Back On the Water

We are once again on the water.

After our time in South Dakota we rented a car, loaded it up and drove back to the boat which we had left in New Hampshire.  The transmission was ready but there was one part that they could not order until we arrived.  After giving them the information they needed we went about getting the boat ready.  First we needed to deal with the rental car.  In ordering the car for a one way rental we had return it to an agreed agency.  This one was in Manchester N.H. about an hour away.  In order to drop off the car and return to the boat we first had to rent another car locally, drive both to Manchester, drop one off and return to the boat and then return the second car a couple of days later.  It's all about logistics.  We needed a gallon of paint to touch up the bottom and the closest dealer was near Boston, so off we went to Massachusetts.  Having the car made everything easier making runs for groceries, boat parts and to treat ourselves to several meals out.  After a couple of days we had to turn in the car hoping we didn't need to make anymore trips.

We planned to have the boat launched as soon as the transmission was in but Mother Nature had other plans.  Hurricane Lee was churning out in the Atlantic and no-one had a good idea where it was going to make landfall, but Maine was definitely on the list.  We worked on getting the boat ready while watching the hurricanes progress.  As predicted the hurricane was going to impact Maine and since Maine is just across the river we were going to have to deal with the storm.  As the storm got closer it became apparent that it was going to shift to the east and, luckily, we would only feel the effects of the outer bands.  Friday was a beautiful day and I took the opportunity to apply the paint to the bottom and get ready for the rain and winds.  Saturday started off with rain but quit about mid-day but the winds built.  Taking a break from sitting on the boat we walked down to the harbor and realized that the boat was sitting in a well protected spot.  The winds were much higher down by the water.  Sunday and Monday were rainy just as forecast.

With the storm moving on we were scheduled to be launched.  After lunch on Tuesday the lift arrived, picked up Hi Flite and brought her down to the harbor.  After being lowered into the water they let us stay in the slip until the water calmed as the tide changed.  There is a very strong current in the river as the tide rises and falls with a bit of calm water as the tide changes.  Once the current dropped we moved out to a mooring ball to spend the night and preparing to leave the next morning at low tide.  We needed to leave at low tide because of a bridge we have to go under.  The top of our mast is almost fifty feet off the water.  The bridge we were going under is listed at forty-six feet of clearance.  There is about six feet of tidal range which means that at low tide there SHOULD be fifty two feet of clearance.  It was a very tense moment when we went under the bridge when we first arrived and it was just as tense going out.  Once out into the main river channel we proceeded down the river and back to the Kittery Point anchorage to spend the night before continuing on in the morning

We had hoped to be back on the water soon after arriving and moving up the Maine coast visiting some of our favorite anchorages and exploring new one.  Circumstances changed that and we ended up spending over two weeks on the boat waiting to be launched.  We planned on spending about a month before starting our way south but we will have to cut that short to stay ahead of the weather.  We have our next week planned and then will be playing it by ear letting the weather dictate what we do.

It is good to feel the boat moving gently below us again.

A Slight Change In Plans

Our plans have changed, as usual.  Once we made it to Maine we were going to work our way up to Harpswell, put the boat on a friends mooring and spend the next couple of months in South Dakota working on our remote cabin.  Due to the problem with the transmission we have hauled out at Portsmouth NH and will leave the boat on the hard for the next couple of months.

The transmission is water cooled and the cooler has failed letting water into the transmission.  Fortunately the transmission continued to work enabling us to get to Kittery then motor up the river to the marina to be hauled out.  We were able to find a well recommended mechanic to do the transmission overhaul.  We anchored off of the Kittery Town Dock for the weekend and on Monday we borrowed a car and visited and called marinas looking for someone that could haul us out in a timely manner.  We chose Great Bay Marina as they could haul us out the quickest.  We needed to time the tides so on Tuesday we pulled anchor and headed up the river.  There were two bridges to be concerned about, the first was a drawbridge that opened on the hour and the half hour.  We rushed to get there for the three o'clock opening and continued up the river fighting a current.  We needed to be at the last bridge at low tide.  The bridge has a vertical clearance of 46 feet.  Our mast is 50 feet off the water.  The marina assured us that at low tide the clearance is 53 feet.  We arrived just as the tide was turning and started for the bridge.  As we got closer it looked like we were going to hit it.  Looking up at the mast when going under something almost always looks like you are going to hit it no matter the amount of clearance.  We were so sure that we were going to hit that we did a quick reverse and motored around while calling the marina to verify the height.  Being assured that it was more than 50 feet we tried again and made it.  It was the most terrifying feeling that at any moment there would be a crash.  It took some time after for the nerves to calm down.  We picked up a mooring and spent the night planning to be hauled out the next morning.  We were glad to be on a strong mooring because the current rips through on every tide change.

In the morning we dinghied in and made the final arrangements to be hauled.  We were scheduled for slack tide when we would have the least amount of current and at 11:00 we dropped the mooring and motored into the lift only to find that we would have to back in to be lifted.  Backing out, making a u-turn and backing into a narrow spot is not my favorite maneuver.  This time with no current or wind it looked like I had been doing this on a regular basis, if they only knew the truth.  Once out of the water I was amazed at the condition of the bottom.  There was no growth, no barnacles and a quick power wash made it look freshly painted.  I strongly recommend Sherwin Williams bottom paint.  After taking a lunch break they moved us to the yard and got us set up convenient to water and electricity.

Once we were settled in I went to work on pulling the transmission.  With only a couple of problems it was free of the engine but needed to be lifted out and lowered to the ground.  Fortunately we are a sailboat and have block and tackle and plenty of rope onboard.  Once lifted into the cockpit we lowered it to the ground using one of our halyards used to raise sails.  One big project completed.

This morning we needed to pick up our rental car and our friend Adina offered to give us her car or to take us.  Once back to the marina with the car we loaded the transmission and delivered it to the mechanic.  I explained that we would not be back to pick it up until late August so there was no rush.  Once back at the marina we started loading the car.  We have a full size SUV and it will be packed full.

Over the next few days we will be driving back to Spearfish SD to spend time with Cori's Mother and siblings and work on the cabin.  This years big project will be to finish the solar electric system to make us self-reliant.  Last year we were using a portable generator to keep the batteries topped up.  I also expect that there will be time to relax and have some fun.

That's what has been happening and what we expect to happen, only time will tell.

I won't be posting any updates until we are back on the boat, late August or early September when we plan to visit some of our favorite places in Maine before being chased south by the cold.

We Have arrived in Maine

 We have arrived in Maine but just barely.  We are on the Kittery Maine side of the Piscataqua River looking across to Portsmouth New Hampshire.

We waited a week at Norfolk and Hampton VA for a weather window to allow us to go offshore to Buzzards Bay MA instead of traveling up Chesapeake Bay and down the Delaware River then jumping off at Cape May.  This route would be shorter and require less travel time.  We spent several days with fellow cruisers in the Hampton area and were able to attend the Blackbeard Pirate Festival which commemorates the defeat of Blackbeard the pirate.  It was very entertaining and educational.  I was able to watch a demonstration on how rope is made and there were several canons of various size being shot off.  Once again we were able to get together with my Great-nephew for dinner and a visit.

The forecast was favorable for a Monday departure and at 6:30 AM we pulled anchor and started motoring out of the Chesapeake Bay and into the ocean.  Once clear of land we turned North-northeast for Buzzards Bay.  The winds were light and we had to motor but there was a promise of the winds increasing.  Unfortunately the winds that we got were from behind us and we did not have enough apparent wind to sail.  The apparent wind is the actual wind on the sails when you factor in the boats speed.  For example, we had ten knots of wind from behind and the boat was moving at five knots we would have five knots of apparent wind not enough for us to sail.  Because of this we continued to motor on.  The forecast was for the winds to shift from the northwest but when they did they were under ten knots so we continued motoring.  This continued through the night and in the morning we were able to sail for a short time before the winds dropped off again.  We continued motoring.  Wednesday, day three, we had about four hours of favorable winds and we were enjoying the sail when once again the winds died. During the night we passed by Block Island and continued up Buzzards Bay.

On day four we arrived at the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal in time for the tide change and had a favorable current to go through the canal.  Last time in the canal we did not have a favorable current and had to fight a two to four knot current making the passage much longer.  Once out of the canal we set course for Gloucester MA.  Once again we didn't have enough wind to sail.  We arrived at Gloucester and attempted to anchor in a small bay rather then go into the main harbor.  We were unsuccessful in getting a good set so we continued on to Thatcher Island.  The cruising guide said that there were several guest mooring there.  We arrived and picked up a mooring and shared the harbor with one other boat.  We had not been here before and the two lighthouses were so interesting I had to look up the history.  Very interesting island with the first lighthouses built by the British before the Revolutionary War all the way to the island used to hide someone in the Witness Protection Program.

This was our first stop in four days.  We had motored/sailed 461 miles in 84 hours, most of it motoring.  We carry 80 gallons of fuel and another 15 in jerry cans on deck.  I have always calculated that we could motor around 400 miles before adding fuel.  When we arrived at the anchorage the fuel gauge was getting very close to empty.  By not pushing too hard and maintaining our speed round five knots we were able to conserve fuel.

The next morning as the fog cleared we were getting ready to continue.  We added the fuel from the jerry cans, checked the engine and v-drive oil and the transmission.  Here we had a big surprise, instead of bright red transmission fluid we had a dark grey sludge.  I suspected water had gotten into the transmission, possibly from the transmission oil cooler.  I pumped out the sludge and refilled with fresh fluid, started the engine and did a quick test, the transmission worked shifting forward and reverse.  After completing our preparations we restarted the engine and continued on, hoping to sail instead of motoring.  I did notice that our exhaust had some oil in it telling me that the transmission oil cooler was most likely the problem.  We tried sailing for several hour but the winds were shifting and too light, so again we were motoring.  By mid-afternoon the winds came up and we were once again a sailboat.  We were heading to Kittery Maine to visit friends we made in the Bahamas and we were able to sail all of the way into the harbor dropping the sails just before we reached the anchorage.  After three tries to get the anchor set we finished off the day with adult beverages.  During the day we had been calling different facilities to find a mechanic and where we could keep the boat for the duration of the repair.  Checking the transmission we again found the grey sludge.  No matter what the cause is I am sure the transmission will need to be rebuilt, it's not designed to run with salt water.

This being the weekend we are spending time on the boat and will be visiting our friends.  Monday we should have a better idea of what our options are.

Waiting on Weather

 We have been waiting on weather in a variety of locations for the last few weeks.  First we waited a couple of days before leaving the dock we were staying at.  Once we had good traveling weather we headed up the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) pushing hard.  Our first day we moved up the waterway, crossed the Pamlico River, traveled through the Alligator/Pungo Canal and anchored for the night about halfway up the Alligator River.  In the morning we pulled anchor planning to cross the Albemarle Sound.  The wind kicked up to 20+ knots and we pulled over to wait for the winds to drop.  The Albemarle Sound is notorious for being extremely rough in high winds.  After a couple of hours the front had moved on and we continued on crossing the Sound and entering the Pasquotank River.  Leaving the Alligator River we had two choices on how to continue, up the North River following the conventional ICW or up the Pasquotank River following the alternate ICW going through the Dismal Swamp Canal.  Due to the heavy boat traffic and problems with bridge and lock maintenance we chose the lesser used Dismal Swamp route.  We bypassed Elizabeth City and found a quiet anchorage next to Goat Island for the night.  In the morning we continued up the river and caught the 11:00 am lock opening, locking up to the canal.  Once out of the lock we continued to the Dismal Swamp Canal Visitors Center dock for the night.  The canal parallels Highway 17 and shares a rest stop/visitors center.  They provide free dockage for boats traveling the canal.  Also at this location is the Dismal Swamp State Park Headquarters and hiking trails.  We stayed an extra day to check out the park and hike several of the trails.  During the day several other boats moved on and others arrived.

The weather forecast was for high winds offshore for the next several days but we were ell protected in the canal.  After staying two days at the visitors center we continued a short way up the canal tying up at another free dock.  This was along the Dismal Swamp Canal hiking and biking trail that was a part of Highway 17 in the past.  Along with the dock the State has also built restrooms for the boaters and hikers/bikers.  It has the added benefit of being far enough away from the highway that it is very quiet and peaceful.  Two other boats joined us at the dock and we stayed for two days relaxing and hiking up the road. 

The weather was still bad offshore so in the morning we made another short move up to the Deep Creek Lock but stopped to tie up to the free dock just before the lock.  We waited at this dock for three days waiting for the weather and winds to improve.  We had several days of rain but were protected from the winds.  While here we were able to visit with my Great-Nephew who is stationed at Fort Eustis for training.  It had been six years since we had last seen him.  The next day Cori's brother delivered a package we had shipped to him and we got a chance to catch up with him.

Finally the weather improved and after spending a week in the Canal we moved into the lock and locked down to continue on to Norfolk.  In the past we have transited the canal in a single day and again two days.  A week to go eighteen miles is almost a record.  After stopping to top off fuel we moved up the Elizabeth River and anchored at Hospital Point in Downtown Norfolk.  The next day it rained and the winds picked up again.  We spent two days at anchorage letting the weather move on then motored down the river and across the James River to anchor outside of Hampton VA.  Yesterday we dinghied into town with two other boats that we had met in the Dismal Swamp to have lunch and beverages.  Today we dinghied to Downtown Hampton to attend the Blackbeard Pirate Festival.  Lots of vendors, food, information and cannons being shot off.  The people dressed in costume were also very entertaining.

This morning the weather forecaster told us that by Monday the weather patterns will change and we have a very good chance to make our run up to Buzzards Bay in New England, a three day offshore passage.  We may have finally gotten the change in the weather everyone traveling North has been waiting for.  Our weather forecaster has been saying that the last six weeks have been very unusual and not typical spring weather.  That is still a couple of days off so we will see how accurate he is.  If this works out we will then pass through the Cape Cod Canal and continue up to Maine.

Obviously we did not make straight runs like this map shows but followed the waterways. This is the map from our Spot Locator showing the locations we stopped along the way.

Once Again We Have Closed the Circle

We have closed the circle on our Winter 2022-2023 Cruise.

We left North Carolina on November 1st going to South Carolina then onto Florida.  After Florida we made the jump to the Bahamas.  We spent several months in the Abaco's, moving down to Eleuthera in the Outer Islands then to the Exuma's.  From there we made the jump to the remote Jumentos/Raggeds.  Leaving the Raggeds we moved up to Long Island then out to Conception Island for the first time.  We then made a several day passage back up to Eleuthera then back to the Abaco's.  Our final leg was a four day passage from the Abaco's to Beaufort North Carolina arriving May 11th.

During the trip we were able to reconnect with friends we had made in previous years and make many new friends.  Among the highlights were Christmas and New Years at Green Turtle Cay, the Five F's Festival at Little Farmers and once again the Valentines Party in the Raggeds.

We traveled 2291 nautical miles or 2636 statute miles.  This is the approximate distance between Boston and Los Angeles but traveling at about six miles an hour which is about the speed of a bicycle.

We have been spending the last week at a friends dock getting prepared for the Summer 2023 Cruise.  The plan is to sail up to Maine.  From there we plan to take some time off the boat to visit our property in South Dakota and finish some projects there.

Offshore passage to North Carolina, each mark is 12 hours

Our route this season

Back in the Abacos

We are back at Green Turtle Cay again.

We were down at Spanish Wells on Eleuthera Island preparing for the jump to the Abacos. Our plan was to move out to Egg Island, anchor for the night and leave for the 60 mile jump to the Abacos.  It didn't work out that way.  About twenty minutes into the move the engine quit again.  We had enough wind to sail over to Meeks Patch and set the anchor.  Once the engine cooled a bit I started troubleshooting with the help of Jay on Minks.  They anchored nearby and came over to help.  With his having experiencing the same problems we finally found the bad connection that was causing the shut down.  We were ready to leave in the morning.

About 2:00 am Cori was up and restless so she talked me into leaving early.  We pulled anchor, motored around the Egg Island cut and set the sails.  I went back to bed.  We had almost prefect sailing conditions showing speeds of 7-9 knots.  As we got closer to Little Harbor inlet the seas were beginning to build.  Our early start gave a a great trip.  We arrived at Lynyard Cay and dropped anchor near Jera who we had met earlier in the season.  The next morning we pulled anchor and moved up to Hopetown.  While at anchor at Lynyard Chris and CC on Safari sailed past to say hello.  They had rented a mooring in Hopetown for the month and offered it to us for the night.  While in town Cori took care of several loads of laundry, got a haircut, then we spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the pool at the marina and inn visiting with several other cruisers.  The next morning we dropped the mooring and stopped at the fuel dock to top off the tanks and jerry jugs.  We sailed up to Scotland Cay to visit Rita who was our basket weaving teacher down at Hog Cay.  Fortunately for us they have a dock we could use for the night.  After a nice visit, tour of the island and a great meal we headed back to the boat.  At high tide the next morning we slipped the dock and headed for Whale Cay.  We went around the Whale and continued on to Green Turtle Cay.  We refer to "crossing the whale" as you are forced to go around Whale Cay going out one cut into the ocean and back into another due to shallow water.  If timed with the right sea and wind conditions it is a pleasant ride.  If the conditions are not favorable it can be a dangerous or an impossible trip.  We had mild conditions again.  It's all about the timing.  We anchored off of New Plymouth.

The weather forecast was calling for several days of strong winds and rain showers ranging from northwest clocking around to southwest for the next few days.  We moved up to Manjack Cay and anchored to sit out the weather.  The forecast was correct and the conditions were not comfortable.  At one point we were sure that the anchor had dragged before resetting itself after a wind shift.  We spent the time monitoring the chartplotter and anchor alarm to determine if we moved again.  For the next three days the winds blew in excess of 20 knots as we rode it out.  I was able to take care of a couple of maintenance items and read while Cori worked on making more baskets.

Once the winds had blown themselves out we moved back to Black Sound and tied up at Donny's dock once again.  We spent the next days visiting with friends, helping at the marina and working on the projects list. Donny has a boat in the marina that was damaged in the hurricane and it will be taken out and scuttled.  Before that can happen we went through it salvaging what we could, especially the winches. We also made several trips for breakfast and lunch at some of our favorite restaurants.   We are big fans of the stewed grouper that is offered for breakfast.

After ten days at the dock we wanted to go out exploring for a few days.  We moved up to Manjack again but this time we were able to get off the boat to hike the art trail and the ocean trail to the beach on the other side of the island.  While there we met several new cruisers and spent some time with them. We had one evening of high winds and rain with the boat near us dragging down on us during the night.  These things only seem to happen at night.  They did a good job of getting their anchor up without fouling ours and got themselves re-anchored.  The next day we moved back to anchor outside of Black Sound again.  We dinghied in since Donny had told us he had some things he would need help with.  We spent a little time in town and picked up another case of Cuba Libre Mojitos since Cori is not able to get them in the states, they are made in Cuba. The next day we dinghied in again, helped with cleaning out the last of the boat getting it ready to be scuttled then went for lunch in town with the crew of Sienna's Choice.  High tide was mid-afternoon and we brought Hi Flite back to the dock.  There is forecast for strong winds from the southwest and west for the next couple of days so we will ride it out in the comport of the marina.  Of course we have become regulars at the ice cream shop.  

We are now checking the weather to make the trip back across the Gulf Stream to the States.  Until then we wait for the right conditions.

Left the Raggeds and Starting to Move North

I'm very overdue for an update.  We are on the move again after spending almost six weeks in the Raggeds.  We did move around a little visiting several of the islands close by.  Most of our time was spent at Hog Cay.  What so you do for six weeks in a remote area like the Raggeds?  Once we arrived our good friend Rita gave us a refresher coarse on basket weaving using the local silver palm fronds. We jumped into that and so far I have made fifteen baskets of varying size and Cori has made six and has four more started.  I will admit that there is a difference in quality and appearance between my attempts and what Cori has been producing. Many days were spent in the tiki hut just working away on them.  After Rita left we took on the role of teachers and spent many days teaching the skill to new arrivals.  We also spent some of our time hiking the many trails that the cruisers have built on the island.  Evening sundowners are always fun with many new people arriving and departing and watching for the elusive "green flash" as the sun goes down.  Mostly we spent our time just enjoying the solitude of the area.

Eventually it was time to move on.  We pulled anchor and moved a short distance up to Buena Vista Cay to stage for the next jump which was a forty-two mile jump to Water Cay.  The next morning we pulled anchor at sunrise and continued on to Long Island, forty-four miles over very shallow water.  We draw five and a half feet and we spent a lot of time in seven feet of water.  Both days were enjoyable sails instead of having to motor.  Once we arrived at Thompson Bay on Long Island we made a run to the grocery and liquor store.  We also treated ourselves to a meal out.  We spent time with some of the other cruisers we had met in the Raggeds that had moved here also. Our last day in Thompson Bay we went ashore to check out the local mutton festival.  Each island has their own unique festival and Long Island celebrates raising sheep and goats.  There was a petting zoo with a variety of sheep and goats, craft vendors, food vendors offering a variety of food choices, centered on mutton as the main ingredient, music both live and recorded and of course adult beverages.  We spent our time there visiting with  many of the visiting cruisers.

It was time to move on again.  We sailed up to the northern point of the island and dropped anchor in Calabash Bay.  This bay has an amazing beach but the reputation of being very rolling and unsettled in a variety of winds resulting in the phrase "getting bashed at Calabash".  From here we wanted to go out to Conception Island which is about twenty miles out into the ocean.  These groups of islands are know for the fact that they were the first islands Columbus arrived at on his first trip to America.  Conception is a small island that is part of the Bahamas Land and Sea Park and is uninhabited except for a variety of birds and sea life.  We spent two days here checking out several of the beaches and taking a dinghy tour of the inner lagoon spotting many turtles.  Checking the weather forecast we were informed that the day we planned to depart would have light winds and we may have to motor instead of sail.  We prepared for an early start planning to move up to Cat Island for the night.  As we got the boat ready it was flat calm with no waves or wind.  As I stepped to the bow to pull the anchor the boat shifted and we were hit with twenty knot winds from the north.  We pulled the anchor and started out.  The waves went quickly from flat to bashing into four foot seas.  After about an hour the winds started to drop and the seas began to settle down.  Several hour later we had a light breeze under ten knots but directly on the nose.  We continued motoring along allowing the batteries to get a good charge and running the water maker.  When the seas calmed down Cori put out a fishing line and after several years of no luck we had a nice mahi-mahi on board.  Fresh fish for dinner and enough for several more meals.  We arrived at Cat Island in the early afternoon and decided to continue on to Eleuthera Island.  We continued into the night and set our sights on arriving at Current Cut in the morning.  During the night we had a problem with the engine and by then we had enough wind to continue under sail.  Current Cut is a narrow cut that has a strong tidal current.  We arrived near low water and as we motor-sailed through the cut we had a push from about two knots of current.  Once through the cut the winds came up.  We had continued through the night in order to be further north when the winds picked up and we were almost there. The forecast was for winds from fifteen to twenty knots and it quickly started blowing twenty.  We sailed up to the protected anchorage at Meeks Patch just outside of Spanish Wells and dropped anchor.  Our next move will be the jump from Eleuthera to the Abaco's but first we need to wait out the front coming through over the weekend.

While waiting out the weather we have been taking care of some boat maintenance, troubleshooting the engine issue and troubleshooting the refrigeration.  It appeared that we no longer had a refrigerator but with some help troubleshooting from the factory tech's it looks like it will continue to run.

It looks like we will be waiting for a couple of days to make the jump to the Abaco's where we plan to spend another month or so before returning to the States.

Our path from the Raggeds to the present but it doesn't show the jump to Conception Island which is that little dot on the far right.