Nov. 6, 2007 - Three Days Out, 45 knot wind blues

We can definitely identify with Eileen Quinn's song.  We left New Bern Sunday morning and made the 45 mile run straight out Beaufort, NC inlet.  A nice run with the wind filling the sails...15-20 knots and nice comfy seas and we responded by putting out full sail.  Overnight was quite beautiful with the crescent moon rising about 3am and casting a wonderful reflective glow on the water.  We could see a million stars and the Milky Way was extraordinarily clear.  We had to relay a call for another boat to the Coast Guard, their engine died and the headsail furling unit snapped and in 20 knots of wind it was wreaking havoc.  The USCG was quite nice about the matter, thanked us for relaying as the whole process took about 2 hours.

We split our night watches either in 2 hour segments or 3 hours depending on conditions and how we feel.  Brian usually sleeps in the cockpit and Heather alternates between in the cabin and in the cockpit depending on multiple variables...

Monday morning was calm seas...almost glassy but with a nice breeze that sent us skimming along at 6 knots.  As the evening wore on the breeze picked up and by first light this morning (Tuesday) it was blowing 25-30 and seas were rising quickly and angrily.  The wind was supposed to clock around to the north but stayed west southwest all day.  We had passed Charleston when things just got hairy... to alter course to the east would have taken us farther out to sea where conditions were worse; altering course towards land southward meant going nose-in to the wind and waves and an incredibly slow trip.  After three hours of fighting weather we decided to head back to Charleston, SC which was about 20 miles off. 

Under double reefed main and single reefed mizzen we bumped and bounced to Charleston...seeing many dolphin and a sea turtle along the way...and then the seas decided to get friendly.  Not friendly in the nice sort of way but friendly in that sarcastic schoolyard bully or creepy too-touchy mom's boyfriend called "Uncle" sort of friendly... and one decided to board us.  Talk about an anomaly... the seas were 6-8 foot but this one was 12 at least...it crested OVER the bimini and entered the cockpit as a wall of water not unlike some amusement park rides... the Pirate Ship meets the Log Flume... thankfully the cockpit drains fast and we were nearly to the jetties and calm water.  When we took the boarding wave our youngest cat, Takara (Inspector Gadget) was in the cockpit...we had put her in her carrier since conditions were rough and she didn't want to sit still but wanted to be out with us... when the wave came over she was completely drenched.  Oddly enough she didn't yell, squeal, or meow...she just looked at us with the most suprised look "I was minding my own business and this is what I got in return?"  Heather had also recently gone inside to the head and neglected to put her foul weather gear back on.  She was sitting on the cockpit floor with her eyes closed getting a few minutes of rest when the wave came from behind her...I don't know who looked more drenched, Miss Heather or Miss Kitty.

We got in and crashed...made a ghetto-supper of Mac & Cheese with hot dogs cut up in it, everything is everywhere and we will clean it up tomorrow.  For now we'll watch a dvd, enjoy a cup of hot tea, and sleep it off.

When we get a good 24-hour window we'll head out Chearleston and straight for either Fernandina Beach, FL or Jacksonville/Mayport.

Nov. 3, 2007 - Offshore Preparations

I love the hustle & bustle and scurry that comes with preparations for an offshore passage.  Tomorow morning, if all goes well, we will be leaving New Bern, NC and heading towards Beaufort, NC, making a turn to starboard (right-hand turn for the landlubbers) and going straight to Mayport/Jacksonville, Fla.

There is something about stowing everything, deflating and packing up the dinghy, laying in comfort foods for provisions, pre-cooking meals, and so on that is such wonderful nerve-crunching fun.

We've pre-made spaghetti, popcorn, sliced veggies, sliced cheese, made ginger-ale, and bought some good breads, chips, crackers...we've hard-boiled a weeks worth of hen's work in eggs...

Fluids are checked and topped off, fuel is full, sails are ready...and so are we.

Tomorrow at this time we will be out in the Wild Blue Yonder skimming along, singing a song, and making way on the 400 or so miles back to Florida... back to palm trees, warm winter sun, and onward to new adventures.

Oct. 31, 2007 - The Worst Noel and New Bern Blues

It's been a long month...a month ago Sunday (tomorrow) we left Annapolis and we are in New Bern, NC.  We holed up in Deltaville, VA for a couple of days of wind.  In Elizabeth City, NC a friend's transmission went out and as a singlehander he greatly appreciated us sticking around a couple of days to help him remove and replace the tranny  Contrary weather kept us in EC for another day... due to gale conditions we found a very protected spot in Long Creek, Bonner Bay, NC and stayed there 3 days.  After crossing Pamlico Sound/River in 3-4 foot seas that were about 2 seconds apart which made a rough and rocky ride... but with 25 knot winds and only the headsail we were breaking 9 knots and were flat out flying across the water.

So we planned to go to Beaufort, NC and head offshore back to FL when Tropical Storm Noel pops up...so we decided since we're going to be sitting a few days why not head inland to New Bern, a very charming city, and sit while it blows near the coast.  Well, even the best laid plans...

We had just returned to the boat from a little stroll through town (where by the way 2 business owners want us to send them pictures and info so they can use us in their advertising...) and Wildlife Patrol official knock and tells us that we have to move.  Evidentaly they have declared that no one can anchor in New Bern in any navigable water.  The letter we were given says "...and not obstruct the channel or navigable waters."  The channel is just common sense...and accoridng to the "authority" anywhere a boat can go is considered navigable waters.  We  were threatened with a citation if we did not go by the end of the day.  The wildlife official told us "Now everyone wants to come to New Bern and stake out their spot.  It's dangerous for the locals."

In the words of the Fish & Wildlife Officer (aka Possum Cop) "There's nothing for you here.  You don't need to be out here."

They don't stop those drinking and boating, they don't enforce the no-wake zone, nothing like that...but cruisers who anchor are no longer welcome in New Bern.  So since it was 4:30pm and no where to go tonight we were forced to take a slip in a marina.  2 other boats are going with us to City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce to complain... you see, since we are now forced to put the money out on a dock we won't spend any more in town... instead of the money going to local merchants, a large corporate marina will get our mad money for the city.

By the way...in 3 years we have NEVER been asked/told to vacate and anchoring spot.

They just shot themselves in the foot as far as we're concerned.

The lady who owns the used bookstore in New Bern gave us a book as a "welcome back" gift.  The Swiss lady who does the Swiss Chalet baking at the Farmer's Market remmebered us the moment we walked in...it is amazing how many business owners remember us - and it is a shame that the "authorities" such as they are don't care about the economic influx that cruisers bring...only about politics.

ED NOTE: We have found out that back a year or two the Lt. Governors kids crammed into an anchored boat in the wee hours of the morning.  The court case concluded the week we came to New Bern with the boat owner being found at fault and judgement for the Lt. Governor's family (do you really expect it to be nay other way?)

Good news is we may have a nice window Sunday to head straight back to Florida offshore...not holding our collective breath but hoping... also on the bright side, a guy we met in town (Jack with a cat named Jill) will be taking us to the grocery and we will have unlimited power so we can run the shop-vac which hasn't been run since our last dock, Coinjock, NC in May.  Wow, almost 6 months since we took our last dock.

Forgive any typeos...I'm tired and don't feel like proofing and the fingers may have strayed from the brain's intentions.

ED NOTE:  Here is the sequence of events that made things frustrating:

Wildlife Official (turkey?) came and raised heck

Dinghy outboard engine quit

Wind picked up

Railroad bridge closed as soon as we got the anchor up

Oct. 18, 2007 - We Survived the Great Dismal Swamp

Sep. 28, 2007 - (In)Decisions

Aaaaah, the cruising life...

What to do, what to do... we're being pushed and pulled in different directions... sort of like being on a virtual rack.  Do we stay in Annapolis for the Boat Show or do we leave a few days early and beat the stampede south?  We had planned on leaving Annapolis tomorrow morning but, alas, we're in limbo.  We've seen so many faces of friends we've met over the past 3 years onboard & cruising.  We're meeting so many new people, making new friends to see in different ports in other years.  We're in this for the memories.  Our cruising time could be over in a month so why not stay around for the biggest boat show in the country, see Eric Stone play live for free, meet lots of new people, and then join in the melieu southbound.

Well, reading back over that it looks like our decision has been made.

A couple of nights ago we invited a couple of folks over for cocktails in the cockpit and ended up having 9 folks onboard...the most we've had over at one time.  Cinnamon Teal brought fresh baked brownies still hot from the oven, Jus' Now brought chips and a fabulous dip, we provided cheese, crackers, grapes, etc., Greg from Southern Cross brought a bottle of wine, and Gary from Cerridwen was passing by and we waved him over and said "come aboard" so the 9 had assembled.  I think a good time was had by all.

Other than that, the alternator is rebuilt and fixed, HP is fully repainted... instead of the molded-in non-skid that has always been on deck we now have some aggressive non-skid.  NON-SKID! is how it should be typed,  if you want the full effect feeling...  She has been washed from stem to stern, reefing lines replaced by some of what we found in Charleston on the way north.  Things are ready to go, now if we could just get the cats and crew to cooperate (hey, that's us!)

So, now, it looks like we'll be here for another week.  Like Eileen Quinn sings, "What the hell, we can leave the next day..."

Sep. 16, 2007 - Kindness, Excitement, Drama, and more...

Heather peeling tape on deck after painting...

We're in crunch time...the lists have been made, projects prioritized, and we've been busier than a 3-legged cat trying to bury a mouse on ice.

The alternator/charge regulator still giving us problems...what, why, or etc. is still a mystery.  It may or may not act up...as soon as I get out the multimeter to check the voltage/charge/etc. it is working like it should.  I suppose every time we get underway I will have to pull out the multimeter...like a bad dog, show the regulator the multimeter while saying in a condescending voice, "Be good.  BE GOOD."  It works intermittently but so inconsistently that I'm at a loss to diagnose it.

We're down to 2 coats of paint left on deck.  The non-skid got finished up today and looks gorgeous.  Not without some drama, though.  I was 85% of the way done...non-skid particles had been spread and I was on coat #2, nearly done when I stepped ON the paint tray sending awl-grip everywhere.  No, everywhere is too vague... Awl-grip paint is like water and it splattered on deck, down the hull, etc.  Thankfully, Heather hopped in the dink with  rags and acetone and cleaned up that mess while I hopped-to on deck mopping up paint...I think we got it all but I'm sure something will go flat and have to be re-done...but disaster was averted, whew...

A few days ago whilst we were taping off the deck, we looked up and was a sailboat named Summersail coming in... sure enough, it was John who we had met in Titusville, FL nearly 3 years ago.  We hopped in the dink and said hello, a nice reunion.  He invited us to his house for dinner, took us to the grocery, cruisers understand cruisers.  He cooked us a wonderful meal, ran us around town, picked our brains on our favorite places up and down the coast, as we did him.  It's amazing how you can not see someone for years and then when you meet up in some particular harbor it is like you never parted ways.

We have to fix the dinghy, fix the Brother Sailmaker sewing machine, and stow half-a-million things that we've dug out to paint, repair, and such... general clutter has invaded our lives and is quite unwelcome.  We've got our work cut out for us and next weekend is our last in Annapolis...then we begin wandering south again.  Yet another year under our belts.

Amongst all this, Brian has been working 6 days a week on Amour 5, getting her ready to be shown in the Annapolis boat show...only 4 days of painting left and the mast/spreaders/boom painitng will be done.  The only regret is that no count has been kept of the number of trips up and down the mast.  All in all, about 6 months budget has been made in a matter of weeks so it has been well worth the effort.

Heather has been busy every day keeping HP in order, taping off things to be painted, peeling tape, and maintaining general order where chaos desires ro reign.  She has fought the good fight and has conquered the forces of evil where necessary.

I'm tired (the paint spill and non-skid were today after going to do laundry), dinner is almost done, and I deserve a drink.

"Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right..."

The Grateful Dead, Scarlet Begonias.

cheers,

Brian, Heather & the Cruising Kitties....

Forgive any errors...I'm racing against time, rice is almost done and dinner about to hit the table......

Sep. 3, 2007 - T minus 30

After taking down the staysail, Vevela found a shady place to take refuge from the sun... her name means sunshine in Smaoan.  We couldn't find her anywhere and after much searching we found her curled up in the sail.  As you can see, she was nonplussed at being discovered and awakened.  She still looks groggy...

Less than 30 days left until we begin our push back south...

The trip back to Annapolis was beautiful and thankfully uneventful.  The alternator regulator was replaced with an ARS-5...spiffy LED display, program in battery type, belt load, etc, and it controls your charge quite efficiently.  It used the same wiring harness as the ARS-3 (which is no longer produced) so installing it was a breeze.

Since coming back to Annapolis, life has consisted of sand, sand, paint. .Prep, paint, sand.  Paint, paint, prep, sand.  That goes for both of us.  Brian is working on Amour 5 painting the 65' mast, the boom, and spinnaker pole.  After that coming back to Holding Pattern and working on our cabin top & decks getting ready to paint.  Heather has been putting in copious time getting HP ready to paint, taping things off, sanding, the usual preparations for an Awl-Grip job.  Thankfully the pay is good and the cruising kitty will get fat before we begin our next outing.

About that outing...we're not saying it too loud, but our plans are to get south of the hurricane belt for next season.  Go somewhere with water we can swim in, eat the fish we catch...the Caribbean is the plan but, like always, we'll see what happens between now and then.  We've been frugal, worked hard, done the 'Go North, Young Man..." thing, now we're figuring on leaving Florida, turning right, and seeing where we end up.  Betwixt ourselves, we're using the phrase "Go sailing" a lot when people ask. 

"Where are you going for the winter and next hurricane season?"

"We're going sailing."

We had a nice happening today... we were taping off the deck (still) and saw Summersail come by.  We had met John in Titusville some years ago.  He was overheating, we were having prop problems (the first time the feathering prop failed us...) so we got to be buddies.  We decided to take a dink trip and went over to say hello, good to see you again... Lo and behold, onboard was Ed who we met last week and who took us to the grocery.  Seems they are good friends.  Small world.  Forget six degrees of separation...in the cruising world it may be three at most.

By the first week in October (before Annapolis boat show crowd begins the stampede south) we will leave Norfolk, take the Dismal Swamp route to Albermarle Sound, to Beaufort, NC, offshore to Fla (maybe in one shot, maybe in multiple, all depends on how gracious the weather is to us...) back to Green Cove Springs to leave the boat for a week to head north and visit family...then off sailing for the winter... go down island, mon!

Aug. 23, 2007 - Held Hostage by Chester...

Chestertown doesn't want us to leave...

We were ready to bid adieu to Chestertown and head back to Annapolis to work...alas, it was not to be.

As we were opening up the visor on the spray dodger in the cockpit the zipper jammed.  Our alternator/regulator quit functioning, tach dropped off, no power output form the alternator.  The chain jammed in the pipe leading from the windlass to the chain locker.  All within 10 minutes.

Something tells me we're to stay another day or two.  We wanted to hit Farmer's Market in Saturday morning anyway...I guess we will pick up some more fresh produce.

I have been messing about with the charging system, doing field test on the alternator, isolating switches, fussing with the regulator...thankfully the solar panels and wind gen are putting out.  I have it down to a couple of choices...one is to put on the spare alternator which is a do-able job.  The other is re-wiring the harness which is a monster task.  The third is isolating the regulator which I will do first thing in the morning...I've had enough today.

Darned near electrocuted myself in the process, too... I was using the manual starter & kill switch on the engine instead of in cockpit...the engine kill switch jammed, the engine died and I had no idea there was anything wrong.  When we started up the engine the next time it would not turn over.  I took the Golden Rule... if something suddenly doesn't work, go back to the last thing you were working on.  Bingo!  I jostled it and the current jumping the gap jumped into me...I have black lines across 2 fingers.  Yikes!

Heather has been perusing the electrical and mechanical books & manuals and knee deep in the fixin's...I have to say we make a good team.  I just wish we didn't have to prove it sometimes...

The chain locker will be dis-assembled, the angle that the chain enters the locker changed and the pipe size (PVC) enlarged to prevent this from happening again.  But to access it I will have to dremel open the locker and take apart part of the windlass.  Sounds like a Grand Friday is in store for the Crew of Holding Pattern.

Like I told someone today...sometimes paradise is roses, sometimes paradise has teeth.  Today those teeth bit us in the backside.

I figured out what has caused all of this... we haven't donated anything to the water lately....tools, laundry pegs, nothing... and the last big thing that got donated (our best hammer) was dropped by another boater...so I think he got credit for the deposit...

EDIT:  All things are right in the world again.  A full field test showed that the voltage regulator was bad.  West Marine in Annapolis has one in stock and we can get it for Port Supply price which is as cheap as I can find to order it anywhere else.

The chain glitch is remedied as well...and although I will have to change the locker entry in the near future it is not a must to get the chain in now.

I like it when a plan comes together.

Aug. 20, 2007 - 103 V

Just quick oddity... we're leaving Chestertown Wednesday and decided to splurge and take a cheap dinner in town tonight...Heather said the crab cakes were good, burger was good too...but the highlight of dinner...

This turned out to be a place where the waitress writes her name on the paper tablecloth...normally these are annoying but her name was "V" (Genevieve, but she goes by V...)

We took it as a challenge. 

By the end of dinner we had 103 words beginning with V written in 3 columns... wish we had the camera, it was a sight to behold.  What would have happened if she had an easy letter, we ran out of room as it was...

We have a voluminous vocabulary (e)videntaly...

cheers,

Aug. 15, 2007 - Cracked Chester-nuts

Holding Pattern at anchor in the Chester River, just off Chestertown, MD

Nothing lasts forever...sometimes it is said with an air of sadness and sometimes with a glimmer of hope.  For us it was a mantra.  We enjoyed our time in Annapolis, made some money, painted most of our topsides, accomplished a lot...but in another way, Annapolis was like the blind date you can't stand but you can't escape until dinner is over and you return them from whence they came.  Too busy, too noisy, not our idea of good cruising grounds.

We decided to split the 45 mile trip to Chestertown up into two days, no need to get in a rush...and it was a good thing.  Wind from the north, miles and miles of unbroken Chesapeake built the waves to 3 feet or so and with 20-25 knots of wind on the nose it made for a slow go and lots and lots of tacks back and forth.  Things much improved when we got into the Chester River, an easy downwind sail.  We won our first "race" in a long time, too.  A similar sized boat from Key West was transiting the Chester and we came upon them, they increased sail area and so did we.  HP fell into the groove and shot off like a turtle on pep-pills.  We gained and gained and gained distance ahead of them until we saw them decrease sail area.  It is a cold day in the Congo when we can outrun another boat...she's old and slow and we accept that (HP, not Heather for you smart alecs who would ask...)

Anchored in Comegy's Bight by ourselves was a grand change from the hustle and bustle of Annapolis.  No noise except for the wind and the water lapping against the hull.  We sat outside until the light was gone enjoying our recent acquisitions from the book trade racks and Goodwill.  It was simply paradise to hear no noise that wasn't of our own making.

Today's adventure on the other hand... we had a wonderful sail into Chestertown.  20+ knots of wind on the beam to stern, current with us, everything lined up to make it a quick trip... left at 8 and were going to be anchored by 9:30.  I spied with my little eyes a nice cove...protected, nothing much around it, quite inviting.  The chart said 12 feet.  Heather assumed position on the bow, I veered off to port (left) and as quickly as you can read:

25' to 10' to 3'...you can guess what happened.

As the depth was rapidly changing I said the famous last words "We gotta turn around..."  I think the Powers That Be heard "We gotta go aground."

We draw 5 1/2 feet, 6 for sanity's sake...we were in 4 1/2 to 5, the mud was quite accomodating and accepted our keel quite quickly.

Backing off didn't work (of course it woudln't be that easy.)  We dropped the dinghy to see if we could tow ourselves off...got good and wet in the process and that was it.  We were preparing the anchor to take out and kedge/winch ourselves back when I decided to give it one last try at backing off.  Gradually increasing throttle, Mr Perkins (aka the Beast) was doing his best.  The new Campbell-Sailer prop did a beautiful job at washing enough mud out and we gradually bagan to move backwards then shot backwards like that rocket-turtle-in-reverse.

Free and back in deep water we decided to go the 1/2 mile downriver to the "real" anchorage.

We now sit in 15' of water (the chart says there should be 7 here...) and Holding Pattern is the only boat here for the time being...

Went for a walk around town, too.  Red-brick lined streets, friendly people, old houses, lots and lots of parks and open spaces, a free dinghy dock... we're looking forward to more exploration tomorrow (don't forget the Farmer's Market on Sat. and the Civil War re-enactment, too.)

I've had enough adventure for one day...time to go see what is going on in Akbar (the book I am currently reading...)

So, how was your day?

Aug. 10, 2007 - Happy Birthday to Me & HP + The New Windscoop That Couldn't Either...

Takara helping make the new windscoop...Inspector Gadget doing her job.

If you haven't read "The Little Windscoop That Couldn't" that might be a good place to start.  The new winscoop is beautiful.  Blue wings, white center, spinnaker tape holding the rip-stop fabric together.  The dimensions, perfect.  Construction, professional grade.  The sound, horrendous...intolerable.  It sounded like a hundred children on deck all armed with bubble-wrap and tin-foil.  It seems .75oz rip-stop is not the preferred weight.  We were both aghast.  So Windscoop (brand) took a chink of our budget and we once again have a fine breeze funneling into the cabin.  Right now, we have enough wind that no paper products will stay in the table, my kind of wind.

Now, we've set our sights on making rain-stoppers so we can have hatches open during the rain and still have breeze/ventilation.  A few yards of fabric, stitch the edges, install grommets, and now it can pour enough to inspire ark builders and we will be dry and comfy inside.  The design and construction are quite fine and functional... no unruly ghost-children on deck running amok.

Both Brian and Holding Pattern are 1974 models.  This weekend is the celebration and the Heavens are joining in with a meteor shower to celebrate my arrival to Earth.  Still not sure where I cam from, one book says Mars, my mother says I was hatched, so things are still in dispute. 

Come Tuesday we're leaving Annapolis (bye-bye crowd) and heading across the Chesapeake Bay to the Chester River and taking a few days to go to Chestertown.  They have a Farmer's Market on Saturdays so we're looking forward to the fresh produce and all the goodies the Market brings.  Looking forward to new anchorages, new sights

From "Warriors of the Light" by Paulo Coelho, it reminds me of cruising...

"If he waits for the ideal moment, he will never set off.  The Warrior requires a touch of madness to take the next step.  The Warrior uses that touch of madness.  For - in both love and war - it is impossible to forsee everything."

Coelho has become one of my favorite authors.  The Alchemist has been a great inspiration and I have accumulated his entire library and Eleven Minutes is the only book I would not give an "Excellent" rating to.

Jul. 28, 2007 - What the Fracas?

Fracas - from the Italian fracasso, to cause an uproar.

Yes, a fracas is what erupted.  I don't even know where to start.

Back Creek in Annapolis is a high traffic zone...the equivelant to parking in the center lane of the highway for a couple of days.  What am I saying, Annapolis period is like this.  We've been within 2 feet of being hit twice now and the singlehander lady in front of us on the 47' Hylas (more boat and brains, has she) drug anchor and was quite close and unwilling to move...and we had enough.  We hauled anchor and motored up-creek a bit, found a nice spot and dropped anchor.  The soupy muck on the bottom didn't want to cooperate so we hauled anchor and went about a second time.  A sailboat had lost its engine, didn't know much how to sail this brand new mid 30' Hunter, proceeded to hit a boat at dock, tried to sail behind us, between us and the boat anchored behind, hit them, and proceeded to hit a third boat just down the creek.  So we gave this a thrid shot.

Third time's a charm, right?  By the way...in 2 years of cruising and always & only anchoring we have never had to try more than twice.  Third time was not a charm.  We got set nicely and the wind piped up to 30 or so and the boat in front of us drug, tripped our anchor rode, and sent us akimbo towards everyone behind us...and at a good rate of speed, might I add.  Thankfully their anchor line did not snag or tangle with our chain, just tripped it.

Engine going, anchor up, wind funneling through we see 2 other boats dragging.  A few expletives later the anchor is in the roller, the clock says 730 (1530) and lightning is dropping from the sky like the raindrops that will soon follow. 

Since we have company coming Thursday we decided to take a mooring early.  We feel like we're somehow cheating.

775 days out cruising

40 days on the hard

32 days waiting on the new prop @ dock in Green Cove

2 days at dock in Coinjock, NC for rest & repairs (nowhere to anchor near here)

701 days total anchored.

And then this...but we have concluded that, like most things, this all happened for a reason.  We've no idea what it is but we have a few clues... our previous neighbor would have probably hit us as she doesn't want to move her boat...dead batteries so the engine won't start (and she's proud to not have spent a dime on this boat since she bought it...head doesn't work, batteries dead, propane not working, awl-grip paint is below the waterline and will begin to peel soon...spend a few dollars, honey, fix a few things.)  Second, the engine-less, brain-less, hit-three-other-boats-boat would have probaly hit us as they (sort of) sailed right through where we were previously.  Third, the congested area we moved to was close to playing bumper boats last night and it was only blowing 30.

That's fine.  Company will be happier on a mooring.  We can attach the dinghy to the mooring ball and go day sailing whenever we wish now, a rare luxury for a cruising boat.  The mooring is comparatively cheap so we'll just re-arrange the budget, split it between July's remainder and August.  The other good point is that we've needed to re-mark the chain, put on a new swivel, and a new grab-ring to secure on deck...all hard to do while the anchor is 10-15 foot underwater.  So we will make hay while life gives us lemons (mixed metaphor intended.)  The "new" things to put on are relative...we've had them "in-stock" for a while, just haven't had the opportunity.

Oh yeah, to further the feeling like life has it out for us...this morning when we were going into the Harbormaster's office to register...we left the backpack on the stern platform.  Got to the dink dock, closed the lock and with the *click* we looked at each other knowingly.  The good news is that we can't even break into our own dinghy without destroying the cable or the floor.  The bad news is this was 0730 and we had one choice...wait for someone to come to the dock to give one of us a ride back to get the pack (with keys and phone it it...)  Thankfully within 10 minutes someone came and was kind enough to be a taxi service.

I'm not touching anything the rest of the day.  I've checked out. 

Jul. 20, 2007 - The Little Windscoop that Couldn't...and more...

At least we can see what's happening on the other side of the windscoop now...   You can see the sail tape which was our repeated attempts at prolong the life of the scoop and put off a new one.  Well, as you can see, it finally gave up in a grand fashion. 

Sailrite is here in Annapolis and they have great prices on rip-stop nylon so we will just spend $20 on fabric and make a new scoop, we're crafty like that.  That will happen after we repair the Brother Sailmaker sewing machine as it is skipping stitches.  After reading several repair manuals I think we've narrowed down the problem, all that is necessary is to dis-assemble the machine and confirm (or deny) the issue.  That's an after-dark project as I can't just sit and poke on something like that on a sunny day.

The cockpit is all prepped to be painted with Awl-Grip...that's been a tedious job to say the least.  Sand with 100 grit, then 220 grit...it looks like a snowstorm hit us with all the white paint dust that was piled up.  Then mixing the epoxy resin & hardener (105 & 206) and structural filler to make some of the chunks and divots disappear.  In this hot weather a pot of epoxy lasts maybe 15 minutes so you've got to work fast...speedy gonzales fast.  In the process I filled everything on deck that needed repair so that nothing was wasted.

As we were low on converter and reducer as well as the paint, well, suffice it to say we're eating one meal a day for the rest of the month to offset the cost.  But Awl-Grip is amazing stuff and we shouldn't have to do this job for a long time to come.

I had used some 1 part poly paint from West Marine that was onboard and compared to Awl-Grip...it was like substituting soy sauce for Pepsi... no comparison.

Heather worked her magic on the winches and other assorted stainless bits...so now you have to wear sunglasses in the cockpit or run the risk of blindness from the shine.

Weems & Plath were here in Annapolis, too.  Our tide clock had been losing time for the last couple of months...about 2 hours a week...we took it into them last week and today they called and replaced it with a brand new one... lifetime warranty...good deal.

Some kids are learning to sai lin their racing dinghies...one collided hard with our bow and started banging on the hull...after a little talk with them about respect they headed off, made a sharp turn and tried to pass between the anchor rode and the hull...they missed, got tangled in the anchor snubber, and we got to have a bit more of a forceful talk.  8 year old can be some nasty little shixs...I was ready to drown one of them who was excessively mouthy...wash his mouth out with acetone.  Hopped into the dink and had a word or three with the instructor.  No one came near our boat again.

All in all we've been busy little beavers this week, the cockpit is blue striped from all the painters tape...but when we're done she will look brand new.  Between the hull & bottom job over last winter and topsides, teak, & stainless now, wowee!!  There is a winch that needs rebuilt but that will be a project for next week.  Right now, all that's necessary is a gin & tonic to round out a nice Friday.

cheers.  salud.

Jul. 15, 2007 - Gin Blossoms in Bloom

Anyone wanna buy a boat?

Annapolis has been a productive time for us.  Thanks to Olivia (see thier blogs on this site, quite a trip...) we caught the sickness of organizing each locker.  Knee deep in canned goods, spare parts, epoxies, resins, blocks, bungs, and such nautical goodies we looked at each other aghast.  The good news is every space from the V storage to the galley (3/4 of the insides) and both lazarettes have been cleaned, reorganized, and catalogued.  Now for the bad news...everything that didn't fit nicely found a temporary home in the quarter berth...it looks like a hurricane hit that poor little space.  The good news is that we have repainted about half the cockpit and it looks beautiful and brand new.  The bad news is that the other half now looks terrible.  The good news is that I mixed up some epoxy & structural filler and repaired every crack and crevice in every nook and cranny (ok, I found one cranny I missed but I am sure I will have to mix another batch and said cranny will be no longer...)  The bad news is that, well, I think I have run out of bad news.  Progress is being made regardless and it makes us feel very good to see the fruits of our labor and the bright, shiny new paint.

We had an early celebration for Brian's birthday (8/11)  A month or so ago when we were checking out Annapolis we saw one of our favorite bands, Gin Blossoms, were playing.  We assumed (a bad thing to do) that where they were playing would not be accessible so we forgot about it...  Lo and behold, we were walking town and saw the Ram's Head and the poster for GIN BLOSSOMS!  2 shows sold out and they added a matinee show Sunday at 12:30pm.  An afternoon show??  Perfect for us who go down with the sun.  What a grand treat!  At most there was room for 125 people...a very intimate venue.  Our table was 6 people away from the stage, sound/acoustics were amazing/immaculate.  They put on a phenomenal show.  Very lively, very crisp, and a ton of fun!  After the show, I talked to lead guitar Jesse Valenzuela and he signed his setlist and gave it to me.  It even has the date and city on the top, a nice souvenir.

From the song Someday Soon by the Gin Blossoms:

Say you better pack
Better get your things together
Don't know where to go
Until you wind up there
Better grab a coat
You can never tell the weather
Let's hope were gone forever

Someday soon
Gonna sail the big blue ocean
Gonna cause a big commotion

And Bloody Sunday all you can drink Bloody Mary's for $10 didn't hurt either. 

Jul. 13, 2007 - Another Good Man Gone

The sailing community has lost one of the good ones... Roy (aka Nemo) died yesterday (7/11/07.)

Talk about a great guy!  Although bone cancer had run its course, he was positive, happy, and never complained.  Nemo was one of the most vibrant and positive people we have ever met.  Ask him how he's doing today and he would give a spirited 60's inspired "Fiiiine" complete with rolling hand motion.  Always handy with a hug for the ladies, no one could turn him down.

Nemo claimed to be 225 years old and if challenged could give his complete history...which ship he sailed to America on, which pirates he crewed with, and where he was at any given moment, what a trip!  Always good natured and ready with a smile and a laugh...what a way to be known.

Jimmy Buffett said it best in The Captain and the Kid

He died about a month ago while winter filled the air
And though I cried I was so proud to love a man so rare
He's somewhere on the ocean now that's where he oughta be
With one hand on the starboard rail he's wavin' back at me

We got the call in the middle of the night, many hundreds of miles away, we hadn't seen him in 4 months.  Amidst a few tears we decided that somewhere out on the ocean, mid-passage, we will see a dolphin with a bandanna and a pipe and Nemo will ride our bow wake and make us laugh one more time.

Bye for now, old friend.

Jul. 7, 2007 - Annapolis, MD Part I

Everything is everywhere...and mot of it is in motion. 

That's the best description of Annapolis I can think of.  We usually stick to small towns, quaint little burgs, hamlets, and villages.  Well, Annapolis is the antithesis of all those.  However, it is quite charming, picturesque, and surprisingly friendly for all the hustle and bustle and hopping about.

We had spent a week in Solomons, MD far back Mill Creek, the only ones anchored in this area...everyone else cram-packed themselves into the small areas up Back Creek except for a few who anchored close to the mouth of Mill Creek.  Not us, we went 2+ miles back and found ourselves a nice cove.

We chose a perfect day in forecast to go the 50 miles from Solomons to Annapolis: West winds @ 10-15 (beam reach would scoot us along happily and flatten any waves) but they turned out to be North @ 5-10 (on the nose, our usual, it seems.)  Still the angle was good enough to put up all 4 sails at one point or another and motorsail (a long day does not include strictly sailing, we don't delude ourselves.)

The approach to Annapolis and the Severn River was something else...I counted between 50 & 75 boats underway and the turn into the Severn River brought us face to face (bow to bow?) with a flotilla of 6 Navy Academy Training ships...I hailed them on the radio to let them know our intentions since we would share close quarters...no answer after 3 calls... "Nothing heard, Holding Pattern proceeding on course to pass you on your starboard side."  5 of 6 turned north into the Bay, one headed straight for us.  I think the pilot needed that training session.

We saw our friends Diane & Robert on S/V Silver Girl who were leaving Annapolis for St. Michaels.  We waved and chatted for a minute on the radio.

The Severn River was quite crowded and boats criss-crossing as well, quite a bit of sensory overload...and a good experience for us who stay away from just this sort of thing. 

Our friend Greg on S/V Southern Cross was anchored in Back Creek so we decided to head there to hassle him for a while.  All I can say is "Oh, wow."  You can barely see the water for the boats...boats, boats everywhere.  We found a cozy (read tight) place to drop the hook...and we discovered why many boats from Annapolis we see will anchor in the middle of wherever...it is the norm here.

Boaters in Annapolis (Back Creek, at least) are some of the most respectful, polite, and skilled we have seen yet.  Their speeds are mimimal, they don't stare at you like you're a nusiance, and they do their best to keep their distance and control their boats well.  Our spot is quite out of the way in comparison to 75% of the others here in Back Creek.

Free dinghy docks are the norm (not $3-10 a day like some places) and it is a short walk across Eastport to Annapolis proper.  What a neat city!  Lots of room to walk, shady streets, lots of things catering to boaters, tons of history.  We ambled about for a couple of hours just taking in everything and noting things to go back and see.  Free tours, lots of plaques to read, beautful, well-maintained houses. 

We were both a bit skeptical about Annapolis from what we'd heard but the skeptics were wrong.  It's definitely something to see, something for everyone.  We're glad we came.

Jul. 2, 2007 - Adeventure Revised

July 1...I wanted to cancel the month, fast forward to next month, and reschedule fireworks for Aug. 11, my 33rd.  It looked to be a great day to start a month on, cool morning, lots of breeze, homemade blueberry pancakes and coffee, and plentiful sunshine.  Went for a walk in Solomons.  Heather's ear infection had been getting better but she felt horrible Sunday so we turned around and started back to HP.  The Possum Cops pulled us over.  Even though our whistles (aka noise producing devices) are tied to the dink in plain sight he asked about them and asked where they were.  Our registration for the dinghy was in the form of tendering.  We've been pulled over in FL, SC, and 3 times in NC and all saked if we were tendered and had no issue with it.  This old boy was in the mood to give tickets (working on a Sunday will do that to Government officials) thus we are $85 poorer.  So much for the month's budget being under $400.  Possum Cop is holding my license in his hand asking me my height, weight, hair color... I am 5 feet in front of you, Barney Fife.  How 'bout takin' a look at me.  Still blonde, still 140, still 5' 9"...nothing has changed, buddy.  He told us where we could register here in MD...did my research and they tax you for the value of the dinghy AND the motor, 5% of the estimated value...you know as well as i do that they don't estimate low.  When I figured out the cost I about choked.  So did some research and found that Georgia registers online, $15 for the year.  I like that price much better.  Got everything done and went to print the temporary registration... the printer is out of black ink.  So I changed the color...we have one in brown and one in midnight blue, the most stylish registration card in the state.  I crammed two toes on a block and bloodied myself as well as the deck and preventer block.  That was all before 3pm.  Sundowners came early Sunday.

July 2...the antithesis of yesterday except for the weather.  We had to mostly shut hatches last night, it wasd down in the low to mid 50's with a good wind a-blowin'.  Got out sheets and snuggled up.  What a change from last week, and what a welcome change it was too.  The day was a mirror image in blue sky...it seemed like it was welcoming us to July.  But, then, yesterday did too and then turned like a Pit Bull and bit us.  So let's see...

Went in for a walk and errands in our freshly registered dinghy.  While getting gas for said dink we met a couple from Chesterfield, MD who invited us aboard and raved about the city and pulled out charts and showed us multiple anchorages.  They gave us a slip of paper to use as a reference to their Yacht Club to get in for a day and socialize, tie up, etc.  What nice folks.  We went to West Marine to pick up our iCom handheld VHF radio.  The store didn't want to sell it to us so we called the catalogue who gave us a further $20 discount plus the sale price, used our rewards certificates, etc. and we got it for $23.  Met another great couple from M/V Edge, had a great conversation about St. Mary's, GA one of our favorite places (yes, Diane, we told them about Read 'Em Again)  and St. Mary's, MD one of theirs.  Went next door to the package store and did our business, filled water jerry jugs, and motored back sans the excitement of yesterday.

Getting ready to do some painting in the cockpit tomorrow.  Let's hope the 3rd stays on track with today and does not revert to the ways of the 1st.

By the way, Heather is feeling much better today, I think the antibiotics are working and the infection is on the run.  If it stays in remission we're planning to go to Oxford, MD on the 5th, then on to Annapolis, pop over to Chesterfield, then to Havre de Grace.  West to east to west to east to west.  Criss-cross the Chesapeake.  Now, let's see if it actually works out that way.

Olivia: We were ready to trade you Possum Cops for Dock Boy...

Jun. 25, 2007 - Solomon's Tomango Affair

The title is befitting of the day.

We left Deltaville on Sunday and made a nice run to a place on the Great Wicomico River named Sandy Point.  Wind was right and we flew all 4 sails, jib, staysail, main, & mizzen.  What a pleasure!  We'd love to get a picture but that's something you just can't take of yourself underway...  Sandy Point is a great place, nothing there but a few homes, 17 foot depth throughout the cove, and good protection with a good breeze.  What more could you want for a stopover spot?!

We were up before the sun and got underway when we had enough light to see the numerous fish traps scattered about.  It was blowing 15-20 and a slight chop on the Wicomico River.  But...when we hit the Chesapeake Bay proper, boy did things ever get lively.  We had 4-5 foot waves on the beam and nothing we could do about it because we had to get out past the numerous fish stakes and pound nets.  The Chesapeake Bay does not swell like the ocean...no, it pounds you.  It gives you the feeling you just hopped into a Maytag & are on something between agitate and spin cycle.

I had gotten some lubricant out of a compartment before leaving and in my ealry morning pre-coffee haze, I did not lock the cabinet.  Now, there is a very good reason why every locker and cabinet on a boat has locks.  They should be used accordingly.  Heather was down below making me a cup of coffee (such a sweetheart) and I had just finished putting up the staysail and mizzen (we had great winds for it) and suddenly we got the sensation of being a flea on a wet dog.  Everything was topsy-turvy...and remember that locker I left unlocked?  Well, the insides began exploring the outside.  Things were going everywhere...and as she tells it, this was the precise moment Heather was pouring the hot water into the french press.  Poor Takara, the little cat, was on her way up the stairs to take a peek outside when we began undulating.  All I heard was the sorriest, most pitiful meow you can imagine.  The tomatoes and mangos were getting frisky in the fruit hammock...the were doing some sort of suspended hokey-pokey and they hokeyed too far one direction, didn't pokey at the right time and they were trying to form a new fruit, the tomango.

Now, mind you, this all lasted maybe 15 minutes.  Maybe at most 15.  But nonetheless, it was a dramatic few moments.  While all this was happening, I noticed the Delta anchor was a slight bit wobbly so it was my responsibility to go forward and take care of said problem...55lbs swaying on the bow roller in those conditions is undesirable to say the least.  Let me paint the picture for you...we've all seen pictures of the rock geysers where the water rushes in and SHOOTS through a hole in the top in a fantastic spray.  Well, this is the effect that the water had when it interacted with the bowsprit this morning.  I was sitting forward taking care of the problem when SWOOSH!  Heather said she laughed when I disappeared amidst the spray and foam.  I came back dripping, got into foulies (looked like a giant yellow condom) and retired to the helm where I tried to drink my coffee.

That 15 minutes being done, we changed course when we were free from navigational hazards, put up the mainsail and jib, flowed along at 6.5 to 7+ knots (which for us is screamin'!)  The rest of the trip to Solomons, MD was fairly uneventful, peaceful, and great fun flying all sail possible.

By the way, it's our first time in Maryland.  Neither of us has been to this state before.  If you've been to Solomons and recommend anything specific, let us know.  We'll stay here for a few days.

Jun. 23, 2007 - Deltaville RFD

Jun. 18, 2007 - Treaty of Yorktown

Thankfully Heather was at the ready with the camera to catch the historic, monumental, moment when the 2007 Treaty of Yorktown was negotiated by the Fearless Captain Longhair. 

Yorktown sufficiently amused us.  It also sufficiently frustrated us, such is cruising.  The trip to Yorktown was grand, though cold.  June and we were in coats and stocking cap, quite chilly but no complaints.  The entrance into Sarah Creek is interesting...an S-curve with substantial shoals on either side and depths were quite shallow.  We picked a spot downstream, tried to avoid the numerous crab pots & stay out of the working watermen's way.  Tide is minimal here, not like the 7 foot N FL/GA tides, but we'll have to watch ourselves getting out of here. 

The York River Yach Haven, the nearby marina where we tie up the dinghy and bought some fuel, is free of personality.  Sorry, y'all, but it's true.  One staff member was mildly friendly while the others were quite stand-off'ish and eyed us like we were going to rob the Ship's Store.  The folks with boats at the Yacht Haven/Yacht Club gave us the same suspicious eye and only one so far as returned our "Hello", "Good Morning", etc.

Yorktown was quite interesting.  The battlefield was free to walk about, many interpretive signs to read and it's hard not to imagine what it must have been like as a soldier storming the redoubts and trying to fight for freedom.  We visited the Yorktown Vistory Center and much to our suprise it was well worth the $8 per person admission.  It was very interesting museum, friendly folks, excellent information, and many period-costumed people telling you about daily life.  It was the best museum we've seen in ages!  A must-see!

On the downside of Yorktown, there is only one place to land the dinghy in town.  Several books mentioned landing at the beach at the Waterman's Museum... no deal.  A crotchety geezer hobbled out to run us off, siting their lack of insurance on the docks as the reason... but we weren't on the dock, we were on the public beach.  Either way, we left without incident and made our way to Riverwalk Landing, the new public docks.  $5 per day to tie up, no trash, no facilities, no nothing.  A bit pricey considering public parking is free all over town...we've a letter drafted to the Powers That Be stating our position.  If it gets sent, that will be a miracle in itself.

Today we walked into town (1 mile according to the Marina folks, 3+ in reality.)  We splurged and got our hair professionally trimmed, we can sail thousands of miles but neither of us can cut a straight line...  No public transportation, no cabs, nothing according to the folks at the Marina as well as Food Lion grocery.  So we got minimal supplies (we didn't want the milk to turn to cottage cheese and the cottage cheese to sour cream on the walk back) and set back out on foot.  Part way back, Maggie, a dear old lady, stopped and asked us if we wanted a ride.  Bless you, my dear.  Her A/C was a Godsend on a 93 degree day...considering Gloucester Point, VA has no sidewalks, no crosswalks, nothing pedestrian friendly.  Thankfully we made the round trip in one piece...well, two, since there are two of us, but you get the point.

Tomorrow, off to Deltaville.  We've heard nothing but wonderful about this seaside community. 

I'm glad we came to Yorktown and I'll be glad to leave.