Archive | October, 2014

Once again, Jason has accused me of getting soft.  And, once again, I replied “Soft is good”. Jason enjoys the tough passage and I enjoy touring a new town.  Jason’s accusation was driven by our recent marina stops. When not anchored in a remote bay, are we really cruising? Our trip south has taught us that there are many styles of cruising.   Two Fish is still figuring out her preferred mix.  As we pulled out of our most recent marina in New Jersey, I was looking forward to the beauty of Chesapeake anchorages.

But first, we had to traverse 50 miles north to reach the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. When we turned the corner at Cape May, I was a bit concerned when I saw a waterspout in the distance. It didn’t seem like the weather for spouts, but there definitely was some distinctly swirly cloud thing on the horizon. I looked on the radar screen and didn’t see anything. I tried to determine the direction it was moving, and it wasn’t. I asked Jason what he thought. We tried to ignore it. It didn’t go away. Then we heard some boats a few miles up the Delaware Bay chatting on the VHF radio: the waterspout was the smoke stack for the nuclear plant at the top of the bay. Okay. Now I felt better. Sort of.

Our first anchorage was at the mouth of the Cohansey River. It was exceptionally quiet; we only saw two boats pass by while we were there. We took One Fish through the many bends of the river and after 6 miles arrived at the town of Greenwich, NJ. There was no wind that night – a perfect spot. We later spoke with other cruisers who had tucked away there in more stormy conditions. After being abused by short waves and terrorized by hidden crab pots, they did not describe the spot with the same superlatives.

The next morning, we headed towards the Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) Canal. Eager to catch the current, we timed our arrival carefully. Unfortunately, both MaxSea and Eldridge were wrong on the direction and strength of the tidal current. The error seemed hard to explain since there had been little wind or rain, the usual causes of changes to tidal currents. We heard other boats on the VHF being surprised as well.  We motored more than we sailed because of the light winds. I have been surprised by the amount that we run the motors.   Light air is not bad news for me, as I prefer motoring in flat seas to 30 knots and boat-shaking waves.  Jason will never succeed in changing my mind, but I do enjoy seeing his enthusiasm for the big breeze days.  Our division of helm time is very wind dependent.   As the breeze drops my appearances at the helm become more fleeting.   I am ready to help if Jason needs a hand tucking in a reef, but generally he is okay alone on deck.  I feel much better in the safety of the master cabin.

We were excited to pass Chesapeake City – Mile Zero of the Chesapeake.  Our New England cruise was now in the rear view mirror and we were about to explore places we had never properly visited.

We found a wonderful anchorage in the Sassafras river – no root beer. Once again, we buzzed up river on One Fish to explore.  The walk was a bit of a flop, as we walked a major rural route with large trucks and soy bean field vistas.  We did discover The Granary in Georgetown.  It was here that I broke my crab cake ban.   The ban is a failed attempt to reduce the crab pot population.  I have previously complained about lobster pots but the Maryland Crabber has much to learn from the Maine Lobsterman.  The Crabman’s buoys, used to mark his pots, are often faded and dirty and thus look black against the dark sea.   The Maine Lobsterman has more pride in his work, and keeps his buoys clean and brightly painted.   These infestations of crab pots encourage Two Fish to sail on the edges of the main shipping channel.   I have to confess I like both lobsters and crabs, so my boycott is doomed to failure.

Our next stop was Swan Creek, adjacent to the famous crab town of Rock Hall. We grabbed a mooring ball right next to the channel so were able to watch the parade of boats enter and exit the area. I rode my bike to Eastern Neck – a local fishing bridge. Judging from the empty buckets, I think there might have been a bit more gabbing than fishing.

It was a short walk to Rock Hall; unfortunately, the Watermen’s museum was in mothballs but we had a

good meal at The Kitchen at Rock Hall. Other off-boat meals were at the local Harbor Shack, which on a Sunday afternoon is filled with fans dressed in full Baltimore Raven gear. Fortunately, they were not playing the Eagles that week. (Yes, I realize they are in a different conference. Reminder: I should check my fantasy football lineup for this week).

The ice buoy in the photo was a new navigation aid for me. I learned that many aids to navigation are picked up by the Coast Guard during the winter but some important locations are marked by Ice Buoys. These are conical buoys that are harder to see but are less likely to be damaged by ice.

Next stop: Baltimore.

Did Hitchock made a horror movie with a house that moved to a wildly different place each day?   The characters go slightly mad over time as they get lost searching their new streets for supplies. That is life aboard Two Fish except we have not gone mad, yet.   The vagabond life throws curveballs.   What type of docking or anchorage will we face tonight?   How do we get ashore? We usually take the surprises with a smile but sometimes a temper tantrum is in order.   The boat rule is that only one person at a time is allowed to behave like a three year old.  As soon as we are comfortable in our new community, the anchor must be weighed as the cold air from the north is inspiring us south.

For each of our new neighborhoods, there is usually a reason why we are glad to arrive and a different reason why we become eager to get going again. Choosing the anchorage, mooring or dock is a bit of a roll of the dice but we try to improve our odds by researching the cruising guides. More is better?  I bought both Maptech and Dozier Waterway cruising guides, Great Book of Anchorages, and Skipper Bob’s Anchoring in the ICW. For extra measure, we have the paper charts: Maptech Regional Chart Kits. So if you are following in our wake, this is The Two Fish pocket cruising guide.  However, the facts of the day can make a wonderful spot horrible.  Who does not love a small town on a warm day with a gentle breeze.   On the other hand, a nasty current and a nasty waitress could ruin a visit to someone else’s favorite stop. The joy of cruising is to make the best of where the ball lands.   The spot in the map above is as close as I could get to Two Fish’s lat/lon while we were at each location.

Padanaram/South Dartmouth/New Bedford Yacht Club

The two-page ad in the cruising guide promised ice cream, quaintness, and cafés. They had me at ice cream.  This seemed like a good place to stop after our nighttime transit of the Cape Cod Canal. We radioed the club and got directions to our mooring ball. Time for a nap.

An hour later, we were told that the person who owned the mooring ball, after

spending all season out of the water, had just decided that they needed their boat in the water NOW. Time to move – except with our droopy eyes we managed to hook a line in the rudder as we were departing. Jason hopped in the icy water to free the line. The launch driver was very helpful. Our next surprise noise was much better-Ken and Family just happened to have a boat in that harbor and sailed right by. It was great to catch up with the local sailors for drinks aboard Two Fish.

We had a couple of good meals at the Sail Loft down the street and enjoyed the feel of the club. Also, I always appreciate a mooring ball with launch service.  The up and down of the dinghy is easy but a launch is easier!  (BTW … Jason does most of the dinghy operation)

Point Judith Marina

I read some great reviews of the service at Point Judith Marina plus they were a Volvo Service center so the next stop was an easy choice. We were still having some issues with air leaks in our fuel system for our Port Engine and we planned to spend a week there to sort things out. This was a fantastic stop: Chen & Nancy drove up from NYC, Calypso joined us at the dock for a few days, Bud helped us sort out some Two Fish issues, Tim (the service manager at the marina) was super-helpful organizing all of our work, and the neighborhood was very summer New Englandy.  (This post is over a month delayed  so Rhode Island was warm back then.) As an added bonus, Newport Bikes (great store) helped me fix my folding bike and we took our bikes for a spin around Jamestown. It was a very full week and I would definitely return.

Bike Ride from Jamestown

Essex/Brewer’s Dauntless

The previous time that we went to the Connecticut River, we stayed at Saybrook Point Marina. Great people at the dock but we could only fit on the fuel dock and it was a bit bumpy for our taste. So I would recommend it as a convenient stopover near the mouth of the river, but not for an extended period. On our return trip, we decided to explore the river and pass under two bridges to get to Essex, CT and a mooring ball at Brewer’s Dauntless. I can’t really judge Brewer’s because our stay was cut short. Actually, it almost didn’t happen. Read Jason’s post on our Haul Out to get the full story. We took the launch into town for dinner. Little did we know that we would soon get to know both restaurants in town really well. We got some great recommendations for our extended stay and enjoyed Otto Pizza in Chester, the Blue Oar in Haddam and Marley’s Cafe in Essex(great fish tacos and a 10 yard ferry ride). If you visit, be sure to try the breakfast burrito at Olive Oyl.

We finally got back in the water and were on our way to NYC, but not before a second pass under the bridges. If you do head up this far, remember that the Old Lyme Drawbridge only responds to “Old Lyme Draw” on VHF 13 and only wants to hear from you when you are a few minutes away, or, as the bridgemaster said “Two Fish, we may raise and lower the bridge five times before you get here”. For the record he raised it zero times before our arrival but the operator has a flair for the dramatic and the charm of an ogre.

Passage to NYC

 

Liberty Landing Marina

We decided to stay across the Hudson from Manhattan after hearing that it was an easy place to pull into and that it had good facilities. I had called the day before to make sure that our projected early morning arrival was not a problem. When we got to the harbor, they told us to wait a half hour and then we were directed to the spot where 30 foot motorboats dock; we had been promised an end tie. It required three turns in tight spaces. We should have refused, but we went in with Jason deftly maneuvering Two Fish – the problem was “how would we get out”. In fact, not 5 minutes after we docked, another sailboat in a tight spot ended up crashing into 3 boats on her way out, bending another boat’s anchor and removing 7 of their own stanchions. We finally got a new spot and Jason magically got us out. After that we enjoyed our stay before setting off the next morning for our trip South.