Friday, October 31, 2008
Annapolis to Jackson Creek
We finished the day by meeting Alan Davis and his three crewmates George, Ken and John for supper at the Boatyard and a good time was had by all.
Monday 27th October
The forecast promised NW winds 10 to 15 knots with 25 knot gusts which should have been great for flying down the Chesapeake. However, when the dinghy which normally looks like this behind us,broke free, by snapping the brass shackle that connects it to the harness and busting one of the rubber snubber things, the 25 knot gusts combined with four foot waves didn't make it too easy to retrieve.
Anyway, we got it back in tow and limped into Solomons Island and since 30 knot winds were forecast for the next day we wisely chose to taker a mooring rather than anchoring. So this is where we spent a couple of days until the bad weather passed.
Tuesday 28th October
The forecast high winds arrived as predicted. One of the boats in the anchorage dragged its anchor but luckily someone was aboard and managed to rescue the situation.
We used the time to go provisioning and getting some medical stuff done, namely getting Carol's big toe checked out and a filling I lost in Annaplois replaced.
Wednesday 29th October
More high winds were forecast that didn't actually materialize for us kept us from moving on so we had a day aboard 'catching up'.
Thursday 30th October
High winds were forecast yet again for earlier in the day so after a relaxed morning and a fill with fuel and water we set off back into the Chesapeake Bay heading for the Potomac River.
We saw our first pelicans followed by a bouncy ride across the mouth of the Potomac which is about 10 miles wide where it flows into the bay.
We anchored up the Coan River in a spot called "The Glebe" - how could people from Ottawa resist that?
Friday 31st October
Up at 6 we're off at first light, out into the Potomac at a brisk pace with a favourable wind that soon becomes less favourable and down to the Piankatank River and an anchorage in Jackson Creek after tying up at a free dock while we visited the local hardware store.
Tomorrow it's back into the Chesapeake and down to Norfolk to pick up and install our solar panels.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Baltimore to Annapolis
After a thorough pumpout and a fill with water at the adjacent fuel dock we set off into the channel and it's bye bye Baltimore.
With genoa out we have expectations of a brisk sail down to Annapolis. Of course, by the time we got out into The Bay, the wind had dropped so we motored under the only bridge that crosses the Chesapeake in the middle (not to be confused with the incredibly long tunnel bridge at the mouth of the bay) and down to Annapolis the sailing capital of North America and location of the US Navy's equivalent to West Point.
Friday 24th October
We had anchored the night before, opposite the Naval Academy which turned out to be a major mistake, as it is completely unprotected from east winds which is of course what we got. We spent a miserable night bouncing up and down and rolling side to side, too nervous to go into the darkened bay and pick up a mooring. So by morning we were tired and not ready for the relatively long trip we'd planned for the day. Plus the weather forecast was not great so we decided to take a mooring in the harbour, explore Annapolis a little and do some of the never ending list of jobs.
After breakfast we headed down Ego Alley (named for the size of boats along it)
in the dinghy, to leave it at the end while we went to find a bus to take us to West Marine and a supermarket.
Annapolis is a very attractive place, at least the old part is,
but the stores are all jewelry, ice cream, restaurants and other touristy places but no food stores. They do have a reasonably priced bus service but the schedule (and the routes) seem to be purely arbitrary.
Saturday 25th October
The forecasted bad weather arrives and even in the protected harbour we are bounced around and lashed with high winds and rain. A day for staying aboard and doing stuff like changing the engine oil. We do get a surprise visit when a dinghy pulls up at our stern and Alan Davis, someone we know from Ottawa, has actually moored his boat quite close to us, after a non-stop journey from New York. We agree to go eat ashore with him and his crew on Sunday night.
Sunday 26th October
The wet and windy weather has departed and now the sun is out again but the temperature has dropped - you can't have everything - at least until we get much further south.
We head ashore for showers and a Buddy walk and when we get back to the dinghy we find a visitor.
Fortunately he didn't leave a deposit. The tug boats behind are Lord Nelson Victory Tugs and came from all over the place for this meet.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Georgetown to Baltimore
With a reasonably early start to the day, bearing in mind Buddy needs his morning constitutional, we head off down the Sassafras back into Chesapeake Bay.
We hope to do some sailing for once reasonable northerly winds haver been forecast. However, this was not to be and as usual we were 'motor-sailing' our way down to towards Baltimore. However, when we got to the mouth of the Patapsco River (who knew Baltimore was on the Patapsco?) and were faced with at least another two hours going up river to get to the city, we decided we didn't really need to go there anyway and anchored in Rock Creek on the southern shore of the river.
Tuesday 21st October
We awake to a weather forecast that promises quite strong northwest winds for the next two days and guess which direction is unprotected in our current position? So we decide maybe Baltimore Harbour might be a good place to be, so waisting no time we head up-river and into Baltimore's inner harbour.
There's an anchoring spot within the harbour with good protection from the north and after dropping two anchors (wouldn't want to hit any of the power boats on the dock behind us)
we settle in for some city living.
Wednesday 22nd October
After a blowy night (slept much better knowing we had two anchors out) it's time for a trip to shore with Buddy. Carol has 'cast-off' duty.
Baltimore harbour area belies the city's bad reputation. Apart from the serious commercial ocean-going traffic which includes Tugs, container ships, cruise ships and navy vessels,
the harbour is ringed with up-scale condominiums and their marina facilities. Close buy is West Marine, a huge supermarket and other stores. The wind promises to continue blowing like crazy so we'll spend the day here.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Left our anchorage in Sunset Lakes and motored back to Cape May to check out the canal in the daytime. We then anchored back in front of the Coastguard Station again and we went to bed early, in readiness for a really early start.
At 4 am we set off to catch the tide going up the Delaware Bay. By late morning we were making the turn at the Ship John Shoal lighthouse
and heading up the Cohansey River to Greenwich and our anchorage for the night .
Wednesday 15th October
Anchoring in a strongly tidal river was a new experience as we switched direction three times during the night with currents up to three knots. The anchor chain made some strange noises.
Timing our departure as best we could to fight minimum current out of the river and yet get maximum current assistance once back in Delaware Bay, we headed off to reach the C&D canal that connects to Chesapeake Bay.
We passed some quite large ships on the way and looking at this you can see how containers go over the side of some ships and create a shipping hazard.
You also see some quite unique bridges too. This is a railway bridge believe it or not.
Chesapeake City is the place to stay on the C& D (Chesapeake and Delaware) canal as it has free docking (if you get there soon enough – we didn’t) and ample easy and protected anchoring. But between a moron with a cigarette boat and earth moving equipment that started early in the morning, we couldn’t wait to get out of there.
Thursday 16th October
Out of the canal and into the Chesapeake proper. It was a little hazy but very beautiful as we motor sailed down to the entrance of the Sassafras River. 11 miles up the river is Georgetown, Maryland where boats abound, huge marinas with hundreds of boats, boats moored in the channels so it’s hard to see which way to go.
We opted for a quiet anchorage up from the main area with tree-lined banks and deer that we caught swimming from shore to shore.
Friday 17th OctoberWe were under the illusion that Georgetown was a good place to shop for provisions. Turned out it was a two mile walk to a pretty limited supermarket. But, hey walking is what the cruising life is all about.
Saturday 18th October
Small craft warnings in the Chesapeake until Sunday afternoon so we decide to hang about until Monday.
A very cool start to the day but we have plans. The Georgetown Yacht Basin, apart from having a pretty comprehensive marine store has moorings for 80c/ft giving access to laundry, hot showers and Internet. As Albert from Nova Scotia on Tiptoe said, the little things are the best and 27 bucks was a small price to pay for a really hot shower on a cold day.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Atlantic City to Cape May
As we leave the inlet to Atlantic City we get our first dolphin (or is it porpoise) sighting. We pass a pod of them cavorting with two or three of them swimming and doing that dolphin thing together. They came over to us but decided we were no fun and went off elsewhere. Of course by the time we had the camera out they were gone.
The last part of the trip to Cape May started with very calm seas but ended with strong winds 'on the nose', with waves to match and getting in through the inlet at Cape May was hard to keep the boat pointed in the right direction.
However, we arrived safe and sound and after anchoring near the Coast Guard Station we were picked up by a couple (in their dinghy) we had talked with on the radio on the passage from Atlantic City. Bill and Barbara Madsen aboard Highborne Lady have done this trip 58 times. He's 84 and as she said 'not far behind'. They took us to the Lobster House in Cape May which is a must for anyone visiting by boat or any other means of transport.
They have the most wonderful crab bisque and every kind of seafood at reasonable prices and of course alcohol is available from at least two bars.
Bill and Barbara are a fund of information and stories as you might imagine and have met many famous names in the boating world.
Thursday 9th October
When we looked out in the morning, Highborne Lady and most of the other boats had left, but on the way down I had ordered a couple of things from West Marine in Cape May - a crane to make lifting the outboard on to it's mount on the back of Incognita less of a trial plus a satellite radio antenna to receive weather on our Garmin Chartplotter. This meant waiting around until at least Friday and thus miss the good wind for going up the Delaware Bay. However, hanging out for a few days seems like a good idea to get a few jobs done.
One thing was to get our jammed halyard (rope that goes to the top of the mast and back) fixed. This entailed checking into Utsch's Marina which we don't regret at all. The price is reasonable at $2/ft (higher in season I think) and you get a gift bag with all sorts of goodies including a bottle of New Jersey wine plus it's a very well run place with outstanding facilities.
This gave us a chance to go shopping for provisions, unfortunately over a mile away. Cape May is boats, boats boats; most of them for fishing.
Loaded down with more than we could carry, I asked about public transportation at a real estate office. A very nice lady, Patricia Piacentine, offered us a lift back to the marina which we gratefully accepted.
After dumping the groceries at the boat we headed to the Lobster House for some more of that crab bisque.
and some fresh fish.
Friday 10th October
After having a guy go up the mast and determine my jammed pulley is not really fixable - broken sheave - and doing some laundry we headed off to Sunset Lakes to anchor out.
Saturday 11th October
Took a bumpy dinghy ride back to Cape May to visit West Marine and pickup our ordered stuff and get another shot of that crab bisque, then back to the anchorage to BBQ some fresh Wahoo.
Sunday 12th October
A day on the boat working on stuff - installation of high output alternator.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
New York to Atlantic City
A day in Manhattan with a trip to West Marine and another Fairway visit for Carol.
Just one more night before heading out to catch a good weather window for the trip around the New Jersey Coast.
Sunday 5th October
It's an overcast and depressing day as we leave 79th Street Basin and head down the Hudson into New York's Harbour but amazingly there are a large number of sailboats out actually sailing.
We pass Ellis Island and of course here's the obligatory pic. of the herself.
And as we pass under the Verazzano Bridge and out into the Atlantic we are saying our goodbyes to New York.
The good life is a comfy cushion and being next to dad.
But we aren't going too far yet. Across from Long Island is Sandy Hook New Jersey and this great yachtsman's resource Atlantic Highlands with lots of anchoring space and mooring balls with facilities in a well-protected picturesque harbour.Monday 6th October
Must make the most of the weather window so the next morning we're off to start the part where we must go out past the Jersey Shore for 120 miles of unprotected travel in the Atlantic. There is a limited number of places to go in and take shelter for the night and some people take the plunge and do the trip to Cape May non-stop which can take as long as 24 hours. With Buddy and his need to go ashore twice a day and a reluctance on our part to do that kind of sailing we elected to take the short trip to Manasquan inlet, lessening the trip to Atlantic City - the major leg.
The ocean is a whole different kind of sailing compared to what we're used to on say Lake Ontario. Although the waves were quite small compared to some we've experienced, they have more power and the boat is kind of tossed about like a toy. It's a bit unnerving at first but eventually you get use to it.
We decided on stopping at Manasquan also because we'd read on someone's web site that there was a restaurant there that offered cheap overnight docking if you ate there. With the dinghy up on deck (that was not easy due to a jammed halyard) and no anchoring available anyway, docking was the only option. Turned out not to be true so we ended up getting a deal on a fuel dock belonging to the Fisherman's Supply Store.
Manasquan Inlet is a serious fishing place.
Tuesday 7th October
7 am and we're heading out the inlet and back into the Atlantic for a longer slog to Atlantic City. We put up the main sail to help with teh motoring but there really isn't enough wind but the rollers are a bit bigger today but coming more from behind so less rocking for us.
We had a couple of passengers, a small bird and this fella - now we know how they make it to Mexico.9 1/2 hours later we're in heading into the inlet at Atlantic City and anchoring in a beautiful area
with a splendid view of the Casinos.
At night we're treated to a light show on the side of the Harrah's Casino. Bear in mind this thing is over 500 feet high and is the tallest building in Atlantic City.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Catskill to New York New York
Left Catskill Creek finally and after pumping out, filling with water, diesel, spare diesel and gasoline for the outboard, we headed off out into the Hudson once more.
You see some strange sights on the water, such as this giant robot (or whatever it is) left to rot on the shore.
We entered the Rondout River at Kingston in the afternoon, passing the lighthouse at it's entrance to the Hudson,
on our way up the river to an anchorage.
Wednesday 1st October
The morning in this quiet anchorage was something to see.
From across the river, Incognita lies in the mist.
On we go to the next chosen spot to anchor, Pollepel Island with it`s strange medieval castle.
Check the link Bannerman`s Castle to find out what it`s really all about. Our arrival was ill-timed as a mild squall hit us just as we were negotiating the narrow passage behind the island where the anchorage is. We dropped the anchor sooner than I would have liked but it held and we were OK apart from the all-night train noises from close by.
Thursday 2nd October
On leaving Pollepel the first thing you pass is West Point. If you were to come up the river from the New York City end, this is what you see. Pretty impressive and intimidating.
Hey, we actually sailed today, for about an hour and a half when the wind blew consistently from behind with some strength. We managed over 7 knots on the GPS against the current with just the jib up. We stayed overnight at Nyack on the West side of the Hudson for a fairly bumpy night.
Friday 3rd October
This is the day we get to the Big Apple. And you can`t help but feel some excitement as you pass under the George Washington Bridge and move down the West side of Manhattan.
Our destination , the 79th Street basin where you pick up a mooring can and get access to a dinghy dock and you`re only two blocks from Broadway. You wouldn`t want to try and anchor here, the current is horrendous and at $30 a night for the mooring, a bargain for NYC.
Carol had fun provisioning (cruiserspeak for shopping) at a Fairview.
We had supper in the cockpit looking out on the lights of Manhattan and the New Jersey side with frigid temperatures, the sirens continuously wailing from both sides of the river, the wake from passing boats making Carol feel seasick – a totally romantic experience.