Odds 'n Ends

Recently, it occurred to us that there are lots of small items that annoy or are interesting that rarely come up in a conversation (or blog).

1) No one tells you to bring wool socks on these trips. Being backpackers, we always have wool socks and poly pro garments with us. Glad of it, too. When our feet get wet in the dingy or otherwise, it is good to have on "warm when wet" clothing.

2) Lock tenders and bridge tenders are problematic. False! We have encountered NO unpleasant folks in these position so far in our journey. We have, however heard a few " Weeny, Whiney Water Warriors" beg the tenders to break or strech the rules that they have to operate by. " OH Pleeeeeze hold the bridge for us, you have to understand that we have been underway since 6:30 and we are soooooo tired!" Sounds like a real yachting emergency, no?

3) None of the volumes of "Crusing World" or "Sailing" mags have ever mentioned "ranging lights".

In short, these are bright flashing lights that, when aligned one over the other tell you that you are in the middle of the shipping lane. We are talking very bright, daytime or night time lights. It is most reassuring to have your course verified by these navaids and they are much easier to steer by over long distances.

4) Again, the mags never mention the fatigue of going into the "unknown" pretty much each and every day. The up side is that we are learning lots of new skills and meeting many teriffic new people. The down side includes: not knowing some importanate conditions such as: the bottom in the anchorages; not knowing that the tide runs 4 knots at the marina that you have decided to visit tonight (That is nearly 6 ft. per second of drift as you untie your last knot and try to get (into or) out of a slip. We know that people hesitate to leave a slip with this kind of drift combined with a moderate but adverse wind.) Bottom line here is to check the tide tables for time, slack and velocity. Also, in the Carolinas and Georga the tides run (so far) from 4 ft. to 9ft. Up 'til now, Trefoil has not been held up often by tidal conditions but, we have hung around from time to time because of our lack of experience with these issues.

5) People - The folks have been kind and friendly. Most of the time, if we are being overtaken by a powerboat, we back down our throttle and make it clear that we are doing so. This nearly always results in the powerboat doing the same and leaving far less wake for us to deal with. (We wave,too!) When we enter a new (that'd be all of 'em, folks) marina we make it clear that we have little experience with local conditions. The result has been that someone always meets us at the dock and often there will be two (even three) dock hands to assist. Result: no embarrasing crashes or (many) scrapes in Trefoils hull. People on the streets respond in a friendly manner. Hospitality has been great and we love to get out and visit towns. Zero negative (social) experiences to date!

Enough, already!

Dick & Karen

I've got Georgia on my mind......

and we have Georgia waters under our keel!! We arrived this afternoon at Isle of Hope Marina, just outside of Savannah, Georgia. In the past two days we have gone from long underwear, fleece hats and gloves and foul weather gear to t-shirts and shorts! This afternoon it was high 60's and sunny when we arrived here, and we needed to shed a few layers fast!

To backtrack, Beaufort, South Carolina, was one of our favorite stops so far. We spent two nights there, and enjoyed the town a great deal. The rain stopped partway through our second day there, and we were able to get out a bit, although it was quite chilly. There is a beautiful waterfront park, a number of restaurants along the water, and lots of nice shops on the main street. The people are very friendly, and once again, Colby made lots of new friends! Also, some beautiful churches; we visited both the Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches. We look forward to a return trip in the spring, when the weather will hopefully be more conducive to sitting outside.

We left Beaufort yesterday on the high tide, and were able to sail for a few hours in Port Royal Sound. This was a treat, as so much of the trip has been under power. Last night we were at Hilton Head; the wind blew, gusting to 25 knots, and we were glad to be at a secure dock, with heat!! Underway early today, we had the tide with us most of the way. Here the tidal range is 9 feet; we are still learning to plan for this as we travel!

Isle of Hope is a lovely spot. We will be here a couple of days, preparing to leave the boat for 4 -5 weeks, so that we can go home for the holidays. We are very happy to have had such a beautiful day of sunshine and warmth today. We will hold this in the "Memory Bank" as we drive north into snow and 20 degree weather to enjoy Christmas with our family (those on this side of the Atlantic Ocean) and our church.

We have traveled over 1350 miles by water since we left Port Henry on September 26. We have met so many wonderful people (including a single hander who left Labrador on October 18, and arrived in Beaufort two days ago!), have visited some beautiful spots, and have continued to learn a lot. We look forward to some time at home, and then continuing our travels aboard Trefoil in January.

Jingle Bells in Beaufort, SC

It's a little surreal; we are on our boat at a dock in Beaufort, South Carolina. A street band is playing Jingle Bells, it is 50 degrees and raining, but we are cozy.

The past two days have been full of contrasts; we left Charleston on a beautifully sunny day yesterday. Wind 15-20 knots, but on the nose, so it was powering into a chop created by wind and tides in opposition all day. We couldn't reach Beaufort in a day. so we anchored out, in a spot that was actually a good anchorage. But we had just had a nail-biting trip through a section called Watt's Cut, mile 495 to mile 504. We did it at low tide; not to be recommended. We were fine, didn't go aground, but it was rather nerve-racking. Dolphins have become a common sighting, but they are beautiful each and every time. After a good night, we continued on today, back and forth through 35 miles of winding ICW. The tidal range here is over 7 feet. Amazing! Beaufort is billed as a very historic town; it does have a beautiful waterfront, but the rain is a deterrent to exploration!

We'd like to continue on tomorrow toward Savannah, but rain may detain us. We do look forward to getting home for Christmas.

Charleston is beautiful, but ready to move!

Charleston is a beautiful city; we have enjoyed some lovely walks in the city, as well as a carriage tour (Colby was allowed in the carriage!). Ashley Marina is very nice, but is a ways from the historic district, so we have had our share of exercise! Sunday we attended services at the First Presbyterian Church of Charleston; this was a highlight, as the church was beautiful and the pastor delivered an excellent message.

Monday we got our prop back, along with a computer printout of all the details, so we look forward to seeing what a difference this makes. (Our engine has been running hot, and we have needed to keep the cover off while motoring, which is every day. Having the prop re-pitched, we have been advised, will help with this.) We had planned to leave this AM, but the weather forecast calls for severe thunderstorms tomorrow. Our next destination is Beaufort, and we would need to anchor out between here and there. The anchorages in the south have little protection from wind, and also, it isn't easy to get Colby ashore in a thunderstorm. So we elected to stay here until the storm passes through, and we look forward to heading out again Thursday morning.

It is interesting how the "rhythm" works when cruising. Before we arrived here, we had three long days (55 miles, 53 miles, and 40 miles). We were ready to rest and catch up. Now, we are rested, we have provisioned, done the laundry, cleaned the boat, done some boat jobs, and are ready to move. But the weather isn't right, so we stay an extra day or two, somewhat impatiently, to wait for good weather. The alternative is to travel anyway, but at what expense? And we love having Colby with us, but getting him ashore from an anchorage is always a consideration.

We have made arrangements to leave our boat at Isle of Hope Marina near Savannah, Georgia, for a month or so. We will rent a car (remember, we have Colby) and drive home for Christmas. We plan to return mid-January and resume our travels south. Isle of Hope is about 120 miles from Florida! In Florida we have many friends to visit, and we look forward to seeing them!

Happy Thanksgiving and Greetings from Charleston!

After days of grey skies, we enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day here in Charleston today! We arrived yesterday afternoon at the Ashley Marina, and have enjoyed meeting some of the friendly liveaboards here. Today we walked along the Battery, and through part of old Historic Charleston, admiring some outstanding examples of southern architecture and the palm trees!

This evening we enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with the Ishmael crew on their boat; turkey and all the trimmings. (Karen forgot to bring the shrimp we had planned for an appetizer..whoops! We have enjoyed shrimp several times recently, purchased fresh from local shrimp boats. Wow! What a difference from what one buys, frozen, at the supermarket back home.)

We will be here another couple of days, as we are having our prop repitched. A great place to be stuck; lots to do and see here!! And the weather forecast is for more sun!

More to follow; we hope all our friends and family have had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Swansboro,N.C: Another Grand Adventure

Trefoil and her crew left Morehead City at nearly mid-day on 18 Nov. We briefly deliberated the weather forcast and figured that a 50% chance of sun was equal with a 50% chance of rain. So...off we go to Swansboro. (oo, a rhyme) This was a short hike (25 statute miles) but it started somewhat ominoulsy with rain falling after about a mile of travel. Well, no worries, mate! It will get better. (and it did) So, we motor through moderate fog and moderate mist until we get to Swansboro. Everything was fine except for the uncharted red which nearly sent us out of the channel and into the Atlantic! After some words were exchanged (at an increased volume) we regained our composure and continued the last few miles to the ancorage with relative ease. Then, came the rains. Bango-our glasses were soaked, our vision otherwise obscured by the violence of the rain and our relatively good navigating besmirched by running aground by way of a too-tight turn into the anchorage. Hard aground. 3200RPM reverse aground. Rocking the boat +3200 RPM reverse aground. We finally got off the bottom and, still not being able to find the right nav aids, were able to see "Caspers Marina" . We immediately forgot our desire to anchor out and where VERY happy to tie to the dock.

Thus endith the good part and beginnith the bad part: Rain and more rain!! We had arrived somewhat soaked and then the rain got real. Five + inches of rain in 13 hours. Steady, soaking rain. Six inches in the rubber boat. Ninty-four % humidity in Trefoil. Wet dog, wet people, wet clothes. However, the good part is that it did stop this morning and only most of the docks where underwater. Not ours-almost- but not submerged. Then the sun came out, we dried off, went for a walk and all is well this evening. The thermometer on the bank we passed on the way to Piggly Wiggly for provisions said 78 degrees!! Perhaps tomorrow will be as much fun! We'll write!


Love, Dick & Karen

The "Dog Connection"

As Trefoil (mostly) motors South we have had many new acquaintances and meetings with folks that must be credited to our lab Colby. Women (young and older) wave to him as we walk down village or city streets. People stop and ask us if they may pet him. Folks just walk up to you and ask if he is a lab and might they give him a treat. The owner of one marina in N.C. said " oh! this is the dog I've heard about!! Truth to tell, Colby is the most social member of the Trefoil crew.
What brings this tale to mind occured today when we checked into a marina in Morehead City.N.C. The lady working the counter saw Colby with Karen and, after admiring Colby, related her recent story of her family's rescue lab. A customer in the area entered the conversation remarking on our dog's large paws and powerful chest. The marina owner then entered and, after petting Colby and complimenting him, brought Karen into his office to show her pictures of his Late, Great lab and a poem over the loss of his dog. The customer offered (and we accepted) king mackeral steaks just caught today off the NC coast.
Karen and I enjoyed these kind and thoughtful people and feel honored and blessed with this experience.
There are many ways to meet and enjoy folks but, the most talented of our crew at the "meet and greet" game seems to be Colby. Lucky Us.

Love to all!

Sunny and warm!

Today has been beautiful, temps in the low 70's and blue sky! The rest of the boats that have been holed up here left this morning. We elected to stay an extra day, as we learned yesterday that our friends John, Linda and Roscoe on Triton's Trumpet would be arriving today. They are super people and were wonderful to travel with last year, so we really wanted to see them again. They arrived this afternoon, and Colby and Roscoe seemed to remember each other!!

We plan to head out first thing in the morning, down the Pamlico River and the Neuse River, to anchor just north of Oriental, North Carolina. Today we washed all the portlights and put the screens back in!! After days of being closed in, it is so nice to open up the boat. Tomorrow the forecast is for more sunny skies! It will be good to be underway again.

We love everyone's comments and appreciate email; hearing from our friends is always a bright spot in our day!

Hunkered down in Belhaven, NC

As the remnants of Hurricane Ida pass off the coast and the high from the West blows through to meet the low, we are experiencing winds of 40 knots or more. We are at a dock, but getting on and off the boat and then walking down the dock can be very tricky. It has rained about 10 inches in the past 24 hours, and our dingy is full of water. Oh, and there is occasional thunder and lightening! Winds may begin to subside somewhat this afternoon. Colby is bored; he gets off the boat 2 or 3 times a day to do the necessary things, but it is raining so hard he doesn't want to stay out long! And when we get back from a "shoreside excursion," we are all soaking wet. The creaking and groaning of our mooring lines on pilings (no floating docks here) sounds like the soundtrack of a 1950's pirate movie! The noise of the wind and the fenders slapping against the side of the boat, as well as the motion of the boat being pushed around in the slip, are all very alarming to the senses. There is no real danger, but the noise is tiring.

The upside is that we are not alone! There are six other boats here sitting out this storm, and there is a very nice clubhouse, where we all gathered for a potluck dinner and adult beverages last evening. Ishmael is here, a British couple who crossed the Atlantic in their 39' catamaran, a couple on a trawler, another couple on a Hunter 33, a Canadian couple on a C&C 33, and a young family with 3 small children on a 29' sailboat. Also, there is a courtesy car, so some of us may go into town to do some errands when the wind subsides a bit. The are also hot showers, which helps to improve the attitude!

To back up a few days, we had very fair weather for the trip from Norfolk to here! We left Norfolk Saturday morning, and entered the Dismal Swamp Canal shortly after. This is a fairly narrow, shallow, somewhat overgrown and dark canal with occasional logs near the surface and also on the bottom which wake one up in a hurry! The canal connects the Elizabeth River to the Abermarle Sound. The North Carolina Welcome Center, about halfway through the canal, has a free dock, and we were rafted up there with 14 other boats that evening! It was a bit crazy, but a calm and well protected spot, so it worked. The next day, we continued on to Elizabeth City, a very welcoming town which offers free dockage for up to 48 hours for cruisers. There we were greeted by Pete Taggett, who has a sailboat at Van Slooten Harbour Marina on Lake Champlain; Pete spends his winters in Elizabeth City. He took us to the grocery store, the hardware store, the post office, and helped us get diesel and kerosene! A big thank you to Pete. That evening, we burned kerosene in our heater for the first time, and the result was very little soot. This was very good news! We are also ordering an upgrade kit, which should help us to control the burn more easily.

We would have loved to stay another day in Elizabeth City, but this weather was forecast, so we decided to move, and we are very glad we did. We left Monday morning, and had a very calm passage across the Abermarle Sound. This is one day we were glad to motor, as the Abermarle has a reputation for becoming treacherous in a hurry. We anchored near the mouth of the Alligator River that evening, along with Ishmael. A very quiet, peaceful spot; the only problem was that there was no good spot to get the dogs ashore. Colby and Kooper had to climb out of their dingies, over a mass of interwoven tree roots, and find a bit of marsh grass to take care of business! A repeat performance at 6:15 the next morning, and underway shortly after. The 20+ miles in the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal made a very pleasant day; sunny, with a light breeze, mid 70's! This was a 55 mile day. We arrived at Dowry Creek Marina about 3:15, glad to be here, in a good place for the approaching storm.....

Wahoo!!! We're in Norfolk!!

Yesterday was a long day, but we arrived at the Waterside Marina in Norfolk at sunset! NOAA had a gale warning out, starting at 6:00 PM, so we were just minutes from that. Winds were forecast to gust to 40 knots, so we opted for a marina, rather than anchoring out. This is a well-protected spot, and right in downtown Norfolk, with lots to do. We caught up on some housekeeping chores today, and plan to visit Nauticus and the Naval museum tomorrow morning before heading south down the ICW. This is a real high point for us to be here! It is a busy city, with lots of big ships and naval traffic, unlike anywhere else we have been.

Our trip from Solomon's to Reedville was certainly interesting. There is a Navy firing range south of Solomon's. We starting hearing the Navy contacting boats that were underway, asking them to alter course to move out of target range. We were not contacted, but we heard 5 or 6 calls to other boats. Then, KABOOM!!! there was definitely some heavy artillery being tested. Four times the charges went off! Rather awesome, to say the least. Colby didn't like it at all. Just when we got him calmed down from one charge, the next one went off! We spent the night on the dock at a small marina in Reedville. Unfortunately, the restaurant at the dock was closed, but we enjoyed wine and snacks in Ishmael's cockpit, while Ben was working hard to fish for crabs!

The next day was a short travel day, to Deltaville. We went in on the north side, off the Rappahannock River, and stayed at Walden's Marina, for $.75/foot for the night. Definitely the least expensive marina we have stayed in! Only problem was that we ran aground 3 times exiting the channel the next morning! Good thing it was just mud.....We were underway at 6:45AM, as we knew it would be a long way to Norfolk.

And a long way it was. We started out with good winds, about 15 knots and we actually sailed with no motor for a while, making 6.2 knots. Lovely!!! Then the wind started to decrease and so did our speed, so we motorsailed. After a while we rolled up the jib, as it wasn't helping, but we had some help from the main most of the day. Once we got to the Norfolk area, it took 3 hours to get to our destination. With the current we slowed to 3.2 knots for a while, until we entered the Elizabeth River, then we were suddenly up to 6.2 knots. Colby was VERY happy to get ashore after a 10.5 hour travel day!!

We continue to average about 10 nautical miles or more per gallon, so fuel is not a big expense. So far we have traveled 640 nautical miles (736 statute miles).

We have added a galley strap for cooking underway, as we often want a hot lunch while traveling on cold days. Dick does most of the driving, and sometimes by the end of the day he can't feel his fingers anymore! Karen does the navigating and provides those hot lunches, as well as an occasional break for the helmsman. Colby sleeps a lot, and springs to life as soon as we are at a dock or anchored. He is a wonderful companion, and makes lots of friends where ever we go. While he can't wait to get off the boat at the end of the day, he is always in a hurry to get back on as well! Our mailman, Steve, sends us our mail when we call him with an address, and provides moral support as well!

A year ago today.......

A year ago today, we traveled from Haverstraw to Jersey City. Today we are at Solomon's, two days south of Annapolis, and three days from Norfolk! We are really looking forward to getting into the ICW!

We have been here for two days, sitting out some heavy rain and brisk winds. We were anchored in Back Creek for two nights, and were able to provision and visit West Marine. We used our diesel heater, and were glad for the warmth and the dry heat. This afternoon we moved to Calvert Marina (only $1 per foot) so we could take showers, recharge the batteries, fill our water tanks, and clean up the boat. At that time we realized how BLACK the deck was from the soot from the diesel heater. This is a real problem; the heat is wonderful, but the soot is incredible. Obviously we need to resolve this problem. We would like to be able to anchor out as much as possible, but we don't want to destroy all the new non-skid. We usually use L.A. Awesome (or as we call it, Larry's Awesome) to clean the decks, but it isn't even making a dent in this problem. A young man at the dock tonight suggested Greased Lightening, so we'll try that. We will try kerosene for fuel instead of diesel when we can find some.

Here at Solomon's we have seen three other boats (Ishmael included) that we had seen at Cape May. We all left Cape May at different times. Interesting how paths cross and re-cross.

We plan to head out tomorrow AM for Reedville, on the way to Norfolk!

A series of successes!

First, thank you to all of our friends! Your positive thoughts and prayers for our trip have been working, and we truly appreciate your support.

We are happy to report some real success stories!

Success #1--Our "5 MileWifi" has been working very well most of the time. It allows us to go online and check email, do banking, and update the blog. We are very pleased about this!

Success #2--After our centerboard work and re-launch at Cape May, we waited an extra couple of days for a storm to pass through. Then we had a great ride up the Delaware Bay, sailing some , motor sailing some, and powering some. We were making 8.2 knots at the end of the day! Having a favorable tide makes all the difference. We made it from Cape May to Chesapeake City in 9 hours and 40 minutes, record time for us! And, when we got to Chesapeake City, there was space available at the City Dock (only $15 per night for electric).

Success #3--We are now at Tolchester Marina, in northern Maryland, where we ended our trip last fall. We are preparing to leave in the morning for Galesville, MD, heading south!! So we are excited about continuing on into (for us) unexplored territory! The plan is for Galesville tomorrow night and Solomon's the following night. Temperatures are in the 60's, instead of in the 20's and 30's as we experienced last fall.

A joy!--One of the best parts about this cruising life is the people we meet along the way. We hope to meet up again soon with the Ishmael crew. We met some folks in Cape May whom we were able to assist with information about where to go to haul a boat (Tolchester, of course!). Today we spent some time with Stan, whom we had met last spring here at Tolchester, and his lovely wife Jeanne. We have a dinner invitation from them for spring when we return! We also met Jim, a single hander from Maine, at Cape May. All super people.

Garmie (our Garmin Chartplotter) is a real blessing, and takes great care of us! Kubbie (our Beta diesel engine) averages 10 miles per gallon and also takes great care of us!

"on the hard" at Cape May

We had a somewhat bouncy but good trip from Atlantic City to Cape May on Tuesday. Wind "on the nose" all day, so it was a powerboat trip. Arrived at Utsch's Marina before 5:00, fueled up and into our slip. Over to the fish market at the Lobster House for some of their great crab cakes! And what a great night's sleep; no worries about dragging anchor, or getting up in the night to check dock lines! This is a very secure spot, wish we could have been here for the storms that kept us in Atlantic City. Took a very, very long showers; it has been nine days since the last real shower!

Wednesday morning we made arrangements to have the boat hauled and put on a cradle, so we could really check out the centerboard situation. First thing we discovered was a small rope wrapped around our prop. Picked it up along the way apparently. That could explain part of the reason for our slow speed yesterday! Dick tried again to get the centerboard pin back in place, first, from inside with the board down a little, then actually removing the plate in the keel that allows access to that area. Couldn't get the pin to budge. We would need to be able to "hang"in a a travel lift for a couple of days to be able to really get at the pin, and we can't get that time here, as the marina is busy hauling boats for winter storage. So we bolted the centerboard in the up position. Then, of course, fiberglassing the plate in the keel was necessary. Tomorrow morning we repaint that area and will be back in the water tomorrow afternoon. Traveling down the Chesapeake and in the ICW, we would have the board up anyway.

Last night Colby spent the night aboard Ishmael, with Kooper and his family. But they moved on today, and so we hoisted Colby up from the ground onto the boat with the mainsheet. Kind of like doing a "dog overboard"drill! He didn't like his "flying lesson" much, but was happy to be in his familiar surroundings once he was aboard!

We look forward to getting back in the water and underway again.

Atlantic City, the storms continue...

(If you have just joined us, this is entry #3 for this year's trip.)

About 3:30 this morning, I thought, how did I get inside this bucking bronco? The wind had shifted and increased, and the ride was uncomfortable to say the least. Dick climbed out on the dock and adjsuted some lines, making the ride a bit better. Another night of sleeping on the settees, as the boat was moving too much to be able to rest comfortably in the V-berth. Sustained winds of 25-30 knots, gusting higher, and by now the wind "on the nose." Gale warnings continue through midnight tonight. 14' waves out there on the ocean. Lovely weather!

This is actually the third in a series of storms, not sure when #2 became #3, but improvement is forecast! We're keeping the attitude, "it could always be worse!" There is an anchorage across the channel where several boats are anchored, with little opportunity to get off their boats. We have electric service here at the dock, and when we are "plugged in" we cook in an electric frying pan for cooking and use a hot pot to heat water. This saves our propane for the times we are at anchor. We have discovered that it is not always easy to get propane when traveling by boat.

We also have an electric heater, which we usually use when we are "plugged in." However, in this particular set of circumstances, we have found it doesn't keep us very warm, so we have been using the diesel heater. It is very warm, but we are having a difficult time regulating it, and we have to constantly check the "drip rate." We have sent an email to the company to try to get
some help with the problem. We can be warm, but we have to be very vigilant or it will go out! But as Karen said earlier today, what else do we have to do besides count drips?

Tomorrow the weather supposed to start calming down, and Tuesday looks good for a move. Our next destination is Utsch's Marina at Cape May. A favorite spot! We will need to do laundry, provision, go to the hardware store, and take care of a few boat jobs. But it is a very protected spot, has great staff and it will be good to get there! Also we will be able to get hauled if we can't get the centerboard fixed by then.

Stay tuned....

The Adventures continue.....

Saturday, October 10-- We arrived at Haverstraw Marina well before noon. After fueling up, we moved into a slip, right next to Ishmael, the Whitby 42 and crew from Catskill! Nice to see friendly faces. Our package from Jamestown Distributors has not arrived (they had promised it would be there), but we were able to find a substitute at Samalot, the well stocked marine store at the marina. We had ordered a bronze toggle, and Samalot only carries Stainless steel, so we now have dis-similar metals together, but we need to move on. A very windy afternoon here, much like our experience last year. We were able to go online with 5 mile wifi for the first time, so it was great to get online to check email!

A note about 5 mile wifi: Until now, we had email capability on one of our phones, so we could check email daily. (The cost was $60 per month.) Actual internet connection for other purposes was very spotty last year. So after some research, and on the recommendation of Practical Sailor magazine (the Consumer Reports of sailing gear), we decided to drop the email service on the phone and purchase 5 mile wifi, in an attempt to lower our expenses. Supposedly we can pick up wifi connections up to 5 miles away, for free! The antenna is installed, and it worked at Haverstraw. Since then, we have had no luck getting online. We get a message that we are connected, but cannot pull up a webpage. Not sure if it is the weather or something else. Have emailed the folks at 5 mile wifi, and waiting for a response. Communication is very important on a trip like this, so we hope to get the problem resolved soon! Lots of people use an aircard with excellent results, but we are trying to avoid the $60 per month fee.

October 11--Traveled to the anchorage at Liberty State Park. We had anchored there in the spring and enjoyed it. Great view of the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan, and the Verazzano Narrows Bridge. Brisk wind during the night, but holding is good here. Ishmael followed us in to the anchorage.

October 12-- On to Manasquan, NJ. Anchored again at "Dog Beach", where Colby and Kooper (Ishmael's resident pooch) had a great time. Decided to stay here an extra day as winds were forecast to pick up considerably in the late afternoon, and that could make the entrance into Atlantic City difficult at the end of a long day. (Remember last year's arrival at Atlantic City?)
As it turns out, this was a good choice, as we discovered that, ADVENTURE #5, our centerboard was in the down position. The square part of the centerboard pin had slipped, and we can no longer raise the board. It was actually acting as our anchor! We took a long rope and worked it back from the bow, managing to raise the board, and we tied it up. Then Dick started to work on the mechanism (the Tartan manual does explain that this does sometimes happen, and can be fixed from inside the boat, with one's head in the bilge and one's mouth held in just the right position!). Karen went out into the cockpit about a half hour later, and discovered that, ADVENTURE # 6, we had blown down the channel and were quickly approaching the railroad bridge!!!! Yikes!!!! Quickly stared the engine, powered back to the anchorage a few hundred feet away, and put the anchor down. Engine in reverse to check that the anchor was set, and ADVENTURE # 7, the engine quit again! Realized that the rope we had used to tie up the centerboard had slipped, and wrapped around the prop!! (As Karen said, "We didn't used to be bumbling idiots?!") We called George on Ishmael to warn them of our plight, and George mentioned that he had seen a Towboat US boat on the other side of the harbor. So we called them, and about 45 minutes later, Captain Tom and his son Thomas arrived. Tom dove under the boat, raised the board so we could tie it again, and removed the rope from the prop. Thank you!! A lot of adventure for one day. Heavy winds in the night, but the anchor held well. Not much sleep, however.

October 14--Underway before 6:30 AM, in the dark. A good day of motor sailing along the coast. We did hear a loud noise at one point, but engine ran well, temperature was fine. Arrived at Atlantic City, Gardiner's Basin, about 4:00 PM. Glad to be here. Ishmael arrived a few minutes ahead of us, and helped us tie up. On the end of a dock, but better location at least from last year. Out to dinner with George, Kathy and Ben at the Back Bay Ale House, a fun evening!
About 10:00, we were hearing a banging noise, and realized that the centerboard had somehow dropped again. That was the loud "Ka-bam" we had heard underway today. So out on deck with a rope again, pulling it back from the bow, and tied up the centerboard again! A calm night, great night's sleep for the first time in days.

October 15--Here it comes! The advertised storm, with winds gusting to 50 knots. The docks are sound, we have 6 lines holding us, and chafing gear on the dock lines. Lots of noise, boat moving around a bit, but we are OK. This is really a re-run of our experience here last fall!! Couldn't sleep comfortably in the v-berth that night, so we slept on the settees in the saloon. Colby likes the company! Around 10:00, we thought the centerboard might have come loose again, so we were out on deck with another rope, to be sure it was up. Limited sleep that night!

October 16-- A bit calmer for a while during the day, the lull between the two fronts. Then here comes storm #2! Winds gusting to 35 knots, expect to be here until at least Tuesday. Would have loved to get to Cape May for this series of storms, but this is OK. We have power, water, rest rooms during the day, a convenience store, and free access to the Aquarium with its DSL connection! Still need to get the centerboard pin back in place, but hard to work when the boat is bouncing around.

Maybe we'll have an Indian Summer?

There oughta be a song, "Stuck in Atlantic City again...!"

Well folks, we thought that leaving 3 weeks earlier than last year would ensure perfect weather this year (well, one can always hope!). Here we are in Atlantic City, in a big nor'easter, almost exactly like the conditions we had last year. The perfect opportunity to listen to all of the noises a boat can possibly make while tied to a dock in 50 knot winds!

Internet access has been spotty at best so far, so there has been no opportunity until now to update the blog. The good thing about being here is that the friendly folks at the Atlantic City Aquarium, where we are docked, allow us to use their DSL connection, so we can finally catch up with email and the blog!

So here is a synopsis of our trip so far, and it has been one ADVENTURE after another:

September 26--We left Van Slooten Harbour Marina in Port Henry, at 5:00 PM. A late start, but we wanted to just get underway, thinking that we would just go a ways and then anchor. Well, ADVENTURE #1: We thought we might put the hook down in Crown Point, near where we had anchored before. Well, we got caught up in a weed bed, and were happy to get out quickly! We headed across the lake to another bay, did get some protection from the wind there, and anchored. But we realized that our speed was down, and that we must have wrapped some weeds around the prop. So, do we return to Port Henry or go on the Chipman Point Marina? We decided to continue on, and powered at reduced speed there in the AM. We asked Chip, the owner, to dive on our prop to cut away the weeds. The next morning he was under the boat at 8:00 AM, and said he cut away a basketball sized mass of weeds from the prop!

Under way shortly after, motoring down the channel, and all of a sudden, ADVENTURE #2! We went aground at Red Marker #14. In our years of sailing, we have never gone aground before! We finally were able to kedge ourselves off with a stern anchor after about 1 1/2 hours of hard work. On to Whitehall and through the first lock. A quick stop in Whitehall to get ice (our cooler had filled with lake water and melted all the ice, but that doesn't even count as an adventure!).

A peaceful trip through the Champlain Canal, overnight at Lock 9, where there is a good floating dock, and arrival in Waterford on September 29. So nice to be there, great docks, friendly dockmaster, lots of nice folks! Always people coming and going in different directions. And our good friend Larry lives in Waterford, so we had a very enjoyable dinner with him that evening.
We spent a day in Waterford, did some provisioning, made arrangements to leave the boat there for a few days, then rented a car. Up to Port Henry to pick up one vehicle we had left there, and home. The wedding on October 3 was beautiful and we were happy to be there for this special event! A quick trip to GlensFalls for some last minute things, closed up the house, and back to Waterford Sunday afternoon.

October 5--Underway at 8:00 Am. Feels like we are really underway now! Arrived at Riverview Marine Services in Catskill Creek that afternoon. Nice to be back at this friendly place. Mast up the next morning, and then (ADVENTURE #3) we discover that we are missing a toggle for one of the shrouds. Can't quite figure out how it could be gone, but, we need one. Defender couldn't help us, so we called Jamestown Distributors, who had one and would ship it to Haverstraw Marina, where we planned to stop. So we won't be able to sail until then, but we can make progress anyway. Here we met Kathy, George and 15 year old Ben, as well as their dog Kooper, traveling on their Whitby 42. They are from Michigan and this is their first trip south. We all seem to get along well, and enjoyed a glass of their wine with them one evening! We stayed here 3 nights, as the wind was gusting to 50 the day we planned to leave. Departed there on October 8, and did a short day to Kingston. We anchored in Roundout Creek, and spent the afternoon on some projects. Dick wired the antenna for the 5 mile wifi,and Karen handsewed a cover for the dodger. When we use the diesel heater, lovely fine black soot is emitted, and we want to protect our "oyster" colored dodger! That evening, we used the diesel heater for the first time since Port Henry. What lovely warmth! This will certainly help us to be more comfortable this fall! And Colby loves it, as his bed is right next to the heater. It is just like being in front of the wood stove at home! And it is a dry heat, which is good thing in a plastic boat.
Underway the next day, headed to Haverstraw, when ADVENTURE #4, the engine quit! Dick changed the primary (Racor) fuel filter, and the second fuel filter, then added fuel. Still the engine won't start. We called the nearest marina for a tow, as we we drifting in the middle of the river. The told us to call Seatow, and we could come there but they had no mechanic. So we called Seatow (will be there in 45 minutes), then another marina a little farther along, White's, where we had stayed last year. White's said they had a mechanic (and we learned later that they also have a tow boat). So we were delivered to White's, and Jim, a very friendly mechanic, came on board. Dick thought the problem was probably sludge in the fuel, so Jim pumped 10 liters of fuel out of the tank, got some sludge. He said that apparently what happened was that sludge had plugged the filter so that it was sucking air instead of fuel. So even though we changed the filter, it wasn't primed properly. Once he did that, the engine started and ran fine. By then, it was 4:00 in the afternoon, and we were exhausted, so we elected to stay the night. The folks here are very friendly, and like dogs! We had to leave by 7:00 AM to get out before the tide changed, so we were underway early the next day.

By the way, we haven't told you that Colby has been great! Last year, it seemed that noises spooked him, and he wasn't a happy camper. He has been much more comfortable with the whole scene this year. It is more work having him with us, but he is our best friend and we are happy we have aboard!

Enough for today, adventures to be continued........

Preparing for Departure

We are looking forward to getting underway once again! We had planned to leave by now, but a cold snap last week with nighttime temps in the high 30's brought back memories of last fall! We decided to take an extra few days to install a diesel heater, so that we won't have to stay in marinas all the time to plug in to electric for heat. Of course, all the parts that were supposed to be in the installation kit weren't there, so progress with the installation has been slow.

After the heater is in and working, a few more details, and then we'll be off!

The September winds have been constant, which impedes progress as well. You know you're working too much when you have a sailboat, but the wind is a detriment to progress!

As much as we know that scheduling is the antithesis to happy cruising, we really want to attend Kirianne and Marcus' wedding in Northville on October 3, so we need to get the boat to a good spot to leave it for a few days so that we can go back home for this exciting event.

"Springing North"

Greetings, fellow travelers!

Having dealt with Winter, computer deficiencies, lack of access to Wi-Fi and other harmless annoyances, we have retrieved Trefoil from her winter digs in Maryland and returned her to her berth in Port Henry on Lake Champlain.

The return North:

Trefoil was recommissioned and sailed May 20, 2009 from Tolchester, Md to Anapolis Md.

We were cajoled into traveling SOUTH on our northerly venture by friends (Rick & Carol Clarke) who convinced us that watching the BLUE ANGELS air show was an event we would not regret witnessing. How right they were. What talented pilots in incredible aircraft. We were continously amazed at the ever-expanding level of dificulty of feats of skill and daring! Thanks to the Clarkes for their encouragement .

We left the Annapolis area on May 21, and had a beautiful day of sailing north on the Chesapeake. A night in Worton Creek, then on to Chesapeake City. Whoops, it was Memorial Day weekend, and not a spot available, either in the anchorage or at the town dock! So on to an anchorage we had used in the fall, behind Reedy Island, just a few miles south on the Delaware. On to Cape May, the tide was with us most of the way. And the wind was really picking up for the second half of the day, steady 25 + knots. We were happy to reach Utsche's Marina, a friendly and well protected spot. We ended up staying there a week, waiting for the Atlantic to calm down a bit. Met lots of nice folks there and enjoyed a couple of trips into town.
The crabcakes at the fish market Lobster House are superb!! We purchased these cakes on two occasions and cooked them on the boat.

After our "vacation" in Cape May, we had beautiful weather up the coast. Anchored one night in Atlantic City, then a night at Manasquan by "dog beach". Sure wished we had Colby with us! The following night, we were anchored at Liberty State Park, behind the Statue of Liberty. What a truly awesome sight, seeing the grand lady from the water!

Then more good weather, with a stop at Haverstraw Marina, then Esophus Creek, then to Riverview Marina in Catskill, where it was time to take down the mast for the trip up the Champlain Canal. The folks there are very nice and very skilled with the crane.

Then on to Waterford for 2 nights. What a great stop; people headed north up the Champlain Canal, and boats headed west out the Erie Canal. Our friend Larry stopped by and took us out to breakfast while we were here!

We picked up another friend, Herb, at Lock 3, for a short ride to Lock 4. Herb and his wife Dorothy have done the trip from Lake Champlain to Florida many times, and Herb wanted a short ride on he canal for Old times sake!

A good trip up the Champlain Canal, an overnight at Whitehall, and then back to Port Henry on June 10. The spring trip ws so different from the fall. We had great weather and a wonderful time!

We had the boat hauled and placed on its cradle to we could attend to some necesssary tasks. The centerboard has been repaired, the fuel tank has had its vent relocated so that it won't leak any more, and bottom paint touched up.

We were back in the water on July 17, and enjoyed a few days on the lake last week.

Saturday August 1 is the Westport Regatta, our first ever race! Wish us luck! And August 8 is the Lake Champlain rendez-vous of Tartan 34C sailboats. We look forward to meeting fellow 34C sailors on the lake.

Preparing for Spring Launch!

Can't wait to get Trefoil back in the water again! We spent the second two weeks of April in Maryland; part of the time we were installing toe rail chocks, cleaning the boat, touching up some bottom paint, and some other jobs, and part of the time we were with our friends Rick and Carol Clarke. Saturday, April 27 was a glorious day, when the four of us delivered their Tartan 34, Victoria, across the Chesapeake from Galesville to Oxford. That the Atomic 4 was sleepy from winter storage and didn't want to run more than 3 minutes at a stretch that day didn't really matter, as the winds cooperated fully!



Launch day for Trefoil is May 15. We plan to spend a few days exploring the northern Chesapeake before heading back to Lake Champlain for the summer. Let's hope for good weather for the return trip. Colby will stay home this time, resting up for summer sailing on the lake.