....whew, got away from Annapolis with my liver pretty much unscathed. Got some sail up and headed south to Solomon's Island, on the Chesapeake, where I ran into my friend Steve from Port Dover, ON. I've mentioned him previously, he is travelling on a steel 53 foot sailboat he's built and is now finishing up. Beautiful boat.
But talk about going from the frying pan into the fire! Just when you thought it was safe...of course, sitting around talking boats with a good friend, you simply don't pay attention to the number of bottles - sorry, I meant glasses of course, glasses, what was I thinking - of wine you're imbibing in the course of an evening and they can catch up to you. Not only caught up with me in fact, but tackled me like a 300 pound NFL running back. The pain....why is it that as we grow older and presumably have more experience with drinking that our ability to drink somehow decreases? Or maybe that should read our ability to endure?
So from Solomons I headed for Deltaville, VA, to Regatta Point Marina. Steve of course caught up with me there a couple of days later and we had lunch and much laughter (minimal wine!) with Doc, who lives in the area.
While here, I picked up a writing contract, an interesting project that ties in with this winter's travels. The only drawback to this contract is that I'll be stopping my progress south for a few weeks to do this job, and I'd hoped to be in Miami Beach for Christmas. That isn't going to happen now.
On the other hand, given the frequency of minor breakdowns I've been experiencing this trip, I have been thinking that it would be a good idea to stop to do some basic maintenance.
Since I'll be going through the Bahamas and then Cuba, and I really don't want problems in those locations - parts and repairs are much more difficult when you're in the islands - it's just as well I stop now. I'd rather have the boat shipshape before getting that far.
I've run Gypsy Wind up to Urbanna, a lovely small town where I painted the boat last year - oh, and took the video of the drunk guy talking about viagra - which I posted here on LiveBlogging a while back. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out, it's rather hilarious.
Everything here is more convenient for someone on foot - in D'ville, the marina is a couple of miles out of town. Here, everything is within a ten minute walk and the town is simply nicer - I feel much more 'at home' here than in Deltaville, and then of course, Doc, who is on this forum, lives here, so we'll get a chance to spend some time telling lies about sailing to one another.
The weather has been good - lovely yesterday, and quite mild but overcast today. Temperatures are forecast in the high 50s, low 60s all week, so it's going to be very pleasant, at least, compared to Toronto, or New York, and other places north...
That's it for this post friends - I'm tired today and not feeling very inspired, I suspect you can tell...I promise a much more fun and exciting post next time.
(this post, btw, is dedicated to my left wing, hippie socialist carpenter/sailing dog-loving friend from back in Ontario - yes, I heard you were reading the blog Todd! Aduana says hi...)
Monday, December 17, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Be still, my trembling liver....
Lord help me, I'm back in Annapolis less than 24 hours - hell, I wasn't here an hour when my good chums Mike and Dennis me - there's a Christmas Boat Parade party, get my butt in gear, they're picking me up in a half hour. Cripes, I take more time than that to set the anchor, and Aduana (the Wonder Puppy®) hasn't been walked yet, the outboard is still on the rails....oh man!
"Poop quickly, pup", I command as we walk out on the grass, quickly tossing the poor pooch back into the dinghy when she's done.
The outboard fires up first pull and I'm off to meet Mike in front of Davis' Pub, one of my favourite dens of iniquity.
Well, talk about a great party - more than 100 people crammed into an apartment, all talking, eating (great food) and drinking (free wine and beer!)....gawd, I so love Annapolis...and then we were off to the Rockfish (another great den of iniquity) for more drinking and some dancing...and then downtown to McGarveys and Middletons (two more fine dens of iniquity, and historic ones too!). Does the fun never end? Not in Annapolis it doesn't.
Woke up this morning remembering why I had to flee Annapolis all those years ago - my liver simply wasn't up to the demands of this drinking town with a sailing problem! For those who knew me back in university, you can imagine how savage it must be here. I was a champion back then....up to it all....anytime, anywhere.....(post now subtitled: How the Mighty Have Fallen"...)
Monday, I'll complete my rounds with a visit to the Boatyard Bar and Grille...sigh! You know, had I not gotten a proper tune up in Chesapeake City just prior to arriving here, I might well not have been up to last night's revelry. Many thanks to TR, Kim, Harry, Chris and all the rest of the CC party crowd who provided me with such intense pre-Annapolis training.
As for more mundane things, like sailing, that this blog is supposed to be about - I motored the entire 50 miles from CC to Annapolis since there wasn't a breath of wind - and didn't see a thing the entire way due to fog. Nothing like getting waked by someone you can't even see...and I was deliberately a good couple of hundred yards off the channel for safety.
At one point early on in the day, the Coast Guard came on and advised that the C&D Canal was closed due to fog - not something one wants to hear when one is in the middle of said Canal, which I was. On the other hand, it pretty much guaranteed that a 500 foot freighter wouldn't come out of the mists right in front of me. That can spoil your day - and ruin a good pair of boxer shorts too!
Here are some videos of last night's fun in Annapolis....does anyone wonder why I love this town - liver damage and all?
"Poop quickly, pup", I command as we walk out on the grass, quickly tossing the poor pooch back into the dinghy when she's done.
The outboard fires up first pull and I'm off to meet Mike in front of Davis' Pub, one of my favourite dens of iniquity.
Well, talk about a great party - more than 100 people crammed into an apartment, all talking, eating (great food) and drinking (free wine and beer!)....gawd, I so love Annapolis...and then we were off to the Rockfish (another great den of iniquity) for more drinking and some dancing...and then downtown to McGarveys and Middletons (two more fine dens of iniquity, and historic ones too!). Does the fun never end? Not in Annapolis it doesn't.
Woke up this morning remembering why I had to flee Annapolis all those years ago - my liver simply wasn't up to the demands of this drinking town with a sailing problem! For those who knew me back in university, you can imagine how savage it must be here. I was a champion back then....up to it all....anytime, anywhere.....(post now subtitled: How the Mighty Have Fallen"...)
Monday, I'll complete my rounds with a visit to the Boatyard Bar and Grille...sigh! You know, had I not gotten a proper tune up in Chesapeake City just prior to arriving here, I might well not have been up to last night's revelry. Many thanks to TR, Kim, Harry, Chris and all the rest of the CC party crowd who provided me with such intense pre-Annapolis training.
As for more mundane things, like sailing, that this blog is supposed to be about - I motored the entire 50 miles from CC to Annapolis since there wasn't a breath of wind - and didn't see a thing the entire way due to fog. Nothing like getting waked by someone you can't even see...and I was deliberately a good couple of hundred yards off the channel for safety.
At one point early on in the day, the Coast Guard came on and advised that the C&D Canal was closed due to fog - not something one wants to hear when one is in the middle of said Canal, which I was. On the other hand, it pretty much guaranteed that a 500 foot freighter wouldn't come out of the mists right in front of me. That can spoil your day - and ruin a good pair of boxer shorts too!
Kids dancing with a Boat Santa after the parade...
Can you see the frog leaping up to kiss the mermaid?
Party On!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Christmas Lights in the Harbour...
Welcome to Chesapeake City - here's some video of the Christmas lighting that surrounds where my boat is docked at the moment....isn't this lovely?
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Chesapeake City
I've always said that some of my best adventures arise out of difficult circumstances, and so it is now. I'm here in Chesapeake City, population 700 (and that's both sides of the canal included), with a broken motor mount to repair. In the last several days, I've met some fabulous folks and discovered what a lovely, friendly town this is. I'm very impressed with it in fact.
For example, yesterday, a new friend drove me 40 miles out and back to pick up the new mount. (quick plug here - should you ever require IT work, go to www.cssnetworking.com, TR will take good care of you!). Anyhow, we were only supposed to go out about ten miles, but the part sent out was the wrong one - so the marina found another marina that had what I needed - and best of all, it was cheaper! Then, today, another new friend, Harry, helped me out with repairing the motor mount by being my 'second hand', giving me tools and parts as they were needed. Working on the engine of a boat is always tedious,the worst part being climbing in and out of the locker to get tools and parts.
Anyhow, with HUGE thanks to Harry and TR, the motor mount is now replaced. I'll spend another day here testing out the repair and doing a couple of other small jobs that should be done, and then make Annapolis sometime Saturday.
Now - some entertaining tales of Chesapeake City - Sunday, my first day here, I went to the Inn along with the crews of several other boats. A number of local folk were watching the Ravens play. One lady, who was seriously and entertaingly 'over-refreshed' and so shall remain nameless, offered all we visitors rides to the grocery store or wherever, and best of all - hot showers at her house. Jim, who along with Peter was on his way to New Jersey to help with the Sandy reconstruction, quickly took her up on her offer of a shower and they were out the door before anyone could say 'Don't drop the soap!'...not that anyone was jumping to any unwarranted conclusions, but....ok, we jumped to conclusions. So sue us. But somehow the offer never got past Jim....
Just a short distance from my boat, the City has put up a number of gorgeous Christmas lights - I'll take some photos tonight and post them shortly, as this is one of the nicest Christmas harbour light decorations I've seen yet. Tbey've done a super job, thanks to Mayor Dean - who I met the other day on another friend's boat.
Talking about boats - this harbour has been busy the past several days, with everything from a classic styled wood boat to a 33 Dragonfly trimaran and an aluminum working boat. A surprising number of boats still headed south even this late in the year. Seems I'm not the last man out after all...
Chesapeake City is one of the nicer towns along the Bay's eastern shore - a lot of very old homes that have been vcry well kept. However, these are not big Victorians or old mansions - they're old workingmen's homes, some not much bigger than perhaps 25 by 25, like they used to build them when heating your home meant chopping your own wood. The smaller the house, the less wood needed - makes sense to me. Still, despite their size, they're really attractive, with many of them on the main street having been turned into shops
For example, yesterday, a new friend drove me 40 miles out and back to pick up the new mount. (quick plug here - should you ever require IT work, go to www.cssnetworking.com, TR will take good care of you!). Anyhow, we were only supposed to go out about ten miles, but the part sent out was the wrong one - so the marina found another marina that had what I needed - and best of all, it was cheaper! Then, today, another new friend, Harry, helped me out with repairing the motor mount by being my 'second hand', giving me tools and parts as they were needed. Working on the engine of a boat is always tedious,the worst part being climbing in and out of the locker to get tools and parts.
Anyhow, with HUGE thanks to Harry and TR, the motor mount is now replaced. I'll spend another day here testing out the repair and doing a couple of other small jobs that should be done, and then make Annapolis sometime Saturday.
Now - some entertaining tales of Chesapeake City - Sunday, my first day here, I went to the Inn along with the crews of several other boats. A number of local folk were watching the Ravens play. One lady, who was seriously and entertaingly 'over-refreshed' and so shall remain nameless, offered all we visitors rides to the grocery store or wherever, and best of all - hot showers at her house. Jim, who along with Peter was on his way to New Jersey to help with the Sandy reconstruction, quickly took her up on her offer of a shower and they were out the door before anyone could say 'Don't drop the soap!'...not that anyone was jumping to any unwarranted conclusions, but....ok, we jumped to conclusions. So sue us. But somehow the offer never got past Jim....
Just a short distance from my boat, the City has put up a number of gorgeous Christmas lights - I'll take some photos tonight and post them shortly, as this is one of the nicest Christmas harbour light decorations I've seen yet. Tbey've done a super job, thanks to Mayor Dean - who I met the other day on another friend's boat.
Talking about boats - this harbour has been busy the past several days, with everything from a classic styled wood boat to a 33 Dragonfly trimaran and an aluminum working boat. A surprising number of boats still headed south even this late in the year. Seems I'm not the last man out after all...
Chesapeake City is one of the nicer towns along the Bay's eastern shore - a lot of very old homes that have been vcry well kept. However, these are not big Victorians or old mansions - they're old workingmen's homes, some not much bigger than perhaps 25 by 25, like they used to build them when heating your home meant chopping your own wood. The smaller the house, the less wood needed - makes sense to me. Still, despite their size, they're really attractive, with many of them on the main street having been turned into shops
 |
| sign at the Chesapeake Inn tiki deck... |
 |
| Former Post Office - er, make that a bank, thanks Henny! |
 |
| Another pub, very historic, formerly owned by Dupont Family |
 |
| Former general and dry goods store |
Monday, December 3, 2012
Oh oh....
Since Manasquan, NJ, I've hooked up with several other sailors out of Maine and we've been loosely traveling together - it's been interesting. Amanda and Jeremy have a 46 foot former racer with an 8 foot keel, now that's a challenge - within five minutes of meeting them, they'd managed to put Maria Mercedes aground! Doesn't help that Jeremy's depth sounder is acting up. Like all racers, the interior is pretty barren and Jeremy, a carpenter by trade, is fixing it up as they travel.
The other boat, Greensleeves, is another anomaly, a fibreglass ketch with wooden decks and masts - a really pretty traditional boat, owned by CD, who is traveling with a buddy whose name escapes me for the moment - I must need another coffee this hour of the morning.
So we've run down the coast to Atlantic City, and got there to be faced with the tide exactly opposite to what we wanted. To run the Delaware, you really need to do it with the tide behind you, otherwise, you get a very strong current pushing you back. The only way around it is to leave with the tide, in this case, around 4 am, which I couldn't do as I needed diesel and the marina opened at 9. Couldn't be worse as far as the tide was concerned.
Jeremy needed diesel as well, but thought he had enough - I passed them at 10:45 that evening, anchored out about 9 miles south of the C&D canal entrance. The next day, they had to use their dinghy to push MM up the river to a marina. I thought they were asleep since they didn't answer the VHF, so kept on going since I finally had the tide with me and was making well over 6 knots. Turns out Jeremy saw me but, in the fog and the dark, I couldn't see him on deck.
So, got into Chesapeake City and its free dock (Free is Good®), decided to tighten the stuffing box, a regular maintenance issue, and I knew mine needed it. Well, what's THIS?
It seems I have a broken motor mount, and I'm going to be here for a couple of days dealing with that. And, of course it's the one the most difficult to get at, way in the back corner....
Went to the local pub last night with the crews of the other three boats that are here - MM, plus a gorgeous Tayana 42 going north to Rhode Island, and two guys from a survey boat heading up to NJ to help out in the post Sandy reconstruction. Enjoyed some interesting conversation, met some really nice local people - they've offered to all of us to help with getting groceries, offered to open their homes to us for showers, offered me a ride to get parts....now if only someone would offer to do the job for me!
This is actually one of the best things about cruising - you meet the greatest people - I've had people toss me the keys to their car on several occasions, people who had known me for perhaps five minutes. As often as not, they're not cruisers, just people who want to share in your adventure by helping out. For those who are or will be cruisers, they're certainly building their cruising karma by helping out!
You'll notice a small change in the blog format - I've added Disqus, a new comment feature - when you comment, it comes up real time, advises you of comments to the post if you want it to, and you can respond to the posts of others on here. You can see it at the bottom of the current post.
My hope is to see more conversations happening on here, to liven up this blog a bit....so if you have comments or questions, post away and let's talk.
The next time you hear from me, I'll be greasy and cranky from working on the engine mount....but underway again, on Chesapeake Bay and heading for Annapolis.
The other boat, Greensleeves, is another anomaly, a fibreglass ketch with wooden decks and masts - a really pretty traditional boat, owned by CD, who is traveling with a buddy whose name escapes me for the moment - I must need another coffee this hour of the morning.
So we've run down the coast to Atlantic City, and got there to be faced with the tide exactly opposite to what we wanted. To run the Delaware, you really need to do it with the tide behind you, otherwise, you get a very strong current pushing you back. The only way around it is to leave with the tide, in this case, around 4 am, which I couldn't do as I needed diesel and the marina opened at 9. Couldn't be worse as far as the tide was concerned.
Jeremy needed diesel as well, but thought he had enough - I passed them at 10:45 that evening, anchored out about 9 miles south of the C&D canal entrance. The next day, they had to use their dinghy to push MM up the river to a marina. I thought they were asleep since they didn't answer the VHF, so kept on going since I finally had the tide with me and was making well over 6 knots. Turns out Jeremy saw me but, in the fog and the dark, I couldn't see him on deck.
So, got into Chesapeake City and its free dock (Free is Good®), decided to tighten the stuffing box, a regular maintenance issue, and I knew mine needed it. Well, what's THIS?
It seems I have a broken motor mount, and I'm going to be here for a couple of days dealing with that. And, of course it's the one the most difficult to get at, way in the back corner....
Went to the local pub last night with the crews of the other three boats that are here - MM, plus a gorgeous Tayana 42 going north to Rhode Island, and two guys from a survey boat heading up to NJ to help out in the post Sandy reconstruction. Enjoyed some interesting conversation, met some really nice local people - they've offered to all of us to help with getting groceries, offered to open their homes to us for showers, offered me a ride to get parts....now if only someone would offer to do the job for me!
This is actually one of the best things about cruising - you meet the greatest people - I've had people toss me the keys to their car on several occasions, people who had known me for perhaps five minutes. As often as not, they're not cruisers, just people who want to share in your adventure by helping out. For those who are or will be cruisers, they're certainly building their cruising karma by helping out!
You'll notice a small change in the blog format - I've added Disqus, a new comment feature - when you comment, it comes up real time, advises you of comments to the post if you want it to, and you can respond to the posts of others on here. You can see it at the bottom of the current post.
My hope is to see more conversations happening on here, to liven up this blog a bit....so if you have comments or questions, post away and let's talk.
The next time you hear from me, I'll be greasy and cranky from working on the engine mount....but underway again, on Chesapeake Bay and heading for Annapolis.
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