Nestled in the Magothy River, off to London

On Monday we made the short 3 hour trip across the Chesapeake Bay from Rock Hall on the east side up the Magothy River to Magothy Marina where we are going to spend the next month. It may have been one of our shortest trips, but it was too long for Serena. We lifted the dinghy on deck so that it would shorten the overall length of the boat by 5 feet, and save us $100 in marina fees. Then we headed out of the little cut unto the bay. The weatherman forecasted SW winds, 5 -10 knots, we had N winds 15-20, gusting higher. And the seas were 2 to 4 feet high with the odd big one thrown in for good measure. The Chesapeake suffers from the same problems as the Bay of Quinte, and the Delaware, no depth. What that amounts to is short steep waves, and a very uncomfortable ride. It wasn't dangerous, just obnoxious. We flew the yankee for awhile at first, which helped to stabilize the boat a little, but I was worried that it might blow out in one of the wind gusts. So I furled it in. For a short trip, it wasn't worth the chance. I would have hauled up the main, but the deck wasn't a very hospitable place to be, and again, short trip, not dangerous. Plus, we didn't set the boat up for sailing with the dinghy on deck, so we really only had easy access to the yankee. In fact the staysail was completely unusable. Note to self, make sure the boat is sail-able all the time. Oh well, live and learn.

Magothy Marina is gorgeous. It is by far the nicest marina we have stopped in. The marina itself is new after being wiped out by hurricane Isabelle in 2003. And the showers, bathrooms, and laundry are impeccable. The closest store is about 2 km, which is perfect to keep the old weary muscles limbered up, and its quiet. So quiet, so so quiet. It is what they call a condominium marina, where the people buy their slip, then pay a yearly condo fee. It actually works out to be relatively inexpensive. And, there are people who live her year round. One of the liveaboards, Dave, offered to take one of us for groceries, but we were only allowed to buy two rolls of toilet paper, as the trunk space in his corvette was somewhat limited. lol .... Everyone has been very friendly. And, Vita looks huge in her slip.

Tuesday was a day of discovery. We wanted to walk to all the stores within walking distance, just to get a feel of what was available, where, and for how much. We were gone for 9 hrs, and walked about 9 miles, or 14.5 km. We looked through every store, had lunch at a rib place, coffee at a cute little coffee spot, and found spark plugs for the outboard. We also bought some cloths for my upcoming trip, and some groceries. It was a nice day, and neither of us felt tired or sore afterwards.

Wednesday we did the same thing, but we went in the opposite direction. There wasn't much available, other than a really nice liquor store, where I bought a 60 oz bottle of rum for $9, score. They also sell propane, go figure, so we will get our spare bottle filled up there today. Other than that, nothing exciting. Today and tomorrow I have to get the boat cleaned up and ready for my trip, pack, and try to get a little down time in.

The ivy here is prolific. Its everywhere, on everything, and its really pretty.

So this should be my last entry for a couple of weeks. Hopefully I'll have something interesting to say about my trip to Europe, when I get back. Serena will likely not blog, unless threatened by pain of death, so I wouldn't expect that too much. She has input to almost every post, but my fingers have to do the typing.

Ciao, and fair winds.

Worton Creek - Swan Creek/Rock Hall

We stayed in Worton Creek for 3 days. It just goes to show that its the places you don't expect, that end up being the places you really enjoy. The day after the storm we were dingying in to the marina to try and get some laundry done, and do a little shopping in the store. When I noticed the stern of a boat that seamed really familiar. A Bayfield is a very unique boat, and when you see one, you have to go look at her, at least you do when you are in love with the lines like I am. Coincidentally, the owners Joel and Lynette were working on her, so we got the opportunity to meet some very nice people. They were kind enough to take me into town for groceries and beer, and we ferried them out to Vita for sundowners. Our first official visitors since we left home. Thanks guys, we had a great time.

 Captain and crew. The only picture I managed of Lynette wasn't the most becoming, she was scrubbing the cockpit, so I omitted it. Sorry Lynette, and your welcome.

 Staterooms, they have staterooms, with dressers. So jealous.

Hard to believe this is a galley, on a boat. Hope they don't mind us showing off their boat, I couldn't help myself.

Bonjour Belle is a gorgeous Bayfield 40 befitting her name.

The following day we did another load of laundry, and finally got that shopping done at the store. Visited some more, and then got some chores done on the boat. Finally the propane is hooked up to the barbecue. We just had the little green camping bottles up until now. The wifi antenna cable runs into the boat and up to the nav station, instead of being coiled up in a sandwich baggy in the cockpit. So I did get a couple of things done, but motivation was waning quickly. It was a nice relaxing spot, not the kind of place one feels inclined to break a sweat.

This morning we upped the hook. We check into Magothy Marina on Monday, and we didn't want to be rushed, so we moved halfway there today to a cute little town called Rock Hall, and anchored up swan creek next door. Joel and Lynette had told us about an ice cream store in town, and I was on a mission. So we lowered the dinghy and headed to the dinghy dock at one of the several marinas. A little shopping here, a little shopping there, ice cream, and finally $2 pints, wings, and fish and chips at the Harbour Shack bar and grill. They have a neat little taxi here that the town provides. $1 per person, and you can go anywhere in town, or just ride around for a while.

We got a ride back to the dinghy in this trolley, after a little tour of the town. Nice.

On the dinghy ride back to the boat we noticed the boat behind us had a small Canadian flag mounted below the American flag off the spreader. Aha, a Canuck!!! We dinghied over and met Gord and Sue on their O'Day 35. British born Canadians living in the US. We had a great chat in their cockpit with a sundowner. We were starting to get the feeling that we would never be traveled until we followed them around for awhile, they've been everywhere.

The rest of the evening we'll relax. Tomorrow Vita becomes a marina bound livaboard, and we get a big break.

Chesapeake Bay

Vita, the tiniest ship in the anchorage.

Chesapeake City was nice, but with no amenities what-so-ever, we couldn't stay long. It turns out there is no laundry, and never was, the guide book is a little out. Also, with the mini heat wave we were having, temps around 38 degC, there was no way we were going to try and walk down the highway to the convenience store, that might have bread and milk.

The last night we decided to hit the Chesapeake Inn for dinner. They have half price draft between 4 and 6 pm, and half price pizza on Tuesdays between 5 and 9 pm. So if you time it right, you get half price beer and pizza; we love this place. Two 12" pizzas, and two pitchers of draft come to $27, find that at home in Ontario. It was very nice, if hot. They had a three piece live band playing our kind of tunes, and it is officially the longest we have ever spent in a restaurant, ever. We made a deal with the dock hand, that if we were there for dinner, that he would let us use the shower for half the price of normal, since we were not staying at the marina. Then it was so relaxing, we decided to have a couple more pints before dinghying back to the boat and heading to bed. The next morning we were headed up the Sassafras river for some R&R and a swimming hole. But just as we were leaving, a fellow cruiser mentioned a little spot called Still Pond. So we figured what the hey, lets check it out.

Its funny we read all about other peoples adventures, some like to meet new people, some like restaurants and pubs, some are into museums, or places of note. But to be truthful, I don't think we have found what we are really looking for out here. To some extent, the idea of living simple and cheap appealed to us in the beginning, and it still does, but now that we are out here we find ourselves searching for a reason, for a goal, for a plan; and who knows, maybe its just around the next corner, or in the next bay. So when someone mentions a place we should check out, we listen, for no more reason than its nice try something different. It doesn't hurt that they told us it was a fresh water basin, and a good place to go for swim.

It was nice, out of the way, quiet, no waves, no wind, no bugs, and no people. We dingied up the creeks, went for a little swim, and tried our best to hide from the mean sun when we weren't having fun in it. Other than the fact that we running out of milk and bread, we could have spent days here. And we would have stayed another day, but the forecast was for NW winds to 25 knots, and this would not be a good place under those circumstances. So we reluctantly raised the anchor and headed to the next bay, Worton Creek, to hide from the pending weather. Its a nice place too, but no swimming. However, the Worton Creek Marina had milk, and an awful pile of marine supplies. I guess I get to go shopping later today.

Ok, for those who have never sailed on the Chesapeake, I have to tell you about the mine fields. I have never in my life been in a place where there was so many obstacles, in the way of crab pot floats. My lord, there must be millions. If each crab pot collected one crab per day, you would think that the bay would be empty of crabs within a week. Crabs must be like bunnies. They are primarily a problem when coming in or going out from shore to the main channel. The pots seem to be placed in 11 to 20 feet of water, but not always, so you need to prudent anytime, even in the main channel. We have figured out a method for navigating through them. Serena sits on the bow and points in the direction she wants me to go. Which works great most of the time! At first she would stand on the bow, but her arms would get higher and higher with the pointing directions, until I was almost laying on the cockpit floor trying to see what she was doing, that's why she sits now. Also, because she has no reference for where the boat is heading being stationed at the pointy end, sometimes she tries to get me to go in circles by passing too many pots to the same side. Then, because she has no reference for shoals, or rocks, or underwater hazards, every once in a while I have to make a rapid course change, and then we start the process again. It may seem unorthodox, but so far, (knock on wood), we have not hit a pot. And, as a bonus, we generally end up laughing about the silliness of the whole process when its over.

So last night the big storm blew through. We hardly got anything here, but heard on the radio that the place we are going to tomorrow got hammered pretty good. It is still raining here and there, but we can see the sunshine attempting to push the clouds out of the way. This morning was quiet and relaxed. We'll try to get some chores done, now that the temperature has dropped, and spend the day trying not to work too hard.

Some days cruising is hard work, others, not so much.

August 2013 Recap

When I started this whole blog, the premise was that I would be passing on my knowledge and experience, (or lack of), to others behind me. I did this because so many people have done the same for me over the years. I know that what they have taught me through their books, their notes, their magazine articles, and their blogs, has been invaluable, and without their stories, I may have never embarked on this adventure at all. So, I am going to try to do a recap of each month covering concerns, budget, and things I learned that I wish I had known before I started, so that someone contemplating making the jump can perhaps learn something useful from it.

Dates: Aug 8 - 31, 2013

Trenton, On. Canada - Thousand Islands - Lake Ontario - Oswego Canal - Erie Canal - Polleppel Island, NY(on the Hudson River)

Sailing: 6 1/2 hrs

Motoring: 140 hrs (includes motor-sailing)

Budget (Prorated from 14 Aug - 31 Aug, we were a little sloppy at the beginning)

Budget Amount: $835.00

Charts/Books:           $86.00      

Boat Parts:               $139.00     

Marinas:                   $198.00

Diesel:                      $115.00

Beer:                        $129.00

Grocery:                   $266.00

Restaurant:               $146.00

Fees/Services:           $61.00     (pump-outs, laundry, lock fees, etc...)

Clothing/Shopping     $10.00

Misc:                       $277.00     (Mast stepping and unstepping, Tow Boat US Insurance)

Total:                    $1427.00

Debit/Credit:          -$592.00

Okay, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that we are way over budget, and if you think this is bad, wait until next month. Two reasons; one, because the lifestyle is new we tend to pay for things that we could do for free, there is a learning curve. Secondly, we are traveling, and when your traveling some costs go up. The months that we sit still should provide us with better numbers and maybe even out the overages a little. More importantly though, keeping track allows us to see where we overspend, and where we should cut back a little. And, you can tell by the above numbers that we obviously eat too much.

Things We Learned

1. Don't get too excited about the gelcoat. Because we are traveling in strange places, and travelling a lot, we never know what we're going to be faced with when docking. So, you are going to get some dents and dings. Vita is still in fine form, but she has a couple small of dock bites.

2. The more worried about a certain aspect of things, the easier it will seem. For us, crossing Lake Ontario, NY Harbor, and the Delaware Bay were concerns, and they ended up being great trips, mostly. Some people worry about locks, they're really easy, but your going to make a boo boo once in awhile, nobodies perfect. Relax...

3. If you need/want something, wait for it to come to you. We busted our humps trying to get this or that item for the boat, or for us. What we have learned is that services in all areas are not the same. Reduce the need, and wait for it to come to you. Eventually it will just show up. Measure the effort required to go look, and try to figure out if its worth it, because, the disappointment of not finding it increases with an increase in effort.

4. I was concerned on the trip down that I had made a mistake by choosing a small boat. Some of the things we were attempting to do seemed too big for our little Vita. Now that we have done them, I am very happy with the size, and Serena and I still like each other. Lesson, don't second guess yourself until you've had time to prove it one way or another.

5. Spraying your fruits and vegetables with a 50/50 mix vinegar and water will keep the fruit flies away. 

6. Slow down, its not a marathon. We had a deadline, and we shouldn't have. We missed so many things, and we felt so robbed, that it was not worth it. Well, maybe not, I'll have to see if the trip to the UK makes up for it. 

7. Hunting for Wifi will ruin your trip. See #3. We wasted so much time and effort looking for an internet connection. Paying stupid amounts for coffee and ice cream, just so we could get out a blog entry, or send an email. If its not readily available, just wait, maybe the next stop will be better. If you can't live without it, get data on your phone so you can email and update facebook, it will be far cheaper in the long run. Saying this, if you don't get a blog update for a while, we couldn't find free internet. We're learning.

8. And lastly, plan for laundry, groceries, showers, and any other services you might need. Because not everything is available everywhere. Services are like tides and currents, they can really screw up you trip if you don't give them the respect they deserve.

That's it for this month. Next month I will try and do this again. The format may change a little as I go, because this is new. If anyone reading the blog would like to see anything in particular, let me know, I may be able to squeeze it in, especially if it seems like good info to pass on.

Now back to your regular blogging........

Our First Weekend Off....In Months

I know some of you are chuckling, thinking that we are off having a grand ol' time, a great adventure, and an extended vacation. And your right, but holy crap its a lot of hard work, with very few days off.

I want to apologize to those who have tried to leave comments and can't. One of my frequent readers, (hi Mom), mentioned to me that she tried to leave comments and couldn't. So I finally got around to figuring it out, and it was a setting, that has now been set to everyone. Which means everyone and anyone can leave comments!! However, there are some readers of this blog that are of an influential age, so some of you should refrain from telling me what you really think of me. Please remember of the children, and comment responsibly.

Well, it has been quite the bag drive for the last 4 days, from leaving New York to arriving in Chesapeake City. But we have covered the longest trips we need to make. The only one left now is the crossing from Florida to the Bahamas, but not for a little while. There are four really long trips on the way south; crossing Lake Ontario, New York to Cape May, Cape May to the Chesapeake, and Florida to the Bahamas. Most of these can be broken down into shorter trips, but sometimes its just easier to get er' done.

We left Cape May at 06:50 in the morning. We would have been earlier, but I found the fuel leak in the engine, and it was getting bad, so it needed to be dealt with. Way back in the summer I found that the bleed screw on the fuel filter had some issues, and now it wouldn't seal at all. Good luck finding a screw to replace it, but as I was looking at the engine, thinking we were going to be stuck in Cape May waiting for parts, I noticed that a screw holding a fuel line bracket looked awfully close. Ta da..... the screw was slightly longer, so it got into some of the virgin threads on the fuel filter port. Problem solved. Unfortunately it means we need to replace the engine mounted fuel filter when we get to Annapolis.

So we left a little late for the outgoing tide. Thanks to our new friend Ron, and despite our lack of understanding of tides and currents, we had a good window to make the run through the notoriously nasty Delaware Bay. South west winds, and a favorable 8 hour + current. We traveled through the Cape May canal towards the bay, but when we got there, the winds were coming out of the west, causing a wind against tide situation. I'm thinking to myself, didn't really learn huh.... It was nasty, not as bad as the Sandy Hook New Jersey situation of a previous blog, but bad enough in its own right. And just to add to the excitement, a large ferry was trying to make the exit as well. We hear on the radio, "small sailboat leaving the Cape May Canal, this is the Ferry bla bla bla...". So I returned, "Ferry leaving the Cape May Canal, this is the small sailboat Vita, over".

Ferry: Captain, is that as fast as you can go
Me: Yes, I am topped out
Ferry: I am going as slow as I can, can you please move to the north after passing the end of the breakwater
Me: Roger that, I will move to the north as soon as I clear the breakwater, Vita out.

You'd move too.

Because of the shallow water throughout the bay, the Delaware is known for its horrible nasty chop when the wind picks up. And it was bad, but being a Bay of Quinte sailor, it was like being at home. We managed to motor sail with a yankee and reefed main, but we couldn't keep a fair course. That lasted for about 3 hours, and finally the weatherman started being a little nicer, it was never good, but at least things quieted down and we managed to make the entire run to Chesapeake City, including a stop for fuel at a local marina within the normal 12 hr time frame.

Now this is a channel marker!

Things I learned about the Delaware Bay.

1. Travel on the incoming tide;
2. Watch out for crab pots, they're everywhere, marked with floats of some colour;
3. Its only 50 statute miles, everyone says 50 miles, but they don't tell you which kind. (a statute mile is quite a bit shorter than a nautical mile)
4. Watch out for oyster beds, marked with white pipes or sticks;
5. Its probably going to be choppy;
7. Serena can still cook lunch in bad weather; and
6. Watch out for crab pots, I mentioned that, right?.

Chesapeake City. We love Chesapeake City, if only because it is a chance for us to relax after such a hectic start to our trip south. They like boaters here. The City dock is free for one night. The anchorage is free for 3 nights, the marina charges $5 for a shower to those at anchor, there is wifi, and, no one has made us feel unwelcome yet, which is nice. The unfortunate thing is that there is nothing here. Some very over-priced restaurants, and a pile of antiques. But no hardware store, no groceries, not even a convenience store. No pump-out for the poo tank, limited marine supplies(very limited), and we haven't found the laundry yet. We'll have to ask at the town hall tomorrow. There is gas and diesel, but it is in the canal, and you want to be very careful at what time you get fuel, the currents here can get very strong. However, its quiet, there are no wakes, no wild winds, and so far, knock on wood, no bugs.

You should have seen this baby trying to dock with the current throwing her around like a rag doll. Very pretty ship though.

Tomorrow we relax some more, get some boat projects done, and maybe walk to the gas station down the highway. We here it isn't all that far, and it is supposed to have a convenience store. We'll have to see how that goes. But bread and milk would be nice.

Under protest, and the threat of warm beer, I enter the following exibit, A. The plantif, (Serena), says that some things never change.

However, in my defense, when the dowel that holds the roll went flying and landed under the grated floor, I was not going fish it out in the rough seas we were bashing through on the Delaware. I did get out another roll and place it on the seat beside the toilet. She took the picture because she forgot to take a picture of a alleged event or two that may have taken place in the recent past, where the same toilet paper holder was left unfilled. Of course, with no documented proof that said situation(s) occurred, she made an attempt to falsify the evidence in this particular instance to prove a point. Although, she was the one who eventually fished out the dowel and dried it and replaced the roll.

Rob and Serena - Cruising in paradise.

Out of the Frying Pan….

Ha, I know what your thinking, but its only partially right. We left Manhattan on Thursday Morning at 09:00. We were motoring against the tide knowing that when we got to the marina that could pump our blackwater tank, that we would be at slack water, and then we would have an outgoing tide to take us down to Sandy Hook, NJ.

Serena was in pretty rough shape. She had gotten over her food poisoning, for the most part, but her back was spasming, and she was in a lot of discomfort. On top of that we were a little nervous about transiting New York harbour. Well, our timing was perfect, and other than some really rough water caused by water taxis and ferries, the trip was a breeze.

This is the lower tip of Manhattan. A rather spectacular skyline.

And this was one of the tour boats, causing just as much wake as the taxis and ferries.

We motor-sailed past the Statue of Liberty. There were tour boats full of people getting dropped off every few minutes, it was packed. And they have a security zone around Liberty Island that keeps personal boats like ours out. However, we were there, the traffic avoided us for the most part. They move faster, and they don’t want to hit us anymore than we want to get hit.

These babies, on the other hand, are not likely to get out of your way. The Staten Island Ferries, are big, fast, run both ways, and do not move over. We got caught between two of them, one going and one coming. We just paralleled a course between them until we could turn behind the one coming. We got waked all to hell for our ignorance. But we never felt like we were in danger.

Anyway, another victory, we made it through New York harbour, and now know that it is something we can easily accomplish again; when the time comes. The rest of the day was rather euphoric, having slayed the beast, how could things go wrong. We filled up with fuel when we got down to the Atlantic Highlands in Sandy Hook NJ, knowing that the next day we were headed offshore. Then we anchored in a little bay called, horseshoe cove. The winds had picked up, but they were out of the north, so we were very protected. So we thought!! We had a great afternoon, a few beers, a nap, and Serena got some badly needed rest. And then about supper time all hell broke loose. The waves started coming in from the west, contrary to the wind and tide, and it kept up all night. It was so demoralizing after such a great day, and an escape from the horrible anchorage in Manhattan. We got the crap pounded out of us, very little sleep, too rough to cook, it was just bad. Serena was pretty much in tears the whole night from her back, and it was looking like we were going to need to find a place to hold over for a few days so that she could recuperate. Which would mean we would lose the great weather window we had for making the offshore run to Cape May. Finely about 2;00 in the morning she took some of her “knock-me-out” pills, and managed to get some sleep. In the morning she was late waking, due to the pills, and I figured we would find a place to hide, but she had decided that she wanted to get this done while we had the window, despite being in poor shape; what a trooper, nuts, but a trooper none-the-less. So by the time I had the boat ready to go, it was 10:00, and the tide was going out, great, a little boost. What I didn’t consider was that we had a northeast wind, which created a wind vs tide condition, something you never want to get caught in, and ….. we were caught in it. I have never seen anything so nasty in my life. We were 200 feet from shore in 70 feet of water, the outgoing tide was 2 knots, and the wind was blowing about 15 knots. What that did was create waves in the 8 to 10 foot range, straight up. They were like walls of water. Vita would get hit by one and it would throw her bow way up in the air, then another would grab her stern and toss it up in the air, then she would dive straight through the next one. The deck was completely awash with green salty water. Our only saving grace was that we were actually making headway, at 2 knots, the same as the tide, so we knew that eventually we would get through it. However, being that close to shore, with very few alternatives, was a little spooky. Live and learn, tide and wind never mix…

After getting out in the Altlantic though, things started to settle down. Serena got some rest and we motor sailed for awhile until the winds filled in and we had a beautiful 5 hours of beam reach sailing running up and down the big ocean swells, and it was nice to see Vita making love to the sea. By 7:00 at night we were motor-sailing again, and it lasted until the next morning at 8:00 when we entered Cape May Harbor. Total, 22 hrs, average 5.3 knots, and we never strayed more than about 14 km from the shore, staying at about the 10 km mark most of the time, just outside most of the crab pots, but inshore of the major shipping lanes. I let Serena spend most of the day laying down, and I woke her at midnight to take a watch while I got some badly needed sleep. I took 3 ½ hours when she woke me to tell me that she had run out of line. I was confused for a bit, until I realized that it was the waypoints on the chart plotter, I had only put enough in to get us past Atlantic City, when I expected to be up again for a course change. We spent the rest of the night, and the sunrise in the cockpit together, freezing our buns off, man it was cold.

This is our little friend Sam. He joined us for a while when we were sailing. He hopped all over the boat, even landing on Serena a couple of times, and then Serena had to go down below, pick him up, and escort him back outside. I was laying down for a little nap, and she didn’t think that I would appreciate a bird down below pooping on the charts.

He was kind enough to clean up all the dead flies that I was killing. We picked up some kind of biting fly when we hit salt water, and I had been killing them with a fly swatter. And to think, I laughed at Serena when she bought them for the boat. But Sam enjoyed the energy boost and a drink before heading off again.

When you look out and all you see is water. It was pretty cool. Neither of us were concerned with the offshore part. We knew the dangers, even if we didn’t really understand them, but we were careful about watching for weather that would make the trip easy, and it worked. The seas were 2 – 4 feet, high, but every now then we would have a couple of waves in the 6-8 foot range, and then there were the odd ones that would sneak up on us, and I can remember looking over the lifelines at a 10-12 foot drop. But no matter how big they got, they just seemed to lift Vita up, and gently set her back down again.

The waves at night were the weird ones. You couldn’t see them, you could just feel them. They were the same, and the action was the same, but with no visual reference. And the deeper we got, the bigger the waves seem to be. Also, being the first night after a new moon, the only light we had was from the shore, over 10 kms away, and the stars. Plus the phosphorescence, that was neat. I am not sure the science behind it, but some creatures in the water give off a florescent glow when they are disturbed, so Vita moving through the water created a nice light show.

By morning we were glad to see the end though. Tired, and burnt out, we wanted food and a nap. I was calling around to the various marinas when my cell phone revolted and dove for the water. So much for a nap. Run around looking for a new cell phone, get some lunch, do some shopping, buy some charts, and boat parts. Sundowners on our new friend Ron’s 40' aluminum hulled schooner, nice boat. Blog, and head out tomorrow first thing to tackle the Delaware bay. After this, it’s a nice long break.

For those behind us, the Corinthian Yacht club is $1.50 per foot, but I think you anchor anywhere in there waters for free, and dinghy to their dock for showers. The water is a little thin though. About 5 ½’. Utsch is a nice marina at $2.00 a foot, the others are very expensive.

New York, New York, Part II

I hate to break the bad news to all the dreamers, but there are some parts to this vagabond lifestyle that really suck. Don’t get me wrong, we are still resolved to see this through. I mean the number of people out here doing it and loving it says there are some things that are just worth it. As I have mentioned before, Dave and Jaja Martin said that if life’s lows and highs were measured from zero to ten, then normal life could provide you with a range from 3 to 7, maybe even an 8 occasionally. But in order to get the 10’s, you need to open yourself up to the 0’s. I don’t even think we have come close to a zero yet, maybe a couple of 2’s, but I have to tell you, if Serena had said lets go home, I’d have turned this boat around so fast I’d need medical attention for the neck strain. We knew going into this that there would be times that we wished we were somewhere else, but when a little reflection reveals that there really isn’t anywhere else we’d rather be, then there is no alternative.

This stop in New York has been fabulous, and at the same time, it has sucked so bad that words cannot begin to describe it. Starting with the West 79^th St Boat Basin, my recommendation to anyone contemplating stopping here, go home and rethink it. It is cheap, $30 per night on a mooring ball, and it is convenient to downtown Manhattan, but a ferry from somewhere else might be a better idea. I swear to God, the wake from some of the passing boats has been so bad that it has threatened to rip the boat apart. We have been body slammed into every surface, everything on the boat that isn’t nailed down has ricocheted across the boat more times than I can count, and I think the bulkheads have started to loosen up, surely we have more leaks now than before. The shower is the worst one we have seen so far, dirty. There are never any paper towels in the bathroom, and the hand dryer is broken, the pump out has been broken for three months, the cloths dryer doesn’t work, and apparently there is no rush to fix it. Most of the employees would just rather you didn’t speak to them, and the overall feel of the place is just, yuk. And this is the municipal marina, it should be the flagship of Manhattan, what gives? Just do yourself a favour, go stay in Jersey, and take a wake causing water taxi over to see central park. On top of all this, Serena has been having a rough time with the motion on the boat. It never stops, and the boat moans and creaks all the time. Her back and her stomach have been letting her know that this is too much, and today it seems she got food poisoning from her chicken salad wrap, at lunch. Of course the chicken salad wrap was supposed to be a chicken fajita, we are learning that things are done differently here, just slowly. At least it has started to cool off, for the first couple of days it was muggy, hot, and wet, which just added to the misery.

All that aside though, this has been a real neat stop. We grew up in Canada watching TV shows and movies based and/or filmed in New York, but never really having a reference. Serena was amazed at the cellar service entrances to many of the shops, right in the middle of the sidewalk. Lift up the door, and put the goods from the truck to the cellar. Walking down 34^th st past the famous Macy’s department store. Today we had lunch on Madison avenue. Walking down 7^th Avenue, past all the famous shops. Riding the subway downtown. Watching people hail a cab, sounds silly, but to the uninitiated, its still neat. The huge crowds walking down the streets, musicians playing, vendors everywhere. You name it, you can find it, except for a large store, there are very few here. In fact, it kind of reminded me of the middle east, where there are literally hundreds of little specialty shops selling everything you can think of, but nothing of any size. At least here they don’t harass you too much to come into their shop. The West Marine was very disappointing, as they usually are. I still managed to spend over $200. We had lamb gyros from a street vendor, which were extremely cheap, and delicious. We ate them in a little park dedicated to Joan of Arc, shaded and quiet. We walked 8 blocks through a park to get gas for the dinghy. The gas station was indoors, you pulled your car in, and then backed out, different, and the attendants pumped your gas. They rounded it down as well, just like the old days, if it was a penny over, ah, don’t worry about it.

The grocery store was a whole new experience for us. Fairway was its name, and it was about the size of a small IGA at home, with about ten times as much stuff as the average No Frills. Holy crap was it shoved in, and piled high. The street outside was lined with fruits and vegetables, and there was more inside. There was a deli, a bakery, a cheese section with at least a thousand cheeses. A massive area for already cooked and/or prepared foods, everything you could think of, every meat, every sauce, every salad, things I have never heard of, things I couldn’t describe, it was incredible. A loose tea section, a coffee bean section, butcher and fish monger. There was enough food in this little place to feed my home town of Marmora for the next ten years, and it would fit inside our tiny Value Mart with room for a few other businesses. But, was it busy, just like rush hour down town Toronto, wall to wall carts, and shoulder to shoulder people. You had to be aggressive to get anywhere. The checkouts were a nightmare, wait your turn behind the line, and when you were called, you better move. No time for chit chat, get er’ done, and get the hell out. It is indicative of the New York life style though, rush rush, rush, plan only a day or two in advance, and keep moving so the mold won’t grow.

The jewel of this city though, has to be the parks. For all its failings, you can say one thing for certain, they really take pride in their green spaces. Everywhere we went, there was another park, or a bench in the shade, or a green lawn to lay on, or a path to follow.  And; Central Park, is the crowning jewel of the city. It is massive, and gorgeous, and well kept, and must cost them millions upon millions to keep up. But oh is it worth it. I expected a park, but not one so well groomed. Everywhere we went showed pride. If a person only came to new York to see the parks, it would take forever, and they would never tire of it. I could spend months, walking and biking through here, and feel like I was cut short when it was time to leave. I know that this city is also well known for its museums as well, but when would anyone find the time to visit them when there is some much nature to soak up, is beyond me.

It is unfortunate that we didn’t have more time to check out this city. But I think it would take a lifetime to get too everything. We missed ground zero from 911, we didn’t take any ferries, or water taxis to the other areas, or islands, and we only just scratched the surface of the parks. But, we can’t stay in this spot any longer, our resolve is wearing thin, and we have a bit of a deadline, so tomorrow we move on, where yet, we’re not quite sure, that’s part of the fun.

A calm moment in the mooring field;

Our first look at Central Park, talk about a wow factor. The stone work, everywhere, was just amazing.

Two worlds collide.

I was smiling, really how could I not be, look at it.

New York City

Holy crap. Who would figure that finding wifi in a place with 10 million people, would be so damn difficult. So, I write this blog offline, in the hopes that I can make it to a signal sometime today.

Sorry about the last entry. We had free wifi in Kingston NY, but the evening was just so nice, we had a great meal on the boat, a couple of beers, a movie in the park, and just a real nice time. It seemed a shame to ruin it spending an hour writing a blog entry. We are stuck in a laundry mat off 79st and Broadway in New York; now that is time to write a blog.

Anyway, we left Kingston early in the morning, wanting to get the travelling over with early, so we could just sit back and relax.

We passed some lovely light houses in the middle of the river, here and there protecting mariners from the nasty shoals.

Saw some interesting houses, or in this case a gazebo over the water supported only in the middle.

Shared the channel with some larger traffic.

And in one case, large traffic in both directions. It was a tight fit, but luckily the oncoming barge and tug where a little faster than the ship behind us.

Getting passed takes on a whole new meaning here.

And look at the water being pushed up on that bow. Not a good place to swim.

And here is a family of tugs we saw on the way into Kingston. Daddy, Mommy, and Baby tug. Sorry, they were cute, we had to.

Some of the houses along the Hudson River get a little large.

And some of the areas are void of houses, both interesting, and both beautiful in their own way.

So at the end of the day Saturday, we anchored behind Pollepel Island with our new friends, Jorge & Kim, and Gil & Diana. We launched the dinghy, and picked up Kim & Jorge for a ride around the Island. We were not permitted to go on the island for safety reasons, but we toured around it. I hit a rock with the dinghy motor, but no damage done. This can be a dangerous place. Then we settled in for beers and appetizers aboard Serenada. Our first official sundowner. And after returning Jorge and Kim to their boat we went back to Vita, dinner, cleanup, and cockpit showers before bed. A great evening.

The next morning we left early, wanting to get to Nyack for laundry and grocery shopping. A futile attempt. The engine quit on the way out of the anchorage, so we had an emergency anchoring drill. Which worked out good. Apparently if you want to keep the engine running, you have to remember to turn the fuel back on after your done playing with it. No harm done. We got boarded by US Customs and Border Patrol, and the local Police. It was a great meeting, and the highlight of our day. The laundry ended up being a flop, and groceries were pretty scarce. Tired and wet, we went to bed early.

Next day, similar scenario. Up early. Wanting to get fuel, somewhere, and to West 79^th St. Basin Boat Club in Manhattan NY. No one in Nyack had fuel, so we tried calling the marina on the other side of the river. Nothing. Crap. Serena says lets just pull in and see, so we did, and wouldn’t you know it, credit card, self-serve fuel. I’ve seen it all now, and I can come home. Lol

We passed by the famous West Point, and its pretty impressive. No expense spared.

Made New York while the tide was going out, and the current was crazy. We got tied up to a mooring ball, with little difficulty, using our patented lasso methed (thanks Larry), then retired to a couple of cold beers and a nap. Lunch didn’t seem to sit well, and Serena was having a rough time in the rolly-polly anchorage. So, other than dinghying in to pay for 3 nights, we spent the day watching tv, laying around, napping, and just generally taking a badly needed break.

So far the trip has been a bit of a bag drive. Everything takes so much more effort to do, and there just isn’t enough energy in the day to get everything done. As evidenced by the 3 loads of laundry we are doing at the Laundromat right now. The blackwater tank is full, and there is no where to pump it. We have to drive two hours just to empty the tank. Not sure if that will get done just yet. Groceries; is a marathon even which usually ends with us exhausted and disappointed. However, I don’t think we would change it for anything. We have the next two days to see a little of New York before we head on. So far we have been unamazed. Expecting something bigger I guess, it reminded us of Toronto. It’s a neat place to be, with a different culture. We will probably tire ourselves out just walking around. I can’t wait to walk through Central Park, but I think that will wait until tomorrow when, reportedly, the sun will be out.

Until next time…. Not yet in paradise.

George Washington Bridge, Night and day. The current under this thing was 4 knots, 8 km for you non-boaty types.