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Back Down the East Coast
  • Ericka Collier

Back Down the East Coast

Starting on the east side of Maine Okumaya devam et
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  • Gezinin başlangıcı
    23 Temmuz 2024
    Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Cross Island
    Cocktails before dinnerCross Island anchorageCross Island National wildlife Refuge

    Cross Island to Roque Island

    22–24 Tem 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Tuesday, July 23 - Happy Birthday to Bruce! It rained a good amount in the morning and continued on an off during the day. I called my brother to wish him a happy birthday and we chatted for an hour, it was nice to catch up with him. Meanwhile Gary was able to score live lobsters from a lobsterman for $6 each! I spent the day making coleslaw and baking granola and a fruit crisp for dessert, perfect day as the oven warmed up the cabin nicely, temperature inside was 68 degrees! I also pulled out my cold weather clothing that I had tucked away in the forward cabin cabinet. I had read not to put clothes or other material next to a bulkhead for mold proposes and found out that when you do the material gets very damp. I had to hang my clothes around the aft cabinet to dry them out. In the evening we went over to Gary and Renee’s boat to steam the lobster and share dinner together.

    Roque Island
    Wednesday, July 24 - it was 56 degrees when we woke up, a tad of fog but no rain. The water was as smooth as glass. After it warmed up a bit we went ashore on a rocky beach. The island is a national wildlife refuge. It was interesting as there was no sand and we hypothesized the rocks fell from cliffs over thousands of years. Back on the boat we made hot lobster rolls for lunch with leftovers from last night. We pulled up the anchor at 1:05 p.m. and headed to Roque Island, this time going to the other side. The fog was very thick outside of the cove and impossible to see anything and we motored the entire time. It was still very cold on the water and I was prepared having retrieved my warmer clothes the day before. I had on a thermal top, heavy jacket, ski gloves and warm leggings!
    The fog lighten up by 3:00, just in time for us to anchor at 3:30.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Prospect Harbor
    Prospect harborBlack IslandEastern Calf Preserve, Black IslandBlack Island beachLagoon around Black Island

    Prospect Island to Black Island

    25–27 Tem 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Thursday, July 25 - This was not a fun day. We left Roque Island at 9:50 a.m. bound for Winter Harbor with fog so dense it felt like rain. The cockpit was drenched and water was dripping down from the Bimini. The temperature gauge read 60 degrees but the moisture in the air added another layer of chill. We could only see 100 to 150 feet in front of us and spent 7.5 hours dodging lobster pots. I sat in the front of the cockpit by the window, facing starboard and twisted to port, watching for pots and Kevin was at the helm zigzagging the boat to avoid hitting any. Around 2:30 we attempted an abort to an unspecified location but the area was small and so littered with lobster pots that we could not find enough space to anchor, much less for 2 boats. We went on for another 2.5 hours to Prospect Harbor where we found many boats moored and a building that looked to be a small marina or lobster house, we couldn’t exactly make it out as the fog was still very dense. We had to make 3 attempts to get the anchor to set properly and finally anchored at 5:27 p.m. We were both wet, chilled, and a bit grumpy!

    Black Island
    Friday, July 26 - Sun! After 3 days of cloudy, wet weather it was a welcome sight. We were now able to see the anchorage and there were houses and a lighthouse on land. I felt like we had returned to civilization after not seeing any other boats, houses or towns for 4 days. We left Prospect Harbor at 8:50 a.m. The temperature had warmed up and we wore light weight jackets and pants. After getting past a cluster of lobster pots we were able to pull out the sails and sail on a starboard tack with about 14 knots of wind. Between 9:26 and 10:55 we sailed on and off for a total of an hour without the motor, as the wind grew and died down again. After 10:45 we motor-sailed staying around 6 knots and anchored between Black and Opechee Islands at 1:45. It was a very calm and peaceful anchorage with islands on all sides and Mt. Desert Island in the background. We went ashore on a few beaches and learned that Black Island was donated in December 2023 to the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and you can hike and camp on it. We saw a seal on a rock when we were exploring in the dinghy but he quickly jumped off when he heard us. Another one popped up near our boat early evening and was checking us out! We also saw 2 bald eagles in a nest high up in a pine tree, on a branch that rose a few feet above all the other trees on the island.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Penobscot Island
    Vinalhaven anchorageVinalhaven anchorageHiking Huber trailOur boat as seen from Huber trail

    Vinalhaven to Rockland

    27–29 Tem 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Vinalhaven
    Saturday, July 27 - The morning was sunny, warm and calm. I saw a seal resting on a rock and was able to get a good look through the binoculars, it was just hanging out. The morning made for a great cleaning day! I bucket washed a load of towels and washed down the forward head and shower. All the moisture in the air over the last 2 weeks created a lot of mold. Yuck. Since Kevin said we would motor to the next spot I was able to leave the towels on the life lines while we moved. We left Black Island at noon and had mostly a head wind at 11 knots. We pulled out the main sail to give us a little help and were able to go 6 knots. We passed by Stonington, a large community southwest of Bar Harbor, traveling next to and through the harbor which consisted of mostly lobster boats, and there were many! It looked like lobster boat capital. We considered stopping there as a couple we met at Black Point, Exuma; Carl and Conner, live there. We decided not to as Carl was out of town and Conner was cleaning house from her parents being there for the last 2 weeks. Though she welcomed us we thought best to keep going and hope to see them somewhere along the way in the fall. The landscape was absolutely beautiful with islands that have rock bottoms with pine trees growing on top. We anchored at 4:11 in an area that is by the island if Vinalhaven and surrounded by smaller islands. We tried to anchor by En El Viendo but they were in an area that was too narrow for us so we went further in between the islands where there was more space. The area is known as “The Davids” and consists of several small islands.

    Rockland
    Sunday, July 28 - We started the day with a half mile hike on the Huber Preserve trail on Vinalhaven Island. We identified a berry bush as black huckleberry and after researching they were not poisonous Renee and I tasted a few, they were good. The trail was nicely cut out but not too much. The hardest part was getting back to the dinghy as it was very muddy by the water.
    We pulled up the anchor slightly after 11:00 a.m. with the intent of going to Fox Island, then tomorrow to Rockland. Gary hailed us and said they were going straight to Rockland as his engine was not starting well. I was happier going straight there instead of making another day hop to another uninhabited island. We have weeks worth of laundry to clean and our food supply is getting low.
    At 11:30 I went below to make bread dough (since we had no bread) and shortly thereafter Kevin pulled out the mainsail. Around 1:00 we pulled out the jib and sailed on a beam reach with 15-20 knot winds coming over our port side. With the help of the motor we were traveling at 6.5 to 7 knots. By 2:15 we anchored in Rockland. It’s a good thing we went straight on given that it was only 3 hours! For dinner we went in town to Rock Brewery with Gary and Renee, the same place Kevin and I stopped at for a drink the first time we were here.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Navy midshipman getting off the Delbert D Black ship
    Helicopter on the shipSecurity on the top deckNavy helicopter pilot"Gunfather"Bacon SteaksCoast Guard cadets in paradeNaval cadets in paradeWill and Melinda"Rocky" festival mascot

    Rockland, ME

    4–10 Ağu 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    Rockland Con’t
    Monday, July 29 - I am very glad we came straight to Rockland yesterday as today is all about rain and wind. This harbor has a lot of waves so the boat is moving a lot. We did inside stuff; Kevin made plans for where we will go next and I researched and booked a VRBO rental for St. Augustine in December for Christmas. I also firmed up plans with Debra for her visit in September in Baltimore while Kevin goes on his annual boys golf trip.

    Tuesday, July 30 - It is still cloudy and drizzly outside but not as bad as yesterday. We were able to walk about 2 miles to Walmart and get $300 worth of groceries and other supplies, then paid for a ride back. We are now fully stocked again. Kevin fixed and cleaned an issue we had with our head, turns out accidentally swallowing a cherry pit is not good for marine toilets. 😳

    Wednesday, July 31 - Another cloudy and drizzly day. Renee and I walked to the laundromat pulling 3 weeks of dirty clothes in wagons. It took 2 hours and $30 to get it all done. Meanwhile Kevin took the boat to get fuel and a pump out. I spent the remainder of the day making red beans and rice and cleaning the boat. Renee and Gary joined us for dinner and a game of cards in the evening.

    Thursday, August 1 - We went to the Lobster Festival for the $9 all you can eat blueberry pancake breakfast. Blueberries, in addition to lobster, are a Maine product. Then went back to the boat to change the outboard motor oil but after looking at it Kevin decided to wait. We went back to the festival and stood in line for an hour and half to tour the Delbert D. Black Navy Destroyer ship. It’s an active ship and has been to the Middle East and most recently tracked a Russian submarine that was going to Cuba. It was very interesting learning about the ship and talking to the naval crew. For the rest of the day we hung out in the beer tent listening to music and meeting people. We met Marie and Guy on True Love, whom Gary and Renee met previously, and Bill and Dawn who were buddy boating with True Love for a bit.

    Friday, April 2 - We went to the Coast Guard pier to tour the USCGC Eagle, a 295 foot 3 masted barque ship used as a training vessel for future officers. However, there was an issue with the ship not being able to anchor at the pier and they didn’t have backup plans on getting civilians to the ship. We went back to the boat and got Pepper then had lunch at a taco stand. Walked to the festival where the others got ice cream. Later that night we went out to dinner with Gary and Renee, Guy and Marie from True Love, and Dawn and Bill (boat name?) to Water Works, an American fare/pub place.

    Saturday, August 3 - We met up with Will Tevis and his pretty bride of one year, Melinda, to watch the parade and have lunch. After a beautiful and hot day on Friday it rained in the morning and the parade was delayed by 90 minutes. It was a fun small town parade. It was good to catch up with Will and meet his wife. We know him from Dulles high school and church. He was in the band with Sydney and also was in the youth group at church, along with his brother Jeff. He’s been in the Coast Guard for 7 years now. That night we went to dinner with En El Viento and True Love (Marie and Guy) to Rustica, an Italian restaurant and the food was good and the company enjoyable.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Warren Island State Park trail
    View from the trailA welcome sunny day for this little critterUnknown skeletonTrail on other side of the islandTombstone of 22 year old wifeOld log cabin summer home with 27 bedroomsRemains of house

    Warren Island - Castine, ME

    5–8 Ağu 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Warren Island
    Sunday, August 4 - We pulled up anchor at 8:15 and headed north again to visit a few more places, buddy boating with En El Viento and True Live. We knew there would be rain but hoped that we would miss most of it. By 9:30 a.m. Kevin said the storm was coming our way and hailed En El Viento and True Love to see if they were agreeable to pick up speed. We motored at 7.3 knots and went 12 miles to our next destination. We anchored in the rain at 10:30 a.m. in the cove between the islands of 700 Hundred Acre and Warren. We quickly closed up the cockpit and went downstairs! After the rain we took pepper in the dinghy and stopped at Warren State Park on Warren Island for a quick look.

    Castine
    Monday, August 5 - In the morning we did a 1.5 mile hike around Warren Island. It’s a beautiful island and state park with semi-primitive campsites. There are toilets, lean-to structures, water spinets and nicely paved trails around the island but the only way to get to the island is by boat. We passed by a gravestone from 1841 of a wife that died at the age of 22 and the foundation remains of a homestead that was a 27 bedroom log cabin summer home built in 1899. It burned down in 1919.
    We pulled anchor at 1:00 p.m. along with En El Viendo and True Love. We motor-sailed on a port tack with winds between 10 and 15 knots around the Island of Islesboro, circling from the west side of the island, around the north side, then down the east side and over to Castine. Once on the east side we were heading south and the winds died so we pulled in the sails. We anchored at 4:12 p.m.
    What is nice about this area is fewer lobster pots, not nearly as numerous as the Bar Harbor area. The bad part is that may be due to the water having spill off from a plant. Castine is on the mainland, across Penobscot Bay from Belfast. That evening everyone came to out boat for appetizers and cocktails,

    Tuesday, August 6 - We spent the day walking around Castine visiting old fort sites and a museum. It started off with a casual walk with Renee and Gary looking at the homes, then met up with Marie and Guy and had lunch at a food stand, the only place we found open! After lunch we did a 4.5 mile walk farther out to visit the sites of Fort George, built by the British in 1779, Fort Pentagoet, a sign only, built by the French in 1630 and destroyed by the Dutch in 1676, and Fort Madison built by the US in 1811. On the same site as Fort Madison a missionary was built 170 years earlier. We went to the Wilson Museum that contains many artifacts from Penobscot Bay and around the world, such as fossils, different types of rocks, and tools used by different cultures. Two days a week it has demonstrations in the blacksmith shop and tours of the historic John and Phebe Perkins house from circa 1783 who established the earliest permanent settlement. Unfortunately we were not there on one of the tour days. Along our walk we found many historical markers relating events from the 1600 to 1800’s. Castine was first discovered by the French in the 1630’s, occupied by the Dutch in 1674 and 1676, then claimed by the British in 1713. While Britain ceded Maine (then part of Massachusetts) to the US after the American Revolution Britain occupied it again in 1814 during the War of 1812.
    Later in the afternoon we attempted to go to Danny Murph’s Irish Pub but they didn’t allow dogs, their loss $$$! Instead we all went to True Love’s boat for happy hour. We said goodbye to Marie and Guy as they are heading north to Belfast and Bar Harbor and we’re going south. We hope to meet up with them again during our travels.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Rockland harbor park, the last 2 times we were here this area was filled with people
    Sun fireworksBeautiful dayLobsta!Beautiful sunset

    Rockland back to Boothbay

    7–12 Ağu 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Rockland
    Wednesday, August 7 - We left Castine in Penobscot Bay at 8:50 a.m. to go south to Rockland for one night. Winds were light at less than 10 knots and straight on our bow. Temperature was a cool 64 degrees on land. It’s sunny but more rain is in the forecast and the plan was to find a hiding place by Long Cove until the storm passes. At 11:54 the wind had picked up to 14 knots and off the port side of our bow, we pulled out the jib and motor-sailed to Rockland, arrive at 1:00 p.m. That night we went to happy hour at High Tide Cafe with Gary and Renee, the one tavern we had yet to visit in Rockland.

    Morse Island
    Thursday, August 8 - As the sun rose in the east we left Rockland for the third and final time. After bringing the anchor home shortly after 8:00 a.m. I stayed up at the bow watching for lobster pots as we were pointing directly into the sun. I became mesmerized watching the sun sparkling on the water like fireworks. The sky was clear and it was a beautiful day but little wind, and the 7 knots that was blowing came from behind us. We motored for 5 hours and anchored north of Morse Island at 1:10 p.m. This was our hiding hole for the next several days as rain, high winds and strong waves were predicted. I spent the remainder of the afternoon cleaning dog hair from the boat before the rain came as once the boat gets wet it’s impossible to clean. I also made blueberry cobbler for dessert. Gary and Renee came over and we grilled dinner, ate cobbler and played cards. Just as they were leaving the rain started.

    Friday, August 9 - It rained most of the day then heavy fog set in. The day was spent reading, exercising and baking. This is week 33 of our journey, day 231.

    Saturday, August 10 - The night was rough for Kevin as it was very windy causing the boat to swing a lot and setting off the anchor alarms to go off every 15 minutes or so, he had 2 set so one would go off then the other one about 30 seconds later. While the alarms kept waking me up he eventually got up around 4 am and slept little from there on. By the time the sun came up the rain was gone and so were the remains of Hurricane/tropical storm Debby. Gary flagged down what he thought was a lobster boat, it was not but the man offered to get him some on shore! Now that’s Maine hospitality! We cooked them that night then watched a beautiful sunset.

    Boothbay
    Sunday, August 11 - We left a little after 8:00 a.m. to go to Boothbay. We had not yet gotten out of the harbor when Kevin thought he snagged a lobster pot as the boat slowed down significantly. I went down below to listen for banging noise and did hear some. Kevin moved the boat in a tight circle forward and reverse and was able to shake it loose. We were heading southwest with a nice amount of wind, 18 knots, directly over our bow. We motor-sailed with the mainsail out at 4.8 knots. We saw porpoises swimming off our starboard side, they do not come out of the water as high as dolphins and are not as playful, they don’t seem interested swimming in the boat’s wake. We moored in Boothbay at 12:19. I did laundry while Kevin went grocery shopping. The town shuttle was not operating that day and the marina offered a shuttle service, however the harbor master just let Kevin use his truck! So Kevin was able to get a few extra items that he may not have gotten if he had to transport via shuttle.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Celebrating Renee's birthday
    East EnderFort GeorgesInside the fort "parade" areaView from a gun windowView from second levelLookoutSeals on the rocks

    Portland, Maine

    13 Ağustos 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    Portland
    Monday, August 12 - We left the mooring field and Boothbay for the second and last time at 8:40 a.m. In the harbor winds were light at 8.5 knots but once out in the open it picked up to 18 knots. There was a lot of fetch with 2 foot waves making a very uncomfortable ride. We had the mainsail out but it was too rough for the jib. By noon the waves were smaller, there was still a good amount of fetch but not as uncomfortable as the morning. As we passed Halfway Rock Light at 1:00 p.m. we pulled out the jib and sailed on a close haul port tack. That helped to pick up our speed to 6.6 knots. We anchored in the Portland harbor at 2:50 p.m. It was Renee’s birthday so we went out to dinner, first attempt was Eventide Oyster Company but the wait was at least an hour and half. We ended up at the East Ender. The downstairs was a bar and for the restaurant they took us upstairs that was behind a curtain. We were a bit skeptical as no one was there! The food turned out very good, it is a locally sourced establishment and the vibe was very pleasant, soft lighting and nice music that we could easily hear each other talk. Then we walked to a gelato shop for dessert and went through a fun part of town with lots of restaurants and shops. As we were walking back to the dinghy the guys got a few blocks in front of Renee and I and we thought it would be a hoot to stop at a bar and see how long it took them to notice we were not behind them! We stoped at one that had outdoor seating, got a drink and just as we sat down they came walking by with their hands in the air! It was quite funny! Kevin said “find my friends” showed we were at a Flatbread cafe then the credit card alert came up as RiRa next door 😂

    Tuesday, August 13 - We took the dinghy to Fort Gorges, an abandoned fort built between 1861 and 1864. Its initial purpose was to guard against threat of foreign naval powers provoked by the War of 1812. However it was never used in battle nor were troops ever stationed there, by the time it was finished it was considered obsolete after the Civil War due to technical advances in military equipment. It was used as a storage facility during WW I and WW II. The US Gov’t turned it over to the city of Portland in 1960 and is now a public park. It’s on Hog Island Ledge, accessible by boat or kayak only and is not being maintained. Efforts are in place to try to raise funds and keep it on the National Register of Historic Places.
    Next we went across the bay to a rock island looking for seals and found some! They were small and hard to see because you can’t get too close, but we could see them on the rock and playing in the water.
    Ended the excursion going ashore and having lunch at $3 Deweys. Story behind the name is there used to be a brothel nearby where sailors would come in and for $1 they could get a “looky “, $2 a “feely” and $3 a “Dewey”! Later in the afternoon we went to Maine Yacht Center for diesel and water in preparation of leaving early the next morning, and talked to Christian that evening.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Sunrise leaving Portland
    Portland Head LightMemorial Hall 1890 Grand Army of the RepublicOld graveyard from 17821806 Rev. David Jewett1787 Captain Josiah Haskell1876-2007 Church Bell. Replaced bell built by Paul RevereView of harbor from footpathOur boat from townRockport Performance Center

    Rockport, MA

    14–16 Ağu 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Rockport, MA
    Wednesday, August 14 - Kevin woke me up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready for an estimated 13 hour journey to Rockport, Ma. It was either that or do an overnighter, which I really don’t like. We pulled up anchor at 5:10 a.m. and left Portland and Maine to continue our journey down the east coast. We will miss the beauty and cool weather, but not the lobster pots and fog. Winds were coming off our starboard side between 3 and 5 knots. We pulled out the mainsail and hoped the wind would pick up to be able to pull out the jib. By 7:15 a.m. the wind picked up to 10 knots and we had a nice beam reach off our starboard side. We were able to pull out the jib and motor-sail at 6.4 knots. Throughout the day the wind shifted and at one point we pulled the jib back in, then out again. As we were getting close to Rockport, MA at 3:00 p.m. the wind was 12 knots and we had the jib out and motor-sailed at 7.6 knots. We anchored at 3:30. After dinner Renee and Gary came over for an end of journey celebration. Kevin and Gary had bourbon and cigars and Renee and I shared a nice bottle of Pinot Noir. As we sat in the cockpit we noticed the sailboat anchored next to us kept coming closer and in a short amount of time the bow was about to hit our boat, and the crew had gone into town. I used the boat hook to push the boat away and the guys got in the dinghy to move the boat. We thought it was drifting but they determined that the anchor was set, the problem was that it was rhode only, no chain, and stretched a lot and may have had more chain (rhode) out than us. Eventually the wind pushed it farther away. However, at 3 in the morning Kevin woke me up and said he needed my help as the boat was about to hit us again and he didn’t think anyone was on the boat as he couldn’t see the dinghy. Luckily they were and he was able to stir them up. After conversing he asked if they would bring in their anchor by 10 feet. When we woke up again they had moved the boat closer to shore.

    Thursday, August 15 - We went to shore in the morning to a coffee shop for a breakfast sandwich and coffee, I was able to get a cafe ole, yum! Then we went back to get Pepper and we walked around Rockland. It’s bigger than it first appears when you factor in the side streets. It’s a quaint little town next to Gloucester, full of artist shops, clothing boutiques and old homes. There were several restaurants but proportionately not as many as other towns we visited. It’s very family oriented with a nice beach. There are several foot paths that you can take to the beach or lookout points on rocks. We took one that went through woods and came out on rocks overlooking the harbor. We bought tickets for an opera that night at the performance center, thought it would be something different to do. We assumed it was live but it was a film of The Metropolitan Opera on a large screen. The ticket price of $15 should have clued us in that it wasn’t live! But it was fun to watch, it was an adaptation of Cinderella, with a stepfather instead of a stepmother. It was in Italian but had subtitles that were helpful.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Goodbye dinner with En El VientoPizza at Marc Anthony'sWickets IslandStairs to top of Wickets IslandTop of Wickets IslandView of harbor from Wickets Island"I am Aquene. In the language of my people Aquene means Peace..."

    Plymouth and Onset, MA

    16–20 Ağu 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Plymouth
    Friday, August 16 - We had unexpected heavy rain yesterday afternoon for about an hour. Luckily we saw it coming and got things downstairs and closed the windows before it hit. It still soaked the cushions in the cockpit and created a lot of fog in the morning. We had planned to leave Rockport at 7:30 a.m. but waited until 8:30. Fog had not lifted but we left anyway after getting a report that it was lighter further out. Winds were only 5 knots coming from port quarter and stayed that way all day. We anchored near Plymouth at 3:30 p.m.

    Onset, MA
    Saturday, August 17 - It was a cloudy and cold 66 degrees with winds between 15 and 18 knots when we left Plymouth at 8:15 a.m. Great for sailing but unfortunately straight at us. I suggested to Kevin we could tack a lot since the next destination was only 20 miles but he said we needed to time our arrival into Cape Cod Canal with the current. We entered the canal at 10:30 a.m. and got a mooring ball in Onset harbor by noon. A couple that we met in New London suggested Onset as a nice small town to visit and so we decided to check it out. We went out to dinner with Renee and Gary for what was our official goodbye. They were moving on towards Martha’s Vineyard the next day and we were staying for a few more days then headed to New London to see Tracy and Erwin.

    Sunday, August 18 - We moved off the mooring ball and anchored outside the mooring field.. For lunch we went into town to Marc Anthony’s, a pizza place that we passed the night before and then again in the morning when I used the launch service to get a few stables from the convenience store. The window was open where they make the pizza and it smelled wonderful!! I told Kevin we had to go there and was not disappointed! Onset is a very small town with several restaurants and ice cream shops. There is a convenience/liquor store, laundromat, and Ace hardware on three corners of one intersection that is 2 blocks from the dinghy dock. And that’s about it! No art galleries or fancy boutique shops, maybe one souvenir shop. But it has a rather large beach that is not deep but it is long. The town was busier at night than Rockport, I think because it’s a summer hangout for neighboring towns. After lunch we took Pep to Wickets Island, a very small piece of land in the middle of the harbor. It is surrounded by trees and there is a tall staircase by the landing dock. At the top is a plateau of mowed grass and a nice lookout of the harbor.

    Monday, August 19 - We stayed in Onset an extra day to wait out the storm system that came from the south. We got heavy rain in the early morning and scattered showers throughout the day. I did major cleaning trying to keep the boat mold free.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Cliff Walk
    Chinese Tea HouseThe Breakers and The Great Elephant Migration displayThe Colony House 1739-1776, The State House 1776-1900White Horse Tavern, 1673, oldest tavern in the countryNewport HarborKevin and Wade

    Newport, Rhode Island

    21–23 Ağu 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Newport
    Wednesday, August 21 - We left the mooring ball in Hadley Cove at 7:49, 19 minutes later than Kevin wanted to and I appreciated the extra sleep. Winds were stronger today staying around 15 knots coming 289 degrees from the west. We were heading 311 degrees NE, so we were tight to the wind. We had the mainsail fully out and the jib reefed. Temperature was 60 degrees and sunny. Water temperature was up to 71 degrees from the 50’s of Maine. By early afternoon the winds picked up to 20 knots with gusts registering as high as 29. The waves became higher and more rough and we heeled toward starboard a good part of the day. The boat rolled a bit but was manageable on deck, I did forgo making lunch though. We arrived in Newport Harbor around 2:30 p.m. and spent about 30 minutes trying to snag the mooring ball. Between the wind and current every time we got close to the line it went under the boat or away from me. The few times it was close enough I was not quick enough to grasp it, or Kevin told me to switch methods and by the time I did it got away. I finally got the dang thing and vowed never to get another mooring ball! I like being on one but I hate snagging one. We used the launch service to go into town, walked around for 45 minutes then met Kevin’s past colleague, Wade, for dinner at Perro Salado (Salty Dog). The restaurant was in a historic home from 1714.

    Thursday, August 22 - We walked 2.5 miles to the south entrance of the Cliff Walk, a path that has the ocean on one side and old mansions on the other. The south end has a lot of rocks and boulders that you have to climb on and over, making it a bit more difficult than the north end. We went about 2.5 miles of the 3.5 mile trail. The views of the ocean were stunning with the waves crashing against the rocks. The mansions were clearly old and huge. One had two chimneys with 5 smoke vents in each. Along the path The Breakers mansion, a “summer cottage” of the Vanderbilts built in 1893-95, had an exhibit of sculptured elephants from The Great Elephant Migration. They are life size sculptures made by indigenous artists from lantana camara, a weed in South India. You can purchase a baby elephant for $8,000 and an adult for $14,000! You need a really big yard for either one! We exited the trail by Salve Regina University, a private catholic school I had never heard of. It too had elephant sculptures on display. We walked around Newport a bit walking past large and regular size homes and duplexes, and past several parks. It is the cleanest city I can remember, I never once saw trash on the street anywhere. All told we walked 8 miles.
    Later in the afternoon we went to the Newport Maritime Center to do laundry, it’s part of the public marina and had coin showers, a large lounge with TV and slow WiFi.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Cocktails on Tracy and Erwin's boat
    Raising the mainsailJager's first sailDinner on our boatNathan Hale Schoolhouse March 1774-July 1775. Died In Revolutionary War. "I have only one regret thaSubmarineNew London Ledge LightVisiting with Chris and John

    New London, CT

    23–26 Ağu 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    New London, Connecticut

    Friday, August 23 - We left Newport mooring field at 7:30 a.m. We had nice winds at 15 knots coming over our starboard bow. The waves were low making for a calm sail. We pulled out both sails and motor-sailed on a close haul tack until about 10:00, then the winds were directly over the bow and we pulled in the jib. Around 11:00 we were able to pull the jib out again but this time on a port close haul tack. At 12:55 winds were 22 knots and we turned off the engine as we were leaving the far southeast corner of Rhode Island. As we came into Connecticut lobster pots started showing up and Kevin turned the motor back on to head further out from shore with the intention of turning it off again but the winds died so we never did. When we came to the Thames River the winds were 21 knots and we were on a port close reach with a good amount of heel. As we approached our anchorage across from General Dynamics we passed a US Navy submarine out for testing! I was excited to see one as we didn’t get a chance the first time we were here. Also docked close to us is the US Coast Guard Eagle cutter sailboat as this is its home base. That night we met Tracy and Erwin on their boat and went to dinner at Social, the same restaurant Kevin and I went to when we were in town previously, mostly because they had a patio for Jager.

    Saturday, August 24 - Erwin picked us up at the town dock and took Kevin to get groceries and to Best Buy to get STARLINK!! I’m so excited to have internet on the boat! I went to their hotel and took a real shower 😃
    We took their boat out in the afternoon for a nice leisurely sail then back to our boat for dinner.

    Sunday, August 25 - Kevin went to a real barbershop in the morning! First time since we left Texas! He had me trimming his hair which never turned out well 😄. I walked around the area with Pepper and did a bit of site seeing waiting for him. Tracy and Erwin picked us up at the town dock and we drove to Mystic with the 4 of us, Jager their 95 pound golden retriever, and Pepper in Tracy’s little convertible Lexus! It was quite cozy in the back but luckily only a 10 minute drive. We had lunch and strolled the shops. I tried to find a Christmas ornament to represent our trips to Connecticut but sadly all I found was a glass one and an ugly boat for more money than it was worth. Nothing but high priced boutique shops and restaurants.
    Later that afternoon we had cocktails and dinner (at Social again!) with Chris and John Boswell, who are also from Kemah and we know through our boat club. We’ve been following each other as we both are cruising the east coast and managed to be in the same place!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Block Island Anchorage
    Weather system that brought hailNorth Light from start of pathNorth LightPath of sand and mostly rocksDinner with Marleen and John from Serendipity

    Block Island, Rhode Island

    26–31 Ağu 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Monday, August 26 - It was very calm when we left New London at 8:50 a.m. for Block Island; the water was smooth, wind was 2 knots and the air was warm. It was the first time since before Maine that I was not wearing pants and a jacket. It was an easy ride to Block Island and we anchored at 1:30 p.m. Around 5:00 p.m. a hail storm came over us. Winds were blowing the water so hard it looked like anchored boats were motoring. Boats were dragging, including us, and we were dancing with 2 other boats trying not to hit each other, one was vacant and the other had a couple doing the same thing as us. Kevin was steering the boat, with the anchor down, to avoid the other boats. After 20 minutes or so the hail stopped and the rain and wind slowed enough that I was able to go on deck and pull up the anchor. The mud here is very heavy and full of shells and I had to push a heavy clunk of mud and shells off the anchor. While I did that Kevin moved the boat to the outside of the anchorage away from other boats and we re-anchored. The next day we stopped to talk to a Catalina owner anchored by us and he got hit by another boat, bent his railing and busted the side window. It was definitely the wildest experience we’ve had on the boat yet.
    Prior to the storm Kevin set up the STARLINK to work with the TV and Firestick. We can finally watch shows and movies on the TV, including live TV!! Previously we could only stream to our iPads.

    Tuesday, August 27 - We moved the boat early in the morning back into the designated anchorage area. It again took us 3 attempts to get the anchor to bite properly because of all the shells. This area is pretty and though there are a lot of boats they are spread out a good amount. But I can only imagine what it is like on a holiday weekend! We took Pepper to shore and walked just over a mile to town. There are shops and taverns along the way and once in the center of town they are more clustered together. There seemed to be several vintage stores. We found a bagel shop and I got souvenirs at another shop.

    Wednesday, August 28 - We had hoped that it would be a calm morning so that we could use the paddle board however the winds were too high and the water was rough. It was supposed to rain but never really did. What is interesting about Block Island is the high number of boats that raft up together. We saw 5, 6 and up to 7 boats rafted together, and numerous 2 and 3 boats together. We also noticed most boats were from New England, specifically Rhode Island and Connecticut. This is definitely a local destination weekend cruiser spot.

    Thursday, August 29 - We went into town to Poor Man’s Pub for lunch then that’s about it! A Catalina 470 anchored close to us that afternoon and Kevin hailed them on the VHF and invited them over for cocktails. Marleen and John are on Serendipity and hail from Maryland. They don’t exactly live full time on their boat but they are on it a lot and work remotely from there.

    Friday, August 30 - We put both bikes in the dinghy and went into town and rode to Block Island North Light. The ride was about 3.5 miles one way then there was a mile or so walk on sand to get to the lighthouse. The house itself was rather large in terms of number of rooms and is 2 levels. We couldn’t go upstairs or into the light tower but the museum was interesting. That night Marleen and John from Serendipity came over for dinner and we grilled hamburgers and chicken. A third Catalina 470 also anchored near us, Kokomo. They swung by on their dinghy to say hello. They are from Groton, CT. It would have been fun to stay a little longer and spend more time with both boats but we wanted to move on before the Labor Day crowd really hit. We went to the dinghy dock in the afternoon to walk Pepper and bring trash and couldn’t find a spot on the dinghy dock to tie up. People were not leaving long lines out and were tight to the dock. I had to climb over another boat to get to the dock while Kevin stayed in our dinghy, a signal that it’s time to leave.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Block Island AnchorageNorth LightRock and sand path leading to the lighthouseJohn and Marlene, Serendipity

    Block Island, Rhode Island

    27 Ağu–1 Eyl 2024, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Monday, August 26 - It was very calm when we left New London at 8:50 a.m. for Block Island; the water was smooth, wind was 2 knots and the air was warm. It was the first time since before Maine that I was not wearing pants and a jacket. It was an easy ride to Block Island and we anchored at 1:30 p.m. It took us 3 attempts because there are so many shells on the bottom they prevented the anchor from biting in the mud. Around 5:00 p.m. a hail storm came over us. Winds were blowing the water so hard it looked like anchored boats were motoring. Boats were dragging, including us, and we were dancing with 2 other boats trying not to hit each other, one was vacant and the other had a couple doing the same thing as us. Kevin was steering the boat, with the anchor down, to avoid the other boats. After 15-20 minutes the hail stopped and the rain and wind slowed enough that I was able to go on deck and pull up the anchor. The mud here is very heavy and full of shells and I had to push a heavy clunk of mud off the anchor. While I did that Kevin moved the boat to outside of the anchorage away from other boats and we re-anchored. The next day we stopped to talk to a Catalina owner anchored by us and he got hit by another boat, bent his railing and busted the side window. It was definitely the wildest experience we’ve had on the boat yet.
    Prior to the storm Kevin set up the STARLINK to work with the TV and Firestick. We can finally watch shows and movies on the TV, including live TV!! Previously we could only stream to our iPads.

    Tuesday, August 27 - We moved the boat early in the morning back into the designated anchorage area. It again took us 3 attempts to get the anchor to bite properly because of all the shells. This area is pretty and though there are a lot of boats they are spread out a good amount. But I can only imagine what it is like on a holiday weekend! We took Pepper to shore and walked just over a mile to town. There are shops and taverns along the way and once in the center of town they are more clustered together. There seemed to be several vintage stores. We found a bagel shop and I got souvenirs at another shop.

    Wednesday, August 28 - We had hoped that it would be a calm morning so that we could use the paddle board however the winds were too high and the water was rough. It was supposed to rain but never really did. What is interesting about Block Island is the high number of boats that raft up together. We saw 5, 6 and up to 7 boats rafted together, and numerous 2 and 3 boats together. We also noticed most boats were from New England, specifically Rhode Island and Connecticut. This is definitely a local destination cruiser spot.

    Thursday, August 29 - We went into town to Poor Man’s Pub for lunch then that’s about it! A Catalina 470 anchored close to us that afternoon and Kevin hailed them on the VHF and invited them over for cocktails. Marleen and John are on Serendipity and hail from Maryland. They don’t exactly live full time on their boat but they are on it a lot and work remotely from there.

    Friday, August 30 - We put both bikes in the dinghy and went into town and rode to Block Island North Light. The ride was about 3.5 miles one way then there was a mile or so walk on sand and rocks to get to the lighthouse. The house itself was rather large in terms of number of rooms and is 2 levels. We couldn’t go upstairs or into the light tower but the museum was interesting. That night Marleen and John from Serendipity came over for dinner and we grilled hamburgers and chicken. A third Catalina 470 also anchored near us, Kokomo. They swung by on their dinghy to say hello. They are from Groton, CT. It would have been fun to stay a little longer and spend more time with both boats but we wanted to move on before the Labor Day crowd really hit. We went to the dinghy dock in the afternoon to walk Pepper and bring trash and couldn’t find a spot on the dinghy dock to tie up. People were not leaving long lines out and were tight to the dock. I had to climb over another boat to get to the dock while Kevin stayed in our dinghy.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Three Mile Harbor
    Northwest HarborShelter IslandOrient beachOrient AnchorageLong Beach Bar LighthouseLong Beach lighthouse at sunsetPort JeffersonEaton Neck Coast Guard StationNorthport anchorage

    Long Island, New York

    31 Ağu–6 Eyl 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Three Mile Harbor
    Saturday, August 31 - It’s the unofficial last day of summer. We pulled the mainsail out, lifted the anchor and left Block Island for Three Mile Harbor, NY at 7:40 a.m. Winds were coming over our port side but only at about 2 knots. We finally got a good heading to sail but no wind. I’m happy that the sun is out and it’s warm. We arrived and anchored at Three Mile Harbor at 1:57 p.m. We lowered the dinghy and rode around the harbor to several of the marinas checking them out while looking for diesel options. It’s a big place with probably 6 or more marinas with very few boats in the anchorage area.

    Sunday, September 1 - It’s the unofficial start of fall! Rain was forecasted for today and we did get some drizzle late morning. Cleared up for a bit then became cloudy again late afternoon with showers and higher wind. We contemplated leaving today as we had no plans to go ashore but decided to stay another day for the rain to pass.

    Northwest Harbor
    Monday, September 2 - Happy Labor Day! We woke up to 15 knot winds and no rain. The sky was covered with a thin layer of white clouds and it was mildly warm. We pulled anchor at 10 a.m. and motored for about an hour to a cove around the bend from Three Mile Harbor and west of Sag Harbor for a new view. It was a pretty view, surrounded on 3 sides by beach and no other boats anchored, just a few day boats along the beach. On one side of the land were structures that looked like lean-to camping buildings that turned out to be a “glamping” tent site. There was a pizza shop there but not opened on Tuesday. The water was mostly calm, a bit rolly but overall not bad. The winds that night were very high, we could hear it howling as we went to bed.

    Orient
    Tuesday, September 3 - We left Northwest Harbor at 11:00 a.m. and chose to take the longer scenic route to Orient by going to the west of Shelter Island versus east. The current was in our favor and we were able to move at 7 knots with minimal rpms, no sail. The sun was bright and the air was a cool 69 degrees with low humidity. We are in the Hamptons and it is lovely with beautiful homes and large trees behind narrow sandy beaches. We finished anchoring at 2:00 off Long Beach across from Orient, Long Island. We are again surrounded by trees and beach, with only 2 other sailboats nearby. We went ashore with Pepper and the beach is made of small stones and seashells along with leftover crab shells and legs. It’s 71 degrees and beautiful. Except for the biting flies 😏

    Port Jefferson
    Wednesday, September 4 - We left Orient in 59 degree weather at 7:30 a.m. though it felt warmer with the sun and no wind. The water was flat and winds were only 4 knots at best.
    Once out in Gardiners Bay the wind picked up to 15 knots just off our port bow and we pulled the mainsail out. We went through Plum Gut at 9 knots with the current into Long Island Sound. Once in Long Island Sound we pulled out the jib and sailed between a close haul and close reach tack with the wind now coming over our starboard side. Unfortunately that didn’t last long and by 9:30 the wind was gone and we pulled the jib back in. We anchored in Port Jefferson by 3:30 p.m. This was also a quiet anchorage with only 3 other sailboats. It was slightly busy in the afternoon with a high school rowing team out practicing which was fun to watch, a few jet skiers, dingy boats going to the small beach and a ferry that caused intermittent waves.

    Northport
    Thursday, September 5 - We departed Port Jefferson at 8:11 and pulled the mainsail out part way. There was no wind until we got out of the cove and into Long Island Sound when it picked up to 10 knots. We then pulled out the main fully along with the jib and sailed on a broad reach starboard tack. It had been a long time since the wind was behind us. By 11:15 both sails had been pulled in, the jib about 30 minutes earlier, as we approached our destination. Of course the winds picked up substantially with small white caps the closer we got to our anchorage! We anchored in Northport at 11:30. It was a bigger anchorage than I expected, compared to the last nights. There are a lot of boats in a mooring field, we anchored a good distance from them, further away from the town dock. At first we were the only boat anchored until a leisure motor yacht anchored near us. We were surrounded by homes, including a multiplex unit with its lawn being mowed, and directly in front of us are power plant towers. I would not say it is the prettiest location on Long Island but it was quiet at night. We had planned to go ashore and stay another day to do a few errands but decided to leave tomorrow and do it all in Port Washington.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    On Ori and Lisa's boat, Miranda III
    Dinghy raft upChrysler buildingNY LibraryTimes SquareEmpire State BuildingEntrance Empire State BuildingUnion SquareWorld Trade Center

    Port Washington

    6–10 Eyl 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Friday, September 6 - We pulled anchor at 8:00 a.m. and left for Port Washington in cloudy weather. It was 59 degrees but no rain. We thought it would be a good sail day as the winds were 10-12 knots and at a good angle to the boat; beam reach from starboard side. That lasted for about an hour then the winds slowed down. We brought the jib in and motor sailed with the main. We arrived at Port Washington around noon and found a good spot to anchor between the mooring fields. A couple that we previously met in Onslet, MA, David and Karen, stopped by in their dinghy and invited us to a dinghy hangout later that night. After a much needed pumpout we went for a much needed grocery run. We were so low on food we only got about 3/4 of our list to limit how much we needed to carry back to the dinghy. Plan is to return tomorrow along with doing much needed laundry. It’s been 7 days that we’ve been on the move and I’m ready for a break, happy to be in Port W. where there are amenities nearby and more people. That night we went to the dinghy meet-up and met several other cruisers, all with interesting stories.

    Saturday, September 7 - It was very cloudy and rainy all day and we opted to hold off with errands. A storm passed over us around 4:00 in the afternoon with 35 knot winds. It was not as bad as the hail storm in Block Island but a boat near us was dragging and almost hit the catamaran next to us. The owner was not on the dragging boat and TowBoat US came out and worked to fend off the boat. We decided to pull anchor and move to a mooring, as we did the owner of the boat was returning in his dinghy.

    Sunday, September 8 - We walked to the laundromat in the morning. While there Kevin went to a bagel shop and bought a bakers dozen. Later that afternoon we met Ori and Lisa Cohen on their Catalina 470 which they keep in the marina. Kevin contacted Ori the first time we were in Port W. but he was out of town. He owns a manufacturing business and he and Kevin connected on Facebook when Kevin was installing a chart plotter. Ori made him a customized metal plate to go under the plotter as it was a different size from the original plotter. They were super hosts, had lots of wonderful cheeses for snacks and good wine! Ori is from Israel and told us the story behind the name of his boat, Miranda III. When living in Israel his father had a horse or mule that was named Miranda and was very stubborn with a mind of her own. That started an expression in their family of “that’s a Miranda” or “he/she is pulling a Miranda “. He bought his first boat on a whim and against his ex- wife’s wishes. Thus he named his first boat “Miranda” and kept the name for his second and now third boat. Another couple from the marina, Zhanna and Andrew, came to chat for a bit. Zhanna is from Kazakhstan and was fun to talk with. We then went with Lisa and Ori to a Turkish restaurant and had a delicious meal.

    Monday, September 9 - We walked about 30 minutes to the train station and went into NYC, getting off at Grand Central Station. Another couple we met at the raft-up Friday night, Ken and Eilu, were also on the train so we chatted with them on the way in. They are interesting, he’s Scottish and she is from Singapore. They have been cruising for 9 years! Literally been all around the world. They are slowly making their way back to Singapore, where they live. He is a true sailor, he was waiting a week for the winds to be just right before departing again. He joined the navy (I assume in Scotland) at age 20 and was enlisted for 10 years, then went into commercial marine. He met Eilu while working in Singapore. He’s been on the water his whole life and around the world 3 times!
    In NYC we spent the entire day walking around the city, over 13 miles and 32,400 steps! We walked to Times Square, Union Square, Bryant Park, Chelsea, SoHo, Herald Square, NYU, Hudson River, Battery Park, Greenwich, Tribeca and back tracked a bit. We had Raman for lunch in the area of NYU. I had never been to that area so it was fun to see the university and students. We went by Kevin’s Metadata stomping grounds and had a slice of pizza at Joe’s Pizza, his favorite pizza joint, then met Eric, a past colleague at Brooklyner’s, a pub near their office. They of course caught up with each other and what’s currently happening at Metadata. To conclude the experience we took the subway to Penn Station and a train back to Port W.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Hudson River
    9/11 Memorial9/11 MemorialKevin's NYC stomping groundsFavorite NY pizza jointWith Eric at Brooklyner pubMarine OneTwin Towers memorial lightingNYC Anchorage

    NYC Pictures and Liberty Island

    9–10 Eyl 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Liberty Island
    Tuesday, September 10 - We got an early start to the morning with Kevin getting water at the dinghy dock while I walked Pepper then finished up the grocery shopping. Kevin changed the oil in the outboard and generator motors while I cleaned up around the boat preparing to depart. John and Marleen from Serendipity arrived yesterday and came by on their dinghy to say hello. We made tentative plans to meet in Sandy Hook. We left Port Washington at 2:35 and motored down the East River. About 30 minutes out we heard the Coast Guard report that they were closing the East River by Wall Street from 1700 and 1800 hours for security. Kevin tried to speed up to get past that closure before 5:00 but the current wasn’t strong enough. I suggested that we slow down instead. Later they changed the time from 1530 to 1900, but also clarified that it was not fully closed. We ended up losing time due to the slow down but still anchored by 6:30 p.m. As we anchored helicopters and Osprey aircraft flew over and chatter on the VHF confirmed it was President Biden. We chose to anchor closer to Ellis Island this time as we heard it was calmer than by Liberty and farther away from the ferry boats. Our intention was to possibly stay 2 nights and make a run up the Hudson River for fun, however, the water was still very rolly and making dinner was not fun. After an hour or so I declared we would leave in the morning and Kevin was in complete agreement! That night we watched the Trump/Harris debate.Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Atlantic Highlands
    Atlantic Highlands1View of NYC at nightOvernight sail

    New Jersey

    11–16 Eyl 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Sandy Hook/ Atlantic Highlands
    Wednesday, September 11 - Thursday September 12 -
    We left Liberty Island at 9:52 a.m. just as President Biden was flying overhead in Marine One to go back to D.C. We motored to Sandy Hook and arrived at 1:05. On Thursday we went into the town of Atlantic Highlands with Pepper and walked about 1.3 miles down 1st Street. We stopped at the grocery store and liquor store for extra provisions and on the way back found the post office and passed a man carrying a propane tank. Upon inquiring we learned the hardware store sold propane. We went back in the afternoon to fill our 2 empty tanks and mail Evan’s bday card. We were glad we found out about the propane as we were worried we would run out. Previously I mentioned how the town reminded me of Lake Hiawatha, NJ where I grew up through elementary school. As we were walking back from getting propane there were 3 girls with their bicycles eating ice cream outside the ice cream shop. That’s exactly what I would do when I was young! Except it was penny candy instead of ice cream. I could move there!

    Cape May
    Friday & Saturday Sept. 13 - 14 Happy Birthday to our son-in-law Evan! We had planned to stay in Atlantic Highlands another day to do more things, such as a bike ride and eat Thai food, but Kevin was concerned about forecasts of strong waves offshore that would impact our trip to Cape May and potentially cause us to stay there several days. We decided to leave a day early and go past the Cape May inlet that is off the Atlantic and into Delaware Bay. I spent the day doing my usual routine of cooking for an overnight passage and cleaning. We pulled anchor at 3:00 p.m, first stopping for fuel at the marina, and began our overnight journey. The waves and wind were mild at first, but the waves picked up by nightfall and continued to increase making the trip bumpy. There was not enough wind to really sail and we used the mainsail to try to keep the boat more stable. By 12:30 p.m. on Saturday we were rounding the corner of Cape May and entering Delaware Bay. We anchored near the beach and break wall to get out of the swells. It was a little bouncy until the ferries shut down but once night time came we slept like babies after getting 3 hours or less of sleep the night before!

    Delaware River
    Sunday, September 15 - The wind was howling when we woke up and the sun was shining - great day for a sail! We pulled anchor at 10:45 and headed up Delaware Bay. The winds were around 10-15 knots and we were able to sail on a broad reach. Kevin commented that the waves were like we were offshore with small whitecaps, I replied we kind of were since there was no land in sight, it may be a bay but it’s big. Eventually the current was no longer against us and the waves calmed down a bit. We continued sailing until we got near the Cohansey River, our destination for anchoring. The wind picked up significantly and pulling in the jib was difficult as we tried to get the best angle to the wind. We motored around the river looking for a good place to anchor where it wasn’t too deep and had limited crap pots. We ended up back toward the mouth of the river and finished anchoring at 4:40 p.m. Regardless of where we anchored it was going to be bouncy. We were between NJ and Delaware, on the NJ side, at the base of the Delaware River. In the evening as I made dinner the boat was rolling side to side quite a bit but it did die down as we went to bed and we slept well.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Hole in the Wall bar
    Bayard House restaurantDrinks at Batard HouseLarge cargo going down C&D Canal"Bygone Days"Tiki BarAnchoragePark next to public dock

    Chesapeake City

    16–19 Eyl 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Chesapeake City, MD
    Monday, September 16 - Alarms went off at 6:30 and with coffee tumblers in hand we went on deck, pulled anchor and departed at 7:30. Before turning on the engine Kevin spotted Ken and Eilu’s boat, Antares II, passing by us. He hailed them on the VHS and chatted a bit. They were heading up the C&D Canal also and planned to sail until dusk, we planned to stop sooner so Kevin can take a consulting call. It was cloudier and cooler than the previous day and winds were a good 20 knots. We pulled out the Mainsail and sailed up the Delaware River with the current at 7 knots. It was very windy in the river which made the air cold and the waves rough. By 10:00 we approached the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, pulled in the sail and made the turn into the canal. This was a relief as the wind was much calmer and the temperature warmed up. In front of us were 2 other sailboats, with Antares II directly in front, and another behind us. The canal is narrow, lined with shrubs, trees and a low rock wall. There is a 15 mile nature path that starts in Chesapeake City and runs parallel with the canal where we see a lot of people biking. While in Chesapeake City we learned that the canal is 450 feet wide and 35 feet deep and it is the 3rd largest in the US. We anchored at noon in Chesapeake City, a location we anchored for one night on the way up the East Coast. After lunch we lowered the dinghy and took Pepper for a walk, then early evening we went to The Bayard House Restaurant located on the canal. We had a cocktail at the outside bar, named Hole in the Wall, then went upstairs for dinner. The cocktails and food were both good. Kevin got wild boar ribs and I had the cajun chicken alfredo. The portions matched those of Texas; they were huge! We had an appetizer and combined with that we both brought most of our meals back in a doggie bag, but the doggie did not get the food. The restaurant was cool, it is the oldest building in the town, built in 1780 as an inn and tavern. The restaurant has small rooms of 4 tables inside. We ate on what would have probably been the balcony and was now closed in with large picture glass windows. As we were ordering a LARGE container ship came up the canal, proving that it is still used for commercial traffic.

    Tuesday, September 17 - We visited a coffee shop in the morning and on the way back stopped to talk with a boat owner that had tied his boat up to the free town dock, which had a 24 hour limit, to see when he would be moving as we wanted to get water. He basically said he wasn’t moving due to the weather, we kinda hinted it was 24 hour usage and he kinda ignored that hint. He did offer to move his boat to make room for us and help catch our lines. We moved from the Anchorage to the dock around 11:00 a.m. and gave the cockpit a thorough washing; it had not been cleaned since the end of May and was in need of a good scrub down. We also filled all 4 water tanks. I went to the Town Hall to pay for our water usage ($10 for water and $25 for electricity) and in talking with the city worker he kind of gave us the ok to stay 2 nights. Since rain was predicted all day Wednesday, and clouds were already looming in the sky, we decided to stay on the dock 2 nights. It’s a very small anchorage and town, and we figured not many cruisers would come through this time of year. That afternoon we went to the Tiki Bar for Happy Hour at the restaurant by the marina. For dinner we had my leftover pasta!

    Wednesday, September 18 - It drizzled all day but never rained hard. Light enough that I could take Pepper for several walks but wet enough to not want to sit outside. It was a good cleaning day; cleaned and reorganized the forward head cabinets and the overhead hatch windows. Late afternoon we visited the brewery Bayheads.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Sassafras River sunset
    Sassafras River AnchorageReady for Halloween!Southern Cross and SerendipityKevin and JohnFrancis Scott Key bridgeInteresting rock formations near Baltimore

    Sassafras River to Essex, MD

    19–23 Eyl 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    Sassafras River
    Thursday, September 19 - While Kevin was on his 9:00 consulting call I prepared the boat for departure and moved all the cushions, seats, pillows, etc back up into the cockpit now that the rain had passed. We left the dock at 11:00 a.m. and went down the last of the C&D Canal, into Chesapeake Bay to the Sassafras River. We went about an hour up the river to a marina where we got a pumpout. From there we went back down the river for 15 minutes and anchored at 3:46 near the mouth of Freeman Creek. The Sassafras River lies between Delaware and Maryland, on the map it looks like we are in Delaware but the zip code comes up as Maryland. The location was nice, the water was smooth and there were no other boats around us anchored.

    Essex, MD
    Friday, September 20 - Kevin pulled up the anchor and I steered us back onto our course a little before 11:00 a.m. A couple had set up a triangle area in the creek with bouys and were crabbing, paying no attention to us what so ever, whom we had to navigate around. It was a beautiful sunny day, in the mid to high 70’s with 6 knots of wind and smooth water. By 12:15 we turned into Chesapeake Bay and pulled out the sails, however that did not last long. Soon after the wind left us and we had nothing but hot sun. Tiny flying insects that looked like minuscule ants were flying into the boat and very annoying. They didn’t bite but tickled and at times covered us. We put on lemon and Eucalyptus oil to try to deter them. In a short amount of time there was no wind, even motoring we were only creating 2 knots. We went onto the Middle River and docked in Essex in John and Marlene’s (Setendidity) community marina. That night we went to their house for dinner and she made a delicious meal of chicken with a sun dried tomato cream sauce.

    Saturday, September 21 - It was a slow day, I didn’t do much other then take pepper for a walk, clean the outside cushions and finish my book. I had planned to go for a run but that never happened. Late that night a big thunderstorm came through with lightning, lighting up the boat at times.

    Sunday, September 22 - Maureen loaned us her car to go to Home Depot and Walmart for groceries in the morning. We left at 2:00 p.m for Baltimore. It was a partially cloudy day, half the sky was clear and half was grey. The wind was blowing around 8 knots and we were able to pull the sails out for a little while once we were in the Bay but it didn’t last long and by 4:00 we had pulled both back in. We went past the Francis Scott Key bridge at 4:20 and saw the large gap where the ship crashed into it. We anchored south of the bridge at 5:00 p.m. next to the Maryland Yacht Club.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Baltimore Museum of ArtBaltimore Museum of Art

    Baltimore, MD

    24 Eyl–3 Eki 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    Sunday, September 22 - Maureen loaned us her car to go to Home Depot and Walmart for groceries in the morning. We left at 2:00 p.m for Baltimore. It was a partially cloudy day, half the sky was clear and half was grey. The wind was blowing around 8 knots and we were able to pull the sails out for a little while once we were in the Bay but it didn’t last long and by 4:00 we had pulled both back in. We went past the Francis Scott Key bridge at 4:20 and saw the large gap where the ship crashed into it. We anchored south of the bridge at 5:00 p.m. next to the Maryland Yacht Club.

    Monday, September 23 - The morning was cloudy and cool - a sign that fall is here!! I’m excited and hopeful to see fall foliage for the first time in over 30 years! We pulled anchor around 10 a.m. and motored under what would have been the Francis Scott Key bridge then up the Patapsco River in the Fort McHenry Channel. We arrived at Anchorage Marina, our home for the next 8 days, shortly after that. As we circled around the outside of the marina we spotted Unteathered, Adrienne and Paul’s boat, who we met coming up the east coast. Their boat was closed and we weren’t sure if they would be around. Once tied up to our dock we checked out the marina amenities and picked up packages we had delivered there. For dinner we ventured toward the area called Fells Point, though with hindsight we went the wrong direction, when we saw a Caribbean restaurant that looked interesting, Judy’s Island Grill. The food was good but service was adequate given we were the only customers. It did a lot of takeout business while we were there.

    Tuesday, September 24 - We spent the day getting ready for the upcoming week - moving all the “garage” items off the bed for Deb’s visit, doing laundry, filling the water tanks, etc. Kevin saw Paul from Unteathered on the dock and we got together with them after dinner in the captain’s lounge. It started raining late that afternoon as Hurricane Helene was coming up the west side of Florida.

    Wednesday , September 25 - Kevin left at 4:45 a.m. for his annual golf trip with the boys in Branson, MO. Debra arrived to hang out with me at 6:00 p.m. During the day I cleaned the forward cabin while all the “garage” items were off the bed and to get ready for Deb’s arrival. It was a very rainy day but fortunately when Kevin left in the early morning and Debra arrived in the evening the rain was light.

    Thursday, September 26 - Debra and I spent the day touring Fort McHenry, the inspiration that prompted Francis Key Scott to write the Star Spangled Banner. Story is he went to the British ships to plea a case to release an American hostage and was trapped there while the British bombarded the fort during the War of 1812. In the morning through the fog he saw that the American flag had been raised, indicating victory. We slept in and waited for the rain to stop. We walked a half mile to the water taxi launch site, took the water taxi across the river, then walked about 2 miles to the fort. We started with watching a movie about the history of the fort and walked through the museum. Then we went outside to tour the Fort. It is well preserved/restored and gives one a sense of what it looked like it the 1800’s. Afterward we stopped at a tavern we spotted on our way in and had a late lunch. Lots of walking and a tiring day! Fortunately the rain held out during the day. We finished the day having appetizers for dinner and began watching “The Perfect Couple” on Netflix starring Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiner.

    Friday, September 27 - Deb and I spent the day touring the Baltimore museum of Art, taking a Lyft this time! It has a lot of Henri Matisse art and displays his numerous styles of work throughout his career. It also has a few Renoir and Monet pieces, 2 of my favorite artists.. That night we continued watching “The Perfect Couple” and guessing who the murderer was.

    Saturday, September 28 - Shopping Day! The rain took a break and the sun came out for one day. We walked to an outdoor shopping center looking for long length shorts for me, which were hard to find as it was past the season. We finally scored at JCrew with a 70% off sale! Proof you should never pay full price. That night we went to Mama’s on the Half Shell for dinner, recommended by one of Kevin’s golf buddies. Meh. (Sorry Brian.) We got calamari for an app and it came with ranch dressing (come again? Ranch?). I got rockfish with crab stuffing that was good and green beans that were cooked to a perfect texture but overloaded with butter and garlic. Deb got a hot lobster roll and fries and enjoyed it. Once again service was bad, server brought our drinks and appetizer, then took our dinner order and we never saw her again. By the time we paid our bill both my cocktail glass and water glass had been empty for most of the meal. We finished the night watching the last episodes of The Perfect Couple and Deb guessed the killer correctly! The rain came back that night and fortunately I closed the hatches before we went to sleep.

    Sunday, September 29 - It was a drizzly, rainy day. I did laundry, cleaning all the wet towels from the rain, and Deb helped me defrost the freezer and do large item grocery shopping. In the evening we called Jan (she was invited to come but had other obligations) and we watched the George Clooney and Brad Pitt movie “Wolfs”. It was ok, a bit of an “Ocean 11” spinoff in terms of the back and forth quips between the two of them.

    Monday, September 30 - Debra caught a Lyft at 7:15 a.m. to go to the airport just as the rain lightened up and Kevin returned from Branson, MO at 6:25 p.m. I spent the day dodging the rain and doing errands; last minute run to Safeway; liquor store; laundry of bedsheets; running 3.25 miles, filling water tanks, indoor cleaning while bottom job was being done, etc.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Pusser's with the souvenir tin cup
    Naval Academy hall where paintings of various Superintendents are housed.Plaque with Battle of Midway naval success statisticsMemorial honoring submarine fleetsDorm building and our tour guideOne of the doors to the dormsReplica of Indian figurehead from USS Delaware.John Paul Jones cryptJohn Paul Jones is considered the father of the US Navy

    Annapolis, MD

    2 Ekim 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Magothy River
    Tuesday, October 1 - Another very rainy day with the remnants of Hurricane Helene passing over. I did a final 2 loads of laundry and walked to Safeway for milk and more quarters, all in a steady drizzle of rain. We left the dock around noon and stopped for diesel on the way out. It was not raining hard but it was a nasty wet for the first 2 hours as we headed south toward Annapolis. As I made lunch Kevin pulled out the jib to give us a bit more speed and by the time we finished eating the rain had stopped. We approached the Magothy River at 3:30 and anchored just inside the mouth of it. The air was thick with moisture and it started to drizzle just as we finished moving items downstairs to keep them dry. It has been raining for 8 days and it’s getting old.

    Annapolis
    Wednesday, October 2 - Rain stayed away during the night and started again in the morning. The anchorage was calm overall; we were the only boat and I thought there was little rocking. Kevin said it was more movement than he would have liked but I think he got spoiled sleeping in a house while on his golf trip! We left at 9:57 a.m. after the rain stopped though it was still very cloudy. Weather predictions keep saying the rain will end “tomorrow” but tomorrow keeps moving! We arrived in Annapolis by 11:30 with many other boats already there for the boat shows. The power boat show starts tomorrow, followed by the sailboat show. Next weekend. We anchored next to the Naval Academy, further out than the last time but still close enough for a dinghy ride. Our plan is to try to get a mooring after some power boats leave, though I’m sure many other captains have the same intention.
    For dinner we took the water taxi to town and went to Pusser’s, it was not crowded and we figured we would go before the boat shows started. We both got their signature Painkiller drink and I got mine in a souvenir tin cup as the restaurant is closing in November. Afterwards we walked around the harbor area and stopped at The Federal House for a cocktail.

    Thursday, October 3 - The sun finally came out!! It was overcast in the morning, causing me slight depression as it seemed “tomorrow” was still not here, but by late afternoon the clouds were gone and the sun was in full force. About mid morning the Harbormaster boat paid us a visit to find out if we had permission from the Naval Academy to anchor where we were, which of course we did. We took Pepper to shore and walked around Eastport, stopping at Davis’ Pub, one of our bucket list places to go this visit. When we got back I called Brenda, whom I had been playing phone tag with, and found out the difficult news about her friend Vivian, who took her own life. It was a surprise to everyone.

    Saturday, October 5 - Kevin continued to work on the sump pump for the shower that was not draining properly and I continued to clean the dodger window hoping to make it clearer. That afternoon we took a guided tour of the Naval Academy and it is very impressive, full of tradition and exceptional people. The curriculum for the students is much more rigorous than regular universities and gave me a greater appreciation for those that attend. While being in athletics is not a requirement for admission it definitely helps as physical fitness and teamwork is a large part of the curriculum, including wrestling and martial arts. The tour consisted of the history of several buildings and important figures in naval history, along with learning about their traditions. Two important markers in the yard is the submarine memorial honoring the submarine fleets and John Paul Jones’s crypt. Both are upheld by dolphins as they are an important symbol in the Navy and represent peace and protection. We toured a dorm room and heard interesting stories about life as a student. I also learned that navy personnel are called midshipmen, not cadets. We also learned that the current superintendent (president) is a 3 star admiral and the first woman, she has a very impressive career. After the walking tour Kevin and I toured the museum. That night I had a nice conversation with Sydney.

    Sunday, October 6 - The anchorage is very busy with all the power boats coming and going for the show, and all seem to come close to us causing for a turbulent stay. Fortunately things calm down after dark and until about 10:00 in the morning. A small power boat anchored near us then took the water taxi to the show. We took Pepper for a walk in the afternoon and the boat was very close to use. Kevin called the Harbormaster and it took two boats and 3 guys to relocate it. They tried to re-anchor it once then ended up tying it to a bouy further out. The weather is cooling down, it’s in the mid- seventies during the day with a steady breeze.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Dinner at Latitude 38
    VIP TentCatalina 470 get together, Andy and Caralee, Marlene and JohnCapital building from the anchorage

    Annapolis, MD

    7–20 Eki 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ 🌙 68 °F

    Wednesday, October 2 - The rain stayed away during the night on Magothy River and started again in the morning. The anchorage was calm overall; we were the only boat and I thought there was little rocking. Kevin said it was more movement than he would have liked but I think he got spoiled sleeping in a house while on his golf trip! We left at 9:57 a.m. after the rain stopped though it was still very cloudy. Weather predictions keep saying the rain will end “tomorrow” but “tomorrow” keeps moving! We arrived in Annapolis by 11:30 with many other boats already there for the boat shows. The power boat show started the next day, followed by the sailboat show the next weekend. We anchored next to the Naval Academy, further out than the last time but still close enough for a dinghy ride. Our plan was to try to get a mooring after some power boats leave, however many other captains had the same intention and they would get a buddy boat to help them tie their dinghy to an open mooring to save it.
    For dinner we took the water taxi to town and went to Pusser’s, it was not crowded and we figured we would go before the boat shows started. We both got their signature Painkiller drink and I got mine in a souvenir tin cup as the restaurant is closing after many years in November. Afterwards we walked around the harbor area and stopped at Federalist House for a cocktail.

    Thursday, October 3 - The sun finally came out!! It was overcast in the morning, causing me slight depression as it seemed “tomorrow” was still not here, but by late afternoon the clouds were gone and the sun was in full force. About mid morning the Harbormaster boat paid us a visit to find out if we had permission from the Naval Academy to anchor where we were, which of course we did. We took Pepper to shore and walked around Eastport, stopping at Davis’ Pub, one of our bucket list places to visit this trip. When we got back I called Brenda, whom I had been playing phone tag with, and found out the difficult news about her friend Vivian, who took her own life. It was a surprise to everyone.

    Saturday, October 5 - Kevin worked on the sump pump for the shower that was not draining properly and I cleaned the dodger window with new products Kevin bought, hoping to make it clearer. That afternoon we took a guided tour of the Naval Academy and it is very impressive, full of tradition and exceptional people. The curriculum for the students is much more rigorous than regular universities and gave me a greater appreciation for those that attend. While being in athletics is not a requirement for admission it definitely helps as physical fitness and teamwork is a large part of the curriculum, including wrestling and martial arts for both genders.. The tour consisted of the history of several buildings and important figures in naval history, along with learning about their traditions. We toured a dorm room and John Paul Jones crypt. I also learned that navy personnel are called midshipmen, not cadets. After the tour Kevin and I toured the museum. That night I had a nice conversation with Sydney.

    Sunday, October 6 - The anchorage was very busy with all the power boats coming and going for the show, and all seem to come close to us causing for a turbulent stay. Fortunately things would calm down after dark and until about 10:00 in the morning. A power boat anchored very close to us then immediately took the water taxi to the show. We took Pepper for a walk in the afternoon and when we returned the boat was very close to use. Kevin called the Harbormaster and it took two boats and 3 guys to relocate it. They tried to re-anchor it once then ended up tying it to a bouy further out. In the meantime we reanchored our boat a few yards further away from the shore wall. The weather started to cool down, it was in the mid seventies during the day with a steady breeze.

    Monday, October 7 - Kevin spent a good portion of the day working on the shower sump pump, yesterday he rebuilt the hose connection and used glue to keep it in place. When we tested it this morning it worked intermittently. He tried to blow any potential clogs out of the line without having a compressor. Another Catalina 470 owner, Mo, came in yesterday with his boat and also drove his car here earlier in the week. He took Kevin to West Marine to buy a new pump and Kevin spent about an hour reviewing how best to install it. While he did that I continued with deep cleaning of the cabinet doors in the salon, inventorying the items. We cleaned up at 3:30 and went to Federalist House for the 4:00 happy hour, sharing appetizers and a panini sandwich. They were playing current country music which made me happy, it had been awhile since I listened to any.

    Tuesday, October 8 - I got a bit of exercise by walking 1.78 miles to the grocery store, then took an Uber back to the dock. Kevin continued to work on the sump pump by installing the new all in one pump and switch from West Marine.
    We had hoped with the Power Boat show being over there would be less traffic through the anchorage, and it did slow down, but not like we had hoped. The water taxis were coming close to us more than usual due to all the extra sailboats anchored. We learned from Mo that a few harbor rules are put on hold during the boat show, such as anchoring in the channel.

    Wednesday, October 9 - Sunday, October 13 - This was the week
    of the sailboat show, we did a lot of walking, shopping and visiting with friends we have made through out our cruising journey. Wednesday started with dinner at Latitude 38 with Tom & Tina and Jen & Rich. I made reservations and they contacted me twice to confirm, which I found odd, turns out we were the only people there! I guess they wanted to make sure we were coming to justify staff. Thursday we went to the boat show and met up with Jen (Rich was working) and Tom & Tina, we eventually each went our own way and then all met up for lunch at Pusser’s. We went on several sailboats; Catalina’s, Catamarans and a sailboat that was as wide as a catamaran. The catamarans are nice because they are so big, but in the end I like our boat the best.
    On Friday we went to the VIP tent as Jackie graciously gave us her tickets because they decided to stay in Fernandina to wait out Hurricane Helene. We had pastry and mimosa/Bloody Mary for breakfast. Then we walked around the vendor tents. We visited a compost toilet vendor and decided to take measurements on our boat to determine if it would fit. For lunch we went to the VIP tent and they had a nice spread of pasta, chicken, salad and sauté vegetables. I got a blueberry vodka drink that the bartender recommended and it was not good, the bar consisted of these cane mixers and they were too sweet for me. In the afternoon we went back to the compost toilet vendor with our measurements and continued to review if we could fit it in our aft cabin. In the end we determined it would not. Kevin bought a waterproof lightweight jacket and I got a Helly Hanson zip up fleece. We went back to the VIP tent for afternoon appetizers and met a couple that chartered with Travis and Tara; a couple that had a slip 2 down from ours at Watergate Marina in Texas. They sold their Catalina 470 for a large catamaran and started a charter business in the BVIs. What a small world! That night we went to a Catalina 470 owners party at the marina where 3 boats were docked. We met several more Catalina owners, including John and Marlene from Serendipity. It was a long day and I was spent!
    On Saturday we went to the boat show late in the morning and met Tina and Tom for lunch at Dry 85, a prohibition theme pub. The food was good and the atmosphere was fun. That afternoon we purchased Turkish bath towels - Kevin finally realized that our heavy cotton towels were not good on the boat!! We also bought a waterproof backpack and I got a hat that should fit well enough to stay on my head in wind. That evening we went to the Catalina tent for the owner party and saw Guy & Marie from True Love (whom we met in Maine) and John & Marlene, in addition to a few of the other Catalina 470 owners that we met Friday night.
    Sunday morning we went to Jen and Rich’s for a blueberry pancake breakfast. They invited Tom and Tina plus another sailing couple from Virginia and the Commodore from the West Palm Beach Yacht Club. Jen and Rich showed us their wonderful hospitality for the second time allowing us to do laundry, take real showers and do some grocery provisions. We brought Pepper and she and their dog Dodger got along great. Jen and I took them on a long walk through a wooded park and to an outdoor art sale. Unfortunately I didn’t bring any money as I found a cool piece of useful pottery I would have bought for Christmas presents!

    Monday, October 14 - We knew the day would be windy and intentionally stayed on the hook, and it did blow! Winds were clocking in at 30 mph and boats were dragging all over the anchorage. We got lucky with the pumpout boat as we were the last one after he was told to stop because of the high winds. He told Kevin he made an exception to still do our boat because “we were good customers“! I think he was referring to Kevin’s tipping! We stayed on the boat so we could monitor the situation and make sure that a) we didn’t drag and b) we didn’t get hit. Kevin watched a large sailboat drag past 2 other boats. The owners of a nearby boat that were about to get hit boarded it and together with the Harbormaster moved it. True Love hailed us as they were dragging and coming to anchor by us. When they pulled up anchor they brought a metal frame structure with them, cup holders and all. They had to pull anchor a second time and snagged an anchor with chain!! We started dragging just a bit later in the day and reanchored around 2:00 pm. We made 3 attempts as the wind was so strong it kept pushing us off our intended drop point. We had intended to go ashore to do a few errands but decided between the wind and the boat show traffic we could wait.    Okumaya devam et

  • Ericka CollierBack Down the East CoastGezgin
    Geared up for the colder weather
    St Michaels anchorageYard artFigurehead made in 1950 for Schooner built in 1931E. C. Collier Skipjack, 1910-1985, used primarily to dredge oysters5 log Tillman canoe built in 1893Hydroplane built by Larry Lauterbach, who won 300+ races between 1980-2000Home of Elizabeth Bailey Mitchell, sister to Frederick DouglassStairwell to loft of Mitchell houseHopper Strait Lighthouse 1879Lighthouse kitchenLighthouse bedroomSouthern Cross and True Love from Lighthouse balconyCannon from War of 1812Bronze cannonball cir 1794-96Guy & Marie, True Love, at The Fool's LanternFall foliageMargaritas at San Miguel's Mexican Restaurant

    St Michaels, MD

    15–18 Eki 2024, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Tuesday, October 15 - It was a brisk 50 degrees when we pulled anchor at 8:00 am from Annapolis. We wore our heavy jackets and gloves. The wind had calmed down from 30 knots the day before and was between 10 and 15 knots. We had the mainsail about 1/3 of the way out when we left and pulled the jib out about 30 minutes after we were out of the harbor. We entered Miles River around 11:30 and there are beautiful homes with large trees behind them.
    Around 1:00 we arrived near our anchorage in St. Michaels, MD and pulled in the sails. We anchored in a small area surrounded by docks, houses and restaurants. That sounds crowded but it was quiet with few boats anchored, especially compared to the chaos of Annapolis with the boat shows. It was 56 degrees and a bit windy, burrr! True Love came in a few hours after us and anchored next to us.

    That night we all went to Ava’s Pizzeria and Wine Bar, they had been there previously and highly recommended it.

    Wednesday, October 16 - We visited the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and learned much about life on Chesapeake Bay from indigenous people to pre-revolutionary colonists to Revolutionary War to War of 1812 to Civil War. The museum was large and included multiple housing that each taught about different eras. The first location had many different skiffs the were used in the original oyster harvesting trade. From there we saw a large exhibit on individuals who contributed to the freedom of slaves and how boating in the Chesapeake was as important as the Underground Railroad and less dangerous. The next building held an original “skipjack” built in 1910 and used through 1985 for oyster fishing. The exhibit contained details about the last captain and crew, their specific jobs from captain to cook, and provided the opportunity to walk onboard. There was a building/exhibit on dugout canoes, which are made from a single log and originated from indigenous tribes. Another building was dedicated to power vessels and their early beginnings, including hydroplanes, with an emphasis on the Chesapeake growing from a working community to a leisure community. We toured a lighthouse from 1879; Hopper Strait, that had 2 levels of living space with 3 rooms each and the 3rd level was the light. From there we walked around the boatyard where the museum restores old donated vessels. The next building contained information and artifacts from the War of 1812 and the Civil War. We visited the 2 room + loft home of Elizabeth Bailey Mitchell, sister to Frederick Douglass. There were exhibits outside that taught about the different water trades of the Chesapeake - oysters, crabs, eels, fish. Chesapeake water tradesmen are called “Watermen” because they gather food from the Chesapeake all year and it changes based on the season.

    Later in the afternoon we met Guy and Marie for drinks at The Fool’s Lantern, a beer and wine tap room.

    Thursday, October 17 - The temperature over the last 2 days was low 50’s in the morning and high 50’s in the afternoon, it feels quite cold compared to what we are use to, especially in Texas. It was windy last night and I slept little as the water hitting the boat was loud plus we left the dinghy in the water. Usually it dies down by early morning but not this time. Kevin thought we may leave in the morning but I said it was too cold and windy. Wind gusts remained 20 knots most of the day which combined with the cold would have made for an uncomfortable sail. Instead I made granola and heated up the salon! For dinner we went to San Miguel’s Mexican Restaurant.    Okumaya devam et

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