Docking for Dollars Special

http://www.bluffhouse.com/index.htm

We are now at the dock at Bluff House, Green Turtle Cay. They have a special here during the winter months that any purchases that you make in the bar, restaurant, gift shop, on laundry tokens or ice will be credited towards your dockage.. We have had some great meals and will spend a few days here. We also wanted to pull in to hook up to the 110V so that I could run the equalize function on our charger, as the house batteries have not been getting up to full charge from the solar, wind and engine chargers. We will know if that worked once we go out to the anchorage again.

windy

I am so glad to be on a mooring ball today-winds are over 30 miles per hour all day but is comfy now in the harbor except for the howling noise.Yesterday was beautiful weather-Brendel`s Dive Shop had a Christmas feast potluck attended by over 100 people with cruisers and islanders,Brendel supplied lots of Goombay Smash punch and music and we had a great time hearing peoples stories and nibbling all the food.Christmas eve we were on a huge catamaran owned by some very nice people from England-25 people on it seemed like nothing,they had a hot tub onboard even.We got to touch base there with team Dream catcher and hope to bump into them again down the line.We plan on staying still until jan. 1 for junkanoo then go south.The watermaker is working great so all is good with being stuck onboard today.

Goombay Smash !!

We rented a golf cart today and visited the other end of the island and the town of New Plymouth. One of our stops was Miss Emily's Blue Bee Bar for the world famous Goombay Smash, a wonderful rum drink. After a couple of those the day went goodbye and we didn't make it to any of the cruiser activities that we had planned to attend tonight. Oh well maybe tomorrow , or maybe another trip to Miss Emily's!

Green Turtle Cay

Green Turtle Club

We are now at anchor in White Sound, Green Turtle Cay. We are in front of the Green Turtle club and Bluff House resorts. This is a very secure anchorage, protected from just about any direction, and we will be here or in Black Sound just a couple of miles South of here until after New Years day and the we will head towards Treasure Cay for a while. We are going out tonight for dinner and to listen to a local band, The Gully Roosters. We are still having too much fun!

Lazy day

Yesterday when we returned from the beach a wind storm came up very fast with zero to 30 knots of wind in seconds.This led to several boats coming in quick for safety.The marina ( http://www.spanishcay.com/marina.htm ) expected a quiet day but had to send a call out for help and we all ended up in the bar for drinks,cruising conversation and very tasty food-fresh grouper for us.At the end of our meal the manager couple brought out 2 cheesecakes in a martini glass with lighted candles for our birth-aversay.This was truly a wonderful way to spend it.Today still finds a few brief showers and wind but most cruisers left as they have to meet family at airports.I was glad for the rest day as they had a hard time heading out with brisk winds.I made Mike his favorite mincemeat Christmas cookies then we explored another beach and I carried a beautiful conch shell until the conch showed its head and snorted at me-we put it back in the water after that.

12/18/10 Spanish Cay

Mikes birthday and our 39th anniversary today.We upped anchor and went to Spanish Cay Marina.The immigration lady couldn`t have been friendlier and we got the coveted 180 day allowed stay that we sought along with the included fishing permit.The marina staff are top notch and only a few boats-3 here-off season.After checking in we walked  to a beach right out of a movie set-crystal clear turquoise water,conch shells allover,huge starfish,beautiful empty guesthouses-there  are on 6 permanent homes here.A walk about the island led us to more beaches,a small airstrip,finches,humming birds,lizards-80 degrees-breezy sun.  .

Little Bhama Banks 12/17/10

Awakened to crystal clear turquoise water-nobody else in sight-heavenly-cool breeze needing a light fleece that was shed by noon.After receiving some shortwave weather we upped anchor and motor sailed in light winds seeing only dolphins,flying fish and 2 motor yachts the whole 50 miles to an anchorage outside Spanish Cay.It was 12-25 feet everywhere with the Explorer charts leading the way.For our power boat friends we used 7 gallons of diesel from Lake Worth to Mangrove Cay.

12/16/10 crossing over

We left North Palm Beach-Old Port Cove marina at first light with a positive forecast of light and variable winds predicted by noon but of course mother nature had other plans with 3 foot waves becoming 5 footers on the nose so a brisk motor sail that tossed the cabin about real good-sandwiches both meals.It was wonderful to arrive on the Bahama banks with just a moderate chop,so nice that we sailed past Memory Rock and arrived at Mangrove Cay and in moonlight anchored exahausted about 10-30 pm and slept fitfully until bright daylight at 6 am.

Still In North Palm Beach.

We are still in North Palm as we did not want to cross over to the Bahamas Yesterday. The window to cross was going to be a short one with the winds scheduled to increase to 30 to 40 MPH by noon today. If we had crossed we would of had to anchor out in that with the wind and waves or taken a slip in an expensive marina for two or three days. Instead we will stay here with a few other cruisers and cross over around Thursday when it looks like we will have a much longer and calmer weather window. We did want to cross over the other day but why not make the crossing a pleasnt one rather than a chore? We rented a car this weekend and are exploring the area and filling the boat up with more supplies for the trip. We also went to the Movies and had a great meal today. We are at a wonderful Marina that is close to everything we could want and we could move out to the anchorage, but I decided we could afford to stay here and enjoy ourselves.

stuck

Still in West Palm Beach because of strong north winds,cold winds but the sun was warm during the day.Today we visited City Place-outdoor mall here and went to the fancy theater and saw the Imax movie ``Hubble`` in 3D,amazing video of the space shuttle repairing the Hubble telescope.It was also hilarious riding in Glenn`s old VW vanagan down Worth Avenue surrounded by Rolls,Mazaratis and Ferraris.It was a fun day made better by dinner with Eric Innes-my daughter in law`s dad.We listen to weather guru Chris Parker each am and based on his forecast the next weather window is this weekend-I`m getting eager to go already.   chris

getting closer

Today we made it to North Lake Worth, we got waked  by huge power boats and spilled everything about,I would rearrange and get another rude boater that wouldn`t slow down to pass.Anyway we arrived in one piece past six lift bridges and are in one very upper class hood.Tonight we were treated to xmas fireworks-totally crazy good as they were on a barge that moved about.Our friend Glenn beat us here as land transport, too tired tonight so made us chili and cornbread and watched fireworks from the boat.Now is the wait for wind that is not from the north so that we can cross over from here to the Abacos.For my Ohio friends we had sun and short sleeves but cool nights and 40`s at night next week.     chris

Vero Beach Mooring Field

We are still in Vero Beach waiting for the right weather to cross the Gulf Stream and it doesn't look like it will be right for about a week. We will move down to Lake Worth in the Palm Beach area on Saturday as that is where we will cross over to the Bahamas from.

Tonight we met Tom and Amy from Dreamcatcher, who's blog we have been following for the last couple of years to get information on cruising the Bahamas.

Vero Beach

We are safely in Vero Beach public marina after a tense day on the water.This section of the waterway is a narrow ditch and winding around little islands.It started raining so heavy that it was nearly zero visibility,I put on our lights and stayed glued to the front window and we glided through to sun but with wind and black clouds coming around us.There are over 160 boats here  tonight with 3 boats to a mooring ball,Mike treated me to a dock for tonight so we can unwind and put out many more bumpers for rafting to other boats.Mike wants to install a gauge sensor for the holding tank and plot into the g.p.s. more waypoints for our way to Lake Worth and make the final decision on that crossing or Fort Lauderdale to cross to the Bahamas.I continue to cram more food and paper supplies into this small boat.Our friend Glenn arrives by van tommorrow so we can pick up more stuff if I find space.It has been very warm and humid except when on the waterway.I can`t say just how needed it is to have the full cavas enclosure on the boat.We kept dry in the downpour,warm in the northern cold winds and I haven`t even got a sunburn yet.

On the move again!

We left Titusville this morning and are now at Melbourne, as it would of been dark when we got to Vero Beach. If the weather continues to cooperate we will head for Vero tomorrow and then stop there for a couple of days before we continue south.

Watermaker install

After many trips to the local hardware store for various fittings and other sundry items the new watermaker is now installed and ready to be our new water source while cruising. This will save our backs and enable us to anchor out in more remote areas without having to haul water to bathe and cook with. Speaking of cooking we just returned from Lake Wales where we had a great Thanksgiving dinner with Chris's mom, her sister and her uncle. I just have to change oil in the diesel tomorrow, and then we will be ready to continue south to the Lake Worth area where we will cross over to The Bahamas. We don't know when we will cross over as we want to wait until we have just the right Weather to cross the gulf stream without a wind from the north creating large waves as it opposes the gulf stream.

Delta IV Heavy launch!

The pictures aren't great but there was a launch of the Delta IV Heavy missile tonight sending a spy satellite into orbit.

Titusville

 Well, we decided to stay at Titusville until after Thanksgiving as it is a good deal here, better than Vero Beach where we planned to spend the week. The drive from here to Lake Wales, where Chris's mom is will be about the same as it would of been from Vero Beach. While here I will install the watermaker that I bought at the boat show in Annapolis, and try and do a few other boat projects. It feels strange stopping for a week, we just want to continue moving south and cross over to the Bahamas. This is a nice Marina, a good deal, and a city bus stop right outside the marina that takes you all over, including Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and the town for only $1.25.

 We saw our first Manatee of the trip today, there were five of them in the marina eating all of the floating grass that had blown into the marina.

Thar she blows

Got blown into Titusville Marina this afternoon.After an enjoyable chance to unfurl the jib and cruise down the I.C.W. we ran into way too much wind that made for an interesting sudden turn in the Indian River and sliding into a dock here.Much bouncing now but ordered Pappa Johns pizza and have some red wine so all is good.We did find a Save A Lot store nearby.We have a resident Osprey here on a light post at the marina and friendly staff with Boat U.S. discount on diesel and dock

Daytona Beach.

Just a quick stop here at Daytona Beach, we want to keep moving now so we can be at Vero Beach to drive over to Lake Wales and visit Chris's mom for Thanksgiving. Will anchor somewhere around Titusville Thursday night, and then stop Friday afternoon at Melborne Harbor Marina and then on to Vero on Saturday.

When we were at the docks at St. Augustine the Pistol Shrimp ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC6I8iPiHT8 ) were realy loud.

St. Augustine, day 2

Today we did a combination of riding the tour train and getting off and on to take pictures and visit some of the sites in town. The "Red Tour Train" tickets are good for three consecutive days, cost under $20 and you can get on and off as much as you want, so it was a good deal. The Flagler college building was amazing, and I took a lot of pictures. The Tiffany stained glass in the dining room alone is valued at 30 million dollars ! All of the photos from here are in a separate slide show with a link on the left side of the page. It rained all afternoon today so we did not tour much after 3:00 so I filled our diesel jugs, Chris did some laundry, filled the water tank, had the holding tank pumped, and plotted out our waypoints for the next leg to Daytona tomorrow.

St. Augustine, Florida

• We are now at St. Augustine, Florida in the Municipal Marina and are going to stay for an extra night here as we want to explore the city and see all of the sights, as it looks like an interesting place to visit. After we take some pictures I will post more of the area. This afternoon we took the tour train to get an overview of the city so that we can explore in detail tomorrow. On Wednesday we will move further south and probaly stop around Daytona Beach.

oops

We had a nice evening and meal last night  at SeaJay`s restaurant-I chose to miss  the low country boil-same as a clambake but with shrimp and oysters because I love their Brunswick stew and also had a slice of warm pecan pie,the music was good but mellow-I do miss the Four Kings music.We left early and at almost low tide and strong current and ran into a shoal at 7 knots-whoa sudden stop-he managed to power off but it sure scared me. after that we navigated through the Navy nuke refueling base area and many bumps but no stopping.That area has no magenta line to follow on GPS so you need 2 sets of eyes to find markers.We are now safely anchored in Ft. George River north of Jacksonville and only dolphins,cranes and 2 other sailboats tonight.I can`t believe I am in Florida-shorts in the daytime the past few days but cool nights.    Chris

Jekyll Harbor

We are now at Jekyll Island , Georgia, our last stop before we get to Florida! Chris is doing some laundry and we used the courtesy car from the marina to go to the local grocery store. There is a nice restaurant/Bar here "Sea Jay's" where we will have dinner and listen to a musician who is playing tonight. We spent last night at a great anchorage at Mile 651.3 on back river behind Doboy Island lots of swinging room and room for multiple boats just off the ICW.

At Anchor, Doboy Sound Georgia.

We left Isle of Hope Marina at 06:30 this morning so that we could catch the 7 AM Skidaway Narrows bridge opening. After traveling about 50 miles today we are now anchored out in the Back River just off of the Doboy sound, Georgia. We are just north of Brunswick GA. and hope to be at Jekyl Island tommorow afternoon, and then on to Florida Sunday!

Savannah

This morning we took the city bus to Savannah and toured the city. The bus stop was only a block away from the Marnia and just a short walk. We did a lot of walking around Savannah, visited most of the shops on River street, saw a lot of great houses, Chris bought some pralines and other candies, and we got on the list for lunch at Paula Deens restaurant Lady & Sons. We then watched the Vetrans Day parade for a while and did a lot of people watching. After a great lunch we then took a trolley tour as the city is too big to see in the limited time we have. There is a public dock downtown that is free for 3 hours if you want to do a quick visit and is $1.50 a foot if you want to stay overnight.  We took so many pictures that I made a separate slide show that has a link on the left side of the page.

Isle Of Hope,Ga.

We arrived this afternoon at this marina that is right out of a storybook-it is just past the cemetery from the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil movie with tree lined streets of old cottage homes.We took the loaner car to Walmart and are relaxing before taking the bus to Savannah in the morning.Today we had many dolphins playing alongside the boat and a few eagles on posts watching the water.We chose the I.C.W. for just this reason, secluded anchorages,wildlife,strolls through small town America,dinner and conversation at  pubs with the local people.I have learned so much history of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars as we tour the towns and museums.We go just 5 to 7 miles per hour so you see so much more than in a car.100 days have gone by so fast and I wake up each day excited for what comes next. I do dream of the ocean crossing to the Abacos when we reach Lake Worth,Fla. but for now I am so glad that we chose this route.   Chris

Beaufort, South Carolina

We arrived here around 10:05 and as we got to the swing bridge 15 minutes late for the 9am bridge we had to wait until 10am for a opening. All the guides we have say that the bridge opens on the hour and half hour, but the bridge tender said that the bridge is on a restricted schedule and now only opens on the hour. This is another port that you have to be careful about when you dock as there can be considerable current if you are not arriving at slack water.  After we mailed some packages,  we met with a good friends brother who lives in the area, and had a great lunch at a local restaurant "Plum". We then walked the town some more and looked at some beautiful houses and churches. The waterfront here is really nice and is definitely worth a visit.

Bumper Boats !

We left Ashley Harborage Marina around 8:15 this morning for the 9:00am Wapoo Creek Bridge. That was too soon as there were at least 15 Sailboats waiting for the bridge in the current. Everyone was circling and backing, trying to keep from being carried too close to the bridge. It only takes about 15 minutes to get to the bridge from the marina, so next time I will leave later and not have to circle for 35 minutes. As we left the bridge it looked like a parade as all 15 sailboats passed the bridge and started the southward migration. We are now at anchor about 15 miles north of Beaufort, SC in a beautiful creek just off of the ICW in 13 ft of water at low tide. We will leave here at first light and hope to be at the Beaufort Town Dock Around 9: 15 am.

As a side note, 100 days 11 hours 11 minutes 19 seconds since we started cruising (2010-7-31 08:00) and Chris still is with me!!

Charleston day two

Cold weather and winds meant a second wonderful day here.We slept in then after doing laundry we rode the marina van into the city.After a walk among the old homes we found lunch at Justines-there was a line aound the building but in 20 minutes we were seated in the cozy restaurant featured on many food channel shows.Gracious southern hospitality and Sunday style cooking like my grandmothers made.My father would never beleive that I chose split pea soup with ham, Mike had pot roast dinner and followed by warm pineapple bread pudding with vanilla glaze and Mike had berry cobbler a la mode.ALL food was wonderful.We arrived back to find Changes had arrived-they are from Grand River yacht club and we have been following each other via blogs.They are very energetic and friendly-nice to finally meet in person.We caught the afternoon van to West Marine and while Mike shopped there I shopped at the grocery store next door.Fully stocked we plan to move on after the bridge opens at 9am and anchor out tonight then Beaufort tommorrow night.   chris

Charleston, SC

We spent all day touring Charleston today, and plan on heading south again tomorrow. We started with a Horse and Carriage tour, and after that we started walking. we saw a lot of great homes and buildings, Did a some window shopping, had lunch and continued sightseeing. I took so many pictures that I put them in a separate slide show. The link is on the left side of the blog about halfway down.

Rain Day

This was the low tide before we reached Isle of Palms yesterday afternoon. Rain and fog today so I decided to stay here at Isle Of Palms and then head over to Charleston South Carolina tommorow and spend a day or two exploring the city. After that we plan on continuing south and anchoring out for a night before we head on to Beaufort.

swamp treck

Tuesday we spent the night in Georgetown,S.C. This town had so many gorgeous restored homes from the 1700`s and 1800`s.The people were very friendly,loads of small shops,antique stores and restaurants on the main street. This town seemed healthier-less closed businesses and you had to go about a mile to find run down area. The only disapointment was the Piggly Wiggly grocery store-after a mile walk it was less than clean and yukky produce-fortunately we are still loaded with groceries.Today we motored in light rain at times through mostly protected wetlands-swamp for many,many miles with many shallow spots and extreme current at one inlet but the current mostly pushed us forward and we are at Isle Of Palms marina outside of Charleston,we missed the last bridge opening by a half hour and cruisers that did make it say Charleston docks are full of cruisers waiting out this rainy weather.Just like Ohio the wind forecast is mostly wrong-supposed to have been 20-25 knots but only had wind and waves the first hour. This marina is very updated with nice restaurant/bar,wifi free,free cable tv,laundry and super showers-yeah. The price was 1.50 per foot with Boat U.S. discount and included a 10 dollar coupon for restaurant-also a marina grocery combo store. 

Sad Day

Last night we enjoyed a wonderful meal at a restaurant with fellow cruisers-Partners in Paradise but when we arrived back at the boat we had a call that fellow dockmate and friend Paul Duncan had passed away suddenly.Paul was the one person at Geneva Marina that you could always count on.When a storm would come up he would leave his cozy boat and check everybody`s lines and sails and could be counted on for a tow or engine ,electronic or fishing advice.Paul loved the Lake and boating and loved his wife Virginia.He had been fighting to change recent insurance changes that threatened smaller-honest-auto body shops.Although he battled illness last year he was full of hopes and dreamed of a great trip similar to ours soon on his power boat.It is such a loss of an honest,moral,fun loving man.Rest in peace Paul.

Halloween Horror

 We started out this morning heading down the ICW against the tide until we got to the first inlet, Lockwoods Folly where there was shoaling and since we were at low tide we only had about one foot under our keel but we did make it. The next inlet was also close but not as bad as Lockwoods Folly. The trick of "trick or treat" day was doing The Rock Pile, a portion of the I.C.W. that is a narrow channel lined with large rocks just below the surface that claims many boats. Added to the horror was 20 to 25 knot winds on the nose and a nasty chop, anyway time to celebrate we have made it over 1400 miles already and are tied up at Barefoot Landing at Myrtle Beach,S.C. We celebrated our arrival with a meal at a nice fresh fish restaurant just outside the boat. We will stay an extra night to recuperate, last night tied to the fuel dock with huge winds meant poor sleep, besides this area has over 100 restaurants and stores right next to the boat.   Chris

Parade of Sails

As we left Mile Hammock Bay this morning it was like a parade, 12 sailboats and 7 trawlers all leaving at one time and heading South on the Intercoastal Waterway. As we came to the three bridges that we had to wait for, everyone would bunch up and then spread out on the other side. The third bridge only opened on the hour and we could not go fast enough to catch the next opening so everyone slowed way down and coasted until we got there. We decided to go all the way to Southport tonight and just made it by nightfall. The last half of the trip was stressful as Snows Cut from Carolina Beach to The Cape Fear River is not well marked and a strong current was against us.  The only good thing about fighting the current down the cut was when we reached the Cape Fear River we had the current with us and by the time we reached Southport we were cruising at about 8 knots.

At anchor at Mile Hammock Bay

We are at anchor at Mile Hammock Bay which is a part of the Marine Corps base Camp LeJeune. It is a small bay just off of the ICW just before you get to the New River in NC. We saw a few VTOL craft and helicopters over the base and a few shot up Bradley vehicles in the ranges along the route. The anchorage has really filled up since we arrived around 4pm. I am glad we got here when we did so that we didn't have to anchor too close to the shore.

Cruising !

We got 2 wonderful meals,4 wine tastings each of spanish wines plus a bottle of wine on the waterfront at Queen Ann's Revenge for 34 dollars total - I love cruising. We almost feel guilty about all the fun, and great people we are meeting, We miss everyone we left behind but we definitly would not want to miss all of the good times we are having.

The Wild Horses of Shackleford Banks, Beaufort NC

We took a boat over to the Shackelford banks this AM to see the beaches and Wild horses.  They are reported to have swam ashore from sinking ships before this area was populated.. They are the Outer Banks wild horses.  Chris did some shelling along the beach and found quite a few.

staying put

We untied some lines and noticed huge current and wind gusts and saw the trouble some big engine boats had leaving the dock so we will stay and maybe try early in the am.I enjoyed walking before the rainstorm last night and found a creepy very old graveyard and many restored gorgeous houses but went too far out and saw Big Daddy`s Groc. And Bailbonds- I turned back there.I can see the shore where the wild ponies live but no sightings yet.This dock is pricey but free pump out,free cable tv and 3 courtesy cars help,other cruisers we have met are staying put so will have company but many empty docks here and are advertising monthly winter rate for the first time-also noted some closed storefronts here too.

Beaufort, North Carolina

We continued South today just 20 miles, and are now at Beaufort, NC town docks. It is a nice town with a lot of shops, restaurants, old homes, and an island across the harbor that is supposed to have wild ponies on it. It is raining hard now with thunder and lightning, but we are tied up at a protected dock.  We did use the courtesy car to go to Piggly Wiggly Grocery store and stock up on more food. Depending on the weather we plan on moving to Swansboro tomorrow.

Oriental

We are docked in Oriental at the town dock and next to the tiki bar with a band playing-Hot Buttered Grits-but they are playing pretty cool rock.We walked the town and found West Marine,groceries and a hardware store-long walk but then we treated ourselves to dinner-mmm fresh shrimp for me.We did finally bump bottom-mistook a marker at 7 knots-no apparent damage and I guess I better get used to it.
Mike is lost at the tiki bar but we planned a 2 night stay so all is good-we keep docking with several of the same people headed south but most are in a big hurry now- not us-cold last night but shorts and tank top in the daytime. Beaufort on Monday.

Belhaven Waterway Marina!

We couldn't recommend Belhaven Waterway Marina more, they are a great marina and a very helpful staff. When we entered the Marina area they were standing by with line handlers and fenders already on the docks. Chris compared the bathrooms and showers to what you would find in a nice Bed and Breakfast. The location is right in the middle of the town with restaurants, Hospital, hardware store, banks and a drug store within a few blocks of the docks. We had a the lunch buffet at Fishooks Cafe, and it was great. The Grocery store is a way off but the owner's wife offered to give us a ride there if we wanted to go. Chris also found a QVC outlet store within walking distance, although a long walk. It is a nice town but like so many small towns we have seen it is slowly dying off with a lot of closed storefronts, too bad. There is a nice gazebo right along the docks for the boaters to meet in with nice furniture, tables, and screened in. I also added more pictures to the slide show at the top of the blog page.

Belhaven, NC ICW Mile 135

We left this AM at around 7 AM and passed through the Alligator River Swing bridge and into the Alligator Pungo Canal for the next 21 Miles. One of the boats ahead of us called back to report a log in the middle of the Chanel, so as I was watching for it and edging out of the center of the canal I did manage to bump the bottom. The canal is a lot wider than the Dismal Swamp with a lot of snags and stumps along the whole length. We did see 6 deer swim across the canal about halfway through it, and also saw a Buck chasing a doe in the reeds along the bank. There was a lot more current against us than we expected, so  that slowed us down about a knot and then as we exited the canal the wind was right on the nose so we didn't raise the main to get a boost in speed. We didn't arrive at belhaven until 5 PM so we had a long 10 hours on the water today. We are now docked at Belhaven Waterway Marina, and will be here tonight and tomorrow as I have a few boat jobs that need done. It's time for a oil change,  diesel filters, Check stuffing box, and all around rig inspection. Also we just need a day of not traveling before we head on for the next stop, Oriental, NC. another 50 mile day!

Alligator Bridge

I really loved the solitude and scenery of the Dismal Swamp and yesterday was an uplifting day at Elizabeth City,N.C. We were met by the volunteer retirees who helped us to dock at the free city dock then off to a great home cooking style restaurant-Colonial restaurant,after lunch and shopping at the book and candy and quilt stores we called the grocery store and they picked us up free and waited while we shopped, a wonderful full service store and it was so nice to have so much produce to choose from too. A store employee Maggie was our driver and such southern charm and hospitality. After this it was time for the Rose Buddies welcome at the dock where volunteers gave us female cruisers a rose and we all had beer,wine,cheese and snacks and advice on all the town has to offer. After this we were treated to the high school band giving a concert at the docks-what a nice finish to the day. We also got more advice from seasoned cruisers and decided with bad weather tomorrow to head out after breakfast today. I have been worried about this crossing, shallow water that kicks up fast but we had a calm crossing although another bigger boat that left with us ran aground, we have been lucky so far,I must thank Katie K. for the rosary so far so good. We are tied up just outside the Alligator Bridge at Alligator Bridge Marina where we plan to stay until the weather clears..    Chris

I hear banjo music ! "The Great Dismal Swamp !"

We left Hampton, crossed Norfolk Harbor and started down the ICW. We took the Dismal Swamp route and the only boats we saw the whole 31 miles were three boats at the Welcome Center/Rest stop that took up, the whole dock space there. The lock at the beginning of the canal was much more turbulent than any we had on the Erie Canal. We continued on and are now tied up outside the lift bridge and lock that opens tomorrow at 8:30 AM. After we lock through we will head for Elizabeth City, NC and spend the night there at one of the Free docks if available. We saw our first dolphins of the trip at Hospital Point on the Elizabeth River where the ICW starts with mile "0". We also saw "Zero to Cruising" anchored there and circled them to say hi before we continued on. We have been following them since we saw their mast supports at Hop-O-Nose Marina on the Hudson River.

Hampton, VA City Docks

Had a good sail 2/3 of the way to Hampton and then the winds shifted to right on the nose but we still got to the City Docks on the Hampton River around 4:30. This is the marina that the "Caribbean 1500" leaves from. There is a small Anchorage right across the river from us and right now it is not too crowded. There is a coffee shop right out front of the Marina and many restaurants about a block away. Since we had the coupon for the free dock we treated ourselves to Dinner at "The Taphouse" , we had a great meal, desert, wine and hard cider. On the way back to the boat Chris saw a Quilt shop, but they were closed and will not be open on Monday either so she missed out on some shopping. Tomorrow we will officially be on the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway, which starts at mile "0" in Norfolk. I will reset my trip odometer and set it for statute miles as that is how they measure the mileposts.

Doziers Regatta Point

We are at Doziers Regatta Point Marina (Publishers of the Waterway Guide series of books) waiting for the winds to drop some as we don't really want to head out onto the bay with 30 knot winds forcasted. It is a nice marina, but if the wind is out of the north the winds and waves come right in the entrance channel and really rock the boats. We used the courtesy car today to go to West Marine, True Value Hardware, and the Grocery store. I did a couple of boat projects today, replaced the old 3 strand anchor line backing my chain rode with the new anchor brait that doesn't take up as much room in the anchor locker, and put depth markers on the chain and rode. We will see what the winds are tomorrow AM and hopefully we will head out for Hampton Virgina as we have a coupon for a Free night of dockage at the city Docks. After Hampton we will head for the Dismal Swamp Canal and on to Elizabeth City.

Deltaville VA.

We spent the last night on the hook off the Calvert Marine Museum last night, it was a nice and protected Anchorage. We left at first light and had a fast run with 10 to 15 MPH North winds behind us all the way down to Deltaville VA. I did manage to scramble the cabin as I turned to the East preparing to enter Deltaville, and the seas were 3 to 5ft on the beam. The entrance was only 10' but we had no problem following it, I would not want to do it in the dark. We had a wonderful meal of Pasta, Green beans, and Harpersfield Wine to complete a wonderful day on the water. As the weather is supposed to deteriorate over the next few days we took a slip at Doziers Regatta Point Marina for the next two days. Nice new marina with courtesy cars, laundry, Captains Lounge, and new showers.

On the move again!

We left Annapolis this AM as soon as the Liftbridge opened at 9 AM, fueled up and started South again. We passed by Thomas Point Lighthouse just South of Annapolis and took a few pictures. There are a lot more boats heading South now compared to last month. We arrived in Solomons MD. around 7PM just at dark, and we plan on leaving at daybreak tommorow morning and travel to Deltaville. We are hoping to avoid some forcasted rain that is supposed to get here on Thursday before we get to Hampton VA.

boat show fun

It`s been a fun 2 days,our friend Glenn came from W.Va. yesterday then John and Pat from Hanoverton,we had a great lunch-crabcakes-at Cantlers on the water.Today we caught an early cruising seminar then boat show shopping, some women get jewelry as gifts-I got a Froli sleep system,a sort of boat innerspring system.We squeezed into an afternoon talk by Bob Bitchen of Latitudes and Attitudes magazines,the talk was funny and was all about sailing ordeals that afterwards are not horrific but great stories to be told over drinks-a positive attitude seminar really and great tales.We had lunch at the Fleet Club with Curtiss,Cula,Louie,Ray and Debbie an caught up on our marina news and of their families.Tonight we ran into friends Betty,Chuck,Sandy and Bill who are from our old marina-so much fun trading tales over food at Buddys.I also got a seat to elevate me while I steer-won`t have to tiptoe to see when driving now.Tummy full,legs tired,wallet slimmer-off to bed.

boat show week

I went to the laundry early today and couldn`t believe how crazy busy the waterfront is already-boat show starts in the am -vip day.I managed to get the laundry done without the pervert who talks about panties that was there the last two times. I also am tired of the bus this week-seems the mayor laid off all but one bus mechanic so few buses to serve the city-it was like the videos from third world countries with people crammed in every inch and some fat lady gets on and plops onto me leaving me pinched until my stop- it is really time for me to move on.On a lighter note we had a meeting for the ssca cruising group and met some great cruising people and came back  via the electric car that services restaurants and hotels free.We polished off some peach crisp I made today and are crashing early hoping to meet up with Ohio friends tommorrow.   chris

Getting ready

Yesterday we went to the local medical clinic and they helped us set up a cruising first aid kit with all of the supplies and medications we might need for cruising emergencies. We learned about this service from the safety at sea seminar that we attended at West Marine last weekend. The town is starting to get ready for the show, some tents are starting to be erected, and we are seeing and meeting more cruisers arriving in town. A couple of cruisers that are also heading to the Bahamas just arrived here at the boatyard and we hope to talk to them in the next couple of days. We found out from another couple of cruisers that the boat show hires some cruisers to help setup and work the entrances and they get in to the show free, so we will have to look into that next year.  I will try and get some pictures as the docks and boats start getting set up for the show. Chris cooked a great pasta meal tonight and we had some great Washington State wine from the Icle Ridge Winery in Leavenworth tonight and things couldn't be better.

Water, Water Everywhere!

Over 6" of rain yesterday with a south wind pushing the water up the bay. By midnight last night we had about a foot of water over the dock. So far we have had a Hurricane, Stink Bugs, and now a flood. Another cruiser (Zero to Cruising) suggested everyone start loading animals 2 by 2 to get ready. This AM the docks were back above the water, so everything is back to normal.

Rain !!

We finished the enclosure for the cockpit just in time, I got it up yesterday afternoon and the rains started just after midnight last night. So far we have had 6" of rain and it is coming down at the rate of 2" per hour. High tide is at 11 am today and Midnight tonight, so we expect the docks to be under water during the high tides and the winds pushing the water up the bay. We are tied up between four pilings and the bulkhead in the marina so we are very secure and are not worried.

Are we having fun yet?

The answer is yes, We are having fun! We had a good day yesterday, traveling first to West Marine for a Safety seminar for crossing the Gulf stream then later that afternoon we went to the Boatyard Beach Bash featuringThe John Frinzi Band with “Coral Reefer” Doyle Grisham, Jim Morris and James “Sunny Jim” White with an incredible performance. We had good food, Painkillers to drink and had just a great time. It is all worth it!!

Sail & Lunch

We went out for a sail on the Bay this morning and then went up Mill Creek to one of our favorite resturants in the area, Cantlers. As we approached the entrance to the creek where Cantlers is a small float plane exited and took off right ahead of us.There is a picture in the slide show at the top of the page.  We had a wonderful lunch and then Sailed back to Spa Creek and our Marina.

The slide show has been updated and I will be posting pictures from the next leg of our trip on it. You can still get to the older slide shows by following the links on the left side of the page.

nothing new

Time is passing quickly, we got most of our back full enclosure done but ran out of material needed to place the windows in and the Sailrite store is closed until thursday so Mike is a slacker again-catching up on reading.We often take the city bus to explore the town and of course for groceries and boat part shopping.I made him get the dingy ready for night trips, just in case we are out late-sunset comes early now, we bought battery run red/green and a bow light.We also replaced the old garden lights from the back of the boat with new LED  ones and also another solar LED that is a spotight that is on a rail facing the cockpit-all from Home depot.The West Marine free seminar this week was about Bahamas cruising and it was very good- I feel that we are ready except for the water tank being small-still considering a watermaker-a young man who has solo cruised with his cat between here and the Bahamas for several years  feels it was worthwhile-his 36 foot boat has bigger water capacity already but he says hauling water by dingy leads to back pain sooner or later. The owner and his crew are very friendly and help Mike with any missing tool or part.We are still swamped by a gorgeous 60 foot trawler owned by a retired movie producer and his actress wife-The Spirit Of Zopilote -makes me want a trawler.    

rain day

Yesterday we went to a free seminar at West Marine on the InnerCoastal Waterway-it was interesting and helpful, given by an employee that has made over 20 trips-next week they feature the Bahamas.We made a grocery run and then a Sailrite trip for more supplies to make the enclosure in the back of the boat.Last week my daughter sent me a small air conditioner just in time for a 96 degree day-hid in the wonderful cool boat that day. Today has been cool rain-mid 60`s so we took the bus to the mall and had lunch at a Tex-Mex restaurant with a blues brunch entertainer-sweet and great food-at a mall. The boat next door belongs to a lady who teaches women to sail and one of the young ladies noticed the Madison,Ohio on the boat and said that her family lives there- I went to school with her uncle-small world.   chris

mercedes

~Oh Lord won`t ya buy me a Mercedes Benz~  It would seem that most people in Annapolis have a Mercedes but I guess that I will take early retirement and the bus system instead . Today we had breakfast with the Seven Seas Cruising Association members that live here,we gained more helpful advice about crossing over to the Bahamas and about the intercoastal waterway-nice people.We took a cab today and bought the fuel pump part we needed then other marine stores for dreaming and bought a chip of charts of the Chesapeake, we saw a sore front for watermakers and sat down at his big desk where he tried to sell us a $12,000.00 system for our little boat-needless to say that we will explore more options at the boat show next month.On the way home we took the bus to the mall to make the better half happy-god news for him-I only bought childrens books.      chris

laborless day

Grilled a lunch burger then goofed off until dinner .We found an inexpensive Italian diner on the waterfront and had a good pizza,caeser salad and gelato,on the way back we crashed the race week celebration and enjoyed live music and a few stories and of course great people watching there.It`s an easy 15 minute walk over the bridge to downtown and so am getting lots of milage on the feet.   chris

lazy sunday

Started our day at the farmers market downtown-pricy but did get some nice produce,much smaller than I thought it would be too. It is a race weekend so the harbor is crazy busy and between the holiday and a Navy football game tommorrow downtown was too busy- did enjoy a yummy ice cream cone-the waffle cone was warm even.Got a few boat chores done but need parts Tuesday so anticipating a relaxed holiday.We have met some of the live a boards and getting good travel advice.There are a few gorgeous 50 foot boats in front of us and many beauties that stay empty.The dockhands  have a crab boil some  evenings-just take a net and scrape the pilings,I can see lots here now at low tide and sunset-must find the net soon.  chris

non event

Thank God that Earl was a non event-no wind and little rain.It has been so hot so boat jobs have been put off until today.My wonderful daughter has come to our rescue and expedited a small room air conditioner to use until we get our marine air conditioner  from Fla.-we did`nt even use the marine air conditioner last year.When we are on the water it is breezy and no need but it was stifling even with 5 fans at dock last week.We have been using buses and exploring the town and have found Whole Foods grocery,huge mall and West Marine and Fawcett Marine.Fawcett`s has moved away from downtown-sad.Yesterday we walked to Eastport maritime museum and bought tickets to a charity event featuring some of the fellows from Jimmy Buffets band-can`t wait.Off to find a laundramat.   chris

Earl

Here is where we will call home for the next month, Petrini's shipyard. We are up against the bulkhead between four pilings. We have eight lines out making it look like a spider caught us in his web, but we will be safe if Earl comes ashore around here. We are having a good time exploring the area and hope to do some sailing in the bay after Earl has passed.

pirates?

Last night we finished the C & D canal, not a whole lot of traffic and the current was with us most of the way, we anchored out near Havre de Grace in a quiet inlet on the Bohemia River with a few other boats and enjoyed a cockpit shower and the breeze booster in the hatch made for a good nights sleep.This morning met with lots of explosions and gunfire, not pirates but from the military's Aberdeen proving ground site.Not much wake from freighters but some go fast powerboat wakes. We did start out powersailing but the breeze died until just near Annapolis.We met with the Woodwind sailing vessel in the bay here, as beautiful as when we go out in her at the boat show, this is the boat from the Wedding Crasher movie.We are at the Petrini boat yard, not fancy just a working boatyard just over the downtown bridge in Eastport. We enjoyed dinner at Chick and Ruths Deli-so  different when not crazy busy-excellent fun service and I got the worlds biggest loaded bake potato- a few more meals in my refrig now.  chris

Some tips for anyone viewing the spot location page at the bottom of this blog, if you click on a location you can zoom in and switch to a satelite view or the road view to get a better look at where we are.

Seafood Heaven

Today finished laundry and shopping for groceries-about 1 mile each way for an Acme market.We enjoyed dinner last night and tonight-fresh fish,walked and saw spectacular victorian homes here in Cape May-the town is prettier than the tourist hype.Tonight took a cab home from town-feet are tired.  I hope our pictures come up on the website- I want the purple octogon house that is for sale up the street. And yes, people watching here is the best. We are at the Jersey Shore after all.   chris

People have asked if the trip is worth it,  I will say definitly yes. We have some bad days and good days, but the good ones far outweigh the bad ones. We get anoyed at times but we are having a great time overall. I would not miss this trip for anything, the things we have seen and done so far are just great. We can't wait for the next adventure!
 Oh yes, it has been almost a month on the boat and Chris is still with me!!

cape may

Well Atlantic city was a nightmare-music until after midnite that had the bass shaking the hull-so out of there early into the Atlantic with 5-6 foot rollers but this time no pounding-a nice motor sail until the inlet into Cape May-cigarette type boats,fishing boats, ferryboats all going full steam past us leaving wakes that shook the boat so bad things flew about all over that were secured from the ocean trip-no manners in Jersey and cars  go like lunatic fast in this  cute resort town too.Once again Skipper Bob was wrong-no bus here and a solid 1 mile into town and taxis wouldnt pick up-too busy.We walked and loved the gingerbread mansions-taffy shops and had a great meal at the Lobster House near the marina.Utsch`s Marina is run by a family and well run, local package of wine,cookies and handmade soaps given with your keys-free cable and lots of clean showers.we will stay here another day to do laundry and boat maintanance and I will shop of course.   chris

The Channel into the marina is a little tricky, call ahead for directions, don't head straight in after passing red 14, turn toward 16 at entrance to Cape May canal then run 20' out from bulkhead paralel to it then turn in at small lighthouse.
 When leaving here we will head up the Delaware Bay to the C & D Canal into the Chesapeake Bay, to make this passage we have to time the tides so that we are not going against them up the Deleware bay for 54 miles.

More new pictures have been posted to the slideshow album at top of page.

atlantic city

What a long day on the water, began well with favorable winds and sun but after supper the winds and waves cranked up until I felt like I was in an episode of deadliest catch with steep waves crashing over the bow. We went from 8 knots down to bearly 5 knots-made us crawl into atlantic city 16 hrs later and pitch black and nobody to guide us to a dock. too pooped to gamble even, hope to go to Cape May in the AM if waves calm down.

sandy hook

Today we sailed down the Hudson into N.Y. harbor and past Ellis Island and the Statue of liberty-awsome site-others have said that it looked small but not at all.We have caught a mooring ball at Sandy hook,N.J. at Atlantic highlands yacht club-nice facility and will attempt the Atlantic in the am if the forcast holds.

Big Apple

Today was heavy rain so we took the commuter train just outside the Tarrytown marina and caught the segment of the Today show outdoors-while there we were offered tickets and attended a taping of the Dr. Oz show to air next month-he made a few goofs and they had a good comedian to get us going -fun. Also walked through the Theater Distric and Times Square.We had lunch at Carmines-great italian food  at a good price-beautiful sit down with tablecloth meal and plenty of leftovers in our refrig.We did lots of window shopping-loved the windows on 5th avenue and went in several stores but no room for new stuff. I did buy a cupcake for desert tonight from Magnolia bakery and real NY bagels for breakfast. I finished the day at St. Patrick`s cathedral and lit a votive in Dad`s memory-such an awsome church that I had tears from the experiance.Hope to finish the trip by water to Liberty Landing tommorrow-weather permitting.   chris
  I have added more pictures to the slide show at the top of the page, if you click on the slide show you can see it in a larger format for easier viewing. I will add more pictures as we travel down the coast.   Mike

tarrytown

Another long day, we made it to Tarrytown,N.Y. Today was drizzle and 1 to 3 foot rolling chop-lots of freighters but a wide channel.I did not care for Kingston-most of the walkable area of town was closed on monday and although showers were clean you had to feed them quarters to work-also wanted pumpout but it never materialized-same story everywhere on the Hudson, this marina actually had a functional pumpout and secure marina and  upscale, the subway station is just next to gate too.We were entertained all day by so much history-very old mansions,mountains,West Point,Culinary Institute of America.We saw large soft shell crabs stuck to walls of fuel dock and pumpout area-seafood  restaurant is in the marina too.     chris

kingston

We hated to leave Hop o Nose Marina and Creekside restaurant-Sean at the marina and all the waitresses were so helpful and friendly also a few wonderful live a board boaters who gave advice. We took advantage of the tide and headed down the Hudson a little until the rain returned with wind, tied up at Kingston city dock, many restaurants and maritime museum but many stores closed (monday).Only about 90 miles to heart of New York City now.    chris

mast up

Today the mast went back up again-no problems but much work to re-attach all lines and sails-all done but the weather may keep us here a bit more-nice people here and good restaurant/bar so won't mind being stuck here.

hop o nose

We made it down the Hudson river to Catskill,N.Y. today-experianced the effects of tides,winds and freighters but had a pleasant day-tommorrow we get the mast back up then slowly down the Hudson to New York City,weather and fatigue from mast raising will keep us here another night or so but they have a nice bar/restaurant and pool here.We had one last lock at Troy,N.Y. first thing this am and this lock had no ropes just widely spaced fat poles to slide one rope down-fortunately we had a mid ship line for Mike and I just fended off the bow.A hint for Ray and Debbie- one fellow had a hop o hop kids ball from a garage sale as one large bow fender-sturdy and cheap. This marina is called Hop O Nose marina and other pleasant cruisers to get advice from tonight.    chris

Chinese Fire Drill

Woke up this AM on the Waterford wall with a tug boat hailng us and telling us and one other boat that we had to move as we were in his space (nothing was posted). On the positive side we were able to get under way quick and tie up to the only available floating dock in front of the visitor center! The engine has been running fine, no more overheats or clogged strainers. On to the Hudson and south tommorow.

34 locks done

Went all the way to Waterford-survived the last 9 locks including the flight of 5- back to back 35 foot drops each and windy so control was tougher- free docks here were full at 5:30 so tied to wall and must clim up rescue ladder to sidewalk-got here and visitors center was closed so no shower but headed to dinner all grubby and a local girl reccomended Mcgiveys restaurant- cool-fancy but good prices and excellant meal-we then walked to nice grocery store for fruit and found the visitor center open so paid a deposit and got a shower key-life is good again.I really liked the canal until today- lots of train and semi noise and locks so close together- the train tracks and freeway run right next to the canal at this end-Waterford seems quiet though.May take a recuperative day or head down the Hudson river-wine tonight if I stay awake.    chris

Lock 17 warning

Before you enter Lock 17 make sure you close all upper hatches and be prepared for a short shower on deck. The East gate of this lock is a lift gate and you motor under it leaving the lock as it drips on you. We scrambled to close everything while in the lock so as to keep everything below from getting wet!

Progress

7 more Locks down today, only 10 more to go! Stopped for the night at Riverlink park in the town of Amsterdam, NY. A nice park with restrooms, showers, and laundry. Paid $1 ft. When we arrived it was after they closed so we had to call a phone # that was on the power post and wait for the Dockmaster to sign us in and give us a key to the restrooms and showers. The only bad thing about the dock is that the RR tracks pass 100 ft. behind the park and the trains blow their horn for the crossing. The small restaurant is only open Thursday thru Sunday evenings for dinner and Tuesday thru Sunday 11 to 3 for lunch. There is a bridge over the RR tracks to town but not much in walking distance. Still making progress and still having fun seeing all of the sights along the way.

Little Falls Monday

Woke up to thunderstorms this AM so we decided to stay here for one more day and move on tommorow. One more hint for motoring down the canal is to mount a bicycle mirror on the steering pedastal so you don't have to keep turning around to see if you are being overtaken by a large trawler or cruiser.

on the road again

Left the marina yesterday and motored 10 hours down the canal with no problems-yeah! Spent last night outside lock 20 with no services so left early and weather on phone chased us to Little Falls town dock for nice showers- and a lock festival in town so walked the mile downtown for music and carnival food- funnel cake-mmmm, rain held off until almost to the boat.Locks in windy weather are tough for me to keep the bow from hitting the lock wall so happy to make it a short day after 2 windy locks today-no mast so wind is no fun.Yesterday we crossed Onieda Lake-supposed to be the 5th deadliest lake in the U.S.- Shallow so very choppy-a boat capsized yesterday but we have seen worse for sure in Lake Erie.      chris

 So we have a new ball valve on the water intake thru hull, a strainer over the thru hull, a cleaned heat exchanger, replaced the waterpump impeller, a new Mixing Elbow, a new radiator cap, and a new thermostat. Probaly a combo of all the weeds in the canal and some blocked tubes in the heat exchanger is what caused our problems. On our first sea trial after the repairs we overheated due to the weeds plugging our sea strainer, so that is when I decidedto have the boat hauled and have a strainer installed over the intake and have the old gate valve replaced. The weeds are thick in the canal and you really need a good strainer over your water pick up. The Ball valve was not leaking when I checked in the AM and operating it does not cause it to leak so it must of been the water in bilge I was seeing after the install.

Almost ready!

Overheating issues all taken care of, but one new issue. When I had the boat hauled to put a strainer over the water intake thru hull I had the yard replace the valve with a new ball valve. When I inspected this evening the new valve was leaking slightly, so we will have the yard look at it in the AM. We just want to be back traveling!

waiting

Still awaiting parts/repair- I thought we had spares to everything but I guess not. I spent the day cleaning the interior yesterday and getting a handle on where I stuffed everything, I sure did bring too much stufff- oh well it will work once we can't go to a store each day.We had a tall ship from Vermont pull up for gas yesterday- the had a tug boat alongside- We need that.The marina owners family called over to offer tomatoes,peppers or fresh herbs from her dockside plants- they are so nice. Can`t wait to move on though.    chris

Still Here

We left Winter Harbor marina this AM and as we got to Oneida Lake the overheat alarm went off, so we turned around and returned to Winter Harbor. We checked the strainer, through Hull, and raw water pump impeller, all OK. Next step is to change thermostat and check the heat exchanger, so we ordered gaskets and parts. Will be here until parts arrive and we get things back to normal.

lazy day

Stayed here at Winter Harbor Marina another day due to predicted bad weather, this is such a deal here with clean showers,helpful staff and one of the free loaner cars is a Mercedes station wagon. We called my uncle Duane and he picked us up for a wonderful breakfast and offered a ride wherever so we went to West Marine and got  a handheld marine radio-need backup available as locks must be called first for opening. I really enjoyed our visit, he has been so helpful to my mother also. We read and reorganized our clutter and now the rain has me lazy.    chris

8/8/10

Today started off early,we were just outside a lock that opened early and scooted down the canal and breezed through canals ending in Brewerton,N.Y. where our diesel overheated-fortunately in front of a marina-just a bad hose and the friendly people atWinter Harbor marina had a dock and even found just the right hose and brought it to the boat.Next is Onieda Lake crossing that can be nasty if windy so we may sit out the rain here another day.Todays trip also had eagles above us and quiet solitude until just near this town.The boat is so dirty from the mast raising and slimy canal ropes so I tried to clean the exterior a bit but the mast and spreaders on deck meant partial cleaning.The interior is all tossed about from finding tools and me quick opening the strainers when it overheated, but all is well now-chardonnay from Harpersfield Winery is chilling-thanks Patti and Adolph.               chris

eagles

Today we headed down the canal and aced all the locks.We were in pretty desolate territory all day and saw at least 10 eagles while in a wildlife refuge,one even swooped down next to the boat and grabbed a fish-eagles were my dads favorite so on the eve of his birthday I felt him smile from heaven. We pulled into Baldswinsville late and all the docks were full due to a concert in the park where you usually  dock. We had to spend the night next to the lock without services but are enjoying the music and soon fireworks.   chris

long day

Today we slept in-cool weather at last.We headed out from Brockport and aced our first lock but the next lock nearby had strong winds inside and Mike had a hard time catching a rope inside-ended up dropping the boat hook and the lock tender came to our aid and grabbed our dock line to corrall us in-no damage other than our nerves and the boat hook floated up to us when the water receded.In spite of that we plunged forward and aced the next locks.We follow 2 guide books-Skipper Bobs and the official ny canal book-both 2006 and very outdated- the ongoing diesel saga continued with the books touting Pittsford as having a large Citgo dock with diesel but this town went yuppy with a Birkenstock store in place of Citgo-fortunately we did get diesel at Macedon at a friendly little marina.This stretch today was filled with charming little towns where everyone makes an effoort to wave at you as you roll by and one stretch near a highway had cars beep at us and wave, not a whole lot of traffic in the canal this week.We stopped tired and dirty from the windy lock escapade- at Newark,NY.Nice docks-electric,free laundry,clean shower,friendly and no charge so enjoyed a late dinner in town.You can take a short walk to groceries,movies,many restaurants

Radio Waves

One thing I forgot was that when we dropped our mast I did not have a VHF radio to call all the locks and bridge tenders! Luckly I had a spare antenna that I was able to mount on the mast step, hook up and keep in contact.

brockport

We spent a restless night in Medina due to the heat and then lightening storms-another boater described the weather as being a human rotisserie-tossing all night and baking.Made it out this am and found beautiful farmlands-corn and apples and grapes surrounding the canal ,it was all wonderful until noonish and heat and humidity and lack of sleep had us pull into Brockportport,N.Y.-This is a super friendly college town,tied up downtown in the canal and showers and bars near.I found a coffee shop that roasts their own beans,a quilt shop,a huge book store and the second oldest movie in the U.S.A.Mike cooled off at the movie "Salt" while I did all the laundry-yeah for clean sheets.This area is an antiquers paradise but so many old barns and houses need a good carpenter soon.   chris

surviving locks

Made it through 3 locks today,always anxiety learning new tasks and manuvering around mast on deck but arrived in 1 piece here in Medina,N.Y. We were very upset with the acclaimed Wardells boatyard-saw the diesel sign and pulled up to the pumps where Mr. Wardell said in nasty voice that his diesel is only for sailboats that he takes the mast down, sure glad that we did not use his services, made worse by the next place that advertised the last fuel for 60 miles-all guidebooks listed diesel but he has no fuel so we used the 2 5 gallon tanks we brought.The bridge masters have been very helpful-even tonights dinner suggestions.Love the scenery and the adventure but not the heat.    chris

We are now a motorboat for the Erie Canal. Had the mast dropped at RCR Buffalo, cost was $265 and we supplied the mast supports. They charge to make the supports and for the lumber if you do not bring your own. This is more than what I was expecting but we were here and they did everything and we did not have to help. On to the Canal tomorrow!

Buffalo

Rested in Erie yesterday and headed off today for Buffalo,N.Y. We had over 3 hours of real sailing followed by motorsailing and roller waves.I managed to bake bbq ribs for supper and only wore a little sauce.Still finding that I have too much stuff in here-hard to fit a 4 bedroom house into 31 feet.I feel that more would fit if it weren`t for all the tools,he would say too many clothes of course.Enjoyed a clean long airconditioned shower even though this is a work yard for boats-maybe Geneva Marina should figure out how to make ladies happy.bye for now-Chris

First leg of our trip

Well the first leg of our trip is over and we are at the dock at Bayfront Marina, Erie PA. Had a nice sail for the first half of the trip until the winds swung straight out of the East so we motor sailed the remaining way to Erie. This is the nicest marina we have ever stayed at, very clean, all new docks (composit boards) new airconditioned restrooms and showers. Our next planned stop is to be Buffalo where we will have our mast dropped and go into motorboat mode for the Erie Canal.

Bon Voyage

Fabulous night at Harpersfield Vineyards hosted by Patti and Adolph Ribic our great friends, they threw a Bon Voyage party for us as we are about to leave this weekend. We will miss all of our friends at the Best Winery in all of Ohio, and promise to return for a visit next summer. We loved the wine,food and music by The Four Kings- what great friends we have.

mrs missing link-almost ready

Less than one week to departure-the house is updated and almost empty,ready for the realtor to help us lose this baggage.I retired june 4th and spent a wonderful 2 1/2 weeks with the kids and grandkids while Mike juggled contractor work on the house. My daughter in law Katie let me hold newborn Vivien and play grandma stuff with 2 yr old Evangeline-thank you so much for the hospitality! We spent this month shedding tons of accumulated belongings via mail to kids in Seattle,a one day garage sale,Goodwill,church rummage sale, I feel free and unburdened and no sadness, of course I still somehow have too many clothes to fit here in 31 feet. We had a wonderful farewell bonfire at our marina saturday night- I will miss all the amazing friends we have made here at Geneva Marina.    Bye for now-Chris

Departure fast approaching!

Less than 2 weeks until our departure from Geneva State Park Marina. Busy with preparing the house for sale and the boat for the trip. We hope to leave about August first weather permitting. Our first planned stops are Erie and Buffalo, with a possible stop in Ashtabula to say goodbye to some friends. We will have the mast taken down in Buffalo at RCR Yachts and then head to the Erie canal. The boaters here at Geneva are having a bonfire on the beach this Sat the 24th and it will be our Bon Voyage Bonfire.

Finaly back in the water.

Well the boat is finally back in the water and we plan on sailing from Fairport, OH to Geneva State Park Marina today. Had the mast down this winter and the rigger inspected the rigging and mast. Some of the recent upgrades are; New prop, new cutless bearing, new stuffingbox hose, new shaft packing, new coax , and new anchor light.

Florida Trip

We just returned from Florida and did some scouting of some of the stops we will be making on the way down this fall. Checked out Oriental, New Bern, Elizabeth City, and St Augustine. Also stopped at Savannah, not a stop for a sailboat.