage to Eau Gallie was uneventful, too. Dull, gray, boring type uneventful. We usually like boring but this segment is long and gray overcast makes it drag on. We anchored in the Banana River around Dragon Pt. once again and then got underway in the rain as soon as we had some light in the morning. The forecast was very, very bad. Heavy rain with thunderstorms followed the next day by gale warnings. Staying put meant being stuck for at least two days so when the radar did not look too awful we headed south to Fort Pierce. We got lucky. The wind was not too bad and the thunder and lightning missed us. We did get wet. Very wet. Sue and Al on Gelato had opted to stay in St. Augustine a few extra days and had a horrible time. Drastically worse conditions, up to 50 mph winds and big waves, caused at least 4 boats to break lose with one hitting the Bridge of Lions, closing it for a while. By pushing south we missed the worst of the weather. The forecast was still bad for Saturday, the next day, and we did not believe we could safely dinghy from our planned anchorage to shore in near gale conditions so we paid for a very expensive slip at the City Marina for 2 nights. Outrageously expensive. Sigh. On Saturday the wind did pick up to about 20mph but the ICW did not look too rough to cross by dinghy, certainly not the near gale forecast, so maybe we could have anchored and safely traversed the 1 mile dinghy ride in open water but the luxury of the marina sure was nice. 

     We left Ft. Pierce about 10am after topping off our fuel. The last fuel before Marathon for us. An extra (maybe unneeded) shower was nice, too. We went to a wide spot off the ICW in Hobe Sound inside of Jupiter, FL. to anchor. But first, we finally, after all these years, hit a bridge. With the top of our mast. It was the Sewall Pt./Ernie Lyons Bridge near Stewart/Jensen Beach. The sign board read 63 ft. but there was an almost 2 ft. chop bouncing us around. We've cleared this bridge when it read 63 ft. before but the bouncing did us in. Our 'curb feeler' back up VHF antenna broke off and fell to the deck. We do not know if we damaged the top of the mast or the light base up there. We'll have to look up there while we are here in our winter home, Marathon. When we get a chance. 

     The strong breezes continued the next day as well as the higher tides. When we got to the Blue Heron bridge near North Palm Beach it was about an hour before high tide and the sign board read less than 62 ft. Not a chance to go under. Did not even try. We turned around and went back about 30 minutes to anchor in North Palm Beach for 4 1/2 hours. Lunch, relax and install our new GPS. We tried again about 75 minutes before low tide at the Blue Heron bridge and made it through with the sign board reading 63 1/2 ft. Close but we've gone through with that reading before. Miss our curb feeler, however. The next morning we were up very early (0500) and picked up the anchor in Lake Worth well before daylight. This was for the bridge opening schedules and to get under the Southern Blvd lift bridge near low tide. This so-called temporary bridge (been in place for years) was built to 65ft clearance at LOW tide not high tide (MHW) as required for the ICW. We do not know why the USCG allows this kind of thing to be done. Repeatedly. Cowardice, I think. The rest of the opening bridges along the way went well. A couple were very nice to us with slightly off-schedule openings and we anchored early at Boca Raton. 

     After Boca we continued through the rest of the bridges to Ft. Lauderdale. No issues with any of the bascule bridges. Timed them well and we went out the Inlet into the ocean. Still Small Craft Advisories but it wasn't bad. Less than 2ft seas but they were confused, not organized. What we call lumpy. We have had much worse conditions on this 2 1/2 hour passage. We anchored in No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne. It was crowded when we arrived and we had some trouble getting a spot. The locals cleared out later and we reset to a great, safe spot. 

      Our next to last day south was really strange. It was a bit breezy, not bad, with some showers around when, as we approached the Card Sound Bridge, super fast, cigarette-type speed boats started zooming by us. One or two at a time then bigger groups. Some were nice enough to go well away from us, others came close enough to get us wet with their rooster-tail wakes. Then, as we got to Jewfish Creek, they all backed up to squeeze through the canal and to raft up at a restaurant for lunch. Then they later caught up to us again to pass us. Again! And again! 🤯🤬

     This is about 2/3 of the boats that passed us. Some twice. 

     We anchored in Barley Basin off Islamorada, well off ICW marker R'84'. Our last day of the 2021 southbound trip started off very soggy. Not heavy rain but a steady drizzle, or slightly more. The ocean, Hawk Channel, after going under the Channel 5 fixed bridge was under 1ft. so not too bad of an ending to our fall migration. Just a bit damp. We got to Marathon, our winter home, about noon and, after lunch, checked in with the office. One of the reasons we like it here so much is, as we approached our assigned mooring, people on boats started waving to us and welcoming us back. And when we were ashore several more folks called out to say hello. Liveaboards, whether snowbirds like us, or just people who mostly stay put, are a different breed of folks. A much nicer breed.    

     We will see how the winter progresses as we settle in over the next few days. Already have some of our volunteering scheduled and it will be nice to be a tour guide at Crane Point once again. Only early downside is the lack of masks in public or enclosed places. Hope we survive. 

South to Naptown 2021

      We got underway (briefly) from the dock at Old Lyme Marina on the first day of Fall 2021. We had been on the dock for about a week for 1000 hour service on our Yanmar engines. This was not our first thousand hour service. We are up to 4000 hours already. We were supposed to have the mechanic aboard for final testing but he didn't show up on time. Cranking up the engine RPMs to make the R.R. bridge opening, we had poor engine speed and strange noises and smells. Sigh. Back to the marina just as the mechanic showed up. A test run showed a leaking injector. This is bad. They rushed the injector to the shop the marina uses and pushed them to take care of the problem. They got it back to us very quickly and after another test run we got underway for good just before noon. Four hours late. 

     We got lucky with the drawbridge opening but by the time we got to the Sound the wind was up, the seas were up and we were losing the favorable current. Sigh. Oh, and did I mention the rain?  Okay, it wasn't terrible. Seas never got above 2ft. and the showers were brief. Could have been worse. It took an hour longer to Port Jefferson, L.I. than it would have if we had left in the morning but we were secure on a borrowed mooring in PJ by dinner time. Late dinner time. 

     The next day we planned to stay put due to forecast thunderstorms and wind. Overnight it didn't rain and it was mostly sunny, if breezy, in the morning after breakfast when Carol changed our minds about staying in PJ. We got underway in spite of Small Craft Advisories and found it wasn't too bad. For a while. The last hour of the trip was very sporty and we had a couple of quick showers along the way, too. Coming into Manhasset Bay was a bit too exciting as was picking up a mooring. We could not get a town mooring (full) and so we got one that did not afford a free first night. Didn't care. Very rough in the harbor but we could handle it. Experience. Having a catamaran helps, also. We decided to stay a second night in Port Washington but picked up a now open town mooring for that second night. Those moorings are free the first night so it worked out all right. If we had gotten one of those moorings the first day we would have had to pay for the second night anyway. 

     We had planned on going through the City on the weekend because there is less ferry traffic and we hoped the west side of the East River would be open. They close a security area in front of the United Nations building while it is in session. This year this closure extended into Saturday. We could have waited until Sunday but the weather was better on Saturday for the whole passage off the New Jersey coast. Forecast to be better I should say. 

New walking route on the Brooklyn Bridge

     We left Port Washington at 0600 in the dark. As we were going through Hells Gate, a tricky, semi-dangerous spot, we were trying to reach the bridge tender on the east side of the East River. They never responded by VHF radio or by phone, even after USCG intervention. After making us wait 15 minutes, they opened. They then had the nerve to call US(!!!) on the VHF to get our boat name showing that their radio worked and they just ignore boaters. 

     After we got through the City we headed out into the ocean off New Jersey. It was a really pleasant day. Sunny, warmish, seas about 1ft. and a nice, comfortable breeze. After getting to the Atlantic City area the wind shifted to directly in front of us so the genoa was furled and, as we continued into the night, the breeze picked up much earlier than forecast. This meant the seas picked up sooner than forecast, too. It wasn't too bad until 0100 when it got a little less comfortable. The trip around Cape May wasn't great and wasn't awful as we took the near shore route. We had bread crumbs to help us. We call the GPS track on the screen bread crumbs as it shows where we travelled previously as if we left a trail. Just follow the bread crumbs and you'll be safe because you've taken the route before. Still, it is disconcerting to be just a few hundred feet off the beach and heading straight for the lighthouse before you turn to parallel the shoreline. Since crew was sleeping I did this myself. I could have woken her up if needed but I would only do this if the boat was in serious danger. Doing the waking could be dangerous in itself. 47 years of experience is a factor in making these decisions. Not talking about boating experience here.  

     After going around the Cape into Delaware Bay things got awful. Big, close seas right on our nose with the wind. These two factors slowed us down as we slammed into every third wave or so, nearly coming to a stop. Things in the boat were tossed about and broken and salt water flying over the cockpit killed the plants on our stern as well as getting us wet. Dinghy got damaged, too. 

This may not have been the worst we'd ever had happen to us but it was a good attempt. Close. This lasted about 5 hours before easing to 1-2ft. chop at Ship John Shoal Light. The current stopped hurting us at this point, too. We went into the C&D Canal and then continued through it to the Chesapeake Bay as the anchorage basin in Chesapeake City was full. We went to the Bohemia River and anchored a bit past Veazey Cove. This was open to the wind direction but it wasn't bad. 

     From Bohemia we went to our usual anchorage in Worton Creek, MD before the Small Craft Advisories went into affect. We are frequent visitors here as it is land-locked, quiet and scenic. Deer and hawks were some of the wildlife we saw. After two days we crossed the Bay to Middle River for the first time. We took some of the secondary channels there and found our paper and GPS chart to be way out of date. Many buoys were missing. Two other electronic chart sources were accurate, however. We managed. We anchored up in Hopkins Creek. Nice but not particularly interesting. Marinas and houses all around. 

         Our dinghy on Hart-Miller Island

     Just one night in Middle River then we went to Hart-Miller Island. The anchorage was not protected from the wind direction we had but it wasn't too rough. The island was created by joining two islands with dredging material from nearby Baltimore and creating a park. We went ashore for a bit and did some sightseeing before heading back to the boat, having lunch and then getting underway again. We went up Bodkin Creek which was only an hour away and used to be one of our regular stops. From there we went to a newer regular spot: Sillery Bay in the Magothy River. We were actually only about two miles away from our previous anchorage in Bodkin Creek but to get there we had to go out the creek, south on the Bay then up the Magothy into Sillery. Maybe 8 to 10 miles and two hours of motoring. It's a very pretty spot and well protected. After a long weekend there we finally headed for Annapolis. 

     It was only an easy 2 hour passage and we went into Weems Creek in West Annapolis. We used to come here when we first started cruising south. We anchored here and then we started picking up the Navy moorings that used to be available. Picked up private moorings back then, too. It's a nice spot, close to a grocery store and a favorite bakery. We learned the bakery changed hands recently and is doing some things differently. Jury is still out on how we feel about it. The bread we got was still quite good if a dollar more expensive. 

     So we are in Annapolis until October 16th we think. We will leave right after we go to the boat show which is later in the month than it used to be. Not happy about that. We plan to look for a city mooring after a few days here. Hope we get one.  

Summer 2021

      Our summer starts when we get home to Connecticut. No matter how early. No matter how cold. And it was cold. In May. We were on a dock temporarily at Old Lyme Marina and actually plugged in to power to get heat some nights. When we moved to our mooring it wasn't bad... until it got worse. Memorial Day Weekend was almost freezing, 40s anyway. And to make it worser, it rained all weekend. Only one other boat showed up for our annual Power Squadron Rendezvous at Hamburg Cove. Oh well. Did I mention we had two other adults aboard? With our 3 year old grandson? And we could not go in the cockpit due to rain and cold? Challenging. Good thing he's cute. 

     Early summer was holding some promise that the Covid situation would start to improve. Many people, like Carol, were now getting fully vaccinated, especially in the northeast states. This was good. Our medical visits started in May and continued into June. And July. Only one of my tests showed the need for a follow-up. The follow-up indicated no issues. My oncologist believes tests beget tests and are not always a good idea. In this case he was right. Tough judgement calls for patients when a test is recommended by your doctor. Anyway, all is still good. Still in remission. For now. 

     I have been getting an infused treatment every two months. Sort of a maintenance regimen. I had wanted an injection version but my Miami oncologist was reluctant to make a switch in treatment in March while heading home.  In May, in Hartford, I got the injection instead of the infusion. It didn't work out so good. I got a fist size lump on my abdomen and an interesting rash along my belly to my side. Red then blue then white little bubbles. As I said, interesting. Nothing serious but I went back to infusions. They take longer to administer but nothing interesting happens. Like our aversion to adventures, interesting medical situations are also something to be wary of. Interesting usually isn't fatal but...

     In July we took the boat to Coecles Harbor, Shelter Island. The 4th of July weekend started nice, was pretty miserable in the middle and ended nice. The middle part included cold, rain, wind and dragging our anchor. Hauling our anchor by hand after dragging in wind and rain was lots of fun. Ah, cruising. We had intended to meet our daughter and her family there but a medical procedure interfered. Not a procedure of ours for a change. Late in the weekend old friends from the New Haven Squadron cruised in and we visited them on their new boat. First visit to another boat in a long, long time. 

     Later in July we started our 'vacation' cruise. Not our vacation, of course. Cobbe and family were aboard for two weeks. Two long weeks. 

     We started out by heading to Mystic later in the day and got to Ram Island for dinner. The next day it was Block Island. 

     

     A rare, quiet moment on 'vacation'. 

     It was crowded but we got ourselves a good place to anchor in Great Salt Pond near Breezy Point. We had a major wind shift with gusts that made us wonder if we dragged but it turned out okay. We were trapped aboard due to wind and rain for more than a day. Did I mention the three year old? 

Several beach visits and a trip to the 'zoo' marked our four nights at Block. Many visits from Aldos, too. 

     From there it was a passage to Cuttyhunk Island. It was uneventful on the way except for sea sickness for some crew in mostly flat seas. Ok, maybe it was another kind of sickness. Mostly in the morning. We got an expensive mooring at Cuttyhunk and had seafood delivered out to the boat. Then it was a few days in Hadley Harbor, also in the Elizabeth Islands. Beach visits, swimming, wading and a seal watching excursion filled our days before we went over to Lake Tashmoo on Martha's Vineyard. This is near Vineyard Haven and is very nice but with a shallow entrance. 

     After 4 nights it was back to another stop in Cuttyhunk. We visited the library and talked to local folks about changes on the island before we headed back to Block Island. Only a couple of nights in much tighter anchoring but we had a chance to visit with the Quigleys on Miss Ruby. We went to dinner together ashore and had drinks (drinks???!!!!!) at the Oar. Outboard motor troubles started here before we left for a night up the Mystic River and a visit to Mystic Seaport Museum. Yes, I work/volunteer there AND go to visit there, too. 

     A week or so after this cruise (and an expensive outboard motor repair) we went to Essex Boat Works for our annual haulout for maintenance. We discovered we had a bent starboard rudder from a botched tow by TowBoat/US on our trip north. We had more than three weeks on land and a major bill for the repair. This meant no Labor Day weekend cruise and no overnight guests aboard. Cobbe still got to see Thomas the Tank Engine in Essex and the Nautilus submarine in Groton as well as other area attractions. 

     Once back in the water we started on more expensive maintenance. This time on our engines. 1000 hour service was delayed last year due to Covid restrictions so all these expenses seem to be coming all at the same time. Ah, boating. The total oozed up over $10,000 in August and September but, as I said, some of this was due to deferred expenses. Wait until the boat show in October and desired new electronics are added to the bills. 

     As I post this entry we will just about be ready to depart on cruise #12 back to Marathon. Stocking up on supplies and wrapping up other boat preparation. Still an active hurricane season to be concerned about. Next report will be from Annapolis. 

     

Annapolis to Home 2021

     As mentioned in my last posting, we pushed on our last day to get to Annapolis and had about 4hrs of uncomfortable seas (out of 12hrs). The next day, our first at Annapolis, was fairly breezy and the wind was from a poor direction. Had we not pushed the day before we would have had 7hrs or so of rough conditions not the 4hrs we actually had. An okay trade-off, I guess. We picked up a city mooring in Back Creek, Eastport, a part of Annapolis, and then got fuel our first day there. Each day we were visited (harrassed) by geese. They climbed all over the boat, leaving 'presents' and making noise. They also decided our dinghy was a good spot to lay an egg. No, it's not.

      

     The person who measured us for a new sailcover last fall came out again to measure for corrections. We were unhappy with the results and the company promised to make it right. Re-make it right. We won't get the new cover until after we are home. 

     We made some minor repairs, changed engine fluids and got some shopping, restocking and dining out done. The weather was nice, cold, windy, nice, cold, warm, sunny, cloudy, warm, windy, and cold. Springtime. 

     We stayed a bit more than a week hoping to time the weather and winds the rest of the way up the east coast and to maybe get warmer weather. Maybe not. 

     When we left Annapolis on a Saturday it was not quite as freezing as last year. Cold, very cold, but not freezing. The wind was fairly light out of the west and later faded to near zero. Minor ripples on the Bay. It became a nice day so, even though the current was not in our favor, we decided the planned short passage to Worton Creek could be extended to Chesapeake City on the C&D Canal. There is a free dock there but on the weekends local powerboaters tie up there for an afternoon. Sure enough, one tied up in the middle of a space for two just as we arrived. And only stayed an hour. This meant we had to anchor and our trouble with our windlass continues. We could have gone to the dock when the daytrippers left but we were concerned with low water when we would want leave on Tuesday. This looked like the day when wind direction and direction of the current would combine to make the best possible passage down the Delaware Bay/River. This meant a 3 night stay and only 24hrs is allowed at the dock. It's nice to walk around on land but we are used to staying on the boat without touching land for many days in a row. There are no re-stocking options in Chesapeake City so nothing was missed by not going ashore. Okay, there is a nice ice cream shop. 

     We could have made it an only two night stay by going to Worton Creek previously but we took advantage of the benign conditions to get more miles under our keels. We are always making choices like this based on weather forecasts and other variables. Sometimes the guesses work. Sometimes........

     After 3 nights at anchor we headed out early. Very early. We often leave in the dark because the C&D Canal is well lit but because we're here much later in the Spring than in past years we had plenty of predawn light. Of course it took 40 minutes to raise the anchor due to the failed windlass. I got the method down pat using a halyard winch to help but it is slow. The current in the canal was in our favor so it we were quick but once in the Delaware River we were slowed down for the middle part of the passage. We had 1-2 ft. of chop for a while but it wasn't all that bad overall. The current improved a little in our favor and then the passage around Cape May was okay. Not great. Not as awful as past trips through the area. Just okay. We took the near-shore route very close to the beach which shortened our passage around the Cape.  

     We then continued up the east coast of New Jersey. Seas started out as 1-2 ft. on our stern quarter so it was a little rolly but not uncomfortable. After sunset the wind and waves eased to near calm but there was an occasional large swell. No problem. Going through New York City was very quick as we had great current (up to 13kts SOG) and we went all the way to Port Jefferson, L.I.  where we borrowed one of the few moorings that were in. 33+hrs from start to finish makes for a long day. Not a bad day. Just long. Getting old. Sigh. 

     Our last day on the road was rainy but calm. It was the first passage this cycle that had rain. We generally stay put in adverse conditions but this was not adverse, just wet. We completed our cruise in the rain because the next day was forecast to be gale conditions. Not good. That we avoid at all (or nearly all) cost. 

   

 So we are back in Old Lyme. We're at a dock as our mooring is not in yet. We'll move to it within a week or so. Now it's time for Carol's second vaccine injection, a trip to Long Island to get our car and see Cobbe. Oh, and our daughter and her husband, too. We will also start our usual round of medical visits. Routine. Well, we hope they will be routine. One never know do one? 

     Everyone, enjoy the summer! Come see me at Mystic Seaport Museum where I'll be a docent again, usually on the weekends. 

Miami to Annapolis

We finally left Miami after 5 nights and a medical visit. Saturday, our last day and night there, was amazing. And not in a good way. PWC and powerboat wakes constantly roiling the water with no concern for other boats. Floridiots. We did go for another walk but not to the park as on previous days. We crossed the island to the beach (south) side and walked a couple of miles. Very nice. And not too crowded. Got an arepa at one of the food trucks. Delish. As evening approached the music started up. Many, many raft-ups with each blasting sound at at least 100db. This went to 0200. We were surprised, ok, not really, that there was no enforcement of speeds in the harbor and the marine police were all gone by evening. Ear plugs and a pillow over the head did not quite keep out the sound. Amazing. When we left Miami, we went all the way to Lake Worth Inlet via the ocean. Palm Beach. Seas were about 1 1/2 feet but eased during the day. Ran into Marathon neighbors in the anchorage. Our trip to Fort Pierce, also via the ocean route, was flat calm. Barely any ripples. We stayed two nights and did extensive food restocking and other errands. Also got to see some friends for the first time in quite some time. Our passage to St. Augustine was not so uneventful. The first day and night was fine, the second not so much. Someone missed a floating buoy after Crescent Beach and put us aground. Backing and filling didn't get us free but a passing powerboat wake helped. Backing and filling is using forward and reverse at higher power repeatedly to try to swing the boat to get us free when stuck in the mud. It puts a strain on everything but with the help of the wakes we got free without calling for a tow. Maybe we should have. One engine was sputtering with a clogged Racor fuel filter, the other threw a serpentine belt and and broke its coolant water pump. Or maybe the pump broke first throwing the belt off the pulleys. Who knows? We limped into St. Augustine where things got worse. After we got to the Municipal mooring field it started to get very rough. The wind was NE and the waves were more than two feet. Seasickness meds were needed while moored. I don't think that ever happened before. The second full day (out of three) had a brief respite from the wind and waves so we went ashore for showers, laundry, bill paying and a visit with shore-based friends. We got soaked returning to the boat and never got off of it again. On Monday we also managed to make arrangements for our replacement pump and a mechanic to meet us in Thunderbolt, GA.

After four nights we got underway on one engine only and went to the Sisters Creek free dock outside of Jacksonville, FL. Nice to return there. Chatted with some boaters we'd seen before along the road. Then we went offshore to Cumberland Island, GA. It's longer than the ICW route but avoids shoal areas and traffic. We then went to two new anchorages (to us). One was barely a wide spot in the road, the other was up a small creek similar to several in the area we used before. We chose these spots so we'd get to Saturday's anchoring spot in time to watch a UCONN Sweet 16 WWB game at noon.

We got to the Herb River in Thunderbolt, GA in time to watch the basketball game on our phones and stayed two nights. Then it was two nights at Thunderbolt Marina although we only needed one. Our engine pump and mechanic arrived on the scheduled day (a miracle) so our second day let us get to a grocery store via a loaner car. Then we went to another marina for two nights. We got hit by a impressive thunderstorm there and then a day of strong winds. Carol's planned Covid vaccine was cancelled, unfortunately. We then moved on to an anchorage a little south of Charleston. Our passage after that was very long. We hit the Wapoo Creek Bridge near its scheduled opening time but there is no way to get to the Ben Sawyer Bridge opening after that without a 45 minute wait. Grrr. Hate those. The passage would have been very pleasant (okay, it was) without the delays. A nice day and we got to the shallow areas near high tide. We anchored in Winyah Bay

and then went up the Waccamaw River to Osprey Marina. Another night at a marina! Scandalous! It was okay as we got fuel for the boat and a Covid shot for Carol. Finally. We then had a short day as we only went to Calabash Creek right on the SC/NC border. This let us stage future passage timing and do some minor boat work. After that, another #@&&$%# adventure. We went by Shallotte Inlet with no trouble even though it was near low tide and it was supposed to be an issue. Lockwoods Folly Inlet was supposed to be straight-forward and we went aground in the middle of the marked channel. Two hours. About 45 minutes was with Tow/BoatUS who did not want to tow us in the direction we wanted to go. Insisted on a sideways pull and trying to wash away the sand. When I said I wanted to be pulled forward he wanted to record me stating my desires. Then he did what I wanted. And it worked. Of course. His 30 years of experience did not overcome physics and sailboat keel dynamics. Go figure. The delay got us to Carolina Beach an hour later than planned but we still managed a visit to a hardware and grocery store. A walk on the beach, too. Our passage to Mile Hammock went fine. We even saw a M80 Scorpion assault vessel. This is a new stealth catamaran that carries smaller attack boats inside. I could tell you more but then I'd have to kill you. Or I'd get investigated. Or something. Or you could Google it. Our passages to Cedar Creek and then up the Pungo River were fine. The Neuse and Pamlico were quite pleasant for a change. The Alligator River and Albemarle Sound were, too. Of course, our windlass failed after that and now I am pulling up the anchor and chain by hand. Not so fine. Extremely difficult, in fact. Painful. A couple of days of manually pulling up the chain and anchor let me work out the best way of doing this. Still not fun but less yelling. We also had our usual stop at the Great Bridge free dock so no anchoring needed. Then we went to a pay marina in Hampton, VA. We often stop here with a free night certificate but we get the coupon at a boat show in the fall. No boat shows last year. Sigh. That marina was fully booked anyway, so we went to a nearby, high-end marina. High priced. Low value. Got a 'free' 5 gallon bucket at great cost. We did laundry, showered, and topped off our water as we often do in Hampton. Ready to push home. Next it's into the Chesapeake Bay. An easy first day brought us to Reedville, VA. We stopped at a new-to-us marina instead of anchoring. It was cheap but had no services. It did have a restaurant that was supposedly very good and inexpensive. It closed 5 minutes after we arrived. Sigh. The next day we continued up the Bay. It was near calm with forecast Small Craft Advisories. Carol laughed at the conditions and decided we should go all the way to Annapolis to avoid the predicted conditions the next day. This made for a more than 12 hour day. Of course, the wind did pick up making rough conditions the last 4 hours of the day. 8 hours very good, 4 hours not so good. Sigh. So we got to Annapolis. Time for a re-measure of our sail cover, oil changes, shopping, dining and a wait for the weather to warm up. We hope. Sigh. We took an Annapolis City mooring in Back Creek, Eastport. We'll get back to back-breaking anchoring soon enough.

Starting North 2021

We got started north this year a little earlier than planned, and then we stopped. Windy weather was coming and it would be from an uncomfortable direction to be on the ocean off of Marathon. We were not going offshore very far this year, only to the Channel 5 bridge and back to the ICW. This was because of a scheduled appointment in Miami, my every-two-months immunotherapy Retuxin. So we left early and then waited. Our passage on the ocean was okay, not great, not bad. Then the breeze picked up but on the stern, so no problem. We anchored in Tarpon Basin off the ICW in Key Largo. And waited. The wind came up. It went down. It changed directions. It came up, again. Then it really got windy. And we waited. Did I mention it got windy? Really windy? After five nights we moved a little closer to Miami. We anchored in a little bight in northeast Barnes Sound off North Key Largo. The Sounds were fairly rough but our anchorage was in the lee of the Key so it was not bad. We even had company. This area is kind of near where Card Sound Rd. turns sharp right to head to Key Largo. Near Ocean Reef Club. We could smell the money in the air. After that stop we headed to Miami. Biscayne Bay wasn't too rough as long as we were in the lee of Key Largo and Elliot Key. Once we got past there and had exposure to the east it got choppier but the angle of the winds and seas changed enough so that we were not bashing directly into the two foot waves. Not too terrible. When we got into the lee of Key Biscayne it got much better. Unfortunately No Name Harbor was full and the anchorage outside had too many boats, also. We headed to a new spot to us, Marine Stadium at Virginia Key. A lot of boats in there but very roomy with protection from the winds that were still blowing over 20. Great view of Miami and recomended by our friends on Gelato.

. This photo is not the reason Carol may not be convinced to return there. There is a lot of noisy partying. Most of the night. And not exactly our music. There are a lot of jet ski and other powerboat wakes, too. We had to stay several more nights after my doctor visit due to the north winds continuing to blow strongly. Speaking of doctor visits... I have not talked too much (I hope) about my health conditions lately. There has been no reason as things have continued to go well. This visit confirmed this. My CT scan results were very good and my blood seems almost like human blood. Values that are still out of range are getting closer to normal. All good. Remission seems to continue. Yay! Worth mentioning were a couple of people encounters during my medical day. I mentioned very early in my cancer journey the people I met while getting chemo or met out in a waiting room before our treatments. Sometimes it was while they waited for an update on their condition from their oncologist. While having different conditions or being in different stages of our journeys we all had something in common. We were all part of a not-so-exclusive club (unfortunately) that no one wanted to join but outsiders could never, no matter how sympathetic, quite understand what it was like to be in such a club. A woman, a few years older than me, attempted to sit near me (properly dustanced) but sat on a low table instead. She figured it out quickly and laughed at herself and then started a conversation. As I said, this happens a lot in our club. We exchanged diagnoses (a different lymphoma), treatments, current status, common conditions, opinions about the doctors and nurses, and some life experiences. We also just laughed with each other. Had fun. Instantaneous friends. I cannot think of that happening in any other situation I was ever in. I may never see her again. Maybe I will. She just joins a list of people I've encountered, since I joined the club, that I am unlikely to ever forget even as I've forgotten their names. As I said, we talked about the staff we encountered at the Sylvester/Lennar Center and she told me of her treatment at another facility. Because I get treatment in Hartford as well as Miami I have experienced different systems, styles, facility set-ups and personnel. I have found some things in common: the commitment, caring, competence and dedication of the nurses, technicians, receptionists and support staff is amazing. Beyond the call of duty. More than just a job, it is a calling, I think, even for the lower paid support staff. Of course, the patient spends most of his/her time with the nurses. So far I have had eight infusions at one facility and nine at the other. And when I leave one place it's six or seven months before I come back. The nurses and staff always remember me. Always know my situation and lifestyle. Always engage in meaningful conversations that show they didn't just check my chart for the info. And I see this with their other patients, too. We have different cancers, are in different stages, have different life situations and are given the care and support each are in need of. It is amazing. No bad days are evident to the patient. I do not know how it's done and I know a nurse or two. Really know one, of course. As many of us became aware of care giver sacrifices during this pandemic, what I've seen through my journey is multiple levels beyond that. No disrespect intended. All the thanks I see various patients give to their nurses barely scratch the surface of what is deserved. I'm sure a bit more in their paychecks would be appreciated, too. I know people not in the club don't have much reason to give this subject much thought but it's never the wrong time to just say, "Thanks!" As I post this we about to restart our passages north from Miami. We had slightly unusual days since Marathon and my medical encounters were worth mentioning so I've posted this long before our planned stop in Annapolis which is still my next planned posting. Again.

Rickenbacker-Powel Bridge, Virginia Key to Miami.

Marine Stadium. Long out of use.

Hurricane bent trees on Virginia Key. Yielding to outside forces but growing anyway.

Marathon stay ends

     We are just a few days away from starting north and leaving Marathon. I usually do an enroute update once we get to Annapolis. We'll see. 

     After my mid-winter update blog entry we really haven't had very much happen. No adventures. We like no adventures. A lot. I mentioned learning to play pickleball in December. I played twice per week with the occasional third time. A lot of fun. And addicting. We had a tournament amongst us all and I was doing well. Until. I tried too hard to rush the net and I pulled a calf muscle. Ouch. Very painful. I had to skip some playing days, wrap it with an ace bandage and then I limped a bit for a week. Getting old.  Getting old hurts. Sigh. I also played softball a few times. I used to play a lot pre-lymphoma. It seems I get more soreness and strains playing softball. Sticking with pickleball. 

     In January I got a message from the University of Miami health system asking if I wanted the Moderna version of the Covid vaccine. We said yes but had to rent a car to drive to Coral Gables (130 miles) to get it. It was very organized and a quick in and out with only minor side-effects, arm soreness and a slight out-of-sorts feeling for a half of the next day. One month later (February) I got the second shot. This one had worse (but more locallized) arm pain and I slept the entire next day while feeling totally out of it. One day. Acceptable. I also combined that trip to the mainland with my every-six-months CT scan. After effects of the barium drink and the radioactive iodine injection may have contributed to how out of it I felt the next day, not just the vaccine. I also spent a good portion of our BJs shopping stop on the way home in the rest room. Figure that out yourself. BTW: CT scan results: very good. 

     In January while doing some underwater boat maintenance I encountered a very large Black Grouper. These are a bit smaller than Goliath Grouper but it still was at least three feet long, probably 3 1/2 feet. About 1 1/2 feet high, too. Big. I was able to touch it with my scraping tool without him reacting much. I was NOT going to use my fingers! I'm rather attached to them. And want them to stay that way. When I touched his tail he had enough and wandered off. At his size he probably does not have predators to worry about, least of all me. I was not quite as unimpressed as he was. 

     A few times since January we had the chance to meet up with Gwyn, formerly of the catamaran 'Ala'. Carol started to join in playing Mah-Jongg with her and others once a week. Too complicated a game for me. And little chance of getting injured. What's the fun in that? 

My new friend, Casey. 

     We are leaving a few days sooner than we wanted to so we (we hope) beat some sporty weather that is coming. Sound familiar? Yep. Once we get to the Miami area we have to wait a bit to go to my every two months injection appointment. After that the weather is forecast to be okay for a while. Forecast. We'll see. So far out it is more like a weather guess, not a forecast. As we start north we have no work schedule or appointments (after Miami) for the first time in many years. It'll be nice to have a relaxing cruise. We'll see if that actually happens.

     We had a surprisingly good time here in Marathon this winter season. Some social activities were cancelled and we skipped a couple due to our Covid precautions but we were still involved with the community, played some sports and got some time walking the hammock at Crane Point. We also attended a wedding on the bow of a boat while we watched from our dinghy (see top photo). Winter here was way better, and safer, than we thought it was going to be. Our lifestyle and retirement income keeps us mostly safe and comfortable. What else is there?

 

   

     

 

Winter (2020-2021) in Marathon

      We started our winter in Marathon with a bit of an adventure. Hate those. My last post mentioned that we had hustled to our winter home to beat forecast unsettled weather and unsettled weather we had. Very unsettled. A day after we arrived the wind started blowing. And blowing. And blowing. Not a gentle breeze but consistently above 20kts and sometimes in the 30s. Or more. This wind was accompanied by the occassional deluge but we were able to go ashore to get groceries, pay bills and get a feel for the community with Covid-19 affecting all of us. Not too many seasonal boaters had arrived when the weather changed. For the worse. After a little more than a week of mostly nasty, windy weather, it got worse. A Tropical Storm that had hit Honduras bounced off of it, came back into the Gulf of Mexico/Carribean Sea, went under Cuba and turned north for the Florida Keys. T.S. Eta crossed over Cuba and steered right for us. Steered may not be the correct term because the forecast track constantly changed. Sometimes from hour to hour. It was going to pass south and west of Key West, it was coming right at the middle Keys (us), it was going well east of us to the Key Largo/mainland area and it cycled through these potential landfalls several times. From west to east. From east to west. The forecast windspeeds also varied a lot. We decided we would secure the boat as best we could and leave it to go ashore during the worst of it. Then we decided it wasn't going to come that close to us or with too strong of winds so we would stay aboard. Finally at the last minute when the forecast was for a direct hit on us with 60kt winds we made the run to a shoreside hotel. This was less than 10 hours before the hit was to come. 

     The forecast called for arrival at 1500 on Monday. Then 0300 on Monday, a big difference. It actually hit at Lower Matecumbe Key about 2200 on Sunday. The storm made a last minute jog east and had an increase in forward speed. This meant we were not in the dangerous semi-circle as forecast but on the slightly less windy side. We were actually within the circulation so the nastier bands were way to the north on mainland Florida. We had been hit by those bands of heavy winds and rains on Sunday and even Saturday so we did not miss out on the fun. Our hotel was pretty nice and it was well insulated from outside noise but I still heard the wind hit us at 2200 (10pm). Late Monday morning I walked back to the marina and even though it was rough and squally, I could see that the boat seemed to come through the storm fine. We stayed two nights at the hotel, mainly because we had paid for two nights due to the forecast. Worst that happened is the cable went out for about ten hours of those two days. Once back to the boat the wind continued in the upper 20s with higher gusts for another three days before we got a two day break. After the break was over the wind started again with two cold fronts. Near gale conditions (not quite) at times but mostly upper 20s again with significant gusts. These are not particularly dangerous or uncomfortable conditions in the harbor but the dinghy rides can be pretty wet. 

     During this breezy time we rented a car to drive to Miami for my doctor visit and maintenance Rutuxin. What a disaster!!@#!! Enroute they called me with a re-schedule for the injection. I went a little nuts with them over the phone, insisting on the planned actions happening that day. It takes almost three hours to drive up there and I was not going to make another trip due to their incompetence. For some reason my blood pressure was a little high when they took my vitals. They also messed up how I would get the medication. It was supposed to be a 10 minute injection but instead I got a 3 hour infusion. Infusions are fine but I was expecting to be out of there in minutes not hours. Plus Carol could not be with me and had to wait in the car all that time. Not fun. Besides raising my BP everything else was great. Some of my blood values were in normal range for the first time in more than a year and some others were very close to normal. I continue to make improvements almost six months after ending chemo so that's good. This maintenance regimen is to keep me in remission and/or improving into the future. I just hope they don't keep trying to kill me with aggravation.  

     After that came Thanksgiving. There was no big Thanksgiving Pot-Luck this year for obvious reasons. We usually have around 150 people in close quarters so that was out. We had dinner alone but did have an hour Zoom chat with Cobbe, daughter and SIL. That was good.

After that holiday we started preparing for the next. I started up an auction on the VHF radio net in the morning. Collected books and other items to remote auction to raise money to buy bikes for local kids in need for Christmas. I've been involved in this auction in one form or another for around five years and this one went well, too. We raised about $1000. and with the money people contributed directly to the fund the marina staff purchased all the bikes WalMart had in southern Florida. Some of the older kids in the area will have to wait for delivery after Christmas but we do have the funds to buy the bikes when available. Nice to have played a small part in this. 

     In this time frame I was asked to substitute for a net controller on our morning VHF marine radio chat when he was away. This led to another net controller pushing me to volunteer to replace himself as a controller once a week. Sigh. So now I'm a net controller. What's that? Every morning the cruisers listen to VHF Channel 68 at 0900 to get information on activities, request help with problems, buy or sell stuff they need/want and also have some fun with trivia questions. A controller is needed to keep this organized and running smoothly. Otherwise it is chaos and no one can be heard when everyone tries to talk at once. Controllers take one day a week each. This is pretty common in boating communities but ours is one of the largest of this type. There are other radio communication methods that are even worldwide but this is just local communication. You get recognition from other boaters for doing this. And complaints. Normal. Sigh. Again. 

     I have not been able to volunteer at Crane Point because my tour guiding is not yet allowed but we've been going there for a walk every week or so. I started playing pickleball with the other cruisers. It is a slight risk for catching Covid because of people together unmasked but you are generally six or more feet apart while playing even though you are breathing somewhat heavily. I mask during breaks. It's a risk. We'll see. Like tennis 40 years ago, I am barely average. Luckily most everyone else is fairly old, too. Getting a minor ankle sprain my third time out should have been expected, I suppose. Played through it but it stiffened up pretty badly later that day. Fortunately, only a one day issue. 

     In the 'everything always breaks' category, I had to replace a spun prop on our outboard motor as well as its carburetor. Purrs like a kitten. Again. A spun prop is when the propeller slips internally and doesn't provide thrust. Not good. 

          Before Christmas this little fellow, Grogu, showed up. Many people who saw the videos and photos we posted believed he was really here and not a projection. Hmmm.

     One last disaster before I post this mid-winter update: Carol bought a new, very expensive sail cover from Bacon Sails in Annapolis. A major struggle to install it. And it doesn't fit. Grrrr. 😡🤬 

    Next up... another drive to Miami for checking blood and other maintenance.