Our "Winter" Home

Well, we made it back to Marathon to begin our fifth season here. I could have said fifth winter, but given the weather conditions, that description just doesn't fit. Our last two days of travel down from Key Biscayne were pretty uneventful. We had some bouncy conditions until we got down Hawk Channel far enough to get some protection from the reef. On our second day of travel in the Keys, we arrived in Boot Key Harbor by mid afternoon. We even managed to get the same mooring ball we had last year. We like this spot, since it's out on the edge of the mooring field and provides great views of sunset, the mangroves and incoming boats. It also provided us with front row seats for the annual Christmas boat parade.

It took no time at all to be reminded why we come here. But on our trip down, it seemed that everyone was headed for the Bahamas. At times I even wondered if we were headed to the right place. After all, these people can't all be wrong. But now that we're here, the reasoning all comes back. Some might say that the attraction of the Bahamas is that it's a different country. Well the Keys is practically a foreign country. Some say it is – the Conch Republic. Leaving Miami, one can see such a dramatic change in the scenery and culture that it might as well be. But the cell phones still work. Many still speak English (in fact more than in Miami) and our money works here. (Some might be quick to remind me that more people speak English in the Bahamas than in the Keys.)

It didn't take us long to get in to the swing of life here. Our bikes are ashore, and we've rearranged the boat for the non-travel life for a bit. We've already been to the Saturday farm stand for some great fresh veggies and tropical fruit. We've also already gotten over to Keys Fisheries for a lobster reuben. Life is good.

Sargent Majors by our dinghy at the reef

We've attended a couple of Tai Chi classes so far. Since we haven't done anything with Tai Chi since April, it will take a little practice to get back to where we left off. We've also gone out to Sombrero Reef for a bit of snorkeling as well. The water was clear and the fish were plentiful, so we enjoyed our visit.

One of the advantages of spending a season down here is that we're joined by cruisers from all over. Some are full time cruisers like us while others enjoy a few months on their boat before heading back up north when the weather moderates to a home on dry land. One couple we met were from Alberta, Canada. They drove down to their boat in Florida after shoveling snow three times up there this fall. They knew it was time to head south. Another couple nearby just sold their house and moved aboard in July up in Deltaville, VA. They noticed the VA home port on our boat and came over to say “Hi.” Yet a third couple we met already knew our names. It seems that we have mutual cruising friends on Tarwathie currently up in New Bern, NC. We had tried to meet up with them last year, but we just didn't find each other. This year we're parked right next to each other. This reminds us of one of the benefits of cruising. It's such a fluid community, that neighbors in one spot may just end up being neighbors later in the same or another location. One just never knows where you'll bump into them again.

Sunset at the entrance to Boot Key Harbor - photo taken while at
 dinner at an outdoor restaurant

As I complete this latest addition to the blog, we have already flown north to VA to enjoy Christmas with Jenn and Gregg before heading still farther north to spend another Christmas with Sam, Jeremy and family plus visit Sandra's brother Scott and sister Paula. We spent enough time in the Keys to know why we choose to go there each winter, but we also are fortunate to be able to fly north to spend this important time with family. So we'll get a bit of real winter weather – plenty as far as we're concerned – and then head back to where the water is turquoise and the palm trees sway. More to come following our return in January.

Till then... Carpe Diem

Captain Bob

South Florida is Full of Interesting Contrasts

Since we left Vero Beach, we've managed to gain some pretty significantly contrasting perspectives on this part of the country. We spent our first day heading south to an anchorage called Peck Lake. It's not really a lake – just a wide spot in the Indian River which the ICW follows. On shore at Peck Lake is a state park with a beautiful, empty beach just a few short steps away. The ocean water was warm and tropical in color. Maddie had a great time at the beach. We had it all to ourselves.

The beach we had to ourselves at Peck Lake

Sunrise at Peck Lake - with two or three other boats at anchor - very quiet!

The next day we continued south to Lake Worth and West Palm Beach where my sister Mary Jo and family live. We spent most of the next day with them and had a great visit, meeting Amelia, her youngest grandchild. Her husband Scott picked us up from the WPB city docks and took us home to see Toby, Jill and Peter. She took us to see the new movie Lincoln which we thoroughly enjoyed.

The next day, it was off through “the canyon” and on to Lake Sylvia, another non-lake, this one in Ft. Lauderdale. And then we continued on to Miami Beach to an anchorage near South Beach. This portion of the trip we find to be quite interesting. In past years we'd tried hard to avoid this stretch, since there are more than 30 bridges that must open for us to make the passage. Most are on a schedule that we can just make if all goes well. But it doesn't. On this occasion we made it to all but two of them at the appointed time. At the the other two, we were forced to hang around for nearly a half hour for the next opening. That's always great fun with the winds, which were strong, and the tidal current both do their best to run us into the bridge or at least out of the channel where we could run aground. As an added bonus, as I mentioned above, part of this stretch is called “the canyon.” That's because the ICW is narrow here with concrete or rocky shorelines which allow the wakes of passing boats to bounce back and forth across the waterway for several minutes after the boat passes. Through most of this stretch boats aren't supposed to be creating large wakes, but some are in a hurry and others just don't care. For us it means constant motion as we travel down what should be a smooth section of water. Fortunately this didn't impact us much of the day, since we seemed to be alone on the Waterway.

Busy and often a bit confusing in Miami - lots of people living here!

The peaceful setting at No Name, the contrast is so obvious!

As stated in the beginning of an earlier paragraph, we find this portion of the trip of great interest. The contrasts are dramatic. We left the solitude of Peck Lake and passed through a stretch down to the Palm Beach area with the ICW and offshooting canals to be filled with expensive homes, many of which would be considered mansions by us humble folk. Frequently their 100+ foot yacht is parked at the dock in front. And these homes were packed in with little or no land between them. No sign of middle America here. Of course not everyone could live in these homes. So many are living in highrise condos that line the beach and the ICW from North Palm Beach to Miami. Their height was often in the 10 -25 story range, and they must have numbered in the hundreds. There are just so many people here with money. Little sign of a economic downturn.

Before we arrived at our anchorage by the WPB city docks, we passed by one marina and boat yard that was packed with huge yachts. It appeared that the minimum length was over 100 feet with some approaching 200 feet. And there were so many of them all in one place.

The evidence of wealth continued with few breaks all the way to Miami. As we entered Ft. Lauderdale, we noticed a sign welcoming us to the Yachting capital of the world. What we've seen of this “Gold Coast” of Florida certainly did nothing to make us believe otherwise. Every couple of miles at least there was another marina with many large power yachts and a few smaller ones.

The daily scene at the port of Miami

From the Waterway, it appeared that Ft. Lauderdale and Miami were built around the canals, and one could carry on most of the needed day-to-day activities by boat. We saw lots of areas where one could tie up and go to restaurants or shopping. There were a few places where the Waterway paralleled the street. From our boat's cockpit, it seemed as though the street was at a lower level than us. I can't imagine what a damage a five foot storm surge here would cause. And if the glaciers are melting and the ocean level is rising, the city leaders had better start considering what should be done. The city appears to be tied so closely to the water and dependent on it for economic health. And yet this whole stretch of coastline is dependent on water levels remaining as they are.

We'll shortly leave this fascinating part of the country for another that is equally fascinating in very different ways.

So until the next entry from the Conch Republic, Carpe Diem.

Captain Bob

Meetings Along the Waterway

One of the benefits to traveling as we do is the frequent opportunities to meet others who are also traveling by boat. It appears that we have a built in interest in meeting and talking with other cruisers This common interest of cruising provides an easy opening to conversations. This often leads to learning more about other areas of the country from people who have lived there or spent time there while cruising. On occasion our contacts even go beyond other parts of the country.

On Thanksgiving, we joined more than 150 other cruisers at a Thanksgiving potluck at the Vero Beach Municipal Marina. We didn't really know anyone at the event, so we sat at a table with people we'd never met – always an interesting experience. The couple next to us was from Australia, and they'd come down the East Coast after completing a trans-Atlantic crossing. They'd spent most of the past seven years in the Med. They told us of their travels to countries from Spain to Egypt. What a great experience! One of the surprises was the answer to the question of, “What was your favorite country?” We expected perhaps Italy or Greece. But no, it was Croatia, a country we wouldn't have guessed. They also commented on watching the news of late and seeing places in Syria being bombed that they had visited.

They went on to tell us about their frustration with US customs laws. They could only get a 6-month visa, so they are now forced to make plans to go to the Bahamas by the middle of next month. Other foreigners they know have traveled up to Canada for a brief visit in order to get another 6-month visa upon their return.

They told us of their visits to Maine, Boston, NYC and to Washington DC. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy learning about our country and its history while visiting these places. They now feel somewhat embarrassed that they know more about our history than Australia's. One comment that made us feel good was that they found the US people they met to be very friendly and helpful. People were always inviting them home for a meal, a chance to do laundry or even the offer to borrow their car for shopping. This last offer carried a bit of a risk, since Australians drive on the left side of the road. Apparently they learned to adjust to the change.

So attending this cruisers' event, even though we knew nobody there, proved once again to be an interesting and worthwhile enterprise. We are truly fortunate to be living an adventure that provides us with such built in opportunities to meet and share with different people regularly.

By the way, the weather has warmed a bit. The last couple of days have been beautiful and in the low 70s. But this morning it was 56 degrees inside the boat. That just reminds us that we're not far enough south quite yet.

Carpe Diem

Captain Bob

Weather - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

As I write this addition to the blog, I sit quietly in the boat on a mooring in St. Augustine, Florida. I could say, “...in sunny Florida.” but I'd be not telling the truth. We've been seeing gray days now for the past several. The temperature at the moment at 3 PM is up to 63 degrees. That may seem good to all you northerners, but this is not what we came to Florida for. In fact, with the wind gusting up around 30 mph or better, it's down right uncomfortable here. I probably sound a bit unhappy about all this. I'll move on.

We left Beaufort, having had a great, but brief, visit with Janelle and Bob Proctor over lunch. We hope to spend more time with them and with Beaufort on our return trip. It was then on to Georgia and the issues of tide and current I mentioned in the last piece. We managed to pass through the few shallow stretches with no difficulty and no groundings. Because the weather was as described above, we didn't bother to stop at Cumberland Island. The thought of walking around even that beautiful island with cold temps, wind and likely a shower or two just lacked the appeal. We'll definitely have that on our itinerary for the return trip. Instead we went to Fernandina Harbor and picked up a mooring for the night. One plus for getting the mooring instead of anchoring was the hot shower at the marina and the thought of a good meal in a warm restaurant. We found a great restaurant and had a delicious meal in addition to that long, hot shower.

The next day (yesterday) we were off to St. Augustine, a sixty mile trip that should have taken us almost nine hours. We got here in a bit over 7 and a half hours, thanks to the tidal current. We've been hearing a bit about extra high tides with all this wind over the past several days. While we've not seen the evidence of the high tides till today, the associated current has been quite noticeable. We came in to St. Augustine with the tide doing more than 11 mph instead of our usual 7.5.

Today we went in to make some stops in town and noticed the extra high tides for the first time. The street which follows the water was under water a bit. Farther up the main street where it crosses a river the police had to close off the street due to flooding. Some successfully drove through it while others weren't so lucky. Others turned around and tried other ways to reach their destination. One motorist who was stopped by the police from proceeding was shocked to learn that there was street flooding. 

This reminded me of my reaction to the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and NYC. Especially in the case of NYC, we've thought of that place as somewhat impervious to such damage. It opened my eyes a bit more to how little control we actually have over our environment in spite of the fact that we often believe we can remain insulated from its affects. As boaters, we're more in tune with the weather and potential impact of changes in weather...probably more so than the majority of you readers who live on land. Since one has AC in the summer and heat for winter, even garage door openers to limit the affect of rain or snow on us while we unload the groceries, it's easier to dismiss some s of weather's influence on our lives. While cruising we have no heat or AC except for those rare occasions when we tie up to a dock. Since our dinghy is our commuter vehicle, we don't even have a roof over our heads, let alone a garage with an automatic opener.

Today we were reminded that the majority who don't live close to the water probably don't think much about coastal flooding or its potential impact until they are stopped by a flooded street. And to carry the thought a bit further, melting glaciers, droughts in other parts of the world or even record heat for a few years in a row may not get our attention. Perhaps it takes a Hurricane Sandy to get the Mayor of NYC to remind all of us that we need to be aware of weather, our impact on it as well as the resulting impacts on all of us.

As I first thought of this topic, I wasn't sure how it related to cruising down the waterway. But since the weather influences most everything we do as we cruise, we are more in tune with little changes and more aware of that influence. So perhaps it relates quite closely to our own day-to-day thinking, our decision making and life for us in general. Perhaps in some small way we can serve as one of the canaries in the mine when it comes to changes in weather.

Till the next entry...Carpe Diem.

Some Skinny Water

This is a short addition to the last entry into this blog. As I mentioned in the last one, we must remain tuned in to tides and currents as we travel. This is most important as we complete our traveling in South Carolina and cross eastern Georgia. Today we left Beaufort.  We knew that we had to pass through two areas after low tide. It would be a bit tricky to attempt to pass down Ramshorn Creek and Fields Cut at dead low tide. But the tidal current pushed us along faster than expected, so it was necessary to dramatically slow down the boat and wait for a bit. As it turned out, we traversed both a bit closer to low than we'd planned. The day turned out OK for us. We saw some skinny water, but it could have been worse as it was for this boater. This boat apparently ran aground while the tide was going out.  They'll have to wait till the tide comes back in a bit more. We actually had to pass very close to this boat.  We were in nine feet of water while the boat was in perhaps two feet.  The navigational aid that might have helped keep this boat in the channel was missing.

We are currently anchored in a quiet spot. Tomorrow is another travel day for us. We've planned our route which includes getting through another skinny spot called Hell Gate. It's really not that bad, but it's just another spot we need to pass through at some point other than low tide. It's really quite a pretty area if one takes the time to appreciate it.   

More Observations Along the Way

As I write this addition to the blog, we are anchored in the Bull River, about 15 miles north of Beaufort, SC. Lots has happened since the last blog up at an anchorage called Mile Hammock Bay in Camp Lejeune. We've spent a night in Wrightsville Beach where we enjoyed a meal at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. We also spent a night at Carolina Beach State Park where we managed to acquire more of those long pine needles that work so well in Sandra's Baskets. The next day we crossed over the state boarder into South Carolina. We passed by Myrtle Beach, but we couldn't really see any of it from the ICW. On another day we traveled down a river through a cypress swamp. It would have been beautiful with lots of fall colors if it wasn't for the cold rain.

At a marina in Charleston. While you can't see our boat, our yellow dinghy shows up well.

From there we spent the next two days traveling to Charleston where we spent a day enjoying the sights. Our day there included a carriage ride to learn about some of the history of Charleston. It was a fascinating tour of this beautiful city.

On a neighbor's boat - not even a pirate!

Tomorrow we'll drop the anchor by one of the prettiest towns along our route and enjoy a lunch with Janelle and Bob Proctor. Janelle was a teacher at Hampton Roads Academy during my time there. We've visited with them in the past during our travels to Beaufort.

While I'll usually avoid any political commentary on this blog, I must comment about those who are now likely to pay a bit more in taxes. The homes we've seen in North and South Carolina along the ICW are quite impressive. I know I've commented on these signs of conspicuous consumption before, but the recent political advertisements have made me think again about that group who might add to the tax revenue a bit. Unlike the impressive ones, we saw a house for sale with the price advertised of $550,000 for a nice ranch with a dock. In other areas away from the water, this home would probably sell for a quarter of that price. Based on that advertised price, most of the homes we noticed would likely cost at least four times that price and go up from there. The word that most often comes to mind is mansion. And there are so many of them. It just boggles my mind that so many people can afford such accommodations. What makes matters more difficult to grasp is that many of these appear to be second homes.

OK. I'm done with that.

One might think that our 7 mph speed would allow us to travel between 50 and 60 miles each day as we head south even though the sun drops down below the horizon pretty early now. Of course this is a good starting point, but there are issues that influence each day's travel. For instance, one day we dropped the anchor at about 1 PM. This was because we would be traveling through some shallow areas beyond this point but wanted to avoid them at low tide when we might run aground. There were no good anchorages within reach to get us past that stretch on this day, so we decided to wait till the next day so we could get through the whole stretch and then to a good place to anchor for the night. Today, we had to deal with tidal and river currents that really impacted our progress. At one point we were bucking tidal current that was in the 4-5 mph range. Since we normally travel at 7 mph, this stretch cut our progress by more than half. On the other hand, there were times today when we were doing close to 10 mph. These stretches helped to make up for the times when we were bucking the strong current.  Each day we must look at such influences and determine how far we should plan to travel.  In a way, it's like driving someplace knowing that you are likely to hit an area of construction and other busy highways during rush hour.

Life on the water can be challenging.

Over the next several days as we travel through the remainder of South Carolina and all of the Georgia coast, tidal current and shallow stretches will be at the forefront of our planning. Of course there will be compensating factors. We continue to see more and more dolphins along the route. Today we were lucky enough to pass close by a navigational aid with a bald eagle sitting on it checking us out. The scenery is ever changing and at times spectacular. And of course we'll be traveling slow enough to get a good look at most everything we pass. Till the next entry, Carpe Diem!

Captain Bob

Anchoring Entertainment

Today was a travel day that went pretty smoothly, but the most interesting part of the day was the entertainment provided by other boaters in their attempts to anchor. This anchorage is part of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, and it's one of very few acceptable spots between Beaufort and Wrightsville Beach. When we arrived, ten other boats were already here with one hard aground. The boats arrived in a pretty steady stream for the next couple of hours. By the time the sun set the anchored boats totaled 23. Several had trouble anchoring either because their anchoring technique left something to be desired or the anchor used just wasn't up to the job.

About a third of the boats.  We couldn't get them all in one photo, since they were all around us.

One was single handing the first boat to come in after us. He threw the anchor down just behind our boat and paid out about a third of the anchor rode required. When I questioned his location, he thought about it some and then moved...twice. He just couldn't seem to get it right. Either he ended up too close to another boat, or the anchor wouldn't catch hold. Another larger boat with a couple aboard tried at least three times in different places to get their anchor to catch before they were finally successful. They then came on the radio to tell everyone that they'd finally made it. Next time they'd plan to charge admission for the entertainment they provided.

The boat that was hard aground got help from Towboat US, the same organization we get towing insurance from. When the skipper finally got free with Towboat help, his first attempt at anchoring was so close to another boat,  the Towboat US boat moved in between the two so he wouldn't hit the other boat already anchored. He then tried in another spot, but made a nearby boat owner so nervous, that this second skipper pulled up his anchor and moved to a new spot. Variations of this same sort of entertainment played out again and again while we watched. Then we heard on the radio of one boater who ran aground twice today and then was involved in a collision. This was just not a good day for a number of cruisers.

One could use these experiences as instructional for proper anchoring techniques or for discussing the pros and cons of particular brands of anchors. That is not my intent, although I'd be happy to share my thoughts with any willing listeners in another setting.

For me this provided a reminder to me that one can never get too complacent while cruising. I'm sure that several of the key performers today were not new to cruising and were generally pretty successful at securing their anchor. While I chuckled a bit at what I saw, I know that tomorrow I could make some equally foolish mistakes. Like in many settings in life, cruisers must always remain alert and focused on the task at hand.

So I'll end this with the hope that tomorrow I won't be writing about my own foolishness.

As with many days, this one ended well.

Carpe Diem

Captain Bob

All Clear in New Bern

Well Sandy spared us much of the trouble that others further north suffered through. The National Weather Service had it pegged pretty well. Winds never rose above the predicted levels but it has remained a bit breezy into yesterday (Wednesday). The sun is shining now, but the last couple of days have been a bit chilly for this time of year here in North Carolina. Of course, it's been about the same temperatures all the way down to north Florida, so we can't complain much.

The visits with boating friends have been quite enjoyable. While we missed seeing one couple, we were surprised by the visit of Bo and Joyce on Dream Catcher that we met two years ago in Marathon and we were able spend an enjoyable day with long time friend Priscilla. The boating community is truly a mobile one with meetings taking place in some unlikely places like New Bern, a town we'd never been to before.

Maddie's always ready and waiting for us to take her out to meet new people.

And speaking of New Bern, it's a town worth a visit. Bern apparently means bear, so there's lots of them around the streets of New Bern. I've included one photo to give you an idea. The downtown area has lots of interesting shops and restaurants.  As an added bonus, one of the art/craft stores is now selling Sandra's pine needle baskets, so we have developed another connection with this cute town.  One unusual aspect of the downtown is the train track that runs down the middle of one of the streets. At first we thought it was an old trolly track, but the photo will clue you in that freight trains actually force cars off to the side as they come through town. I can't end my comments about the town without mentioning how friendly the people are throughout the town – really unusually so. This just adds to the attraction.

Note the car up on the right had to move over to the side to allow the train to
pass down the street.

We continue enjoy good fortune on many fronts. This hurricane we dodged was the sixth such storm we'd had to deal with in the last four years. We had to look out for half of those while we were in New England - a part of the country that doesn't usually get too many hurricanes. In each case we seemed to be in the right place to avoid big problems. It helps to convince me that we're not making these decisions on our own, but perhaps we're getting some extra help along the way. That's just one of the thoughts that comes my way along the Waterway.

It was difficult to leave our friends Dick and Libby, but today we left for Beaufort. Tomorrow we'll continue on down the ICW to Camp Lejeune. We've never been stopped at their firing range, but there's a first time for everything. After leaving Beaufort, we'll be more attuned to the water depth than concerned about the Marines. This next stretch has a few shallow areas we hope to pass at some point other than low tide. We'll see how that goes.

Till the next report, Carpe Diem!

Captain Bob

Storm Preparations

As reported in the last entry of the blog, we arrived in New Bern on Wednesday. We had planned to stay here a few days, since our boat insurance doesn't want us to sail south of Cape Hatteras until November 1^st – hurricane issues. Well it seems that a hurricane will keep us here that long at least. As all of you on the East Coast already know, Hurricane Sandy is working up our way. But it only began raining this morning (Saturday), so we've had a chance to check out New Bern. It turns out to be a really nice big town with lots of friendly people. And they all love dogs including Maddie.

Since the hurricane was headed this way, we decided to get a slip at one of the local marinas for some added protection. It's located on the Trent River just behind a hotel, thus getting some extra protection from north winds. We can get in to the hotel to use their facilities which include morning Starbuck's coffee and a newspaper for free in addition to showers, laundry and health club. We've tied extra lines on the boat, put up all our enclosure panels and moved the dinghy over to a dinghy dock. I think we'll be fine. It's interesting to wander around the docks and hear all the different theories on storm preparation. Some are taking sails down and all canvas off the boat, while others are doing nothing special. Their thinking is that it won't be any worse than it is during local storms that develop along the Neuse River during the spring. Of course there are variations of preparation that run the whole gamut between these two approaches.

For the record, the National Weather Service is predicting winds in the low 30s through tomorrow night before they begin to taper off a little. But part of our dilemma is that a front will push the storm around and remain here providing strong winds through Wednesday. So we are likely to remain here till Thursday.

Although today will be somewhat rainy and windy, we'll be enjoying a gathering of friends at the home of George and Carol whom we met in Marathon a couple of years ago. We have yet to meet up with Sandra's friend Priscilla who is supposed to come tomorrow. That meeting is likely to get postponed a couple of days, since Sandy will be at her height here at that time. Then another of our Marathon friends who lives in the area has contacted us about getting together before we leave. We're not sure that will work, but we're hopeful.

So all in all, this stop in New Bern will work out pretty well, just a little wetter than hoped for. Another entry will update all on how the predictions match up with the reality. Till then, Carpe Diem

Captain Bob

Different Worlds

Since we left Hospital Point across from Norfolk, Mother Nature has been kind to us, but we did begin with a couple of man-made issues. For those who are familiar with this portion of the route, you know that we must deal with several lift bridges and a lock. At the first stop, two bridges must open at the same time, since they are so close together. One is a railroad bridge. When we arrived, we learned that the railroad bridge wouldn't open due to an electrical issue caused by someone stealing wire during the night. A repair crew was on hand to get the bridge up...an hour later than planned. However, the highway bridge then wouldn't open – another electrical problem. After another hour of waiting, the second repair crew got the problem solved and the bridge up.

By this time, there were 22 boats waiting, one of which was nearly 100 feet long. For those of you who've not experienced this sort of challenge, let me add a couple of comments. First, while waiting, we can't just park the boat. Dropping the anchor would mean blocking the path for another craft. The channel is not that wide, so we must keep the boat under control with the engine while preventing the wind or currents from pushing us into another boat or out of the channel. So now imagine 22 boats ranging in length from 30 feet to 100 feet all slowly dancing around each other without hitting one another or running aground in a somewhat restricted area. Great fun! This number of boats also became an issue when we got to the lock and most of these boats wanted to get in. The number was down to sixteen of us and they all squeezed in, but three boats had to raft up with those already tied to the wall on either side. All cooperated, and the locking process went smoothly.

The rest of the day went well, but our time for getting to our planned anchorage was really shortened. Fortunately, the Centerville Tpke bridge no longer is restricted on weekends. It opened as we arrived, so we got beyond all the bridges a bit more quickly. However, the time was still tight. We pushed the engine a bit and still just managed to drop the anchor just as the sun disappeared below the horizon.

Even if we're busy dropping the anchor, we still take time to enjoy the sunsets!

Miles to go in one direction

The next two days were easy by comparison. We managed to cover 70 miles the first day and 60 the second. (That may not seem like much to most people, but keep in mind that we travel at 7 -8 mph – not 65 mph.) The sun was warm and the winds were light, so our travel was smooth. The first day included traveling through the Alligator – Pungo Canal, a man-made canal for the ICW about 20 miles long with only one minor bend in the entire length. We could see little evidence of civilization during the entire stretch, but we also generally see no signs of wildlife beyond a vulture or seagull. On this occasion, a boater ahead of us saw a black bear swim across the canal, just as we had in a similar canal last spring. Then we saw two bald eagles seeking supper in the canal just in front of our boat. What a treat!

The canal shoreline appears untamed.

So here we are out in wild and our day influenced so much by what Mother Nature throws our way. Little of our life impacted by civilization. Then we tune in to the news and presidential debate and hear about all that has been going on in the world as well as so much that might possibly go on in the future. This represents a world so different from what we see each day; it just makes me wonder which is more real. The rational side tells me that they both are, and what I see on TV will impact my life, but it all seems so remote from that which is all around me each day. My concerns relate to weather, tides and resulting water depth, fuel consumption and how much water remains in our boat's tanks. Of course, all this reminds me of how fortunate we are to be able to experience this. For so many around that other world, the day's concerns are quite different and less appealing...even tragic for many.

So we'll continue to appreciate our days as we travel. We've arrived in New Bern, NC where we met up with two other boating couples we first met in Marathon two years ago – Libby and Dick Mills and Carol and George Myers. We'll also meet up with a long=time friend of Sandra, Priscilla Temple, whom we've had the good fortune to meet up with before as travel through the state. We'll be here for nearly a week enjoying good company and waiting for some stormy weather to pass by before continuing our journey south. So till my next update...

Carpe Diem

Captain Bob

On the Road Again...

We've just completed our first 24 hours away from the slip. Aside from a brief run out the Severn River earlier this week to test the systems on the boat, This is our first real outing since we returned in June and put the boat up in the boatyard for the summer. We left the slip last night and anchored close to the marina. The tide was to be pretty low when we'd want to leave today, so we moved early to avoid any stress over the possibility of running aground at the very beginning of our travels.

A beautiful sunset provided a good omen for the beginning of the trip.

Perhaps it's at least partly an age thing, but I'm amazed at how much of the normal routine tasks related to cruising that I'd forgotten. I had to sit and think about all such tasks to be sure that little things like the anchor light and anchor alarm are turned on. I also had to spend a few minutes with the GPS to remember how its various functions are performed.

The cruise ship at dock prior to its impressive departure.

But in spite of my forgetfulness, it seems that our first day of travel went smoothly. We are now anchored securely at Hospital Point on the Elizabeth River across from downtown Norfolk. A cruise ship was docked across the river from us and provided us with some music while we relaxed after securing the boat. A bit later the ship left its berth. What an impressive demonstration of control! I complain at times about controlling our 35 foot boat in tight areas. This ship, perhaps 900 feet long, did a 180 degree turn in the river where there was probably not more than 1200 feet available, and this was done without the assistance of a tug – just bow and stern thrusters.

In some ways, it seems that the run into the Elizabeth River from the Chesapeake Bay is as impressive and more challenging than NY Harbor. As I've probably reported in the past, rather than tall buildings and the Statue of Liberty, we get up close and personal with ships from the Navy's Atlantic Fleet. The area is full of pleasure craft as well as an occasional cargo ship or tug pushing a barge. Once in the river, one must be alert for ships or tugs that pull out from a dock and are suddenly in the channel. Our AIS system provides us with a bit of early warning for such encounters. Ships, tugs and some pleasure craft send out an AIS signal that I can pick up. This signal tells me among other things the craft's course and speed and how close it will come to our boat if neither changes course. AIS doesn't help us locate Navel vessels.  They don't send such signals as you might expect, since they are not interested in broadcasting their position or course.

Since this is our fifth trip south, it has become a part of our lifestyle. When September rolls into October, I begin looking at the boats arriving at the marina. Are they heading south? As the weather cools, we begin to get more focused at preparing for travel. We've spent the past week getting all the details taken care of. Sandra does the provisioning and does a VERY thorough job. I never am concerned about having food to eat. I'm responsible for the mechanical aspects of the boat and the acquiring of spare parts that might be needed. Then we go to our storage unit and pull out anything we think we'll need and try to eliminate all that isn't really necessary. This year, for example, we've decided not to take the kayaks with us. We just don't seem to use them much during the winter, and they take up a lot of space on the bow of the boat. As we relax after one day of travel, it would seem that we did a good job. So far nothing appears to be missing that we really need.

This fifth trip will take us over familiar territory. Prior to leaving, we had some fun sharing thoughts and stories with Bill and Ruth who will be making the trip for the first time on their trawler Ware Two. We spent so long quizzing others about cruising south, it actually felt good to now be sharing a bit of information with others after many shared their experiences to help us.

Of course, this is only after Day #1. We may feel a bit less confident after we've been traveling for a while. But I'll report on it all in future blogs covering our travels.

Captain Bob

Carpe Diem

Preparations Continue

As I write this, we are back in the water, having completed the bottom painting and waxing of the hull. As mentioned in the last blog, we also had the upper bearing of the rudder replaced. The new one – a piece of hard plastic – cost a hefty $300 – unbelievable! But it's for a boat, so why should I expect a low price?

Now that we're back in the water, it might appear to the non-boaters who read this that we are near ready for our departure. That's not quite true. We actually have lots of projects to complete prior to our departure. They range from checking out the sails and restitching any weak areas to replacing the tablets in our inflatable life jackets. (These are tablets that are designed to dissolve when they get wet. Our spares did.) Also included are checks on the engine, batteries and rigging as well as radios, GPS and other electronic equipment. We want to begin the trip at least with most everything in working order. We know from past experience that the wear on the boat and equipment will result in breakdowns somewhere along the way. Of course we hope that we won't see major issues like the engine we had last year.

We also must provision the boat. This includes the obvious items like food, but it also includes spare parts that might be needed during the trip south. For instance, we may need to replace fuel filters, and these filters are not available in many places. I'll be changing the engine oil before the end of the trip, so I'll need oil and the filter on board as well. We add extra cans for fuel and water as well as loading our folding bikes onto the boat. (We've decided not to take our kayaks this year. We just didn't use them much in the Keys, and they take up lots of space on our foredeck.) We'll make decisions about clothing to take. We want to be prepared for cool weather during the trip through the Carolinas in November. Even northern Florida can be pretty cool in the morning. We saw temps in the 40s last year. Shorts and T-shirts just won't be enough for that portion of the travel.

Having gone through this process a few times now, I find that I have a new mindset for this time of year. With the morning temperatures moving down, this change of seasons tells me that it's time to move south. As I see boats come to the marina, I wonder if they too are heading south and just leaving sooner than us. As I review the charts, a picture of each stretch comes to mind. I also am reminded of where we were concerned about shallow water and where the anchorages were most crowded. We usually manage to visit with friends and family during the trip, so I've begun to think of how each of those will work out and where the meetings are most likely to take place. Of course we've begun talking about places we hope to visit on the way. Beaufort, NC, Beaufort, SC, Charleston, St. Augustine and Vero Beach always make it onto that list. There are others, though, that we don't always get to. It just depends on weather and how well the travel goes.

We still have a nearly three weeks to wait for our departure. In addition to the insurance limits, I have jury duty for the next two weeks. At least I'm on the list. The nightly phone calls will tell me whether I actually have a good chance to serve on a jury. My last day of service is supposed to be the 19^th. If all goes well, we'll hope to leave the next day, so we can get through the Norfolk area with its bridges during the weekend. (During the work week, the bridges close each morning for a couple of hours to accommodate rush hour. That delay would make it difficult for us to get to our first planned anchorage south of there in North Carolina.)

As a final note for this addition of the blog, I'll mention that I've decided to begin using synthetic oil with our new engine. A fellow cruiser spoke highly of this move awhile back. As I've wrestled with the issues that might have contributed to the “early” engine failure, I've thought that a better lubricant might have made a difference. After talking with some diesel engine people and doing a bit more investigation, I've decided this would be the right move. Any comments from cruisers who have made the change or decided against it would be appreciated before I actually make the change.

The next blog will likely show up before the end of the month.

Carpe Diem

Captain Bob

The Autumn Ritual Begins

Well, according to the meterologists among us, summer is over and fall has begun. We have returned to Virginia and have also begun the annual ritual of bottom painting and waxing of the hull. Additionally, we need to replace the upper bearing for the rudder stock, but that will be covered in another blog.

We enjoyed a great summer visiting Sam, Jeremy and the three grandsons. We also saw Sandra's sister Paula and brother Scott and family while up in NE. We were pretty busy with the grandsons, but did get out for a couple of hikes in the White Mountains. In August we rented a cabin for a week on a lake in central Maine. This trip from New Hampshire required us to stop in Freeport for a visit to L.L. Bean. We always look forward to this stop whether we get to Maine by boat or by car.

Looking down through  Crawford Notch

View from our cabin on Ebden Pond

After the week on a lake, we headed to the coast for a week of camping at Acadia National Park. We hadn't been back there in twenty years. A few things had changed, but the beauty and dramatic coastline remains unchanged.  While we've never taken the boat up there, we did a bit of investigation to determine good  harbors to sail in to.  For those who haven't been to Acadia recently, there is now a free bus service that covers most of the Park.  We could pick it up from several harbors and have great access to much of the Park.

The entrance to Somes Sound.

We could watch scenes like this for hours.

Classic Maine coast scene

But all that is behind us now as we change focus back to the preparations for our fall pilgrimage south. As I write this, we are staying with Jenn and Greg while we get the boat ready for relaunching in a few days. We'll manage to keep busy restocking the boat and preparing for the travel during the next few weeks. Since our boat insurance doesn't allow us south of Cape Hattaras prior to November 1^st, we won't leave until late in October. Aside from the fact that we intend to get to the Keys by early December, the rest of our plans are still tentative. We have a number of options for stopovers, but we'll address those as we get closer to the time. We like to keep plans fluid to take advantage of opportunities that may arise.

Certainly more to come, but that's all for now.

Carpe Diem

Captain Bob  

The Finale - To the Severn River

The Great Bridge lock

Avoiding the barge before the two bridges - busy area

What a dramatic contrast we saw as we left the relatively quiet, natural settings of NE North Carolina for Norfolk and the southern Chesapeake Bay. As reported in the last addition to this blog, we spent a night on the ICW in Great Bridge where Jenn and her puppy Kayah came aboard. Upon leaving the marina the next morning, we immediately had to coordinate with a bridge lift and then enter the Great Bridge lock. This lock is in place to eliminate the tidal change for some distance south of there on the ICW. Therefore the up and down travel is generally not more than 3 feet. Once out of the lock, we had to get to the next bridge opening in 30 minutes. We were with a group of three other sailboats, and the bridge lift went on schedule with no issues. The next bridge was a railroad bridge that is usually open. Immediately beyond this one was another highway bridge. We were set to be there on time for the opening. However upon getting within view, we noticed that it was open. It had opened early for a barge being pushed by a tug. We stayed out of their way and waited for the correct opening time. Then it was up to downtown Norfolk, the shipping port and finally the Navy's Atlantic Fleet. All of this busy stretch went smoothly, although we were careful to stay out of the way of a large container ship arriving at the port.

A bit of the new with the old

We stayed cldear of this big boy.

Part of the Atlantic Fleet was in port.

We sailed over to the Eastern Shore and Kiptopeke State Park for the night. The anchorage was behind a line of old liberty ships that had been sunk there to provide a breakwater back before the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was built and travel to the Eastern Shore depended on the ferries. A beach walk provided the puppies the chance to play and swim a bit. They had a ball! It's also great for us to get off the boat after a day's travel, something that's not always possible. This is a good place to report that the two dogs on the boat worked out very well. They had fun together, and we enjoyed having them. It's always great to have Jenn on the boat as well. Over the years she has shared a number of our boating experiences for which we are grateful.

Maddy welcomes new crew members.

The decaying liberty ships provide a helpful breakwater.

Our final run of this trip the next morning was only about five hours and brought us back to our home port at the Severn River Marina. So we are now securely attached in a slip where we'll stay for a month before hauling the boat out of the water to dry the hull – the first time in fourteen years -and traveling by car up to NE to visit family and friends. Of course this trip will include lots of time with Sam, Jeremy and our grandchildren along with Sandra's sister Paula and brother Scott and his family. Additionally we've rented a cabin on a Maine lake for a week and plan to tent camp in Acadia National Park for a week. For all who live up that way who read this, we're looking forward to visiting with you at some point this summer as well.

This, our fourth trip south to the Keys and back for the winter, has been full of great experiences. But there are times when we wish we lived in a house and had room for all we'd like to have with us. It would be nice to take normal shower without the dinghy ride to the marina to make it possible. The same it true for doing laundry. However, that said, if we were in that more normal situation, we'd never have experienced all that's been included in this blog over the past months. Our life is full of great people, constantly changing surroundings and views of Mother Nature's beauty. It's also been nice to avoid winter.

So after a break for the summer, we'll be back on the boat for another trip south. Every year has been a bit different, and we are confident that the next trip will have new twists and turns in it – some expected and others that will surprise us. We'll look forward to sharing all of these experiences with you.

Till then, carpe diem

Captain Bob

On to North Carlina

In spite of our best efforts, we are now being pulled by the homing beacon. This fact is enhanced because we suggested that our daughter Jenn meet us and do a bit of the trip with us. It turns out that she'll share our last two nights of the trip, so we're off to meet her, now on a schedule of our own design.

Prior to this point, we did have a few interesting stops in North Carolina. We spent three nights at Carolina Beach and met up with a couple, Dave and Jill on JilliQ we've known for several years now, but we hadn't seen them for two years. We last saw them in the Abacos of the Bahamas during our visit there. We enjoyed time with them and enjoyed their vehicle which got us to the grocery store and a bit of a tour of Carolina Beach. We also met another couple on the trawler Able Slave, Mark and Christi and enjoyed some of their pizza and an evening to get to know them.

Of course, not mentioned yet was the reason for our staying in Carolina Beach three nights. It was the second tropical storm of the season before the season even had officially begun. What gives here? It certainly appears that the weather gods are out to scare us with their fury. However, like the earlier storm, we missed the worst of this one – in part because we chose not to risk travel as it approached. The weather turned out not to be too bad, though – just a bunch of rain and a little wind.

Then it was two days travel to Beaufort where we met up with one of Sandra's friends from many years ago. Priscilla, who now lives in eastern North Carolina, had read our blogs and knew about where we were. She offered to come to meet us in Beaufort. What a great visit we had. And she is also hoping to visit us next winter in the Keys. Great! We also bumped into another couple on Tramarai – George and Carol – whom we'd met a year ago in Vero Beach and then spent the winter near them in Marathon. They just happened to come there to anchor for the night from their home near New Bern, NC. What good luck!

Looking at our route back to Norfolk where we'll meet Jenn and her new puppy Kaya, we determined that we needed to put in a couple of longer days so we could be in position to get through the several bridges in the Norfolk area before they shut down for rush hour traffic. That meant anchoring in a couple of new spots, always bringing opportunities for added stress. So far, so good. As I began writing this, we were anchored in the Little Alligator River just south of Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. It wasn't too bad till the wind changed direction, and then we banged around a bit before things settled for the night.

We enjoyed one interesting meeting during the day before yesterday. We were traveling one of the several canals which are part of the ICW in North Carolina. Sandra was at the helm and noticed something in the water ahead of the boat. She quickly determined that it couldn't be dolphin. It looked more like a manatee, but we'd not heard of any up here. Then, as it came closer, she realized that it was a black bear crossing the canal. With us approaching, it was in a panic to get to the other bank and disappear into the woods. It did that well, so we weren't able to get a photo. This was a first for us.

We anchored in Bellhaven, NC, a quiet town by any measure. We had stopped here once before on a Sunday also. They don't roll up the sidewalks, but nothing much is open. The neighborhood along the water is pleasant, but the main street has little that would be open on a weekday. It clearly is a great place to get away from it all.

As mentioned earlier, we anchored in the Little Alligator River last night and dropped the anchor in Currituck Sound tonight. We're hoping for only a bit of breeze, so we can enjoy a quiet evening. Then we thought it would be off to Norfolk with it's several bridges and one lock to pass through before we meet up with Jenn. Then with two puppies on the boat for a night or two, life should be exciting – a fitting end to our spring travels. But we must be prepared for adjustments to our plans. As we traveled north, we began to hear about OpSail 2012 in Norfolk. It turns out that it begins officially tomorrow. Our plan to anchor at Hospital Point on the Elizabeth River across from the Norfolk downtown went out the window. A parade of naval sailing ships is planned to end there tomorrow afternoon. A gazillion boaters will be there through the weekend. We were lucky to find a marina with space back a dozen miles on the ICW for tomorrow. Jenn will meet us there. Then Thursday we will go through the last of the bridges and the lock, pass by the gazillion boats including some tall ships on our way out into the Bay. The offical Tall Ships parade is scheduled for Friday. Not sure whether we'll be around for that one yet. Only time will tell. Either way, we should have some interesting photos in the next blog entry.

Tomorrow we leave North Carolina and enter Virginia. We'll be at our home marina on the Severn River by the weekend. This will thus end our 1200 mile trek north.

Carpe Diem

Captain Bob