Hot, hot, hot!

It is so hot out  and  there is no wind for sailing.  What do we do?  We take the dinghy for a ride to a beach for a swim.  The speed of the dinghy creates a breeze and a swim really cools us off. 

Goin in Circles!

If you've looked at our spot tracker for yesterday & today, you'll see a lot of circling round.
Yesterday it was wind predictions. We thought we'd have favorable winds to head NE up Long Island Sound. We got out into the sound and the wind and waves were right on the nose. We decided to turn around and go back into Port Jefferson and wait for better conditions. We're in no hurry.
Today, we pulled anchor just in time to see the large tanker at the dock getting underway. The current was running fairly strong against us through the inlet, so I chickened out and turned around; circling around in the harbor waiting for the 2 tugs and the tanker to go through the relatively narrow inlet. Discretion and valor and all that.
We're now out on the sound headed NE and the wind that was blowing nicely near shore has vanished. Oh well, it's nice and sunny, calm and the oppressive heat has left us for low 80's temps.

Anchoring with the Vanderbilts

Here in Northport, NY on Long Island there is a lot to keep us busy.  Yesterday we toured the Vanderbilt estate, yes those Vanderbilts.  You can see s/v Freedom anchored in the bay with all the moored boats.  The grounds here are beautiful with a breathtaking view.  They had a free concert on the grounds with Bob Marley music.  We enjoyed the concert from Freedoms cockpit.

Rush Hour

Although the weather guessers  are calling for thunderstorms and/or rain all day today, we thought it looked clear enough to make our run from New Jersey through New York into Long Island Sound.  Timing is critical because of the very strong currents, especially through the East River and the area called Hell Gate.  We did our calculations to time the tide and current and determined that an early start was in order.  Going up the East River we hit 11.4  knots, our usual speed is 6 knots.  It was very busy in the  harbor (harbour for our Canadian friends).  I cant imagine the traffic on a Saturday.    Since the day was gloomy I decided to take pictures of some of the traffic we encountered. 

Fog

We sayed an extra night at Atlantic City to avoid the big thunderstorms that were predicted.  We heard on our VHF radio of hit and miss storms all around us but we never even had a drop of rain.  Our plan was to head out the next morning in the dark to get a jump on the long day ahead and take advantage of the tidal currents.  We got up in time but decided to wait till first light, we saw some light fog rolling over the city.  Good decision, there was active dredging going on in the inlet channel, we needed daylight to avoid the barrels and hoses associated with the dredge.  The fog did roll in, light at first then heavier.  We had a long day.  On and off fog in the morning and direct downwind motor sailing until about an hour outside of Sandy Hook, NJ.  We quickly got anchor down in Atlantic Highlands to prepare for another storm that hit just north of us.  We did get a little rain over night but are wondering if our luck can hold out.

Curious Clouds

We decided to stay anchored in Atlantic City an extra day to wait out predicted storms. Well, we didn't get any rain all day although tonight may be another story, ya never know. But a squall line did pass through with some curious looking clouds.

No, we did not go ashore and gamble away our savings!

Cape May

We spent the 4th of July holiday in Cape May, New Jersey.   Huge crowds, we were glad to be riding our bikes and not trying to get around town in a car.  We loved all the old victorian houses.  The beaches were wall to wall people!  We had dinner at the raw bar at the Lobster House.  This restaurant has a fish market attached and was always busy, you can eat inside or order take out and find a table outside to eat.  We made sure we picked up some fresh fish and lobster salad to take back to Freedom...yum.

Salt in our blood...

"All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea whether it is to sail or to watch it we are going back from whence we came."

John F. Kennedy

PT boat captain

Where we goin?

"Anyone who would go to sea for enjoyment,
Would go to Hell for a vacation!"

Unknown sailors proverb

A special raft up on the Chesapeake

We are lucky enough to have good friends that invite us to stay at their dock while we are on the Chesapeake Bay.  Thanks, Chuck and Mary, you are very generous!   They also invite us to great raft-ups with their yacht club.  This year was extra special, loads of fun as always, but on the way to the party our friend Craig asked Jenn to marry him!  This happened on his sailboat (a sexy Sabre) and they intercepted friends and family along the way to spread the good news.

A Tale of Two Sails

Heading up the Chesepeake bay we had variable conditions.  One day it was dead flat calm, the next we had some heavier wind, up to 20 knots, at times.  Here is what it looks like from our point of view.  No, we can't sail on a flat calm day,  but it sure is nice to be out there when the bay is looking so beautiful.  We have had some really great weather heading north this year.  We even got the chance to sail under the  Bay Bridge!

AIS

New Toy!

Just took about 10 hours to install a new VHF radio with AIS. Our old VHF radio was a little questionable so it was prudent to upgrade it. Standard Horizon makes a VHF with an AIS receiver built in.

AIS? Automatic Identification System. Every commercial ship is required to have this. They transmit their name, position, speed and other info. Our new radio receives this info and best of all...I can send it to our chartplotter at the helm where it is overlaid on the chart.

Here is our chartplotter screen with the AIS window on the left, opened to a selected target. The target is the red triangle in the center of the right side of the screen. You can see the ship name (Cape Venture), type, size, speed, etc.
I'll be able to see targets around the bend of rivers or at night out at sea and be able to hail them by name to establish their intentions and plan accordingly. I'm already using an AIS ap on my Android. But the ap works only in 3g data areas, not out at sea and it's not real time either. Even so, it has come in handy several times which is why I saw the need to go to this system.

A nice safety upgrade.

This radio also has an automatic fog horn I'll be installing. Press a button and it will blast out appropriate fog horn signals.

Also on this radio is DSC, Digital Selective Calling. Once I register the radio with an MMSI number (Maritime Mobile Service Identity) pushing the red distress button automatically sends out our position and hopefully the Coast Guard is paying attention!! It's more elaborate than that but you get the general idea.

On to the next project...

Twenty years from now...

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

~ Mark Twain

Back Through Norfolk

Cruising through Norfolk, Va. is always fascinating. It's home to the largest Navy base in the world. 3 E class carriers and a slew of cruisers were docked here this time. We can cruise within about 300 yards of them without too much risk of taking fire.

The place is also a busy commercial seaport. Here we are dealing with rush hour traffic. The lift bridge raises once an hour, letting the large barge and another sailboat through ahead of us.

One great feature is the free dock in Portsmouth across the river from Norfolk. This time we tied up next to a young couple from Switzerland cruising the US east coast. We chatted about the differences in cruising in America vs Europe. Of course he was impressed with USA!

We didn't linger long as we have plans further north.

A Presidential Attack On Our Freedom

Gotcha! You thought this was going to be a political rant. Assume nothing.

The Presidential yacht Honey Fitz, commissioned in 1918 and in use by all presidents from that time through Nixon, is berthed in the marina where we're staying.

It has been fully restored and looks beautiful.

The current at this facility runs VERY strong. The captain was trying to get back into his slip. The cross current pushed him very close to the stern of s/v Freedom. (hence, The Attack) He backed off just in time and got pinned against the pilings by the 4 knot current.

After a LOT of wrestling, they managed to swing the bow around and bring it into the slip next to us. At slack tide, they'll move it back to their regular assigned slip. Some teak trim got scuffed up but otherwise no harm. 

You can see how much bigger she is compared to our Freedom. No way we could have fended off. We successfully dodged a Presidential incident. Someday I'll tell the story of my "run in" with the FBI.

We'll Never Surrender!

Here's one of the many big guns at Ft. Sumpter in Charleston, SC; site of the first shots of the Civil War.

What is out there threatening the fort these days?

Yea buddy, bring it on! We're ready!

We anchored off the SW side of the fort and dinghied in for a visit. Interesting history before, during and after the Civil War. During a 2 year siege there were as many as 600 cannon balls per day shot at the fort! We decided to hold our fire for now.

Rolling Up The Miles

Here is our trip odometer May 21st offshore of Georgia. Total nautical miles since leaving Michigan in September of 2011.

Halen

"Money can't buy you happiness. But it can buy you a yacht big enough to pull up right alongside it"

David Lee Roth
Musician

We bought a new "car"

Three months in the Bahamas really brought home the need for a first rate dinghy.   The dinghy acts as transportation from the boat at anchor to everywhere we want and need to go.  The new dinghy is a little longer, much wider, and has a higher bow to deflect spray. We had it shipped to Titusville for pick-up on our return from the Bahamas.  There were  concerns with how it would hang on the old davits, but it fits just fine.  We have had it out a few times and we love it.....it is a big improvement.  We put the old one on Craigs List and the first person interested happened to be berthed in the slip right next to us in Titusville.   So long Avon dinghy, thanks for your years of service!

Appalling Literacy Rate!

The rate of litaracy amoung the manatee population must be extremely low.  Posted signs state that boats are allowed a speed of 30 mph inside the channel and only about 5 mph outside the channel in the "manatee zone".   Yet, time and time again we found manatee right in the channels.  Maybe they need reading glasses?