Fogged in at NYC!

Jersey City, actually, just across the river from Manhattan. We arrived here yesterday, fully expecting to leave this morning, to catch the slack tide to pass through Hell Gate and into Long Island Sound. But we awoke this morning to heavy, dense fog (you could hardly see any buildings across the river) and a forecast for severe thunderstorms in Long Island Sound. So we opted for an extra day here, at Liberty Landing Marina, which has state of the art facilities. The air conditioned showers and transient lounge are most appreciated! The extra day gave us time to clean the boat and work on charting our route into Long Island Sound. It has been a busy week. We left Waterford Sunday AM, after a nice visit with Larry on Saturday evening. On to Catskill, where we once again had our mast stepped at Riverview Marine Services. The marina sustained heavy damage after Hurricane Irene hit last fall, but all has been repaired, with some nice improvements. The staff here is excellent, friendly and skilled. Two days here to rig, put on sails, and get the boat ready for the trip down the Hudson. It was difficult to keep working in the heat (low 90's) and humidity. We enjoyed the company here of Alex and Charlotte, a young couple from France, who traveled down the west coast of France, to the Canary Islands, crossed the Atlantic, traveled through the Caribbean, up the East Coast of the US, and are now on their way to Montreal. Wednesday AM, we started south, and decided to anchor by Bannerman's Castle, by Pollopel Island, just south of Newburgh. This was our first time in this anchorage, and aside from the frequent and loud train traffic, it was a good anchorage. A bit diffficult to get the dog ashore, however, and he only got one trip. About 4:00 AM, Jonah decided he really had to "go," and finally became a real "boat dog." Breezy and showers the next AM, with forecast for severe thunderstorms, so on to Haverstraw, only a 3 houur trip, where we would have good protection from the storm. As it turned out, the storm didn't happen until about 7:00 PM, but when it came, it was amazing! Winds in excess of 60 mph, heavy rain, black, black sky, and then several more hours of rain. On down the Hudson to the NYC area the next day. We wanted to get some good local knowledge about the infamous Hell Gate, so we opted for Liberty Landing Marina instead of anchoring behind the Statue of Liberty. It has been 4 years since we were here, and the improvements are exceptional! Tomorrow, on to Long Island Sound!

Trefoil travels again!

After two years at home, We are underway again! This time we are headed to Maine! We plan to join a group of 18 other boats, all Tartans of verying lengths, for the New England cruise. Our goal is to meet the first boat in Stonington, Connecticut on August 2. From there we will follow an itinerary set up by the TONE (Tartan Owners of the Northeast)board, with stops in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine. Other boats will join the group at varying points. It is good to be on the water again, although it has been a very hectic spring. This year we decided to paint Trefoil's topsides. Wow, what a job! We are pleased with the final result, but it was an enormous undertaking. After launching on June 21, we took our pastor, Kirianne and her husband Marcus out for a two day trip, and then friends Carolyn and Charlie Unger for a day of great sailing. Then Karen flew to London to meet our brandnew grandson, Benjy, who was born June 25! It was wonderful to spend 10 days with Jane, Pete and Benjy. Mom, Dad and baby are all doing great! It was very cool and rainy in London, in sharp contrast to the weather we are having in the Northeast this summer. Karen returned on July 11, and one week later, July 18, we were underway from Van Slooten Harbor Marina in Port Henry down the Champlain Canal. We had taken the mast down 2 days before, and had gone home to pick up another load of gear. A storm with strong wind gusts hit just before we returned to the boat, knocking the front of the mast off its suport. Fortunately it didn't go in the water, and Harbormaster Dave had it back in place just as we arrived back at the marina! Three days from Port Henry to Waterford, at the end of the Champlain Canal. It is always nice to spend time here, the people are friendly, there are great docks to tie up to, with water and electricity, wifi, and a supermarket is nearby! A great place to catch up on a few boat jobs, get a little rest, and do a major provisioning. Also, our friend Larry lives about 3 blocks from the waterfront. Larry has been extremely helpful, in the past and again this year. We had ordered some last minute equipment, including a whisker pole, through West Marine. Larry picked those items up for us, and we walked to his house to pick them up! Thank you once again, Larry! Tomorrow we will move on to Catskill, where we will have our mast stepped and make the conversion from a powerboat to a sailboat! Last August we lost our beloved Colby. He had traveled with us from Lake Champlain to the Chesapeake, and then from Lake Champlain to Florida and back. We made friends all along the way because of his wonderful, gentle demeanor. Our new second mate is Jonah, a yellow lab puppy. He is 14 months old, and still has a lot to learn! He is doing very well so far, except that he barks at the aids to navigation and sometimes at people who walk down the dock!

Winter in the North Country

It has been a very busy summer for Trefoil's crew. After 3 weeks at home in July, working on the yard and flower garden, we returned to Trefoil on her cradle at Van Slooten Harbour Marina in Port Henry, on Lake Champlain. We had decided to proceed with the bottom job, and we were prepared with the necessary materials: Soy Strip to remove the old bottom paint, a Festool sander/vacuum borrowed from our friend and fellow sailor Jim Morris, 5 gallons of epoxy barrier coat, and 2 gallons of bottom paint, along with brushes, rollers, Tyvek suits, etc. This was a major undertaking: the Soy Strip worked well to remove the majority of the old bottom paint, the sander was a fantastic tool to use, and then we faired, sanded, faired and sanded again a number of spots on the bottom (not one blister, however!). Finally, we applied 6 coats of Interprotect 2000, and 2 coats of bottom paint. Also during this time, we had a new arm made for the centerboard; Dick installed this and made sure this time that he wedged it in with some King Starboard, to prevent it from ever backing out again!

Trefoil was re-launched on Friday, September 3, and after 2 days of rigging, we set off for a week's vacation on the lake. We had a wonderful time, visiting some of our favorite anchorages: Kingsland Bay, Valcour Island (Spoon Bay), Shelburne Bay, Burlington Harbour, and Westport. Several of those days we were in the company of our friend Larry, who was also on vacation that week aboard his O'Day 30. Kim and Pete on their O'Day joined us on Valcour as well. While in Kingsland Bay, we spotted a familiar looking boat: it was Leonard and Lynnea Rosner, whom we had met in Charleston this spring! We enjoyed chatting with them and hearing about their trip north from Charlston.

On September 19, son Emil and Michelle, Ceiarah, and Noah joined us for a day on the water. The weather was perfect as we sailed to Cole Bay, had lunch, and then powered back to the marina. This past weekend we had a great 2 day trip with good sailing again. On September 24, we saw some more friends from the winter: Peter and Claudia Hornby, whom we had met in Florida, live in Plattsburgh. They drove to Port Henry and we enjoyed lunch together and a visit to the nearby Iron center Museum.

Now it is time to store Trefoil on her cradle for the winter. We have decided to stay home this winter, do some winter hiking and cross-country skiing, as well as some projects at home. Trefoil will travel again to other destinations, but the crew is ready for a landlubbers' winter!

Travels aboard Trefoil to be continued.....

It's nice to be home!

We arrived back on Lake Champlain on June 29, after two days in the Champlain Canal. Our trip has lasted nine months; we departed on September 26, 2009. Although we have seen many beautiful spots on our trip south, none of them is more beautiful than our home waters! And after much hot, humid weather during our trip north, including the two days in the Champlain Canal, we were treated to some wonderful "Adirondack weather" for our first couple of days back!! Nights in the 40's, daytime highs in the low 70's and blue skies and sunshine!! What a treat! Two fleece blankets and wool socks at night!

Trefoil came out of the water the next day, and we pressure washed the bottom. We had had the bottom cleaned by a diver in Florida just after we headed north, and there was surprisingly little growth in the past two months. Then Ron moved the boat over to the area where we will work on her until she is ready to go back in the lake. Dick opened up the access to the centerboard, and was unable to dislodge the arm that holds the pin in place. So the centerboard will not be an easy fix, that much we know.

July 1 and it was time to go home. Our friend Mark had given Dick a ride to pick up our car, so we packed up the dirty laundry, and headed home! We are now busy catching up on "home jobs," and will be back at the marina soon, preparing Trefoil for some time on the lake this summer. We are strongly considering the idea of stripping the bottom, doing an epoxy barrier coat, and then new bottom paint. It is a job that needs to be done, and since we are on the hard at the moment, it seems to be a good time to do this job. However, we are also looking forward to enjoying the lake and doing some sailing!

Sleepless in Manasquan and other highlights

With a good weather forecast, we departed Cape May early on June 18, a beautifully cool day with light north winds. We rolled out some jib and had a great ride up to Atlantic City. "Sammy" the tillerpilot really did his share that day. We opted for Gardiners Historic Basin, so that we could easily get our friend Colby ashore and go for a walk. Up and away early the next morning, headed for Manasquan. This is a very busy inlet, lots of fishing boats, and recreational boats, especially on a weekend. We arrived at 3:00 on Saturday afternoon: not a good plan. Our plan was to anchor at "dog beach" as we have done before. On this beautiful, hot, sunny Saturday afternoon, the boats were like ants moving all around the inlet. In the past, we have "hunted around" a bit with the depth finder to find a good spot to drop the hook. This time, we went to the spot we thought we had anchored before, put the hook down and made sure it was set. Whew! Colby was in a hurry to get ashore, so Dick put the dingy in the water and took him to "dog beach." Well, by the time they returned, we were aground, and only 2 hours after high tide! With all of the activity, we had not done our usual careful job of anchoring. Oh, boy, this is going to be interesting! We decided that we would just wait for high tide, and we should be able to get off by ourselves. High tide would be 2:30 AM. OK, cook dinner quickly before it becomes too difficult, sit on the rail for a while and wave at all of the people who pass by on their boats. A few asked if we needed food or water! By low tide, we were at a heel of 35 degrees...very uncomfortable. We rested for a while, and waited for the tide to come back in. About 2:00 AM, we were upright again and we started working to get ourselves off. Dick tried to winch us out with the windlass, and Karen was at the helm, assisted with the engine. We moved an inch or two, tried again, another inch or two, but we finally decided we weren't going to be able to get off under our own power. The hide tide at 2:30 AM was not quite as high as the high tide in the afternoon, by a few inches. So we called BOAT US, and asked for a tow. Within minutes, we were floating free once again! This was the same BOAT US operator who had assisted us back in October in the same inlet! Very professional and helpful. So we re anchored in deeper water, to regroup and rest a bit. By 5:00 AM the fishing boats were underway, and in this narrow channel were were rocking and rolling. We were underway soon after.

The plan had been to return to the anchorage behind the Statue of Liberty, which we have enjoyed before. However, we had received a call from Brian and Deb, whom we had met at Utsch's, saying that the whole area around the Statue was closed off because of the Red Bull Air Races. So on to Plan B: some other folks had told us that Great Kill Harbor on Staten Island is an excellent anchorage. A little out of the way, but we decided to check it out. Only 35 (nautical) miles from Manasquan, but we needed a short day after our sleepless night in Manasquan. This was a very good stop; excellent holding, a good dinghy dock, and a nice place to walk. We certainly slept well that night!

As we were leaving the channel at 7:30 the next morning, a fishing boat passed us: it was Norman, whom we had met a couple of times while he was visiting our friend Rick Kelley on Lake Champlain. Norman lives in New Jersey, and we had told him we would call when we were on the Jersey coast. On the phone the night before, he had told us he would be fishing in Great Kills Harbor the next morning! The timing was perfect!

It was a long slog to Haverstraw that day, 51 nautical miles, with the tide against us most of the day. Our lowest speed of the day was 2.8 knots, but by the time we reached Haverstraw we were up to 6.0 knots. About a half mile from Haverstraw Marina, at 5:00PM, we ran out of fuel!! ARGH!!!! So Dick quickly added diesel to the tank, and we motored to the fuel dock, where we topped off. The fuel dock was very busy, and it was 7:30 by the time we got to our slip, exhausted. Did we mention that it was 90 degrees and humid?

We slept in the next morning, and it was almost 9:30 by the time we were underway. Tide was against us again this day, but our lowest speed was 4.2 knots, better than the day before. Some rain on and off, hot and humid, then thunderstorms forecast for the evening. We picked up a mooring at Hyde Park, and once again our enclosure was an asset, as we had dinner in the cockpit during a downpour! This would be a good spot to return to, as it is walking distance to the Roosevelt Historic Site and the Vanderbilt Mansion.

On to Riverview Marine Services the next day, arriving at noon. Another 90+ degree day, and very humid. UGHH! And an unpleasant surprise: our mast crutches, which we use to hold the mast on the boat while we motor up through the Champlain Canal and back to Lake Champlain, were gone. When one has the mast stepped on the trip south, one stores the mast crutches at the marina, with no guarantees. It is an honor system. Well, someone obviously needed our mast supports, and took them. Fortunately, there was a boat at Riverview when we arrived that had just come from Chicago, through the Erie Canal. Sue and Leo are headed south with their Westsail 32, and do not intend to return. So they offered us their mast crutches! Thank you!! Only minor modifications were needed to make them work for us. We enjoyed some time chatting with Sue and Leo as we all took some breaks in the shade while trying to work on our boats. They were rigging to head south; we were de-rigging to head north on the canal. Thursday morning we finished de-rigging, the mast was down and we were underway by noon. We really appreciate the skill of the staff at Riverview.

Thunderstorms were threatening for the afternoon, and we listened to the weather radio to track the progress of the storms. Once when the skies were really dark and the wind picked up, we picked up a mooring at Castleton for a few minutes. When the conditions quieted down, we were underway again. Later as we entered the Port of Albany, it started to rain, so we hugged the bulkhead, and kept moving. Through the Troy Lock at 6:45; just as we exited the lock, our friend Larry called to see where we were. Larry lives in Waterford; when we arrived at the free docks at Waterford, Larry greeted us and helped us with our lines! Great to see a familiar face! We walked to a nearby pizzeria, and brought pizza and wings back for dinner in the cockpit. Thanks Larry!

This morning, our son Emil picked us up, and drove us to Queensbury so that Colby could see his vet! Colby had developed a skin condition which we wanted checked out. Back to Waterford, lunch with Emil, and he was on his way. We are happy to be here in Waterford, and will probably stay an extra day. Three days from here to Van Slooten Harbour Marina!!

Hurray, Hurray, we're at Cape May!!

Sorry for the lapse in blogging!! The 3 of us are fine, and we are here at Cape May in a downpour, waiting for the three day weather window we need to get up the New Jersey coast.

To backtrack at bit: the trip from Norfolk to Deltaville was a long one. It took us 11.5 hours to make the trip (56 nautical miles). We had the tide and current against us for a while, and that really makes a difference in a slow boat like ours. Doziers Regatta Point Marina was very nice; Dave and Linda arrived ahead of us and were there to take our lines when we arrived! We stayed two nights here, and enjoyed the pool, a wine and cheese party and dinner with Dave and Linda.

On to Solomons; another long day, but we made better time on this section: 58.8 miles in 11 hours. The tide was with us, and that helped a lot. Nothing happening at the Navy firing range this trip! It was a good day, we rolled out some jib and motorsailed most of the day. At Solomons we anchored; it is an excellent anchorage, with the dingy dock at the Holiday Inn close by, so it is easy to get Colby ashore. Also a great grocery store and West Marine within walking distance. We stayed 2 nights here as well; the problem with 11 + hour travel days is that we need a rest day in between! It became very hot and humid while we were here; we sure do look forward to some cool Adirondack weather! All fall we kept looking for warm weather; now we are looking for relief from the extreme heat and humidity!

From Solomons we crossed over to the eastern shore, entered the Choptank River, and went in "the back door" to St. Michael's. Our friends Carol and Rick Clarke live just a few minutes away, and Carol met us at the dinghy dock and took us back to their house for showers!! Wow, what a treat after being anchored out for 2 nights in this weather!! After, we went out for pizza and then back to the boat. Colby opted to stay with "Auntie Carol" for the night, in the cool, air-conditioned house! Dick needed to go home for a few days; we had planned to find a marina, where Karen and Colby would stay on the boat, and Dick would rent a car to make the trip home and back. Carol came up with a wonderful alternate plan; we could anchor the boat in front of their friends' house in a nearby quiet creek, Dick would fly from Baltimore to Albany, and Karen and Colby would stay with the Clarkes in that cool, air-conditioned house! Thank you Carol! This was a great plan, especially since the temperatures and humidity were at record breaking levels for early June in the Chesapeake. Our good friend Toby picked Dick up at Albany airport in our Toyota. Colby and Karen truly enjoyed the time off the boat with our good friends Carol and Rick. Karen got to sail with Carol on Caspar, a 19' Cape Dory! This was a different and fun time. And Colby finally got to go swimming a couple of times; first time since leaving Lake Champlain in September! Very happy dog! Carol has come to our rescue several times; it is wonderful to have good friends, especially ones who are strategically located on the Chesapeake!

After Dick returned we spent another day anchored near St. Michaels, waiting for a front to pass through. There were several boats in the same anchorage, which was well protected.

From St. Michaels we passed through Knapps Narrows, and then on to Annapolis. We were finally able to sail! It was a beautiful day, with the breeze really picking up as we arrived at Annapolis. It truly is the sailing capital of the East Coast; sailboats all over, and lots of skill evident in the handling of those boats. In Annapolis harbor, moorings are available for $30 per night. A small price to pay to watch the circus! Boats of all sizes coming and going, sailboats, powerboats, tour boats, kayaks, dinghies; it is constant motion, and one can watch it all from the comfort of one's own cockpit! And then of course, when you venture ashore, there are people all over, watching the boats, strolling along the boardwalk, enjoying the beautiful weather. We enjoyed the sights so much we stayed 2 nights.

Then on to Tolchester. This is where we had ended our trip south in the fall of 2008 when we arrived a week before Thanksgiving and the temperatures were in the 20's. The folks at Tolchester Marina took very good care of us when we decided to store the boat here for the winter. It was nice to return in warm weather! Actually, it was another hot and humid day; after visiting with friends here, we enjoyed a swim in the pool and a drink at the pool bar! Colby enjoyed another swim on the beach!

Next day we traveled to Chesapeake City; we were very happy to get a spot at the free town dock! Chesapeake City is another pretty town, with lots of friendly folks. We enjoyed a great crab dinner at the Tap Room. We studied the tide and current charts in preparation for the trip down the Delaware Bay. This is a long trip (62 nautical miles), and the current is significant in the Delaware River and Delaware Bay. Timing is critical to making a successful trip in one day. We left the dock at 5:20 Am, had the ebb tide with us, then current against us for 3 hours, then the current with us. We made the rip from Chesapeake City to Utsch's Marina in 12 hours. We were very pleased to have had such a successful day.

This is our fourth stay at Utsch's Marina; we really enjoy our time here. The staff are friendly and helpful, the protection is excellent, the facilities are very good, and the village of Cape May is a fun place to visit, with a good grocery store and a hardware store. It was beautifully cool here yesterday; what a welcome relief form the temps and humidity we have experienced lately. We arrived here Monday night; we anticipate leaving either Thursday or Friday, depending on how quickly the seas settle down after today's storm. We are using the time here to provision, do laundry, clean the boat, change the engine oil, and catch up the blog! The New Jersey coast for us is a 3 day trip: Cape May to Atlantic City, Atlantic City to Manasquan, and Manasquan to New York City. Then we will be back on the Hudson River! Trefoil can almost see the barn door!

Back in Norfolk again

The Dismal Swamp Canal trip went well: there are 2 locks to go through on this route. We got through the first one on Sunday, and arrived at the North Carolina Visitors' Center about 12:30 PM. We could have kept going and made it to Norfolk that night, but thunderstorms were imminent, AND there were no boats tied up at the wall when we arrived!! Last fall on the trip south, we were the last of 17 boats to arrive and raft up at this location! This was a treat; we secured our lines, got Colby ashore for a bit, and then the thunderstorms and heavy rain began. We were really glad to be where we were and to have our enclosure in place. A couple of hours later, some of the other boats from Elizabeth City arrived and were were able to help them get tied up. Five of us spent the night here. What a great stop! Lots of space to walk the dog, clean restrooms, and friendly folks!

Through the second lock the next day and on to Waterside Marina in downtown Norfolk. We had stayed here in the fall. It is a great location; step off the boat and into a city. What an abrupt change from 2 days in the Dismal Swamp! Norfolk is a great spot; lots to see and do, and a beautiful waterfront park. We had intended to stay two nights here, but we have opted for a third. Our friends Dave and Linda on Off Islander, dock neighbors from Stuart this winter, arrived last night. They tell us they have been chasing us for weeks, trying to catch up! We stayed an extra day to spend time with them and to avoid the 3 - 4' chop at the mouth of the bay today.

Tomorrow we begin our trip up the Chesapeake! Approximately 200 miles. Some weather is moving in over the next couple of days, so we will monitor that. We did hear reports of a major storm brewing over the Atlantic, with waves to 18'. Glad we are not out there for that!