Our passages north continue with this entry with no health issues mentioned. Just like the old days. Like last year old days.
Oh, okay, one mention: I still feel fine. 100%
After we left Fort Pierce and headed north on the ICW we stopped at Cocoa/Cocoa Beach. We stopped here last year to get a new alternator from Yanmar but this year it was just because we went far enough for the day. Next it was onto Daytona. The marina we get fuel from was closed but we got slightly more expensive diesel from the marina next door. This closing was supposedly not COVID-45 related. We anchored in our usual spot near the nearly finished Memorial Bridge.
Next, it was onto Saint Augustine. Enroute our port engine started bogging down with low fuel flow. I knew the Racor filter had junk in it as this had happened a few times before. I had purged the bottom of the bowl for temporary improvement. Now we were beyond that. Normally we get two years of engine time before changing these filters but somehow, somewhere we picked up some junk. Or it's growing in the fuel tanks. That happens, too. It's not quite as clear why one engine's filter got clogged up and not the other. Yes, I checked the other engine. This 15 minute job takes more than twice that when working while underway. With a hot engine. In hot weather. While pissed off. Ah, cruising.
This year the Crescent Beach bascule did NOT break before we went through it. We normally get a mooring at the municipal marina in St. Augustine but when we called, they were full. We reserved a slip at a Waterway Guide advertiser up the San Sebastian River in St. Augustine. Before we got there we got a phone call saying they did, after all, have a mooring for us at the city marina. Despite being one third the cost, we passed on it. This got us to a very nice nearby fruit and vegetable stand and a Winn-Dixie.
The next morning it was a later start due the Bridge of Lions schedule and then out the St. Augustine Inlet. The inlet was very rough. Rougher than expected although maybe we should have expected the sea state because of the wind direction. SE brings the swells into this less than perfect inlet. They say 'local knowledge required' here for a reason. We've been in and out of here before but maybe a little more experience would have helped. Maybe not. Once we got farther away from the inlet it got almost calm. There still was a swell with some very small waves but it was quite pleasant. Genoa was flying and moving us along swiftly with help from the engines. Passage speed is more important to us than sailing pleasure. I planned to take us via the nearer to shore, buoy to buoy route up the coast of Georgia and South Carolina but someone else voted for the direct route to Charleston. This route is shorter but more exposed. You can guess which route we took. It was a nice day with some breeze and small waves. Sometimes we'd get some big swells up to 4ft. well aft the beam but these were not uncomfortable. Sleeping on my first off watch was a little too rolly for me but subsequent sleep periods were very nice. Cleo snuggled up with me (or on me) for hours. At 0200 we finally had to furl the Genoa as the wind faded and came more from in front of us. The stars were very sharp as it was crystal clear out. Cool but not cold. It did get damp. We had a beautiful crescent moon rise about an hour before an equally gorgeous sunrise. We passed through the shipping channel to Chucktown (Charleston) about 1100 and continued on. Late in the afternoon we came to the channel to Winyah Bay and headed in. It got very rough with an increased wind on the beam and a poorly marked channel to make us (me) nervous. Not fun at all. It was about an hour of this until an often used anchorage of ours arrived. 33 hours of very nice and 1 hour of not so nice (horrid) is something we have to trade off sometimes.
Here is what we accomplished: with two days and one night of continuous traveling we covered the same ground as eight days of ICW travel. How does that work? Remember in my last blog posting I said it took about 24 travel days from where we were to get to Annapolis and we only had 24 days to get there. No cushion for weather or other delays. Not a smart thing to do. We move around 8-9 hours a day (moving on the ICW at night is not a good idea for recreational vessels) and that covers 40 to 60 miles. That's how we figured it was going to take 24 days. This is also our 10th trip northbound so there is a lot of experience to go by. So 8 days of distance covered in 2 days gives us a net gain of 6 days. This our new cushion for weather issues or other unplanned events. Does this now make sense? I hope so.
From Winyah Bay we went up past Georgetown and up the Waccamaw River to Osprey Marina. We like the low slip and fuel prices here as well as the hospitality. The hospitality has slipped by necessity due to quarantining which was ramping up more since we left St. Augustine. Paying for the fuel and slip was through a window. Minimum contact but no goody bag we've come to expect. Whining and praising past handouts, including the peanuts, eventually got us some of the stuff. It was hand delivered, an isolation violation but I risked it. Yum.
A long day got us up to Southport, NC. and another marina for fuel and an overnight slip. Our former anchorage in this area has mostly silted in. A little more human contact but we did our best to not get too close. The passage from Osprey Marina to South Harbor Village Marina involved going through the Shallotte Inlet area. It was about 6" above low tide and we saw a minimum of 11ft. of water towards the red side of the channel. There was a shoal before one of the green buoys but we knew to stay away from the green side and could actually see the shoal. The next tricky area, Lockwoods Folly, was straight and deep. No problem. The long passage picked us up another spare day for the future. We often take two days to cover this distance.
After this we took two shorter passages to Wrightsville Beach and then Mile Hammock near Camp LeJeune, the USMC base. No issues, even at New River Inlet. This area is tricky but it hasn't changed much since last year so we knew the correct route. Right after is another tricky area, Browns Inlet. It is being dredged so we only had to squeeze a bit to port to follow the correct route. It's not the zig-zag it has been in the past. This area does not stay stable long just as Shallotte dredging also doesn't last long.
We stopped at Casper Marina for fuel only and continued on to our usual anchorage at Cedar Creek off Adam's Creek just before the Neuse River. The anchorage was a bit rough due to the wind direction but the wind shifted to a better direction before bedtime.
We started out out an hour later than our normal because of the wind speed and our direction on the Neuse. We hate going north into a north or northeast wind on the Neuse. It's awful. It started off slightly less than awful, 10-12kts and 1 1/2ft seas on the bow and improved as we went along. The Bay River was nearly calm as was Pamlico Sound and the Pungo River. A long day got us to an anchorage up the Pungo off the ICW. From there, the next day, we went under the Wilkerson Bridge up the Pungo-Alligator Canal to the Alligator River. The Alligator was fairly rough but the wind and seas were on the beam or slightly aft of it so it wasn't awful and we had an okay sail. The Albemarle was similar, not great, not terrible. We anchored up in Broad Creek, our normal spot here, as it got nice and warm again. We were able to shower outside in private.
Shortly after we left Broad Creek we ran into very dense fog that didn't lift until we got into the narrower part of the river. Warmth from the land dissipated the fog. Currituck Sound was hazy but except for a brief time at the southern end we could navigate just fine.
After we went through the North Landing Swing Bridge (which only opened one side of the bridge) disaster struck. The idiot at the helm wasn't paying complete attention, was changing a chart page, and put us off to the side of the canal and aground amongst the submerged tree stumps. For 3 hours. We got towed off by Tow Boat/US for about $1200. We have insurance to cover our dumb mistakes like this so we won't have to pay anything. BOAT/US loses money on us. It seems one of us does something really stupid every couple of years. We make sure we pay the (about) $125 premium. Last year's $1100 tow was due to someone else's lack of maintenance not ours.
We tied up at Battlefield Park's free dock at Great Bridge, Chesapeake, VA. Stayed two nights, got fuel at AYB, went up the mast to reattach our nav/anchor light and wind vane and went grocery shopping. Grocery shopping is a major project these days. I do not want contact with virus carrying humans. We wore gloves (two layers for me) and N95 face masks. Looked ridiculous but that's what I have to do these days to minimize risk to my stressed immune system. Dressed like I was, some woman still asked me to reach for and hand her a higher up item. I told her I was protecting myself, not contagious. She still got too close to me. Sigh.
From Great Bridge it was a short trip up to Hampton, VA. Another marina but we had a coupon for a free night to use. We stop here almost every year to do laundry. As long as they keep giving out the coupons at the Annapolis Boat Show we'll stop here. The biggest issue was a nearly one hour wait at the #7 railroad lift bridge for four trains to pass. Grrr.
After Hampton we go into the Chesapeake Bay. Seas were around 2ft at the start, 1 1/2ft most of the day, near calm for a while, then rougher at the very end. The direction of the waves was not so good, otherwise it could have been okay. We went to our usual northbound stop in Cockrell Creek, Reedville, VA. Rough weather followed us here. It blew very hard out of the north for days. A couple evenings had near calm conditions to tempt us to leave on a night passage but we didn't try until the fourth morning. A mistake. Turned around after 90 minutes a few miles short of Smith Point and returned to Cockrell Creek. We still had another weather day in the bank and didn't need to bash into the wind and seas for six hours. So we didn't.
The wind faded later on Saturday so on Sunday we headed out again. It wasn't quite as calm as forecast but it was fine. Mostly 6" seas and very briefly closer to 1ft as we got to the north side of the Potomac River. The direction made the seas no problem all day. Anything but north and we are happy. Wind direction for the passage to Annapolis? North. Of course. Our course? North, of course. Confusing? For non-boaters, wind direction is where the wind is from, course direction is where you're going to. If both are the same you are going into wind and waves. Not what we like.
Our passage from Solomons Island to Annapolis started off nearly calm and the first few hours were nice. It got a bit lumpy for 90 minutes or so with frothy 2ft seas on the nose but then as we got farther north it settled down to under 1ft seas. Of course going into the wind made it feel colder.
So now we are finally in Annapolis on a city mooring in the MRE, the Maritime Republic of Eastport. We are going to rent a car to drive to Hartford to start my fourth chemo cycle. It could be the most dangerous part of this spring. Going to a hotel with people. Going to a hospital with sick people. Actually the clinic is next to the hospital and they are keeping non-patients out. Carol cannot come with me for the first time. All the patients have compromised immune systems like me so perhaps they've kept themselves protected. We've avoided contacts with people since my last chemo cycle as much as possible and now we are going into a red zone of infected people, the whole state of Conn. End of medical update. I am feeling perfectly normal. My next blog entry will be about our car trip home and my experiences with my medical issues.
Before we start our passages further north we'll be doing oil changes and other normal, routine maintenance. All the things we like to do in Annapolis are now off limits to us or closed all together so there is not much else for us. More isolation time. People often ask how we spend so much time with just the two of us on the boat. It's never been an issue. Okay, maybe not never but now everyone knows what it's like. Except our view is almost always much nicer, interesting and fun.
Monday, April 6, 2020
Monday, March 16, 2020
Cycle 3 and Northbound
At the end of my last post, Cobbe and parents were still visiting. He enjoyed seeing manatees, dolphin, many species of fish and especially the Cassiopeia jellyfish in Boot Key Harbor. He also took my guided tour of Crane Point Hammock and Nature Center. After the family visit we started preparing the boat for our passages north towards home and Carol flew to Ohio for work.
The weather was forecast to turn nasty for a while so I took the last window to head out into the ocean by myself to get up to Miami to meet Carol. The ocean passage was not bad, some swell, and I went up to the Channel 5 bridge to return to the ICW inside route. The only problem was Cleo got seasick. Not used to being at sea after 4 months in harbor, I guess. The ICW part of this passage was very hot and calm. Without our usual helm change every hour, I got a little too much sun. That is something I am supposed to avoid. Oh well. I anchored in Tarpon Basin at Key Largo for the night. It was fairly crowded with 6 boats there.
The next day was a passage up to Key Biscayne. Not as sunny and hot to start and I had a 15 minute, zero visibility deluge to make it interesting. Luckily the waterspouts and 60mph winds went elsewhere. Also had some fun dolphin encounters to balance out the weather issues. No Name Harbor at Key Biscayne was packed with boats so I had to anchor outside the harbor to wait for Carol.
Carol flew into Miami on Saturday and cabbed to No Name. Because of wind and current we went up to Virginia Key for wind protection and less current. This is a new anchoring spot for us on the opposite side of the island from Marine Stadium. We tried to leave Miami on Sunday but encountered 8 to 10 foot seas just off the bow and 20 to 25 knots of wind from the NE in the ocean off Miami. Gusts were higher. Needless to say, we turned around and went back to Virginia Key. A waste of 2 hours of fuel and subjecting the boat and us to a lot of wear and tear. We stayed at Virginia Key until Wednesday, totally messing up our plans for Cycle 3 of chemo and our trip to Fort Pierce.
On Wednesday we again left Virginia Key and headed out to the ocean. We met up with only 2-3 ft. seas on the beam and had a not too terrible sail to Ft. Lauderdale. Not real fun but nowhere near the worst we've ever had. In Ft. Lauderdale we took a mooring at Las Olas City Marina. Expensive but it meant we had showers, dinghy dockage and some security while leaving the boat for medical treatment.
Having been in Miami and taking the boat to Lauderdale, we then rented a car to DRIVE back to Miami (Coral Gables). Make sense? Actually it does. The reasons are above plus we were also a day closer to future anchorages.
The drive to Coral Gables was about 75 minutes long with traffic which was way less than past drives to chemo from Marathon. With all the hassles of getting to the Cancer Center, the infusion this month was a breeze. The IV was started on the first attempt, I had no bad reactions to the drugs AND there were snacks again. What more could I ask for? We even got back to Lauderdale with time to go out for dinner which has become our pattern. Went to a dive we've visited several times in the past. Southport Grill. My blackened Mahi on a Ceasar Salad was really, really good.
Day 2 of this cycle was not scheduled until 2pm because only one drug is put in me on these second days. We used the time to go and mail our taxes, get a propane refill and go to a BJs store. Going to BJs was not well thought out. We got there 10 minutes after it opened to find a line the length of the store outside. COVID-19 panic buying was happening inside. We scored the valued toilet paper and tissues but I had to abandon the cart and snare the packages by hand and run. This was our normal restock for our northern run but everyone else was hoarding. The line to exit/checkout was the whole depth of the store plus the width. Crazy. We were lucky to get out of there in about 45 minutes.
After taking care of that boat business, it was back for more chemo. Who would think the commute and chemo would be the easier part of the day? It took 2 tries to get the IV started but after that it was quick and easy. We breezed through and headed back to the boat.
Saturday morning we got underway taking the inside, ICW route. This let us get fuel at Sands Harbor Marina. The bridges between Lauderdale and Palm Beach are a pain but we got through them without major waiting time. A night anchored at Lake Worth was followed by a pleasant ocean passage to Fort Pierce. Started a little choppy but ended up fairly calm. We spent an afternoon/evening with old friends, Mike and Carol, and then it was back on the 'road' north.
We are only one day behind our planned days of chemo and travelling time but now we have a 'schedule'. We have to be in Annapolis, MD in 24 days to drive home for Cycle 4 of chemo. Cruisers know that schedules are very bad, no good things. Very dangerous. And we have no cushion now for the inevitable weather delays. Annapolis is 24 travelling days away. Pushing to make a schedule makes for very bad decision making. We know this and will have to fight the urge to take chances. We have some alternatives if we fall behind but none of them are great. We'll have to see how it all develops.
Oh, to wrap up... I'm feeling fine after the chemo and all the hassles. 100%
The weather was forecast to turn nasty for a while so I took the last window to head out into the ocean by myself to get up to Miami to meet Carol. The ocean passage was not bad, some swell, and I went up to the Channel 5 bridge to return to the ICW inside route. The only problem was Cleo got seasick. Not used to being at sea after 4 months in harbor, I guess. The ICW part of this passage was very hot and calm. Without our usual helm change every hour, I got a little too much sun. That is something I am supposed to avoid. Oh well. I anchored in Tarpon Basin at Key Largo for the night. It was fairly crowded with 6 boats there.
The next day was a passage up to Key Biscayne. Not as sunny and hot to start and I had a 15 minute, zero visibility deluge to make it interesting. Luckily the waterspouts and 60mph winds went elsewhere. Also had some fun dolphin encounters to balance out the weather issues. No Name Harbor at Key Biscayne was packed with boats so I had to anchor outside the harbor to wait for Carol.
Carol flew into Miami on Saturday and cabbed to No Name. Because of wind and current we went up to Virginia Key for wind protection and less current. This is a new anchoring spot for us on the opposite side of the island from Marine Stadium. We tried to leave Miami on Sunday but encountered 8 to 10 foot seas just off the bow and 20 to 25 knots of wind from the NE in the ocean off Miami. Gusts were higher. Needless to say, we turned around and went back to Virginia Key. A waste of 2 hours of fuel and subjecting the boat and us to a lot of wear and tear. We stayed at Virginia Key until Wednesday, totally messing up our plans for Cycle 3 of chemo and our trip to Fort Pierce.
On Wednesday we again left Virginia Key and headed out to the ocean. We met up with only 2-3 ft. seas on the beam and had a not too terrible sail to Ft. Lauderdale. Not real fun but nowhere near the worst we've ever had. In Ft. Lauderdale we took a mooring at Las Olas City Marina. Expensive but it meant we had showers, dinghy dockage and some security while leaving the boat for medical treatment.
Having been in Miami and taking the boat to Lauderdale, we then rented a car to DRIVE back to Miami (Coral Gables). Make sense? Actually it does. The reasons are above plus we were also a day closer to future anchorages.
The drive to Coral Gables was about 75 minutes long with traffic which was way less than past drives to chemo from Marathon. With all the hassles of getting to the Cancer Center, the infusion this month was a breeze. The IV was started on the first attempt, I had no bad reactions to the drugs AND there were snacks again. What more could I ask for? We even got back to Lauderdale with time to go out for dinner which has become our pattern. Went to a dive we've visited several times in the past. Southport Grill. My blackened Mahi on a Ceasar Salad was really, really good.
Day 2 of this cycle was not scheduled until 2pm because only one drug is put in me on these second days. We used the time to go and mail our taxes, get a propane refill and go to a BJs store. Going to BJs was not well thought out. We got there 10 minutes after it opened to find a line the length of the store outside. COVID-19 panic buying was happening inside. We scored the valued toilet paper and tissues but I had to abandon the cart and snare the packages by hand and run. This was our normal restock for our northern run but everyone else was hoarding. The line to exit/checkout was the whole depth of the store plus the width. Crazy. We were lucky to get out of there in about 45 minutes.
After taking care of that boat business, it was back for more chemo. Who would think the commute and chemo would be the easier part of the day? It took 2 tries to get the IV started but after that it was quick and easy. We breezed through and headed back to the boat.
Saturday morning we got underway taking the inside, ICW route. This let us get fuel at Sands Harbor Marina. The bridges between Lauderdale and Palm Beach are a pain but we got through them without major waiting time. A night anchored at Lake Worth was followed by a pleasant ocean passage to Fort Pierce. Started a little choppy but ended up fairly calm. We spent an afternoon/evening with old friends, Mike and Carol, and then it was back on the 'road' north.
We are only one day behind our planned days of chemo and travelling time but now we have a 'schedule'. We have to be in Annapolis, MD in 24 days to drive home for Cycle 4 of chemo. Cruisers know that schedules are very bad, no good things. Very dangerous. And we have no cushion now for the inevitable weather delays. Annapolis is 24 travelling days away. Pushing to make a schedule makes for very bad decision making. We know this and will have to fight the urge to take chances. We have some alternatives if we fall behind but none of them are great. We'll have to see how it all develops.
Oh, to wrap up... I'm feeling fine after the chemo and all the hassles. 100%
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Chemo, Cycle 2 and more
I'm just a few days from the beginning of cycle 2 of my chemotherapy. I'll sum up the events of the last month, tell you how this cycle goes, and talk about the aftermath of the 2nd infusion cycle. Our daughter, her husband and their child (our grandchild) will be visiting Marathon the week after Cycle 2.
I mentioned in the last post how the first few days after the chemo I had a hint of nausea that was easily controlled by prescribed medications. After about two days I stopped those meds and felt fine. Basically I felt really well for quite some time. I took it a little easy as instructed but felt maybe I didn't really need to. I didn't... but. Before we got to week 4 I started to feel a little more run down. I got tired easier, sooner. My blood pressure dropped enough that I stopped taking my blood pressure medication as I had to do just before my first chemo round. Still feel good but now I know I'm not quite 100%. I would guess that my first round of drugs is wearing off. One dose, of course, doesn't cure you. Otherwise one wouldn't need 6 cycles. Hopefully 6 cycles will be enough to keep me healthy well into the future. If we do maintenamce doses or move on to the next phase of treatments remains to be seen. My oncologists have different opinions/suggestions and treatments for my type of lymphoma are evolving rapidly so options 6 months from now will be very different from options a year or two or five into the future. At my age, talking about a future 20 to 25 years down the road is not unreasonable. At my age, having lymphoma and talking about a future 20 to 25 years down the road is just as reasonable. What's to complain about?
After this point this blog is post cycle 2 infusion.
Day 3 of Cycle 2. Or first day after 2 days of chemo. As smoothly and relatively easy my first round of chemo went this round was the opposite. A lot went wrong. Nothing went smoothly and we had a dead rental car battery to deal with, too. What fun.
It wasn't my intention but I may have made Cycle 1 and chemo in general sound like it was a breeze. Many people have very difficult experiences with chemotherapy but mine went fairly smoothly with only minor effects. My experience with Cycle 2 was not quite the gentle breeze as it was with Cycle 1. Closer to a gale, or at least a significant storm. But the bottom line is at this point I actually feel better on Day 3, Cycle 2 than I did on Day 3, Cycle 1. Go figure.
We arrived to the Cancer Center early as we did not hit traffic. Got my blood drawn after a little wait and then sat around for a while. We were told my oncologist wanted to see me before the infusion but after the blood results were in. Then we found out he was out sick and I would see the APRN instead. I went over to his office and got vitals checked and eventually saw blood results. We also requested a EKG to check for occasional irregular heartbeats. The old ticker has been irregularly irregular meaning sometimes there are little skips, sometimes it's all normal.
Bloodwork showed a drop in White Blood Cells which was expected but neutrophills were good. Red Blood Cells and all the results associated with them improved which was hoped for. So, all-in-all, results were good. That was the end of the easy day.
We got a new-to-us nurse (male) who failed at starting an IV, then I had a blow-out on his second attempt. He wisely went to get a more experienced and skilled nurse to start the IV. She failed the first time, too. I was a bit dehydrated due to the extended time since breakfast and liquids but they all said my veins looked great and they couldn't understand why they had problems. Once we started with the benedryll and other pre-chemo drugs I developed a sub-Q rash on my arm above the IV site. It faded fairly quickly. Then the Retuxin started. We started at a higher rate than last month and ramped up the flow rate quicker. This was because I tolerated the drug well last month. This was a mistake. I had a major reaction. My whole head and neck area was affected pretty badly. Itchy scalp, flushed and swollen face and my throat closed up. Not completely. That would have been bad. We stopped the infusion and got several antihistamines via the IV. The swelling went down after a little while and we resumed the infusion at a slower rate. The other big problem was my nurse was not quite as nuturing as my nurse last month and failed to get us lunch, snacks and drinks in sufficient quantities. They are not servants but patient comfort is actually important in this whole process.
After the Retuximab infusion was finally complete, we started the Bendamustine portion of the chemo. This infusion is pretty quick. There is less drug and it goes in rapidly. We were done later than planned but after the reaction events I still felt good. Better than last month even. Might have been the steroids or the extra antihistamines but I felt fine. Then...
We ordered food from the Italian restaurant we liked last month and went to pick it up for takeaway. The rental car would not start. Dead battery. Sigh. Hospital security gave us a jump but it took time. We were late to pick up our food. Late to hotel check in. And late to eat our dinner. Have you noticed the focus on food and other comforts. You might find that theme common to chemo or radiation patients. Not sure of the psychology here. I'm not analysing myself or other patients in other situations. Not today.
Day 2 of this cycle was the same as the previous month, breakfast at the hotel, a short nap and some shopping on the way to the clinic. We went a little early to get an EKG done. They had tried during the infusion on Day 1 but two of the leads failed so we couldn't get an official reading. With the leads that were working we could see I was having PVCs (an irregular heartbeat) and a slightly faster rate than normal for me. No print out but Carol could read the screen. All this is a result of the chemo but no one seems to be concerned except Carol. And me.
We had another delay on Day 2 as our rookie nurse failed to order the drug for infusion when we got there. Sigh. This meant another late start on the road back to Marathon. She also took two tries to start an IV line even though I was thoroughly hydrated this time. So ended the active portion of Cycle 2. As I mentioned, I felt even better on and after the second day of this cycle than the previous month and I felt very good after Cycle 1. It was everything else that made this a frustrating cycle. A friend whose husband went through all this last year warned us that every treatment for him was different every time and not to expect consistancy. Well, I can hope, can't I?
Our daughter Heather and her family, including grandson Cobbe, arrived on Day 4 of this cycle. I was stll feeling great, still better than during Cycle 1 at the same point so activities were not curtailed at all for them or me. I didn't go to the beach with them because I'm not supposed to spend a lot of time in the sun and I didn't go to Key West with them because I do not want to spend time walking around and getting tired someplace I've been to a lot of times but the Dolphin Research Center and Crane Point Hammock are all places I did or will visit with them.
Cobbe loves being on the boat (and being with grandma and grandpa - MeMa and Papa) and riding in the dinghy as well as swimming in the ocean, in a local hotel pool and seeing all our wildlife. He loved the dolphins at the Dolphin Center as well the exotic birds there. He is always pointing at the pelicans, gulls and buzzards (turkey vultures) flying all around the boat. Of course all the airplanes on approach to our airport grab his attention, too. He has seen sharks and other large fish nearby but he hasn't seen manatees or dolphins around our boat yet. That will likely happen before his week here is done. It's just part of our normal environment.
So that's the summary of the start of Cycle 2. We plan to prepare the boat for our northbound passages, then Carol will have a work week away. We will scoot up to Fort Pierce, FL, drive back south to Miami for Cycle 3 and then push up to Annapolis, MD for the drive home for Cycle 4 in April. It's all very complicated, much more complicated than we prefer to have our life be but sometimes you just have to deal with what comes up.
I mentioned in the last post how the first few days after the chemo I had a hint of nausea that was easily controlled by prescribed medications. After about two days I stopped those meds and felt fine. Basically I felt really well for quite some time. I took it a little easy as instructed but felt maybe I didn't really need to. I didn't... but. Before we got to week 4 I started to feel a little more run down. I got tired easier, sooner. My blood pressure dropped enough that I stopped taking my blood pressure medication as I had to do just before my first chemo round. Still feel good but now I know I'm not quite 100%. I would guess that my first round of drugs is wearing off. One dose, of course, doesn't cure you. Otherwise one wouldn't need 6 cycles. Hopefully 6 cycles will be enough to keep me healthy well into the future. If we do maintenamce doses or move on to the next phase of treatments remains to be seen. My oncologists have different opinions/suggestions and treatments for my type of lymphoma are evolving rapidly so options 6 months from now will be very different from options a year or two or five into the future. At my age, talking about a future 20 to 25 years down the road is not unreasonable. At my age, having lymphoma and talking about a future 20 to 25 years down the road is just as reasonable. What's to complain about?
After this point this blog is post cycle 2 infusion.
Day 3 of Cycle 2. Or first day after 2 days of chemo. As smoothly and relatively easy my first round of chemo went this round was the opposite. A lot went wrong. Nothing went smoothly and we had a dead rental car battery to deal with, too. What fun.
It wasn't my intention but I may have made Cycle 1 and chemo in general sound like it was a breeze. Many people have very difficult experiences with chemotherapy but mine went fairly smoothly with only minor effects. My experience with Cycle 2 was not quite the gentle breeze as it was with Cycle 1. Closer to a gale, or at least a significant storm. But the bottom line is at this point I actually feel better on Day 3, Cycle 2 than I did on Day 3, Cycle 1. Go figure.
We arrived to the Cancer Center early as we did not hit traffic. Got my blood drawn after a little wait and then sat around for a while. We were told my oncologist wanted to see me before the infusion but after the blood results were in. Then we found out he was out sick and I would see the APRN instead. I went over to his office and got vitals checked and eventually saw blood results. We also requested a EKG to check for occasional irregular heartbeats. The old ticker has been irregularly irregular meaning sometimes there are little skips, sometimes it's all normal.
Bloodwork showed a drop in White Blood Cells which was expected but neutrophills were good. Red Blood Cells and all the results associated with them improved which was hoped for. So, all-in-all, results were good. That was the end of the easy day.
We got a new-to-us nurse (male) who failed at starting an IV, then I had a blow-out on his second attempt. He wisely went to get a more experienced and skilled nurse to start the IV. She failed the first time, too. I was a bit dehydrated due to the extended time since breakfast and liquids but they all said my veins looked great and they couldn't understand why they had problems. Once we started with the benedryll and other pre-chemo drugs I developed a sub-Q rash on my arm above the IV site. It faded fairly quickly. Then the Retuxin started. We started at a higher rate than last month and ramped up the flow rate quicker. This was because I tolerated the drug well last month. This was a mistake. I had a major reaction. My whole head and neck area was affected pretty badly. Itchy scalp, flushed and swollen face and my throat closed up. Not completely. That would have been bad. We stopped the infusion and got several antihistamines via the IV. The swelling went down after a little while and we resumed the infusion at a slower rate. The other big problem was my nurse was not quite as nuturing as my nurse last month and failed to get us lunch, snacks and drinks in sufficient quantities. They are not servants but patient comfort is actually important in this whole process.
After the Retuximab infusion was finally complete, we started the Bendamustine portion of the chemo. This infusion is pretty quick. There is less drug and it goes in rapidly. We were done later than planned but after the reaction events I still felt good. Better than last month even. Might have been the steroids or the extra antihistamines but I felt fine. Then...
We ordered food from the Italian restaurant we liked last month and went to pick it up for takeaway. The rental car would not start. Dead battery. Sigh. Hospital security gave us a jump but it took time. We were late to pick up our food. Late to hotel check in. And late to eat our dinner. Have you noticed the focus on food and other comforts. You might find that theme common to chemo or radiation patients. Not sure of the psychology here. I'm not analysing myself or other patients in other situations. Not today.
Day 2 of this cycle was the same as the previous month, breakfast at the hotel, a short nap and some shopping on the way to the clinic. We went a little early to get an EKG done. They had tried during the infusion on Day 1 but two of the leads failed so we couldn't get an official reading. With the leads that were working we could see I was having PVCs (an irregular heartbeat) and a slightly faster rate than normal for me. No print out but Carol could read the screen. All this is a result of the chemo but no one seems to be concerned except Carol. And me.
We had another delay on Day 2 as our rookie nurse failed to order the drug for infusion when we got there. Sigh. This meant another late start on the road back to Marathon. She also took two tries to start an IV line even though I was thoroughly hydrated this time. So ended the active portion of Cycle 2. As I mentioned, I felt even better on and after the second day of this cycle than the previous month and I felt very good after Cycle 1. It was everything else that made this a frustrating cycle. A friend whose husband went through all this last year warned us that every treatment for him was different every time and not to expect consistancy. Well, I can hope, can't I?
Our daughter Heather and her family, including grandson Cobbe, arrived on Day 4 of this cycle. I was stll feeling great, still better than during Cycle 1 at the same point so activities were not curtailed at all for them or me. I didn't go to the beach with them because I'm not supposed to spend a lot of time in the sun and I didn't go to Key West with them because I do not want to spend time walking around and getting tired someplace I've been to a lot of times but the Dolphin Research Center and Crane Point Hammock are all places I did or will visit with them.
Cobbe loves being on the boat (and being with grandma and grandpa - MeMa and Papa) and riding in the dinghy as well as swimming in the ocean, in a local hotel pool and seeing all our wildlife. He loved the dolphins at the Dolphin Center as well the exotic birds there. He is always pointing at the pelicans, gulls and buzzards (turkey vultures) flying all around the boat. Of course all the airplanes on approach to our airport grab his attention, too. He has seen sharks and other large fish nearby but he hasn't seen manatees or dolphins around our boat yet. That will likely happen before his week here is done. It's just part of our normal environment.
So that's the summary of the start of Cycle 2. We plan to prepare the boat for our northbound passages, then Carol will have a work week away. We will scoot up to Fort Pierce, FL, drive back south to Miami for Cycle 3 and then push up to Annapolis, MD for the drive home for Cycle 4 in April. It's all very complicated, much more complicated than we prefer to have our life be but sometimes you just have to deal with what comes up.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Chemotherapy
As a follow-up to my post about upcoming changes in our lives due to health this blog is about pre and post first cycle of chemo.
Right after Christmas we drove up to the Miami area to meet my new oncologist. This doctor was kind of a mentor to my Smilow Cancer Center oncologist in Hartford. Many other oncology/hematology physicians think he is on the forefront of the latest in lymphoma research and treatment. He focuses only on lymphoma. No other blood cancers. I have to say we were impressed with him and his team. And it was an entire team that we met with. We were told that I was the typical MCL patient in regards to gender and age and that there were only about 3600 people with this particular type of lymphoma. So, although we were previously told that not having an aggressive form of lymphoma was rare, this type of lymphoma (MCL) was often not aggressive and so, my situation was not all that unusual. So, having lymphoma is not too great, having this type usually isn't horrible. We shall see. I also learned I probably have a defective Sox 11 gene. I have other defective jeans but washing usually takes care of that. Again, a lack of Sox 11 expression was associated with an indolent subset and a favorable prognosis. If you understand any of that you are way ahead of me. I like the favorable prognosis part, however.
The above paragraphs were before my first chemo cycle, the following will be after that first cycle.
Well, I've gone through my first chemotherapy infusions. It was... not what I expected.
In Hartford there was a communal room where people were getting chemo and other treatments, about eight stations in the room. Each person may have been getting treatments for a different cancer, be in a different stage of their disease but there was a sense of community, an all-in-this-together feeling. In Miami (Coral Gables) people were in separate treatment rooms. Roomy and private but no sense of community. I may have some cycles up in Hartford in the future and be able to make a comparison.
In the week or so leading up to my first treatments I was not feeling well at all. My blood pressure was very low, I was very tired and, of course, my anxiety levels were creeping up. Not scared or real worried but mostly a kind of new situation, first time, unknown process kind of anxiety. Wondering about the steps involved and how I would handle the drugs and potential side effects.
In the waiting room before my first session I met a lung cancer patient who, if I remember correctly, was on his third treatment. He looked like he could run a marathon and had great things to say about the staff at the Sylvester/Lennar Center. He was extremely positive and wished me good luck and said all would go fine.
We were led to a private room that was open to the windows and a great view. The room had the usual computer and IV flow machines as well as a TV and comfortable chairs. For the patient and a companion. More family could have been accommodated in chairs just outside the room.
My chemotherapy infusion nurse (and all the others that I had over several days) was very positive, outgoing and very helpful in answering questions. She (they) believed in the process and had faith in positive results having seen so many. She also knew how to minimize side affects and told us how to how to avoid issues once we were home.
The most important part of this whole process is... there were snacks. At least that was what Carol was most concerned with. Lunch. They brought a box with sandwiches, drinks, cookies and more. The steroids in the meds do make you hungry. The nurses know this and food is part of the comfort they provide. We made a serious dent in them.
More than an hour before treatment starts you have blood drawn and then the the two chemo agents are custom made for the patient. Several IV medications are given before the actual chemo mostly to prevent adverse reactions. Rituximab is the drug that generally causes the first side affects and must be monitored while being infused. The rate of infusion is important, especially for the patient's first cycle. The drip rate is increased over time. As I was tolerating the infusion well the rate was slowly increased. The only noticeable effect on me was some facial flushing and scalp itch as the flow rate was increased. This went away before the infusion was over.
As a contrast, the second medication, bendamustine, goes in much quicker and has few infusion issues. This is not to say there are no side affects, just none associated with the infusion.
After we were done with Day 1, Cycle 1 we went to our hotel. Miami is about 115 miles from our home in Marathon so we rented a car and stayed at a hotel using Carol's business points. We had a very large, and surprisingly good, pizza for dinner in our room. The first significant side affect to all my drugs was to come later that evening. A result of all the steroids was absolutely no sleep. Zero. I wasn't uncomfortable. Didn't toss and turn. Just didn't sleep. Wasn't tired at all. As we used to say at Cytec when I worked the midnight shift, sleep is highly over-rated.
Day 2, Cycle 1 had us back at the clinic for my second infusion. The second day is just the bendamustine alone. It has to be 20-24 hours after the first dose but doesn't take long at all. I was a bit tired by then and the ride back to Marathon didn't allow a nap but I wasn't feeling too bad. We made a shopping stop with no problems.
Once were back in Marathon on Day 3 I could tell that I might have had nausea if I did not take the medications prescribed before I got the symptoms. Got ahead of the problem and so didn't have the problem. Very good advice from the nurses I had. By Day 6 I am no longer taking anti-nausea meds but I am taking the anti-viral and anti-bone pain meds. I do not have any pain, just preventing the possibility. The anti-virals are critical. I have a compromised immune system and a minor cold could become major or some weird, rare virus could attack me with very bad results. Very bad. As in brain turns to gelatin bad. Okay, that is extremely rare but the chances are not zero. I prefer zero.
So, I am still early in my first cycle. It's a 28 day cycle and changes can be expected through day 14 but nothing should be extreme or unmanageable. We will see how I feel as the days go by and then we start all over again as day 29 becomes Day 1, Cycle 2.
As I said earlier, the unknown causes the most worry. We are out of the realm of the unknown.
This was attached to my arm to give me an injection 27 hours after leaving the clinic. Flashed a light every 5 seconds. All night and day. #borg
Right after Christmas we drove up to the Miami area to meet my new oncologist. This doctor was kind of a mentor to my Smilow Cancer Center oncologist in Hartford. Many other oncology/hematology physicians think he is on the forefront of the latest in lymphoma research and treatment. He focuses only on lymphoma. No other blood cancers. I have to say we were impressed with him and his team. And it was an entire team that we met with. We were told that I was the typical MCL patient in regards to gender and age and that there were only about 3600 people with this particular type of lymphoma. So, although we were previously told that not having an aggressive form of lymphoma was rare, this type of lymphoma (MCL) was often not aggressive and so, my situation was not all that unusual. So, having lymphoma is not too great, having this type usually isn't horrible. We shall see. I also learned I probably have a defective Sox 11 gene. I have other defective jeans but washing usually takes care of that. Again, a lack of Sox 11 expression was associated with an indolent subset and a favorable prognosis. If you understand any of that you are way ahead of me. I like the favorable prognosis part, however.
The above paragraphs were before my first chemo cycle, the following will be after that first cycle.
Well, I've gone through my first chemotherapy infusions. It was... not what I expected.
In Hartford there was a communal room where people were getting chemo and other treatments, about eight stations in the room. Each person may have been getting treatments for a different cancer, be in a different stage of their disease but there was a sense of community, an all-in-this-together feeling. In Miami (Coral Gables) people were in separate treatment rooms. Roomy and private but no sense of community. I may have some cycles up in Hartford in the future and be able to make a comparison.
In the week or so leading up to my first treatments I was not feeling well at all. My blood pressure was very low, I was very tired and, of course, my anxiety levels were creeping up. Not scared or real worried but mostly a kind of new situation, first time, unknown process kind of anxiety. Wondering about the steps involved and how I would handle the drugs and potential side effects.
In the waiting room before my first session I met a lung cancer patient who, if I remember correctly, was on his third treatment. He looked like he could run a marathon and had great things to say about the staff at the Sylvester/Lennar Center. He was extremely positive and wished me good luck and said all would go fine.
We were led to a private room that was open to the windows and a great view. The room had the usual computer and IV flow machines as well as a TV and comfortable chairs. For the patient and a companion. More family could have been accommodated in chairs just outside the room.
My chemotherapy infusion nurse (and all the others that I had over several days) was very positive, outgoing and very helpful in answering questions. She (they) believed in the process and had faith in positive results having seen so many. She also knew how to minimize side affects and told us how to how to avoid issues once we were home.
The most important part of this whole process is... there were snacks. At least that was what Carol was most concerned with. Lunch. They brought a box with sandwiches, drinks, cookies and more. The steroids in the meds do make you hungry. The nurses know this and food is part of the comfort they provide. We made a serious dent in them.
More than an hour before treatment starts you have blood drawn and then the the two chemo agents are custom made for the patient. Several IV medications are given before the actual chemo mostly to prevent adverse reactions. Rituximab is the drug that generally causes the first side affects and must be monitored while being infused. The rate of infusion is important, especially for the patient's first cycle. The drip rate is increased over time. As I was tolerating the infusion well the rate was slowly increased. The only noticeable effect on me was some facial flushing and scalp itch as the flow rate was increased. This went away before the infusion was over.
As a contrast, the second medication, bendamustine, goes in much quicker and has few infusion issues. This is not to say there are no side affects, just none associated with the infusion.
After we were done with Day 1, Cycle 1 we went to our hotel. Miami is about 115 miles from our home in Marathon so we rented a car and stayed at a hotel using Carol's business points. We had a very large, and surprisingly good, pizza for dinner in our room. The first significant side affect to all my drugs was to come later that evening. A result of all the steroids was absolutely no sleep. Zero. I wasn't uncomfortable. Didn't toss and turn. Just didn't sleep. Wasn't tired at all. As we used to say at Cytec when I worked the midnight shift, sleep is highly over-rated.
Day 2, Cycle 1 had us back at the clinic for my second infusion. The second day is just the bendamustine alone. It has to be 20-24 hours after the first dose but doesn't take long at all. I was a bit tired by then and the ride back to Marathon didn't allow a nap but I wasn't feeling too bad. We made a shopping stop with no problems.
Once were back in Marathon on Day 3 I could tell that I might have had nausea if I did not take the medications prescribed before I got the symptoms. Got ahead of the problem and so didn't have the problem. Very good advice from the nurses I had. By Day 6 I am no longer taking anti-nausea meds but I am taking the anti-viral and anti-bone pain meds. I do not have any pain, just preventing the possibility. The anti-virals are critical. I have a compromised immune system and a minor cold could become major or some weird, rare virus could attack me with very bad results. Very bad. As in brain turns to gelatin bad. Okay, that is extremely rare but the chances are not zero. I prefer zero.
So, I am still early in my first cycle. It's a 28 day cycle and changes can be expected through day 14 but nothing should be extreme or unmanageable. We will see how I feel as the days go by and then we start all over again as day 29 becomes Day 1, Cycle 2.
As I said earlier, the unknown causes the most worry. We are out of the realm of the unknown.
This was attached to my arm to give me an injection 27 hours after leaving the clinic. Flashed a light every 5 seconds. All night and day. #borg
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Changes in Blogging
I've been writing this blog for more than ten years, I think. It's been mostly about our travels on Infinite Improbability and other life events. I'm going to continue to write here about our boat journeys but I am also going to increase writing about life events. Starting now.
About a year or so ago I talked about having to suddenly drive home from Annapolis for medical tests. In more recent blog postings I mentioned seeing various doctors including an oncologist but I have been vague about it all. Close family has been kept up to date as well as some friends that have been aboard our boat or been involved in watching Cleo for us when we went back home for health checks. I am now going to be more open and document what has been happening with my health and what may be happening in the near or long term future. BTW, I do have a long term future. At least as much as most people can expect. Coming back to Marathon from a medical check in February 2019 we got hit by a huge Peterbuilt dump truck (we were in an ten-passenger van) so unexpected future shortening events are always in the cards for all of us.
I have Mantle-Cell Lymphoma, a non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. More than three years ago during an annual physical my doctor noticed some lymph node lumps in my neck. I was sent to a cancer surgeon who found no evidence of any issues. The next year's physical found no lumps. In 2018 the same lymph nodes were evident again and I went back to the cancer surgeon who said cancer doesn't come and go but we should do some checks anyway. An ultrasound, a needle biopsy, lymphectomy, bone marrow biopsy, and CT/PET scan all followed. Ever been hit upside the head with a two-by-four? Those who have had a cancer diagnosis know what I'm talking about. Others, too.
Anyway, I am going to increase the circle of people who know about this, go public so to speak. Why? I have seen a number of inspirational cancer diaries over the years and although I have doubts about being inspirational (major doubts), I do have some ability to write and to observe those around me. I can (and do) claim to be a professional writer. Again, why? Simple. I have written. I write. And I have also been paid a time or two to write. That is the definition of a professional writer. Being paid. The amount doesn't matter.
So now, after another round of blood tests, a CAT scan, a CT/PET scan, and a colonoscopy to search for a cause for my anemia, I have sat in a special chair amongst a group of people who were getting some form of chemotherapy while I was getting a couple of infusions of iron. The people looked healthy, they looked sickly, they looked tired, they looked defiant, they looked experienced but most of all they looked around at the others knowing they were all sharing a similar experience. Except me. I was a fraud. Not getting chemo. Just some IV iron.
That's going to change. After more than three years of probably having the disease and a little more than a year after diagnosis, I am going to have to start treatment (chemotherapy) in January. The day after Christmas I am seeing the world's premier oncology/hematologist who happens to be in Miami, only a hundred miles from here in Marathon. The accolades are according to my oncologist who is only the director at the Smilow Cancer Center at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford.
So that is the summary. We'll start the chemo cycles in January. They'll go two days a month for six months and then we'll see where we go from there. I may not have been lucky in contracting this disease but I have been pretty fortunate in having an indolent form of the cancer. It's not been particularly aggressive. I have also been lucky in having health care providers who are connected with some of the best in their fields. I've also been pretty fortunate in having the support of my wife, Carol, her medical knowledge and her doggedness in questioning options and dealing with some of the insurance and billing people. Ok, so dealing with insurance and billing hasn't been all that great.
Our ever expanding group of boating/cruising friends has been encouraging and we'll just have to see where it goes from here. I will be keeping all informed through this blog going into the future.
And I plan to keep having a future.
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Marathon Winter 2019-2020
Here we are, home in Marathon.
We got here almost two weeks ago, a little earlier than normal because of Carol's work schedule. We skipped a Wrightsville Beach stop and only had a couple of extra days stopping due to weather so we were here with about four days to spare.
We're getting into the swing of things in our Marathon home... ordering parts and gear we need, doing our oil changes, scheduling outside maintenance, and doing more urgent repairs. I also already started volunteering at Crane Point Hammock and Nature Center as a trolley driver/guide. We've been recruited already for our stint at the Celtic Fest in January pulling taps in the beer tent. Going to try to sample less of the wares this year.
How did we get to Marathon this year? What's happened since my last entry from Annapolis?
A couple of adventures but nothing too unusual.
We left our Back Creek, Annapolis Municipal, mooring with one day still on the clock. Hate spending money on a mooring and then not using all the days paid for. It was a Sunday during the Annapolis Boat Show so we were going to be a little ahead of the southbound crowd and we were trying to beat some weather. I went to the boat show two days and Carol went once. We had received vendor passes from a company we have purchased from and also recommended to others so it was free for us this year. Cool.
We had a breeze and small seas behind us on our passage to Solomons Island with minor occasional sprinkles. The next day to Jackson Creek in Deltaville, VA was even nicer. And calmer.
Then we had a breezy day (with sailing) to Mobjack Bay and then up to East River which feeds the Bay. We were hauled out at Zimmerman Marina to install the new propeller assembly we bought to replace the one lost off of New Jersey. Once out of the water the tide went down and we could not be relaunched. We had to wait until evening to float and stayed overnight at the marina. No extra charge.
The next day, leaving Zimmerman, was horrid. We bashed right into big seas in Mobjack Bay. A number of things broke (see above... repairs in Marathon) and we got very wet, maybe a little seasick. And grumpy. Maybe. After two hours or so we rounded York Spit Light and turned south to go down the Chesapeake Bay. After that things were not quite as bad. Not great. Just not horrible. Entering Hampton Roads we encountered a submarine we had to stay out of the way of. The Navy escort could have been a little clearer about their location and route but it all worked out. Shortly after a deluge started. We could hardly see as we headed up the Elizabeth River with the wind and rain in our faces. Not being able to see in this high traffic area is not generally a good thing. It stopped raining just as we were arriving at the Portsmouth, VA free docks.
From there we went to Great Bridge to get fuel and tie up at their free dock. Shopping and taking down our masthead light was on the agenda. We were near Al and Sue on Gelato for the first time on this trip and went out to dinner with them. They were going to be driving home to attend a special family event so we would again be ahead of them for more than a month. Because of future weather we only stayed one night in Great Bridge.
From Great Bridge we continued on the Virginia Cut and had semi-choppy conditions on Currituck Sound but it was on our stern so no issues. We anchored in Broad Creek. The breeze continued to be fairly light and mostly behind us as we crossed Albemarle Sound and went down the Alligator to Belhaven. We were kind of pushing it because we knew the weather was going to turn nasty. Very nasty.
We tied up at expensive Belhaven Marina, getting the last (and exposed) spot. We had an awful two nights bouncing all around. The cheap city docks would have been better but they were full. A couple of the big powerboats near us had a poor experience, too.
From Belhaven we had a pretty good passage through the Pamlico and Neuse system, anchoring in our usual spot in Cedar Creek, off Adams Creek. And from there to Mile Hammock, Camp LeJeune, it was easy, with no shallows issues to speak of, but we had some rain. We stopped at a new spot, Casper Marina in Swansboro, for fuel. Cheaper than our old spot near Beaufort, NC.
Next we had a brand-new passage. We left Mile Hammock and went by the New River Inlet with the usual caution but no real problems. The route we were told about worked fine. Then we headed towards Wrightsville Beach with the current behind us most of the way. This let us get through the swing and bascule bridges in a timely manner with little delay. We decided to pass by Wrightsville as Carol had no work scheduled and we had plenty of supplies aboard. We went through Snows Cut and down the Cape Fear River out into the ocean. We've exited the ICW and went out for an ocean passage before from Cape Fear but not all the way from Mile Hammock. The breeze was behind us and seas were basically small so we had a nice sail for a few hours before the wind faded. Not bad at all through the night but the seas started to build behind us the next day. We sailed for about four hours before the wind was directly behind us and we were surfing down 2 to 3 ft. seas with some 4 to 6 footers just for fun. When we turned to head for Port Royal Sound we had those big seas, which of course got bigger, on the beam and then in front of us. Twelve miles of very nasty. Not as bad as Mobjack Bay the previous week, but bad enough. Getting an expensive slip at Hilton Head Harbor Marina was a relief.
After Hilton Head it was all on the ICW. Through Georgia we mostly hit mid-to-high tide and the recent dredging was a big help. Hell Gate was a snap. We anchored at some of our usual spots, Kilkenny Creek, Frederica River and Cumberland Island. Carol hit a couple of shoals along the way but we're not going to mention that. Or all the missing bottom paint on the lower keels. Hmmmm.
We went back in the ocean for the passage from St Marys River to Saint Augustine. Two nights on a St. Auggie mooring got us internet, showers,shopping and a dinner out. From there we made our normal stops at New Smyrna and Eau Gallie (Dragon Point) before getting to Fort Pierce. We only stayed one night at Ft. Pierce but did stay late to go to the Saturday farmers market. We had a long conversation with RVers from Connecticut, comparing our life styles. Because we left much later than our usual sunrise we went to a new to us anchorage spot past the Hobe Sound Bascule Bridge but before Jupiter near R '38'. A wide spot in the 'road' but not bad.
Then it was the terrible passage to and through Palm Beach with all the bridges we have to wait for. We did well on timing except for one which was nice enough to wait a few minutes for us. We anchored in Lake Boca at Boca Raton just as a downpour started. It was crowded with locals but we found a safe spot to sit out the storm.
From Lake Boca we went to Ft. Lauderdale and out in the ocean to Miami. Ft Lauderdale was breaking down after the boat show so there were way too many mega-yachts drifting around and messing up bridge passes. Arrrrr. The ocean was a bit choppy, just off the nose, but not too terrible. We anchored in No Name Harbor of Boggs State Park in Key Biscayne. We're in the Keys! Yay! It wasn't crowded at all so it was nice and we had a great swim.
Now that we were in the Keys we went to Barley Basin off the ICW off of Islamorada and then we went home to Marathon the next day. The ocean passage wasn't too bad as the seas were out of the northeast, not quite behind us. It was still very hot and humid as it has been since we got to Georgia.
It has been very hot and humid in Marathon since we got here except for the first cold front which lowered the temperature to only 80. Today as I finish this blog entry we've had our first real norther and the high today will only be 70 to 74. Brrrr. People are complaining about wearing jeans and sweatshirts. Low was in the upper 60s. Really Brrr.
Tomorrow back to 80. Sorry freezing people up north.
We got here almost two weeks ago, a little earlier than normal because of Carol's work schedule. We skipped a Wrightsville Beach stop and only had a couple of extra days stopping due to weather so we were here with about four days to spare.
We're getting into the swing of things in our Marathon home... ordering parts and gear we need, doing our oil changes, scheduling outside maintenance, and doing more urgent repairs. I also already started volunteering at Crane Point Hammock and Nature Center as a trolley driver/guide. We've been recruited already for our stint at the Celtic Fest in January pulling taps in the beer tent. Going to try to sample less of the wares this year.
How did we get to Marathon this year? What's happened since my last entry from Annapolis?
A couple of adventures but nothing too unusual.
We left our Back Creek, Annapolis Municipal, mooring with one day still on the clock. Hate spending money on a mooring and then not using all the days paid for. It was a Sunday during the Annapolis Boat Show so we were going to be a little ahead of the southbound crowd and we were trying to beat some weather. I went to the boat show two days and Carol went once. We had received vendor passes from a company we have purchased from and also recommended to others so it was free for us this year. Cool.
We had a breeze and small seas behind us on our passage to Solomons Island with minor occasional sprinkles. The next day to Jackson Creek in Deltaville, VA was even nicer. And calmer.
Then we had a breezy day (with sailing) to Mobjack Bay and then up to East River which feeds the Bay. We were hauled out at Zimmerman Marina to install the new propeller assembly we bought to replace the one lost off of New Jersey. Once out of the water the tide went down and we could not be relaunched. We had to wait until evening to float and stayed overnight at the marina. No extra charge.
The next day, leaving Zimmerman, was horrid. We bashed right into big seas in Mobjack Bay. A number of things broke (see above... repairs in Marathon) and we got very wet, maybe a little seasick. And grumpy. Maybe. After two hours or so we rounded York Spit Light and turned south to go down the Chesapeake Bay. After that things were not quite as bad. Not great. Just not horrible. Entering Hampton Roads we encountered a submarine we had to stay out of the way of. The Navy escort could have been a little clearer about their location and route but it all worked out. Shortly after a deluge started. We could hardly see as we headed up the Elizabeth River with the wind and rain in our faces. Not being able to see in this high traffic area is not generally a good thing. It stopped raining just as we were arriving at the Portsmouth, VA free docks.
From there we went to Great Bridge to get fuel and tie up at their free dock. Shopping and taking down our masthead light was on the agenda. We were near Al and Sue on Gelato for the first time on this trip and went out to dinner with them. They were going to be driving home to attend a special family event so we would again be ahead of them for more than a month. Because of future weather we only stayed one night in Great Bridge.
From Great Bridge we continued on the Virginia Cut and had semi-choppy conditions on Currituck Sound but it was on our stern so no issues. We anchored in Broad Creek. The breeze continued to be fairly light and mostly behind us as we crossed Albemarle Sound and went down the Alligator to Belhaven. We were kind of pushing it because we knew the weather was going to turn nasty. Very nasty.
We tied up at expensive Belhaven Marina, getting the last (and exposed) spot. We had an awful two nights bouncing all around. The cheap city docks would have been better but they were full. A couple of the big powerboats near us had a poor experience, too.
From Belhaven we had a pretty good passage through the Pamlico and Neuse system, anchoring in our usual spot in Cedar Creek, off Adams Creek. And from there to Mile Hammock, Camp LeJeune, it was easy, with no shallows issues to speak of, but we had some rain. We stopped at a new spot, Casper Marina in Swansboro, for fuel. Cheaper than our old spot near Beaufort, NC.
Next we had a brand-new passage. We left Mile Hammock and went by the New River Inlet with the usual caution but no real problems. The route we were told about worked fine. Then we headed towards Wrightsville Beach with the current behind us most of the way. This let us get through the swing and bascule bridges in a timely manner with little delay. We decided to pass by Wrightsville as Carol had no work scheduled and we had plenty of supplies aboard. We went through Snows Cut and down the Cape Fear River out into the ocean. We've exited the ICW and went out for an ocean passage before from Cape Fear but not all the way from Mile Hammock. The breeze was behind us and seas were basically small so we had a nice sail for a few hours before the wind faded. Not bad at all through the night but the seas started to build behind us the next day. We sailed for about four hours before the wind was directly behind us and we were surfing down 2 to 3 ft. seas with some 4 to 6 footers just for fun. When we turned to head for Port Royal Sound we had those big seas, which of course got bigger, on the beam and then in front of us. Twelve miles of very nasty. Not as bad as Mobjack Bay the previous week, but bad enough. Getting an expensive slip at Hilton Head Harbor Marina was a relief.
After Hilton Head it was all on the ICW. Through Georgia we mostly hit mid-to-high tide and the recent dredging was a big help. Hell Gate was a snap. We anchored at some of our usual spots, Kilkenny Creek, Frederica River and Cumberland Island. Carol hit a couple of shoals along the way but we're not going to mention that. Or all the missing bottom paint on the lower keels. Hmmmm.
We went back in the ocean for the passage from St Marys River to Saint Augustine. Two nights on a St. Auggie mooring got us internet, showers,shopping and a dinner out. From there we made our normal stops at New Smyrna and Eau Gallie (Dragon Point) before getting to Fort Pierce. We only stayed one night at Ft. Pierce but did stay late to go to the Saturday farmers market. We had a long conversation with RVers from Connecticut, comparing our life styles. Because we left much later than our usual sunrise we went to a new to us anchorage spot past the Hobe Sound Bascule Bridge but before Jupiter near R '38'. A wide spot in the 'road' but not bad.
Then it was the terrible passage to and through Palm Beach with all the bridges we have to wait for. We did well on timing except for one which was nice enough to wait a few minutes for us. We anchored in Lake Boca at Boca Raton just as a downpour started. It was crowded with locals but we found a safe spot to sit out the storm.
From Lake Boca we went to Ft. Lauderdale and out in the ocean to Miami. Ft Lauderdale was breaking down after the boat show so there were way too many mega-yachts drifting around and messing up bridge passes. Arrrrr. The ocean was a bit choppy, just off the nose, but not too terrible. We anchored in No Name Harbor of Boggs State Park in Key Biscayne. We're in the Keys! Yay! It wasn't crowded at all so it was nice and we had a great swim.
Now that we were in the Keys we went to Barley Basin off the ICW off of Islamorada and then we went home to Marathon the next day. The ocean passage wasn't too bad as the seas were out of the northeast, not quite behind us. It was still very hot and humid as it has been since we got to Georgia.
It has been very hot and humid in Marathon since we got here except for the first cold front which lowered the temperature to only 80. Today as I finish this blog entry we've had our first real norther and the high today will only be 70 to 74. Brrrr. People are complaining about wearing jeans and sweatshirts. Low was in the upper 60s. Really Brrr.
Tomorrow back to 80. Sorry freezing people up north.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Annapolis Fall 2019
We're in Annapolis once again. Southbound. Again. It's Boat Show time. Again. Work time, too. Again.
This is only our second day here. We'll stay for two weeks and we're paying for a mooring. Again. Hate that last part but the anchorages are full. I'm sure we could have squeezed in somewhere but we are pretty conservative about the space (swing room) we need to anchor. Conservative, or experienced. The city mooring, although expensive ($180/week), let's us sleep at night without worrying about dragging. The holding is barely fair and, as I said, it's crowded.
Our passages here were mixed but generally pretty good. Heading from home to Port Jeff was choppier than forecast and we were going right into it. Not big seas but right on the nose. PJ to Port Washington was flat. The free moorings are no longer free but no one came to collect any money so I guess that makes'em free still. The United Nations, being in session, was going to close the East River on Monday so we had to rush to go through the City on Sunday. Early, to catch a fair current through Hell Gate and the rest of the City, too. Stopped in Atlantic Highlands where we scrambled last year to find a doctor's office to do some unexpected pre-op tests. No such issues this year. The anchorage was crowded because a lot of snowbirds wanted to get through the City and wait out the southerly winds offshore New Jersey. Got to chat with some people we knew on the VHF Net in Marathon. Put a face to the voices we've heard.
The offshore passage off New Jersey was almost great. Merely very nice. We had North to Northwesterly breezes and behind the beam seas. We actually sailed. This turned out to be a problem because somewhere off off NJ we lost the propeller and hub assembly off of the saildrive that was not running because we were sailing. See, sailing is bad. motoring is good. At least that's what our daughter always said. Almost $2300. to get the parts shipped from Denmark. Now we have to find someone who can haul us out.
We went up the Delaware Bay against the current and on one engine but it was mostly smooth, if slow. Anchored in Chesapeake City which was semi-crowded but fine. We beat most of the people who were in Atlantic Highlands with us because they didn't go overnight or didn't want to go against the wind and current in the Delaware. My theory is 4 knots is faster than zero knots.
Once in the Chesapeake Bay we went to Worton Creek as usual, but in unexpected small craft advisories enroute, and then spent a weekend up in Sillery Bay on the Magothy River. Quiet. Relaxing. Nice swimming.
And here we are. In Eastport. Back Creek. On a mooring and doing some of our usual Annapolis things... Chick and Ruth's, Bay Shore Marine, Giant, Great Harvest Bread and more, I guess. Oil changes and some other work are coming up when Carol flies off to California. Then it's back on the road. Heading for the Keys.
This is only our second day here. We'll stay for two weeks and we're paying for a mooring. Again. Hate that last part but the anchorages are full. I'm sure we could have squeezed in somewhere but we are pretty conservative about the space (swing room) we need to anchor. Conservative, or experienced. The city mooring, although expensive ($180/week), let's us sleep at night without worrying about dragging. The holding is barely fair and, as I said, it's crowded.
Our passages here were mixed but generally pretty good. Heading from home to Port Jeff was choppier than forecast and we were going right into it. Not big seas but right on the nose. PJ to Port Washington was flat. The free moorings are no longer free but no one came to collect any money so I guess that makes'em free still. The United Nations, being in session, was going to close the East River on Monday so we had to rush to go through the City on Sunday. Early, to catch a fair current through Hell Gate and the rest of the City, too. Stopped in Atlantic Highlands where we scrambled last year to find a doctor's office to do some unexpected pre-op tests. No such issues this year. The anchorage was crowded because a lot of snowbirds wanted to get through the City and wait out the southerly winds offshore New Jersey. Got to chat with some people we knew on the VHF Net in Marathon. Put a face to the voices we've heard.
The offshore passage off New Jersey was almost great. Merely very nice. We had North to Northwesterly breezes and behind the beam seas. We actually sailed. This turned out to be a problem because somewhere off off NJ we lost the propeller and hub assembly off of the saildrive that was not running because we were sailing. See, sailing is bad. motoring is good. At least that's what our daughter always said. Almost $2300. to get the parts shipped from Denmark. Now we have to find someone who can haul us out.
We went up the Delaware Bay against the current and on one engine but it was mostly smooth, if slow. Anchored in Chesapeake City which was semi-crowded but fine. We beat most of the people who were in Atlantic Highlands with us because they didn't go overnight or didn't want to go against the wind and current in the Delaware. My theory is 4 knots is faster than zero knots.
Once in the Chesapeake Bay we went to Worton Creek as usual, but in unexpected small craft advisories enroute, and then spent a weekend up in Sillery Bay on the Magothy River. Quiet. Relaxing. Nice swimming.
And here we are. In Eastport. Back Creek. On a mooring and doing some of our usual Annapolis things... Chick and Ruth's, Bay Shore Marine, Giant, Great Harvest Bread and more, I guess. Oil changes and some other work are coming up when Carol flies off to California. Then it's back on the road. Heading for the Keys.
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