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.