Homeward Bound

(Written Monday, July 27th)

As I write this post we are about 10 miles from Oswego, NY and about 45 miles from Kingston, ON. It’s been a busy and long week as we have transited part of the Erie canal and all of the Oswego canal. We were raised or lowered through a total of 30 locks in the four days it took us to make it from Waterford to Oswego.

I really like going through the canals. The scenery is beautiful and it was quiet and tranquil. Every so often we would go through a small town and see civilization. The locks are fun and a welcome break from miles of motoring. There are places to tie up usually at each lock, and aside from the $25 for a 10-day pass, there are no other docking fees (unless you want to stay at one of the few marinas along the way). The only thing that was not so attractive was that it rained for all 4 days we were in the canals. As hardcore fair-weather sailors we found this less than desirable. But besides complaining every once in a while, we sucked it up and endured the damp and dreary weather. If the weather had of been nice, we would have probably lingered a little longer and explored some of the town/cities along the way. To do the distance that we did in the four days, most of our days began before 7am and we were on the go for about 12 hours before we tied up for the night.

The current is strong this time as a result of the high water levels. There was also a lot of debris in the canal due to the high water levels earlier in the spring. Logs, branches and sometimes whole trees were obstacles which we had to avoid. The water was quite turbulent as we entered the locks if they were close to dams. Some lock tenders were talking about the possibility that the locks may get shut down again because the water levels were so high. But luckily we got through with no problems, and the rain diminished.

This morning we raised the mast and turned the boat back into a sailboat. I’m not sure if the mast has gotten heavier, or we’ve gotten weaker, but it took a little more heaving than I remember to lift the mast up. Or perhaps we’ve just forgotten how heavy it was to begin with. But after a brief struggle, some grunting and straining of muscles, it was up. It only took us about 1 ½ hours total to get everything set up and ready to go.

(steamboat)

We finally saw the sun this morning and the temperatures are predicted to be in the mid 80’s. Unfortunately there isn’t going to be any wind, we were looking forward to a good day’s sail, but maybe tomorrow. As we motored out into Lake Ontario we were both looking forward to closing the loop and setting foot back onto Canadian soil.

We are planning to anchor the night at Main Duck Island (about ½ way to Kingston). That way we can head out early on Tuesday and arrive in Kingston, giving us lots of time to clear back into Canada, walk around and celebrate. We then plan on heading for Mallorytown Landing, the place where we launched the boat, and get the boat taken out maybe on Thursday, if all goes to plan.

A Quick Hop in the Atlantic and up the Hudson River

The weather on June 16^th looked promising for our brief journey out into the Atlantic Ocean from Manasquan around Sandy Hook to Atlantic Highlands. We checked a few weather sites and were fairly sure we would have a good trip, but you just never know for sure.

We deflated the dinghy and stored it on deck before we headed out at 8am that morning. We squeezed through the narrow Glimmer Glass Bridge and headed out the inlet. Once out in the ocean we were greeted with calm conditions. The wind was almost non-existent making for glass like seas, only a slight swell was present. We ended up motoring for a couple hours before the wind finally came. It was as predicted at about 10 knots from the west. We raised the sails and turned off the motor. When our speed dropped below about 4 knots we started the motor to assist us. We continued this way until after lunch when the wind died completely and we ended up motoring the rest of the way to Sandy Hook. It seems whenever I predict great sailing conditions; it just never seems to happen. But I must say, that I prefer when the weather reports overestimate the wind speed, rather than underestimate it. Once we fought the outgoing current and rounded the corner of Sandy Hook, we raised the sails again and had a great sail into Atlantic Highlands, where we dropped the hook near the shore.

After looking at the tide tables, we figured that we needed to leave before sunrise in order to get the current in our favour going up the Hudson River. We set our alarm clock to 4:45 for Friday morning. When our alarm went off we could hear rumbling thunder and a quick look around revealed clouds around didn’t look very friendly. Sal and I debated back and forth about whether we should go or stay. I’m not sure if we came to a decision or if we just fell asleep, but were staying. It turned out a good decision as thunderstorms rolled through the area all day on Friday, some with strong winds and some with hail. We ended up having a lazy day reading, writing and watching a movie.

Saturday morning at 4:45 looked promising, there were no thunderstorms in the forecast and the skies were clear upon inspection. We set out just before sunrise and headed for New York. We had a fun ride across the harbour as about a 4 foot swell was rolling in from behind us. We had a slight breeze, so had our sails up to assist us until we reached the entrance of the Hudson, where the wind promptly died. We passed by the Statue of Liberty and the Battery around 10am. Everything was fairly calm and quiet on the river at that time. Just a few tour boats, water taxis, and some sailboats heading out to the harbour. We got the boost of the current and almost had it the whole way to our anchorage in Haverstraw Bay. We saw lots and lots of boats around the anchorage in Haverstraw Bay, and the suckers for punishment that we are, decided to check it out and we ended up anchoring there. There was some sort of music festival or fair and were at least 50 boats anchored here. We found a spot and dropped our anchor. Big Mistake – all the boats coming and leaving and moving around created an uncomfortable and constant roll. It was incredibly annoying, but we were too tired to move. I wasn’t happy as I tried to make dinner as the boat rolled from a 15 degree angle to the right to a 15 degree angle to the left, then back and forth, again and again and again. But thankfully it died down after dark as most of the boats left. Never Again.

Sunday we had a windy day. Unfortunately the wind was on the nose, no matter which direction we were headed. We had the current, but the wind seemed to be slowing us down big time. The wind slowly eased as the day went by and by the evening the wind had died.

Both Sal and I agree that the Hudson River is one of the most scenic places along our trip. There are Mountain ranges on both sides with rich green vegetation and only a few houses scattered around. We’re continually looking around and snapping pictures. We had a very quiet anchorage that night and slept like babies.

On Monday we had to wait until about noon before we left in order to have the current in our favour. With the current we can get to about 6 knots but against it, we make only about 3 ½ knots. It was so quiet on the river compared to the weekend. We saw more birds, deer and other wildlife than we saw boats. Another very scenic day as we moved further up the Hudson.

(5:30 am departure)

Tuesday we left early in the morning and made it to Albany before 9am. We tied up at the free dock and tried to remember how to take the mast down. It has been a while since we’ve done it so our memory was a little foggy. Part of the process involved getting the fenderboard (a long 2x8 piece of wood) out of the bilge, which we would use to protect the boat when going through the locks. We somehow managed to get it in last fall, but were now having a bit of difficulty trying to get it back out. We ended up having a little squabble as we tried to figure it out only to find that a man was listening to us on the dock. We were embarrassed to be caught in the act of a little dispute, but he just wanted to chat with us as he used to sail in his younger years. After our brief break we got back to work and managed to get everything down and secured without any disasters. Once we finished taking the masts down we had lunch and walked around downtown Albany before heading off. Our first lock was at Troy, which would take us to our intended destination of Waterford. We had to shake the cobwebs off as we tried to remember how to lock, but it all came back quite quickly and we were in and out in no time.

Waterford has a free dock before you enter the locks in the Erie Canal. The dock was full with boats so we tied up along the concrete wall a couple hundred meters away. We managed to snag a spot with a latter to help us get up and down. We then showered and enjoyed a couple cold ones in a local bar. It feels like we’re almost home now.

My dad came to meet us on Wednesday. It was great to see him and we all took a trip up to Cape Cod to have a look at a project boat for sale. It was a gorgeous drive through the mountains, and we got to see a bit of the countryside of Massachusetts but unfortunately it rained all day long.

Thursday we are going to head out and start the next phase of the journey home. We have about 30 or so locks and about 180 miles before we reach Lake Ontario.

Along the New Jersey Coast

(Ventnor City along the NJICW)

We were apprehensive to put it mildly. Travelling along the New Jersey coast on the weekend was something we weren’t looking forward to. We had visions of power boaters zooming by from dawn to dusk. To our surprise we found the Jersey shore to be a neat stretch of water and it was actually very peaceful. We had planned to leave early Saturday morning but were delayed an hour because of fog. We left at around 7:30 and found the narrow and shallow channel back onto the waterway. It was a cloudy, cool day with rain on and off, which perhaps was the reason for a relatively quite trip. We did encounter lots and lots of small fishing boats with families out trying their luck at a catch. Sometimes we had to swerve around them as they drifted along with the current in the channel. A few waved, but most were focused on the task at hand. The coast of New Jersey is heavily populated, but between the coast and the mainland are miles of lush green marshland with numerous types of wading birds.

At one point in the day, when we were away from land, the fog was so thick we weren’t able to see 20 feet ahead of us. It was disorientating and without the GPS we would have never been able to find our next marker. Sal had his eyes fixed on the GPS and depth sounder and I was scanning around for the marker posts. As soon as we got closer to land again, the fog lifted and we were able to see. The channel is very narrow and sometimes very shallow in spots. We went aground once over confusion about a marker at the entrance to an inlet. We didn’t know if we were supposed to take that red on our right or left. We chose wrong but backed off no problem. After that we didn’t touch bottom, though the depth sounder had many reading in the 4-5 feet range.

(Atlantic City - or what we were able to see of it)

Our plan was to stay the night anchored near Atlantic City, but a few bridges before didn’t open between 4 and 6 pm, so we opted to spend the night in the Ventnor City basin. This anchorage was very protected from the wind, waves, current and the boat traffic. We had a very peaceful night sleep, and ready to tackle the next day.

Sunday was even quieter on the water. It was another rainy, cloudy and cool day. We went through the 4 bridges and passed by Atlantic City. We could barely see many of the buildings as they were hidden behind fog. We did get a glimpse of Caesar’s Palace and Trump Plaza. We weren’t feeling lucky, and would probably have gambled away the rest of our monthly allowance if we did stop by. Maybe another time we’ll visit Atlantic City. We had seen the weather for the next few days and it didn’t look favourable for making it to Sandy Hook, so we decided to take our time and slowly work our way to Manasquan Inlet (the end of the ICW). We were ready to anchor for the night and decided to try another Skipper Bob (an anchorage guidebook we use) recommended anchorage. After searching around and trying a few spots, we didn’t find any place out of the channel where we could drop the hook with more than 3 feet of water, so we decided to try further on. We only had to go a few more miles before we found a nice spot near Haven Beach, where we had lots of room and lots of water under us.

Unfortunately the wind switched around as predicted early in the morning and as I couldn’t sleep, I woke Sal and decided to get an early start. The wind picked up even more and we were fighting a 20 knot wind, so we were barely making any headway. We found a small island that blocked the waves and anchored nice and close. It was still early so we made the bed and had a nice nap. By 9:30 the wind died and after a breakfast of oatmeal, we moved on. We entered Barnaget Bay, which is a fairly shallow bay but wide. We started to see sailboats again, and were even more surprised when we were able to actually sail. Something we didn’t foresee on this stretch of water. We went up the Tom’s River and docked at a city dock where we were able to get of the boat and walk around. It had been over a week since we had set foot on land. We got our legs working and took a stroll around. We had high hopes for some fast food, as the selection on the boat has been seriously diminished. Unfortunately we didn’t find the main street, so settled for rice and beans and some Vienna sausages. We moved from the dock and anchored in a quiet and protected cove. We had another peaceful night.

For the last 15 miles to Manasquan we needed 6 bridges to open for us. The last one was the craziest bridge we have encountered. It’s probably only about 30 feet wide and it lifts with an old pully system. The bridge tender had to unlock something along the bridge before it began it’s slow lift. It was a tight fit, even for Second Wind, as it didn’t rise fully vertical, so we had to go very close to the side in order to ensure our mast would not hit. We found a quiet little creek called the Glimmer Glass where we dropped our anchor. It was so protected and peaceful, even though it is lined with houses and boats on one side. We basically had only to share the water with a few geese and a pair of ducks.

We inflated the dinghy and beached it on the sandy shore and took a quick walk to the town of Manasquan. It was a very cute town with lots of neat shops and restaurants. We finally got some much craved pizza and tacos for dinner. Today we headed ashore again for a breakfast other than oatmeal (which we’ve eaten every morning for the past two weeks), looked in a few stores and bought some groceries to replenish our supplies. We spent the afternoon reading in the shade of the cockpit and doing a check over the boat for our short ocean trip tomorrow. The weather looks good for our 25 miles along the coast. Fingers crossed that the forecasts are correct.

P.S. Thank you to the charming ladies from Gatherings and White Bliss. You had lovely stores and were very hospitable.

Chesapeake Bay – Maryland side, and the Delaware Bay

(We haven't seen Canadian geese in a while)

So the plan was to head out on Friday, June 3^rd to a couple places on the eastern side of the Chesapeake. That plan soon changed as we entered the bay and a 10-15 knot north wind was funneling down. The bay narrows, but was wide enough that we figured we could do a couple tacks and slowly work our way north. Well by the time we had crossed the bay and did our first tack, we were no further ahead, as a strong current was also pushing us south. We tried to motor directly into the wind and waves, and when we weren’t making any more than a knot, we decided then and there to call it a day. We had a nice sail back to Solomons, so it wasn’t a wasted day. We decided to wait for winds in any direction but the north. Our wait lasted 2 more nights in Solomon’s. We spent the days lazing around and reading, though we did exchange our broken binoculars and buy a few things for the boat. We also visited an old oyster processing area turned museum and got our exercise with a walk to downtown.

Sunday the winds were forecasted to be from the east. We left and had a great sail up past the Choptank River. The wind eventually died on us, so we had to motor but it was a very pleasant day. After a long 52 mile day, we reached our anchorage off the South River. Since we were delayed in Solomon’s we decided to bypass the eastern shore and head instead for Annapolis. We had a great time in Annapolis on the way down, so were really looking forward to another visit. The next morning we motored the 11 miles to Spa Creek and picked up a mooring ball. The first orders of business were showers and laundry. Our last laundry was done in South Carolina, and lets just say I was down to my last pair of underwear. Once that chore was complete, we were free to enjoy the town. We checked out some of the marine stores, visited the Naval Academy museum, walked to the mall and watched the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, bought a couple magazines and books and of course had an ice cream and enjoyed a happy hour.

(Our new cups)

Two days in Annapolis and we were ready to move again. Home has been on our mind lately.

The next two days were spent on the move. Those two days had record temperatures in the high 90’s, and humidex in the 100s! Usually being on the water is cooler, but not those two days, as there was barely a breath of wind. We moved around in the cockpit to try to stay in the shade, but at about 4 o’clock until 7, the sun shines at such an angle that the bimini offers no protection. Sal and I went though almost 2 gallons of water between the two of us to stay hydrated. Thankful for our two fans, we were able to tolerate the evening. I kept looking at the water wanting to take the plunge, but after seeing numerous fish belly up floating by and the brown and debris filled water, I just couldn’t do it. A few more degrees and I think I would have risked it.

(Naval Museum in Annapolis, MD)

With all the heat, we knew it was only a matter of time before a thunderstorm. It had been brewing and after the second scorcher of a day, it let loose. We had been hoping for rain in the evening, so we could wash and cool off, but the storm rolled by to the north of where we were anchored. A few hours later the sky lit up in lightning, as it released all it’s built up energy. The show lasted for over an hour, and it was more spectacular than any fireworks show I’ve seen. Thankfully all the lightning seemed to be quite far away.

Friday June 10^th, we did the Delaware Bay. Another windless day, but we had much more comfortable temperatures. I even put a sweater on in the morning, as I wasn’t accustomed to temperatures below 80. As we entered the Cape May canal the wind picked up quite suddenly and we had about 10-15 knots on the nose. After hardly seeing a boat all day, we were bombarded with powerboats racing around. We decided to head down the New Jersey ICW as the anchorage along the Canal looked like it would be a little uncomfortable. Just as we were about to turn and head to the bridge, 2 powerboats crossed each other at high speed, sending a large and confused wake in our direction. I did my best to head into it.. The bow went under the crest of the wave and splashed water onto the boat. Now this would not have been a big deal, except of course we had left the front hatch open. It was calm earlier and it allowed a nice breeze to cool the boat. So a wave of salt water splashed into our boat, soaking much of what we stored in the v-birth. It wasn’t a pleasant way to end a long day, and from that second we had a bad feeling about New Jersey.

(Naval Museum)

After looking at the weather forecast for the next couple days, we decided to take the inside route. A cold front was coming through the area and the wind would be almost on the nose. We are able to take the inside because our mast is less than 35’ and our draft is less than 4 feet. Our only concern is the volume of traffic on the water because it’s the weekend. We miss the Chesapeake, where sailboats outnumber powerboats compared to here, and seeing a mast is a rarity. Our saving grace is that the weather is supposed to be overcast and rainy, so hopefully that will deter some of the weekend traffic.

Chesapeake Bay - Virginia Side

(We don't mind when these guys hitch a ride)

On Tuesday May 24^th, we finally left the ICW. It seems we have spent the majority of the trip moving from mile marker to mile marker. We were both really excited to reach the Chesapeake Bay and hopefully get some really good sailing in. We passed by Norfolk on Tuesday morning after a delay waiting for a bridge opening. The wind looked good and as soon as we turned out of the main harbour we raised the sail. The wind was a little light, but we figured once we got out and away from land there would be a nice, steady breeze. Unfortunately the opposite occurred and we were with all our sails up but no wind to propel us and a strong current against us, so we had to continue motoring.

We reached the Hampton River and stopped for gas before finding a spot to anchor. The fuel attendant mentioned that we were in a severe thunderstorm watch (our VHF battery had died a few hours before so we didn’t get the warning). We found a spot to anchor further up the river and near the dinghy dock. I decided we better set two anchors, as we I didn’t want to swing into the channel and for the off chance we did get hit by a thunderstorm. We had been getting warnings for storms all week and nothing seemed to transpire. I was eager to get ashore, shower, and the most delicious burger had been on my mind for the past few months. Sal and I literally started talking about said burger since the Bahamas. I had first got a taste of this magnificent burger, a regular burger but topped with a crab-cheese-dip-deliciousness, in Hampton on the trip down. Before we could head to shore we decided that we should do our boat maintenance for the week. The oils needed to be changed. So we went about our business, getting extra dirty but not worried as a shower was coming. We happened to look toward the sky and noticed a very menacing dark cloud fast approaching, we didn’t see it a few minutes ago. We had finished changing the engine oil, but still needed to do the lower gear oil. We didn’t want to get wet so we put the motor back into the well and started getting the tools together. I went below to start putting things away and Sal was cleaning up on deck, when he yelled down, “Kerry, come and look at this” pause… “OH $#!%, close the hatches”, two seconds later our boat whipped around by the wind and the rain started pelting us. The dinghy was flipped upside down, and the next gust flipped it right side up. I had just read the other day about the “Chesapeake Duster” a sudden and intense thunderstorm, and we were getting our first experience. I yelled to Sal to get the engine going as wind gusts of probably 30-40 knots were pushing us in the direction of a rock shoreline. Our anchors were holding but just incase he got it fired up and ready. Then we huddled below and were thanking our stars on how things worked in our favour that day:

- the fuel attendant giving us a heads up

- putting out two anchors, just in case

- not putting the motor on the dinghy just yet

- stopping our work when we did and getting the main motor back in the well so we were able to start it up again

- most importantly, that we had decided to do the maintenance first and had not just gone a shore right away leaving the boat unattended

We learned our lesson and now listen to the VHF in the mid afternoons and are extra cautious and look to the sky often when in the thunderstorm watch area.

But the good news is that it passed in less than 30 minutes, the winds died after about 5 really long minutes. We finished up the work on the boat and went ashore, only to find that the marine center where the showers were had already closed for the night. Nothing could stop us from enjoying this burger, so we went back to the boat, cleaned up as best we could and returned to shore. The burger lived up to all anticipation and expectation and we savored every delicious bite.

(A common sight in the Chesapeake)

The next day we entered into the Chesapeake Bay after the shower (which was rather silly as we were hot and sweaty not 20 minutes after getting back to the boat). We deflated the dinghy and stored it on deck. Again we had light and variable winds, but caught a few hours of sailing. We entered a small creek a few miles down and anchored. As we were putting the sail covers on the boat, a fishing boat came by with a couple locals. They asked us where we had gone and where we were heading. They seemed impressed with our travels then offered us two cold Dutch beers. “Welcome to Virginia” they said. What a welcome indeed!

(Anchored off Cod Harbour, Tangier Island)

The next few days we spent moving from creek to creek, sailing when winds allowed. I am very much in love with the Chesapeake. On the way down we were a little disappointed, we found it windy and the waves big and choppy. Currently the winds have been light and from the south, we are more confident in our sailing skills and the boat, and better prepared for the Bay waves and wish we could spend the next few months exploring the different creeks and rivers here. Sal’s only complaints right now are the bugs and the heat. We have recently been getting attacked by these ankle-biting flies that appear in the afternoons when the wind is light. If one person is not steering then they are on fly swatter patrol. We’re actually getting quite good at killing the little suckers, but at the end of the day our boat is covered in dead flies and guts.

One place that we wanted to stop by and visit in the Chesapeake was Tangier Island. So after the American long weekend we headed to the small island in the middle of the Bay. We arrived in the afternoon and anchored behind a sand beach. It was a little reminiscent of the Bahamas to be anchored off a beach on a warm or rather hot afternoon with barely a person in sight. The next morning we entered the harbour and tied our boat up at Park’s Marina on probably the hottest day we have had on the whole entire trip. We weren’t sure what to expect as we got off the boat and went for a walk around. It had a lot more houses than I expected and a few places that catered to the tourists that come across by Ferry. It actually was a little eerie as I walked around and hardly saw a soul, but that was probably because it was well over 30 degrees out and everyone was enjoying air-conditioning as we toured around, drenched in sweat. We walked about the entire length of the island in a little over half an hour then returned to the boat and turned the fan on. As the island is known for it’s crabbing we were looking forward to eating a few for dinner, so got showered up and walked to the two restaurants nearby. It was 6pm and they were both closed! So it was rice and beans for us that night. After 8, we both took another cold shower, as it was just that hot!

(Even the cat's were too hot to do too much)

We both liked the feel of Tangier Island but it was time to make some miles northward. We were planning on leaving at about 7am, but left at 6am when we couldn’t sleep because we were getting eaten by little no-see-ums and we decided to just get up and go. We had a great sail back across to the Solomon’s. Isolated thunderstorms were forecasted for the area, so we took extra caution and put out two anchors. Nothing materialized and by the late evening we were just hoping for a bit of rain to cool things down. No rain, but the wind turned north and picked up after midnight so we eventually cooled down.

(Coming into Solomon's we passed a landing strip for the jets that they fly around. The noise was incredible!)

Today is June 2^nd. (We still can’t believe that it’s June already). We spent the day ashore shopping for groceries and a few items for the boat. We now have two fans, which will prevent a lot of fights over who gets the fan directed at them. We’re heading out tomorrow, crossing the bay and heading to the Choptank River.