Without a doubt this new year will more different, and exciting, than most of our previous ones! In only a few weeks we will be heading down to Norfolk VA to rejoin Reviresco and continue our adventure south to Florida and the Bahamas. We are very pleased to have you join our adventure by following along with us. While it can be difficult to respond to all comments, we really do appreciate your encouragements - so please do leave comments from time to time.
We would like to wish all our family and friends a Very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year!
Sea U Soon!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
A Nod to Neil
This blog would be incomplete if I did not spend a moment to thank Neil. As you have read during this blog we faced many challenges and let me say some of them were very significant and daunting. (read Barnegate Inlet)
Throughout the trip Neil was a rock! He demonstrated a vast array of excellent character traits that made this trip a success. In short he is:
Neil, you are a star - THANK YOU!
Throughout the trip Neil was a rock! He demonstrated a vast array of excellent character traits that made this trip a success. In short he is:
- unflappable,
- capable,
- reassuring,
- good humoured,
- considerate,
- polite,
- tireless,
- positive,
- patient and
- kind.
Neil, you are a star - THANK YOU!
Down the Chesapeake
It seems a shame to have to make such a quick run down the bay, but we only had two days left to get to our final destination at the Atlantic Yacht Basin on the inter coastal waterway (ICW) South of Norfolk. So we set out to put in a couple of long days to close out the run and finish up on Friday night.
We stopped in Solomons MD for the night - late once again and navigating by markers in unfamiliar waters. However, the anchorage was very calm and we enjoyed a nice steak and chicken dinner that evening with all the trimmings - a la Lawrence.
We were back at it the following day going down the bay to Norfolk.
I expect to get some additional pictures from Neil of the Norfolk area - it is a major US Naval base and the shipping industry in the area is unreal. When all was said and done we covered over 800KM in 67 hours of run time over a 6 day period. When you figure that we had two short days of 6 hours in the mix we also had some 12 - 14 hour days to make up for it.
Over all, despite all the little gaffs along the way - we really did well! We overcame each challenge (I did not include them all by a long shot) with calm, patience and persistence. We experienced all kinds of weather, sea states, navigation, night time, traffic, radio operations and mechanical issues and delivered safely in good humour.
Without wishing to break my arm patting ourselves on the back - we did an outstanding job!
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| The West end of the C&D Canal |
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| Dredging Operations |
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| The Willian P Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge |
We stopped in Solomons MD for the night - late once again and navigating by markers in unfamiliar waters. However, the anchorage was very calm and we enjoyed a nice steak and chicken dinner that evening with all the trimmings - a la Lawrence.
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| Solomons MD Anchorage |
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| Home in Solomons - Nice! |
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| A Fleming 55 passes a nice Nordhavn 62` |
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| Barges on the go all the time |
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| Captain not always on the go at all times! |
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| Nice Light houses - all Business! |
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| The entrance near Norfolk and the ICW |
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| A European Auto Carrier |
Over all, despite all the little gaffs along the way - we really did well! We overcame each challenge (I did not include them all by a long shot) with calm, patience and persistence. We experienced all kinds of weather, sea states, navigation, night time, traffic, radio operations and mechanical issues and delivered safely in good humour.
Without wishing to break my arm patting ourselves on the back - we did an outstanding job!
Atlantic City to the Cheasapeake
With the longest single stretch of our run behind us we hoped for some more relaxing days with better weather and sea conditions. That said we did have to head back out into the Atlantic again to Cape May and then cross the length of Delaware Bay to get to the C&D canal the following day. Fortunately, the forecast called for lighter winds and 3-5 foot waves on the ocean and one foot waves in the bay - so off we set first thing in the morning towards our first interim stop - Cape May.
Thankfully, while still wrong, the Atlantic was a damn sight more friendly than the day before and the 5 - 8 foot waves seemed like a gift next to our previous experience and we cruised to Cape May without incident. A quick stop for fuel and lunch and we were off down the Cape May Canal to Delaware Bay.
Now as we left the canal we noted a number of interesting items. First the wind was running 20knots down the length of the bay in a direct line to shore right at the West end of the Canal. Second that there was a 9 foot shoal 2 miles off shore. Now the combination of strong winds and a shoal are - you guessed it - steep waves. There were I'm sure one foot waves in the bay, but once again, no where near where we were. We found ourselves in steep, short period 6-8 foot waves right on the nose - some real "Bell Ringers".
By the evening the winds had died down and we really did have only a foot or two of waves and we cruised out the day to the top of the bay enjoying the setting sun and the passage of the big shipping boats.
Thankfully, while still wrong, the Atlantic was a damn sight more friendly than the day before and the 5 - 8 foot waves seemed like a gift next to our previous experience and we cruised to Cape May without incident. A quick stop for fuel and lunch and we were off down the Cape May Canal to Delaware Bay.
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| Eastern approach to the Cape May Canal |
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| Cape May - Lewes Ferry |
Now as we left the canal we noted a number of interesting items. First the wind was running 20knots down the length of the bay in a direct line to shore right at the West end of the Canal. Second that there was a 9 foot shoal 2 miles off shore. Now the combination of strong winds and a shoal are - you guessed it - steep waves. There were I'm sure one foot waves in the bay, but once again, no where near where we were. We found ourselves in steep, short period 6-8 foot waves right on the nose - some real "Bell Ringers".
By the evening the winds had died down and we really did have only a foot or two of waves and we cruised out the day to the top of the bay enjoying the setting sun and the passage of the big shipping boats.
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| The sun on the waves made it look like sand |
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| Major shipping lane to the north of Delaware Bay |
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| Sunset on Delaware Bay |
We had planned to stop at the top of the bay at a little anchorage, but when we got there it was not well marked and it was pitch black with container ships passing by in close proximity. We decided to push on into the C&D canal and stop in the bay at Chesapeake City. Needless to say, the combination of being new to the area and the dark made finding the entrance to the canal a challenge, but we figured it out and off we went.
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| The Eastern approach to the C&D Canal at night |
It was a long day when we finally docked at around 10:00PM that night, but we had made excellent time and were again on track to complete our journey as scheduled.
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| Chesapeake City Bay Marina |
The next day promised more one foot waves and light winds on the Chesapeake - right we didn't believe the forecast either!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Sandy Hook to Atlantic City
This was the big one - for all the marbles - a run down the coast on the Atlantic. We had to cover 200KM at ~15km/h. This promised to be one long day with the best of conditions. We did NOThave the best conditions.
The forecast was for 4-6 foot waves, winds in the 15-20 knot range from the north west diminishing into the evening. I guess there were some 4-6 foot waves out there, they were however hard to see in amongst the 10-15 foot waves. After about 4 hours of running up and down some large waves we got into a rhythm and only called out for the "big waves" that we could not see over from the fly bridge - we call those 15-20 footers "bell ringers" as my bell would swing enough to sound riding up or down! I would like to show you a picture or two, but frankly, we were rather busy and needed all hands to keep on track so no photographic evidence can be provided.
At one point I got quite comfortable and as Neil was at the helm thought I would take a little nap - not such a good idea. When I woke up 15 minutes later I was a little disoriented and the sudden view was a bit more than I could adapt to quickly - so breakfast made a return visit and I was feeling much better!
So you might be thinking the worst was over and you would be wrong. Two words - Barnegate Inlet! The chart indicated that it was a challenging approach and should be approached with caution. This did however, represent an opportunity to get in out of building waves and wind and run down the inside passage to Atlantic City (AC). I was not quire sure if we should take a run at it and then I saw a small fishing boat leave the harbour followed by a sail boat. Well if they can make the run - clearly it was OK.
As we approached the break water we were sawing back and forth between building waves as the 15 footers from the North West were being piled up by the outgoing tide and wind - steep! I was managing the waves "well" working the rudder to counteract the impact of each wave and then we crossed "The Bar". As we did we were hit from the aft quarter by a very steep 20 foot breaking wave that picked up the boat and threw it over 45 degrees to port and then slew the back end out 180 degrees. I don't recall precisely what I said, but it went something like - "Come on you son of a bitch - climb that fucking wave!" I have to say I was very pleased to end up back on my bottom with the canvas up top when the wave had past.
The aftermath looked like this (after we did some clean up to get into the boat).
Despite it all - we got away with a few scratches and dings to the poorer and a great deal to the wiser.
But wait there's more!
We thought we would take a moment to settle ourselves and went into the harbour to refocus - and ran her aground on another shoal! I pointed Neil down a "channel" and went below to hit the head. Suddenly I heard the motors rev up followed by Neil calling out for me. I dashed up and drove my head through the hatch leading to the fly - breaking the running strips and splitting my head. So with blood running down my forehead and wearing a wet rag, we pulled her off the bar and got back into the channel and over to the fuel docks in the local fishing harbour.
We met a local half blind fisherman and his young son who asked if we had recently arrived - we confirmed we had. He then followed up with a comment Neil and I are not likely to forget for a long time to come - "Came in over the bar did you? Care to do that again?" We do not!
You just can't have more fun in a day - or can you?
We still had 60KM to go to AC and so we set off again - slowly! We saw some nice homes down the NJ shore line with easy calm water.
But you are not there until you arrive - and by the time we got to Little Egg Bay, 15KM from AC, it had gotten dark and the anchorage was too shallow so we had to go for it. Narrow channels, pitch black with no moon, shallow waters and did I mention that my chart plotter was out of the mapped area so I was working off manual charts? An hour and a half later we arrived in AC and dropped the hook for the evening!
Man what a day 6:00AM to 10:00PM and only day three at that!
More to come!
The forecast was for 4-6 foot waves, winds in the 15-20 knot range from the north west diminishing into the evening. I guess there were some 4-6 foot waves out there, they were however hard to see in amongst the 10-15 foot waves. After about 4 hours of running up and down some large waves we got into a rhythm and only called out for the "big waves" that we could not see over from the fly bridge - we call those 15-20 footers "bell ringers" as my bell would swing enough to sound riding up or down! I would like to show you a picture or two, but frankly, we were rather busy and needed all hands to keep on track so no photographic evidence can be provided.
At one point I got quite comfortable and as Neil was at the helm thought I would take a little nap - not such a good idea. When I woke up 15 minutes later I was a little disoriented and the sudden view was a bit more than I could adapt to quickly - so breakfast made a return visit and I was feeling much better!
So you might be thinking the worst was over and you would be wrong. Two words - Barnegate Inlet! The chart indicated that it was a challenging approach and should be approached with caution. This did however, represent an opportunity to get in out of building waves and wind and run down the inside passage to Atlantic City (AC). I was not quire sure if we should take a run at it and then I saw a small fishing boat leave the harbour followed by a sail boat. Well if they can make the run - clearly it was OK.
As we approached the break water we were sawing back and forth between building waves as the 15 footers from the North West were being piled up by the outgoing tide and wind - steep! I was managing the waves "well" working the rudder to counteract the impact of each wave and then we crossed "The Bar". As we did we were hit from the aft quarter by a very steep 20 foot breaking wave that picked up the boat and threw it over 45 degrees to port and then slew the back end out 180 degrees. I don't recall precisely what I said, but it went something like - "Come on you son of a bitch - climb that fucking wave!" I have to say I was very pleased to end up back on my bottom with the canvas up top when the wave had past.
The aftermath looked like this (after we did some clean up to get into the boat).
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| Kitchen Upside Down. |
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| "Scott's Decorating in the Salon" |
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| The Aft Deck |
But wait there's more!
We thought we would take a moment to settle ourselves and went into the harbour to refocus - and ran her aground on another shoal! I pointed Neil down a "channel" and went below to hit the head. Suddenly I heard the motors rev up followed by Neil calling out for me. I dashed up and drove my head through the hatch leading to the fly - breaking the running strips and splitting my head. So with blood running down my forehead and wearing a wet rag, we pulled her off the bar and got back into the channel and over to the fuel docks in the local fishing harbour.
We met a local half blind fisherman and his young son who asked if we had recently arrived - we confirmed we had. He then followed up with a comment Neil and I are not likely to forget for a long time to come - "Came in over the bar did you? Care to do that again?" We do not!
You just can't have more fun in a day - or can you?
We still had 60KM to go to AC and so we set off again - slowly! We saw some nice homes down the NJ shore line with easy calm water.
But you are not there until you arrive - and by the time we got to Little Egg Bay, 15KM from AC, it had gotten dark and the anchorage was too shallow so we had to go for it. Narrow channels, pitch black with no moon, shallow waters and did I mention that my chart plotter was out of the mapped area so I was working off manual charts? An hour and a half later we arrived in AC and dropped the hook for the evening!
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| Atlantic City at Night |
Man what a day 6:00AM to 10:00PM and only day three at that!
More to come!
NY NY The Update!
The big advantage to the Shipyard Marina was a quick ferry ride to NY NY. While there we did get to have a nice dinner and sight see a little. This was the first time Niel had been to Time Square and it left an impression. Neil was most impressed by the quality and quantity of Police. Bright neon signs in multiple colours in contrast to beat up old cars! We had a good walk and took it all in.
The view from the shore was great too. We got some classic shots and a few novel ones too.
And now on with the adventure!
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| Neil in Time Square |
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| Verrazano Narrows Bridge |
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| Manhattan from the water |
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| Constant Helicopter taxi service |
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| The Brooklyn Bridge |
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| Long Island Ferry |
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| Classic Chrysler Vista from the East River |
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| Hudson View of Aircraft Carrier |
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| Well I just had to.... |
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The Big Apple!
We made it -NY NY!
To bring everyone up to speed, I am now traveling with my brother in law Neil Garrett - an incredible sport to take this on with me. My lovely bride is holding down the home front and getting Ready for our grand adventure in January 2011.
Neil and I made the trip from Verplank NY to the Big city today. We timed the tides and had a fast run down the Hudson at about 20KM/hour. I know that does not seem very fast
But it is about 33% faster than normal. We did a run by the Statue of Liberty and then on around Manhattan and Roosevelt Islands. Yes we took about 2468 pictures, but I have not downloaded them yet (currently sitting in Starbucks near Time Square).
We are staying at the Shipyard Marina on the New Jersey side across from 42nd st. It's a simple place right beside the water taxi - convenient but wide open to wind and waves. We had one hell of a blow right when we were getting in this afternoon. Very close quarters in a marina that was designed for boats up to 42 feet. With a little help on shore we managed to get her in and secured for the evening.
With dinner in us we will do a little walk about and shopping - then it's back to the boat for an early night to get ready for tomorrow AM when we tackle the Atlantic. Keep a good thought for light winds and smooth seas - for the moment it looks like it may be a little "lumpy".
We will update next we find a wifi connection.
Cheers!!
Neil & Scott
To bring everyone up to speed, I am now traveling with my brother in law Neil Garrett - an incredible sport to take this on with me. My lovely bride is holding down the home front and getting Ready for our grand adventure in January 2011.
Neil and I made the trip from Verplank NY to the Big city today. We timed the tides and had a fast run down the Hudson at about 20KM/hour. I know that does not seem very fast
But it is about 33% faster than normal. We did a run by the Statue of Liberty and then on around Manhattan and Roosevelt Islands. Yes we took about 2468 pictures, but I have not downloaded them yet (currently sitting in Starbucks near Time Square).
We are staying at the Shipyard Marina on the New Jersey side across from 42nd st. It's a simple place right beside the water taxi - convenient but wide open to wind and waves. We had one hell of a blow right when we were getting in this afternoon. Very close quarters in a marina that was designed for boats up to 42 feet. With a little help on shore we managed to get her in and secured for the evening.
With dinner in us we will do a little walk about and shopping - then it's back to the boat for an early night to get ready for tomorrow AM when we tackle the Atlantic. Keep a good thought for light winds and smooth seas - for the moment it looks like it may be a little "lumpy".
We will update next we find a wifi connection.
Cheers!!
Neil & Scott
Friday, September 3, 2010
Our "Plan" to close this leg of our journey
We have decided to stay in the Haverstraw NY area as there are a couple of hurricanes working their way up the East Coast and as they tend not to be perfectly predictable. Based on the current forecast, being 30 miles or so inland ought to be enough to knock this down to a good storm and not much else. Safe enough for the time being.
The main challenge is that to get to the Chesapeake you have to leave NY Harbour and head out into the Atlantic where you run for about 215KM along the coast @ our cruising speed of 15KM/H = 14.5hours of run time. No problem for the boat, but it would make for a long day with most of the driving being done by me.
So the combination of storms and good seamanship guidelines will call this phase of our our journey to an end. We will return in a month or so when the storms pass and we can muster a small crew to make the turn through the Atlantic and back into protected inland waters where we can more easily continue our journey south in the Chesapeake and likely to the Carolinas.
All in all we learned a great deal about ourselves, the boat and the lifestyle. We can share our respective thoughts on that front in another post.
Cheers!
The main challenge is that to get to the Chesapeake you have to leave NY Harbour and head out into the Atlantic where you run for about 215KM along the coast @ our cruising speed of 15KM/H = 14.5hours of run time. No problem for the boat, but it would make for a long day with most of the driving being done by me.
So the combination of storms and good seamanship guidelines will call this phase of our our journey to an end. We will return in a month or so when the storms pass and we can muster a small crew to make the turn through the Atlantic and back into protected inland waters where we can more easily continue our journey south in the Chesapeake and likely to the Carolinas.
All in all we learned a great deal about ourselves, the boat and the lifestyle. We can share our respective thoughts on that front in another post.
Cheers!
The Hudson
Over the last few days we have been working our way down the Hudson River (SOUTH!) In fact I just figured out how to calculate distance on a track and since we have been using just one track from Penatang to here I can report with complete accuracy that we have covered 1211KM to date. Not bad given the detours and delays.
We left off at the Troy Lock, the last one on the Erie Canal system just outside of Waterford and headed for Catskill. To help along the way there area series of light houses all built to a common standard but each a little unique none the less.
If light houses are not quite your idea of excitement you can always take a quick cat nap in the late morning sun before it warms up too much later in the day.
Once you get up again you will note that since the Hudson runs North / South through some very busy industrial and residential areas you will see lots of bridges - big tall bridges of all kinds. My personal favourites are the 19th century stone and iron truss style with the support provided from girding below. That said, the modern suspension bridges are elegant and require fewer pilings and support. How ever you like your bridges - you will find them here.
Between the bridges you might have to dodge a tug or two as they shuttle materials from one plant to another. Quite impressive rigs - and they throw less of a wake than Reviresco does.
The industrial nature of the Hudson can't be overlooked. There are a great number of gravel pits along the shores that supply the barges and no doubt construction in NY NY - they have to get their building materials from somewhere and the river makes a convenient location.
That said, there were more interesting and picturesque views to be enjoyed as well.
We left off at the Troy Lock, the last one on the Erie Canal system just outside of Waterford and headed for Catskill. To help along the way there area series of light houses all built to a common standard but each a little unique none the less.
If light houses are not quite your idea of excitement you can always take a quick cat nap in the late morning sun before it warms up too much later in the day.
Once you get up again you will note that since the Hudson runs North / South through some very busy industrial and residential areas you will see lots of bridges - big tall bridges of all kinds. My personal favourites are the 19th century stone and iron truss style with the support provided from girding below. That said, the modern suspension bridges are elegant and require fewer pilings and support. How ever you like your bridges - you will find them here.
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| Gotta love all that steel and rivets! |
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| Modern large span suspension bridge |
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| Modern Pilings Old Steel Rail lines above |
Between the bridges you might have to dodge a tug or two as they shuttle materials from one plant to another. Quite impressive rigs - and they throw less of a wake than Reviresco does.
The industrial nature of the Hudson can't be overlooked. There are a great number of gravel pits along the shores that supply the barges and no doubt construction in NY NY - they have to get their building materials from somewhere and the river makes a convenient location.
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| To put the scale in perspective - there is a huge bulldozer working at the top of one of those piles of gravel on the right side of the picture - I saw it after we passed the factory. |
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| Nuclear Plan (I think) The water temp went up to 81F from 69F up river! |
That said, there were more interesting and picturesque views to be enjoyed as well.
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| The Old West Point Campus building |
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| The New West Point Campus building and marina |
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| Bannerman Castle on the Hudson |
Catskill did not seem like much of a place on the map, and it was a very small town, but the people there were really quite nice and we met up with Captain Steve Martin (not as funny - but very good natured and a wealth of information) who was curious about our boat and stopped over to help us dock. He helped orient us to the task of getting to the Chesapeake from personal experience as a delivery captain.
Once we left Catskill we went on to Haverstraw - where we are now bringing our first leg of the journey to an end. It's a nice marina with a pool and other more impressive neighbouring boats to keep you humble.
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| Sculpture as you enter Havistraw Marina |
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| As we get closer to NY NY - everything starts getting bigger! |
We have made arrangements to store Reviresco on the hard for a month or so and then to move her further south again when the weather gets better. We will continue the blog from time to time as we make progress.
More to come!!
Cheers!!
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