Solomons Island, MD to Chesapeake, VA

   We have arrived on the Inter-Coastal Waterway (ICW), home of our friends the Coles and are looking forward to catching up and hanging out for awhile.  The trip down the Chesapeake was a whirlwind, we motored from Solomons to the Great Wicomico River, and stayed two nights in a nice secluded bay waiting for wind.  The entrance to the river was sketchy, with several uncharted fish traps to the north of the channel, we made sure we steered well clear, but it reinforced our decision to not travel the Chesapeake at night. We had a visitor, a boy and his dad paddled up in their canoe, complete with pirate flag, and demanded something sweet.  We obliged and learned that they were lucky enough to live on the point we were anchored just off.  Just down the river we had passed a stinky fish plant, and learned from our neighbor that it is the last Menhaden fish processing plant on the east coast, which manufactors fish oil...no wonder the smell!

   We battled a headwind the next day and had a fast sail, but only covered about 20 miles down to Deltaville.  Nice quaint neighborhood creek to wait out a passing front overnight and Kellee experimented to make bread in the pressure cooker with great success, definitely a recipe worth repeating, and super easy.  The next morning dawned chilly and we were anxious to move south.

   We had an awesome downwind sail under double reefed main all the way to Hampton Roads and made it in about an hour before sunset, covering 42 miles.  Our anchorage was a nice spot to watch the big ship traffic to go by and we slept well despite being right next to the entrance to the highway tunnel.  Monday morning we double checked our planning for the ICW, to make sure we would get through the bridges before the evening rush hour closures and headed into the ICW.  It was a busy Monday morning in Norfolk, we saw 4 different naval ships get underway and crossed several tug/barges traveling north. 

   6 bridges later, we arrived in the Cole's back yard. It's a perfect spot with the dock only a block away, we've planned several maintenance projects for this visit and are looking forward to catching up with our friends.  Please visit our videos page for a couple of new additions.

Downtown Annapolis, MD.

 Navigator has arrived on the ICW.

Baltimore to Solomons Island, MD

    After completing our three main tasks (plus some boat maintenance) in Baltimore, we departed the city with a north wind and made our way over the course of two short days to Annapolis, MD, the sailing capital of the Chesapeake.  We anchored in quiet Weem's Creek, just north of the city, and spent a couple days visiting the town and TOMKAT while waiting out the weather. We were also able to re-provision via bicycle from the local Safeway market.  It was interesting to note that our Safeway Club cards still worked from Alaska, 8 years ago.
    Once a cold front blew through on Wednesday, we departed and made quick tracks to the south, with a following wind, eventually anchoring near Solomon's Island, MD, for a brief overnight.  After topping off on ice, we'll be on our way southward to Norfolk, VA this weekend.
    You can definitely notice the chill in the air, the shorter days, and can watch the migratory birds moving overhead, reinforcing the thought that we should be moving south....

 Moored to a pier in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

 Fighting to see through a rain squall.

Checking the mast: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Passed Exams!

  We came to Baltimore for 3 reasons:
        1. Cheesecake Factory Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake.
        2. Roy's Lava Cake Desert.
        3. To take our USCG License exams.
   These exams had nothing to do with our jobs in the CG, but are required for merchant mariner qualifications.  Chris had gotten a license in Hawaii 5 years ago and it was time for renewal, and Kellee has always wanted to get a license, so Baltimore proved a convenient stop on our way south for testing, as we were both too busy in June/July to get it done.  All the prep work and administration had been done months ago, so all that remained were to take the actual tests.
  So, on Monday morning, we loaded up our pencils and calculators and walked over to the Regional Exam Center, about 1 mile away. Three days and 13 tests (between us) later, we are done - we passed each test on the first try, thanks to some serious studying over the past month.  It felt remarkably like taking final exams in high school or college - jumping from one subject to another with timed multiple choice tests every morning and afternoon. Our test subjects were: Chart Plotting, Navigation General, Deck General, Deck Safety, Sailing Endorsement, Rules of the Road, Navigation Problems (Terrestrial), and Navigation Problems (Celestial).
   Do we intend to use the licenses? Probably not, but its always nice to have a backup plan, right? As a 100 ton Near Coastal Master with commercial tow endorsement, Kellee can drive dive charter boats, ferries, water taxies, fishing boats, small passenger boats, salvage boats, do yacht deliveries, be a "lotion girl" on a Mega Yacht, etc etc.  As a 500 ton Oceans Master, Chris can do similar things, or drive sailing school ships (like Eagle but smaller).  Most importantly, we think it is probably a good idea for those who regulate an industry to be well versed in it's technicalities. All in all it was worth the time and effort to do - but not something we're planning on using for the near future.
   So now that that is over and we are licensed mariners, we can get back to being "people of leisure."  Time to head to the Cheesecake Factory!

Georgetown to Baltimore

You know you've arrived in the "south" when you eagerly await thunderstorms just so the air temp will drop even a few degrees.  The past week has been full of studying, memorizing formulae and testing hundreds of review questions in preparation for our merchant license tests starting Monday, all while doing our best to stay cool.  We spent four days in Georgetown on a mooring next to TOMKAT and made good use of the marina pool and wifi to spend the days studying and meeting up with TOMKAT for dinners.

On Friday we covered 35 miles toward Baltimore under bumpy conditions, motoring into the wind the whole way as we try to burn down year old fuel and clean out the tank..  We tucked into Rock Creek for the night and were serenaded with some terrible Karaoke from the waterfront bar as we studied into the dark.  Today we passed under the Francis Scott Key Bridge (so named for the composer of the Star Spangled Banner, which he wrote during the war of 1812, just about under the bridge...the actual spot is marked by a buoy painted like a flag, but we didn't see it on the way in) and motored the final 10 miles to Baltimore, arriving in the midst of the inner harbor dragonboat races, it was neat to see 20 paddlers per boat rowing to the beat of a drum.  

It's supposed to be stormy this afternoon, we are eagerly awaiting the temperature drop and wind shift.  Tomorrow is the final day for studying before the tests begin and we'll explore Baltimore in search of dinner.  Both of us have spent time in Baltimore while ensconced in the Coast Guard Yard, and are looking forward to visiting our favorite haunts.  Chris is stoked for the 3 story Barnes and Noble while Kellee is jonesing for some Cheesecake Factory cheesecake.  Stay tuned for a couple of pictures from the past week and our transit in.

Cape May, NJ to Georgetown, MD

   We departed Cape May on a rising tide and motored through the Cape May Canal to Delaware Bay and more open water.  After sailing north through the bay, we arrived in the vicinity of Salem Nuclear Power Plan and took a 6 hour nap to await a fair tide.
   When the tide became favorable again, we continued the migration and transited the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which is about twice the length of the Cape Cod Canal, and less scenic!  It was, however, interesting to see the southward exodus of all manner of cruising vessels (most of whom passed us).  It was less interesting to see the arrival of thousands of insects, all of whom required killing.  We were also overtaken by a huge car-carrier in the canal, and were promptly hit by a giant thunderstorm and zero visibility.  It was an interesting transit.
    However, after the canal transit, the skies cleared and we finished the day anchored at the head of the Sassafras River, in Georgetown, Maryland, right next to Tomkat.
   This place is very scenic, with a pool, internet, and showers, all for $0.80 per day (per foot), so about 25 bucks a night.  Not a bad deal.  We'll stay a couple days here and continue our studying for our Coast Guard merchant mariner license exams before we head over to Baltimore, MD on Saturday or so to take the tests.  After crossing the C and D canal, we definitely feel like we are making southward progress: the accents are changing, ya'll!

 Pondering the meaning of life.

Bailing the dinghy of rainwater.

Cape May, NJ

   We had an awesome time in Cape May this week visiting with our friends Kathy and Owen Gibbons, and checking out the sights of Southern New Jersey & the Coast Guard's Recruit Training Center.
   At the CG Training Center, we were able to watch (from the shadows) as Echo Company got off the bus on their very first day and were greeted by some fierce Company Commanders. A few days later, we saw the same company (with haircuts) as they "formed" with their actual Company Commanders.  Both were very impressive, but the graduation of Alfa Company took the cake, as we were able to watch 50 or so recruits be advanced to E2/E3 in front of their parents, and head off to the fleet.   It was enlightening to see what 90% of the Coast Guard has as a common experience, and the folks at the training center do an excellent job.
   In Cape May, we enjoyed much eating and beaching, as well as some logistics runs that we needed for Navigator.  We also were able to get some much needed studying done, as we are taking our USCG Merchant Mariner exams next week in Baltimore, MD (for no reason other than it's something we've wanted to do for a while but never had the time).
   We are off today for the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, and then a couple weeks visiting Chesapeake Bay, before we begin the Inter-Coastal Waterway trip to North Carolina in October.  The days are getting shorter: time to move south!

 Kellee enjoys the Jersey-Shore surf.

 Alfa Company graduates and heads to the fleet.

Chris hoovers the last of a chocolate raspberry trifle.

Long Island to Cape May, NJ

  We safely arrived Cape May on Saturday after five days of beautiful weather.  We left Three Mile Harbor on Tuesday and rode the tide out to Montauk, catching the lighthouse right at sunset.  From there is was open water all the way to the Cape May entrance.  We quickly settled into a watch routine, Kellee, being the night owl, took the evening until 2 am, then Chris, being the early bird, took the morning until 8 am, Kellee took back over while Chris caught a morning nap. Shared lunch then Kellee napped in the afternoon and the cycle worked for the whole trip.

    Light winds and calm seas for the first four days made for easy but slow sailing.  We got as far as 90 miles offshore and tested the range of our VHF and HF radios with great success, so we feel very comfortable we can talk to someone no matter where we are.  On the second night, Kellee was on watch, reading by headlamp, frequently checking for lights on the horizon and making sure the wind vane autopilot kept NAVIGATOR on the right course.  A "PFFT" noise from over her shoulder startled her right out of her seat and she looked out over the moonless night to try to see what had snuck up on her.  It turned out to be several curious dolphins, including a mother and baby.  They swarmed the boat, and were surprisingly easy to see as they swam through phosphorescence which lit up their bodies and left a trail of flickering light in their wake.  They hung around for almost 20 minutes, swimming all around the boat, coming up so close to the hull to breathe that Kellee got snotted on from their breath. 

   The next day, more dolphins came by and we tried to get some pictures of their acrobatics.  We also saw a couple of fin whales that kept a respectable distance, but with no motor running, you could hear them blow a thousand yards away.  We trolled for fish almost the whole trip but didn't get a bite, we'll keep trying!  Overall we saw about a dozen fishing boats and another 11 deep draft big ships.  On the last day, the wind and seas kicked up and we hailed a passing container ship to see if he could see us on radar in the choppy seas and he replied that we had showed up 5 miles out and he altered course around us.  It's comforting to know that we are visible even when the weather picks up. 

   The last day had us running straight down wind in building seas so we reefed down to shorten the sail and took turns driving every couple hours since the autopilot doesn't handle well down wind or with a following sea.  We arrived at the Cape May breakwater mid afternoon in the rain, and after crabbing our way across the choppy entrance that Chris likened to a west coast bar crossing, we dropped the hook just next to the Coast Guard station.

   We dinghyed over to TOMKAT, which had arrived a couple days ahead of us after touring Long Island Sound and NYC and sticking close to the Jersey coast.  We got take out dinner from the Lobster House and caught up on the last couple of weeks' adventures.  They were headed up the bay to Chesapeake City in the morning and we made plans to catch up in the Chesapeake in a couple weeks.  We were chilling out on TOMKAT after dinner when the first lightening flashes came across the darkening sky and we could hear thunder in the distance.  We thought we'd just hang out until the thunderstorm passed, but an hour later, a check of the weather radar showed no end in near sight.  We decided to make a run for it, a five minute dinghy jaunt across the harbor back to our boat.  We borrowed a bailer and a flashlight, since the boat already had a couple inches of accumulating rainwater in it and took off across the harbor.  The CG station was well lit and provided a nice target to aim for through the torrential rain.  We arrived back onboard, left our already soaked clothes in the cockpit and collapsed to sleep, only to find ourselves repeatedly awakened as the thunderstorm raged overhead with lots of bright, bolt lightening and accompanying surround sound thunderclaps.  NAVIGATOR sat comfortably in her protected anchorage and we finally went to sleep.

    The next morning, we awoke to sunshine and an almost completely filled dinghy.  We used the collection of fresh water to our advantage and got some seriously needed boat cleaning done.  Once we got her back to ship shape, we motored ashore to spend some highly anticipated quality time with our friends the Gibbons and Hugus families.  We took a preliminary tour of Cape May and enjoyed a yummy bbq to catch up.  We plan to stay about a week here then head up the Delaware Bay, through the C&D canal to the Chesapeake Bay.  See below and the links for some new pictures and video!

Pictures and Videos

We just arrived in Cape May, New Jersey after a 5 day voyage. There will be a bigger blog post coming shortly. Here are a couple pictures, and you can find more pictures and a new video about our dinghy if you click on "Pictures" or "Videos" on the banner above. 

The Forks

  We are sitting in Starbucks in the swanky Hamptons, borrowing free internet after a wonderful lunch at the Golden Pear Cafe where we (well Chris did) literally brushed elbows with a tv star! Mark Feuerstein of Hank Med fame from the USA show "Royal Pains" was enjoying his lunch at the next table, pretty cool.
  We have been bike riding fools around the forks of Long Island.  We took the ferry from Shelter Island up to Greenport and rode all the way to Orient Point, through vineyard country.  Shelter Island was very quaint and we enjoyed the services of the Marina there while hanging with the TOMKAT crew for a few days.  Incidently, that is the same marina where they build the boats associated with Billy Joel, the "Downeaster" boats.  We parted ways with TOMKAT and headed for Three Mile Harbor, beautiful and surprisingly quiet.  The water is warm and clean, we spent a day doing boat projects then took advantage of a rainy day to catch a movie, "Beasts of the Southern Wild".  Decent movie, not what we expected, but the popular movies were sold out, seems like going to the movies is the only thing to do in the Hamptons when it rains!
  Today we are off on another bicycle tour of the mansions of the Hamptons and exploring the beaches and towns of the south fork.  Check out the videos section of the blog for a short movie on how the bikes help us get around!  Tomorrow looks like more rain, so we'll hang out at the boat, perhaps try to see another movie.  We are closely watching the weather, looking for the best window to make our offshore trip down to Cape May, NJ.  This post closes out the New England phase of our journey,  in a few days we'll be making some serious southward progress.  Look for pictures when we get to NJ and have a solid internet connection!

Westport to Coecles Harbor

The last two weeks have been fun, visiting with family and settling into this new lifestyle.  Yesterday marked one month of cruising under our belts and we are loving the easy pace and simplicity.  Westport was a blast, going to the beach, visiting family, eating lots of Woods Ice Cream, taking care of some boat projects and stocking up for the next stretch.  We left Westport on the 3rd, aiming for Jamestown, but the wind and waves made Cuttyhunk a more attractive destination, so we anchored there instead.  Tried to paddle out to the nice right hand break off Canapipsit Channel, but the current was too strong so we checked out some cows on the beach and headed back.  It was a decent swim and the weather was perfect.  The next morning we waited for the fog to burn off and set out for westward destination TBD.  With the fog in and out through the afternoon and the wind fluking out, we opted for Dutch Harbor anchorage on the west side of Jamestown island.  It was a challenging day in the fog, but with radar and enough wind to sail into anchorage, we enjoyed the day.  The fog lifted just enough for us to come into the anchorage before it socked back in for the evening.  We waited out strong winds the next day, doing some engine maintenance and swimming and had a beautiful sail to Block Island the following day.

Block was crowded but there always seemed to be room for one more.  TOMKAT and BANSHEE arrived the next day, and we enjoyed a nice shrimp and chowder dinner while catching up with our folks. We closed out the day with a spectacular sunset.  The next morning was the perfect beach day, we arrived early enough to have the beach to ourselves and Kathy B. ranked it as one of the top five beaches in her experience. Took a stroll down the beach to town for lunch and headed back to the boats to prep for our potluck dinner on the beach with a sunset.  The next morning was warm and we spent the day lounging around BANSHEE swimming and reading then put some clean duds on for dinner ashore at the OAR.   The next day it was time to part ways, BANSHEE headed home and TOMKAT and NAVIGATOR headed west to Coecles Harbor, Shelter Island...New York!  See the pictures section for lots of pics of our Block rendevous.

The sail to Coecles was exciting, we sailed into our first thunderstorm.  First came the rain and we took advantage of it to swab the decks and get the salt and sand off.  Then came the wind and near zero visibility, but we quickly reefed down and energized the radar and put down the hatches to keep the torrential downpour out of the interior.  We got soaked, but it was comforting to see the boat handle so well in stronger winds.  After the front passed through, the wind picked up and shifted, forcing us to battle a headwind for the last few miles to anchorage.  We arrived just at dark and dropped the hook a stone's throw from the beach and from TOMKAT and enjoyed the tranquility of an anchorage with only half a dozen neighbors.  This quiet spot is a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of Block Island and we plan to hang out for at least a few more days.  The water is wonderful for swimming, we have internet on the boat and have been sharing meals with TOMKAT. Today we are venturing ashore, hoping to catch a glimpse of Billy Joel's boat building mecca, or at least pick up some supplies and enjoy a bike ride through Shelter Island.  Stay tuned for more pictures and video.

Chatham to Westport

    After departing Nantucket with a favorable SW'erly wind, we made good time on a broad reach to Stage Harbor, MA, the southern entrance to Chatham's summer scene.  We visited the town, sampled the cuisine, and then took the dinghy to Monomoy Island for some deserted beaches and wildlife watching.  Thankfully there were no Great White Sharks visible, but we had the beach to ourself, aside from the copious amounts of biting flies and highly curious pinnipeds.
   We waited in Stage Harbor for the wind to shift to the east, and had another great 2-days of running/broad reaching from the Cape, through Wood's Hole Pass, to Westport, MA where we are visiting family (and getting lots of meals courtesy of G and G), using the opportunity to pick up some supplies and conducting a few repairs to Navigator (including the throttle cable, some line/rope work, a thorough cleaning, and preventive maintenance to the winches and windlass).   In Westport (thanks to Lynn), we have high speed internet, so look for some more pictures and videos later in the week.
   Our short term plans are to visit Block Island, RI next week and rendezvous with Tomkat and Banshee, boats crewed by our salty parents, and then head to eastern Long Island, before moving offshore to southern New Jersey later in August.
   Here are few pictures of the last week or so!

 

 Kellee fixing the throttle assembly.

 Chris steering while sailing west across Nantucket Sound.

Navigator at anchor in Nantucket.

Nantucket

We left Vineyard Haven and skirted over to Edgartown for a night. Ended up anchored next to a richie rich charter boat that partied well into the evening and was fun to watch. The next morning we took advantage of a north wind and headed out to Nantucket and found plenty of room in the anchorage. Our first day ashore we rode our awesome folding bikes out to Sankaty Head light, the lighthouse that was moved in 2007 and took some pictures which we'll post when we can. Along the way we picked out which multi-million dollar "summer cottages" we could see ourselves in. On the way back we went to the Lifesaving Museum and Brandt Point light, 2nd oldest light in the country only to Boston Light. That night we met up with Anderson Ogg who is spending his summer teaching cadets to be future sailors on the Leadership 44's and gave us a tour. It was really nice to catch up and show him the Navigator. The following day brought blustery winds so we hunkered down and cleaned, did some projects we had been putting off and read. Yesterday we came ashore for laundry, lunch and window shopping, and thoroughly enjoyed the burgers at the "Brotherhood of Thieves" restaurant. Last night brought an intense cold front (pictures to follow when we can post) and driving rain (free H2O!!) with winds gusting over 30 kts. We dragged anchor a little so we re-positioned and were fine for the rest of the windy evening. Today is re-provision day, and tomorrow we plan to make tracks for Chatham and then head back west toward Buzzards Bay.

Newport to Vineyard Haven

   Finally have a decent internet connection!  After Chris wrapped up work in Portland, Navigator departed the Newport Naval Base on Saturday the 14th. After running around town taking care of last minute items (such as bike bags, tacos, and ice), we motored over to Mackerel Cove for the night. It is just around the corner from Newport but enabled us to get off the dock and on our way, a huge psychological hurdle.  On Sunday, we sailed off the anchor and had a downwind sail to Cuttyhunk Island, where we ghosted into our anchorage on the last of the southwest wind under mainsail alone. Overnight there was a huge lightning and rain storm that gave us a free deck washing.
   We did a quick sightseeing trip of Cuttyhunk Island, walking to the western end, and then the eastern end. That took about an hour, so we spent some time messing around with the dinghy and swimming.  In the afternoon we sailed off the anchor and through Quick's Hole for another downwind sail to Vineyard Haven.  We finally had to turn the engine on to get into our anchorage spot on the Vineyard, but it was a good couple days of engine-free sailing.
    On the Vineyard, we racked up some miles on our new folding bikes, biking about 22 miles on Monday from Vineyard Haven to Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, and the southeast Atlantic shore (and back). On Tuesday we went west, biking another 15 miles to Menemsha to visit an old shipmate and thence on to Gay Head.  Due to an impeding thunderstorm, we took the bus back.
  Today, since the sun is hidden, we are having a logistics day - internet at the public library, grocery shopping in Vineyard Haven, and showers with real soap and water. The little pleasures.
   Our short term plans are to remain in Vineyard Haven overnight and then head east, eventually to Nantucket next week.  The winds are contrary for the next several days, so we may either wait it out or just have a longish sail tacking our way through Nantucket Sound.   Longer term we may try and visit Chatham and Woods Hole before arriving in Westport later this month.
   Some observations so far:
      - Yes we still like each other.
      - Simple boat systems are the way to go...solar panels have kept up with our power needs just fine.
      - Folding bikes should be rank ordered just above sliced-bread in the hierarchy of awesome things.
      - Solar shower devices make a huge difference, though they draw strange looks from neighbors.
      - Our reading rate is higher than anticipated; we should have brought more books.
 That's all for now, we'll try and post some pictures on Flickr as bandwidth allows.

 A visitor at sea (Don) on our way from Narragansett Bay to Cuttyhunk.

   The bike ferry from Menemsha to Aquina. These are our folding bikes.

On our way...

We left Narraganset Bay on Saturday and did an overnight in Cuttyhunk before arriving in Vineyard Haven last night. Today is a bike expedition around the island with periodic stops at swimming spots. We should be on the Vineyard for the rest of the week and then heading to Nantucket, Chatham, and then Westport towards the end of the month.

The plan as it stands as of today, as always subject to change:

July 6th - Kellee last day of work.
July 10th - Chris last day of work.
July 11th or so - Departure from Newport
Late July - Sail southern New England (Vineyard, Nantucket, Westport, etc).
Early August - Block Island rendezvous with anyone interested in meeting up (Aug 6-9 or so).
Mid August - Eastern Long Island
Late August - Cape May, NJ
Early September - Northern Chesapeake Bay
Late September - Norfolk, VA rendezvous at Rob & Leah's house (LOGREQ pends)
October - VA and NC.
Early November - NC to Caribbean.
Late November - Virgin Islands
Early December - Antigua, St. Martin
Christmas - St. Martin/St. Barts.
January - Leeward Isles
February - Leeward Isles
March - Windward Isles
April - Windward Isles
May - Windward Isles
After that is up in the air.

Here's our view from our pier. (taken with the new camera, 8 second exposure).