The night before had been very windy with occasional rain. It was cold enough to be uncomfortable. We decided to stay in and read. At 0715 we were jarred from our sleep by one short blast from a siren. Mary peeked out and said “there’s a bunch of police outside”. Upon closer look there was someone under a white sheet.

Evidently (according to the local news) the body was discovered in the water at 0710 and placed on the dock (by our boat) by the Fire Department. We couldn’t leave the boat until the Medical Examiner had picked up the body. It appeared to be an elderly homeless man. We bought a single flower at the Cross Street Market and left it at the scene.

Most people live their lives pretty fast. Our society dictates it, but I think Ferris Bueller said it all. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look once in awhile, you could miss it.”

We’ve poked along on this trip back south and we have had some opportunities to see some pretty cool stuff, to meet lots of very nice people and generally sample a lot of what this country has to offer. As mentioned in previous posts, we have had the chance to see sides of life that aren’t visible at 70 mph. We have no TV and have yet to see a single political ad.

Last night we arrived back at the boat to be serenaded by Frankie Valli. For at least an hour and a half we listened to all the old favorites. As mentioned earlier, the night before we had a front row seat to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Yesterday while ashore we spent the day at the National Aquarium. The main exhibits are fantastic. We always enjoy the reef fish and pick out those we are familiar with. The dolphin show is always on the list and this time I was picked as the volunteer dolphin trainer. I got to stand out in the water and give a signal for Meeka to jump about 20′ out of the water. She then came over for a gentle pat on her tail. Pretty cool stuff.

The forecast keeps getting worst. Winds have been forecast above 25 knots and small craft advisories issued for the bay and it gets better. Now there are gale warnings for Thursday and Friday with winds to 40 knots and heavy rain. Looks like we’ll be in Baltimore awhile. Seems a not quite tropical depression snuck up on us.

Guess we’ll go to the aquarium today and stick close to the boat after that.

Saturday night we once again reviewed the forecast, “winds 10-15 with gusts to 20, seas 4-6 feet, small craft advisory in effect until Tuesday”. Not good but especially not good when rounding the shoals at Cape May. I looked up at my mast and wished it were a few feet shorter to enable us to go under the 55′ bridge spanning the Cape May Canal. Something didn’t seem right as we got ready for bed. It was so calm.

Leaving port in uncertain conditions makes me very nervous. “We can always turn around and come back” I kept telling myself. As we rounded the jetty’s and headed out I felt much better. The swells were there, maybe 4 feet but otherwise it was calm. We headed for the shore side break in the shoals. As we threaded our way through the adjacent shallows I looked out at the true shoals that guarded the channel to the Delaware. Large breaking waves crashed over the reefs. We were glad we had chosen well.

We hit the current perfectly and we rode it all the way to Reedy Island, 3 miles south of the C&D Canal, where we anchored for the night. A power boat anchored about a quarter mile behind us, otherwise we were all alone. The wind picked up overnight and coupled with the strong currents it was too much for the small anchor the powerboat deployed. At six that morning I checked out my port, sure enough the light on the dike was right where we left it last night, but out the other side I was surprised to see that the powerboat was right beside us. I raced on deck to make sure we weren’t dragging. We weren’t. The boat came within 40′ just as the current changed. He slowly drifted back to where he had been last night. They never woke up!

After sunrise we left for the trip through the C&D and on to the Chesapeake. A consistent NE wind gave us a broad reach all the way to Worton Point where we turned in and anchored in the shelter of a beautiful wooded shoreline along with several other boats. Ah, another sunset.

Winds were from the NE at 20 knots as we left Worton Point. We cut over to Poole’s Island and headed down the secondary channel towards Baltimore. With headsail alone and the engine at idle we scooted along at 6 to 7 knots. Shortly after noon we were in the Inner Harbor. We like to anchor but two boats already there had the spacing all screwed up and I didn’t feel comfortable leaving the boat swinging so close to others. We chose to tie up to a City dock wall behind the Aquarium near Hard Rock Cafe and the ESPN Zone.

To our surprise we had a dockside seat to a private concert by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was quite good and we enjoyed it immensely. There is someone else playing now and we hope they go home soon as it’s getting to be way past our bedtime.

After moving over to Atlantic Highlands from NYC we stayed on a mooring for two nights. We usually anchor here but since it was going to blow pretty hard we decided to take the security of a ball. This would be our third time to stay at Atlantic Highlands and we had never been ashore. We called the launch and got a ride in. After a mediocre late lunch we walked to town. Not much happening but it was very nice little town. On our way back we passed the local movie theater. We haven’t been to a theater in well over a year so we decided to stop and see Tropic Thunder, a typical Ben Stiller movie. As we sat and waited, the previews came on. They were previews for movies that we had never seen or even heard of and they were very weird. We thought “have we been on the boat too long”? Took us a few minutes to figure out they were part of the “movie”, a kind of set up. Pretty funny.

Tuesday morning we set out at dawn for Atlantic City. This is a 12 hour plus run on the outside, down the Jersey coast. We motor sailed part way and reached our anchorage at just past sunset. Up at dawn again we were off for Cape May where we took a slip at Utsch’s Marina. We have some maintenance to do and the boat needs a thorough cleaning.

Taking a shower on the boat is no big deal except you need to conserve water and it’s not always hot all the time. Taking a shore shower is a real treat and it had been over two months since we had been in a slip. Utsch’s has a very nice shower facility and we took advantage. Ahhhhh, feels so good.

Wind is picking up again so we’ll be here for a bit waiting for the weather so we can run up Delaware Bay.

After a days rest and a chance to dry everything out from our drenching, we left Port Jefferson for Greenwich, CT. We set sail and had a nice reach across the sound and then a run up to Greenwich. We made our way back towards Old Greenwich Cove and met up with our old friends on Avalon, David and Ginger. We “took” a mooring across from the Gifford’s (Frank and Kathie Lee) house. David and Ginger came over to the boat later and we had a great time catching up on cruising exploits since we parted in Jamestown earlier in the summer.

The next morning was grey and depressing. A warm front was approaching and the overcast was thick. We waved to Avalon as we motored back out into the sound. Our destination had been Manhasset Bay but the impending rain forced us to change plans and head back to City Island and take a mooring at the Harlem Yacht Club. We arrived just as the rain started and it poured until the wee hours of the morning.

We awoke to a glass calm and a light fog. Needing to scoot to catch the currents through the East River, we hurriedly made coffee, paid our bill and set off for NYC. The current began to pick up around Riker’s Island and by the time we hit Hell Gate it was 2.5 knots. We had been traveling a steady 7 plus knots up till then but as we approached Hell Gate it picked up to 9 to 10 knots almost all the way to the United Nations.

In no time at all we were at The Battery and turning south towards the Narrows and open water. It’s always a treat to see Lady Liberty waiting patiently for us to return.

At Coney Island we turned into the narrow channel that parallels the beach and headed for a rendezvous with Pete English and his Oday 27 “Fan go foill” (Gaelic for take it easy). Pete had volunteered to be our tour guide and help us get a few things before heading down the Jersey coast.

Pete drove us all over Brooklyn, giving us not only an overview of the place but also an insightful glimpse into the history and culture of the neighborhoods that comprise Brooklyn. His stories were from the heart and his love of this place was very evident. We had lunch at Brennan & Carr, an establishment in South Brooklyn that has been around since 1938. Pete ordered for us and we each had two “wet” roast beef sandwiches, double dipped in au jus and accompanied by a side of fries. Pretty yummy. We really appreciated this treat and wanted to share our experiences by taking him to the laundromat and grocery store but reluctantly he declined.

Thank you, Pete!

Monday we will move on to Atlantic Highlands and hopefully Tuesday the wind will have switched and we will head down the Jersey coast to Cape May.

Monday morning, up early, we let loose of our mooring in Mystic. For the first time in six weeks we stopped for fuel. We have cut back on our speed and motor sailed as much as possible. We were rewarded with slightly less than 1/2 gallon per hour of engine time. For those of you not familiar with such things, that’s good!

After we cleared the channel we turned west down along the Connecticut coast. Our destination, The Thimbles, a small grouping of rock islands east of New Haven.

I noticed another sailboat crossing our path. It was very distinctive in that it had very high davits with dinghy secured. I checked the glasses and sure enough it was a Morgan 46 center cockpit. A radio call confirmed that it was indeed, Flying Pig! I don’t expect most to have a clue of what I’m referring to but Skip and Lydia are fairly well known to most cruisers. Skip is a prolific writer and his chronicles of the refit of their boat are extensive. They have had some misfortunes that we all have nightmares about. We talked for a bit and then signed off, hoping to see each other somewhere along the way.

I trolled a lure most of the way and as we approached our destination the drag finally signaled a hit. It was quite fun and after awhile Mary netted a fairly large bluefish. We have no way off weighing fish but it was 30″ long.

After an attempt at anchoring between several islands, we decided to pick up an empty mooring. The bottom was a very gooey muck that would not hold an anchor. The area is quite picturesque. Only several houses showed any lights that night so I imagine it is all summer homes.

As it turned out, our selected spot was most uncomfortable. The rolling swells from the sound rocked us all night. We felt like we were back at 79th Street in NYC.

The weather forecast for Tuesday was not hopeful. Thunderstorms were predicted for late in the afternoon. Seas were in the 2′ to 3′ range and wind was to be 10 to 15 knots with some gusts near 20. We wanted to head to Greenwich but once out we found the going quite rough and slow going so we decided to head to Port Jefferson across the sound which was about 24 nautical miles away.

The wind picked up as well as the waves and we found beating into weather was going to be very slow going. Our boat is under propped and in these conditions it is slow. As we pounded into the waves the water would break over the bow submerging everything up to the mast. Sometimes the water would flow right up and splash against the dodger. Not fun! Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound broke in with a thunderstorm warning. It was 1300! Hey, that’s too early! I turned on the radar and sure enough, there it was heading our way. Soon enough we were engulfed. The rain was torrential but luckily the wind actually subsided a bit. Eerily, the pounding rain smoothed out the choppiness of the waves and they turned to swells. We were grateful that there was a minimum of lighting. The storm passed and Long Island became visible again. Almost 7 hours after departing the Thimbles we were back anchored in Port Jefferson. Seven hours to go 24 miles!

Everything was wet. I was wet, charts were wet, ports leaked and the settee was wet. The solar vent in our hatch over our bed leaked and our bed was wet! We were not happy campers.

Today is beautiful with cool winds from the north and clear skies. Outside our boat is covered with cushions and bedding, airing out to dry.

What a life we lead.

The hardest part was the wait. On Friday people began the process of securing their boats for Hanna. Some removed the sails and all canvas, others tied everything up and others did nothing. We removed all loose objects, tied down the mainsail and made sure the headsail was secure and wouldn’t unfurl.

Friday night was dead calm and clear but by morning the harbor was shrouded in heavy fog. I put an additional mooring line on and prepared the dinghy by removing everything in it and stowing the engine on the rail. Then we waited and waited and waited. You know it’s out there and you pretty much know when it’s supposed to arrive but that doesn’t make it any easier. Reports were saying lots of rain and tropical storm strength winds. You don’t get forecasts for exactly where you are so you hope for the best. By 1930 the rain was pretty steady and the wind started to pick up. The rain continued in a steady downpour for about 5 hours and the wind picked up to about 30 mph. Not too bad, we fell asleep. We woke to calm conditions. It was 0100 Sunday. I checked radar and the center of the storm was passing by. I remarked that the worst was behind us while the wind would pickup again it shouldn’t be too bad. I awoke at 0400 with gusts to 40 mph and the boat veering all over. Wind direction had changed from a steady east to southeast blow to north and northwest and as this was bringing the wind across land it was gusting from different directions. When the boat “sails” on its mooring it will sometimes expose its beam to a gust causing the boat to heel and seek a direction into the wind. Not all that comfortable when you’re trying to sleep.

We awoke at 0830 to beautiful blue skies and a fresh breeze blowing. Tomorrow we will head west in Long Island Sound and then south to the Chesapeake.

TS Hanna’s 3 day cone now includes us. Forecasts are now for arrival by Saturday night (why always at night!) with wind up to 45 knots (50 mph). While this isn’t hurricane strength it is still very uncomfortable when you live on a boat. We will watch it closely and decide when and if we need to start reducing windage and bring stuff down below. Stay tuned …

We’ve picked up our loaner mooring in Mystic again, this time for a mail pickup. Got a chance to see Tom and Lisa again which was great. The tropical storm situation has us being very attentive to the weather. We need to make some decisions on when and where to go. We’ll let you know.