Our Cruise South: The Final Word

Well it looks as though I'm not going to be writing a summary for this blog - a cruising trip recap so to speak. A year has passed and I still haven't followed through on my intention to wrap everything up - to come up with all kinds of numbers as I've seen other bloggers do, like: how many times did we soft ground, how many nights did we anchor, etc. and so on. On the other hand, in the year since we've been back, Bob and I have put together a presentation for our club and I have written an article for our club magazine so we've done our share of looking back and summarizing. It's occurred to me that I could transfer some of that work here to the blog: I'm going to post the lists Bob compiled for our presentation as well as the text of the article that I wrote. That should do it!

Bob's List: Preparing Sea Change for Cruising to the Bahamas

Additions for Protection Against Salt Water

• VC 17 stripped off; Interprotect and Micron CSC put on
• Traditional stuffing box replaced with P.S.S. dripless
• Galvanic Isolator
• Lanacote spray for stainless
• Spare zincs

Safety, Navigation and Sailing

• CP&S Squadron Piloting Course and St. John's First Aid
• Added jack lines and refreshed First Aid kit
• LED masthead light (strobe light option)
• Raymarine C80 Chart Plotter and 2 kw radar
• Navionics Platinum chips; paper charts and guide books
• 90 ft. chain / 2nd rode and chain / Fortress and Bubble anchors
• Carbon fiber whisker pole and mast mount
• Tow Bow US membership

Communication

• Unlocked cell phone, US and Bahamas SIM cards
• Sirius Radio
• Computer
• Spot Messenger

Comfort and Convenience 

• Espar heater
• Full enclosure
• New coastal off shore foulies
• Long underwear, socks, toques, gloves
• Honda 2000 generator
• Freedom 10 inverter/charger
• Additional GR. 27 Surrette house battery
• Hatch screens and extra No Seeum small sized netting

Tools, Spare Parts and Transport

• Built on-deck mast cradle
• Stowaway inflatable boat fenders
• Bulbs, oil filters, belts, tool kit, drill
• 9.9 Four Stroke engine, hard bottom dinghy and davits
• Balmar 100 Amp ALT, regulator and isolator
• Sea Gull in-line water filter
• Rebuild kits: head, bilge pumps, fresh water pump, impellers

In the Galley (in addition to the usual provisions)

• Small containers of spices
• Baking supplies
• Mixing bowls, cookware: muffin tins, loaf pans, cookie sheet
• Pressure Cooker
• Cook books: The Cruising Chef / Michael Greenwald, One Pot Wonders: James Barber's Recipes for Land and Sea, Cooking Under Pressure / Lorna J. Sass

Additions, Replacements and Repairs Along the Way

• Starter engine solenoid
• Under bunk plastic grate for moisture control
• Extra zincs and hull cleaning
• Fresh water pressure switch
• New macerator and repair kit
• Repaired 2 electric bilge pumps
• WiFi signal booster, antenna and mount
• New dinghy lock (old one salt corroded)
• Repaired leak in the anchor locker
• Exchanged starting battery
• Changed oil every 25 days
• Replaced engine impeller
• Subscription to Chris Parker's Weather Service
• Single side band receiver
•  

Summing It All Up: Cruising to the Bahamas: A First Experience

Coming Home

Welcome back at the club.

Thank you to members of the CSS and others from the club who gave us such a nice welcome back to our dock and to those who planned and came to the gathering on the south island. Bob and I very much appreciated the warm welcome and we are happy to be back among you.

Thank you also to the many people who have told me that they've been reading and enjoying the blog. I've certainly enjoyed writing it.

The last few days of our trip became a re-immersion into the life we left behind. The sun came out on Friday and stayed throughout the weekend as we returned to the Lake Ontario version of our life on the water.

On Friday, when the Mursells joined us at Youngstown, Mary greeted us wearing an "Eleuthera - Not for Everyone" t-shirt. We all find the t-shirt comment hysterically funny - it's a kind of in-joke referring back to the days we spent together trapped by weather and tied up to a crumbling wall at Hatchet Bay (Eleuthera). We had dinner that night with the Mursells and told stories of our travel adventures and misadventures. Looking back, even our mishaps have become the stuff of tales we laugh about. Whatever else the challenges were, they were part of a unique experience that we can't believe we've had.

Race to Youngstown Awards

On Saturday members of the Cruising Squadron arrived from across the lake and tied up or rafted with us along the wall at the Youngstown Yacht club. It was great to reconnect with everyone and to laugh together while Terry did his always fresh stand up comedy while handing out beer mugs for real and fantastical achievements.

We had an easy motor sail back across the lake to the club where we were greeted by friends standing at the dock. Shortly after, we joined others who came for a picnic table gathering to have a glass of wine and say hello. How very nice that was.

We are fully at home now - wondering what to do first. There's the laundry, the first grocery shopping, the jungle in the garden, the pool to open, the boat to unload, the appointments to keep, the piles of mail to attend to, the phone calls to make. It might help if we weren't intent on getting everything attended to all at once. What - you have no sympathy? You say, "What are you complaining about after your 9 month great escape?" I agree. In truth, we are enjoying getting our house in order and we are glad to be at home and back near our friends and family.

After we settled down, I'll do one more posting - a sort of looking back and summing up. Until then - thanks for reading!

Sunset at Youngstown

From Wilson to Youngstown

Yesterday morning Bob woke me at 5:30. He wanted to get going and sail all the way to Wilson - some 54 nautical miles from Rochester. We were on the water by 6:30. When I took the water/sky picture at 10:30, it looked as though the sun was going to fight its way through the clouds but no such luck. Instead the clouds thickened until the lake and sky were an unrelieved grey as far as we could see. Was it because the water was flat and the wind light, that hundreds of flies decided to catch a ride on the boat? On the lake, there are days with flies and days without - some days they are in a biting mood and some days they just land on everything and sit stupidly or fly about and bump into your face. Yesterday they weren't biting, rather they were so lethargic that they didn't move - even to escape death. There were crushed flies on the cockpit sole where we had walked on them, and more on the cushions as we sat down unawares on top of them. It was disgusting. After our dreary day of motoring, when we finally tied up at Wilson's Tuscarora Yacht, Bob couldn't get the hose out fast enough to clean away all traces of our fly graveyard.

It's nice to be in familiar waters entering harbours where you know the shallow spots and where to find the visitors' dock at the yacht clubs. Since transient cruisers aren't expected so early in the season, we weren't able to raise anyone on the VHF at either the Sodus Bay or Tuscarora Yacht club - but there's always someone puttering on their boat who finds a spot for us and tells us how to sign in for the night.

Today we motored to Youngstown - just 2 hours from Wilson. We'll spend the day having a look around and tonight we'll have a reunion with Bill and Mary Mursell. They'll sail Vectis across the river from the Niagara Yacht Club where they keep her and we'll do some catching up over dinner tonight. We last saw the Mursells in Fort Pierce, Florida while they were still on Southern Vectis.

Tomorrow those participating in the RCYC Cruising Squadron Youngstown Race will arrive and raft up where we are now - on the wall at the Youngstown Yacht Club - and we'll be there to greet them. It will be fun to see everyone after what seems the very long time that we've been away.

We've been to the Youngtown Yacht Club several times but only for the night. Today we took the time to tour Fort Niagara. This is taken inside "The Castle", the oldest building in the Fort.

Lake Ontario at the entrance to the Niagara River - taken from the North Redoubt (a mini fort) at Fort Niagara.

Cruising Home Along the Lake

Looking east on Lake Ontario at about 9 this morning: there wasn't much happening - no wind and just a soft swell.

We're retracing our journey back along the south shore of the lake. (The word journey makes me think of reality shows where everything is a "journey".) When we left Sodus Bay there was a light mist on the water and then a thick fog closed in. The fog combined with a possible thunderstorm forecast and a stormy feel in the air sealed our decision to stop before lunch. In Sodus Bay we took a long walk to the little meat market grocery store that we like to go to and were disappointed to find that it's changed hands and the meat counter is no more. The fellow did have a little frozen meat so we bought couple of pork chops for dinner which Bob barbecued and were very good.

Today we had another short day - we stopped at Rochester for a couple of reasons - the nice yacht club here where, with our yacht club's "reciprocal" agreement, we can spend a night free and also to pick up our Balmar alternator that Bob had sent away to be repaired and then had sent back to us via the Rochester club. There's a story attached to the alternator and our experience with a mechanic at West End in the Bahamas. It's a bit involved so if you're interested, ask Bob about having engine repairs done in the Bahamas. It's a long story but the moral is: expect to pay a lot and don't expect a satisfactory outcome. I'll say no more.

We have a couple more stops to make and then we will be meeting our club's Cruising Squadron in Youngstown on Saturday. It will be fun to see the group there. On Sunday we'll sail back to the club with everyone - and we'll be home!

Canal Travels

Saturday, June 6th: On the Erie Canal

Yesterday was a cloudy, heavy feeling kind of day and we had our fleeces on until mid-afternoon. The canal was not as entrancing under a dull sky but the sun and sparkle have returned today and we are back to thoroughly enjoying the tree lined water. The air has a fresh woodsy smell and occasionally the perfume of hidden blossoms drifts our way. We are seeing a green brighter and more vivid in the sun and different from the fall, I think, because it's the shimmering green of new spring leaves. Among the trees there are some covered in ivory blossoms - I've no clue what kind they are - but they accent and contrast the surrounding shades of green. We are close enough and moving slowly enough that we can hear the twittering, cawing and chirping of birds. Just now we saw another blue heron fly by. I was able to watch as it landed on the shore and I kept my eye on it long enough to take a picture as it stood and then again as it lifted into the air to fly back across the canal.

We have been traveling about 10 hours a day. It's easy to put in these long days when traveling on flat water. There's time to sit and read when it's our turn off-duty and to have our tea mid-morning and make a proper fat sandwich layered with good stuff for lunch. I save peanut butter and banana for the rough water days. This time around our experience going through the locks has been so-o-o much easier. We have our routine down - who "calls" the place we'll grab lines and who grabs what. Everything goes so much better when you know what to expect and what to do. Warmth and sun help too. Most days have been really pleasant.

In contrast, yesterday was the kind of off day that we have occasionally. First of all, we had a bad "lock through" where the lines hanging from the top of the lock were too far apart and Bob had to make do with wrapping a line around one of the pipes running vertically down the wall and meant for this use - he missed a pipe twice - didn't get to it before the boat had moved too far away and finally had to use the boat hook - then got the hook caught and jammed against the dodger. It was a tense few minutes but Bob eventually was able to grab the stern line and pass it behind the pipe. Later at the top of one of the bigger locks just as we were about to cast off, the engine alarm sounded to signal overheating and Bob ran to turn if off. The lock masters offered to pull the boat out of the lock to the wall beyond - well they had to do something as we were kind of in the way - so there were several throws of lines which fell short since we were throwing across and up which turned out to be rather hard. By now we were drifting since we had let go of the lines and pushed off with the boat hook to get closer to the other side. Finally one of the lock masters put the walkway back across the lock, walked across and extended a hook to grab a line passed from the bow of the boat - now floating close to that side. We knew we'd get out of there eventually! Once we were tied up along the wall past the lock, Bob began to investigate why the engine had overheated. He couldn't find any blockage in the intake or basket. After a time, the engine started fine without a problem and without the alarm - it had cooled down. One of the lock masters suggested that some of the considerable spring debris (wood pieces chiefly or perhaps a plastic bag) might have been sucked against the intake and blocked it without actually being sucked in. That seemed as good an explanation as any. These glitches occurred in 2 of the some 20 locks that we have "locked through" - so not to worry. It's mostlybeen  a breeze.

Later:
We've just locked through Lock 23 and we're going to spend the night on the wall beside it. It's Saturday night and as we sat waiting for the water to drain out of the lock and take us down, we were entertainment for groups of people who had come to watch. I spoke to one woman who told me how she loved the boats - so I told her that we are from Toronto and have been to the Bahamas. She was amazed that we could spend so much time on a boat - and go so far. She turned and relayed this information to an elderly woman sitting on the bench. "Can you cook on that?", she asked and was surprised to hear that, yes, I do cook on a stove with an oven - where I've even baked banana bread. "Banana bread?" she said, "I can't believe you could make banana bread!", and then turned once more to tell the woman on the bench. After we had gone through the lock and tied up on the wall, we went for a walk and stopped by the lock to see other boats locking through. Since we are so close to Lake Oneida (which we've just crossed), there were a couple of small cruisers out for the day and also a muscle boat rumbling while an attractive young couple got it into place. I'm afraid they fit the stereotype. The woman was slim, blonde and well shaped with a tight t-shirt over her bikini and her partner was bare chested and muscle bound with a tattoo hooking over the top of his shoulder (not that there's anything wrong with that). It was amusing. Bob said that I should have taken a picture so that we could tell people that that was the kind of the boat we want and the kind of people we aspire to be.

There are beautiful tall fir trees in the park here. It's been a long time since we've seen trees like that - mmm - a good familiar smell. We must be getting close to home.

There are 306 railway and highway bridges over the Erie Canal. Since we traveled only part way along the canal before we turned north up the Oswego Canal, we haven't gone under all 306 bridges - but we've gone under quite a few! The Erie Canal starts in the east at the Hudson River and continues west to Buffalo. Since the "controlling height" of the bridges is only 20 feet, all sailboats must remove their masts before traveling on the Erie, Oswego, Cayuga-Seneca or Champlain Canals - all part of the New York State Canal System.

Tugs owned by the New York State Canal Commission are painted in these colours. I've never seen such pretty tugs. The same colours are used for painting fences and other structures at the locks - so everything is kind of colour coordinated.

Once we had entered the Erie Canal at Waterford, we were traveling on the Mohawk River. Most of the eastern section of the canal follows the Mohawk River and most of the locks on the river are associated with dams and bridges that typically look like this.

Monday, June 8th: Oswego

Yesterday we went through Lock 7 and then tied up for the night at the wall on the other side. We had arrived at Oswego but we still had one more lock to go through today before entering the Oswego harbour and getting into the marina where our mast would be stepped. At 8 this morning, we were through the last lock but another boat was ahead of us well into getting their mast taken down for a trip through the canal system to Lake Champlain where they'll be spending their summer. We slipped in after them and I got a couple of loads of laundry done while Bob and the marina guys put the mast up. We're back in our slip where we'll spend tonight. Bob has mounted the radar on the back stay. Since, for the first time since we left Florida, I'm unable to access the Net, I've walked to the library for emailing and blogging while Bob continues putting the boat back together. He'll ask one of the fellows from the marina for help lifting the boom to put it back in place.

Tomorrow we're not sure how far we'll get since the forecast is for thunderstorms. I'm surprised. Thunderstorms at this time of year and forecast as "possible" for the next couple of days?? But it's so cool! - not what you think of as thunderstorm weather. We'll set out in the early morning but may only go a short distance if the skies look ominous and the seas are bumpy - and although it's sunny and even warmish in town, it's c-c-cold near the water. I expect to be emptying the hanging locker again and putting on my fowl weather gear as well as a fleece (or two)!

In the Erie Canal

Preparations for the mast to come down (sails off, mast supports put on deck, radar off the back stay, and other stuff that Bob does that I don't know about) as well as the mast removal (done by staff at the marina) were completed in one day. We arrived at Riverview Marina on Catskill Creek the afternoon of June 1st. By the evening of June 2nd, everything was done (in addition to assisting at crucial moments, Barb and I had done laundry and taken a cab to get groceries) - so we were able to go out with Barb and Ken for dinner to celebrate a productive day - and my birthday. I'm not saying how old I am but after my birthday next year, I'll be able to get discounts at Shoppers Drug Mart on Seniors' day.

The next day was a short travel day. We went through the federal lock at Troy (lock number 1) and in the early afternoon, we arrived at Waterford where we tied up along the wall. If you are lucky to find a space, there is a long free dock with power and water at Waterford but all spaces were full. We were happy enough to be at the wall where we still had access to washrooms and showers. From here on in, as we progress through the Erie Canal, we'll likely be able to dock for free most nights. In some places where a few services are offered, the cost is minimal ($1 a foot) and there are also the usual marinas if you want a proper dock with all the frills. Some people spend weeks ambling along the canal and stopping here and there to explore. It would be a fun thing to do. It's very pretty and there's lots of history to discover in the towns which grew up in response to the trade and commerce made possible by the canal.

Last night, we ordered some exceptionally good pizza and had a farewell dinner on board Plumpuppet. From Waterford it's possible to enter either the Champlain or Erie Canals. This morning, Barb and Ken went into the Champlain Canal on their way back to Lake Champlain where they keep their boat and we began our trip through the Erie canal toward Oswego on Lake Ontario.

From Waterford, you go into the Waterford Flight - five locks one after the other which take you up 169 feet.

Just out of one lock in the five of the Waterford Flight (see the open lock gate at the side) and moving into the next lock just up ahead. It was a beautiful day to be going through this scenic part of the canal.

A perfectly beautiful day in the Erie Canal

Docked for the night on the wall at Fonda - where THE Fondas once lived.
See the boat in front of Sea Change? - What do you do when you don't want to sail anymore? Remove the mast from your boat et volia - a power boat.

Up the Jersey Shore and Then the Hudson

Monday, June 1: Catskill, NY

All last week there were forecasts for possible thunderstorms. Finally, on Friday night while still at anchor in Atlantic City, we heard thunder and saw flashes of lightning - not close - but definitely part of a storm somewhere. After that there was no more threat of storms. By the next day the fog had lifted and the seas were calmer than all the week before. It was time to make our last run up the Jersey shore. Some people do the trip between Sandy Hook, NY and Cape May, NJ in 3 jumps stopping at Manasquan and Atlantic City; some cruise through the night and go all the way. We were repeating the 2 jump trip we had done on the way down, but this time instead of stopping at Barnegat Bay, we had stopped at Atlantic City.

From Atlantic City we had a long long way to go for the second jump. To make it before dark, we were up at 4:45 and out the Absecon Inlet by 5:30. 82 nautical miles and 14 hours later, we were anchored behind the breakwater at Atlantic Highlands marina just off the lower Hudson. It was a long day but not difficult - sunny skies, some wind and OK seas. The worst part was the last hour when we rounded Sandy Hook into an opposing current and Friday night boat traffic. The water was churned up by boats going every which way - big and small sport fishing boats, a freighter here and there, sailboats like us. That night, we were most relieved to say goodbye to the open Atlantic and settle in for a quiet night.

From here on in, it's full steam ahead toward home. At Barb and Ken's suggestion, we dispensed with our stay at New York City's 79th Street Marina. Instead, we fueled up at Atlantic Highlands and left at 7:30 a.m. to catch the tide up the Hudson as far as it would take us. After traveling some 60 nautical miles, the strong northwest winds made the planned for anchorage at Haverstraw Bay a bad bet so we continued on to anchor where a jog in the river created protection beneath Dunderburg Mountain. The anchorage was described as across from a nuclear plant and beside a railroad track. It sounded most unappealing but it was lovely with trees covering the mountainous shoreline. Trains passing nearby didn't bother us - we were too tired to take notice.





Manhattan ahead: we passed through New York City harbour and kept going.

I had forgotten - the Hudson has some spectacular scenery. As you move north bluffs line the river and then gradually rise into hills and mountains - all green with trees. When we continued up the river on Monday, we had a crisply cool but bright sunny day and lots of lovely scenery to look at. Again we left early to catch the tide arriving here at Riverview Marina, Catskills, NY in the late afternoon. This is the place where our masts come down so that we can take our boats through the locks ahead.

Scenes from the Hudson:

United States Military Academy at West Point

Unplanned Stop in Atlantic City

Atlantic City's boardwalk on a cool, damp day.

Yesterday it was foggy at Cape May. We waited for the fog to clear and then at about 11:30, along with Plumpuppet, we went out of the inlet with the intention of possibly going all the way to Sandy Hook where we would anchor. (Sandy Hook is close to New York City.) That would have meant traveling through the night and reaching our destination early the next day. Once out on the water we were met with patchy fog - sometimes dense, sometimes clearing a little and then closing in again. We put on the radar and found the purple blob on the screen that was Plumpuppet ahead of us. The waves were probably about 4 or 5 feet - it's always hard to know exactly - they were long and rolling (not breaking) but they were coming at us either on the nose or on our forward quarter. Eventually, the light north wind shifted enough so that we could put out our head sail and pick up our speed to 6 kts plus. It was not a comfortable ride and was the kind of rock and roll that would eventually make me queasy - a long overnight ride in these conditions was not in the cards for me. We decided to call it a day at Atlantic City and Plumpuppet did the same.

Once we were in the harbour the fog lifted and we were very glad to see the markers leading into a snug little anchorage described in Skipper Bob's guide. Good old Skipper Bob - if you follow his instructions to the letter (he's pretty skimpy with instructions) and you cross your fingers while going carefully into narrow, shoaled entrances ("feeling your way in" as Skipper Bob says) - all will be well and you can drop the hook in some of the most surprising places. Here we are in sight of Harrods Casino in a well protected "pool" of water - no hint of wind or the rolling seas outside.

We woke this morning to dense fog. The forecast is the same as for yesterday - more uncomfortable seas so we've decided to stay put for another night. We'll drop the dinghies and go in to see what we can see.

Tomorrow we hope to leave very early. The wind and wave direction will be from the south and we can only hope that the cool air temperature coupled with the higher water temps won't create more mist!

Beach at Atlantic City: mid-afternoon and there's still fog covering the top of buildings

Light show in the mall at Caesar's Palace Casino

Back to Cape May

Sunday, May 24th: Chesapeake and Delaware Canal

Chesapeake City

Early Saturday morning we left Rock Hall with Plumpuppet and sailed north up the eastern Chesapeake shore. We said good-bye to Karen and Warren (Sandcastle) at St. Michaels. They were going to Annapolis and then on to Baltimore. At the top of the Bay, we went into the Elk River, then into Back Creek and finally, into the C and D Canal - the land cut joining Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware River. Once out of the Bay, we felt as though we were traveling in a wave pool. There is no speed limit along the waterway leading into the C and D, nor in the canal itself, and in this relatively narrow channel, fast boats, large and small, were traveling about as fast as they could go. Some slowed to avoid "waking" us but most did not. That this was Saturday, on Memorial Day weekend accounted for the number of boats: every Tom, Dick and Shirley was out whizzing along on this beautiful sunny day. We were having quite a rock and rolly time. The winds were light, so having given up on sailing, Bob was up on deck putting on the sail cover when a big, very fast boat breezed close by and sent us diving into a huge wake. After hugging the boom so as not to be pitched overboard, an exasperated Bob raised his arm and gave the one finger salute. The boat was just one of many that had passed in a similar way - but this time, Bob was really MAD. By early afternoon, we were glad to get out of the canal and into the calm of Chesapeake City boat basin where we would be anchoring for the night.

We had by passed Chesapeake City in the fall so we were eager to go ashore. I decided to time how fast we had become at this anchor and go to town routine. We arrived about 1:30 - the anchor was set at 1:45. By 1:55, we had the dinghy down, the motor off the rail and had lowered and attached it to the dinghy. We did boat tidy up (open hatches, turn off instruments and cover instrument panels, attach screen/curtain to companionway....), gathered what we needed to take (camera, phone ...) and we were on our way into town by 2:20. Not bad, eh? When you plan to move on the following morning and have only the remainder of the day to explore, you move fast. We've had many such days on this trip. I have to admit, though, that there are times when we get hung up on anchoring and it takes forever. Deciding on an appropriate spot and anchoring in it - the first time - can be a problem on Sea Change.

Chesapeake City: Looking toward the boat basin - that's Sea Change in the centre beside the tree.

Chesapeake City was fun to walk around. I took oodles of pictures of tiny historic homes, each with a plaque naming the house and date (most were mid 1800s) and fronted by cute decorated and furnished porches hugging the street. Sometimes the house only appeared to be small but stretched way back in a long narrow lot. This must be another of the areas where homes were at one time taxed according to width.


The town had a Memorial Day weekend festive air. The Chesapeake Inn and attached marina were hives of activity. As the afternoon wore on, more and more boats came into the boat basin - some to anchor - others to dock at the free dock along the wall or in the marina for an overnight stay. It was, as Barb described it, "party central". In the late afternoon, the muscle boats began to arrive - big cigarette and other long, sleek and brightly painted boats that couldn't seem to move without a great roar and thrum of engines. As they hovered in the little bay and then maneuvered into a place at the wall, their booming sounds reminded me of jungle animals roaring to assert dominance or as part of some mating ritual. With their noise and amazing hull graphics, these super boats drew crowds on the docks and at the waterfront.

It was a noisy and busy place on Saturday, but we enjoyed our time in Chesapeake City. On the other hand, a day's visit was quite enough.

Saturday, May 25th Noon - Traveling Down the Delaware

The chip for our GPS chart plotter includes tide and current information for each area. Along with Barb and Ken on Plumpuppet, we spent a fair amount of time trying to determine when we best might be able to catch a favourable current down the Delaware. In the fall we had traveled up the Bay with the current against us, the wind on our nose and waves at 2-3 feet - a slow going rough day that we didn't want to repeat. On the day we left Chesapeake City, we were able to ride the current until we turned toward the Cohansey River where we anchored for the night. Once settled, we repeated our tide and current searches. Current was something to consider as we moved further down the river and into Delaware Bay but we were especially concerned with tide in the Cape May Canal. There are 2 bridges near the end of the canal that have a 55 foot clearance at mean high tide. Our mast height including the Windex and VHF antenna at the top measures 53 feet above the water. Theoretically, we should be able to get under the bridges at high tide but that's not something we want to chance. There is usually a 6 foot variation in tides (7 right now due to the phase of the moon) so going through at or near low tide allows a comfortable margin of error. In the fall we went out from Cape May into the ocean and around and up into the Delaware rather than chance clearing the canal bridges near high tide. To catch a low tide we would have had to get up and transit the canal in the dark. This time, low tide will be in the afternoon. At this minute - as we move down the bay in calm seas - we have cut the engine back so as not to arrive at the bridges too early. Even so - I know from past experience that from our perspective looking up - it will appear that the top of the mast is going to hit for sure.

2:50 p.m. - Utsch's Marina, Cape May

We're snug in our spot at the marina in Cape May - not the one we stayed at in the fall but a more plebeian marina so a little cheaper and fortunately, also closer to old Cape May. That's some of the good news. It's also good news that the tide was definitely low enough for us to get under the bridges, no problem. It was so much easier to go the 3 miles up the canal than going out into the Atlantic, weaving our way along the "shortcut" through the shoals and then back in through the inlet to the Cape May harbour. Whew!

The bad news is that the low tide meant skinny water where we had to turn toward the marina. The marina lady had told us to turn to starboard and run parallel to and 20 to 30 feet from the marina bulkhead. Plumpuppet was ahead of us by almost an hour - they turned as advised - and got stuck. Eventually they were able to work themselves free and they hailed us to say: stay close into the bulk head - no more than10 feet from it. Along we came an hour later with the tide a smidgen lower and because there were boats crossing in front of our bow - Bob didn't make the turn as tightly as he should have. We grounded well before we reached the bulkhead. It's all mud though and Bob also was able to maneuver the boat free. Whew again!

We'll be here for at least 2 nights. We've missed today's good weather window. It would have been calm seas going up the New Jersey shore to New York City but the forecast for the next 2 to 3 days is mixed. After 16 days at anchor or on a mooring ball, I think we're ready for a marina stay. We'll do laundry (nice not to have to haul it in a dinghy). We'll have dinner at the Lobster House (famous in the area) - and we'll see.

Wrapping Up the Chesapeake

Barb at the wheel of Plumpuppet in an early morning mist

Historic boats at St. Michaels' Maritime museum

A quick post to wrap up this part of our trip:
We've been to Oxford (charming, small, very pretty, few stores) and St. Michaels (bigger, also pretty and charming, every kind of store). Spent an afternoon at St. Micheals' Maritime Museum learning about boats used by watermen in an earlier time - the beautiful skipjack - a shallow draft sailing boat designed for dredging oysters in the shallow waters of the Chesapeake, the long narrow "canoe" boats: work boats for shrimping and tonging for oysters - the "Buy Boat": a boat that went around to the oyster boats and off loaded their catch so the fishermen lost no time in dredging for osyters. In our Chesapeake travels, we've seen watermen everywhere so we're interested in their history. We've returned to Rock Hall for one last crab feast and we cracked, ripped and ate until we couldn't eat more. Tomorrow, up early again to sail to Chesapeake City and then weather permitting, we'll leave in the morning to catch the tide through the C and D canal, go part way down Delaware Bay and then anchor for the night before we continue the rest of the way. We're on our way to Cape May and we're getting closer to home.

Stuck in Beautiful Mill Creek

I've just added pictures to the previous post.

Saturday, May 16th: Mill Creek off of the Great Wicomico River, VA

We saw this Great Egret at Tangier Island. I've loved watching the egrets we've seen along the way.

On Friday afternoon, we enjoyed our visit to Tangier Island - one hour from Onancock by fast boat. A few hours were all we needed to walk the narrow streets of the town and read the signs along the way telling the history of each spot: home of early settlers, the first doctor, the general store that also sold coffins and whose owner was also the town undertaker, the first post office, why some homes have graves in the front yard. We visited the open building where crabs are sorted - those having shrugged off their shell being separated from the rest to be sold as soft shelled crab. There were a couple of shops selling T-shirts and such but for the most part, this is a busy community focused around their own business, golf carts scooting around, while people like us nose about and then eat a meal at one of the several restaurants. For dinner, most of us ordered soft-shell crab. We picked the crabs up and ate them with our fingers and they were tasty as only fresh seafood can be. At the end of our visit, we could hardly wait to get away - the no-see-ums that appeared in the evening as we waited for the ferry were in swarms and were ferocious!





That's a family grave in the front yard.

Blue crabs really are blue!

Today, there was a small craft wind warning and possible thunderstorms predicted for this afternoon. To avoid the bad stuff, we got up extra early and were on our way just after 6. For the first time in a while, we were powered under sail only for most of the morning. Early on, we had some winds gusting to 18+ so in view of the afternoon forecast and the dark skies looming ahead, Bob put a reef in the main sail and partially furled the jib - unnecessarily as it turned out. Since we were making good time we questioned whether we should skip the anchorage just off the Great Wicomico river and keep going to Solomons - our hoped for destination tomorrow - but we considered that the weather might very well get nasty later in the day and decided that playing it safe was best. Well before noon, we sailed into the mouth of Great Wicomico River and then turned into Mill Creek. What a beautiful spot - one of the nicest anchorages we've been in - State side, that is - and very protected too should those "possible thunderstorms" materialize. However: nothing materialized - the sun shone, the wind moved onshore trees around a bit but - really - that was it. We had been sailing in south winds - perfect for traveling north to Solomons - and guess what - the winds for the next three days will be against us as we travel north, the waves are predicted to be big, and tomorrow, there is a 90% chance of rain. We should have kept going we all said - while the going was good.

Anchored in Mill Creek

After getting settled, Bob and I put the dinghy in the water thinking that we might as well get out and around while the sun shone. We cruised up the "creek" - which looks more like a wide river or even a long narrow lake. It's a lovely place - apparently far from most towns and large centres so not built up. It has the feel of some cottage country piece of water in the hinterland where there's still lots of thickly wooded areas and only a few cottages built and occupied by the intrepid. The Waterways guidebook lists this area as swimming territory. There is enough fresh water here mixed in with the salt to discourage the jelly fish found elsewhere - so no worries there - and it certainly was hot enough to get wet. (In the Chesapeake, fresh water runs in from the rivers and mixes with salt water from the Atlantic.) Bob and I went back to the boat and put on our bathing suits. The surface water was warm - a little farther down - kind of cool - but it felt good and we paddled around for a while, then soaped ourselves up and rinsed off with the stern "shower" (a hose with spray nozzle that pulls out of a recess at the boat's stern). Rather than use the shower in our head, this would be our shower for the day. We'd had our first Chesapeake swim. What a treat.

In the days to come, the predicted potpourri of bad weather includes much cooler temps - but then who knows? Today's forecast was a bit of a bust!

Monday, May 18th: Mill Creek off of the Great Wicomico River, VA

We're still in Mill Creek and hoping to venture out into the Bay tomorrow. The winds are strong and against us again today and the waves too high for us to be plowing into them - so it's another day at anchor and poking around the boat.

Since we never got to a proper grocery store in Onancock, I wasn't able to buy any decent bread. I did get some wonderful produce at the hardware store (funny, eh?) and milk at the gas station convenience but the white mushy Wonder bread sold at the gas station is just too awful to waste money on - well actually - it's too awful to eat! - so I've used my time to make English muffins (part whole wheat) and a loaf of baking powder beer bread (more like a biscuit). Since we have another whole day at anchor before us, I might as well try the yeast bread recipe I was given back in the Exumas. It calls for part sea water (since it's a "sailors'" bread) - but I'll substitute fresh water and salt.

I've also been getting back to the pressure cooker. Having tried a few recipes from the accompanying cook book, I've settled on 3 favourites - pressure cooked whole chicken (for a 4 lb chicken - about 45 minutes using a very low flame for part of the time yields very moist meat), stew (very good and no browning required), and what I made last night, "Curry in a Hurry" (chicken breast cooked in coconut milk with curry paste I brought from home - hard to find in the grocery stores here). Tonight I'm thawing out some stewing meat and getting out the cooker again.

Bob is still finding jobs to do about the boat - more polishing and cleaning - and he has scraped away some of the caulking around the head floor and is going to replace it - it's been leaking a little and messing up the cherry wood on the main cabin side.

Both of us have been doing a lot of reading - right now we're both reading books I've picked up at book exchanges. Cruisers read a lot and tend to leave all their books at exchanges when they're finished with them. I was almost out of books until we found a book exchange in the bar at Onancock (a big one) and then Barb passed along a bag of books as well.

I'm enjoying another day "stuck" on the boat but I must say - being able to share someone's Internet signal certainly helps. But would we welcome another day here? - not likely!

From Anchorage to Chesapeake Anchorage

In response to Judie's comment where she asked how the beautiful Dismal Swamp got such a name - the word dismal means swamp - Here's a definition:
Dismal (noun): Southern U.S. a tract of swampy land, usually along the coast.

Monday, May 11th: Hampton River, VA (SW side of the Chesapeake)

After 2 days in the Dismal Swamp canal, and many more moving along the ICW in warm temps with the wind at our back, today we felt as though we were emerging from La-La Land into the big cold world. This morning in Deep Creek pond (where we had tied up at the wall), it was cloudy and the air was cool. By 9:00 we were through the Deep Creek lock and traveling up the Elizabeth River - past the mammoth naval ships, and through the harbour at Norfolk. When we moved into the open water of the Chesapeake, we were met with cold wind on our nose and big waves crashing against the bow. As Sea Change rode up waves and crashed down, Barb hailed us - did we want to continue fighting our way forward for another 1 1/2 hrs. to Salt Pond as planned or bail out somewhere? - but where? On the trip south, Bob and I had gone up the Hampton River for our visit with the Woolseys - Bob suggested that we could nip in there, escape the rough water and anchor for the night. For a while we continued bucking the waves but finally gave up and, early in the afternoon the three boats (Plumpuppet, Sandcastle and Sea Change) turned to port and headed up the river where we squeezed into a narrow anchorage along the channel surrounded by condos and marinas, and big shrimp boats.

Once anchored we did the breakfast and lunch dishes - washing up less often saves water - we think :) - I baked banana bread and Bob studied the engine manual. He suspects that the propeller is "cavitating" but jokes that he doesn't know what the word means. After dinner, we sat up top and had coffee and coconut cake (bought, not made), read our murder mysteries until it got cold and then retreated below so as to close up the boat and turn on the heater. Now, I'm writing my blog and Bob is listening to a Leonard Cohen CD and to all the words in all of the songs. Such are the pleasures of an evening at anchor.

And finally - It seems that we'd forgotten about the Chesapeake. Those big waves were a bit of a shock. NOW we remember!

Tuesday, May 12th: Heading to Onancock, VA (SE side of Chesapeake)










Yesterday we left Hampton and continued north (still on the east side) weaving our way through long lines of crab traps until we reached Mobjack Bay. From there, we moved up into the Severn, one of four rivers that feed into the bay, and anchored in a pretty and peaceful spot - well protected and surrounded by trees with a few homes nestled in among them. As soon as the anchor was set, we lowered our dinghy to do a little exploring. It was sunny and the weather had warmed a little - so we crept up a nearby creek to see the homes and woods (a golf course hidden behind) and then whizzed over the bay in a lovely fresh breeze. We stopped to watch an osprey sitting on her nest and chirping - yes - an Osprey's call is a "chirp" - a rather innocuous sound for a bird of prey. I'd been taking pictures of nests with Ospreys all day and when I zoomed in with my camera, I was also seeing a second Osprey head peeking just over the top of the nest. Was this a rather big baby?, I wondered, but Sue from Hydrotherapy has since told me that the second head more likely belonged to the other parent who sitting on the eggs - the female, I guess - do males ever sit on eggs?

Friday, May 15th: Ornancock (try to say that without tripping!), VA

On Wednesday, we up anchored at 6:30 a.m. and began the 50 nautical mile trip across the Bay to an anchorage up the Ornancock River and beside the town of Ornancock. Anchorages on the Chesapeake are often beautiful but, more often than not, you have to travel for miles up a river into a bay, to reach them. The same holds true for the many picturesque towns up and down the Bay. The air temperature was in the low to mid 70s, and the water, flat calm making for an uneventful 10 hour trip. Our chief entertainment, other than dodging crab traps, was watching the various small fishing boats with watermen (Chesapeake fishermen) pulling and emptying their traps or speeding along with traps piled high on the deck of their boats.

We wanted to take the ferry yesterday from Ornancock to Tangier Island where we there is a community of watermen and their families. The culture on the Island and the neighbouring Smith Island are said have changed less over time than similar communities on the mainland. We thought briefly of taking our boats into Tangier but the water there is shallow and we would have had to wait until high tide to get into and out of the harbour. Since the ferry hadn't started it's summer schedule and wasn't running until today, we have stayed the extra day and in the meantime, made the long long walk to the laundromat (good to have that done!), and also tried out a couple of the local pubs for drinks and dinner along with Sandcastle, Hydrothery (Bill and Sue) and Plumpuppet.

We're taking a ferry to Tangier at 2 this afternoon. We're told that we can buy soft shell crabs on the island for a good price. Those are the crabs that you fry whole: claws, shell and all and you eat them that way as well. I've had them, but although they are tasty enough, I still have to give myself a pep talk before I begin to chew.

There's a small craft wind warning for tomorrow so we'll have to decide whether to venture out onto the Bay or stay yet another day. We've picked out another spot to anchor further north but back on the east side near Reedville. It's only a 30 mile run and will break up the long voyage to our next logical stop at Solomons.

I don't seem to be able to upload pictures on this Internet signal I've picked up from the boat so will add a few pictures another time.

Elizabeth City and the Dismal Swamp

The Elizabeth City slips were filled by the time we arrived so we tied up on the wall. It was a nice wall so we remained there for the rest of our stay.

Rather than taking the quicker, faster moving Virginia Cut, we again decided to go along the Dismal Swamp canal. It's a route made slower by 2 bridges and 2 locks, but it's picturesque and worth the time. The Dismal Swamp experience begins or ends at Elizabeth City - depending on your direction. The town courts cruisers by supplying fourteen free spaces in slips and at an adjacent wall - and, if there are 5 or more boats, a wine and cheese welcome at 4:30 each afternoon. At the welcome, the major gives a talk describing places to go and sites to see: the dinner and a movie theatre, the free Albemarle Museum, the historic areas, a free shuttle to the Fresh Foods grocery store. Sam - one of the original Rose Buddies - the group of men that started the wine and cheese welcome tradition and gave roses to all the ladies - now sits in his truck most days waiting to drive cruisers wherever they need to go. We stayed for 3 nights and had a fine time. Along with the crews of 5 other boats, we went to Thumpers for dinner (Bob loved his $5 Thumper burger with fries) and the next day I joined the women for a fancy tea and sandwiches lunch. We walked through some of the historic areas taking pictures of homes, toured the museum and went to the dinner and a movie theatre with Barb and Ken - the X-Men movie was OK but quite violent and also somewhat incomprehensible - but ordering dinner from a phone before the movie was fun.

Saturday morning we left at 9 to make the 1:30 bridge and lock opening and then continued on to raft up with everyone at the Visitor Centre dock wall in the canal.



Boats ahead of us going into the first lock.








Crew from the 8 rafted boats gathered around a picnic table for drinks and shared hors d'oeuvres before dinner.

Boats rafted along the Visitor Centre wall.

Today, along with Sandcastle, Plumpuppet, Riff Raff (Jimmy and Linda's large motor vessel) and Daniswan (a small power boat single handed by Jim), we moved on a little way along the Swamp route to tie up at another free dock - some of us positioned just before the second bridge and some just beyond it. Tonight crew of the 5 boats will go to a Mexican restaurant close by - reputed to be "authentic". We didn't go through the second Swamp lock as a railway bridge up ahead is closed for repair and we won't be able to continue up the river until after 11 tomorrow morning. We might just as well stay and enjoy this beautiful place.

Throughout our cruise along the Dismal Swamp canal, I took picture after picture, trying to capture the beauty of the tall trees and thick greenery on each side of the channel. No picture seems to do it justice but I'll upload some here in the hopes that you'll be able to see in part what a lovely spot the (not so) Dismal Swamp is.

Dismal Swamp water is a definite brown.

A Canada Goose nesting among the lily pads.