Enjoyed the 4th

We have had a very enjoyable Holiday weekend.

We arrived in Port Washington on Sunday an took a mooring ball.  We were told that there are a number of yellow mooring balls that are free for a two day stay.  We motored into the mooring field and picked out a ball.  After the current on the Hudson it was nice to have calm water.  When the guy that collects the money for the moorings came by he explained that we were not on one of the free balls.  We were planning to stay on the ball for three days so we paid the $25 for one night which included unlimited water taxi trips.  

On Monday we used the taxi to go to town and check it out and hit the grocery store.  In the after noon we moved to one of the free moorings and launched the dinghy.

On Tuesday we spent the morning on the boat watching the sailing school boats and the coming and goings of the other boats.  In the afternoon we took the train into the city to so some more sightseeing and to have dinner with our friend John who was in town from Houston.  We had a great dinner at Frankie and Johnie's Steakhouse and got caught up on what is happening with Michelle and Jet in Houston.  The train was nearly empty on the trip in but very full in the evening but it is a fun and relaxing way to get into and out of the city.

Wednesday we moved to the marina to plug in and wait for company.  Cori had caught a cold or something and has not been feeling well and spent the day napping, I spent the day reading as usual.

Thursday was a relaxing day with light winds so we took a dinghy tour of the bay.  Some great boats and amazing houses.  We watched the sailing schools for a while and then back to the boat.

Friday Cori's sister Heather and her friend Bobbie arrived.  One of the dock hands told us where to watch fireworks so we made a run for BBQ for dinner and hit the grocery store again and then went sailing.  We left the marina and motored out of the bay and set the sails for the town of Rye, sailing across and up the Sound.  We joined a number of other boats, dropped our anchor and waited for sundown.  We had a display from the yacht club and when that finished we had a display from the amusement park.  While these were going on we could see at least ten more displays going on all around us.  After the show we pulled anchor and motored back to the marina.  We made it through the mooring field in the dark and pulled into the marina.  Docking was a challenge.  Every time I got the bow into position the current would push the stern over and we would have to start over.  Fortunately there is a lot of space between the docks and there were a lot of empty slips so we were able to maneuver without worrying of hitting someone.  Cori finally got a stern and bow line to the dock and we were able to walk Hi Flite into her slip about 12:30 am.

Saturday, the 4th, we had plans to go into the city for dinner and fireworks.  Instead of the train, Bobbie drove us into Brooklyn and parked near the Brooklyn Bridge.  Instead of using the subway this time we took the opportunity to walk across the bridge.  Unfortunately it started to rain as we started across.  Once on the Manhattan side we took the subway up to Grand Central Station ans then walked to Times Square since it had stopped raining.  We had an early reservation for dinner at Carmines and then took the subway back to Brooklyn to wait for the fireworks.  We got there early and staked out our spot and waited for it to get dark.  The people watching was amazing.  The crowd grew until there was little space left over.  Security was everywhere and did a good job of monitoring and controlling the crowd.  We were not in a spot where we could see the light show an the Empire State Building but we had a great view of the bridge and the new Freedom Tower and where the fireworks were expected.  When the fireworks started we had a building blocking our view.   We shifted with the crowd and ended up with a great view of one of the best fireworks displays we have ever seen.  After that we worked our way back to the parking garage and headed out.  The traffic was not as bad as we had anticipated so we made good time getting back to the boat.

Sunday we got up and said good-bye to Heather and Bobbie.  Later Cori got into her kayak and gave the boot stripe a good cleaning.  The boot stripe is the white painted line just above the waterline.  It needs cleaning from time to time but now it was the dirtiest it has ever been.  While she was doing this I changed the oil and filter and adjusted belts.  We are ready to continue on with the trip but will hand here until Wednesday.  The best deal we could get at the marina was to stay for six days so we will hang out and relax.

Our week in NYC

Tuesday we took the dinghy to the marina and walked up to the Subway.  We rode down to Little Italy and Chinatown to wander around, look at the shops and watch the people.  We made a trip over to the tkts booth to get tickets to a couple of shows.  We rode up to Grand Central Station to wait out a rain shower and to take in the station.  It is a very impressive building.  From there we rode to Times Square and had dinner then went to the musical “Beautiful” at the Steven Sondheim Theatre.  I grew up listening to Carol King music without knowing it and when her Tapestry album came out I bought the 8 track and about wore it out.   Recently Cori bought the CD.  After the theater we made our way back to the boat.

Wednesday we made our way back downtown to the Stage Door Deli for the pastrami sandwich I have been craving.  The Deli has moved and is no longer the old style deli that I remember from when I would travel to the city for work but the food is still good.  From there we went up to 54^th street to take in the play “An Act of God” featuring Jim Parsons of Big Bank fame at Studio 54.  It was very enjoyable.  After the play we happened to walk out the exit where the cars were waiting so we joined the group waiting to see Jim when he left the theater.  We were close enough to be able to get our Playbill and ticket autographed and a couple of photos.  From there we stopped at a bakery for a piece of cheesecake, I love New York style cheesecake.  We walked down to Rockefeller Center then up 5^th avenue to Central Park.  We walked through a lot of the park finally exiting at the area designated Strawberry Fields in memory of John Lennon.  From there it was back to the boat to take some Ibuprofen for the aches and pains caused by all of that walking.

On Thursday we hung out on the boat most of the morning and then took the subway to the lower east side to have lunch at Katz’z deli.  Katz’s is the deli used in the movie “When Harry Met Sally” where they filmed the orgasm scene.  Just by luck we ended up sharing the famous table with a couple of nice ladies from Monterey CA that were on vacation.  The pastrami sandwich is expensive but well worth it.  It was the best pastrami sandwich I have ever had.  From there we walked to a bakery that according to our phone mapping programs specialized in cheesecake.  Unfortunately it was not the best but the walk wore off any calories it contained.  From there it was back uptown with a stop at Columbus Circle then back up to 79^th street.  Walking up the street we came across a Barns and Nobles store so I went in to browse and Cori headed down the street to find a new pair of shoes.

Friday we spent the morning on the boat then went to the marina with the intent of getting a couple of loads of wash done.  While the machines were running we wondered around the neighborhood and picked up a couple of things at TJ Max and Michaels.  Cori made the run back to the marina to change out loads I hung out at a little bookstore we came across.  On the way back to the boat we stopped at Café Lalo for another try at cheesecake.  Café Lalo is where they filmed the scene in “You’ve Got Mail” where Tom and Meg meet for the first time.

Saturday was overcast and cool so it was another good day to walk around the city.  We took the subway to Greenwich Village then walked to SOHO stopping at a small bakery for a croissant and some coffee for Cori.  From there we walked down Canal Street to catch a subway to Union Park.  There is a very big farmers market there on Saturday and we were advised to check it out.  You could buy just about anything there including ostrich eggs.  From there we moved to midtown to check out the Empire State Building and Macy’s.  I had found out there is a West Marine store there and I needed some bolts for a project.  From there it was back to the lower east side for lunch at Katz’s again.  This time I wanted to try their Ruben sandwich.  It was good but we still prefer the pastrami.  At this point it was threatening to rain so we caught the subway back up to the marina with a last stop at Times Square.  It proceeded to rain the rest of the evening and into the night. 

We had arrived at the marina on Sunday and paid for a week so it was time to leave.  First I had to bail out the dinghy which had about 8 inches of water in it from the rain.  Just before we were ready to drop the mooing lines Homeland Security stopped by to check us out.  It was just a routine stop so we didn’t get boarded.  We dropped the lines and started down the river back to the Battery.  With the engine doing a low idle the current was pushing us at 7 knots.  We made a pass by the Statue of Liberty again then motored around waiting for the tide to change.  After about an hour of dodging other boats we started up the East River.  We needed to time the trip up the river to make use of the incoming tide and to be at the area called “Hell Gate” close to slack tide when the currents are the calmest.  We made the trip up the river without incident and headed for Manhasset Bay where we are planning to spend the next week.  It is a 45 minute train ride into the city so we will be back in a couple more times and to be there on Saturday for the fireworks.  This is big change with the calm waters of the bay compared to the current and wakes we had on the Hudson River.

New York City

We are in New York City.

We left Hampton VA after being anchored there and at Norfolk for a week.  We got a possible weather window on Thursday and headed out in the late morning riding an outgoing tide.  The winds were light and we ended up motoring as we left the Bay and turned northeast.  We continued into the evening and were alerted by radio of a storm coming our way.  I watched the storm on radar as it advanced across the peninsula and came out to sea heading southeast.  The angle was just right that it passed by to our left and behind us.  I was ready with full foul weather gear but only got a short rain shower.  It put on an impressive light show as it moved by.  The rest of the night was uneventful.

On Friday we continued but the forecast was for a front to come down from the north with adverse winds.  First we could not get favorable winds for sailing and now it was going to be on the nose and increasing.  We chose to be sensible and set a course for Atlantic City.  We arrived late afternoon and dropped anchor in a quiet little anchorage with a view of the city.  No, we did not go ashore and lose any money.

In the morning we pulled anchor and headed out again, with about 12-14 hours to go.  Again the wind was refusing to make the forecasted shift to southeast and stayed out of the east and northeast, not a good angle for sailing.  As the wind shifted more to the east the waves started us rolling again, very uncomfortable but nothing we can do about it.  We made it to the entrance of New York Bay and worked our way around Sandy Hook in the dark, meeting an outgoing tug pulling a barge.  We have an AIS (automatic identification system) transponder that told the barge operator who we were and our heading and speed.  He gave us a call and warned us about how his barge was swinging more than normal.  It is good to have them be able to see and identify us and how we can identify them especially in the dark.  We dropped the hook about 10:30 Saturday after a 14 hour day.  In the morning we were able to see everything around us and what a nice anchorage this is.

Sunday was overcast and light rain in the morning and we waited until after lunch when it started to break up and set sail for New York City.  Winds were 15 knots and we made a quick sail across the bay and into the narrows.  The winds were blocked by land as we approached the Verrazano Narrows Bridge so we motored through along with several ships until we reached a point we could sail again.  Fortunately we were on a direct line to the Statue of Liberty.  We had to dodge a couple of anchored ships and barges moving about, not to mention the many ferries and sailed as close as we could to the statue.  We continued on past Ellis Island then proceeded up the Hudson River to the 79^th Street Marina where we picked up a mooring ball for the week.  Only by boat can you stay in Upper Westside Manhattan for $30 a day and the seventh day is free.  It is a long dinghy ride to and from the marina docks and it is a bit rough with the tide and winds but you can’t have everything.  Also, the ice and laundry are free.

We spent Monday seeing the city.  We have a short walk to the subway and after an early lunch at Zabar's Deli we took the subway to Times Square.  From there we took the subway to the 911 Memorial and from there we walked to Trinity Church and down Wall Street to the East River.  At the river we turned left and walked up to the South Street Seaport.  The area is all changed from when I was last there but the ships are still there.  We are going back to take a tour of the tall ship Peking later in the week since ship tours are closed on Mondays.  We took the subway back and instead of going back to the boat we walked over to see a little of Central Park and I mean a little.  Now we know where it is and what part is close to us.  Back at the boat we kicked back and rested from the walking and had dinner.  I guess I should say I kicked back and Cori fixed dinner.  Later as the tide was ready to change, what we call slack tide, we moved to another mooring ball they wanted us on because of our weight.  We are a heavy boat and with the tide and waves from the wind and boat traffic they wanted us on a larger anchor.  We are happy to comply since it makes us more secure but with a longer dinghy ride.

We are settling in for the night and will be hitting the city again tomorrow.

Hanging out in Norfolk VA area

We made it to Norfolk.  It was a long motorboat ride.  There is no way to sail in this section of the ICW.  We left Coinjock and continued up to Chesapeake VA and spent the night tied to the wall at the Great Bridge.  I will mention that we only caught one bridge opening and had to wait from 20 minutes to 45 minutes for the scheduled openings at the others.  One of the hassles of the ICW.  We have stayed here previously, it is a free overnight stay.  No, this time I did not go up to the Dairy Queen.  In the morning we called several of the marinas in the area to see if any of them could get a chance to look at our 9.9 outboard.  Everyone is booked for several weeks.  We gave up and caught the 12:00 opening for the lock and continued up to Norfolk.  We were waiting for a call back from one of the marinas and called them when we got outside their entrance.  No luck, booked for weeks.  They suggested Ocean Marine Yacht Center.  We called them and they said they might be able to get at it on Friday.  This was Thursday so we jumped at it.  We pulled in and dropped the engine and gas tank off and moved up to Hospital Point to anchor for the night.

We had a relatively quiet night at anchor in downtown Norfolk with the city lights reflecting off the water.  In the morning, boat, ship and barge traffic picked up but what can you ask for in a free anchorage.  We hung out on the boat for the day and late afternoon called to check on the motor.  They hadn't been able to get at it but would have someone working on it on Saturday.

While sleeping in on Saturday we were waken by music coming from shore.  They were evidently having some sort of race and the band was firing them up.  The rest of the morning we got to listen to the music and the PA system along with watching the boats, ships and barges go by.  Just after 11:00 we got a call that the outboard was running.  I had let it sit too long and the gas gummed up the carburetor again.  We pulled the anchor and headed back to pick it up and get some diesel fuel.  By 1:00 we were off.  We had decided to go across the river to Hampton for the rest of the weekend.  As we were approaching the Navy base one of the carriers was leaving its dock and heading out to sea.  At one point we had the Navy Police boat come to check us out after I made a fast 90 degree turn straight at the ships to avoid being hit by another boats wake broadside and rolling uncontrollably.  It must have looked like a move a terrorist would make but at least we didn't have stuff flying all over like it did on a previous wake.  Some people don't care what happens to others just so they can go where they are going as fast as they can.  It wouldn't kill them to give some of us a slow pass to minimize their wake.

Just before we got there the sky tuned dark and we could see the rain coming.  It is never a good idea to enter a strange harbor in adverse conditions so we turned around and motored around until it let up.  The good news is that we got everything closed up and the boat got a nice fresh water wash.  The bad news is that we got a nice fresh water shower but we can dry out.  We eventually made it into the harbor but were not able to get a spot to anchor.  We are trying to save money for our stay in New York so we are avoiding marinas.  We chose an alternate anchorage and headed back out of the harbor and up river a short ways.  Anchor down by 5:00, the boat is clean and we are dry, things could be worse.  Now that the outboard is running again we can take the dinghy into town on Sunday.

On the move again

We are moving again.  We have started our trip north.  We started by taking a couple of days in New Bern to spend with friends.  The trip usually involves several hours of motoring but this time we had a perfect wind to sail using our spinnaker.  After two nights at the Bridgepoint Marina we left early to make the trip to Ocracoke Island.  It was a flat calm motoring day.  We go to Ocracoke the first weekend in June to attend the annual Ocrafolk Music Festival.  It also happens to be my birthday or the closest weekend to my birthday.  I look at it as the island hosts a big party for my birthday.  We have several friends that also attend the festival and bring their boats to stay on.  Dock space is short so we always find ourselves anchoring out and running in and out with our dinghy.  This year my 9.9 outboard refused to run but we had the backup 3.3 horse running.  The festival was great and we had plenty of opportunity to get caught up with our friends.  The weather was beutiful for the week we were there.

The anchorage started thinning out on Sunday and we joined a half dozen other boats leaving early Monday morning.  We started out heading to the Pamlico River and after a couple of hours the breeze came up and it became a sailing trip instead of a motor boat ride.  We were able to sail until we reached the Pungo River and had to turn up to follow the ICW.  We motored up to the entrance of the Alligator/Pungo canal and dropped anchor for the night. A 50 nautical mile trip that took about ten hours.  First thing in the morning, and I mean "first thing", 6:30 am, we pulled anchor and headed up the canal.  The canal is a 20 mile stretch of straight water dug connecting the Pungo and the Alligator rivers.  It is usually a boring trip with a lot of other faster boats passing us and throwing out a big wake and really rocking us.  Today we only had one boat pass us and he did not kick much of a wake.  Once out on the Alligator river we were able to set the head sail and sail most of the way down the river to the Albermarle Sound.  The Sound was kicked up from the wind and gave us a pretty rolly ride.  Once across the we motored up the North River until we arrived in Coinjock NC, a 69 mile, 11 hour trip.  The best thing about Coinjock other then the nice folks that run and work at the marina is the restaurant.  If you like prime rib, this is the place to go.  It is awesome!  If you can't be there for dinner they use the left over prime rib for sandwiches at lunch.  I ordered the 32 ounce prime rib and will be having the leftovers for lunch and probably dinner tomorrow.  We didn't expect to be this far along in just two days so the overnight stay in Coinjock is a treat since it has been over a week since we have stayed at a dock.  Tomorrow we will continue to Norfolk VA and start our way up the Chesapeake Bay, planning a stop at Deltaville to see friends and have the outboard looked at.

Getting ready to head out

We have spent several weeks at our old home, Matthews Point Marina, getting ready to continue the adventure.  Several things needed attention and there were some upgrades to be made.

Our solar panels were not putting out as much energy as we are using so we updated them.  We went from two 75 watt panels to two 140 watt panels.  Being new they are also more efficient since solar panels lose efficiency over time.  The originals were over 10 years old.  I have been testing them by turning off the charger and monitoring state of the batteries,  So far on sunny days we are staying fully charged and replacing what we use overnight.  I also took the opportunity to service and equalize the batteries.  Of course we still have the Honda generator if we get too many cloudy days.

We added an Engel refrigerator/freezer to be able to carry more frozen provisions.  It runs off of 110 or 12 volts.  It takes up a bit of floor space but it will be worth it.  Our current freezer is much too small.

We installed a new VHF radio and antenna and will be replacing the cable in the next couple of days.

Cori went to work with her sewing machine and added shade panels to the bimini (cockpit cover) and a panel to connect the bimini to the dodger for more sun and rain protection.

The steaming or masthead light was burnt out so it the bulb was replaced while I was up the mast.  Cori touched up the nonskid paint and resealed the teak on deck.  The seat covers in the salon were cleaned and the V-berth has had a major rearranging and sorting with a lot of stuff going into storage that we found we did not need.  I even sorted out my books and took off any that I want to keep but had already read.

There are some projects that I am forgetting but lets just say we have been busy.

Our plan is to spend this weekend in New Bern with friends then head out to Ocracoke Island for my birthday and the music festival.  From there we will be continuing north - just not sure how far we will get before it will be time to turn around and head back to the Islands.

Back at Matthews Point Marina

We are back where we started.  On November 24th we left and on May 5th we pulled into the slip next to the one we left.  The circle is complete.  Our trip to Virginia was very nice.  We spent several days with Cori's parents and brother and attended Don's retirement party.  We drove back to Charleston on Friday in a driving rain but came out of it about the North and South Carolina border.  Everything was fine with the boat.  Since we still had a car we spent Saturday sightseeing.  The weather forecast was looking favorable for  the trip to Morehead City so we opted to leave on Sunday.  Since we had rented our slip for a week and had stayed an extra day I went up to the office to settle up.  I was told not to worry about it, they were not going to charge us for the extra day.  More Southern hospitality.  We left around 10:30 am on an outgoing tide and after clearing the breakwater turned Northeast.  The winds were still too light to sail and continued that way until mid afternoon when they rose to 10 knots.  Up went the sails and off were went at 4 knots climbing at times to 7 but settling in at 5.5 to 6.5, perfect sailing.  The sun went down and the full moon came up and it was a perfect night for sailing offshore.  About midnight the winds died and it was back to motoring.

We arrived at Beaufort Inlet around 7:30 pm and started trying to make a decision on whee to anchor for the night.  We finally settled on a spot, dropped anchor, had dinner and went to sleep.  We woke up with four other boats around us in the morning.  We needed to make an early start to take advantage of the incoming  tide and motor up the ICW to the Neuse River.  As we entered the Neuse we caught up with our friends Barb and Jim on Skat.  They had left the islands before us and had traveled the ICW with various stops along the way were almost home also.  About 10:30 we pulled into the marina and tied up.  We spent the evening visiting with friends.

We plan to spend a couple of weeks here getting some projects done, installing some new gear that we are ordering and spending time with friends.

What next you ask?  We are planning to be out at Ocracoke Island the first weekend of June for the music festival and if everything is ready we will start our trip North.  How far we do not know but the charts show lots of options.