Friday, November 19, 2010
Florida Heading South
Wednesday November 10 – Wednesday November 17
We are anchored off the town of Fernandina Beach by 1:15, the day has cleared up and warmed up from its foggy start. Jan & George get a ride from some locals to the liquor store that is not close to town. Later Jan & I go in to check out town. Steve & George come into town later for a walk and to check out restaurants & pick us up. Back to the boats for cocktails and change of clothes then back in to dinner. Thursday we are underway by 7:15, no fog but everything is wet from all the dew. After an hour we are out the channel and turn south with 1-2 foot swells on the beam and wind behind us so a little rocky to start. The winds clock more east and the swells build a little but we are able to just sail all the way down to the St. Augustine Inlet. With the swells breaking it makes the entrance a little rough & hard to see the buoys but we make it in safe & sound and have a 20 minute wait for the 3:30 opening of the Bridge of Lions. A 65 ft tourist schooner “Freedom” is also waiting for the bridge opening, and keeps sailing into us as we both circle around, making the waiting interesting and irritating. We are on the mooring ball by 3:45, great !! mooring balls with new long lines all neatly folded on top of the mooring ball. Real easy to hook & run your line through and clean, as someone from the marina goes around putting the lines up after you leave. Jan & George have some old time friends (Agnes & Ed Danciger) in the area so they come & pick us up and we all go to dinner. Friday we have the use of Ed's car, drop off main sails from both boats for some repairs then off to West Marine & Wall Mart. Guys go back to the boats for some boat work while Jan & I walk through town. Dinner in town Friday night. Saturday get main sails back & more boat work we have now found some genoa sail repair that needs to be done, Steve does some of the sewing by hand but then decides to take it into the shop also. By this time it is too late to get it to her but talk to her and will drop it off Monday. Saturday night we go to the Danciger's beach house for dinner. Sunday Jan & George leave to head down the ICW for a 2 day trip to Melbourne. We spend the day ordering parts and making lists of what else we might need to get on Monday with a rental car. It is a luxury now to have access to a car so we want to make the most of it. Monday as Enterprise picks us up we drop the genoa sail off at the sail shop on the way back to the Enterprise lot since it is on the way. By 9:30 we are on our way for the short 45 minute trip over to Green Cove Springs where our mail forwarding service is located. Steve is also planning to get a Florida license since his Texas one will expire in July and they would not let him renew before we left. Since he does not plan to be back in Texas before July he thought getting a Florida license would be the easiest way to go. Pick up the mail, I am still missing 2 important pieces we have been waiting for, and over to the DMV to get Steve's license. Well he misread the instructions, and just brought his passport but also needed his original SS card. So back to St Augustine, into the dinghy, back to the boat, find where he had put his SS card, back to shore, in the car & back to Green Cove Springs. At least now we know the way. All worth it in the end as they issue the laminated license right then & there & it is good for 9 years. Stop by 2 outlet malls on the way back, looking to see if there are any stores we need to visit. Find a few then stop at Target and another small mall and the grocery store all on the way back to the boat. Like I said it is not often we have a car so we make the most of it whenever we do. Tuesday we spend the day going through mail and then into town for lunch. Getting the boat & ourselves ready for a 24 hour trip offshore down to Ft. Pierce. Wednesday morning we make the 7:30 opening of the bridge and head out the channel, in nice calm water the buoys are easy to see. We have calm seas, light winds and comfortable temperature for our 24 hour trip down to Ft. Pierce.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Georgia
Sunday November 7 – Wednesday November 10
Sunday we planned to go offshore from Hilton Head to St. Catherine's sound, but were put off by the mornings predictions of 25-30 kt winds out of the north with 6-8 ft seas and 50°F and persuaded to go the ICW route instead with only 10-15 kt winds, 60°F and no waves. We left the anchorage at 8 AM, and by 10 were crossing the Savannah River into Georgia, weather is cold but better then being off shore. By 11:15 we are at the 65' bridge at Thunderbolt but due to the tide it is at 64' 9” so we put the anchor down and only have to wait 45 minutes for the tide to go down 2 feet more for us to fit under. Catch up to our traveling buddies on Wild Thing by 2:30 in time to go through the narrow/shallow passage called Hell's Gate. Other than that one little spot this is a very pleasant trip down the ICW. We are anchored by 5 just before sunset (hate the time change) in Walburg Creek behind St. Catherine's Island and have dinner on Ocean Star. We had anchored here on the way up & it is a great isolated anchorage in the middle of nowhere, where you can pick up a Wi-Fi signal & TV – life is good. Monday we are underway at 7, dressed like we are going skiing as it is 41° as we head out the channel to the ocean. We have light winds & calm seas making for a very pleasant trip down to St. Andrew Sound. By 3 it has warmed up to 70° as we take a short cut through the shoals to the entrance to the channel. We turn down Cumberland River and then into Floyd Creek and are anchored by 4:30, time to relax a little before dinner on Wild Thing. Tuesday we have an early departure even though we are just going a short distance. We leave the anchorage by 7:45 and are anchored at the southern end of Cumberland Island by 10. We go into the Island for a quick visit to the other side for a walk along the beach. Check out the conditions of the sand road to see if we can use bikes. Last time we were here the roads were like a washboard, this time they are smooth & hard enough to make bicycling easy. Back to the boats for lunch then back to the Island, taking a bike ride down to see the Dungeness ruins & the beach at that end of the Island. The weather is warming up and we enjoy the beautiful day outdoors. Dinner on Ocean Star as we talk about Florida just 3 miles away. We know that we can have some cold weather in Florida in November but also know it won't be as bad as the cold days we had in North & South Carolina. As we wake Wednesday morning at 7 it is like someone put a blanket over the boat. The fog is so heavy you can not see 50 feet away. We had planed a 9 am departure but the fog did not lift until 11:30. during that time we had the VHF radio on and there were several crazy people out there trying to navigate! It was scary at anchor, can't even imagine trying to travel in those conditions. Once the fog lifted we were underway by 11:45 and crossed into Florida by 12:15, topped off with fuel and anchored off Fernandina Beach by 1:15.
link to pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/Georgia?feat=directlink
Sunday we planned to go offshore from Hilton Head to St. Catherine's sound, but were put off by the mornings predictions of 25-30 kt winds out of the north with 6-8 ft seas and 50°F and persuaded to go the ICW route instead with only 10-15 kt winds, 60°F and no waves. We left the anchorage at 8 AM, and by 10 were crossing the Savannah River into Georgia, weather is cold but better then being off shore. By 11:15 we are at the 65' bridge at Thunderbolt but due to the tide it is at 64' 9” so we put the anchor down and only have to wait 45 minutes for the tide to go down 2 feet more for us to fit under. Catch up to our traveling buddies on Wild Thing by 2:30 in time to go through the narrow/shallow passage called Hell's Gate. Other than that one little spot this is a very pleasant trip down the ICW. We are anchored by 5 just before sunset (hate the time change) in Walburg Creek behind St. Catherine's Island and have dinner on Ocean Star. We had anchored here on the way up & it is a great isolated anchorage in the middle of nowhere, where you can pick up a Wi-Fi signal & TV – life is good. Monday we are underway at 7, dressed like we are going skiing as it is 41° as we head out the channel to the ocean. We have light winds & calm seas making for a very pleasant trip down to St. Andrew Sound. By 3 it has warmed up to 70° as we take a short cut through the shoals to the entrance to the channel. We turn down Cumberland River and then into Floyd Creek and are anchored by 4:30, time to relax a little before dinner on Wild Thing. Tuesday we have an early departure even though we are just going a short distance. We leave the anchorage by 7:45 and are anchored at the southern end of Cumberland Island by 10. We go into the Island for a quick visit to the other side for a walk along the beach. Check out the conditions of the sand road to see if we can use bikes. Last time we were here the roads were like a washboard, this time they are smooth & hard enough to make bicycling easy. Back to the boats for lunch then back to the Island, taking a bike ride down to see the Dungeness ruins & the beach at that end of the Island. The weather is warming up and we enjoy the beautiful day outdoors. Dinner on Ocean Star as we talk about Florida just 3 miles away. We know that we can have some cold weather in Florida in November but also know it won't be as bad as the cold days we had in North & South Carolina. As we wake Wednesday morning at 7 it is like someone put a blanket over the boat. The fog is so heavy you can not see 50 feet away. We had planed a 9 am departure but the fog did not lift until 11:30. during that time we had the VHF radio on and there were several crazy people out there trying to navigate! It was scary at anchor, can't even imagine trying to travel in those conditions. Once the fog lifted we were underway by 11:45 and crossed into Florida by 12:15, topped off with fuel and anchored off Fernandina Beach by 1:15.
link to pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/Georgia?feat=directlink
Sunday, November 7, 2010
South Carolina
Friday October 29 – Sunday November 7
We are away from our dock in Bald Head at 5 AM Friday morning, there was one very tense moment getting out through the very narrow (50 ft wide) marina entrance. We were leaving at nearly low tide to catch the outgoing tide in the inlet channel. We knew there was going to be a strong outgoing current combined with a North wind that was going to push the bow of the boat south (left) just as we exited the entrance, so we went to max speed to punch through into the clear channel before the wind and tide pushed us south. Everything went to plan, the bow of the boat just cleared the entrance bulkheads, and WE RAN AGROUND in the inlet. NOT GOOD. The bow of the boat promptly went south with the wind and tide and we were crosswise in the inlet. In seconds. Steve quickly reversed, and fortunately we backed off the shoal right away, but the wind and tide were too strong to bring the bow back north with the bow thruster, so we were backing crosswise in the inlet channel, threatening to bang both the bow and stern into the rocks or bulkhead on either side. Just a few feet from disaster on either side, Steve slammed the boat into forward gear at max speed, the bow went north, stern south, and we blasted through the inlet again just a few feet south of where we went aground a few minutes before. That was an adrenaline moment, and we were both shaking for the next hour while it burned off. Our traveling buddies on Wild Thing were on a dock further into the marina and couldn't leave since they were in the mud. They will wait for the tide to come in and take the ICW route down to Georgetown. We have an easy passage out the jetties into the ocean, and as we turn south we are triple reefed in both sails doing 8.5 – 9.5 knots in 20-25 knot winds with 4 foot following seas. Watch the sun rise and enjoy a beautiful day on the water with several birds joining us for part of the trip to rest. A yellow breasted bird who was so exhausted kept trying to fly and would get blown back. I was wishing him to just stay and rest until we got closer to shore but he kept flying off. After 4-5 tries he did not make it back to the boat even though we could see him trying, not sure of his fate. The other bird was glad to stay put and made himself at home even flying down below for a minute before I could get him back up on deck. By 2 we are turning into the channel leading to Winyah bay. Pass by the place we anchored at on the way north, but this time we are continuing up the bay to Georgetown. By 4 as we go up the Sampit River to Georgetown the place we were going to try to anchor is pretty crowded and shallow so after a few attempts to find a good spot we give up and go to Harborwalk Marina. We take a walk through town between 5-6 and the town is doing a city Halloween night out, so the sidewalks are filled with kids in costume along with a few adults. Back at the marina Steve talks to another boat with the same mast height we have that had come down the ICW route & the last bridge before Georgetown had all the wind instruments knocked off as he went under the bridge. Glad we took the outside route! Saturday we talk to Wild Thing and they let us know that they should get there by noon, we tell them about the anchoring problems and about a free dock that they can tie up to for the day. Once they are tied up we move out of our marina, that wants to charge us extra by the hour to stay past noon, and raft up to them. Go to lunch then Jan & I go check out the shops. Back to the boats and we leave Georgetown to go to the anchorage just off the ICW & inlet form the ocean to be ready for our Sunday morning departures. Steve & I are underway by 7:30 doing another jog offshore while Wild Thing leaves at 9 to go down the ICW where we will both meet up in Charleston at the end of the day. Wild Thing is just ahead of us as we travel in the jetties fighting the current. Have trouble setting the hook, but finally get anchored in the Ashley River across from the Mega Dock & City Marina we stayed out on our way up that is now full with boats moving south. Dinner on Wild Thing. On Monday morning we go over to the Charleston Maritime Marina over in the Cooper River--better rate and closer to the downtown area. After docking & lunch we get to see a cruise ship come in and dock just up from our marina. Steve & George do boat work and Jan & I head into town to see the shops. Charleston has a lot to see & do and many great restaurants to choose from. Monday morning we wondered why our boats were rocking so much in the marina, only to see 2 car carriers (Ro-Ro's) came in & were unloading just down the way. Monday night we dine at the rooftop restaurant of the Market Pavilion Hotel looking out at the cruise ship all lighted up and ready for their evening departure. Jan & George are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. Tuesday a trip across the river to visit the aircraft carrier Yorktown. I come back early as junior high & high school best friend Nancy & her husband are driving down from Charlotte NC to visit. We have kept in touch through the years but our last visit was in 1999. We have a great time catching up and go to Hymans for dinner. They spend the night on board and the next day Nancy & I hit the open air market as they are opening. After lunch they leave for the drive back home. This marina has A free washer & dryer (one each) so we are taking advantage throwing in a load whenever we can. In the evening we walk to King street to have dinner at a great Thai restaurant called Basil. Thursday Jan & George are leaving for the 2 day trip down the ICW to Hilton Head where we will meet them after our overnight trip Friday night. Friday afternoon we leave a little earlier then we wanted but the marina has another boat coming into to take our slip. We are under way by 1, 4 hours earlier than needed but we are planing a slow ride down to arrive at sunrise. Well the predicted 10-15 knot winds turns out to be 20-30 making the 50° feel like 30°as we beat into 2-4 foot waves. We are more then triple reefed trying to keep our speed down to time our arrival to sunrise so it is a long cold, bouncy night. We are anchored in Broad Creek by Palmetto marina where we stayed on the way north by 9 am. Unlike on our way north, there will be no bike rides along the beach as it is too cold & windy! Our friends on Wild Thing spent Friday night at the marina but now come out to anchor nearby as we make plans to keep going south to warmer weather. We go in by dinghy all bundled up to have dinner. Sunday we plan to go off shore down to St. Catherine’s Island, but the weather prediction is for a high of 60°, winds 20-25, and 6-8 foot waves so as with many boating plans they change and we take the ICW route. Georgia here we come.
http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/SouthCarolina?feat=directlink
We are away from our dock in Bald Head at 5 AM Friday morning, there was one very tense moment getting out through the very narrow (50 ft wide) marina entrance. We were leaving at nearly low tide to catch the outgoing tide in the inlet channel. We knew there was going to be a strong outgoing current combined with a North wind that was going to push the bow of the boat south (left) just as we exited the entrance, so we went to max speed to punch through into the clear channel before the wind and tide pushed us south. Everything went to plan, the bow of the boat just cleared the entrance bulkheads, and WE RAN AGROUND in the inlet. NOT GOOD. The bow of the boat promptly went south with the wind and tide and we were crosswise in the inlet. In seconds. Steve quickly reversed, and fortunately we backed off the shoal right away, but the wind and tide were too strong to bring the bow back north with the bow thruster, so we were backing crosswise in the inlet channel, threatening to bang both the bow and stern into the rocks or bulkhead on either side. Just a few feet from disaster on either side, Steve slammed the boat into forward gear at max speed, the bow went north, stern south, and we blasted through the inlet again just a few feet south of where we went aground a few minutes before. That was an adrenaline moment, and we were both shaking for the next hour while it burned off. Our traveling buddies on Wild Thing were on a dock further into the marina and couldn't leave since they were in the mud. They will wait for the tide to come in and take the ICW route down to Georgetown. We have an easy passage out the jetties into the ocean, and as we turn south we are triple reefed in both sails doing 8.5 – 9.5 knots in 20-25 knot winds with 4 foot following seas. Watch the sun rise and enjoy a beautiful day on the water with several birds joining us for part of the trip to rest. A yellow breasted bird who was so exhausted kept trying to fly and would get blown back. I was wishing him to just stay and rest until we got closer to shore but he kept flying off. After 4-5 tries he did not make it back to the boat even though we could see him trying, not sure of his fate. The other bird was glad to stay put and made himself at home even flying down below for a minute before I could get him back up on deck. By 2 we are turning into the channel leading to Winyah bay. Pass by the place we anchored at on the way north, but this time we are continuing up the bay to Georgetown. By 4 as we go up the Sampit River to Georgetown the place we were going to try to anchor is pretty crowded and shallow so after a few attempts to find a good spot we give up and go to Harborwalk Marina. We take a walk through town between 5-6 and the town is doing a city Halloween night out, so the sidewalks are filled with kids in costume along with a few adults. Back at the marina Steve talks to another boat with the same mast height we have that had come down the ICW route & the last bridge before Georgetown had all the wind instruments knocked off as he went under the bridge. Glad we took the outside route! Saturday we talk to Wild Thing and they let us know that they should get there by noon, we tell them about the anchoring problems and about a free dock that they can tie up to for the day. Once they are tied up we move out of our marina, that wants to charge us extra by the hour to stay past noon, and raft up to them. Go to lunch then Jan & I go check out the shops. Back to the boats and we leave Georgetown to go to the anchorage just off the ICW & inlet form the ocean to be ready for our Sunday morning departures. Steve & I are underway by 7:30 doing another jog offshore while Wild Thing leaves at 9 to go down the ICW where we will both meet up in Charleston at the end of the day. Wild Thing is just ahead of us as we travel in the jetties fighting the current. Have trouble setting the hook, but finally get anchored in the Ashley River across from the Mega Dock & City Marina we stayed out on our way up that is now full with boats moving south. Dinner on Wild Thing. On Monday morning we go over to the Charleston Maritime Marina over in the Cooper River--better rate and closer to the downtown area. After docking & lunch we get to see a cruise ship come in and dock just up from our marina. Steve & George do boat work and Jan & I head into town to see the shops. Charleston has a lot to see & do and many great restaurants to choose from. Monday morning we wondered why our boats were rocking so much in the marina, only to see 2 car carriers (Ro-Ro's) came in & were unloading just down the way. Monday night we dine at the rooftop restaurant of the Market Pavilion Hotel looking out at the cruise ship all lighted up and ready for their evening departure. Jan & George are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. Tuesday a trip across the river to visit the aircraft carrier Yorktown. I come back early as junior high & high school best friend Nancy & her husband are driving down from Charlotte NC to visit. We have kept in touch through the years but our last visit was in 1999. We have a great time catching up and go to Hymans for dinner. They spend the night on board and the next day Nancy & I hit the open air market as they are opening. After lunch they leave for the drive back home. This marina has A free washer & dryer (one each) so we are taking advantage throwing in a load whenever we can. In the evening we walk to King street to have dinner at a great Thai restaurant called Basil. Thursday Jan & George are leaving for the 2 day trip down the ICW to Hilton Head where we will meet them after our overnight trip Friday night. Friday afternoon we leave a little earlier then we wanted but the marina has another boat coming into to take our slip. We are under way by 1, 4 hours earlier than needed but we are planing a slow ride down to arrive at sunrise. Well the predicted 10-15 knot winds turns out to be 20-30 making the 50° feel like 30°as we beat into 2-4 foot waves. We are more then triple reefed trying to keep our speed down to time our arrival to sunrise so it is a long cold, bouncy night. We are anchored in Broad Creek by Palmetto marina where we stayed on the way north by 9 am. Unlike on our way north, there will be no bike rides along the beach as it is too cold & windy! Our friends on Wild Thing spent Friday night at the marina but now come out to anchor nearby as we make plans to keep going south to warmer weather. We go in by dinghy all bundled up to have dinner. Sunday we plan to go off shore down to St. Catherine’s Island, but the weather prediction is for a high of 60°, winds 20-25, and 6-8 foot waves so as with many boating plans they change and we take the ICW route. Georgia here we come.
http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/SouthCarolina?feat=directlink
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Hampton Virginia Thru North Carolina
Saturday October 16 – Thursday October 28
OMG 2 weeks worth of updates. Here is a very condensed version of our travels. We have a great sail down from the cove near Deltavile to Hampton Virginia. With following seas and 20-25 knot winds on the aft quarter, we do 8-9 knots with just the genoa, on a cold 55° clear blue sky day. We are docked at Bluewater Marina by 12:30. Our cruising buddy Wild Thing goes on to Norfolk to pick up his wife returning from her trip home. Steve's son Sean & girlfriend Holly are driving down from DC to visit us for the weekend. We have a wonderful visit, playing Blokus & Corn Hole. Sean's friend Javier who lives nearby stops by to visit also. We make plans for a day sail Sunday morning and Javier invites us to the family beach house for an afternoon BBQ. We have a perfect day for a sail along the beach, sailing by Javier's beach house. On the way back we have several dolphin sightings, our first since coming up to the Chesapeake. Taking advantage of having access to a car, Sean takes us to the grocery store to get provisions. Quick tour of “downtown” Hampton and a short drive to Buckroe Beach where we enjoy a beautiful evening and a great dinner, and another game of corn hole at Javier's. Sean & Holly drop us back at the boat and head out for their 3 hour trip home. Monday we are underway by 10 passing by Portsmouth & Norfolk on our way down the ICW to Great Bridge where we planned to meet back up with Jan & George on Wild Thing. This time of year there are a LOT of boats heading South, we have a lot of bridges to navigate between Norfolk & Great Bridge. The one 65' bridge we clear without any problems some of the other bridges open on the ½ hour so you wind up with several boats waiting in a small area for the bridge to open. We also have a lock to go through, this hour we go through with 11 other boats heading south.. After the lock we go through Great Bridge, get fuel & tie up at the free dock overnight where we meet back up with Wild Thing. Our plans for an early departure to get to an anchorage down the ICW in North Carolina are delayed as Steve discovers he left his credit card at the restaurant the night before. Jan & George will travel south slowly for us to catch up after Steve gets his credit card. Three hours later we are under way, and by 1:30 we are approaching the Pungo Ferry Bridge that George had reported the water being high. We can see the gauge is only showing 64', we have to back up and pull over. Steve has to go up the mast to remove all the wind instruments on top. Make it under the bridge pull over again, Steve goes back up the mast to reassemble things before proceeding south. It is now late afternoon and we are concerned about making our planed anchorage past Coinjock. We are in communication with Wild Thing and since they have been traveling slow we catch up to them in Coinjock where there is another 65' bridge that they report the water being high also. So since it is late in the day we turn around and dock at Midway Marina for the night. Next morning Steve goes up & removes instruments again we go under bridge and anchor to put things back. Ocean Star & Wild Thing are on our way south to Manteo. We are anchored off Manteo after TRYING to fit into one of the free slips. I get to have Lobster for the first time on board Wild Thing. Thursday day of rest & visiting town. Friday we depart at 8 am to take advantage of low tide and clear the 65' bridge w/o having to take anything down. Beautiful sunny cool day motor sailing across Pamlico Sound since we have a LONG way to go we keep the boats at 8-9+ knots. Anchored as the sun is setting & full moon rising in Bay River. Saturday we leave anchorage at 10 timing our arrival at the next 65' bridge for low tide. Our anchorage was near where the dismal swamp ICW route lets out so all morning we see boats streaming south. With the full moon the tides are more extreme and we have 67' clearance at the bridge. We are docked at Town Creek Marina by 4. I drop the boat hook overboard and it sinks, try to use dinghy anchor to scrape the bottom to find the boat hook & the knot holding the rope to the anchor comes undone and we loose the anchor, not a good day. Friends of Jan & George come to visit, Sharon & Jake who live near by. Drinks on Wild Thing before we all go out to a great dinner at the marina restaurant. Sunday a visit to town after a diver comes out to find the boat hook & anchor and since we are paying Sunday “overtime” have him change the zinc on the prop also. Late Sunday we leave the marina and go about a 100 yards out to anchor. Off shore weather forecast is not favorable, so we plan another trip down the ICW. Monday 10/25 a 7:15 departure and as we approach the Beaufort / Morehead City 65' bridge at low tide, Wild Thing approaches first. NOT good news only showing a 63' clearance. Ocean Star turns around to go back by our anchorage to the bascule bridge that started to open at 8, which we miss but get through the 8:30 opening. Wild Thing is now ahead of us acting as reconnaissance on depth & bridge height. We get bad news the tide even though it is going out is still too high at the next bridge to Atlantic Beach. So we drop the anchor & wait by the bridge for 3 hours until the tide is low enough for us to get under. As we wait a rain storm passes over so we get to stay nice & dry down below. By this time we have to revise plans on our next anchorage to one closer that we can make before dark. The 3rd bridge of the day the water is low so we make it under. Shortly after we turn off the ICW by the town of Swansboro & are anchored by 6 near Wild Thing, just before the next rain storm. Tuesday 10 am departure from anchorage after Steve & George work on the main sail on Wild Thing. We make the 11:30 opening of the Onslow swing bridge, by 1 we are at the next 65' bridge and it is showing a 66' clearance but we scrape the VHF antenna. Just goes to show that measurements are not always accurate. We have to wait 35 minutes at the next swing bridge that only opens on the hour. By 4 pm we are anchored just off a channel running along Topsail Island between the ICW. We can feel the sea spray and hear the waves crashing on the other side of the Island. Our travels down the ICW have been challenging with the bridges but it is truly a beautiful part of the country and we are glad for the opportunity to see it. Wednesday we have an early departure to catch the opening of two bridges and we time them just right. We are anchored in Banks Channel just off Wrightsville Beach by noon. Enjoy the afternoon on shore with a nice walk thru part of town and along the beach. Back to the boats for a while, before going back to shore for dinner. Thursday will be another early but short day. We are awaken at 5 am to a rain storm, wondering how that will affect our 7 am departure. We need to leave at 7 to make it to the Carolina Beach 65' bridge at low tide at 9 am. Luckily the rain lets up as we are leaving with just a few sprinkles to start with and we make it under the bridge. The sun and clouds compete with each other all day as another front passes off to the south of us. Wild Thing waited for better weather with a later departure as they do not have to hit the bridge at low tide. We have a couple of anchorages picked out but as we get to them and the forecast of a front coming in during the night they do not look very secure. We check with Bald Head Marina and they can get us in. We head over talking to Wild Thing letting them know about the change in plans. We are docked at 12:30 and it works out great as this marina is right off the inlet to go off shore for our next days passage. Wild Thing arrives around 2 and I have decided that the best way to see the Island in such a short time is to rent a golf cart. So by 2:45 we are on our way to cruise the Island which is not very big so we are done by 4:30. Dinner at marina restaurant making it an early night as Friday 10/29 will be a predawn departure to make it out the channel at slack tide for our passage down to Georgetown South Carolina.
http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/Hampton?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/NorthCarolina?feat=directlink
OMG 2 weeks worth of updates. Here is a very condensed version of our travels. We have a great sail down from the cove near Deltavile to Hampton Virginia. With following seas and 20-25 knot winds on the aft quarter, we do 8-9 knots with just the genoa, on a cold 55° clear blue sky day. We are docked at Bluewater Marina by 12:30. Our cruising buddy Wild Thing goes on to Norfolk to pick up his wife returning from her trip home. Steve's son Sean & girlfriend Holly are driving down from DC to visit us for the weekend. We have a wonderful visit, playing Blokus & Corn Hole. Sean's friend Javier who lives nearby stops by to visit also. We make plans for a day sail Sunday morning and Javier invites us to the family beach house for an afternoon BBQ. We have a perfect day for a sail along the beach, sailing by Javier's beach house. On the way back we have several dolphin sightings, our first since coming up to the Chesapeake. Taking advantage of having access to a car, Sean takes us to the grocery store to get provisions. Quick tour of “downtown” Hampton and a short drive to Buckroe Beach where we enjoy a beautiful evening and a great dinner, and another game of corn hole at Javier's. Sean & Holly drop us back at the boat and head out for their 3 hour trip home. Monday we are underway by 10 passing by Portsmouth & Norfolk on our way down the ICW to Great Bridge where we planned to meet back up with Jan & George on Wild Thing. This time of year there are a LOT of boats heading South, we have a lot of bridges to navigate between Norfolk & Great Bridge. The one 65' bridge we clear without any problems some of the other bridges open on the ½ hour so you wind up with several boats waiting in a small area for the bridge to open. We also have a lock to go through, this hour we go through with 11 other boats heading south.. After the lock we go through Great Bridge, get fuel & tie up at the free dock overnight where we meet back up with Wild Thing. Our plans for an early departure to get to an anchorage down the ICW in North Carolina are delayed as Steve discovers he left his credit card at the restaurant the night before. Jan & George will travel south slowly for us to catch up after Steve gets his credit card. Three hours later we are under way, and by 1:30 we are approaching the Pungo Ferry Bridge that George had reported the water being high. We can see the gauge is only showing 64', we have to back up and pull over. Steve has to go up the mast to remove all the wind instruments on top. Make it under the bridge pull over again, Steve goes back up the mast to reassemble things before proceeding south. It is now late afternoon and we are concerned about making our planed anchorage past Coinjock. We are in communication with Wild Thing and since they have been traveling slow we catch up to them in Coinjock where there is another 65' bridge that they report the water being high also. So since it is late in the day we turn around and dock at Midway Marina for the night. Next morning Steve goes up & removes instruments again we go under bridge and anchor to put things back. Ocean Star & Wild Thing are on our way south to Manteo. We are anchored off Manteo after TRYING to fit into one of the free slips. I get to have Lobster for the first time on board Wild Thing. Thursday day of rest & visiting town. Friday we depart at 8 am to take advantage of low tide and clear the 65' bridge w/o having to take anything down. Beautiful sunny cool day motor sailing across Pamlico Sound since we have a LONG way to go we keep the boats at 8-9+ knots. Anchored as the sun is setting & full moon rising in Bay River. Saturday we leave anchorage at 10 timing our arrival at the next 65' bridge for low tide. Our anchorage was near where the dismal swamp ICW route lets out so all morning we see boats streaming south. With the full moon the tides are more extreme and we have 67' clearance at the bridge. We are docked at Town Creek Marina by 4. I drop the boat hook overboard and it sinks, try to use dinghy anchor to scrape the bottom to find the boat hook & the knot holding the rope to the anchor comes undone and we loose the anchor, not a good day. Friends of Jan & George come to visit, Sharon & Jake who live near by. Drinks on Wild Thing before we all go out to a great dinner at the marina restaurant. Sunday a visit to town after a diver comes out to find the boat hook & anchor and since we are paying Sunday “overtime” have him change the zinc on the prop also. Late Sunday we leave the marina and go about a 100 yards out to anchor. Off shore weather forecast is not favorable, so we plan another trip down the ICW. Monday 10/25 a 7:15 departure and as we approach the Beaufort / Morehead City 65' bridge at low tide, Wild Thing approaches first. NOT good news only showing a 63' clearance. Ocean Star turns around to go back by our anchorage to the bascule bridge that started to open at 8, which we miss but get through the 8:30 opening. Wild Thing is now ahead of us acting as reconnaissance on depth & bridge height. We get bad news the tide even though it is going out is still too high at the next bridge to Atlantic Beach. So we drop the anchor & wait by the bridge for 3 hours until the tide is low enough for us to get under. As we wait a rain storm passes over so we get to stay nice & dry down below. By this time we have to revise plans on our next anchorage to one closer that we can make before dark. The 3rd bridge of the day the water is low so we make it under. Shortly after we turn off the ICW by the town of Swansboro & are anchored by 6 near Wild Thing, just before the next rain storm. Tuesday 10 am departure from anchorage after Steve & George work on the main sail on Wild Thing. We make the 11:30 opening of the Onslow swing bridge, by 1 we are at the next 65' bridge and it is showing a 66' clearance but we scrape the VHF antenna. Just goes to show that measurements are not always accurate. We have to wait 35 minutes at the next swing bridge that only opens on the hour. By 4 pm we are anchored just off a channel running along Topsail Island between the ICW. We can feel the sea spray and hear the waves crashing on the other side of the Island. Our travels down the ICW have been challenging with the bridges but it is truly a beautiful part of the country and we are glad for the opportunity to see it. Wednesday we have an early departure to catch the opening of two bridges and we time them just right. We are anchored in Banks Channel just off Wrightsville Beach by noon. Enjoy the afternoon on shore with a nice walk thru part of town and along the beach. Back to the boats for a while, before going back to shore for dinner. Thursday will be another early but short day. We are awaken at 5 am to a rain storm, wondering how that will affect our 7 am departure. We need to leave at 7 to make it to the Carolina Beach 65' bridge at low tide at 9 am. Luckily the rain lets up as we are leaving with just a few sprinkles to start with and we make it under the bridge. The sun and clouds compete with each other all day as another front passes off to the south of us. Wild Thing waited for better weather with a later departure as they do not have to hit the bridge at low tide. We have a couple of anchorages picked out but as we get to them and the forecast of a front coming in during the night they do not look very secure. We check with Bald Head Marina and they can get us in. We head over talking to Wild Thing letting them know about the change in plans. We are docked at 12:30 and it works out great as this marina is right off the inlet to go off shore for our next days passage. Wild Thing arrives around 2 and I have decided that the best way to see the Island in such a short time is to rent a golf cart. So by 2:45 we are on our way to cruise the Island which is not very big so we are done by 4:30. Dinner at marina restaurant making it an early night as Friday 10/29 will be a predawn departure to make it out the channel at slack tide for our passage down to Georgetown South Carolina.
http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/Hampton?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/NorthCarolina?feat=directlink
Friday, October 15, 2010
Moving South
Monday October 11 – Friday October 15
We motor sail down the Chesapeake Bay, then turn up the Choptank River, then up the Tred Avon River and are anchored off Oxford by 6:30. Both boats have trouble setting the anchors but they finally dig in just in time to watch a beautiful sunset. Steve makes a soup with some leftovers of ours & George's and we make tentative plans for the next few days working our way south to Norfolk where Jan will fly back to on Saturday. Tuesday morning from 9 to 10:30 we walk around the town of Oxford. There is not a lot of tourist things to see & do in this part of the state which makes it that much more of a treat. Like being in a different world just traveling up the different water ways seeing the beautiful homes and the trees it is a wonderful way to spend the day. The plan was to go to Cambridge for the afternoon & anchor overnight there. But as we were bringing up the anchor our windlass stopped working, we were dug in really hard & the load did something to make it stop coming up, the down gear still worked, but Steve gets it up with the manual lever. As we are heading out for Cambridge we decide to head to Solomons Island instead. The weather is supposed to get cold & rainy and if Steve needs parts to work on the windlass Solomons is a better choice. We are anchored off Solomons Island by 5:30 to see another beautiful sunset. Ride around the anchorage on a “booze cruise” with Wild Thing sipping on drinks and talking with other boats & into dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. Wednesday turns out to be a beautiful day and Steve works on the outboard motor for the dinghy as it is still not working right, not sure how many more life support fixes he can do on this one. The afternoon he tackles the windlass problem and for the first time in our boating history we have an easy fix Woo – Hoo ! Steve thought the solenoid had burned out but it was just a loose wire. So it only took a minute to fix (once we cleared the way to get to it). The afternoon is spent doing emails & some paperwork over a very slow internet connection. Grilled Steak dinner over on Wild Thing as we make plans to move on. Thursday's weather prediction is not so good as we wake for a sunrise departure the radar shows a storm moving in so we stay put to see if it will pass on by, it does but not until 5 that night. We are glad we are safe at anchor and not traveling in the cold rain. At 5 once the storm passed Steve & George go for a long walk then come back to get me to go to dinner. Friday's sunrise departure looks to be a beautiful morning leaving Back Creek. By 8:15 we are sailing down the Patuxent River heading for the Bay at 7-8 + knots. By 8:45 we put a reef in both the main & genoa and are still making 7-8 K with 16 – 20 K winds on a forward beam reach. By 10 it has warmed up to 65° as we pass the Potomac River. With the west winds and a long fetch over the mouth of the Potomac the waves get pretty choppy as we cross. Next as we approach the Rappannock River it gets cloudy and the winds pick up even more. We miss the rain around us but have to double reef & then triple reef the sails as we get wind gusts 25-30 K and the waves have built to 4-5 feet. It is a fast & exciting sail down until we turn west into the wind when we motor with a triple reefed main into 2-4 foot waves and top wind gust of 36 K. Lots of water coming over the bow, thankful we have a dodger! With the wind out of the west we are able to anchor just off Jackson Creek near Deltavile in the lee of the land. As we get closer to shore the winds & waves both die down, we are anchored by 3, and the sun comes back out to welcome us to the new anchorage. Saturday we will have another early departure to head to Hampton Virginia just north of Norfolk & east of Newport News where we will spend a few days.
Link to Pictures; http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/MovingSouth?feat=directlink
We motor sail down the Chesapeake Bay, then turn up the Choptank River, then up the Tred Avon River and are anchored off Oxford by 6:30. Both boats have trouble setting the anchors but they finally dig in just in time to watch a beautiful sunset. Steve makes a soup with some leftovers of ours & George's and we make tentative plans for the next few days working our way south to Norfolk where Jan will fly back to on Saturday. Tuesday morning from 9 to 10:30 we walk around the town of Oxford. There is not a lot of tourist things to see & do in this part of the state which makes it that much more of a treat. Like being in a different world just traveling up the different water ways seeing the beautiful homes and the trees it is a wonderful way to spend the day. The plan was to go to Cambridge for the afternoon & anchor overnight there. But as we were bringing up the anchor our windlass stopped working, we were dug in really hard & the load did something to make it stop coming up, the down gear still worked, but Steve gets it up with the manual lever. As we are heading out for Cambridge we decide to head to Solomons Island instead. The weather is supposed to get cold & rainy and if Steve needs parts to work on the windlass Solomons is a better choice. We are anchored off Solomons Island by 5:30 to see another beautiful sunset. Ride around the anchorage on a “booze cruise” with Wild Thing sipping on drinks and talking with other boats & into dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. Wednesday turns out to be a beautiful day and Steve works on the outboard motor for the dinghy as it is still not working right, not sure how many more life support fixes he can do on this one. The afternoon he tackles the windlass problem and for the first time in our boating history we have an easy fix Woo – Hoo ! Steve thought the solenoid had burned out but it was just a loose wire. So it only took a minute to fix (once we cleared the way to get to it). The afternoon is spent doing emails & some paperwork over a very slow internet connection. Grilled Steak dinner over on Wild Thing as we make plans to move on. Thursday's weather prediction is not so good as we wake for a sunrise departure the radar shows a storm moving in so we stay put to see if it will pass on by, it does but not until 5 that night. We are glad we are safe at anchor and not traveling in the cold rain. At 5 once the storm passed Steve & George go for a long walk then come back to get me to go to dinner. Friday's sunrise departure looks to be a beautiful morning leaving Back Creek. By 8:15 we are sailing down the Patuxent River heading for the Bay at 7-8 + knots. By 8:45 we put a reef in both the main & genoa and are still making 7-8 K with 16 – 20 K winds on a forward beam reach. By 10 it has warmed up to 65° as we pass the Potomac River. With the west winds and a long fetch over the mouth of the Potomac the waves get pretty choppy as we cross. Next as we approach the Rappannock River it gets cloudy and the winds pick up even more. We miss the rain around us but have to double reef & then triple reef the sails as we get wind gusts 25-30 K and the waves have built to 4-5 feet. It is a fast & exciting sail down until we turn west into the wind when we motor with a triple reefed main into 2-4 foot waves and top wind gust of 36 K. Lots of water coming over the bow, thankful we have a dodger! With the wind out of the west we are able to anchor just off Jackson Creek near Deltavile in the lee of the land. As we get closer to shore the winds & waves both die down, we are anchored by 3, and the sun comes back out to welcome us to the new anchorage. Saturday we will have another early departure to head to Hampton Virginia just north of Norfolk & east of Newport News where we will spend a few days.
Link to Pictures; http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/MovingSouth?feat=directlink
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Annapolis
Tuesday October 5 – Monday October 11
We are anchored just off the Naval Academy on Spa Creek just south of Annapolis by 5:30 Tuesday evening with S/V Wild Thing near by. After a cold trip down here we decide not to journey into town by dinghy for dinner and Steve makes dinner on board, with Jan bringing dessert. Wednesday morning Steve & George go into town for a long walk over to check out Weems Creek as an alternative anchorage. We are in a GREAT location very close to dinghy dock to town & boat show BUT in strong winds out of the east or south we would not have very good protection. So even though that is not the prediction they want to see what & where an alternative could be. George likes his morning walks and has gotten Steve into going with him, so much so that Steve had to go by a good pair of tennis shoes since he did not own a good pair of sturdy walking shoes. Jan & I get to sleep in and are ready to go when they get back. Into town and it is already abuzz getting ready for the boat show. We go to lunch at a place called O’Brien's and Jan tries her first oyster shooter and says it is great. After lunch we go over to the Naval Academy for a tour, the buildings and grounds are beautiful. Bancroft Hall the largest college dormitory in the world is not like any dorm I have seen – a marble palace in the style of Versailles! A walk around town checking out what is where, George makes a run back to the boat while Steve, Jan & I stop at one of the local hot spots Pusser's Caribbean Grill to try some of their famous rum drinks. Jan gets the Rum Punch, I get the Jamaican me Crazy & Steve gets the Pusser's Painkiller, all are great drinks but the painkiller wins. Dinner that night at McGarvey's where Jan, George & Steve all enjoy oyster shooters = an oyster in a shot glass with vodka & bloody Mary mix as an appetizer, no way am I trying one. Thursday afternoon Jan & I get dropped off in town to check out the shops, and I think we saw every one. Steve helps George run speaker wire back on Wild Thing. After shopping and boat work we have cocktails on Wild Thing before going back to town as Beneteau is having a reception at the Marriott, and both our brokers who sold us our boats will be there. The place is packed and we have a few appetizers & drinks while waiting to meet up with friend Gina who is in Bethesda on a business trip and is taking the time to drive over to meet us for dinner. After visiting for a while we head over to Eastport to have dinner since that is where Gina had to park her car. It is always great to see family & friends just hard to say goodbye again. Friday is boat show day for us and we plan to be there when the gates open. George & Jan have a bigger & better dinghy so they have been acting as taxi, on their way over to our boat Friday morning they have engine trouble so they drift over to us and we all load into our dinghy for the ride into the show. We are there all day walking our legs off checking out the newer & bigger boats and all the boat gadgets you could possibly imagine. There are some beautiful boats but after all the looking we all decide we made great decisions on buying our boats. The Catamarans we were all so interested in seeing turned out to be not as spectacular as we were expecting. All the ups & downs into the different hulls front & aft and the room configuration were turn offs to me. They do have fabulous salon areas and big decks forward & aft but the rooms were just average. The monohulls we looked at were beautiful but a lot of the pretty features were not very practical. We did come back with a few gadgets and some ideas that will make cruising life easier, and it was a fun day. Back to the boats about 6:30 Jan & I rest while Steve & George fix George's outboard engine on the dinghy. Late dinner of grilled steaks on board Wild Thing. Saturday we dinghy over to Back Creek and go to Eastport for lunch then dinghy further up the creek to another dinghy dock to hike to West Marine. We have been really lucky with the weather again, sunny days high around 80° lows at night 60°. The winds have been variable but light so the anchorage has remained a great spot even with all the rolling caused by wakes from boats passing through the anchorage or passing by on the river, this is one very busy place. Every day the Navy runs a dozen 70 ft cutters up and down the Severn river by the anchorage, practicing maneuvering and man overboard drills with lots of horn blowing. It's pretty noisy during the day, but quiets down at night. Sunday morning George takes Jan in to catch a shuttle to Baltimore airport as she will fly home for a few days for a family situation. Sunday afternoon I take Steve to where he thinks is closer to his meeting spot with Sean. Our 30 minute dinghy ride really took him further away, but they finally connected and were on their way back to DC to have dinner & go to the Roger Water's The Wall concert as I made my way back to the boat bouncing along the Severn River in the dinghy. When I got back to the boat I noticed a couple of Boat US boats around two other boats. After getting back on board Ocean Star I could see that the sail boat that was anchored too close to a Catamaran had wedged its bow in between the 2 hulls of the Catamaran, not a pretty picture and a good reason not to anchor too close to other boats. Monday Steve calls and says he is on the way back so I get the dink ready to go pick him up BUT can't get the motor started. Luckily George is close by on Wild Thing so comes to pick me up to go get Steve who once again changes the pick up location. We get a nice tour of Spa Creek as we go to find where he got dropped off, load him & the provisions he picked up into the dink, back to the boats where we prepare for departure. By 1:30 Ocean Star & Wild Thing are heading down the Severn River towards our next stop in Oxford on the Eastern shore.
Link to pictures; http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/Annapolis?feat=directlink
We are anchored just off the Naval Academy on Spa Creek just south of Annapolis by 5:30 Tuesday evening with S/V Wild Thing near by. After a cold trip down here we decide not to journey into town by dinghy for dinner and Steve makes dinner on board, with Jan bringing dessert. Wednesday morning Steve & George go into town for a long walk over to check out Weems Creek as an alternative anchorage. We are in a GREAT location very close to dinghy dock to town & boat show BUT in strong winds out of the east or south we would not have very good protection. So even though that is not the prediction they want to see what & where an alternative could be. George likes his morning walks and has gotten Steve into going with him, so much so that Steve had to go by a good pair of tennis shoes since he did not own a good pair of sturdy walking shoes. Jan & I get to sleep in and are ready to go when they get back. Into town and it is already abuzz getting ready for the boat show. We go to lunch at a place called O’Brien's and Jan tries her first oyster shooter and says it is great. After lunch we go over to the Naval Academy for a tour, the buildings and grounds are beautiful. Bancroft Hall the largest college dormitory in the world is not like any dorm I have seen – a marble palace in the style of Versailles! A walk around town checking out what is where, George makes a run back to the boat while Steve, Jan & I stop at one of the local hot spots Pusser's Caribbean Grill to try some of their famous rum drinks. Jan gets the Rum Punch, I get the Jamaican me Crazy & Steve gets the Pusser's Painkiller, all are great drinks but the painkiller wins. Dinner that night at McGarvey's where Jan, George & Steve all enjoy oyster shooters = an oyster in a shot glass with vodka & bloody Mary mix as an appetizer, no way am I trying one. Thursday afternoon Jan & I get dropped off in town to check out the shops, and I think we saw every one. Steve helps George run speaker wire back on Wild Thing. After shopping and boat work we have cocktails on Wild Thing before going back to town as Beneteau is having a reception at the Marriott, and both our brokers who sold us our boats will be there. The place is packed and we have a few appetizers & drinks while waiting to meet up with friend Gina who is in Bethesda on a business trip and is taking the time to drive over to meet us for dinner. After visiting for a while we head over to Eastport to have dinner since that is where Gina had to park her car. It is always great to see family & friends just hard to say goodbye again. Friday is boat show day for us and we plan to be there when the gates open. George & Jan have a bigger & better dinghy so they have been acting as taxi, on their way over to our boat Friday morning they have engine trouble so they drift over to us and we all load into our dinghy for the ride into the show. We are there all day walking our legs off checking out the newer & bigger boats and all the boat gadgets you could possibly imagine. There are some beautiful boats but after all the looking we all decide we made great decisions on buying our boats. The Catamarans we were all so interested in seeing turned out to be not as spectacular as we were expecting. All the ups & downs into the different hulls front & aft and the room configuration were turn offs to me. They do have fabulous salon areas and big decks forward & aft but the rooms were just average. The monohulls we looked at were beautiful but a lot of the pretty features were not very practical. We did come back with a few gadgets and some ideas that will make cruising life easier, and it was a fun day. Back to the boats about 6:30 Jan & I rest while Steve & George fix George's outboard engine on the dinghy. Late dinner of grilled steaks on board Wild Thing. Saturday we dinghy over to Back Creek and go to Eastport for lunch then dinghy further up the creek to another dinghy dock to hike to West Marine. We have been really lucky with the weather again, sunny days high around 80° lows at night 60°. The winds have been variable but light so the anchorage has remained a great spot even with all the rolling caused by wakes from boats passing through the anchorage or passing by on the river, this is one very busy place. Every day the Navy runs a dozen 70 ft cutters up and down the Severn river by the anchorage, practicing maneuvering and man overboard drills with lots of horn blowing. It's pretty noisy during the day, but quiets down at night. Sunday morning George takes Jan in to catch a shuttle to Baltimore airport as she will fly home for a few days for a family situation. Sunday afternoon I take Steve to where he thinks is closer to his meeting spot with Sean. Our 30 minute dinghy ride really took him further away, but they finally connected and were on their way back to DC to have dinner & go to the Roger Water's The Wall concert as I made my way back to the boat bouncing along the Severn River in the dinghy. When I got back to the boat I noticed a couple of Boat US boats around two other boats. After getting back on board Ocean Star I could see that the sail boat that was anchored too close to a Catamaran had wedged its bow in between the 2 hulls of the Catamaran, not a pretty picture and a good reason not to anchor too close to other boats. Monday Steve calls and says he is on the way back so I get the dink ready to go pick him up BUT can't get the motor started. Luckily George is close by on Wild Thing so comes to pick me up to go get Steve who once again changes the pick up location. We get a nice tour of Spa Creek as we go to find where he got dropped off, load him & the provisions he picked up into the dink, back to the boats where we prepare for departure. By 1:30 Ocean Star & Wild Thing are heading down the Severn River towards our next stop in Oxford on the Eastern shore.
Link to pictures; http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/Annapolis?feat=directlink
Saturday, October 9, 2010
SSCA GAM & Back to Baltimore
Thursday Sept 23 – Tuesday October 5
We leave St. Michaels Thursday morning around 11 heading over to the Rhode River for a Seven Seas Cruising Association GAM (gathering). We are anchored by 2:30 in almost the same spot we were in a month earlier when we were here before. There are about 25 boats already here for the GAM that officially starts Friday afternoon, but for those of us that have arrived early there is a dinghy raft up planned for 5 that night. Everyone brings an appetizer to share and we have a fun time meeting some new people. This group consists of people who have been cruising, people that are currently cruising and those that are getting ready to or hope to soon. Over the next few days they have several meetings, seminars and gatherings to mix & mingle and learn from fellow cruisers. It is our first time to attend and have a great time and meet several people with similar plans to head south. We had been in touch with another couple the Todd's whom we met down in the Bahamas & who were planning to come up to the Chesapeake on their boat also. We mentioned the SSCA get together & told them we would be there so they met us there. Sunday afternoon after the GAM was over Jan & George Todd on S/V Wild Thing and us pulled up anchor and went up to Annapolis. The weather prediction was for rain on Monday so we decided to take advantage of Sundays weather that had cleared up from the mornings rain. We find an anchorage in Back Creek south of Eastport and dinghy in for dinner in Eastport then a short walk over to “Downtown” Annapolis. Being Sunday night most of the shops are closed and the weather is still threatening rain so we don't stay long, just make plans to come back. Over dinner the Todd's & us talked over some tentative plans. I needed to get back to Baltimore for a dental appointment that I think is on Tuesday. So Monday we all head up to Baltimore with plans to come back to Annapolis a few days before the boat show to see the town. We knew about a big festival (Fell's Point Fun Festival) scheduled for the upcoming weekend so we decide to hang out in Baltimore showing the Todd's around during the week. We call the marina we had stayed at previously, and he has room for both boats but the weekend might be a problem with the festival since he has booked the slips. BUT he makes some adjustments and rafts up the power boats coming in just for the festival to fit everyone in. I get my dental work completed and we have a great time showing Jan & George around Baltimore and seeing some sights we did not see before. We attend the Fell's point Fun Festival event over the weekend eating food, checking out the vendor stands, and listening to some music. Saturday was a beautiful day, Sunday the clouds started to move in and by 7 that night it was raining. Monday 10/4 is a cold & rainy day so we just hang out on the boat, Steve is warming the boat by cooking all afternoon, as his son Sean & girlfriend Holly are coming to town. After dinner on board all 6 of us go to a concert at the RAMS HEAD LIVE to see Brandi Carlile . It has been a long time since Steve & I and the Todd's have been to a concert, but we all have a great time and enjoy the experience. Tuesday we sleep in a little after a late night, and Steve & Jan make a run to the Safeway with Sean's car before they head back to DC. We say goodbye to Baltimore on Tuesday 10/5, leaving the dock around noon with partly cloudy skies & cool temperatures, but following winds and flat seas for a beautiful sail down at 6-7 knots, no motoring. We are anchored just south of Annapolis right by the Naval Academy just off the Severn River by 5:30 where we will stay through the upcoming weekend to attend the Annapolis Sailboat show.
Link to Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/SSCAGAM?feat=directlink
& http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/Baltimore2?feat=directlink
We leave St. Michaels Thursday morning around 11 heading over to the Rhode River for a Seven Seas Cruising Association GAM (gathering). We are anchored by 2:30 in almost the same spot we were in a month earlier when we were here before. There are about 25 boats already here for the GAM that officially starts Friday afternoon, but for those of us that have arrived early there is a dinghy raft up planned for 5 that night. Everyone brings an appetizer to share and we have a fun time meeting some new people. This group consists of people who have been cruising, people that are currently cruising and those that are getting ready to or hope to soon. Over the next few days they have several meetings, seminars and gatherings to mix & mingle and learn from fellow cruisers. It is our first time to attend and have a great time and meet several people with similar plans to head south. We had been in touch with another couple the Todd's whom we met down in the Bahamas & who were planning to come up to the Chesapeake on their boat also. We mentioned the SSCA get together & told them we would be there so they met us there. Sunday afternoon after the GAM was over Jan & George Todd on S/V Wild Thing and us pulled up anchor and went up to Annapolis. The weather prediction was for rain on Monday so we decided to take advantage of Sundays weather that had cleared up from the mornings rain. We find an anchorage in Back Creek south of Eastport and dinghy in for dinner in Eastport then a short walk over to “Downtown” Annapolis. Being Sunday night most of the shops are closed and the weather is still threatening rain so we don't stay long, just make plans to come back. Over dinner the Todd's & us talked over some tentative plans. I needed to get back to Baltimore for a dental appointment that I think is on Tuesday. So Monday we all head up to Baltimore with plans to come back to Annapolis a few days before the boat show to see the town. We knew about a big festival (Fell's Point Fun Festival) scheduled for the upcoming weekend so we decide to hang out in Baltimore showing the Todd's around during the week. We call the marina we had stayed at previously, and he has room for both boats but the weekend might be a problem with the festival since he has booked the slips. BUT he makes some adjustments and rafts up the power boats coming in just for the festival to fit everyone in. I get my dental work completed and we have a great time showing Jan & George around Baltimore and seeing some sights we did not see before. We attend the Fell's point Fun Festival event over the weekend eating food, checking out the vendor stands, and listening to some music. Saturday was a beautiful day, Sunday the clouds started to move in and by 7 that night it was raining. Monday 10/4 is a cold & rainy day so we just hang out on the boat, Steve is warming the boat by cooking all afternoon, as his son Sean & girlfriend Holly are coming to town. After dinner on board all 6 of us go to a concert at the RAMS HEAD LIVE to see Brandi Carlile . It has been a long time since Steve & I and the Todd's have been to a concert, but we all have a great time and enjoy the experience. Tuesday we sleep in a little after a late night, and Steve & Jan make a run to the Safeway with Sean's car before they head back to DC. We say goodbye to Baltimore on Tuesday 10/5, leaving the dock around noon with partly cloudy skies & cool temperatures, but following winds and flat seas for a beautiful sail down at 6-7 knots, no motoring. We are anchored just south of Annapolis right by the Naval Academy just off the Severn River by 5:30 where we will stay through the upcoming weekend to attend the Annapolis Sailboat show.
Link to Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/SSCAGAM?feat=directlink
& http://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/Baltimore2?feat=directlink
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