Friday 25 October 2013

Day 124, Thursday October 24

Car rental day!  They pick us up and 9:00 and Julie gets to drive, as Dawson has calls to make and controls the list of errands as they are mostly blue jobs.

First stop is across to Kent Island, then back up to Indian Head to drop off the part we just picked up. Then it is off to Annapolis inflatables to get the EPIRB programmed, then off to Bacon marine to look for anchor bales, then Fawcetts, then west marine for a return, lunch thrown in there and the driving zig zag is well underway.  We meet up with Slow Waltz and Quiesence for happy hour downtown Annapolis, which turns into dinner.  It is now 7:00 and we still have to get groceries.  We are starting to stock the boat up for Bahamas with non perishables.  We drive almost to Baltimore by the time we find a grocers and it is 9:30 by the time we get back to the boat to start figuring out where to put all the supplies.  More sorting and boat "vomiting" and most of the stuff is stored.  Note that boat vomiting occurs on a regular basis.  This is when storage areas need to be emptied to either find something at the bottom, or repack to make more room, or repack to transfer weight around, or pulled apart cause you are looking for something, or there is a valve underneath that needs to be gotten to. Boat vomiting can be distressing.  I think it will be a way of life living in small quarters. Unfortunately we need to stock up on extra parts and supplies that normally we would not keep on the boat except that we are going where it is difficult to get these things.  We have been told we don't need to stock up on rum.  That will be readily available.  Wonder about pineapple juice?

Cheers 
Julie and Dawson

Day 123, Wednesday October 23

Coastie, greeting committee
Today we are land bound and will get more prep work done on the boat and some daily chores.  First thing is to locate a Mercury dealer and get the screw that mounts the motor on the transom fixed.  Dawson finds a dealer north about 2 miles and heads out in the dinghy with his running gear on as he will have to run back to the boat which is about 5 miles away by land.  Meanwhile Julie begins the laundry marathon.
 

We also arrange to rent a car for tomorrow so we can get our EPIRB programmed, and buy some anchoring locks, as well as a new part way across town for the mercury and some other goodies.  


Us with Alexandra, Cole, and Laura
Dawson makes it back to the boat, and decides it is time to de-pickle the watermaker.  He meets with some success as it is pumping, and seems to be "making" water, but we can't locate the water intake.  Finally he decides to "call a friend", which is Glenn as he will remember the plumbing configuration.  Alas Glenn is home and we can pick his brain on a few boat items.  Once again, Thanks Glenn, she is a beautiful boat.


Boat moored at the end of the dock
The winds are supposed to gust tonight from the west so again we stay on the boat.  We are so well sheltered, so we don't get awakened at all.  Yeah!  Most nights there are a myriad of noise interruptions that effect our sleeping, almost like having young kids again!  Bring ear plugs if you are visiting.

Cheers
Julie and Dawson

Day 122, Tuesday October 22

We did not set an alarm this morning which was nice, however we got a move on by 8:30 as today is the big day to get to Annapolis.  We are staying with Laura and Brad Sitler who live up the Servern River.  e have to creep out of our anchorage as it is low tide and there is only 7 feet of water and we need 5.5 feet of water.  We make it out safely and head south.  There is very little traffic but lots of crab pots.  It is like going through a mine field.  We dodge them as we go along.  They are not too bad in the shipping channel but we are sailing so crossing back and forth.  Initially the wind was on the nose, but after an hour we could sail within 10 degrees of our course line.  the current was against us so we wondered if we would make annapolis before nightfall.  Winds started to pick up and we experienced a lot of weather helm which makes it difficult to steer.  We spilled some of the main by sheeting it out a bit and the boat flattened out.

Cargo ship piled high
We could see the Kent Island bridge for miles and of course once we got to it there was a huge container ship coming north so we had to stand clear and chose to go under another span of the bridge.  It looked like we could fit no problem and there was lots of water, but we still questioned ourselves.  Finally we agreed where we could go under the bridge and it was fine, but added a bit of stress.  The size of the cargo ship was unbelievable.  It was stacked and stacked with containers.  No wonder ther are 20-30,000 containers floating around the ocean.  A big storm and the containers fall off, or are released so as not to de-stabilize the ship.  Rogue containers are a major concern to sailors as they hover just below the surface and are difficult to see.

 
Traffic
We got to the marina for a pump out about an hour later and started dodging all the sailing schools and race groups.  Traffic was very heavy at this time of day.  By now it was 5 and we had an hour to motor up the Severn river and avoid arriving in the dark.  We had googled Brad and Laura's address so knew basically where to go and what the dock configuration looked like.

Brad and Laura's beautiful home and long dock
A great sheltered spot up the Severn.  The dock was easy to spot with the blue slide.  We managed to get tied up whilst avoiding obstacles and brad was soon down at the dock greeting us.  I must say it is a beautiful home and location.  We headed up to the big house for a sundowner and hello but chose to sleep on the boat.

Cheers
Julie and Dawson

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Day 121, Monday October 21 up the Delaware

Day 121, Monday October 21 up the Delaware

Dawson hooking up instrument for early departure
Up at 5:15 for a start in the dark so that we can catch the current heading up the Delaware Bay.  We look up at the mast as we are underway with the stars shining overhead.  It is quite cool.  At first the current is ebbing so we are only doing about 5 knots, but that is okay as it is dark and we can’t see much other than the navigational aids so slow is good.  It only takes about an hour and the sun is peaking out on the horizon.  We pick our way through the shoals on the southeast of Cape May and round the corner to head north to the C and D canal.  The current has now changed and we are doing over 8 knots an hour which is fast.  We put up our sails, and motorsail so we can maintain our speed.  If we can move at 8 knots, we catch the current for the full day as the current is delayed turning further upstream. 
Sunrise on the Atlantic

It is sunny and warm out and spirits are high.  At one point Julie looked up at the rigging and you could see hundreds of spider webs in the cables.  It was kind of neat.  We kept our eyes peeled for marine life, but only saw jelly fish.  Not a lot of them but a few of all varying sizes.

Buddy Boat
The C&D canal is closed in the morning due to fog.  We are confident it will be open by the time we get there, and sure enough it is.  The canal is easy as there are no locks or lift bridges, just a shortcut to get to Chesapeake Bay, near Baltimore.  About halfway through the canal we do see Miraki, John and Lucy’s boat being towed.  We yell across to them and their motor has lost its prop or the shaft is gone.  We felt helpless but they are being towed by another sailboat so everything seems under control.  There was a marina just a mile back and most parts would be easy to get in this area.

Large cargo ship for Nissan
Gwen and Guillaume on Gozzard
By 4:30 we are pulling into Chesapeake City however the dockage is all taken up and the holding is not good, so we leave as quickly as we came.  We check the charts and head for Bohemian River that a boat named Grace has suggested.  The holding is good, but it is quite shallow.  Only about 7 foot for most of the bay.  We decide given the winds, the anchorage will do, and we drop our hooks.  Slow Waltz has travelled alongside us today and soon we are dining upon their boat sharing more stories and trading knowledge.  We have a great dinner and head back to our boat for the night.




Brandy wine lighthouse
Cheers

Julie and Dawson

 



Day 120, Sunday October 20th


Day 120, Sunday October 20

The day starts early as it is not much after midnight when we hear the wind generator starting to whirl a bit stronger than expected.  A cold front is passing and the gusts are up to 28 knots (~55 kms.)  Julie is up on watch in the cockpit ready to start the engine if the anchor drags.  It is a beautiful full moon night so you can see the boats anchored in the basin.  There is a concern that another boat could drag and run into us.  We have been happy with our anchoring systems so far, and this wind is not as bad as the squall in Pelee Island.  By 3 a.m. Julie has drifted in and out of sleep,  Dawson gets up to take over the next watch on deck.  Dawson thinks to turn on the radio and starts chatting up the neighbours to find out what is going on.  Sure enough Guillaume is awake and informs us he has already helped the single handed sailor beside us relocate as he was dragging.  We look to where he was and there is a new boat there.  Where did it come from?  No one on deck..... A couple hours pass and suddenly there is some activity on the new neighbours boat.  They have woken up and realized their anchor had dragged and they are run aground.  Dawson and Guilaulme offer their assistance and soon are whizzing out in their dinghies to help kedge the 32 foot boat off the muck.  The boat they are helping is called Meridian and sailed by 3 young men in their 20’s.  They are learning some of their lessons the hard way.  They are a bit frustrated.  The wind finally dies down a bit by around 7 so Dawson comes off shift and we get some shut eye until about 10.

Today we are touring Cape May.  We head into the town which is about a mile by dinghy and Gwen and Guillaume and Dawson get soaked as it is a bit choppy and we are going against the waves.  By the time we dock Dawson has had a salt water shower.  Luckily it is fairly warm so everything dries on the walk into town.  We pick up a few marine items we need and then go to the main street.  On the way we pass numerous unique architectural homes.  Everything is clean and neat.  A very nice town.  Main street is hosting a Halloween warm up so the street is closed to traffic and all the shops are hosting trick or treat and numerous families are all dressed up with their children walking the streets and shops.  We garnered a few dress up ideas for our Halloween party that is coming up.




After touring about we head over to the Lobster House for an early dinner along the waterfront.  It is very good, but we are all very tired from our lack of sleep.  We head back to the mother ships on the dinghy, stopping at Cathy and Kim’s ship Quiescence for a nightcap.  We also see a few other new boats in harbour that we have befriended along the way.  Everyone is slowly making their way south now that the canal fiasco is behind us.

We are in our jammies by 7:44 hoping for a quiet night on the water.

Cheers

Julie and Dawson

Day 119, Saturday October 19th


Oct 19, Saturday Good Bye Atlantic City


Pictures of Atlantic city departure
We are up early (again) so we can make the exit from our marsh anchorage on a rising tide.  We planned for a take off just before 8 and are underway at 7:55.  The anchorage had been good to us providing excellent holding in the high winds we had experienced the night of Oct 17th.  But the good holding comes with a price of dealing with the mud on the chain and anchor as it is brought on deck.    Once the anchor is stored we are out on the rising tide.  The exit is less stressful than our entrance as we have 3 more feet of water and a gps track to follow. 

Our buddy boat for this leg, Quiescence, a Catalina 40, is right behind us.  It is forecasted to be a good day for the passage to Cape May although the winds are to be light clocking from East to South which will limit our sailing.  As soon as we get beyond the break wall we are greeted by 9 knots of wind out of the east.  We quickly get our sails up shut the motor down and are heading south at 7 knots.  This is the first true sailing we have done since entering the Erie Bardge Canal oh so many days ago.   The winds hold for the entire 8 hour trip along the Jersey Shore.  There are a number of boats out including cruisers and fishing boats a number of which are small.  We have to keep watch for the fishing boats especially the small ones as you can lose then in the troughs of the waves.  Julie believes they should be all painted bright orange.  We are also amazed by the number of sailboats that don’t sail.  This is something we are use to in the North Channel but had assumed (wrongly) that in the world of cruising all would sail when possible.  Oh well to each their own.

Just as we approach Cape May we get light rain but this is a good thing as the boat needs a rinsing.  We pull into the inlet and head over to the anchorage.  It is quite crowded, but we find a spot between two boats we had previously met, Slow Waltz and Antarres.  We drop the anchor and get a good hook immediately.   Once we are sure we are secure Julie takes a shower and Dawson heads off in the dingy to find out how Antarres travel down from Sandy Hook has been.  They had done the full 100 NM in one go in the company of Meridian another boat we had met on the canal.  Meridian is a C&C 30 owned by 3 young lads heading south.  Their passage was good, a little rough at the start but settles down during the night.  Just as Dawson is getting back to Jazzebelle our sundowner guest, Gwen and Guillaume arrive.  It starts off with drinks but progresses into dinner and then after dinner coffees.  Gwen is quite happy to join us for coffee as Guillaume does not drink coffee and she has been drinking instant for the voyage.  When our guest are leaving us we notice that we have 2 more addition boats at anchor with us.  We let out some more chain, as high winds (25-30 knots), are forecasted for the night.  We are not overly concerned as the anchorage is well protected and has good holding
We release out wind generator to make some power and settle in for the night.
Cheers

Dawson and Julie

Day 118, Friday October 18th

Day 118, Friday October 18th

Today we spend the day exploring Atlantic city.  We dinghy over to the Golden Nugget to catch our jitney to the city centre.  First thing is to walk along the beach.  The Jersey shore has been amazing and Atlantic city also has a beautiful beach.  We cruise along the boardwalk and it is typical of a commercialized beach.  We stop for lunch at Margaritaville and met up with fellow sailors that we had met the evening before, Cathy and Kim from Toronto.  Dawson does some consulting with them to plan for our next days sail.  They also are heading down to Cape May and beyond.

Cathy, Kim and Dawson discussing sail plans

After lunch we continue down the strip.  We have no interest in gambling so just soak up the sun and sights.  The further north we go the strip gets a "carny" feeling to it.  Not as high end as the south part.  A block off the strip and the town is looking very tired.  There is some evidence of previous storms/hurricanes wiping out some prime building property as they sat vacant or with half a building on them.  By 5:00 we had enough and found a starbucks to purchase some coffee beans as we were now using our back up not as good beans.  By 6:00 we were back in the dinghy heading for the boat and able to capture a beautiful full moon over the marsh and some pink skies with the boat in the backgrounds.  Just beautiful.  We called it an early night as we were heading out by 6:30 in the morning which means up at 5:30 or so.....


Cheers

Julie and Dawson



Sunday 20 October 2013

Day 117, Thursday October 17th

The day started off early with us up at 6:30 as we wanted to leave on high tide. We had both slept well but did get up a couple of times to check our lines with the rising tide. Manasquan Inlet gets a 5 foot tide. We were underway by 7:00 with our buddy boat Flock of Seagulls right behind us.

It is an dark overcast day but is forecasted to clear later in the day. We take turns on the helm, I should really say we take turns on watch as Jim our auto pilot did all the driving. We get the main up right away and then the geno. But after about 2 hours we have to take in the geno due to the wind moving more unto the nose. Dawson spots dolphins on two occasion but only for a brief glimpse, Julie comes on deck each time but on both occasion she does not see them, she is starting to suspect they are not out there.

The trip passes quickly, with Julie spending some time looking into coarse to take to support her education leave. Dawson spend the time looking for dolphins and watching the AIS for the boat traffic. For anyone planning to go cruising we would consider the AIS really nice to have almost a must have. If you do get one we would strongly recommend the transponder not just the receiver. It has come in handy a number of times.

Black skimmers
Around 16:30 we are off of Atlantic City with a good view of the casinos along the boardwalk. The entrance to Atlantic City (Abescon Inlet) is nice and wide. We have decided to anchor in a small bay on the north side of the inlet, it was mentioned in the Skipper Bob Guidebook Our time is good as the tide has just started to flood. We enter the channel into the bay which is about 40 feet wide, Dawson is on bow watch but it is impossible to gauge depth with the water colour. Dawson does spot a new bird (Black Skimmer) so the day is now excellent. The bird was quite easy to identify as it skims the water trailing it lower beak in the water, kind of cool to watch. The lowest we see on the depth finder was 6.6'. We anchor beside a C&C on a mooring ball in about 12' of water and the anchor set immediately. We clean up a bit and ensure the anchor is secure and head into the Golden Nugget marine around 18:00. Flock of Seagulls is tied up there so we use their slips as our dingy dock. Scott and Suzie are just cleaning up so we head into the casino for a look around and will meet them later for a beer.

Scott and Suzie off of Flock of Seagulls
We drop our mail off at the front desk and head over to the Chart House for happy hour. Scott and Suzie join us for a drink and some appetizers. We then head into the casino, none of us are casino people so we drop $1.48 on the slots and call it a night. (Julie actually doubled her $10 but Dawson blew his $10 in 5 minutes).  The ride back to the boat is interesting being dark with a current running in the inlet but we make it back safe and dry. Three other boats are now in the bay with us. The wind has picked up substantial and is now blowing over 15 knots, but this is a nice secure anchorage so off to bed we go.

Cheers
Dawson and Julie


 

Friday 18 October 2013

Day 116, Wednesday October 16


Day 116, Wednesday Oct 16, 2013 – Into the Atlantic we go!

Local fisherman pulling up ???
We wake up to a calm day after spending a very peaceful evening at anchor.  We are planning to make a run down the Jersey Coast today leaving the option for a straight sail to Cape May (entrance to Delaware Bay).  To make Cape May will be ~22 hour sail and you want to time it for a daylight arrival so we aim for an 11 o’clock take off.  There are a couple of spots we can stop for the night if we want.




Lumpy seas
We finish a few things around the boat in preparation, call about getting a Sat Phone for the adventure and get underway at 11.  It is a calm ride out to the tip of Sandy Hook the only thing we had to watch for was boat traffic with a number of small fishing boat in the area.  The small boats are pulling up traps probably crabs.  Once we make top of Sandy Hook and turn to make the run out to the ocean we are in a washing machine.  The tide is running out and the waves are coming from the east making for steep waves.  It is pretty bouncy but Jazzebelle handles it well.   While we are exiting a 34’ Catalina is just behind us, which is nice as it is good to have a buddy boat.  Once we make the turn south the movement on the boat gets better with more of roll than hobby horsing. 





Julie at the helm in the Atlantic
The wind is out of the south west with just enough west to allow us to motor sail.  We get the main up, 1st time with a tether on for Dawson and then get the 130 Genoa out.  With the sails up we call up our new buddy boat to find out what their plans are.  They are also heading down the coast but have decided to do it in 3 days, Day 1 to Manasqan Inlet, about a 25 Nautical mile run down the coast, then to Atlantic City and then to Cape May.  Sounds like a plan so we decide to join them.  The boat is called Flock of Seagulls out of Buffalo New York.  The crew is Scott and Suzie who are taking the boat to Key Largo.


42 pound lobster on the wall
The passage to Manasqan Inlet passes quickly with the winds failing us only for the last half hour.  Suzie has called ahead and made arrangements to dock at a restaurant, the Shrimp Box for free as long as we eat there.  This sounds like an even better plan so we call to get the same dockage.  The entrance to the harbour is nice and wide with lots of depth a very easy entrance.  We are tied up to the Shrimp Box dock by 16:30 and meet our new friends in person.


Scott marking the Hurricane Sandy waterline
We head in to town to find a mail box; we have some letters to post and to pick up a quart of milk.  After about a 2 mile walk we return with a quart of milk and the letters as we were unable to find a mail box.  Well we actually did find a mail box but it was just a US Postal relay box with no slot, oh well we will post them in Atlantic City.

We get back to the boat by 6, invite Scott and Suzie over for a happy hour and then head into the Shrimp Box for dinner.  The Shrimp Box is your standard waterfront seafood restaurant, big entrance with seascapes and Shark jaws and booths lining the water front window.  The meal is excellent, large portions with salad bar so we will have lunch for tomorrow.  We both have a shrimp platter.  The shrimp is fresh as the harbour is home port to a large shrimp fleet.  As we are leaving the restaurant Julie notices a plaque on the wall at chest height marking the high water level from Sandy, hard to believe the whole point was under 3.5 feet of water.   It is places like this that are rightfully concerned about global warming and rising water levels.  We are back on the boat for 8:30, Scott and Suzie stay at the bar to watch the Boston/Detroit game as Suzie’s cousin is pitching for the Tigers.

 

Julie stays up to do some blogging and Dawson heads off to bed.  It was a good day for our first day on the ocean.  We go on deck a couple times during the night to check our lines as there is a 5 foot tide here and we want to make sure there is enough slack in the lines and fenders are in the right place.

Cheers

Dawson and Julie




Day 115, Tuesday, October15th

Day 115, Tuesday October 15th

Sighting the George Washington bridge and skyline
We become "salties" today.  We left Haverstraw Bay at around 7:30 heading down the Hudson River bound for New York City.  Within a couple hours the George Washington Bridge was in sight with the hazy skyline behind.  It is another gorgeous day.  The river is not wide enough for sailing by our humble opinion so we are under motor, again.  We have no intentions of stopping as we are anxious to get to Annapolis so blow on by New York.  We see Lucy and John's boat in at 79th St. basin and there is room to pull in, but the currents are in the right direction, timing of the narrows is good, and it is about 1:30 by the time we are getting to the south end of NYC and the busy harbour so we continue on. 

Oh what a beautiful day!
Our AIS alarm is constantly ringing due to it picking up ships in the harbour.  The AIS lets us know the name, direction, speed and timing of collision so a nice new tool.  We did not set it for boats where speed was zero and most of the alarms are going off for boats that are just parked along the harbours so we are constantly disabling the alarm feature.  We are pleased with the lack of boat traffic.  It is still busy by our standards, but nothing compared to what we imagined.



Statue of Liberty
Crossing the harbour, Statue of Liberty in the background
We pass by the Statue of Liberty and give ourselves a big pat on the back for our success in making it this far safely.  There are lots of tourist ferries buzzing about, but not too much wake.  The real wakes are from the Staten Island ferries that zip along.  We try to stay out of the shipping channels as the freighters need lots of room.  Next is the narrows connecting Staten Island and then we are on our way to Sandy Hook on the Jersey Shore.  This is a large sand spit with some houses.  It juts about 4 miles out into the ocean from the south of the harbour.  We need to get some fuel so will head down the coast of the spit to Atlantic Highlands, and anchor behind the breakwall for the night.

The anchor does not catch very well so we have 3 goes at it and finally are satisfied.  The winds are supposed to pick up so it is important we get a good hook.  We are rolling a bit due to the "Sea Streak" ferry, but this should disappear by 10:00 p.m.


Sandy Hook spit lighthouse and houses
We are tired and very glad to now be on our way south.  We plan an early morning so have a few jobs to get us ocean ready.  We put our jack lines on the boat so we can tether ourselves when on deck, and we fix the radar reflector as well as Magiver something to hold the anchor in place more securely when we are underway.  Last but not least we finish rigging the reefing lines in case we need to reduce sail.  This is leftover work from having taken the mast down for the Erie canal.  We are now ready to carry on with our journey.

Cheers
Julie and Dawson




Wednesday 16 October 2013

Day 114 Monday, October 14

Day 114 Monday, October 14


Pulling the mooring balls out
No rush this morning as we are waiting for the tide to turn at around 10 for takeoff.  We enjoy a few hours this morning reading manuals from new stuff.  We pop our heads out at around 9:00 and there are work crews pulling out the moorings.  We are literally "shutting" down the place.  They have already pulled a few moorings and are waiting for us to leave to finish the job.  Guess fall is truly upon us and we better get moving south.
Westpoint military academy
Off we go with the current.  Soon we are passing Westpoint which is kind of cool as we have read about it or seen it in movies.  The part of the river by Westpoint is very narrow.  Hard to believe freighters could wiggle there way through the river here, let alone pass.

Today is also fix the toilet day, so Julie helms, while Dawson is down below changing out parts.  We have 2 bathrooms luckily, but it is not a fun job.  It is the choker valve that has gone on the toilet, however it is getting old so Dawson changes out a whole bunch of parts while it is in many pieces.  Thanks Dawson for fixing!!!! 


Beautiful scenery as we pass along the Hudson

Bridge repairs

After dodging a bit more debris we are pulling into Haverstraw Bay, just north of the New York City boundary.  Sing Sing prison is just south of us too.

We meet up again with Ocean Cowboy and Amicus.  We share some stories and a glass of coconut rum then head our separate ways. 

Cheers
Julie and Dawson

Day 113, Sunday October 13-Turkey day

Day 113 Sunday October 13


Dawson is up early to undertake the engine repair.  We have had a leaky radiator pump for a week and now have the parts we need to change it out.  All in all it takes about 4 hours, but it is completed successfully.  Our first major engine maintenance job. 
River boat on Hudson




Lighthouse
We leave the dock at Hop on Nose by 1:00 heading south down the Hudson.  We make it to Poughkeepsie and grab a mooring ball for the night.  There is quite a bit of logs etc. floating around so you need to keep a watch for floating debris and boats.  There are some interesting boats that head past us.  We rock and roll a bit if a boat goes past, but we are getting used to that on the river.

Dawson dinghies to shore and the motor starts up no problem.  It has been at least a month since it has been used.

We install our new motor mount then sit down to a lovely turkey dinner on the boat. 

Cheers
Julie and Dawson