Ready or not

...here comes Sandy.
We're well tied in, 3 lines at the bow & 3 lines at the stern on the windward side. This shouldn't be too much of a big deal for us. We're inland a fair distance where we should only see 30 to 40 knot winds. We've anchored out in 40 and we've seen 70 at the dock back in Michigan.
Back at our stop in Norfolk, we stumbled into some used docklines. Used, barely; they were like new. Big, fat strong 3/4" lines! One of them would sell for about $75. We got 5 for $40...total! Perfect timing, they're all in use today.

There are at least a dozen cruising couples here, riding out Sandy. The marina has a very nice clubhouse where we're having potluck hurricane dinner parties every night. Great place to swap lies and exaggerations!

Our biggest issue will be how long this lasts. Reports are gusty winds running through Thursday. We want to get going south!

Running away

We're running from the coast as fast as we can, away from the effects of hurricane Sandy. It won't be powerful, but it will be big!
We should be fine docked in Dowry Creek marina tonight through the storm. Likely not to see more than 35 sustained.

Pictured is us running in light rain, west in the Aligator-Pungo canal.

(This was written Friday, published Saturday, we have sketchy connections)

Gettin Sandy!

Hurricane Sandy is in the Bahamas now and the track north keeps changing toward our short term destination of outer banks NC. So we're making alternate plans to head inland. The outer banks will likely see 40 to 50 mph winds for over 24 hours. Where we're headed now, Dowry Creek, will get 40 for maybe 12 hours in a better protected marina. We'll be well secured for at least 70mph sustained winds.
Well, that's the plan! Stay tuned...

Picture Perfect Day

Got underway before sunrise this morning. Sunshine, light winds, following seas & a favorable current are making this a fantastic morning. Add in our first dolphin sighting since May. A nice wrapup to our season on the Chesapeake. We'll make Norfolk by mid afternoon and tie up at the free town dock in Portsmouth. This evening we'll search for a sports bar to catch the Lions on Monday Night Football.

Cruisers have intentions - not plans

We spent a great night in a small anchorage off Chesapeake Bay called Mill Creek. We set our alarm for three am - not to take off to sail but to sit out on the bow of Freedom to watch the Orionids meteor shower. The Orionids are meteor showers caused by the debris field from Halley\'s Comet when it last passed close to the earth in 1986. Brrrrr, it was cold, we took our hot chocolate, our go anywhere chairs and our blankets and watched the show. The sky was totally clear and the stars were bright and shining. We saw at least a dozen "shooting stars" before we gave it up to go below into our nice warm cabin and back to sleep.

In the morning our plan was to sail east to an island towards the middle of the bay. It is supposed to be a quaint little town. We encountered winds over 20 knots, waves of 3-5 feet directly on our beam ( the side if the boat). We had waves splashing over the bow of the boat and it was just plain uncomfortable. If we turned to go south instead of east it would be a great day of sailing....so we did!

Now we are heading south to Deltaville, VIrginia. Remember, we have intentions, not plans.

Thomas Point Lighthouse

The Thomas Point lighthouse is one of the best known landmarks on the Chesapeake. This type of lighthouse is common to the bay.

Feels good to be underway again.

Gettin Back on the Horse

Early Wednesday morn, we'll finally be getting back underway. We've been in Annapolis for a month and we're overdue to get moving.
We stopped here because of the biggest sailboat show in the country plus the powerboat show that follows. I picked up a fair amount of work at the sail show plus a few more gigs at the power show. Also did plenty of networking and should have more work coming this winter.
We also got many projects done. The dingy davits got some needed extra bracing. I FINALLY figured out the high wear on our alternator belt, mismatched pulleys and a resultant wrong size belt. Got some excellent service from a local alternator shop and we're good to go. We have dual refrigeration systems. One is driven by the engine, similar to an auto aircon system. It had a leak I couldn't find so we had a local expert diagnose and fix the leak...yea!
Best part of being here was seeing friends. We have a friend Rod, from Maine, we put up for 3 days of the sail show. Dana & Eric are friends from our old home port who flew in from Detroit. Mary & Jeff left the same marina this summer on their open ended cruise and have also been here a month. We all consumed mass quantities of Pussers Pain Killers and had a great time. We also had another visit with Mary & Chuck, who hosted us at their dock prior to our coming to Annapolis. Good seeing them too; and the loan of their car was extremely generous.

But it's time to head south. Nights are dipping into the 40's...too cold for us!

US Boat Shows

We are here in Annapolis to attend the US boat shows. First the sailboat show and then the powerboat show. We have some video work for a number of different clients at each of the shows. Of course, we will take advantage of all the great things to do and see.

The Sailboat show


Ed at work
Lots of interesting characters

Laundry Day

Laundry can be an all day event while cruising. Here in Annapolis it is not the most difficult place to do laundry but not the easiest. We are at a marina that does not have laundry facilities so we need to ride our bikes into town to the laundromat. We have a BIG, waterproof duffle bag that we fill with the dirty cloths. It is too big for me to handle on my bike, so we both have go. I bring the soap and coins in my backpack and Ed becomes the pack mule.


We usually keep our bikes in waterproof bags on the bow of the boat partially folded up. Here at the marina we have an area in the parking lot to lock them up. So instead of unpacking and setting up the bikes, it is just a matter of putting our backpacks together and jumping on the bikes for the mile and a half ride, past town, up just two steep hills to the nearest laundromat. Today was a good day, we did not have to wait for open machines. It took us about an hour and a half (actual washing/drying time). Of coarse laundromats don\'t have air conditioning so it was really nice that the weather is cooling off! So today laundry took about three hours.

Around Americas

This 27' sailboat was sailed all the way around North & South America...nonstop! Alone!
We'll soon be following his tracks; NOT!
It's docked at the Annapolis Maritime Museum next door to our new (temporary) home. Beyond comprehension for me.

Up the Deleware Bay

We left Cape May NJ yesterday at 5AM, an hour and a half before sunrise. If you time it right, you can ride the incoming tide all the way up the bay. With that timing, we had a 2+ knot current push us all day. Only issue we fought was when the wind died, the swamps of southern NJ unleashed a blizzard of greenhead flies! We have screens but they still got in. We killed at least 100 flies and broke 2 fly swatters! Talked to friends who did not have an enclosure. She said she was COVERED with flies! Madness!

Near the top of the bay is the Chesapeake & Delaware canal connecting the Delaware to the Chesapeake Bay. Half way down the C & D canal is Chesapeake city with a free town dock. Pictured is Freedom at the town dock with a car carrier going by. That is one ugly ship!
We'll hang here and wait out the scattered rain & thunderstorms till tomorrow. Might visit the canal museum in the morning.
Happy Labor Day!

Good Bye New York

We had a very nice morning sail west on Long Island Sound towards NYC. Once in the river, we motored, I'm not comfortable sailing with the current in a high traffic area. The first stretch was very quiet. Laguardia airport was launching planes away from us and Rykers finest are all inside behaving themselves. As we closed in on Hell Gate the current really started to pick up our speed. There is a blind turn in the river at the Tri-borough bridge and out pops a good size ship. Downbound vessels (us) are supposed to have right of way. We were on the right side of the channel but he wanted the whole thing. He gave us 5 blasts, the danger signal, and I had to turn 90 degrees toward the river bank to get out of his way. Pushy New Yorkers!

Further downstream we had several encounters with ferry boats. But both times I hailed them, they were polite and offered to go around me. New Yorkers are so nice!

It was chilly this morning. First time Chris has worn long pants since November. Fear not, it's supposed to reach 90 tomorrow. But the sea breeze will keep that manageable.

We've been in touch with friends Donna & Dave who are on summer vacation aboard their sailboat. Dave knows Barnegat inlet in NJ and agreed to show us the way in there. We also met some new cruisers Elaine & Lawrence on the Northport town dock on Monday. They were spending the summer in Northport before heading south. And good friend Craig lives in Northport. So we put them all together for cocktails and dinner at a local pub. Great times will be had when sailors gather! We'd also been out sailing the evening prior with Craig & his significant other Jenn. Craig gave me some good pointers on sailing and Jenn is always fun. Lots of good times in Northport!
We made plans for all three boats to cruise together at least to Barnegat. Before leaving, a grocery run in necessary to stock up. The store is up a pretty steep hill and I mentioned I was going to bike up there. Elaine quickly offered the keys to their car! We were able to make 3 stops to stock up well for the next week or two. Thank you Elaine. 
So us three boats made it through NYC and south to Atlantic Highlands to anchor for the night, ready for the open ocean trip to the infamous Barnegat inlet. We temporarily rafted together for cocktails, appetisers and some last minute planning.
Underway at 0600 tomorrow morn.

On the move again

Just a brief update, we'll be getting underway around 0600 headed west & south through NYC. The trip north through the city was done on a quiet Sunday morning. This time through will be a weekday late morning. Should be fun! Spot tracker will be on.

Northport

I was overdue for a haircut. This home, converted to offices, has a one chair barber shop. "Oscar" has been cutting hair in Northport for 50 years. Cost for a cut...$3.50! Down the street at the jewelers, I stopped in twice for a new pin for my broken watch band and adding an additional link I found on the boat. Both times, no charge. We can stay all day at the town dock, run to the store, wash the boat & fill the water tanks; no charge. We like Northport!

Even without the extra cost savings, it's a nice town. We also have friends here who buy us dinner! We'll be here till mid week when some friends arrive. We'll buddy boat with them down through NJ. He knows some of the less than perfect inlets that require local knowledge. Meantime, we're getting some maintenance chores done. And the weather is perfect!

Posted by Ed aboard S/V Freedom

Cuttyhunk redux

We left Martha's Vineyard Tuesday, cutting through Woods Hole again with the tide. Another scary ride as the swirling currents don't always go in the direction you need to go...and the channel has rocks on the edges! But I'm getting used to this stuff, sort of.

Anchored in the outer harbor of Cuttyhunk around 3pm, an easy day. This place is well positioned for a crossing of Buzzards Bay towards Long Island Sound.

Our friend Dan came to visit us from across Buzzards Bay where he keeps his boat in New Bedford. He sails a trimaran, pictured here. They are very fast, he can go 15 knots fairly easy. We struggle to go 7k in similar conditions. But, we have much more space plus our weight makes a much smoother ride in rough seas. Our friend Chuck rode with us from Norfolk north in June with 30k wind & 8' seas. He has a catamaran, and after riding with us in the rough stuff is considering a switch to our type of boat. All boats are tradeoffs.

Dan rafted with us for the night, we had dinner and plenty of discussion topics till midnight. In the morning, we cut him loose as a storm front was approaching. Turned out to be minor wind but a lot of rain.

After the storm, we bid Dan farewell over the VHF and got underway across Buzzards Bay. No wind, so we motored. Shortly after getting underway, I went to check on things below. Smoke coming from the engine room is generally not a good thing! I hollered up to Chris to cut the engine. The alternator was smoking. I've been fighting various issues with the alternator/charging system for a while. While we drifted in sloppy rolling seas, I swapped out for the spare alternator. Other than some mild queeziness, no issues. Fired up the engine and continued on. We'll be buying a new alternator soon!

Arrived in Point Judith in the PM and anchored in the "harbor of refuge", a big area protected by a stone breakwall. Bought some 'cheap' diesel & gas at a marina Thursday morning before heading west to Stonington, Ct. We've been to all three of these places on the way up. It's nice to know the surroundings and what to expect.

We had good sailing conditions heading east in this area but now it's been pretty calm and back to motoring.

Posted by Ed aboard S/V Freedom

Weathering the weather, by Chris

Not complaining, I understand that a large portion of the US is experiencing drought conditions, but we have had lots of storms. Everyone up here is telling us that this is quite abnormal. This is a good news/bad news scenario. The bad news is the storms and trying to schedule our movements and arrange anchoring in protected areas. The good news, we are learning a lot about what we and Freedom can handle. The rain is a great way to wash all the salt off the boat and I am becoming more comfortable in a thunderstorm and am getting better at reading the radar. Here is a picture that our friend, Dan Kim, took after the storm passed in Cuttyhunk harbor.

Martha's Vineyard

We sailed south from Cotuit last Friday to Vineyard Haven harbor on Martha's Vineyard. Spent Sat/Sun riding out rain & high winds. Monday we hopped the bus to Edgartown to do a bit of sightseeing. Lots of 17th & 18th century ship captains houses. Of course we had to go down to the harbor & check out the boats and accommodations. We may come here next year. We also stopped for lunch...Mad Martha's hand made ice cream!

After countless trinket shops, we hopped the bus for Oak Bluffs. Took a walk on the beach there and then into town. Different sort of architecture on all the cottages from Edgartown. Had dinner at a small open air cafe Coup deville. Lobster rolls, yum. Hopped the bus back to Vineyard Haven, which is actually the town of Tisbury. Hit the Stop n Shop for a few groceries and dingied back to Freedom.

Tuesday we sailed up through Woods Hole and west to Cuttyhunk. Woods Hole has the most wicked currents we've seen so far. Swirling eddys that run perpendicular to our route, trying to push you into the rocks!  Keeps me awake.

Posted by Ed aboard S/V Freedom

Cape Cod visit

We cruised into Cotuit Bay on Cape Cod last Wednesday. Chris sister Ellen and family have a time share house there and we planned on visiting with them for several days.
The channel into the bay is very shallow so we had to time our entrance for high tide. We got good assistance from the local county harbormaster. Plenty of places to anchor and a town dock to gain shore access via the dingy. We can even tie up temporarily, space available, to pick up and drop off passengers.

Family arrived Saturday and we had a short visit and dinner. Sunday night was reported to be stormy/windy so we stayed on the boat. This storm was less than predicted but we've learned to play it safe!

Tuesday I took bro-in-law Pat & son Pat jr out fishing. I managed to find a decent spot & we kept a dozen decent fish. Enough scup, seabass & bluefish to feed all 8 of us! A good day fishing.

Wednesday was sailing day. Took Pat, Rebecca and their children Nellie & Nat out for a daysail. They seemed to like it very much. So we're happy too, you never know with kids! That was a fast 4 days of visiting with the Owens family. We're happy our scheduling worked out. That's not easy with a slow moving boat.

This makes our farthest north & east of the year. We left Cotuit to sail south to Martha's Vineyard. We're now in Vineyard Haven for the night. If the weather cooperates, we'll do some exploring tomorrow.

Wild night

We were anchored in the outer harbor of Hadleys Harbor, the inner harbor was packed. The prediction was winds of 15 to 20 from the north and rain. Our spot was exposed to the north. 2 boats came in after us and anchored upwind of our position. A little after dark, it started blowing hard, well over 20 and up to 30 with plenty of rain. As the wind continued to blow hard, we all seemed to be holding well. For the moment.

Around 10pm I looked up through the driving rain to see one of the boats moving rather quickly towards us. They were dragging, and fast! Luckily, the wind swung us to starboard and they flew by to port by about 20'. I couldn't see anyone on deck either, so I grabbed our horn and sounded a very long blast. They scrambled up on deck and managed to stop the drag just in time. They told us later they read 7' on the depthsounder. The shoreline had to be within 50'...all rocks! They spent at least 30 minutes trying to gain control of the situation and get re-anchored. 

Lots of good luck at play here. If I hadn't seen them in time, they would have surely smashed into the rocks. If the wind had pushed us to port, they would have hit us for sure. And, they could have snagged our anchor and dragged us with them on to the rocks. A lot of things could have gone much worse.

My knuckles are getting sore from knocking on wood!

Posted by Ed aboard S/V Freedom

Keeping dry

We sailed about 18 miles from Cuttyhunk to Hadley Harbor this morning. There is a very nice inner harbor with free mooring balls courtesy of the Forbes family who have a home here. It was full so we anchored in the outer harbor. Not as protected, but we should be fine anyway, we have a great anchor and we've anchored in much worse spots.

A few hours after arrival it started to rain. And rain. And rain. One of those days you just hang out and get a few things done.

We're headed to Cotuit Bay tomorrow. Chris sister will be arriving in the area on Saturday for a week long vacation. Should be fun!

Posted by Ed aboard S/V Freedom