30 Oct 14; Jamestown - Houston, TX
30 Oct 14 Last day in Rhode Island for this year. After breakfast in the hotel, we drove back over to Jamestown to take some photos of the boat up on the hard, as I had forgotten to take any photos yesterday. Then, we took the scenic route up the west side of Narragansett Bay to Boston. The flight h...
27 - 29 Oct 14;
27 Oct 14 We were up at the crack of 07:00 to tackle the final departure checklist items. Everything was going well enough until about half way through the final winterization tasks (which, among other things, requires pumping fresh water through various seawater systems prior to displacing with ant...
19 - 26 Oct 14; Newport - Bristol, RI
19 Oct 14 Terri and I woke up early and went for showers, followed shortly by John and Laurie. We had breakfast and checked the marine weather forecast and decided to go to 12 miles to Bristol, RI, rather than the 35 miles to Mystic, CN. I made a complete hash of getting off the dock. The wind was N...
16 - 18 Oct 14; Cuttyhunk I. - Newport, RI
16 Oct 14 Up at the crack of 08:00 for a run to Cuttyhunk Harbor. We dropped the mooring at 09:00, sailed north out of Edgartown, round the north end of Martha’s Vineyard, along Nantucket Sound, into Vineyard Sound, through Quick’s Hole, into Buzzards Bay and finally into Cuttyhunk Harbor, where we...
15 Oct 14; Edgartown - Cuttyhunk Island
15 Oct 14 Up at the crack of 08:00 for a run to Cuttyhunk Harbor. We dropped the mooring at 09:00, sailed north out of Edgartown, round the north end of Martha’s Vineyard, along Nantucket Sound, into Vineyard Sound, through Quick’s Hole, into Buzzards Bay and finally into Cuttyhunk Harbor, where we...
14 Oct 14; Woods Hole - Martha's Vineyard
14 Oct 14 After last night’s celebrations, we slept in till nearly 09:00, then went up to the marina for showers and had breakfast at the Woods Hole Market next door. We got underway just before noon and departed Eel Pond via the bascule bridge at the 12:00 opening. Once out in the Nantucket Sound h...
12 - 13 Oct 14; Plymouth - Woods Hole
12 Oct 14 We had a tidal gate to catch at the north end of the Cape Cod Canal at 12:30, hence needed to depart Plymouth at 09:45, so we slept in till about 08:30. After a breakfast of warm porridge, we slipped the mooring line at 09:48 and were on our way. It was a fine, clear, cold morning and the...
11 Oct 14; Boston - Plymouth
11 Oct 14 It is a travel day today; we are bound 40 odd miles to Plymouth. So, we were up at the crack of dawn - 07:00 anyway - and underway in the rain by 08:10. It rained all the way, but we had a nice sail for about 1/4 of the way; the wind was behind us all the way from Presidents Roads (outer e...
6 - 10 Oct 14; Gloucester - Boston
6 Oct 14 We woke to a bright, clear morning, with light, variable winds. After a quick breakfast, we got ready to go and dropped the mooring just after 09:00. The little wind there was out in the bay was, of course, right on the nose, so we motored all the way to Boston. The easterly swell was still...
5 Oct 14; Portsmouth - Gloucester
5 Oct 14 Up early (for us) at 07:30 to check the weather and get ready for a slog to Gloucester. The wind at the marina was W 25, gusting 30 and the forecast for our area was about the same, with 3 - 5 ft seas predicted, but we determined to proceed anyway. Or, at least to stick our nose out into Bi...
30 Sep - 4 Oct 14; Portsmouth, NH
30 Sep 14 It was cold and damp last night and cold and cloudy this morning. We loafed around until just before LW slack and then moved the boat up the river a couple of miles to the Badgers Island Marina. After lunch, Terri got her hair done and I nobly waited for her; in the RiRa pub, and watched a...
28 - 29 Sep 14; York - Portsmouth, NH
28 Sep 14 After another very pleasant night, we were up before 08:00 to greet a clear, relatively warm morning and get ready for the short (10 N-m) run down to Portsmouth, NH. Away from the mooring at 09:30, we motor-sailed all the way to Portsmouth, NH, where we picked up a mooring ball at the Port...
26 - 27 Sep 14; Saco - York
26 Sep 14 Another beautiful day in paradise. It was relatively warm this morning, clear and very light winds. After consultation with the Admiral, we determined that it was a good day to move on to York. We dropped the mooring at 11:00 and headed back down the river, fighting the flood. After roundi...
25 Sep 14; Portland - Saco, ME
25 Sep 14 Up with the dawn-ish, which mercifully comes somewhat later than a few weeks ago. We breakfasted, showered, shopped (last minute fruit), watered, pumped out, fueled up and finally got away from the dock just after noon. Hope we do not have to repeat that (somewhat expensive) experience aga...
18 - 24 Sep 14; Christmas Cove - Portland
18 Sep 14 It was much warmer last night and we slept comfortably. We woke to a beautiful, clear, relatively warm (by Maine September standards) morning. After a quick breakfast, we got underway, headed toward Harpswell. We had a good cruise, although there was a long period (~8 - 12 sec, 3-4 ft high...
17 Sep 14; Port Clyde - Christmas Cove
17 Sep 14 I finished reading Farley Mowat’s “The Farfarers” last night. There is convincing evidence that people of European heritage were living in Labrador and Newfoundland more than 400 years before Columbus “discovered” America; good read. The dawn was cool, but mostly clear, so a good day for m...
16 Sep 14; Isle au Haut - Port Clyde
16 Sep 14 Last night, it was so cold on the boat, that we went to bed just after 21:00, just to keep warm, and slept like logs under 5 quilts. It rained a bit during the night and was still raining when we got up, so we left as soon as we had finished breakfast, and headed over to Vinalhaven. The cr...
15 Sep 14; NE Harbor - Isle au Haut
15 Sep 14 It got down to 46 F last night or at least that is as low as our thermometer registers, and was about that temperature inside the boat this morning, so neither of us wanted to be the first to get out of bed. But arise we finally did. After breakfast, it was time for a run to shore for show...
14 Sep 14; Somes Sound - NE Harbor
14 Sep 14 It rained and gusted last night, so we went to bed early. The morning dawned clear and cool, but warmer than yesterday, although the wind is still N15-25. Since we wanted to walk around Jordan Pond, we decided to move the boat to Northeast Harbor, where we picked up a mooring ball. The win...
12 - 13 Sep 14; SW Harbor - Somes Sound
12 Sep 14 It was cool enough this morning, that we felt obliged to turn on the heater to knock the edge off of the chill in the salon. After settling the bill with the marina, we pulled out from the marina in a 20 knot breeze and motored over to Hinckley’s to pump out the holding tanks. Then we moto...
10 Sep 14; Brooklin - SW Harbor
10 Sep 14 After breakfast, we went in to have a good look at the Wooden Boat Store. We got back to the boat in time to see the windjammer fleet depart. We were right behind them and all was well, until about 5 minutes after we dropped the mooring, we ran over a lobster pot float; lots of noise and b...
9 Sep 14; Pickering Cove - Brooklin
9 Sep 14 I must be turning into an old bear; the sun went down at 19:00, by 20:00 I was starting to doze off on the settee, and by 21:00 I was sound asleep. Then, we slept till 07:00 - 10 hours total - getting ready to start hibernating, I guess. We got the anchor up at 10:45 and sailed out of Picke...
8 Sep 14; Brooklin Harbor - Pickering Cove
8 Sep 14 As we are planning to visit the Wooden Boat School on Tuesday (a bunch of wind-jammers are due in at the WBS on Tuesday evening, including the “Victory Chimes”, which will bring our friends Chris, Jill and Bernie), we took the opportunity to make a short run over to Deer Isle. We dropped th...
7 Sep 14; Smith Cove - Brooklin Harbor
7 Sep 14 After the storms past, it was a quiet night. We woke to a lovely, cool, but bright and clear morning. We got underway just after 09:00, headed south on East Penobscot Bay and turned east into Eggemoggin Reach. The wind was fair going into the reach, so we shut down the engine and had a nice...
6 Sep 14; Castine - Smith Cove
6 Sep 14 Up at 8:00 and on LouAnna’s recommendation, we walked into town and had breakfast at the Bake Shop, followed by a stroll around this historic town. Then, back to the boat, where we pumped out the holding tanks. The weather forecast for this afternoon is not great (cold front coming through...
5 Sep 14; Rockland - Castine
5 Sep 14 Another pleasant night in the cool Maine air, although the dock was a bit creaky and noisy; nevertheless, we slept well. I found a place that will refill the empty propane tank; as it is 1.5 miles away, we were up early and had a bit of morning exercise. After we got back, I finished cleani...
4 Sep 14; Tenants Harbor - Rockland
4 Sep 14 We slept like babies under a sheet and two blankets. The lobstermen all started going to work just after first light and we were up shortly thereafter, or about 06:30. It is only 15 miles to Rockland, but we left early to make sure we had time to check out the Farnsworth Museum, which has a...
3 Sep 14; Boothbay - Tenants Harbor
3 Sep 14 Contrary to yesterday, Boothbay was beautiful and clear with a fresh NW breeze; so, no fog! We pumped out the holding tanks, had a stroll around town again and got underway just after 10:00. We motored out of Boothbay, then got the sails up for a nice run around Pemaquid Neck, across Muscon...
2 Sep14; Bath - Boothbay
2 Sep 14 We slept through the 07:30 wake up call, but got up and turned the rental car in by about 09:30. When I got back to the MMM, the mail had still not been delivered, so we motored back over to the Deering Dock to fill up with fresh water; this was an interesting maneuver, as we had 2.5 knots...
25 Aug - 1 Sep 14; The Basin - Bath
25 Aug 14 The tides and tidal currents ruled the timing today, so we got the anchor up at 09:45 and departed The Basin to head over to the Kennebec River for the trip up to Bath. On the way, we passed Cape Small, Seguin Island (and lighthouse), and Fort Popham. We also discovered that the macerator...
24 Aug 14; Quahog Bay - The Basin
24 Aug 14 After yet another cool night at anchor, we had a nice al fresco breakfast in the solarium (after the sun had warmed it up). One of the local residents stopped by for a long chat just afterwards. We got the anchor up about 10:00 and motored the short distance (7.5 N-m) to The Basin (off New...
23 Aug 14; Potts Harbor - Quahog Bay
23 Aug 14 Another cool, restful night at anchor. After breakfast, we got the anchor up - at 09:40 - and motored slowly down Potts Harbor. We passed to the east between Haskell Island and South Harpswell, crossed Merriconeag Sound and passed to the south of Bailey Island; then, turned NE toward Yarmo...
22 Aug 14; Little French I. - Potts Harbor
22 Aug 14 We had a lovely, still night last night and slept like logs. The weather was cool and partly cloudy and we were away from the anchorage before 09:00 and had a very nice sail from there via Whaleboat Island and about 1000 lobster pots, to Eagle Island, where we picked up a mooring ball to v...
21 Aug 14; Peaks I. - Little French Island
21 Aug 14 It was cool again last night, so we slept under a quilt and two blankets. After breakfast, we dropped the mooring lines and motored up Casco Bay, via Diamond Pass, along Long Island (Maine), into and out of Chandler Cove, across to the west side of Sturdivant Island, past Cousin Island, be...
19 - 20 Aug 14; Portland - Peaks Island
19 Aug 14 The temp dropped down to about 55F last night and we slept like babies under 3 blankets. After breakfast, we walked over to Hannaford Supermarket for a top-off of groceries. I put the lee-board back in place, applied another coat of Teak oil to the toe rail, inflated the Hobie kayak and hu...
17 - 18 Aug 14; Smuttynose - Portland, ME
17 Aug 14 Did I mention the broadside swell rolling us around last night? OMG, it practically threw us out of bed about 01:00, and we never really got back to sleep very well after that. We finally staggered out of bed at 07:00, immediately got the anchor up and left. We motored all the way to Portl...
16 Aug 14; Salem - Smuttynose Island
16 Aug 14 After a very restful night’s sleep, we were up early-ish. I teak-oiled the toe-rails again and at 09:30, we slipped our mooring and headed for the entry to the Cape Ann Canal, passing by the Blynman Road Bascule Bridge at 09:45, about 30 minutes before LW. We touched the bottom and stopped...
14 - 15 Aug 14; Provincetown - Salem, MA
14 Aug 14 The wind was down to 18 kn in the morning and it was crystal clear again, so we decided to push on to Salem, MA. Once we got out of the harbor, the wind was blowing 24 - 28, but was too much on the nose to get a good sail. We motored with the main out the whole way and unfurled the jib whe...
12 - 13 Aug 14; Sandwich - Provincetown, MA
12 Aug 14 Weather is good again, so we got away from the marina at 09:00 for the relatively short run across Cape Cod Bay to Provincetown. The wind was SE 10 - 13, perfect direction for a sail, so we hoisted all plain sail, but motored the whole way as well, just to get in to Provincetown early enou...
11 Aug 14; Pt. Judith - Sandwich, MA
11 Aug 14 PS from yesterday: it was a “super-est moon” last night - i.e., the moon was at perigee and it was full, so it was really big and bright at the anchorage. We slept like logs, rocked to sleep all night long. At 10:00 we popped the anchor out and headed toward Onset, with the stretch goal of...
10 Aug 14; Westbrook - Pt. Judith
10 Aug 14 At the risk of sounding boring, it is another beautiful day: clear, low 70’s, light wind. We pushed away from the dock at 09:55 and headed back out into Long Island Sound. We passed by New London, CT, and although we had originally planned to pass through Fishers Island Sound, I looked at...
9 Aug 14; Port Jefferson - Westbrook, CT
9 Aug 14 Another beautiful day in Long Island Sound. We were away from the mooring ball at 10:30 and back out into the sound for a NE trip to Westbrook. There was very little wind until we got all the way over to the Connecticut side, where there was plenty, so we motor-sailed the whole way. Coming...
13 Jul - 8 Aug 14; Port Washington - Port Jefferson
13 Jul 14 The alarm went off at 03:15 so we could get up in time to catch the 04:00 taxi to La Guardia for our 06:00 flight to Charleston, SC, where we will join the biannual Wells family reunion. We will return to the boat on 5 Aug to continue our adventures to the north. I will not update the blog...
8 - 12 Jul 14; Brewer Capri Marina
8 Jul 14 We are getting low on fresh water and clean underwear, so it is time to head for a marina. We motored over to the PW Town Dock to take advantage of their free (holding tank) pump out facility, then moved into Brewer Capri Marina West, where the boat will be for the next month (while we head...
29 Jun - 7 Jul 14; Atlantic Highlands - Port Washington, NY
29 Jun 14 Up with the 06:00 alarm, we were away from the mooring ball before 07:00 and pointed north toward NYC. We crossed under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge at 08:44, before swinging past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Then, it was time to turn up the East River, leaving downtown Manhatta...
26 - 28 Jun 14; Atlantic City - Atlantic Highlands
26 Jun 14 We had rain showers in the middle of the night as the front passed over, but at 04:00, the alarm went off and the rain ended and the clouds cleared off. The forecast up the coast looked good, so we brewed up a pot of joe, whipped up breakfast, cast off the dock lines at 05:00 and headed ba...
25 Jun 14; Cape May - Atlantic City
25 Jun 14 The alarm went off, we got up and looked out the window, read the latest missive from FGRP ex-officio (I’ll explain later) and decided we were “Go” for Atlantic City. But first, we had to fuel up. We finally got away from the fuel dock by 07:30 and headed out into the wide Atlantic Ocean;...
24 Jun 14; Cohansey R. - Cape May
24 Jun 14 Tide and time wait for no man, so we got up and went about 09:00. The wind was already up to S 15 - 20, so we had a very lumpy ride all the way to the entry to the Cape May Canal, at which we arrived about 14:00. We scraped under the two fixed bridges with inches to spare (sorry, “LongHawk...
23 Jun 14; C&D Canal - Cohansey River
23 Jun 14 The tide down the Delaware River turned favorable at noon, so we left the marina about 10:30. It was an uneventful run east on the remaining 8 miles of the C&D Canal, and then we turned south on the Delaware River. The wind went straight to S 23, compared to the predicted 10 - 15. Not a bi...
22 Jun 14; Havre de Grace - C&D Canal
22 Jun 14 We slept in a bit, then spent the morning waiting for the tide, cleaning the boat and doing a few other chores. Just before noon, we pulled out and headed back down the Susquehanna River. The weather was beautiful, so there were a million power boats out on the water, all of them doing 30...
21 Jun 14; Worton Cr. - Havre de Grace
21 Jun 14 After a refreshing night, we upped anchor and moved on up the Susquehanna River to Havre de Grace, MD, arriving after 13:00. The keel touched the bottom just as we pulled into the transient dock. Woody and Alice drove over from their home and picked us up; we went back to their house to se...
20 Jun 14; Baltimore - Worton Creek
20 Jun 14 Nice and cool last night, so we slept well without the AC. It was clear and pleasant in the morning. We had showers after breakfast and then made a quick run to Ace Hardware for a new French press coffee maker; the last one was about worn out. After checking out from the marina, we got awa...
17 - 19 Jun 14; Anapolis - Baltimore
17 Jun 14 It was hot again early, but we got up and got going in time to catch the 09:00 Spa Creek Bridge opening. We then did the 27 mile run up to Baltimore, where it was even hotter. We came in past the Francis Scott Key Memorial Buoy (presumably where the British ship was anchored while he was d...
12 - 16 Jun 14; Anapolis, MD
12 Jun 14 The weather was cool and rainy and windy, which meant the mooring was rolly all night long, which did not please the Admiral. We had downpours all morning long, so just chilled on the boat and thought about what to do next. After noon, it let up enough that we decided to get in a bit of gr...
11 Jun 14; La Trappe Cr. - Annapolis
11 Jun 14 It started to rain about 06:00, and we had to hustle to close all the hatches. It appears we have developed a couple of leaks on one of the saloon hatches and (much worse) the main (big) forepeak hatch, right over our bed; more on this issue later, I think. We finally got underway about 10...
10 Jun 14; Cambridge - La Trappe Creek
10 Jun 14 It was a bit warm last night, so we did not sleep too well. Nevertheless, after breakfast we went to the local pastry shop and had coffee and a chocolate croissant. Then, we rode over to Ruark Boat Works to tour the facility and check out the wooden boat they are building; it is a replica...
9 Jun 14; Oxford - Cambridge
9 Jun 14 We decided that one night in Oxford was enough for now, although we will probably stop in again on our way south. So, after a quick stop to pump out the holding tanks, we took off for Cambridge and had a lovely sail, close hauled all the way. We tied up at the city free dock. We did a quick...
8 Jun 14; Solomons - Oxford
8 Jun 14 We decided that one night in Solomons was enough, so we headed out about 09:00. At the last minute, we decided to take a slight diversion and head over to the east bank of the Chesapeake, up the Choptank River and into Town Creek at Oxford, which is another lovely boating center. We got anc...
7 Jun 14; St. Mary's - Solomons
7 Jun 14 Gorgeous dawn, no wind, flat calm water. So, we decided to run round the corner to Solomon’s Island, MD. The wind was light (and on the nose) so we motored all the way and arrived just after 13:00. We filled up with diesel then moved to a mooring ball at Zahniser’s Marina. The mooring fee i...
6 Jun 14; Cobb I. - St. Mary's River
6 Jun 14 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy; been reflecting on that a lot the last few days. Another beautiful day in paradise. We got up and went about 09:00. We got the sails up and engine off after just 0.5 mile and then sailed all the way to Horseshoe Bend on the St. Mary’s Rive...
5 Jun 14; Mattowoman Cr. - Cobb Island
5 Jun 14 The predicted thunderstorms stayed off in the distance last night, although we did get a bit of rain as the cold front moved through around midnight; did not bother our sleep. It was cool enough to require a PolarTec this morning. After breakfast, we got the anchor up by 10:00 and headed of...
4 Jun 14; Washington - Mattowoman Creek
4 Jun 14 I think we have had enough of Washington for the time being, so, after another grocery run and a last laundry load, we left the Capitol Yacht Club just after noon and headed down the Potomac. We anchored, again, in Mattawoman Creek just before 17:00. Thunderstorms are predicted for after mi...
28 May - 3 Jun 14; Capitol Yacht Club
28 May 14 Wednesday morning, we got the anchor up about 10:00 and moved over to the Capital Yacht Club, where we will stay for a week to tour Washington. We spent the afternoon cleaning up the boat and getting ready for Ashley’s arrival; it is amazing how much (essential) stuff we have stored in the...
27 May 14; Mattawoman Cr. - Washington Channel
27 May 14 Although the flood tide does not set up until after noon, I got bored in the morning, and we upped anchor about 10:30 and headed north up the Potomac. We gave Mt. Vernon a slow pass as we came alongside; it would be nice to visit, but there is not a good anchorage close by, so we will have...
26 May 14; Mattox Cr. - Mattawoman Creek
26 May 14 Since the flood tide does not get going until after 10:30, we slept in and made a slow start, and finally got going about 09:30. Naturally, the forecast SW 5 - 10 turned out to be NNE 5 - 10, or, right on the nose, again. So, we motored all the way from Mattox Creek the 38 N-miles to Matta...
25 May 14; Palmer Cove - Mattox Creek
25 May 14 The tidal flow turns favorable (i.e., up-river) about 09:30, so we got the anchor in about 08:30 and headed out to the Potomac. Wind was light today: NW 10 - 15, so it was calm, but right on the nose all day long so we motored the whole way. We could have sailed, but it would have made for...
24 May 14; Ingram Bay - Palmer Cove
24 May 14 We were up early this morning, 06:00, to make the run round Smith Point and into the Potomac. This is a notoriously lumpy area and today was no exception. Forecast was NW 10 - 15/gusting 25. When we got to Smith Pt., it was NNW 25/gusting 30; typical. Just as we were rounding Smith Pt., we...
23 May 14; Mill Cr. - Ingram Bay Marina
23 May 14 We had thought about starting up the Potomac today, but the wind was blowing NW 10 - 15/gusting to 25, which means very rough on the Potomac, so we decided to sit tight. The provisioning officer also advised that we did not have enough food to last until our Wednesday arrival at Washington...
22 May 14; Prentice Cr. - Mill Creek
22 May 14 Research last night identified a Virginia winery - Jacey Vineyard - accessible by boat off Mill Creek, so we left early to pay them a visit. We filled up with diesel at Ingram Bay Marina and then anchored in Mill Creek just after noon and made it to the vineyard about 13:30. Without furthe...
21 May 14; Pitman - Prentice Creek
21 May 14 We had another nice walk to start the day off, then, after breakfast, said our goodbyes to Charlie and Anita - we’ll be back - and headed down Pitman’s Cove, Indian Creek and north to Dividing Creek and on into our very pleasant anchorage in Prentice Creek, arriving early afternoon. We spe...
19 - 20 May 14; Urbanna - Charlie and Anita's place
19 May 14 We were up early to get ready for our short trip to visit our new boating buddies, Charlie and Anita - “Raison d’être” (we met them a few weeks in Elizabeth City, NC and travelled together through the Dismal Swamp) - who live in Kilmarnock, VA. We pumped out the holding tanks and left the...
18 May 14; Urbanna anchorage - Town Marina
18 May 14 The wind piped up about 05:30 to N 15 - 25. We heard the anchor chain rattling across the bottom, but did not worry about dragging and promptly went back to sleep. I got up about 06:15 for a bit of relief and as I was standing there doing my business, I looked out the port side window and...
16 - 17 May 14; E. Corrotoman R. - Urbanna
16 May 14 Finished “1776” by David McCullough last night. Excellent read; George Washington was an amazing man and almost certainly is single-handedly responsible for keeping the Continental Army together long enough to win the Revolutionary War. Had anyone else been in command in 1776, we would all...
15 May 14; West - East Branch Corrotoman River
15 May 14 We got up early with the sunrise and enjoyed a lovely breakfast al fresco, listening to the birdsong. We finally got the anchor up just before 10:00, motored out of Senior Creek and, with the wind SE 10-15, put up the sails, turned off the engine and sailed the 5.5 miles to a new anchorage...
14 May 14; Deltaville - Corrotoman River
14 May 14 Foggy and cool this morning, so we took our time getting up and moving. We upped anchor just after 10:00 and got underway for the Rappahannock River. About two miles upstream of the Rappahannock River Bridge, the Corrotoman River flows into the Rappahannock from the north. There are a numb...
13 May 14; Put-In Cr. - Deltaville
13 May 14 Dawn arrived early, clear and warm. As a result we were both up early and got the anchor up at 07:40 and underway for the 32 N-m trip to Deltaville. Forecast was for a SE wind, but as soon as we got to the east end of Mobjack Bay and into the Chesapeake, the wind naturally went round to th...
12 May 14; Ware River - Put-In Creek
12 May 14 It is a working day for Ronda, although Ash is taking the day off, so we were up early for a quick breakfast and then it was time to head back to the boat. Ash followed us out in his kayak for a look at the boat. We finally got the anchor up at 13:00 and made a short trip to the East River...
10 - 11 May 14; Chisman Cr. - Ware River
10 May 14 Anchor up about 09:30 and away for the Ware River. The wind was favorable - SW 12 - so we got the sails up almost immediately and had a very nice sail out of the Poquoson River, across the York River and all the way into Mobjack Bay until we got well up into the Ware River. We anchored abo...
9 May 14; Norfolk - Chisman Creek
9 May 14 All the other loopers (the trawlers) were up at the crack of dawn and warming up engines, so we got up, too. The marina was cleaned out by 09:30. We said goodbye to our marina neighbors and new friends, Barbara and Craig, on “Alacrity”, then went grocery shopping at Harris Teeter. As soon a...
4 - 8 May 14; Hampton - Norfolk, VA
4 May 14 Lovely, warm, sunny day today, so we pulled away from Hampton Public Pier just before 09:00, pumped out both holding tanks. Out in Hampton Roads, there was a nice westerly breeze, so we got the sails up, killed the engine and had a very nice sail across the roads and up the Elizabeth River...
26 Apr - 3 May 14; Deep Creek - Hampton, VA
26 Apr 14 Charlie and Anita had a party to get to in Portsmouth in the afternoon, so we all got up early to catch the 08:30 lock opening at Deep Creek. The lock operator informed us that the South Mills Lock operator, who lives in Elizabeth City, had called to say his subdivision was damaged by a to...
25 Apr 14; Turner's Cut - Deep Creek, VA
25 Apr 14 Up early to catch the 08:30 lock opening at South Mills. We pulled into the Dismal Swamp Visitor Center dock about 09:45 and found “Raison d’Etre” tied up there. After we found them, we all went on a long (16 mile) bike ride on trails around the Dismal Swamp, but saw very little in the way...
24 Apr 14; Elizabeth City - Turner's Cut
24 Apr 14 Clear and cool this morning with a light northerly breeze. “Abraxas” got away early to catch the 07:30 bridge opening. “Ra” said they were planning to leave at 06:30, but they are still here. We motored the 18 miles up the Pasquotank River to the start of Turner’s Cut, which is just south...
22 - 23 Apr 14; Manteo - Elizabeth City, NC
22 Apr 14 The morning dawned clear and cool, but very pleasant; wind W 5-10, just as forecast. The water level is up and we are fully afloat again after 4 days sitting on the bottom. We are busting out of this place at last! After we pumped out the holding tanks, we got away before 10:00 and headed...
15 - 21 Apr 14; Alligator R. - Manteo, NC
15 Apr 14 Received a wake-up call at 02:45 from our Canadian friends (thanks, John?!?) to remind us to check out the lunar eclipse. Unfortunately, it was pouring with rain and heavy cloud cover obscured any hope of a view. The real alarm went off at 06:45 and we bolted up to check the weather; forec...
14 Apr 14; Belhaven - Alligator River Marina
14 Apr 14 I was at the propane shop at 07:45 and filled up both tanks. We headed north as soon as I got back on the boat, and transited the Alligator/Pungo Canal and north on the Alligator River in S 25-35 (forecast was S 15-20), all the way through the Alligator River Swing Bridge to the Alligator...
12 - 13 Apr 14; Ocracoke - Belhaven
12 Apr 14 Terri woke me this morning with the news that the propane tank was empty; no problem, we’ll shift to the other one. Unfortunately, it was empty, too; major negative points to the Captain, who is in charge of propane inventory. Turns out, there is no place on the Outer Banks to refill a res...
10 - 11 Apr 14; Juniper Bay - Ocracoke
10 Apr 14 Clear and cool at sunrise, with only a bit of north wind, so we decided to go for Ocracoke. In fact, we motored the whole way across, in mill-pond conditions. The entry into Silver Lake was unremarkable; we beat the two 12:30 ferries in by about 20 minutes and tied up at the Anchorage Inn...
9 Apr 14; Bath - Juniper Bay
9 Apr 14 After a quiet, restful night in Bath, we pulled away from the dock at about 09:00 and sailed to Juniper Bay, at the mouth of the Pamlico River. The anchorage was totally deserted all night and we rocked gently to the SE wind.
8 Apr 14; Washington - Bath
8 Apr 14 The wind has calmed down, but there are still intermittent showers. We decided to leave Washington about noon to head down the 16 N-miles to Bath, the first town incorporated in NC. There were a couple of showers on the trip to Bath, but we had a nice sail; close to broad reach with SSW 15...
3 - 7 Apr 14; Oriental - Washington, NC
3 Apr 14 The plan was to go to an anchorage at Campbell Creek, just north of the ditch between Bay River and Pamlico River, so we got up early and left Oriental with very light airs. On the way to Campbell Creek, we read about a weekly traditional music jam session on Thursday nights in Washington (...
2 Apr 14; Clubfoot Cr. - Oriental, NC
2 Apr 14 After a quiet and restful night, we got the anchor up about 10:00 to head the short distance (9 miles) over to Oriental. Arriving at noon, the city free dock was already full, so we anchored inside the break water, between two boats that appear to have been there for a while. After lunch, w...
1 Apr 14; New Bern - Clubfoot Creek
1 Apr 14 Another day in paradise: 38 degrees when I finally pushed Terri out of bed to turn on the heat. But it soon warmed up. We did a quick shop at Harris Teeter, then back to the boat for a quick pump out. Then we started to get underway, but no power to the engine room fan - WTF?? Emptied out t...
29 - 31 Mar 14; Cedar Cr. - New Bern
29 Mar 14 After a very restful night swinging to the anchor, we bestirred ourselves eventually and got underway to New Bern, NC. Forecast was S 10 - 15, so we were anticipating a good sail: broad reach all the way up the Neuse River. After we got out of the creek and into the river, the wind was ste...
28 Mar 14; Morehead City - Cedar Creek
28 Mar 14 The USCG “Eagle” (tall training ship for USCG cadets) came into port this morning and berthed just a few feet from us. It was fun watching them come in and we got a bunch of photos. They were actually due in on Thursday afternoon, but got knocked around and delayed by the bad weather we su...
23 - 27 Mar 14; Mile Hammock Bay - Morehead City
23 Mar 14 Woke at 07:30 to a pea-soup fog, with visibility down to less than 25 m. We had to wait for this to burn off before we headed the 40 N-m to Beaufort, finally departing at 11:15. The weather was better than forecast (i.e., it did not rain), but it was cool and blustery (gusts to 29 kn) all...
22 Mar 14; Harbor Village Marina - Mile Hammock Bay
22 Mar 14 Beautiful clear warm(ish) morning. We fired up the engine and got away from the dock at 10:00, to catch the 11:00 opening of the Surf City Swing Bridge. After that, we had and uneventful motor up the ICW to Mile Hammock Bay. We unfurled both the genoa and the main at various times, as the...
18 - 21 Mar 14; Houston - Harbor Village Marina
19 Mar 14 We flew back from Houston to Wilmington yesterday and went to Anchors Away Boatyard for the first look at “c’est le bon” in nearly 5 months. She looks pretty good considering, and the new cockpit enclosure, finished over the winter by Bluewater Canvasworks, is brilliant. We splashed the bo...