Vero Beach to Marathon

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

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

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

   

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

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

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

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

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

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

After Annapolis 2023

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

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

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

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

           Saildrive seal showing damage.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fall 2023 to Annapplis

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

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

Throgs Neck Bridge. West end of Long Island Sound. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

      

Summer 2023. Part 2

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

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

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

 

     Rabbit was a little scrawny. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

                         At anchor.

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

                         Enjoying Aldo's.

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

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

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

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

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

Early Summer 2023

      As written in the last post, we arrived in Connecticut a few days earlier than normal. The earliest ever, in fact. This was to take advantage of a small weather window off the New Jersey coast. Not a great one but a small period when it wasn't awful. It was awful for many days after we got home justifying our push to beat the weather. Just two days after arriving home we took Amtrak to Penn Station and then the LIRR to visit the kids and retrieve our car. It was cold, rainy and windy and remained so for days when we got back to the boat. Lovely. We usually spend some time tied to a dock at the marina in May but there were some moorings installed (not ours) so we spent a few weeks at a slightly rougher mooring location. Closer to the dinghy dock, however. 

     We started our medical visits and I started working weekends at the museum a little sooner than planned since we had the car back earlier than usual. Carol had the first serious medical test with a cardiac catheterization to continue to investigate her stamina/tiredness issues. We spent 8 hours at the clinic for the test. Good news and bad news... no acute problems but no interventional solutions either. 

     Memorial Day weekend saw our first boating excursion of the season. The kids came to Hamburg Cove by car and met us there. Only one other squadron vessel (Miss Ruby) joined us with one other daytrip member dropping by. Miss Ruby only stayed for 24 hours. It seems fewer members still have boats and most have multiple complications that make continuing this tradition difficult. The future of the Waterbury Power Squadron may be in jeopardy. The forecast 10 days ahead of the weekend was not good but as it evolved it got better and it turned out to be great, weather-wise. In spite of the weather, Hamburg Cove was not overly crowded and it was a quietish weekend. 

          Fish caught by James Quigley

      Medical visits ramped up after the holiday: eyes, teeth, endocrinology, neurology, etc. I needed some junk lasered out of one eye but otherwise all was good. Two doctors said I did not need to come back see them again. Finally a reduction in my collection of specialists! Yay!  

     Strange weather events occured the first full week of June. Actually not weather related but affecting it. A series of fires in Canada sent heavy smoke down into New England and well beyond. First from western Canada, then Nova Scotia, then Quebec. The last one made it hard to breathe and seriously reduced visibility. To well under two miles. Had to start wearing a mask outdoors. On the boat. With no people around. Weird change from Covid days. This will have major effects on worldwide weather. Here, we barely saw the sun. It was orange and everything else was gray with a bitter taste in the throat. Tough on people and other living things that are fond of breathing. 

     My eye issue was a normal complication of my cataract surgery last year. Nothing serious. I had to have the surface of my right eye lasered to remove 'debris'. Only problem: my sight is so clear in my right eye now that I can tell my left eye is 70 years old. Not quite clear. Normal but 70 years old. Sigh. 

     On Flag Day (14 June), MSM restarted its tradition of hosting a naturalization ceremony for new citizens and I volunteered to help out. People (our staff, politicians, and the judge) made moving speeches that were personal and short. Short being the more important factor. People from all over the world were made U. S. citizens and it was all very moving. I also qualified for two new (to me) exhibits at the museum to increase my range of interpretation skills. They also removed two slots for us volunteers to man and moved them to paid staff positions. This was great because those spots were the most boring. Not terrible but not my favorites. 

     The start of the 4th of July week had us attending the housewarming of a nephew and his fiancee. Their new-to-them house is in an area that was farm and woodland when I was a kid and where we (trespassed) went sledding in the winter. We picnicked with our family and met (briefly) with the fiancee's family. Perhaps we will chat more with them at the wedding in November. Perhaps.  

     Two days after the 4th (a stormy Tuesday) we went to a rented house on Martha's Vineyard for a week with the kids. This was instead of a two week cruise on the boat. A 5 year old and a 1 year old on the boat might have proved a bit trying. Maybe. A shorter cruise to Block Island is planned for August. Reports on these events in the next posting. Perhaps. 

Heading to Old Lyme 2023

      We left Annapolis for our push home (northern home) after a week. We did a few things while moored in Back Creek, Eastport. Oil changes. Bought and installed new batteries. Reinstalled our light and windex at the top of our mast (finally, should have done it in Great Bridge). Got groceries and baked goods. Went downtown a couple of times. Had breakfast out one morning and lunch another day. Chick and Ruth's Delly (correct spelling) is a tradition. It is almost as good as it was before Teddy retired and sold it. It went downhill a bit for a while but is now pretty good again. We had to go back for a repeat on the apple fritters. Their pies are made in house, too. Breakfast is good, very good but not quite as outstanding as it used to be. 

     Speaking of the batteries, we had decided to replace ours after 6 1/2 years of full-time use. They were still okay but performance had slipped a bit and changing them was a good, but expensive idea. More than $1400 expensive. We have 8, 6 volt deep discharge lead acid house batteries. They weigh around 62 pounds each and had to be carried into the dinghy, lifted from the dink onto the deck, carried into the cabin, wrestled into place and, oh by the way, the old ones had to be removed by the reverse procedure and carried to land. I cannot add up how many times I had to lift and carry the 62lbs. Back spasms and bruises are the reminders. I can remember when I could carry a battery with one hand. Without getting a sore back. Sigh. 

     We also went to US Naval Academy to view the noon formation, something we do every chance we get, although not every year. We also caught the silent drill team performance. We visited the USNA chapel and stopped by to see the John Paul Jones crypt again. We were assured by a chapel docent he was still in the crypt below the chapel. 

We also went to Potato Valley Cafe, a baked potato restaurant for lunch. Yes, that's all they serve. Quite good.  

View of us from the hill in the adjacent Ellen Moyers Park. 

     Our last day, before the rain and cold front, we went to Wild Country Seafood. It isn't much more than a glorified shack with no indoor seating but they catch their own seafood during the week and open on the weekends. The food is good and reasonably priced (for Annapolis). The oysters were huge. 

     

     As I mentioned, we stayed in Eastport a week but still had one more paid day left on our mooring when we departed. Nothing else was planned and this let us take two easy days up to Chesapeake City instead of one long day. Comfort is not our first priority but it's up pretty high on the list. It was a little lumpy heading up the Bay but not bad, 1 to 2ft on the beam. We had good current so the passage to Worton Creek was quick. We could have gone all the way to Chesapeake City but there was no rush because there was no advantage weather-wise in going offshore New Jersey before the Tuesday and Wednesday we had planned. A disadvantage was it was the weekend and locals tie up the docks there and make noise. We like Worton. Quiet and protected. Beautiful, too. 

     We got underway the next day around 0730 again because of another short day. We had a fast passage to Chesapeake City due to great current. Unfortunately we could not get to the free dock because of shoaling. Too bad. Might have spent money in town. We anchored in the basin instead and got up very early the next day (to make up for late starts the previous few days) because it would be a very long day on Delaware Bay and the ocean off New Jersey. It would also be against the strong current in the C&D Canal. Slow. It started off very cold and almost calm. No ice on deck as there was a couple of years ago but cold cold cold. The adverse current in the canal wasn't too bad and we had great current on Delaware Bay for about 3/4 of the passage, over 10kts SOG. Wow! Rounding Cape May Point was easy near high tide with the breeze behind us. Going up the east coast of New Jersey was a bit lumpy but not terrible. We stopped in Atlantic City for the night. 

      Getting up early in the cold again was not fun but it lets us arrive in the NYC area at a nearly reasonable time. Our start was almost flat calm with a slow, gentle swell from the east. About noon (halfway to NYC) ripples on the swell became waves on the swell. Only about 2ft but when a wave matches the timing with the swell it can make for an  interesting wave. Not huge. Interesting. So the last 6hrs was not great but not too terrible. Not scary just a bit uncomfortable. The lurching meant being below was something to avoid. Steering the boat was fine. We anchored around Sandy Hook at Atlantic Highlands, NJ after a 12hr passage. 

     We waited until about 10am to get underway because of the current of New York Harbor through Hell Gate. It is very strong and can almost stop you if you go into it. Better to get the timing right. At times we got over 10kts SOG. The NYC passage went well with just a few spits of raindrops. Sky looked dark but not much precipitation. Cold, however. After much discussion of our options we decided to skip Port Washington and go to Oyster Bay. This meant (with another long day) we could get home before the bad weekend (and beyond) weather forecast. We borrowed someone's mooring in Oyster Bay, arriving about 1730.  

                           Manhattan

     We got an early start (again) from Oyster Bay. It was nice in Oyster Bay but as soon as we got to the Sound it was not so nice. Not terrible to start but it got worse within a couple of hours. Mostly 2ft seas (with some bigger) but right on the nose. Banging into waves slows us down a lot. We had the current with us until noon but you would not have known it by our SOG. The wind in our face slows us way down. As we got further east and north, closer to the Connecticut shore, the wind and seas eased a bit. No longer rough, just a little uncomfortable. Of course by that time the current turned against us. Sigh. Oh well. It was a slow, cold, miserable 10hr day but we are home, on a mooring at Old Lyme Marina, our northern home. Maybe we should have travelled overnight to home and not stopped at Oyster Bay. Would have been interesting anyway. And maybe smoother. Maybe. 

     Now we have to deal with the weather the next few days, get our car, visit the kids, check our mail and start our medical visits. What fun! At least I start at the Museum in a week or so. 

     

North to Annapolis 2023

      Our 2nd day in Carolina Beach started out very foggy. We had debated leaving after one night on the mooring but because of the complicated forecast and serious wind coming in a few days we decided to stay. This is what we awoke to and had the next 3 plus hours.

Not much to see here. Imagine the waterway. Staying meant one less day hiding out and hunkered down somewhere less comfortable. Also, the fog made it extremely dangerous. A boat we know left after a 2 hour delay. In my opinion they should have waited 3 hours but that puts arrival at the next anchorage late in the afternoon. Something we avoid. 

     We got underway the next day slightly later than normal due to a bridge opening schedule around 90 minutes away. We made it to the 0900 opening of the Wrightsville Beach bridge but it was a closer call than planned due to an adverse current. Then we were more than 20 minutes early (or 10 minutes late) to the Figure 8 Island bridge opening but after that we had good current the rest of the day. We got to Mile Hammock Basin before 2pm and anchored. A bit breezier than forecast but not terrible. We had gone through the nearby New River Inlet intersection about an hour before low tide. This would have been near impossible a year or so ago but we just had a brief bump as we got a little closer to the red side of the channel than we should have. All good. Mile Hammock is at Camp LeJeune, the Marine Base. Sometimes it is very noisy with Osprey flights, gunfire or things being blown up but it stayed quiet and the wind died overnight. 

     We got up very early the next morning and started the anchor raising process while it was still dark. We wanted to avoid the construction obstructions at the Onslow Beach swing bridge that could start at 0800 or even 0700 when work often starts. The day before the bridge tender told us via VHF they had not been restricting the channel width lately but he couldn't be sure. We were let through the bridge at 0650 with two other vessels. Interestingly, even though it was clear when we got up, fog formed just before we went through the bridge. At times it was quite dense but it lasted less than an hour. We were in a narrow ICW area so we could see to either side of us even though straight ahead was all gray. Getting underway early turned out not to be neccessary but it got us going before the forecast wind picked up. The rain, too. It was quite pleasant until we got near to Morehead City and Beaufort (Bo firt), NC. It got dark, cold and windy but no rain came. We had hoped to get to Oriental and a free dock there but the webcam showed the slips were taken. Would have been a nice, safe place to hide out from the Gale Watch weather forecast. Plus there are restaurants, groceries, supplies and walks to go on. Nope. Not this trip. We ended up in our usual place at Cedar Creek off of Adams Creek a few miles from the Neuse River and anchored. The predicted wind direction made this an okay spot but we were concerned with the upcoming days of bad weather that were forecast. Boredom is rarely fatal. Gale force winds can be. 

     It was already windy when we arrived on Friday afternoon. Overnight it started raining and did not stop until mid-morning on Sunday. The wind also increased with the rain, in the 20kt range with higher gusts. When the rain finally stopped the wind actually increased, with gusts that were on the sporty side. Very sporty. Attention grabbing. 1ft waves, too, even without fetch. Although it was noisy, we slept okay. We were reasonably confident in our anchor system holding us in place. After a few days of wind you figure you are dug in and will continue to hold. Hope anyway. It all held. On Monday, it was mostly sunny and the wind was under 20 but not by much. If the direction was behind us (southish) we might have departed but it was exactly, precisely, smack-dab and perfectly on target to be the worst possible direction for the upcoming passage. On the nose. We know from experience how bad it could be on the Neuse. Several experiences. From this very spot. Decided not to depart. Wiser? Or just older? Later reports said it was over 4ft seas. No thanks. 

     Tuesday we got underway before 0700 and had some difficulty raising the anchor. It was well dug in (this is good) and very heavy with a lot of mud stuck to it. Yuck! Very light north wind and very cold to start. Blue skies make it seem nicer, however. The Neuse was not quite as nice as it should have been because even though the wind was lightish it was still from the north to northeast, a bad direction. We had around 1ft seas. On the nose. Not uncomfortable but we were slowed down a little. We can only imagine the seas on the Neuse the previous few days with the 20-30kt winds. I saw a 4 1/2ft wave report near shore but they were likely higher in the open areas we were crossing this day. We anchored up the Pungo River in a swampy area near the Pungo-Alligator Canal. It was a beautiful, cloudless day that eventually approached being warm. 

     Clouds were on the horizon, however. We had been following bridge issue information for Gilmerton, a few days away, but suddenly the nearer Great Bridge Lock closed due to a power failure. Not being able use that route for sure, we had to look into going the Dismal Swamp Canal route. This will make for longer days because we cannot do it more leisurely like we normally would, taking extra stops. Taking extra days would mean getting into the weekend closed periods of the Gilmerton Bridge near Portsmouth, VA. The N&S #7 railroad bascule bridge seems to also be having problems with its operations so our worries were building. We also have a marina reservation up the road. 

     We got up very early to get underway before sunrise. 

Gilmerton Bridge at sunrise. Been underway for a while.

Besides being beautiful this got us ahead of all the anchored boats near us and the powerboats at the various Belhaven marinas. None passed us while we were in the narrow Pungo-Alligator Canal. The Alligator River Swing Bridge made us wait a few minutes to let a group of those powerboats catch up to us to make a single opening. 

     After the bridge, it was decision time. The usual route or the Dismal Swamp route? A final check on the Great Bridge Lock situation said we could not take the chance so we went to Route 2, the Great Dismal. The only real problem is it is farther to the Elizabeth City stop, about 10 hours, vs. our first stop on the Virginia Cut route (about 7 hours). The days after that are not too bad lengthwise. We got to Elizabeth City about 1600 but had to wait until 1630 for the bascule bridge to open. We tied up at a free dock provided by Middle Atlantic Christian University. Free showers, water and dumpsters included. Nice deal. The other free dock in town is nice, too, but showers are $5. We decided we could not make the next morning's first lock opening at 0830 because it is 18 miles away and would take almost 3 hours from our predawn departure time of 0615. Our 0715 departure got us to the lock at 0945 which meant more than an hour of waiting for the 1100 opening. In the past the South Mills Lock has opened early for us due to the lack of other traffic. Not today. The lock operator seemed to think we boaters mess up his day by requiring him to do his job. Seems it has always been the attitude of the personnel of this lock even though they have changed over the years. The lockmaster at Deep Creek, our next lock, may have been the best anywhere. He was helpful, courteous and friendly and had lots of knowledge about the canal and the Great Dismal. Unfortunately, he died at a very young age a few years ago. 

     Since it has been at least 6 or 7 years since we took the Dismal Swamp Canal route, some info: George Washington was involved in the surveying of the canal, mostly hand dug by slaves. Today's name doesn't make sense because a dismal is a swamp so the name means 'swamp swamp'. The older name is the Great Dismal which makes more sense. Back to our travels... 

     The passage up the canal was slow and we bumped the bottom, or the logs at the bottom, frequently.  We only hit one tree overhead. Not me. This time. The new (to us) guy at the lock seemed helpful and nice at first contact. A bit chatty but we discussed our previous visits and our deaĺings with the late Robert Peek. We spent the night at Elizabeth's Dock outside the Deep Creek Lock. We have tied up here several times in the past but it has been improved since our last visit. Nice. We went out for a great pizza and some grocery shopping and were ready at 0830 for the first lock opening. 

 Elizabeth's Dock, Deep Creek, Chesapeake, VA. 

  Deep Creek Lock. Lowered down to river level. 

     After clearing the lock we went back to the 'regular' ICW and turned SOUTH. What??!!??? We actually needed some fuel and the marina was only a mile or so in the wrong direction. No problem. Then it was a trip through Portsmouth and Norfolk, VA. The first bridge encounter had some equipment attached to it making the clearance 10 ft less. Oops. But, fortunately the platform was narrow and only blocked a small part of the overhead and we made it through okay. The next bridge was the dreaded Gilmerton Lift Bridge with the associated Norfolk and Southern #7 railroad bridge. Luckily they were both open as we approached and the bridge tender was nice enough to hold it open a couple of extra minutes to let us through. Very nice. The Norfolk and Western railroad bridge was closed as we approached even though we had never seen it closed before. We only had a minor slowdown as it opened before we got to it. Lucky again. If we didn't have some light rain showers it would have been a very lucky day. We ended up at our planned stop at Hampton City Marina. Had to pay for the tie up because we did not have a free coupon this year. Oh, well. Cleaned out our head, got water, did deck cleaning, laundry and took showers. All set for our push home and entering the Chesapeake Bay from Hampton Roads. All set except for maybe future shore showers for us somewhere.

     Leaving Hampton Roads and entering the Chesapeake Bay was easy this year. Very calm and not cold. It was all gray with thick overcast, fog ahead of us and gray oily seas. Oily seas do not have oil. They are calm with left over energy from past winds. Makes for easy, slow movement. Smooth and shiny. Gray because of the overcast. Later, a little breeze picked up and seas built to 4 or 5. Inches. We anchored in Cockrell Creek in Reedville, VA. Near the Memorial Chimney. 

     We got underway just before sunrise with blue skies and a light SW breeze. Nice. Seas were almost flat, a few ripples. We had the current with us when we crossed into Maryland and started across the mouth of the Potomac River. The current only got better and our arrival time to Solomons was before noon. It was so nice we decided to continue on to Annapolis. Of course it got cloudy within an hour or so and the seas built up. To 8-10 inches. And behind us. At times our speed over the ground (SOG) reached 8.5kts. Very fast. Combining two day-passages into one passage let us beat an increase in the wind and a switch to a slightly worse direction. It would not have been bad but our last day before Annapolis was great and we took advantage of it. Well after we decided to continue to Naptown they posted Small Craft Advisories for the next day, probably for gusts, not sustained winds. We arrived to a City mooring in Back Creek. Eastport, MD at about 1630 so not too late of a day. 10 hours. Not too bad but only because of having great current with us. The current cut roughly 2 1/2 hours off the trip. 

     We plan to spend about a week in Annapolis. Depends on the weather forecast for the push to home. Relax. Maintenance. Groceries. Restaurants. Fuel. New stuff, maybe. 

     

Northbound 2023

      We left Marathon in the hoped for benign conditions. Near calm. Sunny. The downside was it became very hot. Uncomfortably hot. Blazing hot. We ended up at Tarpon Basin at Key Largo, a regular stopping place. From there it was another hot day to Miami. A strong breeze on the stern picked up towards the end of our passage. Got choppy but still okay because of the direction (behind us). The Marine Stadium Basin anchorage at Virginia Key was crowded and very breezy but it was fine for us. Good holding. 

             Miami from Virginia Key. 

     From Miami we must go outside into the ocean because of a @##$&$@$ bridge in the Miami area that was allowed to be built lower than the ICW standard 65ft. Someone paid off? Uh, this is Florida. Anyway, the forecast was for a brief drop in the winds and for once, the forecast was correct. 6" seas max. for the passage to Port Everglades Inlet (Ft. Lauderdale) and the wind did not start to pick up (on the nose) until we were about to exit the ocean towards the Waterway. Small Craft Advisories (SCA) started about then and continued for a few days. That's why we take the inland route when neccessary even though the ocean route is nicer and shorter. It would be good to have that option through Miami but...        that @#$%#$ bridge.

     North winds on the ocean when northbound are no fun at all. Remember we got beat up pretty badly last spring attempting to go to Charleston directly from St. Augustine. Anyway, we anchored for the night in Lake Boca, Boca Raton. A nice spot if a bit crowded. Spring break crowds? Maybe. After the big rat 🐁 we had a windy, rainy day going through all the bridges in the entire Boca, Delray, Palm Beach and Jupiter areas. It is impossible for a sailboat to make all the scheduled openings for the bascule bridges but we did all right. Only one long delay. We ended up in a wide spot in the road in Hobe Sound, Jupiter, FL. I had to make an urgent replacement of one of our raw water cooling pump impellers. This is a lot of fun in a very hot engine compartment after a long travelling day. Sigh. 

     The ICW from Jupiter is narrow so the wind direction and strength is not an issue but once we got to the St. Lucie Inlet area a lot more fetch made the waterway lumpy in the strong breeze. Fetch is the distance the wind blows without trees or other obstructions to block it or slow it down. It's why the wind is stronger on the ocean. From St. Lucie it was choppy all the way to Ft.. Pierce but north of Jensen Beach we put out our genoa and our speed really picked up. A lot. 😁 Fun. ⛵

     We stopped in Ft. Pierce to get fuel and picked up Mike Guay for the rest of the ride to Vero Beach. We got a mooring at the city marina for a few days to get supplies but ended up staying longer waiting out some inclement weather. We prefer clement weather. 

     We got groceries, went to the farmers market, met up with Mike and Carol Guay a few times and went out to a couple of restaurants with them. We also topped off our water and went for some walks. The weather turned out not to be as bad as forecast (less rain) but still was very breezy. It would have been rough on the Indian River. We could have left several days before we did but we would have had to hide out from some of the winds and there are few places better than where we were in Vero. We've been burned in the past with bad experiences pushing on into marginal conditions. Perhaps we are wiser now. Perhaps just older. 

     We left Vero after 5 nights on the mooring. Another catamaran was rafted with us but he wanted to depart the same time as us so no issues. Heading up the Indian River was easy. The north wind was light to begin with and never got too strong with less than 6 inch wavelets. We were a little slower than last year due to the wind direction and an adverse current until Sebastian Inlet so we got to the NASA Causeway bascule bridge 15 minutes later than planned. This only gave a 15 minute cushion before the closure for rush hour traffic. We made it through, however, and anchored just to the north and east of the causeway. 

     Our passage to Daytona was simple and easy. Mostly calm until Daytona. We saw many manatee in the Haulover Canal, made it through the George Musson bascule bridge without much delay and stopped for fuel in Daytona before anchoring in our usual spot just south of Memorial Bridge. 

     Our trip to St. Augustine was smooth except for a few moments in the mud on the side of the channel. Sigh. Met up with friends Bob & Jane for dinner. Sleeping was rough on the mooring due to wind and current but it faded before midnight and all was quiet. We got underway before 0700 and headed out into the ocean. 

Light winds but a swell from the SE at 2-3ft. or so. Not uncomfortable and not a cloud in the sky, either. We turned into the St. Marys Entrance channel and it got lumpier for nearly all of the hour it took to get inland. It was slow because of the current ebbing against us. This negated the fast passage we had at sea. We anchored at Cumberland Island, Georgia. Wild deer and horses were sighted near the shoreline. 

     We left Cumberland Island about low tide which meant going aground in the middle of the channel a little before the Cumberland Dividings area. Soft mud so we got right out and went to the extreme right (green) side of the channel to get through. By the time we got to Jekyll Creek the water was higher and we got through that shallow area okay. We stopped early in the afternoon in the Frederica River along St. Simon's Island so we would have good cell coverage to watch a basketball game. Priorities. 

   Photo of us by a passing vessel. St. Simon Sound.

     While anchored in the Frederica we endured a heavy thunderstorm and a UConn WBB loss. First one at this NCAA stage since 2005. Simply outplayed. ☹ 

     We got underway and headed south on the Frederica. The north entrance has a shoal we've hit before so we went the long way around. Poor choice. We went aground briefly in the Fred (and that's hard to do) and the long way added nearly an hour to our passage. The shallow areas on the ICW require close attention by two people making it a stressful morning. The tide was rising so we made it through all the troublesome spots. We anchored in Lincoln Creek off of Kilkenny Creek. Not sure if this former regular spot is legal anymore. It's legal if there are no shellfish beds on the bottom. No idea. Sure was buggy 'tho. Georgia. Sigh. 

     From Kilkenny the former shallow areas were fine for us as the tide was rising. The Hell Gate passage was not fine but it was about 2ft. above low water so the low spot was about 9ft. Phew. We tied up at Thunderbolt Marina for fuel and to have our windlass checked by a mechanic. They never got back to us with options, information or a repair schedule so we left first thing in the morning. We did go out to eat again at Tubby's. Good, but not as great as the past. We topped off our water and got showers and did some laundry so not entirely a waste of money. The mechanic did get back to me with info about a day later. 

     We went through several low water areas at or near low tide as we finished with Georgia and entered South Carolina. Slowed down at those spots but made it through rather easily. But carefully. We ended up at Factory Creek in Beaufort, SC. (Bew fert) We anchored there because the nearby marina said they were full. Saw an open spot on their docks but...                    It rained the last hour or so of our passage but not too hard. The forecast was for storms a couple of hours after our arrival which is why we looked for a slip. We've anchored in this spot many times but it's deep and narrow with limited swing room. It got breezy overnight but we looked fine at 0300 when I got up to do some checking. In the morning it looked like we may have dragged some but we were not any longer. All was fine. We picked up the anchor a few minutes late in hopes the wind would drop a little. It wasn't too bad but in fact it later picked way more than forecast and was a bit choppy down the Coosaw River. Normally we would take the Ashepoo-Coosaw cutoff to go between those two rivers. However, we got there close to dead low tide and there were dredges and other equipment working on the passageway making it difficult at best to get through there. Impossible at low tide. So instead we went down the Coosaw River to St. Helena Sound, around Combahee Shoal and up the Ashepoo River to Fenwick Cut. A 90 minute long cut (opposite of a short cut) that got us around the troublesome area. It also got us to two other shallow areas much later in the tide cycle (deeper water) and we had no further trouble. Well, except for getting briefly confused by buoys not matching the charts. Luckily no bad results other than stormy weather aboard our boat. We ended up anchored in Church Creek maybe ten miles before Charleston. A few days later we heard of a power boat that had both his props damaged in the Ashepoo-Coosaw cutoff. 

     The next morning was very cold but with very little wind it didn't feel bad. Very pretty, also. There was sea smoke coming up the creek and some on the ICW. 30 or 40 minutes later visibility dropped to near zero. Fog. Well technically it was still sea smoke. Dense sea smoke. Not fog. Still for 10 minutes we slowed to crawl and sounded our fog signal. No such thing as a sea smoke signal. It is very rare for sea smoke to be so dense and so high off the surface. Sea smoke happens when the water temperature is higher than the air temp. The rest of the long day went nicely. We timed our bridge openings well and only the area near Isle of Palms at Charleston was particularly shallow. Made it though there just fine and the other area near McClellenville that is bad was reached near high tide. All good. We ended up at Duck Creek off of Minim Creek which is kinda near Quarantine, SC. Kinda. There was another cruising boat there. First time we were not alone here but Carol says she remembers a small boat here once. Maybe.

     We got underway later than normal. Because we could. Short day planned. The trip up Winyah Bay and the Waccamaw River is really pretty and easy. Ok, we once had a really rough Winyah Bay day but, hey, nothing's perfect. The only issue was the current. We went against it all day. It happens. Mostly under 6kts the whole time. We stopped at Wacca Wache Marina for fuel. They have become the cheapest on the ICW recently. Under $4/gal. for the first time in a long time. ($3.65) After fueling up we crossed the ditch and went into our frequent stop, Cow House Creek.

     It got breezy while here which made for some noise at night as the boat swings but it wasn't too bad. Our bridle makes a sound while it stretches, the chain drags across the bottom and halyards can clatter if we don't point into the wind. All minor (usually) background sounds. We got underway even later than the previous day because we had an even shorter day ahead. A gale warning was in effect so we wanted to get to the protection of our planned stop at Osprey Marina but check-in time was a consideration. The Waccamaw River, as I mentioned, may be the prettiest stretch on the ICW. It was gusty but not as bad as forecast and it doesn't much matter anyway. The river is tree lined, narrow and curvy enough to prevent any fetch. It was a short and pleasant passage. Only 90 minutes.  We tied up at Osprey Marina which is an extremely protected marina. Surrounded by tall trees. The gale never arrived although there were some wind gusts we barely noticed. The only downside was the doubling of their price per foot for transients since we were here last spring. Up to $2/ft. now. Sigh. 😞 We did some boat work, computer work, grocery shopping and visited a now local former co-worker of Carol's with serious health problems. 

     We got underway earlier than planned (of course) and had an easy, short day. Cleared all the fixed bridges easily and the swing bridges opened in a timely manner for us. The ICW is the back side of Myrtle Beach. Lot's of construction and new (ugly) houses. We ended up at Calabash Creek right on the SC/NC border, a frequent stop for us. We stop here because we can no longer anchor in the Southport area due to shoaling and the marinas are expensive. It could be a very long, tiring day to Carolina Beach or two short days. Two short days are more comfortable. Hmmm, I wonder why we choose the second option. Going through Shallotte Inlet and Lockwoods Folly Inlet the second day was fairly close to high tide and the channel was straight forward. Easy. For a change. The passage up the Cape Fear River had some chop but not too rough. It was slow with the current against us but with the breeze behind us. That's what makes the chop. We tied up to a Carolina Beach town mooring for $30 per night. Another major price increase. 20 to 30. Inflation is not 100% (Osprey Marina) or even 50% (Carolina Beach).

     We will stay two nights and then move farther north. Bad weather is coming and we will be stuck somewhere for several days. An extra day here means one day less hiding out somewhere norther than here. Because this edition of the blog is getting rather long, I will post it and resume reporting our travels in the next post. Annapolis probably. TTFN from Carolina Beach, NC. 

Marathon early 2023

      As mentioned in the previous post I did a repair of our dinghy transom. Also, just when the kids were coming for the holidays, our dinghy motor started acting up. Tohatsu outboards used to be so reliable but this one has had several somewhat minor issues that cumulatively have been very annoying. Once again it started having starting issues and would not idle. The first time this happened, I replaced the carburetor. Expensive. This time, again suspecting a low speed carb jet issue, I took the carburetor apart and cleaned the parts in a solvent. When I put it all back together again, it worked! I usually feel comfortable replacing things but getting into the inside of engines, etc (a complex carburetor in this case) is more intimidating (and risky). Things don't always go back together correctly, parts get lost or you run out of skill and then you are stuck on the boat and unable to get to service. Not quite the same as having an on land issue. For that reason I waited for the kids to leave before attempting the repair. It turned out successful and the outboard purrs like a kitten. And should, for about two years. That's how long it seems to take before ethanol in the gasoline causes problems. Again. Sigh. 

     The Celtic Fest was early in January and we again volunteered. It is hard work for about 3 hours each day of the weekend. We work at the beer station pulling beer and taking in the money. Hard work but it is also fun. In exchange for volunteering we get entry to the concerts and the grounds of the festival. Free t-shirts, etc., too. Two of the musical acts are first rate. The others are good but Albanach and the Screaming Orphans are top of the line. Especially the Orphans. Google or YouTube them. The energy they both bring in their live shows is amazing. 

     About 2 weeks into 2023 our first norther came through. A classic. The Christmas cold spell wasn't really a norther, what we call a cold front down here. A rapid wind shift to the north, 20 mph or more with a sharp drop in temperature. 60° or less. Brrr. It was 80 again in less than a week, however. 

     Cleo started rapidly losing weight recently despite always being hungry. Drinking and peeing a lot, too. Suspecting diabetes, we did a couple of blood sugar tests. They read low but we learned that cat blood does not test accurately with some human glucometers. After a $700+ vet visit we learned she has hyperthyroidism. Manageable with pricey meds. Sigh.  

                          Cleo at the vet.

     In mid-January we went under the boat to clean the bottom and the props. We need to do this at least monthly in these waters or the boat will be hard to get underway. The props will not generate thrust and the barnacles and plant growth make for too much drag. Friction. Tried out a new system for us, an extra long air hose so the compressed air tank does not have to be carried on my back. That is getting to be impossible for me on the boat. The tank stays on deck or some people put it in a dinghy. The downside is it is more work to breathe, harder, but the upside is it is less work than surface breathing and then diving and scraping. 

     While underwater I was confronted by a Giant or Goliath Grouper. He was only about 2 1/2 or 3 ft. long and a foot tall so a little on the young side. A few years ago I met one closer to 4 ft. long while under the boat. He really got my attention but left me alone. This one pushed on me several times and came at me (slowly) when I backed away from him. I left the area for a bit but when I went back to work he kept getting between me and the hull I was scraping. He came up to my facemask and stared at me, too. These are generally slow and non-aggressive fish but their mouths are big enough to swallow an arm and they have several rows of teeth. An amazing encounter for sure but I prefer to observe a creature I meet if it's safe to do so. Him reaching out and touching me was a bit more worrisome. 

     I am not entirely sure we agreed on our places in the food chain. 

     Carol's brother developed a hiatal hernia and required hospitalization (where he got Covid) and surgery. She flew up to New Hampshire to help the family out and was away from Marathon quite a while. This left me to deal with the cat's health issues (giving pills) and to get in (or cause) trouble regarding the community's desire to protect the local grass flats and Monroe County's desire to follow their bureaucratic rules and procedures which are more important, it seems, than actually protecting this critical environmental habitat. I served as a conduit for information between the person who took action to protect our neighborhood, the County Marine Administrator and our local boating community. Took some heat, got some praise but did little compared to the guy laid out over $3400 of his own money and put his neck on the line. I helped raise a few dollars to help offset a small part of his cost. Being annoying is a skill set I possess. You can ask Carol. 

     When Carol returned to Marathon from New Hampshire, she had some vision issues. A local ophthalmologist suspected a retina tear but after an urgent trip to a Miami specialist it was merely a symptom of old age. Vitrial thinning. We will need to keep an eye on it. Ok, that was bad. It was a very stressful day and a half. Scrambling to get a rental car, arranging for someone to watch the boat and fighting the traffic on the round trip. Did get shopping at BJs at Homestead in, however. 

     The last couple of weeks of February were very warm and humid. Mid-80s and above. Playing pickleball became a health hazzard for old people. Did it anyway but after a low blood pressure scare I got more cautious and took more rest periods and doubled my hydration. Survived. Didn't stop. 

     The end of February and into March had great weather. Warm (85ish) and less humid. We will probably leave just as the weather starts to go downhill. Wrapping up our winter stay gets a little rushed as we try to get prepared for departure: stock up on food, get taxes done, have the boat bottom professionally cleaned, change the engine oils and more. It's tough dragging ourselves away from here. We enjoy the weather, the activities, the people, the entire lifestyle too much. 

     Although we do not get to our northern home until May just thinking about the cold up there now is depressing. Makes us want to stay but we do know how hot is here in the summer. Oh, BTW, there are hurricanes then, too.  

     Our departure date changed several times. We were going to leave on Saturday, the 11th. Then the weather was deteriorating, with a strong cold front on the mainland. The weather window kept moving to earlier in the week. First Friday, then Wednesday, then Tuesday. Tuesday was too soon, we would not be prepared, so we started looking at the next window... Sunday the 12th of March. This would mean we would not be in the Miami area on a weekend. This is a positive. It is very crowded on the water and in the anchorages in South Florida on weekends. Extremely noisy, too. Everyone feels they have to blast their own personal favorite 'music'. $50,000 boats with $30,000 sound systems added. Not fun to be around. 

     So, we will see how our decision works out in the first few days of our northbound passages.