Our anchorage …

Well the rain stuck around for quite awhile and so did we. One day it rained so hard all day that we couldn’t leave the boat.

The dinghy was FULL of water. We made it out for awhile on Sunday to celebrate Mary’s birthday.

Monday morning we left very early for Fishing Bay, south of the Rappahannock River. It was pretty rough but a fun ride since we were going with the waves. The anchorage at Fishing Bay was very nice and peaceful. There were about 30 boats that left Solomons about the same time we did and many of them anchored at Fishing Bay.

Tuesday morning we were again up at dawn and on our way.

Mary got her first up close official dolphin sighting. Two porpoise gave us an up close swim by. Pretty cool stuff.

We made it to Norfolk area (actually closer to Hampton Roads) by 1 pm and are on the hook again for the night. Since its more urban it is a lot noisier here. We’ll leave in the morning for the ICW. We’ve traveled over 1800 miles since August, only a 1000 more to go!

The trip from Annapolis to The Solomon’s was as straight forward as most of our day trips. Follow the channel (no traps in the channel), watch out for ships, and turn right at destination. We entered the Patuxent River shortly after 3 pm and checked into our slip at Calvert’s. They put us on the big boat dock across from a 112’ Westport (approx. $8 million). We were dwarfed.

Mary’s cousin leaves nearby and came to pick us up for dinner.

She lives on Mill Creek with her little sailboat, an Aquarius 23, tied up outside. We picked up some fresh Chincoteague Oysters for a snack. Clean, plump and salty, YUM!

We brought the dinghy up the creek the next day to do laundry and use the Internet. We’re currently catching up on couch and TV time.

My sister, niece and brother in law came to visit on Tuesday. We ate some MORE seafood and had a great time. Goliath really enjoyed seeing Larry again.

They are great buddies but would be even closer if Larry would just learn to drop more of those great North Carolina shrimp!

The weather pattern has rain and storms for several more days so we may just stick around in our snug little anchorage up Mill Creek and get a few projects done.

The stillness of the Baltimore’s Inner Harbor was shattered at 8 am, (as usual) by the sound of the Trashcat’s powering around cleaning up anything that made it to the water the previous day. It was time to move on.

As with most of mornings, the winds were absent and the seas calm so we motored on to our next destination. This time, Annapolis here we come. As we approached the channel entrance (actually cutting the corner off as is our practice if there is depth and few crab traps) we were greeted by a flotilla of racing dinghies. Possibly 40 or more were out practicing. In unison they would tack, race along, tack again, then race along some more, the two-man crew standing on the gunwales. The Mylar sails reflected the sun simultaneously. It was quite the sight.

We pulled into Spa Creek and anchored along the Naval Academy sea wall. Annapolis is definitely a sailing town. I don’t think I’ve seen so many and so many different sailboats in one place. You name it and it’s there. Anchoring was difficult but we got the Delta to set on the second try. As we settled in for the evening we watched the parade of boats coming in, the racing dinghies, larger race boats, small cruisers, large cruisers, mega yachts and so on.

As we watched this parade, four Navy 44 STC’s, came sailing in from the Bay, each flying its distinctive spinnaker. At a precise point the spinnaker would slack, slowly drop to starboard and efficiently be stowed. This was repeated three more times with the same precision at the same point. Very impressive!

After one night at anchor, we decided to move over to a mooring. High winds were predicted and the tenuous anchor conditions dictated the move. We stayed on the ball for three more nights and boy, we’re glad we did. The blow that came had us rockin’.

We toured the historic part of Annapolis on foot and loved it. We’ve been here before but you discover new things every time. I took the bus to West Marine and was impressed with their large selection. Of course they didn’t have what I needed. I got on the wrong bus and got a bonus tour of Annapolis but several very friendly and helpful locals got me where I needed to go.

I spent Saturday in bed with a 24-hour flu type illness. No fun! We had planned to leave that day but delayed departure until Sunday.

We ended up spending four nights in Cape May. Our friends from Metro Beach arrived the day after we arrived.

We had a great time catching up on stuff, the ladies had a grand time shopping and the boys got to work on the overboard discharge pump on Larry and Sharon’s PDQ 34 Power Cat. We had another great meal at the Lobster House.

They took off the next day while we chose to stay put. Winds were picking up and the trip up the Delaware didn’t look all that promising. Turns out that Larry and Sharon probably wished they stayed too as it got really rough.

Gale warnings were issued so we just hunkered down. We had an opportunity to meet a lot of the people we have seen anchored along the way.

Several of the boats organized a pot luck dinner on the last night and it was a great way to meet everyone. Hope to see them again along the way.

Early Saturday morning, we left for the trip around Cape May and then up the Delaware to the C&D canal. Winds were on the nose and the waves began to remind us of Lake Michigan. We made it all the way to Reedy Island just south of the C&D. The anchorage was behind a dike and island.

The dike being only visible at low tide. The “channel” in the dike was maybe 30′ wide and 10′ deep. Behind it was the nicest, most calm and most remote anchorage yet (except for the 4 gunshots at some ungodly hour of the night and oh, did I mention the nuclear power plant). Really, it was very nice.

We left Reedy Island the next day and headed for the Canal. The canal was, well, a canal! Not much more to say there. We finished the day early at the Bohemia River in the topmost part of Chesapeake. I pretty shallow anchorage but it was deep enough for us.

Shortly after dawn (yes, we do get up fairly early) we set out for Baltimore. We tried to sail but again the wind died. We motored most of the way, again. Lots of history here. We sailed under the Francis Scott Key Bridge, past Fort McHenry and on to Baltimore.

We anchored in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore right next to the Torsk (US sub credited with sinking the last enemy ship in WWII, only because no one told them the war was over) and not far from the USS Constellation. It’s a noisy and busy area but calm and accessible to everything.

The view at night is incredible.

We had Cream of Crab soup at the Rusty Scupper (yummy!!!!) This is the view of the boat from our table.

After lunch we took a dinghy ride to check out West Marine (nice to see one with about 85% sailing stuff rather than fishing stuff) and pick up groceries at Safeway. Baltimore is a fun place and recommend it highly.

Tomorrow, on to Annapolis.

We arrived at Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, early in the afternoon. The trip over was uneventful other than a mega yacht trying to swamp us. It seems that is their favorite pasttime.

We dropped the hook among maybe a dozen other cruisers and relaxed.

We put some dry sausage on our drop line and Mary started to catch the weirdest looking fish.

Turns out they are Northern Searobins. They crawl along the bottom looking for food. They’re supposed to be good to eat but we let them go.

We left early the next morning in great conditions. Mary was feeling sick (sinus infection) so I just motored although it was a great day for a sail. Along the way I put out my trolling rig and not too long after the drag was screaming. After a very nice fight I pulled in a small (5#) Bonito, a member of the mackeral family. I quickly cleaned it and into the fridge it went.

About the usual time we we call it a day we were near the infamous Barnegat Inlet. The wind had picked up out of the east and the inlet was pretty rough, reminiscent of western Michigan inlets. There was also a sailboat hard aground in the middle so we thought we might pass it by. Our next opportunity was Atlantic City so we pushed on into the night. It was getting pretty rough but all was fine till we realized we had no nav lights. I guess taking water over the bow had shorted them out. We ran with only the anchor light on. It was DARK!!! We saw a fishing boat oming and according to radar it was on a collision course. I couldn’t raise them on the radio so we did a couple of 360’s and that put him a mile or so ahead of us.

We got to Atlantic City by 10 pm and the inlet was really rough but over 30′ deep. We went almost to the bridge and dropped the hook with 5 other boats just out of the channel. The next day we checked into the state marina for some R&R for Mary. For you nautical types, you can figure out who owns the hotel.

The next day we set out for Cape May. We arrived just ahead of a very nice squall. We raced in with two other sailboats and checked into Utsch’s Marina. Turns out that by the end of the week we were with a lot of the boats we were anchoring with for the past week or so. Our friends from Metro Beach caught up to us (they have a 34′ PDQ power cat) and we had a wonderful time catching up on news with them over a great dinner at the Lobster House. The wind started to pick up and gale warnings were issued so we all are staying put till the wind dies down a little.

Cape May is a very nice stopover with a quaint little Victorian town and lots of shops. We have really enjoyed our stay.

We had a great time in NYC. The boat basin is about 8 blocks west of Central Park. Goliath got to go for some long walks and we did some sight seeing. We got to visit the 5th Avenue Apple store.

What a place! It is open 24/7 and was absolutely full of people. Goliath got to go into Tiffany’s and a few other stores and also got a horse and buggy ride!

We were wandering around and noticed a crowd gathering near the Ed Sullivan Theater (David Letterman Show) so of course we had to join in. Turns out Faith Hill and Alec Baldwin were due to show up. Faith showed up in her limo and quickly ducked into the back door. We could hear her warming up inside. Everyone was now waiting for Alec Baldwin, who almost entered unnoticed as he walked down the middle of the street and into the back door. Well we figured that was it but then the staff started organizing one of Dave’s outdoor deals so we stuck around. We got to see Biff, Allan Kalter, Pat Farmer and Rupert G.

We were in the background as they shot a segment on parallel parking in New York. It was quite funny as no one got near to the curb. Alec Baldwin came out and almost took out he grille on one of the cars and finally parked it perpendicular to and over the curb.

Our friend Dori, from Madison, gave us the tour of her old haunts in Queens and Flushing. We had a great time but she gaves us a gift we didn’t need. Mary now has a sinus infection and feels like crap.

On our last day we took the subway back downtown and picked up our mail from Pete Dodenhoff, a fellow O’day owner. Thanks Pete! We did a little more sight seeing and retired to do some laundry. We know how to have fun!

Famous haunted Central Park West building (Ghostbusters).
We left Saturday morning for Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. Pretty foggy so no great shots of the city as we left but got to see Lady Liberty and Ellis Island up close.

We’re sitting in Grand Army Plaza at Central Park South and 5th Avenue in New York City. We’re resting after taking Goliath for a long walk through Central Park.

Mary got her long awaited horse and carriage ride.

The boat is moored at the 79th St. Boat Basin. $30 per night! Where else in NYC can you stay for 30 bucks. We meet Dori tomorrow for another fun day.

More later.

On 9/28 we motored to Catskills Creek to have our mast stepped (put up). Right after Waterford is the last lock in Troy which is actually on the Hudson and not part of the Erie Canal. It was a challenging one again, but we made it through just fine. We passed Albany, NY which is beautiful. As you get past Albany though there is a lot of industry. We had heard that the Hudson River was beautiful, but this was far from it. No need to worry though, because just a few miles down the river beauty abounded. We were surrounded by the Catskills and they are breathtaking. The lighthouses on the Hudson are actually houses…. We had never seen anything like it before.

All of these beauties are in need of funds and our friend Mike was sailing in a fundraising race for this purpose on that Saturday. We arrive at the marina Hop-O-Nose on Friday and had our mast put up on Saturday. Sean ran the marina, stepped the mast, and was the chef at the restaurant. What a combination, but he was successful at all. The marina was a bit rustic, but was only $55/night. The mast stepping was $3/foot, $2 less per foot than taking it down! Sean was great, but his skills as a chef were even greater. The calmari appetizer and the clam chowder were outstanding. He had stepped about 40 masts in the past couple of weeks and is a chef to boot… I don’t know how he does it.

Putting the boat back together after stepping the mast took all day Saturday. John and I were exhausted, but we are a sailboat once again.

On Sunday 9/30 we motored to Chelsea, NY and stayed on a mooring ball at the Chelsea Yacht Club. Our O’day friends Mike Colucci and Dennis G. met us in motor boats as we arrived and brought us a gift of wine. (sorry about the picture quality)

Mike motored us ashore where we shared wine and cheese with Mike, Dennis and Dennis’ wife. The Chelsea Yacht Club was very generous in opening their doors to us and we will always remember their kindness. The sunset from their pier was another sight to remember. Mike took us out for an Italian dinner in a nearby town. We are still eating the pizza that John ordered. We had met Mike at an O’day rOnDAYvous at Liberty Landing (New York Harbor) a few years ago. The group of O’day owners that we met really became good friends and kept in touch trough the internet. It was great getting to see him again. By the way … He won the race on Saturday! Thank Heinekens for that!

On 10/1 we took off for Haverstraw Bay, hoping to anchor out. Haverstraw Bay is about half-way between Chelsea Yacht Club and NYC. It was not a good day for us. Well the sights were great and included a castle, more lighthouses, more mountains, more beautiful fall colors, and West Point. But, we had a hose come off the water heater and spray water everywhere. John quickly turned off the water and I cleaned up. John fixed the hose problem later. The main problem though was running out of fuel! Apparently our gas gauge wasn’t working properly because the 1/4 tank of gas that showed was really less than 1/16 of a tank. We discovered this after a motorboat rocked us with a 3- foot wake… this must have loosened the stuck gauge and lo and behold it registered no fuel. We were running against the current and knew we would not make the next fuel stop, so we anchored and called Towboat US. They came all the way from the George Washington Bridge in NYC to bring us fuel. It took them over 2 hours but they saved the day. We then motored to the fuel dock in Haverstraw Bay and they were closed for the night. Grrr. We pulled up to the fuel dock and tied up for the night. No charcoal-cooked supper when you are at the fuel dock. Well just one more day in the life of John and Mary!!

We have completed the Erie Canal. What a ride. Goliath loved it because he was able to get to shore every day. John will be posting lots of pictures… it has been beautiful and calm.

I will quickly recap the second half of the canal.

On 9/22 we went from Pittsford to Lyons where we met a lovely couple, Pete and Sue, from Ontario. Most of the cruisers that we have met have been from Canada, what’s up with that, eh?? (Just in case you’ve been thinking that all we see is beautiful scenery all day, here’s what you see most of the time ….)

On 9/23 we went from Lyons to Baldwinsville. The Erie Canal connects with the Seneca River during much of this stretch. Some of the locks are really beautiful with parks and well maintained and landscaped grounds. This was our favorite.

We tied up outside of lock 24 at a city park and walked into town to watch football. We found a sports bar with about 15 TV’s all on the NFL channel. We got to see the last play or so of the Packers win. We drank adult beverages and ate 30-cent Buffalo wings. The last time we had wings, John ended up in the hospital with appendicitis, so we were a bit leery, but these were great. We watched a bit more football and then off to the boat for our 12 hours of sleep time.

9/24 we traveled to Sylvan Beach which is at the east end of Lake Oneida. Lake Oneida is a narrow but long lake and we traversed the entire length, about 20 miles. Luckily it was a calm day, so John was able to put it on autopilot. Unfortunately, the autopilot makes one a little less observant and we almost rammed a fishing boat. They blew a whistle (wimpy one at that) and John was able to avert disaster. He did hook the fishing lines but we were able to turn sharply and put the boat into neutral to avoid fouling the prop. We felt very guilty about this mishap, but everyone makes a mistake once in a while. I should always be on the lookout if John is distracted when the autopilot is engaged. Sylvan Beach has an amusement park and lots of restaurants right at the free dock. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) since it is off-season, they were not open on a Monday.

9/25 we traveled to Lock 18 and just tied up there and stayed overnight. We wanted to be rested for Lock 17 which we went through the next day. Lock 17 has a 40-foot drop (the largest drop of all the locks) but truly was no different than any of the others. Well you be the judge … personally I thought it was pretty impressive. Handled the same way but it was LARGE! This is a regular lock, maybe a 15′ drop.

This is #17 …

The gate lifted over your head rather than swing and you get wet. JM

Just to prove that we don’t sleep ALL THE TIME, this is sunrise!

On 9/26 we stayed at a city dock in Amsterdam. We were going to stay at the free dock just before Amsterdam, but there were a couple of men camped in the woods right by the dock and we didn’t feel secure. As it turns out the pay dock at Amsterdam ($1/foot) was great. There was a shower and laundry and we partook of both. A couple that run a local restaurant also manages the dock. In season, there is a restaurant right at the dock, but it was closed when we arrived. We met another group of people from Canada. They traveled with us the next day.

On 9/27 we were to finish the Erie Canal locks #10-2. We awoke to thick fog. We had hoped to make lock 10 by 8:00 am but we postponed it to wait for the fog to lift. We took off in medium fog (we could see a marker ahead) but it soon changed and we were searching for markers in dense fog. By lock 9 everything had cleared up and we had caught up to the Canadian group who had left an hour earlier. We locked through all remaining locks with them. This is the view of the Hudson River valley ahead from the second lock down.

We dropped about 190 feet on 9/27 with the last five locks one right after another without stopping in between. At the end of this ride was Waterford. There were only a couple of spaces at the free dock in Waterford but we were able to squeeze in. John and I are getting better at docking, even with 20 extra feet of mast hanging off the ends. We met up with many of the other boats that we had seen along the way. Pete and Sue, who we had met in Lyons, were there and we did a mini book exchange… she gave me books actually but didn’t want any in return. It was nice to see them again. They had run aground a couple of stops back, but had managed to right themselves after being frightened by Towboat US who wanted an arm and a leg to tow them off. Waterford is a lovely town with a $1.75 breakfast place and a nearby grocery that allows you to take the carts (with permission) to the docks. They pick them up on Saturdays. We caught our breath and another 12 hours of sleep then took off down the Hudson River.