Day 6, Year 11: Passage to Little River, SC—Bump in the Night
Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Weather: Overcast, Rainy, and Windy; Wind E 20-25 Going SE 15 (in the harbor)
Location: Anchored Off Coast Guard Station, Cape May, NJ

We had a little ‘bump’ in the middle of the night. It jolted Mark and me wide awake and we ran to the cockpit to find another boat sitting right next to our bow. It was a smaller sailboat whose anchor had broken loose. Even though the three people aboard were on deck, they had not been able to keep from hitting us. But they quickly drifted away, started their engine, and drove around the anchorage for a long time trying to find a new spot to anchor for the night. While driving round and round, they came back very close to us to yell that they were sorry. As far as we can tell no damage was done, so all is well. But this afternoon they drove by again to check to make sure we had no problems and said they were going to a marina for the night. I think they just don’t have an anchor strong enough for these winds. The winds got up into the twenty’s last night and this morning and tonight they could be even stronger. We have let out a little more anchor chain and seem to be secure. Most of the boats that were here last night are still here tonight. All of us will sit tight until at least tomorrow afternoon when there might be a chance to head out.

In the meantime, we are doing little jobs. Mark and James checked out the watermaker salt water intake as it just stopped working on the way here. Nothing appeared to be wrong, but when they were done, the watermaker was working again. So that’s good. They took down the ceiling over the galley to work on a 12-volt plug in the cockpit that stopped working. They put it back together and the plug-in is now secure and working. Then they whipped the ends of some lines that were frayed. That was their day. I trimmed Mark’s beard this morning and he cut my hair. And I worked on editing, naming, and uploading photos from the past three days. That was my day.

We will leave here either tomorrow afternoon (Thursday) or Friday morning and head offshore to the mouth of the Chesapeake. We will enter the Chesapeake and pass through Norfolk on our way to Mile 1 of the Intracoastal Waterway. If we leave tomorrow afternoon, we get into Norfolk on Friday evening. In that case, we will stay there and leave on Saturday or Sunday to start down the waterway. If, however, we leave here on Friday morning, we will arrive in the Chesapeake on Saturday morning and continue on down the Intracoastal to Chesapeake, Virginia for Saturday night. We’ll make our decision after listening to the weather tomorrow morning.

It is windy here in Cape May but the temperature has been in the upper 60’s. That has allowed us to spend time up in the cockpit keeping the companionway open. We listened to taps at the Coast Guard Station about a half an hour ago, but Mark and James are still up in the cockpit without jackets on. It will be in the 70’s here tomorrow but back down into the low 60’s when we get to Norfolk. That will feel a little chilly, but really not bad at all for this time of year. We are enjoying the relative warmth. It is time for dinner now, so I’d better send this log and get those tacos on the table.

151028 Day 6 Passage to SC–Whipping Line Ends

Day 5, Year 11: Passage to Little River, SC—Stalled
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Weather: Overcast and Windy, Wind E 15 (in the harbor)
Latitude: 38 57.005 N
Longitude: 074 53.177 W
Location: Anchored Off Coast Guard Station, Cape May, NJ
Total Miles Traveled: 306 Nautical Miles

The decision was made early this morning to stop in Cape May until the weather is more favorable for moving on to Norfolk. We decided against going into the Delaware Bay to the Chesapeake, so our trek south is stalled here until Thursday evening or Friday morning. Today was fine for moving on but we just didn’t have quite enough hours to safely make it into Norfolk tomorrow (Wed) morning before the strong SE winds start to blow in the wee hours of tomorrow (Wed) morning. Tomorrow offshore Cape May the winds are predicted to be 30 from the SE with gusts to 40 or 50 later in the day. Norfolk is supposed to have 30 knots with squalls packing 35-40 knot winds. That much wind and rain just didn’t sound like fun, so we will sit here. We’ll do some boat chores and spend time just relaxing and reading.

The seas were a little rough last night and Mark and James stayed on watch from 2:30 am until we got into Cape May. That means I got extra sleep, but I am not the one who needs it! James was a little sea sick again, so when we take off from here for Norfolk, we’ll put another scopolamine patch on him. That seemed to work wonders when we left Cape Cod and he had no ill effects. With seasickness, I think it is better to be proactive. But back to this morning, Mark and James stayed up to make the entry into Cape May. I couldn’t have done that by myself, so that is why they just stayed up. We all napped once we arrived and then this afternoon we made the long dinghy ride and then long walk into town. But before we took off, Mark and James put a new prop on the dinghy motor. The old one has been slipping since we were in the Bahamas last winter, so it was long overdue for a change. It is probably a little over a mile from here to a marina in town where we could leave the dinghy and in the rough waters with strong winds, we didn’t want to take the chance that we might have to row back. We made it in without getting too soaked with spray, but it was low tide and we actually hit bottom once. Sure glad it was a sandy bottom and there was no damage to the new prop. We went into Utsch’s Marina and were told we could leave the dinghy and drop off our garbage and recycling. Quite different from our reception in Great Kills. We walked the mile and a quarter into town admiring the old Victorian homes along the way. Many were decorated for Halloween and looked like haunted houses. We made it to the walking mall and then to the grocery store where we bought milk and fresh fruit and veggies. Thankfully James carried the heavy backpack on the walk back to Utsch’s and then we started our slightly wet ride home. While I fixed dinner, Mark and James took showers and both declared they felt like new men. For our anniversary dinner we took full advantage of being in port and had a big meal of broiled wild Alaska Sockeye salmon smothered in dill, mashed sweet potatoes, broccoli, and a salad. For desert we had brownies with lots of fresh strawberries. So we might be stalled for a few days but we are not going to starve.

151027 Day 5 Passage to SC–Cape May

Day 4, Year 11: Passage to Little River, SC—Rolling Along
Date: Monday, October 26, 2015
Weather: Partly Sunny, Wind NE 8-12
Latitude: 39 44.733 N
Longitude: 074 04.687 W
Location: Just E of Barnegat, NJ
Total Miles Traveled: 239 Nautical Miles (5:14 pm)

Today we have had to motor as the winds have been directly behind us and not strong enough to do anything but let us roll with the seas. We tried going further out to sea, but the wind followed . . . directly behind us. We then headed back in toward shore . . . and the wind followed directly behind us. We could have tried poling out the head sail and going wing and wing, but that takes constant watching that Mark really didn’t want to deal with today. So we are motoring along on 3-4 foot seas (James adds “with the occasional 5”) that roll underneath us every few seconds—not rough, just rolling along.

Ugh! Weather decisions make me crazy. We have spent most of the day going back and forth over whether to go straight for Norfolk and possibly or most probably have some squally, ugly weather or to slow down and go into Cape May, New Jersey early tomorrow and wait for fair weather. I thought we had finally made the decision to go into Cape May, but then Mark looked at the weather again this afternoon and we rehashed all the information again. A third option that was discussed was to go into the Delaware Bay and head for the Chesapeake. Right now we are headed for Cape May but new weather information in the morning could change that. So we really haven’t made a decision. We’ll listen to Chris Parker’s weather report in the morning and make the final decision at that point. One of the reasons that we are being overly cautious is due to Chris Parker’s warnings about this upcoming weather ‘event.’ His take on it is that the winds could be more intense than predicted. Hurricane Patricia that hit Mexico a few days ago is now going to impact our east coast weather heading up to the Great Lakes joining with a weather system in Canada. That, plus a cold front that is predicted to stall off the Carolinas is going to bring wind and rain with squalls. That is going to happen, but the exact time that it happens at the mouth of the Chesapeake is the question. We can’t get there until early Wednesday morning and that is probably a few hours too late. So where we will spend the evening of our 41st wedding anniversary is still undecided. But wherever we are we should have a full moon to keep us company as long as the clouds don’t keep her hidden.

151026 Day 4 Passage to SC–Great Kill, NY to Cape May, NJ

Day 3, Year 11: Passage to Little River, SC—Quick Tour of NYC
Date: Sunday, October 25, 2015
Weather: Cloudy, Drizzly AM, Partly Sunny PM, Warm
Location: Anchored in Great Kills Harbor, Staten Island, NY

Early this morning we headed to shore to catch an express bus to Manhattan. I wish it had been as easy as that, but it wasn’t. We got on the 9:30 am bus and were told we had to have quarters or a Metro card to pay for the fare. We had neither. So we got off the bus and James and I left Mark at the bus stop and startled scrambling to find quarters or a card. We first walked back down to the waterfront but completely struck out there. So I sent James ahead to a Dunkin Donuts Mark had found by searching on his phone. I followed as fast as I could, but I knew he could walk faster. When I got to the bus stop near the Dunkin Donuts, the next bus was coming but James was nowhere in sight. He appeared just as the bus was leaving, successfully holding quarters in hand, so we walked the third of a mile back to the bus stop where we had left Mark and waited for the third bus. I guess three is a charm. An hour later we were on 59th Street at the southern end of Central Park and from there had a fantastic, albeit quick, tour of New York City. Central Park is gorgeous this time of year with the colorful leaves and I know we all wished we had time to walk in the Park, but we didn’t. Instead we started walking back toward the southern end of Manhattan. We walked down 5th Avenue amazed at all of the high end shopping opportunities. You name it, it is on 5th Avenue. I was particularly appalled by the gaudy jewelry display hanging on the outside of Tiffany’s. But then we came to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and soaked in its beauty. They were holding services while hundreds of people were walking in and out, so we joined the crowds. What an amazing structure. We went to Rockefeller Center where people were ice skating, walked past what must be the largest Lego store in the world (I have to come back here with the grandkids!), and down 50th Street to the Radio City Music Hall. We then walked to Times Square with all of its gaudy advertising boards and got on the subway to the 9/11 Memorial. We had lunch at O’Hara’s, an Irish pub right on the edge of the 9/11 area and then walked over to experience the pools where the north and south Trade Centers were once located. The new One World Trade Center building now hovers over them. It was quite a moving experience just being on the grounds. Hundreds of people were in very long lines waiting to get into the Museum, so we skipped that this time. But Mark and I will return and go through the Museum at another time. We then walked down to The Battery to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. The ferry is free and lots of people take advantage of it. It was sunny and warm by this time, so we had a wonderful ride back to Staten Island. It was a marathon of a day, but all of us really enjoyed it. And speaking of marathons, our daughter Heather ran in the Cape Cod Marathon and Relay in Falmouth this morning. She was part of a relay team and her job was to run a 6 mile stretch from West Falmouth into Woods Hole. She ran her 6 miles in 60 minutes, which was her goal, and felt really good about her performance. So congratulations, Heather!

When we got back to Windbird after our foray into the city, we were supposed to up anchor and take off on our 48 hour trek to Norfolk. The weather forecast indicated that we take off after sunset tonight, but Mark was tired and we decided to wait until morning to leave. He wavered on the decision, but I finally just said that we were going to stay put for tonight. This means that we will go into the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk early on Wednesday morning when the winds will turn to be coming from the south and when it will probably be raining. But, in my opinion, the most important thing is for Mark to start off well rested. So we enjoyed the late afternoon sunshine, had a nice dinner, and everyone but me has been in bed for at least an hour. I guess it is time for me to fall in line and go to bed at the end of a really great day.

151025 Day 3 Passage to SC–Quick Tour of NYC

Day 2, Year 11: Passage to Little River, SC—Down the East River in NYC
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2015
Weather: Mostly Cloudy and Cool, Wind Switching from N to S
Latitude: 40 32.554 N
Longitude: 074 07.715 W
Location: Anchored in Great Kills Harbor, Staten Island, NY
Miles Traveled: 183 Nautical Miles

We are snugly anchored in Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island tonight. I wondered about the name and found the following history on Wikipedia: “Europeans — including Dutch, French and English settlers — arrived in the area during the mid-17th century. The name Great Kills was adopted in 1865 when the area was a fishing community. The Dutch word ‘kills’ roughly translates to ‘creeks,’ some of which remain . . .” I was relieved to find that ‘kills’ doesn’t refer to killing something or someone! We arrived here after having a great overnight sail in the western end of the Long Island Sound and then making an early morning passage through Hell Gate and down the East River through New York City. The views were fantastic and even though we had 4 knots of current with us, the ride was smooth. We exited the East River into the Hudson and sailed by Ellis Island and on to Liberty Island to get a close look at the Statue of Liberty. Then it was on down the Hudson to Staten Island. We had to wait outside Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island for a couple of hours for the tide to rise, so Mark and I took a nap and James read in the cockpit. After we got anchored for the night in the harbor, our late afternoon became a bit frustrating as we took the dinghy to shore to find a place to tie up the dinghy tomorrow morning while we make a quick foray into New York City on the Staten Island Ferry. There are two yacht clubs and at least three marinas here, but we could not gain permission to leave the dinghy anywhere. Some great folks at the Great Kills Yacht Club tried to call the Commodore to get permission for us to tie up the dinghy there, but he didn’t answer the phone. They gave us his name and phone number and we called and left a message. Later this evening he called back and gave us permission to dock the dinghy and gave us the code for the locked gates. Thank you, thank you to the Great Kills Yacht Club. We’ll only have a short time to get into the city and get back in time for a mid-afternoon departure, but we’re going for it. We figure you can’t be this close to the city without seeing a bit of it. And you just can’t be on Staten Island without riding on the ferry. The south winds should abate late tomorrow afternoon, so we need to be back here and on our way to Norfolk no later than 3 or 4 o’clock. We’ll probably arrive at the mouth of the Chesapeake about 48 hours after we leave here and then we will need to get to an anchorage for the night. Tuesday will be a long day, but if we make it, we will avoid the ugly, windy weather coming on Wednesday.

I’m attaching unedited and unnamed photos from the trip down the East River today. At some point I’ll get them named, but in the meantime you can have fun trying to identify some of the landmarks.

151024 Day 2 Passage to SC–Hell Gate to Statue of Libery

Day 1, Year 11: Passage to Little River, SC—Racing Along
Date: Friday, October 23, 2015
Weather: Sunny, Cool, and WINDY—20-25 NNW Turning 15-20 NNE
Latitude: 41 15.824 N
Longitude: 071 53.725 W
Location: Just S of E Tip of Fishers Island, RI
Miles Traveled: 59.5 Nautical Miles (4:50 pm)

We are flying along. A few minutes ago James noted that our speed over ground hit 9.1. We are sailing west in the Long Island Sound off Rhode Island and are currently in an area referred to as the The Race because the current runs fast through here. Right now we are gaining 2+ knots of speed from the current and it will increase as we get into the middle of it. Thankfully the current is going our direction. But regardless, we have been traveling between 6-7 knots most of the day. We thought we were making great time, but Chris and Geoff of Shambala left an hour later than us and they are miles ahead. Fast boat! This morning and part of the afternoon we had a bit of a rough ride sailing a close reach. James suffered a bout of seasickness during this time, so he decided to accept our offer of a scopolamine patch. You put this little circle that looks like a band aid behind your ear, sleep for a few hours, and wake up feeling fine. By the time I started writing this log, he was up and feeling good again. But even when he was feeling terrible, he was still able to help Mark with the sails. And we did a lot of sail changes today . . . main up-full, main double-reefed, main back-up full, main single-reefed. We are currently on a gentle beam reach with 15 knots of wind and everyone is doing fine. I just asked Mark and James if there was anything they wanted me to say about today in the log and James’ reply was, “Don’t send a search party yet.” All is well.

Sometime tomorrow morning we will reach the western end of the Long Island Sound and enter the East River. Despite its name, it is not really a river. It is a salt water tidal strait that runs through New York City connecting the Long Island Sound on the north to the Upper New York Bay on the south end. We are all looking forward to ‘touring’ New York City by sailboat.

As I am completing this log we are getting ready to head through the fastest part of The Race. Our speed over ground is now between 8 and 10 knots. The sun is getting ready to set and we are passing the Race Rock Light. Life is good.

151023 Day 1 Passage to SC–Long Island Sound