25* degree drop in one day!

Friday, October 5th,

Captain's Log -

Another beautiful day. Left Jackson Creek early in the morning heading for Portsmouth,VA. We have been on the Chesapeake many times and the last few days has been the best we have seen. Sometimes it can be pretty nasty with high waves, but this trip it has been as smooth as glass. NICE!!!

This trip takes us close to the Navy base and we see many "Warships" as they call themselves on the radio. As we approached the York River one of those ships was heading down and out to sea. Behind it was a very fast boat that was riding on an airstream. It approached the large ship as the back of that opened and this boat just rode right in and the back closed. Very Neat!!!

Came to the basin where we normally tie up and noticed new signs which we never saw before. "No Docking between 12am to 6am. Being nervo9us about that we checked with the marine store next to the basin and the coffee kiosk and both stated not to worry. The signs are for Liability since there is no electric or pump out service here. Have been here 3 days and no one has approached us.

 In the morning we strolled through Portsmouth. We checked out the farmer's market and the flea market. Although we didn't purchase anything, there was a lot of tempting items. Had a great lunch with our friends Sam and Barbara yesterday. This has become a bi-annual celebration and this year was no different. Thanks guys for joining us again. See you at our new home in Paradise.

Tomorrow Monday, October 8 we will depart. Fill the fuel tanks and head south.

To be continued:

Sunrising on the Chesapeake

Wolftrap Light

LCAC entering an Amphibian  Naval Ship

A Pod of Pelicans

Interesting Coat Hooks?

Some kind of Agricultural Gizmo?

Lunch on Granby Street

Sunday October 7th-

First Mate-  Woke up to a chill in the air, the thermometer read 60 degrees and there was a cool breeze blowing in the hatches. At first we weren't sure where we were because we fell asleep to  very comfortable 74 degree temperatures last night. It looks like fall weather is finally here! We enjoyed a warm sunny day yesterday of 85*! Needless to say, shorts was not the dress for the day. Out came the sweatshirts and long pants! We thought about travelling today and then looked at NOAA, nope, travel isn't in the forecast. Mother Nature is bringing in some pretty heavy thunderstorms. So, we're staying put for the day.
We turned on the generator to warm up the inside of the Summer Wind. Next order of business was getting a nice hot pot of coffee brewing. Breakfast,,, hmmmm, what to make for breakfast, a cool  wet and windy day requires a  nice hot breakfast. My solution was a steaming pot of oatmeal. But not ordinary oatmeal, no, out came an apple, a few strawberries and  some cinnamon and a little vanilla.

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Piankatank,, pronounced pee-an-ka-tank

Thursday October, 4th

First Mates Log:

Heading out into the Chesapeake Bay

The alarm was our friend this morning. We were a little worried about sleeping in so we did the unthinkable and set it for 7am. Well, I guess we know ourselves really well, because when it went off, fire drill practice! Quickly dressed and on the deck, we had just caught the first lights dancing across the clouds. But dallying around to watch the sunrise wasn't on the captain's mind. The crew began readying the Summer Wind and we made great time dropping the lines from the dock.
As we were heading out the entrance to the Patuxent River, coffee was brought up to the bridge. The river was calm and the sun was still making it's way into the sky. There were rain clouds off in the distance, but it was a peaceful sprinkle. 
Turned south at the mouth of the river and headed out into the Chesapeake Bay. We came across several watermen. The picture below shows two boats working a huge net. They circle and then pull in their catch. Each watermen was wearing their traditional waders but what was interesting was that they were wearing hard hats. Hard hats? Were they expecting flying fish? Pelicans and Sea Gulls were circling hoping to catch an easy dinner.
Our trip today was relaxing and enjoyable, we had the current in our favor as we were clocking well over 8.5 knots most of the day. Six hours later we turned into our anchorage for the night. We chose a lovely spot in Jackson Creek off the Piankatank River. It was a beautful and quiet night topped off with a fabulous sunset.

Point No Point Lighthouse

Smith Light

 

Sunset on the Piankatank

Looking at the back view

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Chesapeake Bay

Sept 20 - Oct 3

Captain's log:

Can't believe we haven't written anything on our blog for all this time. We have had a kind of tumultuous journey.

We left Chesapeake City on a glorious morning with the Bay being as smooth as glass. Planned on anchoring in the Magothy river where we have been before. Arrived in the river about 4:00 pm, dropped the hook, and settled down for what we thought was going to be a nice relaxing evening.

Our phone rang and we found out we had a family emergency that had to be taken care of. Couldn't do anything that evening so the next morning early we scooted across the Bay to the Kent Island Yacht Club where we rented a car and drove to NJ. Stayed a couple of days and then returned to the Summer Wind.

Left Kent Island Yacht Club and found the Chesapeake Bay again very smooth. Decided to do a long day to the Patuxent river and anchor in Mill Creek beyond the bridge. We had a beautiful clear night with a 3/4 moon which shown brightly. The next day we were scheduled to go into Spring Cove Marina where we were going to have our port salon windows repaired. The track on both windows had deteriorated and need to be replaced. Received a quote and decided to stay while the track was ordered and the work scheduled to be complete. That was Sept 25 and so we were there for 9 days until the track came in and the mechanic finished the windows.

Met and had dinner with an MTOA couple Paul and Joanne and also Jeffrey and Karen from Active Captain joined us. That was a beautiful last night in Solomon Island. Our windows are looking great and hope they will be fine for another 12 years.

The next morning we untied our lines and left Solomon Island to continue our southern journey.

To be continued:

Tug working hard on the Chesapeake

Mill Creek Anchorage

Eagle soaring high

Close up to the moon

Window in desperate need of repair

Installing the new track

Caulking the windows

One window finished

Chesapeake City, MD -- What to do on a windy rainy day?

Tuesday September 18, 2012

The weather outlook for the east coast today was rather bleak. So, we decided that travelling just wasn't the greatest idea. The Summer Wind was safe and secure on the town dock .

Chesapeake City, MD forecast
 This Afternoon...Showers with a chance of thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms May be severe with damaging winds and heavy rainfall. Windy with highs in the upper 70s. South winds 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. Chance of rain 90 percent.

Tonight...Showers. A chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Some thunderstorms May produce damaging winds and heavy rainfall in the evening. Windy with lows in the upper 50s. South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph...Becoming west 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 90 percent.

Music is an accompaniment on those windy, rainy days aboard the Summer Wind. We both enjoy listening to classical, jazz and big band music. Hip-hop or head banging music is only heard in my mp3 player when working out.
Dick is a wonderful musician and usually if we're waiting out some weather out comes the flute. I find his music relaxing and soothing. I can hum along, but do so quietly.  We have often had people walk by and comment that they too are enjoying his music. 
He also travels with his trusty cornet. Dick was first chair in his State band in 19** in highschool. The picture below is the cornet he used during his highschool years and when he played in the US Navy during bootcamp. He says he needs to rebuild his lips to play better. Frankly I think they are just fine!

A Great Cruise up the Delaware Bay

Monday September 17th-
First mate-- After a few days of resting to reassure that Dick was in "good and stable" form to travel, we untied the lines at 6:00am. In fact there was a caravan of boats leaving which gave us some reassurance that we wouldn't be alone on the water.
The sun was rising as we made our way out onto the Delaware Bay. It was a delightful trip up the bay as the seas were absolutely flat. The current was in our favour which gave us a push up the bay. We were travelling at 9 - 10 knots most of the way. The timing worked out perfect for entering the canal we were doing over 10 knots. What could have been a long 10 hour day turned into an easy cruise of 6 hours.
Our stop for the day was Chesapeake City and we discovered that nobody occupied the free town dock. Just as we finished tying our lines to the free dock, two sailboats pulled in behind and we helped to secure their vessels. The city provides a 24hr free docking allowance but they won't make you leave in inclement weather.

 

TWO WEEKS FROM HELL

Wednesday September 5th - Sunday September 16th

The next 2 weeks were from Hell!!!
The day after our last posting was the beginning of our dilemmas. We were relaxing on the Summer Wind, reading a couple of good books when I (Dick) sat up from my prone position and the world was spinning. Thinking I got up too fast I laid back down but it wouldn't stop. Trying to stand was impossible as my balance was way off with the dizziness. After several minutes we decided that I should get looked at and we called the Atlantic Yacht Club launch. When he arrived I could not get on the launch so he called the EMT guys. Yes, Atlantic Highlands has a boat with EMT personnel for just these kinds of things. They got me on and upon arriving at the Yacht Club they had an ambulance and police car waiting. Took us to Red Bank, NJ ER where a number of tests were run including a CT Scan, EKG, and many blood tests. The diagnoses was Vertigo and they prescribed Anti-Vert meds. Luckily we were close to our kids house in Holmdel, so both Kevin and Geri picked us up and took us back to the boat. Thanks guys again!!!

After a few days of rest and watching the weather closely we had an opportunity to start south. We did round sandy Hook and discovered the seas not too bad but mother nature was not promising anything.  Hurricane Leslie was working her way north and  the predictions were to be very heavy seas so we ducked into Manasquan Inlet and went to Toms river where we knew of a nice anchorage.
The next 2 days we traveled down NJ inside on the ICW. The NJICW has not been dredged in most places for many years and created a tense trip. Upon arriving in Cape May, NJ I decided since we had such a long and horrendous trip that we needed a nice relaxing dinner out. HA, little did we know what would transpire.

Half way through our dinner I had a recurrence of the above incident but worse. I passed out and upchucked the good crab cakes all over the place. Again the EMT's were called and I was taken again to the ER. This time they made me stay 2 nights to run many more tests. All of them came out negatively and the diagnoses was Meneires disease which is an accumulation of fluid in the inner ear. They did recommend me to see an ENT specialist but none in Cape May. Rented a car and drove north with an appointment for the next day.

After an extensive exam and hearing test it was determined I was attacked by a virus which caused me to lose my hearing in the left ear. Have a 50/50% chance of it coming back.

Went back to the Summer Wind and spent the next 2 days just relaxing and again waiting for the Delaware Bay this time to calm down.

To be continued:

Putting Our Nose Out

First mate:

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012 - In order to make it down the coast of Jersey, we have to make an outside passage on the Atlantic Ocean. As everyone knows it's hurricane season and very active. Did you know there have been three active systems within this week, not to mention the couple of tropical depressions.Way out into the ocean there was Hurricane Kirk, he didn't come ashore but he made his presence known with 'snotty seas'. On the interior of the United States,  the remnants of Hurricane Isaac has made his way up the coast. All that remains of him are the heavy rains and wind. Down south there is now Tropical Storm Leslie and she's predicted to stay out to sea but will turn into a Hurricane sometime this week as she makes her way north.
All we need is a 5 hour window of opportunity for the seas to be calm enough to make it down to Manasquan, NJ from our anchorage in Atlantic Highlands,NJ  and we can then ride on the NJICW. Well, this morning we woke  to a completely flat anchorage. We weren't fooled enough to know that there wasn't weather surrounding us, all we had to do was look out and see the low clouds and then the heavy clouds above, (weather). We checked NOAA and of course the winds were low but the seas were iffy at best. So, we decided after checking the radar for weather and the current weather underground that we'd put our nose out to see if the seas had settled.
Well, you know going out to sea isn't a good idea when you don't see any local fishermen along the shore. At first the rolls were on our nose and really manageable as we were heading out into the ocean. We rounded Sandy Hook and the rolls became a little bigger and beamier and we kind of looked at one another. Ok. what do we do? Well less than 30 minutes later the seas got much bigger and there was no question...turn around! Oh well, this wasn't the opportunity.
 The captain decided to make this opportunity into a wheel handling lesson. He handed me the wheel for our return trip. I thought he was crazy but gave it a go. The seas now made us surf as the waves come from behind and push the boat. It's a very weird sensation trying to steer the boat while surfing. We made our way back to the anchorage and sighed with disappointment. Looks like our next weather window of opportunity doesn't happen again until Sunday.

SUMMERTIME IN NEW YORK

September 2,2012

Well it has been quite a summer. As you can see we have not written anything on this log since we arrived in New York City back in the beginning of June. A lot has happened since that day.

 My knee was still hurting since my surgery in Florida so I decided to see my Orthopedic Surgeon who did my shoulder last summer. After an examination and x-rays it was decided that my knee was in distress. So the decision was to cancel our plans for the Great Loop and have my knee replaced.
Went into the hospital on June 15 and a complete replacement took place.

Spent the remainder of the summer in re-hab for a week and then going to Physical Therapy for the next 2 months. I was very diligent with my therapy going 3days a week and never missed a session. It payed off. Here we are starting our southern cruise back to Florida and my leg feels great. THANK YOU GUYS at Farenheit Physical Therapy in Pelhamn Manor, NY. They were the same organization who helped me with my shoulder last year and again helped me considerably.

Right next to my PT place was a gym and Elle also was very diligent. She came with me and exercised while I was in my PT session.

We did take 9 days off and flew to Florida to meet our moving van with all of our goodies for our new home in southern Florida.. Spent the 9 days unpacking and storing away all the things we had in storage for 1 1/2 years. It felt good to set up the new home ans we look forward to getting down there for the winter.

Speaking of our new community we have been meeting people and getting involved in various groups and even met a bunch of  "snowbirds" in NYC for a tour of the UN and a great lunch.

Yesterday, Sept 1, we left our dock on City Island and had a delightful trip down the East River, under the Verrazano Bridge and to a mooring in Keyport. NJ where a couple of our kids picked us up and we went to Holmdel for a wonderful reunion and dinner with the "kids" and some grandchildren. Will miss you all!!!!!

After a rocky night on that mooring we got up early and took off hoping to get to at least Manasquan inlet. Well, the wind was howling and the seas had 3-4 foot waves so we decided to go into Atlantic Highlands where we set an anchor and here we will stay until the seas calm down. This weather front is probably the remains of Hurricane Isaac, so instead of getting beat up we are safe behind a nice big stone breakwater and have plenty of food and wine so not to worry.

Hope this finds all of our family and friends well and we sure would like to hear from you too.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was Dick's **th  birthday!

Happy Birthday to my special man, captain and best friend!!

He has a wonderful smile with a special twinkle in his eye.

Sometimes Naughty!!

Always playful!

LOVE YOU!

"Summer Storms"

May 29th, 2012 -Well guys, we're north and it's as far north as we're going to make this summer. We didn't stop and smell the roses like we usually enjoy. This time we had a schedule that we desperately wanted to keep. We did have a chance to meet up with a few of our friends along the way. Our happiest moment was making the ceremonies of the two college graduates. 

 Everyone told us when we made it back north that the winter had been 'wonderful'. There was no real cold weather and no heavy snow storms. In fact it was the winter without the snow.  Well Mother Nature has a way of  letting you know that nothing is predictable. The past two weeks have been amazingly wet and dreary. We  had missed the beautiful warm sunshine of the south. Tuesday's weather report was the typical 30% chance of rain and/or scattered thunderstorms  but with an unusual high of around 80 degrees. Well the day began beautifully and we thought that the weatherman was crazy! We watched the evening news and they were reporting 'weather watches' and showed a line of storms making a direct path our way.  We thought no way,,, the sun was shining,,,  and then,,,,the clouds slowly began to build. Shortly around 8pm we watched this wall of clouds cover the sky. It was extremely eerie as the winds began to howl and the sky turned black. Mother nature had a show that she wanted to share and it was spectacular! The pictures below don't come close to how ominously black the sky became , you had to be here!

Today's World

May 15th -  A few short hours ago we dropped the hook in Chesapeake City, MD. I'll let the captain tell the tale of our adventures since April in our next post. I just wanted to share a recent experience, not really related to boating or even perhaps cruising.

Sunday night we had just returned from an excellent weekend celebrating our grandchildren graduating from their perspective college and university. Our drive back to the Summer Wind had been full of conversation about the educational system and how wonderful it felt to be a part of such a celebration. We had been discussing how we noticed that there were just as many women as men receiving their degree. Not only that, but we discussed the diversity of the nationalities and the support shown for one another.

We were unloading the car when a 'man' walked by with his dog. It's the normal polite thing to say hello and begin a conversation. He had asked how long we were at the marina and  inquired if  we were spending the summer at the marina. We had both been smiling and told him no we were going to head further north if the weather cooperated. He had then began to tell us how he was a 'liveaboard' from South Carolina. What shocked us next were the next few words that came out of his mouth. He told us the plan was to sail from the country if 'Obama was to be re-elected'. He then said he had enough from blacks. I told him I rather liked Obama and thought him to be an honorable man and then told him Bon Voyage. Not a word was spoken next. The words I really wanted to say to him, just wouldn't come. I was too mortified and sad that such a person still exists into today's world.

RACING WITH THE WIND

April 28,2012

Can't believe it has been 10 days since we posted our last entry. The weather has turned ugly with rain, thunderstorms and high winds, so haven't had a chance to write.
Even though mother nature hasn't been kind we are moving anyway. As most of you know we are on a schedule to make our grand kids graduations. When we started cruising years ago we decided that having schedules is not the way to cruise, but sometime you have to break the rules.
Last night we spent in Morehead City, NC and had a lovely dinner out. We do try to treat ourselves occasionally.
The night before we had anchored down in Mile Hammock Basin which is in the heart of Camp Lejeune. As we pulled in the wind was howling with gusts over 30 knots. there were waves in this protected spot but we got our anchor down with 100' of chain and she held beautifully all night. A few boats couldn't get their anchors to hold so they left. We found out that we could not have gone further anyway because the next bridge which was only a few miles away was not opening because of the high winds. When we left the next morning we heard from the bridge tender that the marines were going to close down the waterway to have live firing exercises. We got the last opening at 0800 hours and as soon as we transited the camp location an announcement came over the radio that it was a "Warship" that was going to fire their cannons. The booms started immediately. In all the years of traveling through this area that was the first time we experienced that. BTW thee waterway was closed down until noon. The boats behind us had to wait.

Today the weather was going to be a little frisky and we had to go up the Neuss River about 3-4 hours. Well when we entered the main river the winds picked up to almost 20 knots and the waves built to over 5'. It was not going to be a pleasant ride as he waves were crashing over our bow and splashing up to our bridge. Called the marina in Oriental and they found a spot for us, so here we are safely tied up. Several boats pulled in behind us and we all said the same thing. "It wasn't suppose to be that bad". Took a little walk to town and found a fish store where we purchased a pound of large fresh shrimp for $9.00. That will be on the menu tonight.
The Summer Wind is performing great since our mishap and we hope it will stay that way. Tomorrow hopefully the wind will be calmer and we hope to get close to Albemarle sound which is almost near the end of North Carolina.
So Elle is going to add some pictures to this post and we will see you next time soon. We would love to hear some comments from you either right here on the blog or in an email.

Ospreys building their nests on the waterway!

Very well made withstands high winds!

Bellaventure!

Summer Wind Docked in Morehead City

CRUISING MODE

April 18,2012 -  It has not been even 1 week and we are making fabulous time. As Elle just put it "we have definitely gone into cruising mode"
Believe it or not we are in Georgia. Yes,that is what I said. GEORGIA. Not far into it , but in a wonderful anchorage right next to Cumberland Island where we spotted the wild horses which this island is famous for.
To back track just a little and bring you up to speed we left our anchorage in Ft. Pierce and had a good days run to Titusville,FL where we anchored and was able to see the the Space shuttle Discovery being loaded onto a 747 for her last flight to the Smithsonian in Washington,DC. The next day again we anchored in Daytona Beach for a good nights rest. You may be counting the days anchored and yes we finally decided we needed a marina where we can do laundry, get off the Summer Wind to feel land again so St. Augustine,Fl which we love, was our stop. The laundry was accomplished, showered andthen treated ourselves to a wonderful dinner in Harry's restaurant which was lovely. Going to finish some of it tonight!!!!
The weather has been delightful but the weather man is predicting some storms so we decided to make some tracks, but first the Summer Wind was getting thirsty. Stopped to fill up and after 206 gallons high tailed it to our present anchorage under threatening skies.
So here we are relaxing over some nice Chianti and a snack and mother nature hasn't shown her ugly head yet.
Think i will end here and let Elle fill in some pictures. Enjoy.
You can post your comments on here and we hope to hear from you.

Brush fire off the Cocoa Beach Coast

Space Shuttle Discovery ready for piggy back ride on 747 to Washington DC

Roseatte Spoonbills decorating the trees

 Leaving Daytona Beach

State Park along the Intracoastal

OOPS!!!

Wild horses at Cumberland Island

First Night in Georgia

PS: Haven't had good internet connection since this post was started. We are almost in Charleston,SC. That post will come ASAP......

Splash!! Heading North Take Two!

April 14,2012 - Finally all of our parts (prop,shaft,rudder,rudder bracket) came back this past week and the mechanics went to work promptly to reinstall all. The shaft turned out to be fine but the prop needed to be rebalanced,. The rudder, on the other hand, received the most damage. The rudder post was cracked and the bracket that connects it to the hydraulic system was cracked. The specialty shop had to fabricate a new post and bracket. All of that is what came back.

New Cutlass Bearing

 Installing the Shaft

Installing the Propeller

Installed the rudder with it's new Rudder Post

Coating the Rudder and Propeller with Prop Speed

Since we were up in the air anyway we decided to have the bottom of the boat repainted since it had not been done in almost 2 years. When it came out of the water it was in perfect shape with only a few barnacles on the bottom where we had run aground and scraped the paint off.

Summer Wind Heading Back to the Water

We were launched on Friday April 13th! Hey we're not superstitious..  With the service manager and mechanic on board we took the Summer Wind out for a sea trial. A few adjustments were made while underway and then back to the dock.
Now all we had to do was close up our home, return the rental car and put a lot of stuff away.
About 3:00 o'clock we left the marina and started heading north. Watching the waters very closely so not to ruin the expensive job just finished. Mother nature was not cooperating and we were not very far from the marina when the sky became black and the wind started to howl. we did get the fringe rains from a huge storm that we found out later on the news produced "water spouts" farther south. We dropped the hook in the north part of Lake Worth and had a good nights rest even though the winds were blowing all night.

It is now Saturday and we made it to a beautiful little anchorage in Ft. Pierce,FL. The winds have been 15 to 20 knots all day from behind us and I (Dick) had to hand steer all day because the auto pilot finds it difficult to keep us straight in wave conditions from behind.
Every thing is running beautifully and we are going to try and make some long days. We are missing the MTOA rendezvous but may get there the last day. That one we will be playing by ear.
Keep watching for the latest news of the Summer Wind and her crew.

ON THE HARD

We were hauled out of the water last Monday and here it is 1 week later and we are still on the hard. For all you landlubbers that means the boat is no longer in the water but blocked up on land.

To the naked eye everything looked okay. After the mechanics took a closer look they found the prop was a little out of balance so they had to take it off the shaft. It hadn't been off the boat for many years and it took the mechanic all day to finally free it up. They then had to take the rudder off in order to get the shaft out. All of those parts were sent to a specialized shop with obviously sophisticated equipment to check everything out. The main shaft was okay. the prop definitely needed to be rebalanced. The rudder post on the other hand had a crack in it. So here we are , still waiting for our parts to come back.

Luckily we are quite close to our new home, so instead of having to go to a hotel we opened up the house and moved back in. We go to the boat on a daily basis and have been dutifully cleaning and waxing as much as we can. From the water line up she shines. Since we are on the hard we made the decision to have this yard paint the bottom for us. Needless to say all of this is squeezing the wallet real hard.
Unfortunately, if we don't get back in and underway by Wednesday we may miss the MTOA rendezvous which we have been scheduled to attend in Fernandina Beach, FL. It is about 320 miles from where we are. That doesn't sound very far but at 7-8 miles per hour it could take us 5 days of daylight running. It starts next Monday!!!!!  Will let you know in the next posting so stay tuned.