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Gone Sailing for a Year

settembre 2015 - luglio 2016
Un’avventura di 295 giorni di Kir Leggi altro
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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a Year
    Giorno 32

    Norfolk, VA III

    22 ottobre 2015, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Realigned the engine, check the oil, clean the strainers, and about 20 other odd end jobs.... but we also enjoyed a WUNDERBAR BierGarten in Portsmouth as well as a few sites.

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a Year
    Giorno 33

    Do The Dismal - ICW

    23 ottobre 2015, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) has several segments (one that even leads out to Texas) but the segment I’m referring to is Norfolk, VA at mile marker 00. to Key West, FL . The ICW uses natural inland rivers, marshes, and manmade dredged canals to allow commercial and social maritime safe/alternative passage from the Atlantic Ocean Cape Hatteras Shipwrecks.

     It’s amazing but it’s not sailing. I wasn’t looking forward to the ICW motoring until I saw a friend of mine post a picture of her experience. It was a picture of flat glassy water reflecting lush beautiful trees on either side of her boat. It was gorgeous. Firstly, it technically wasn’t a picture of the ICW, it was another passage that reconnected with the ICW. Secondly, it was called the Dismal Swamp but frankly I don’t give two nuts what it’s called. It looked amazing from the photos.
    So the Dismal Swamp dates back to as early as George Washington. Yes the first U.S. President, George Washington. He had a company that helped build the canal. It’s 6 feet deep and less so in some areas (reminder, Gaia’s draft is 5.2 feet). And the water is tea colored due to to the tannic acid created by decaying vegetation.

    Now that you have some neat-o facts to recite to friends, let me tell you of our experience. It was pretty entertaining actually. There are two locks which allow you entry and exit which opens 3 times a day. On Friday, we were gunning to make the 1:30 locks opening. To do that we had to go under three bridges, one of which, was a railroad bridge that opened at noon. It took longer than anticipated to get the anchor out of this nasty “cakey” mud and it also took longer than anticipated to fill up the fuel and water tanks at the nearby marina. Somehow, in all our luck, we were still early for the locks. In fact, there was a traffic jam. The 11:00 opening had a 17 boat rally traveling together down the ICW. Since only 10-12 boats can go through the locks at a time, several boats were anchored out in front of the locks in a single file line waiting their turn. We motored down to get a better look but a few of the anchored boats loudly and anxiously announced they were there first. As a sailor, I didn’t care, but the accountant in me appreciated their order. So the locks master eventually got on the radio and began corralling boats into the locks one by one at 2:30. The locks master ushered 4 boats in on either side of the wall and any late-comer boats got stuck in the middle and rafted up to the side boats. Once we were secured in the locks and the water levels slowly rose, people began starting conversations back and forth.

    ::Scene:: What’s your boat? Who are you? Where are you from? Where are you going? ::End Scene:: But we did have two boats comment on how young Mike & I looked. We turned around and saw another young couple looking at us anxiously. She yelled over ‘There’s not many of us around are there?”. Being a bit daft I had no idea what she meant by “us”. Wall to wall boats, we were both white couples on boats…. we looked the same as everyone else…… ahhh, except for that 20-40 year age gap I didn’t notice…. After the locks the rally continued onward down the canal but us youngsters tied up at the free dock after the locks and bridge. And that free dock was amazing. There was a grocery store across the street so we could fill up on food. There was also an autoparts store that had our engine oil and filled our propane tanks! Thank you universe for being so good to us! We started on our journey at 7 am and we were first on the water! On the down side we had to be extra vigilant for stumps and deadheads since we were first on the water. No, that’s not a Jerry Garcia / Grateful Dead reference. Stumps are partially submerged logs drifting through the water and deadheads are dislodged logs that have been pinned to the bottom sticking upward. Hitting a stump or deadhead is a really great way to lose a prop! Throughout the entire traverse, we only heard one loud thud that shook the mast. We also bumped one smaller log but it wasn’t terrible. When we passed the rally boats rafted up at the Welcome Center, we also passed a beautiful navy blue sailboat called Valiant, absolutely pristine. The captain wore a hat, sun glasses , a scowl, and ….. driving gloves on at the helm. He did not smile, he did not wave, but he gave me a chuckle that I won’t soon forget.    Leggi altro

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a Year
    Giorno 34

    Dismal Swamps III

    24 ottobre 2015, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We eventually crossed the boarder into North Carolina and landed in Elizabeth City. We tied up to a few wooden posts and were greeted with a man and a monkey.

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a Year
    Giorno 36

    Roanoke Island

    26 ottobre 2015, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    As exciting and beautiful a new port can be, sometimes the biggest scores are the little things. But first, let’s back up a little. On the dismal swamp we had access to a grocery store (across the street) whilst tied up to land. We made away like bandits since we went grocery shopping hungry…. A big no no for obvious reasons but it feels so good. We had mighty dreams of stews and extravagant pasta dishes, chicken salads, Mike even had an itch to make cornbeef stew…. We bought just under $200 worth of food. It felt like we bought everything…..everything except for cabbage for the cornbeef stew.

    The next few days we searched; no cabbage in sight. We motored over the shallow sound to Roanoke Island and found a 24 hour free dock with some outstandingly fun veteran cruisers filled with all sorts of great tips.

    Not only did we refill the tanks we walked to the nearest grocery store called Piggly Wiggly, would they come through…… ??? I know what you’re thinking, ‘with a name like Piggly Wiggly how could they not come through and provide the cabbage!?!

    Yes! Of course Piggly Wiggly had the cabbage (did you not read the title of this post?), they also had the bacon, and ham bone…! After our 2 nights, we were kicked off the 24 hour free dock despite us being the only boat. Whatever we had our cabbage.

    I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the early history of the United States. If not, listen up because Roanoke should be apart of your Alex Trebek Jeopardy arsenal of answers (or questions since they only accept answers in the form of a question – I hope I haven’t lost you yet).

    Firstly, let’s get the time period right.
    -Christopher Columbus “discovered” America in 1492…. I say discovered because we all know our favorite Norseman Leif Erikson (son of Erik the Red) discovered America way before him…. But really I’m not a fan of any culture that could discover a land already inhabited by other cultures but that’s my own pet peeve. Anyway.
    -Around 1560’s Elizabeth I gives her blessing to Sir Walter Raleigh to colonize the new world.
    -1585 Roanoke Island becomes an English settlement
    -1607 Jamestown, VA built and established by John Smith.
    -1620 Plymouth Rock becomes a refuge for the religious-persecuted pilgrims and their belief they should separate from the Church of England.


    It’s believed Roanoke Island is where the first colony was created by a group of 100 or so English. One of the resupply ships never arrived and the next resupply ship reported the settlement….. gone. Had they moved elsewhere, had a local Indian tribe slaughtered the newcomers, did the Spanish remove them? Roanoke Island, also named the ‘Lost Colony’, has few answers to these questions. However, a Jamestown expedition lead by John Smith was reported to search for the lost colony and came back claiming that the Powhatan tribe had massacred the colony for siding with an enemy tribe. Is that the full and honest truth?

    The colonists were never found but a recreation of what did stand over 400 years ago is available for the public in the Lost Colony park area. It’s not much, just a series of grassy hills in a square formation; used for food, water, or protection, we’re (*I’M*) not sure. What we are sure of is how the colony started. Sir Walter Raleigh received funding and 100 English men and women arrived in a foreign land not necessarily famers or engineers and not equipped for the struggles of creating a new settlement.    Leggi altro

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a Year
    Giorno 36

    Stumpy Point - All I Have To Do Is Sail

    26 ottobre 2015, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We decided to break up our sail from Roanoke Island to Ocracoke into two days. We wanted to make the Pirate Festival and had plenty of time just not plenty of wind.

    Not much to report. The Pamlico Sound is extraordinarily shallow. The average depth is about 10 feet for sailing waters. For our stop-over we decided to tuck into the quiet cove of Stumpy Point which provided us a well protected anchorage from the Southerly winds.Leggi altro

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a Year
    Giorno 38

    Ocracoke Pirate Jamboree

    28 ottobre 2015, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We stayed in Ocracoke Island for a few days and enjoyed the small island life; where most people get around by foot or golf cart. It held a very laid back ‘Block Island feel’. The entire weekend was dedicated to pirates and learning the history of Ocracoke/Blackbeard from story telling and sea shanties to pirates dueling! Everyone walked around with a pirates garb on or at the very least a beer in hand.

    At Ocracoke Blackbeard was awaiting King Georges pardon from his pirating ways. Lieutenant Maynard had other plans. Ltnt. Maynard and crew successfully attacked and apprehended Blackbeards crew and beheaded the feared pirate at Springers Point.    Leggi altro

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a Year
    Giorno 42

    Gaia Gets Hauled Out

    1 novembre 2015, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Oriental NC had previously been this unseen golden city that boaters would wistfully sigh over and preach the good works of the peerless marine services conducted here. It’s where anyone with major boat issues trudged their vessel to so the expert mechanics, riggers, glass workers (fiberglass), and electricians could work their magic. So when we arrived in Oriental, I could finally feel our goal, Bermuda, was within reach! Our rudder would be new our propeller would be fixed and our boat would be prepped for departure!

    We chose SailCraft Marine Services, known for their fiberglass work as opposed to Deatons. The two rivals sit literally within throwing distance of each others travel lift.

    Upon entering the SailCraft dock, Alan, the owner, showed us the layout, the bathrooms, amenities, the different offices and tool sheds, he introduced us to the employees, and other boats hauled out from our neck of the woods! Really above and beyond and we learned of the catastrophic boat overhauls they had completed. One man, came in days earlier with a keel partially torn off. Remember the Dismal Swamps we went down and my post on watching out for deadheads (= dislodged logs pinned to the bottom of the canal pointing upward)? Yeah, the boat hit a deadhead straight on and busted a hole in the boat. And if your curious, yes it was a fin keel.

    So being on the hard, on the stilts, stuck on the dirt… it’s not fun. The marina backs you up into a slip where they lower two thick nylon slings and synch it snug around your 22,000 lb vessel and hope the sling is far back enough it doesn’t catch on your ruder, prop, or shaft but not too far back that the slings don’t capture the weight of the boat evenly. And then you watch as your 22,000 pound home is raised, above your head; OUT of the environment you’ve learned to keep your boat safe and protected. And then you watch as your baby is driven away by a complete stranger from you, it’s very emotional (*this end part was overdramatized by the author in case you’re not familiar with her*).

    But really, Alan, was very professional and maneuvered the travel lift perfectly. He’s been around boats his entire life and it shows. He put us down on the block and put a few more extra stilts under the hull than what we’re used to. Alan mentioned they do this for added protection. As someone who has slept on a boat on stilts… let me tell you, it can be REALLY unnerving when you first feel the boat move on land, so I was quite pleased to see this. He also kept the boat level on the blocks which was nice.    Leggi altro

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a Year
    Giorno 44

    Oriental Where We Work Hard For It Honey

    3 novembre 2015, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    For the every day life. You walk up and down a ladder to get to your home, get a drill, forgotten power cord you name it.
    Every morning you wake up get dressed and walk to go to the bathroom. Since the plumbing filters out into the yard gravel; I’m not a fan of brushing my teeth where I work. It’s not a far walk to the bathrooms thankfully but enough to make you skip your polite hellos to friends and power walk. Most people understand. When we did dishes, we carried the dishes in a tub down the ladder and past the docks. When we showered we climbed up and down the ladder with our shower bag and towel. And lastly, the little problem of having NO cell phone service and little to no internet.

    I took a few pictures of our work in the yard seen below. We also varnished the bowsprit and toerail, rebedded the stanchion and inserted epoxy in the deck to reinforce soft balsa wood, install new aft cabin and kitchen lighting (led strips!), there was a bunch of parts ordered and one passport expedited. Thankfully, there was a car at the marina we were able to use to drive 30 minutes into a neighboring town for the nearest CVS for a passport photo.    Leggi altro

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