Friday 28 September 2007

Chesapeake City and the C & D Canal

After a great night at Riverside Yacht Club Doug left us for the airport, and we turned south for Delaware City, to pick up our parts and into the canal. The C&D Canal joins the top of Delaware bay with Chesapeake Bay. It has a fair amount of commercial traffic. Big car carriers move through the canal, quite slowly with little room to spare. We had 2 1/2 knots of current with us down the Delaware, but after picking up the alternator and turning into the canal the current turned against us. It was a beautiful clear night with a full moon, so it was a pleasant, but slow, motor down the canal, with the BBQ blazing to Chesapeake City. Chesapeake City is another small town with 27 antique/craft/gift stores and nowhere to buy a jug of milk or a block of cheese. Fortunatly we met some people, on a boat from NY, whose daughter lived nearby who gave Janine and the kids a ride, over the bridge to the grocery store. We stayed here a few days and are now going to head into Chesapeake Bay. Wednesday, Gary's parents are flying into Baltimore for a visit. The kids are very excited to see their grandparents, They were in Europe this summer and we haven't seen them since June. We have plans to go to the Anappolis boat show as well as Washington DC. Cheers G

Chesapeake City and the C & D Canal

After a great night at Riverside Yacht Club Doug left us for the airport, and we turned south for Delaware City, to pick up our parts and into the canal. The C&D Canal joins the top of Delaware bay with Chesapeake Bay. It has a fair amount of commercial traffic. Big car carriers move through the canal, quite slowly with little room to spare. We had 2 1/2 knots of current with us down the Delaware, but after picking up the alternator and turning into the canal the current turned against us. It was a beautiful clear night with a full moon, so it was a pleasant, but slow, motor down the canal, with the BBQ blazing to Chesapeake City. Chesapeake City is another small town with 27 antique/craft/gift stores and nowhere to buy a jug of milk or a block of cheese. Fortunatly we met some people, on a boat from NY, whose daughter lived nearby who gave Janine and the kids a ride, over the bridge to the grocery store. We stayed here a few days and are now going to head into Chesapeake Bay. Wednesday, Gary's parents are flying into Baltimore for a visit. The kids are very excited to see their grandparents, They were in Europe this summer and we haven't seen them since June. We have plans to go to the Anappolis boat show as well as Washington DC. Cheers G

Riverside Yacht Club

This club is

Riverside Yacht Club

This club is

Cape May and Delaware Bay

After a foggy start we had an afternoon of great sailing into Cape May. Close reaching in 7 - 10 knots of wind, very nice. Cape May provided us with a nice marina and the Lobster House: close to 400 seat seafood restaurant. Anothe great meal. Overnight the wind switched to the north and built to 15 - 20 knots in the morning making for our most exciting sailing yet. Cape May is very shallow and littered with shoals so we sailed out into the ocean for an hour and a half and then gybed for the entrance to the shipping channels. Once again we are so happy with the way the boat handles, always predictable and easy to steer. Once we turned into the channel inside Delaware Bay the wind slowly went further and further forward so soon we were motoring into the wind. The Flood current into the bay never really materialized until quite late in the day, so it was fairly slow going. The alternator chose today to pack it in. We made Delaware City in the dark after almost going the wrong way. It was great to have Doug along, the extra set of experienced hands on board really made things a whole lot easier. Monday, after ordering a new alternator, we continued up the Delaware River to Philadelphia and the Riverside Yacht Club.

Cape May and Delaware Bay

After a foggy start we had an afternoon of great sailing into Cape May. Close reaching in 7 - 10 knots of wind, very nice. Cape May provided us with a nice marina and the Lobster House: close to 400 seat seafood restaurant. Anothe great meal. Overnight the wind switched to the north and built to 15 - 20 knots in the morning making for our most exciting sailing yet. Cape May is very shallow and littered with shoals so we sailed out into the ocean for an hour and a half and then gybed for the entrance to the shipping channels. Once again we are so happy with the way the boat handles, always predictable and easy to steer. Once we turned into the channel inside Delaware Bay the wind slowly went further and further forward so soon we were motoring into the wind. The Flood current into the bay never really materialized until quite late in the day, so it was fairly slow going. The alternator chose today to pack it in. We made Delaware City in the dark after almost going the wrong way. It was great to have Doug along, the extra set of experienced hands on board really made things a whole lot easier. Monday, after ordering a new alternator, we continued up the Delaware River to Philadelphia and the Riverside Yacht Club.

Monday 24 September 2007

New Jersey

New Jersey The coast is flat and sandy, miles and miles of beach. The sailing has been lousy, very little no wind. The first day we motor sailed to Manasquan harbour, about 50 miles south of the NYC. It is a summer resort town with an amusement park, minigolf, beach bars, and a boardwalk close to a mile long lined with carnival games, ice cream, restaurants and souvenir stands. Friday we left Manasquan early to catch the tide and continue south to Atlantic City. We motorsailed the whole way. The calm is boring nut still preferable to the storms that are possible in this area. The Trump Marina/Hotel/Casino in Atlantic City allowed us a few hours of free dockage, this allowed us to swim in the pool, and have appy hour on the deck. Las Vegas style, over the top, but a fun diversion. After appy hour, we motored into a small lagoon to anchor for the night (the marina was $200/night). From the anchorage we could see the light show on the side of the hotel across the chanel. Saturday morning we awoke early foggy and calm conditions. another pot of coffee and we will see what the weather does.

New Jersey

New Jersey The coast is flat and sandy, miles and miles of beach. The sailing has been lousy, very little no wind. The first day we motor sailed to Manasquan harbour, about 50 miles south of the NYC. It is a summer resort town with an amusement park, minigolf, beach bars, and a boardwalk close to a mile long lined with carnival games, ice cream, restaurants and souvenir stands. Friday we left Manasquan early to catch the tide and continue south to Atlantic City. We motorsailed the whole way. The calm is boring nut still preferable to the storms that are possible in this area. The Trump Marina/Hotel/Casino in Atlantic City allowed us a few hours of free dockage, this allowed us to swim in the pool, and have appy hour on the deck. Las Vegas style, over the top, but a fun diversion. After appy hour, we motored into a small lagoon to anchor for the night (the marina was $200/night). From the anchorage we could see the light show on the side of the hotel across the chanel. Saturday morning we awoke early foggy and calm conditions. another pot of coffee and we will see what the weather does.

THE BIG APPLE

THE BIG APPLE Sorry we have been out of touch the last while NYC has been so busy. We stayed at 79th st boat basin for 4 or 5 days. Talk about Location, 4 blocks to central park, close to downtown. From here we went to the Metropolitan museum of art and the American museum of natural history, Central Park, to the top of the Empire State Building, and to FAO Schwartz (the worlds biggest toy store. Then we moved to City Island at the south end of Long Island Sound. On the way we had a tour around the Statue of Liberty and a scenic boat ride up the East River, City Island is bit out of the way but much more comfortable, and still able to access the city on transit. School, for the kids, has started well, about half and half field trips and study. Janine, Ina, and the kids went to the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. This is a “field trip” so they are going to do their first school projects. They were gathering information as they went, we’ll see how the projects go. Then on Sunday we took Granny downtown and put her on a bus to Newark airport. It was sad to see her go, but we had a great visit and Papa needs her as well, a golf champion cannot live on TV dinners! Wednesday we got up early and went south down the East River and anchored in Liberty State Park behind the Statue of Liberty. Security around the Statue is close to ridiculous. There is a Coast Guard Cutter moored in front and a pair of 25ft rigid hull inflatable patrol boats, complete with twin 250hp engines and machineguns mounted for and aft zipping around. Wednesday night Doug arrived from Vancouver. Early Thursday we left NYC behind and powered out of the bay, past Sandy Hook, and down the New Jersey shore. The 2 Coast guard boats were motoring along side the Staten Island Ferry. One veered off and came towards us for a moment, and then returned to its original path. It is odd to see a boat coming at you at 25 knots with two machine guns mounted on it! It is too bad that we do not have more time to play in NYC the city is much more clean and friendly than anticipated, and so much we did not see. I guess you could spend a year there and not see everything.

THE BIG APPLE

THE BIG APPLE Sorry we have been out of touch the last while NYC has been so busy. We stayed at 79th st boat basin for 4 or 5 days. Talk about Location, 4 blocks to central park, close to downtown. From here we went to the Metropolitan museum of art and the American museum of natural history, Central Park, to the top of the Empire State Building, and to FAO Schwartz (the worlds biggest toy store. Then we moved to City Island at the south end of Long Island Sound. On the way we had a tour around the Statue of Liberty and a scenic boat ride up the East River, City Island is bit out of the way but much more comfortable, and still able to access the city on transit. School, for the kids, has started well, about half and half field trips and study. Janine, Ina, and the kids went to the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. This is a “field trip” so they are going to do their first school projects. They were gathering information as they went, we’ll see how the projects go. Then on Sunday we took Granny downtown and put her on a bus to Newark airport. It was sad to see her go, but we had a great visit and Papa needs her as well, a golf champion cannot live on TV dinners! Wednesday we got up early and went south down the East River and anchored in Liberty State Park behind the Statue of Liberty. Security around the Statue is close to ridiculous. There is a Coast Guard Cutter moored in front and a pair of 25ft rigid hull inflatable patrol boats, complete with twin 250hp engines and machineguns mounted for and aft zipping around. Wednesday night Doug arrived from Vancouver. Early Thursday we left NYC behind and powered out of the bay, past Sandy Hook, and down the New Jersey shore. The 2 Coast guard boats were motoring along side the Staten Island Ferry. One veered off and came towards us for a moment, and then returned to its original path. It is odd to see a boat coming at you at 25 knots with two machine guns mounted on it! It is too bad that we do not have more time to play in NYC the city is much more clean and friendly than anticipated, and so much we did not see. I guess you could spend a year there and not see everything.

Wednesday 12 September 2007

GRANNY IS HERE.

Ina arrived by train and after a short cab ride appeared at the beach at the anchorage, a short row and she was aboard. The weather has been warm so we are going to hang out here for the weekend. Next on the list is New York City

GRANNY IS HERE.

Ina arrived by train and after a short cab ride appeared at the beach at the anchorage, a short row and she was aboard. The weather has been warm so we are going to hang out here for the weekend. Next on the list is New York City

Putting the boat back together

THE MAST IS UP Tuesday afternoon the mast went up! It is nice to have the decks and cockpit clear of the wood saw horses that held the mast on the boat. Now we need to tune the mast and put the sails on. The radar is reattached and is ready for testing. We need to change the oil and filter, check the fuel and water filters, change the transmission fluid, and we will be ready to head off to meet Granny (Janine’s Mom). WERE SAILING! Thursday we managed to get all of the maintenance done, the rig tuned reasonably well and in the early afternoon Thursday (after school of course) we sailed across Haverstraw Bay to an anchorage in the lee of Croton Point. It was great to be sailing again, we haven’t been able to sail since Aug 11 when we sailed off of Lake Erie into Buffalo. Granny can take the train direct to Croton, about 50 miles north of the city,so we can row ashore and get her this afternoon.

Putting the boat back together

THE MAST IS UP Tuesday afternoon the mast went up! It is nice to have the decks and cockpit clear of the wood saw horses that held the mast on the boat. Now we need to tune the mast and put the sails on. The radar is reattached and is ready for testing. We need to change the oil and filter, check the fuel and water filters, change the transmission fluid, and we will be ready to head off to meet Granny (Janine’s Mom). WERE SAILING! Thursday we managed to get all of the maintenance done, the rig tuned reasonably well and in the early afternoon Thursday (after school of course) we sailed across Haverstraw Bay to an anchorage in the lee of Croton Point. It was great to be sailing again, we haven’t been able to sail since Aug 11 when we sailed off of Lake Erie into Buffalo. Granny can take the train direct to Croton, about 50 miles north of the city,so we can row ashore and get her this afternoon.

Wednesday 5 September 2007

Waterford to Haverstraw

Well it is Sept 4 the first official day of school for us. We are in Haverstraw New York where we are hoping to get some engine work done and the mast put back up. While Gary deals with that the boys and I searched out an internet connection and started the first assignments. We had fun over the last few days. We traveled from Waterford to Castleton-on-Hudson where there was a great little boating club. We visited with the locals for a couple of beers and then picked up one of their mooring balls across the river for the night.The moon was full and it was a gorgeous night. We were up early the next morning to catch the ebb current of 1.5 knots, which helped us along to Kingston by 3:30pm. We had planned our stop at Kingston based on a tip that there was a Mexican restaurant that would give free dockage if you ate in their restaurant. We found the Place and were able to scoop dock space! The meal was great, they make the best lime margarita on the rocks I think I’ve ever had. We also discovered that Kingston was celebrating “Hooley on the Hudson”. Hooley is an Irish word for festival (hooligan). There were booths selling pints of Irish beer and some really good celtic bands playing. Our 2 favorite bands were Greenwich Mean Time and McCallan Mor. We sang and danced until the music stopped at 9pm then our attention was drawn to the water where at Christmas parade of boats were going by!! The water here is frozen at Christmas time so they celebrate Christmas in July, the parade of boats in September. What an entertaining time we stumbled upon all because we wanted Mexican food. The next morning saw us off early again to benefit from the ebb tide. We traveled past the Vanderbilt Mansion, it was very grey, The Culinary institute of America which is in a beautiful old mansion, and West Point Academy. This is the oldest military academy in the USA and the building is amazing. The landscape along the river was beautiful. We arrived in Haverstraw late in the afternoon and were happy to reach the still water of the marina as tons of large power boats had blasted by us with their huge wakes rocking us.

Waterford to Haverstraw

Well it is Sept 4 the first official day of school for us. We are in Haverstraw New York where we are hoping to get some engine work done and the mast put back up. While Gary deals with that the boys and I searched out an internet connection and started the first assignments. We had fun over the last few days. We traveled from Waterford to Castleton-on-Hudson where there was a great little boating club. We visited with the locals for a couple of beers and then picked up one of their mooring balls across the river for the night.The moon was full and it was a gorgeous night. We were up early the next morning to catch the ebb current of 1.5 knots, which helped us along to Kingston by 3:30pm. We had planned our stop at Kingston based on a tip that there was a Mexican restaurant that would give free dockage if you ate in their restaurant. We found the Place and were able to scoop dock space! The meal was great, they make the best lime margarita on the rocks I think I’ve ever had. We also discovered that Kingston was celebrating “Hooley on the Hudson”. Hooley is an Irish word for festival (hooligan). There were booths selling pints of Irish beer and some really good celtic bands playing. Our 2 favorite bands were Greenwich Mean Time and McCallan Mor. We sang and danced until the music stopped at 9pm then our attention was drawn to the water where at Christmas parade of boats were going by!! The water here is frozen at Christmas time so they celebrate Christmas in July, the parade of boats in September. What an entertaining time we stumbled upon all because we wanted Mexican food. The next morning saw us off early again to benefit from the ebb tide. We traveled past the Vanderbilt Mansion, it was very grey, The Culinary institute of America which is in a beautiful old mansion, and West Point Academy. This is the oldest military academy in the USA and the building is amazing. The landscape along the river was beautiful. We arrived in Haverstraw late in the afternoon and were happy to reach the still water of the marina as tons of large power boats had blasted by us with their huge wakes rocking us.