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Thanks,
AL
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Days 25 thru 36 - Deltaville, VA
We received a call from our daughter Natalie on October 17th, where she said she was not feeling too good. Turns out she is in the middle of an MS Episode. Also our insurance regulations say that we cannot travel south of Virginia until November 01, the official end of the hurricane season, so thereforth I planned on staying in Deltaville until Nov, 1st anyway..
Dottie said she would be right there, but after going all the way from Deltaville to Glouster, VA (nearest Enterprise Rent A Car), And nothing available, Dottie called Natalie to say that she would be there Tuesday, October 22nd,(Thanks to Hertz, whose rates are less, and they advertise they will pick you up too!!). So, Dottie will leave here on Tuesday, October 22nd and return next Wednesday the 30th of October.
In the meantime I will enjoy our Virginia weather, and it is sunshine everyday, all day with temps hoovering to mid-seventies at lunchtime to near 49 at nighttime. The past few mornings the heat was on in the boat when I awoke, only to have a/c on by 11AM and heat again at 7:00PM.
There are plenty of things to do on this boat, such as sanding all teak, and then bleaching it and prepare to have Dottie re-finish it.
I had two divers, from a company called Under Boats, Inc. ,go down this past Thurday (10/24/13), and examine bottom of boat, only to see one surface with a tatered old American Flag and proceeds to tell me except for this flag, which was wrapped around your shaft, the bottom looks like new, no need to haul out and have her cleaned. GREAT NEWS to me, and for 20 bucks, it was well worth the peace of mind.
A canvas specialist from The Ship's Tailor will be here to fix a few broken snaps before Thursday the 31st., he did come on Friday the 25th to check it all out., but did not have the needed tools with him.
More to come as trip progresses.
Our next stop, before crossing into the Carolinas, will be Newport, VA for a night or two then North Carolina for a few days and nights, South Carolina for a few days and then Florida.....LOL....LOL...and then a week or two down the 700 mile coast of Florida to Key Largo and Tavinier(FINAL DESTINATION).
Dottie said she would be right there, but after going all the way from Deltaville to Glouster, VA (nearest Enterprise Rent A Car), And nothing available, Dottie called Natalie to say that she would be there Tuesday, October 22nd,(Thanks to Hertz, whose rates are less, and they advertise they will pick you up too!!). So, Dottie will leave here on Tuesday, October 22nd and return next Wednesday the 30th of October.
In the meantime I will enjoy our Virginia weather, and it is sunshine everyday, all day with temps hoovering to mid-seventies at lunchtime to near 49 at nighttime. The past few mornings the heat was on in the boat when I awoke, only to have a/c on by 11AM and heat again at 7:00PM.
There are plenty of things to do on this boat, such as sanding all teak, and then bleaching it and prepare to have Dottie re-finish it.
I had two divers, from a company called Under Boats, Inc. ,go down this past Thurday (10/24/13), and examine bottom of boat, only to see one surface with a tatered old American Flag and proceeds to tell me except for this flag, which was wrapped around your shaft, the bottom looks like new, no need to haul out and have her cleaned. GREAT NEWS to me, and for 20 bucks, it was well worth the peace of mind.
A canvas specialist from The Ship's Tailor will be here to fix a few broken snaps before Thursday the 31st., he did come on Friday the 25th to check it all out., but did not have the needed tools with him.
More to come as trip progresses.
Our next stop, before crossing into the Carolinas, will be Newport, VA for a night or two then North Carolina for a few days and nights, South Carolina for a few days and then Florida.....LOL....LOL...and then a week or two down the 700 mile coast of Florida to Key Largo and Tavinier(FINAL DESTINATION).
Friday, October 18, 2013
Day 24 - Smith Point to Deltaville, VA
Well, we made it to the "Yachting Capital of the East". I have been looking forward to a few days here in Deltaville.
You see, Deltaville became a world class operation for Yachting a few years ago,(1999) after Hurricane Floyd dumped more than 10 inches of rain on the Eastern Shore, and along the Chesapeake Bay on September 16-17. Chestertown collected 14.00
inches. Annapolis had 11.60 inches. Floyd's eye passed over Ocean City, with a barometric pressure of 28.88 inches. Gusts in Ocean City, MD peaked at about 60 mph.
Hugo ripped up the area badly, and when just about all insurance companies refused to cover anyone from the north from going south of here until after November 1st...the official end of hurricaine season. And the last year, in 2012, Hurricane Sandy lashed Maryland on October 29-30 with isolated hurricane force gusts and widespread gales, heavy rain in the eastern two-thirds of the state and
significant snow in the west. The Ocean City fishing pier was partially destroyed and
bay sections flooded.
It seems that everyone ends up here for a week or two before they venture south to NC, SC GA or FL.
Deltaville, with it's proximity to Newport News-Williamsburgh Intl Airport is an beautiful area. Houses run from 250,000.00 for a fixer-upper, to a norm of 500,000., to a high of 7M. Not too bad considering Annapolis and Solomons are about double that.
We had a great day of traveling.....not too long, yet not too short. However, 2 miles outside of Deltaville, we ran aground again for the third time so far this trip, and if that is not enough, after Tow Boat US came and wiggled us out of the sand, I ran aground the fourth time. Having his number in my cell, I called him, waited two minutes, and we are "wiggled" free again.
I apologize to those I made fun of running aground in a channel, but I guess it can happen to the best of us....LOL. The channel markers or bouys just don't outline the channel well enough after Hurricaine Sandy hit last October. The Army Corps of Engineers needs to re-survey certain areas and just don't have the time, money or manpower to do it down here as of yet.
I was in the center of the channel in three out of the four groundings. But again, no problem except for the loss of time (20 minutes, total)!
Anyways, the area is exceptional and so are the marinas here. We pulled into the marina at 1PM, tied up, and started meeting some others that are going south after bthe first of November. We have tied up at Dozier's Regatta Point Yachting Center.
You see, Deltaville became a world class operation for Yachting a few years ago,(1999) after Hurricane Floyd dumped more than 10 inches of rain on the Eastern Shore, and along the Chesapeake Bay on September 16-17. Chestertown collected 14.00
inches. Annapolis had 11.60 inches. Floyd's eye passed over Ocean City, with a barometric pressure of 28.88 inches. Gusts in Ocean City, MD peaked at about 60 mph.
Hugo ripped up the area badly, and when just about all insurance companies refused to cover anyone from the north from going south of here until after November 1st...the official end of hurricaine season. And the last year, in 2012, Hurricane Sandy lashed Maryland on October 29-30 with isolated hurricane force gusts and widespread gales, heavy rain in the eastern two-thirds of the state and
significant snow in the west. The Ocean City fishing pier was partially destroyed and
bay sections flooded.
It seems that everyone ends up here for a week or two before they venture south to NC, SC GA or FL.
Deltaville, with it's proximity to Newport News-Williamsburgh Intl Airport is an beautiful area. Houses run from 250,000.00 for a fixer-upper, to a norm of 500,000., to a high of 7M. Not too bad considering Annapolis and Solomons are about double that.
We had a great day of traveling.....not too long, yet not too short. However, 2 miles outside of Deltaville, we ran aground again for the third time so far this trip, and if that is not enough, after Tow Boat US came and wiggled us out of the sand, I ran aground the fourth time. Having his number in my cell, I called him, waited two minutes, and we are "wiggled" free again.
I apologize to those I made fun of running aground in a channel, but I guess it can happen to the best of us....LOL. The channel markers or bouys just don't outline the channel well enough after Hurricaine Sandy hit last October. The Army Corps of Engineers needs to re-survey certain areas and just don't have the time, money or manpower to do it down here as of yet.
I was in the center of the channel in three out of the four groundings. But again, no problem except for the loss of time (20 minutes, total)!
Anyways, the area is exceptional and so are the marinas here. We pulled into the marina at 1PM, tied up, and started meeting some others that are going south after bthe first of November. We have tied up at Dozier's Regatta Point Yachting Center.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Day 23 - Solomon's to Smith Point VA. -
We left Zahinsers at 10:30 AM and drove the 35 miles to Smith Point Marina In Smith Point, VA. This is the smallest marina we have seen so far, only having 98 slips. But all are occupied and we tied up at the fuel dock. We did see some intersting sights on our trip here, and I will post some pics tomorrow.
Frome here it is on to Deltaville VA for a week.
Frome here it is on to Deltaville VA for a week.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Day 22 - 10/16/13 - Solomons Island Maryland - An Expensive lesson learned the hard way
The best day yet...We spent the whole day catching up with the chores on a boat. This morning we went from Zahniser's Yachting Center to Spring Cove Marina to buy well over 200 gallons of diesel at 3.699 per gallon.($750.00). I saw Paul standing on our dock when we came back, he bled the engine and it started right up. hours of Labor t $100.00 per. The billat the yard came to 318 with tax and some materials.
Then this afternoon both Dottie and I changed the oil in both engines, and the generator, and later that afternoon, we washed the dinghy, and had a great dinner aboard the boat. All I can say is I learned an expensive lesson.
Then this afternoon both Dottie and I changed the oil in both engines, and the generator, and later that afternoon, we washed the dinghy, and had a great dinner aboard the boat. All I can say is I learned an expensive lesson.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Day 21 - Solomon's Island,Maryland
Today is our 36th Wedding Avviversary....we celebrated it by going to dinner at the Dry Dock Cafe at the marina.
The day was spent just doing nothing but hanging out at the marina, and we took the courtsey shuttle to the local Food Lion Grocery store.
After grocery shopping I decided to go below to see if I could at least change fuel filters one primary and two secondaries......what a mistake that was, as I forgot how to bleed the fuel and alsoI forgot that the new "O" rings go into the housing of the secondaries and not to put them with the filters. The engine still would not start, so I called Paul in and he spent all of two hours changing fuel filters on port engine, fixing those I put in starboard engine and also changed both oil filters for me.
Guess what, the starboard engine would still not start,then Paul asked how much fuel I had in my starboard tank, when I answered not much he had me and Dottie stand in the cockpit while he measured the length of the pick-up tube.....sure enough having three inches of fuel left was not enough, you need four he said.
The day was spent just doing nothing but hanging out at the marina, and we took the courtsey shuttle to the local Food Lion Grocery store.
After grocery shopping I decided to go below to see if I could at least change fuel filters one primary and two secondaries......what a mistake that was, as I forgot how to bleed the fuel and alsoI forgot that the new "O" rings go into the housing of the secondaries and not to put them with the filters. The engine still would not start, so I called Paul in and he spent all of two hours changing fuel filters on port engine, fixing those I put in starboard engine and also changed both oil filters for me.
Guess what, the starboard engine would still not start,then Paul asked how much fuel I had in my starboard tank, when I answered not much he had me and Dottie stand in the cockpit while he measured the length of the pick-up tube.....sure enough having three inches of fuel left was not enough, you need four he said.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Day 20 - Columbus Day - Annapolis, MD to Solomons Island, MD
Today we traveled from Port Annapolis Marina to Solomons Island, MD., an all day run of about 60 miles down the Chesapeake. What a beautiful bay she is too. About two miles short of our destinaion, the starboard engine quit because of what I thought was dirty fuel. After registering at the office of Zahniser's (say Budweiser a few times)Yachting Center I asked Paul, one of the 12 mechanics employed there, if my suspicions were correct. He answered in the affirmitive. He also offered to stop by tomorrow if we needed help. We would let them know....
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Days 11 to 19 - Annapolis, Maryland
On Sunday the 6th we attended the last day of the US Powerboat show and then we took the watertaxi over the Charthouse Restaurant, where we both had an excellent dinner. We hung at the Port of Annapolis Marina for a few days and then on Thursday we rented a car from Enterprise and drove the 6 hours back to Clyde to handle a funeral.Both Friday and Satuday were uneventful, so we returned to Annapolis later on Saturday. Well, unknown to us, Annapolis had a huge rain and wind storm on Friday and somehow or another we lost our dinghy and the davits. We had the car until Monday, so we decided the go to the Paxtucket River Appreciation Dasys and they really know how to a festival down here. A great time of everything nautical and food.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Day 10 - Saturday, October 5th, 2013 - Worton's Creek to Annapolis
We left Worton's Creek Marina at 9:00AM and arrived in beautiful Annapolis at 12:30 PM.
You have to understand Annapolis to realize why it is known as the "Sailing Capital of the World." We are docked at the Port of Annapolis Marina, another huge marina with over 500+ boats.
Out of the 500 boats here I bet more than 400 are sail boats and out of those 400, more than half are full time "live aboards". We had never seen so many sticks in one place before.
The Port of Annapolis Marina is a privately owned business and the owner lives and works this business like he cares about boaters. He is around 24/7/365. and it is the second place winner in our quest for the perfect marina. It has every marine related facility and business located here, plus every amenity known to boaters, including clean and cared for showers and bathrooms, club house, fitness center, bikes, pump outs and wireless internet all, of course at no charge, plus they have free shuttle van service, free pool, free laundry, free putting green ,a water taxi stop, picnic area, playground, and a great restaurant known as the Dockside Grille. Their "goodie packet" alone reduces cost to about $2.00 per foot.
There rates are $2.75 a foot ($83.85 per diem) for transients, a week or longer will cost you $11.00 a foot ($418.00), a month or longer is $25.00 a foot ($960.00) and 12 months or more is a flat rate of $6,325.00.....double of what I pay now, but down here you are in the water 12 months of the year, as very few boaters pull their boats out of the water for the months of January and February.
Right now, I pay over $3,000 a year for this boat, and I am seriously considering making a permanent move. I love the weather and atmosphere of southern boating.
If it has to do with boating they do it here. They have a fully stocked ship's store and they also do fiberglass repairs, bottom refinishing, engine sales and repairs, rigging, electrical repairs, fabrication custom carpentry and woodworking.
The reason it is still not number one is the size, it is just too big (18 acres) and location....it is too close to downtown Annapolis and it is located on the Back Creek of the Serven River, which is just a busy boating harbor. All you see is boat after boat after boat. This marina is noting like an average marina up north.
The weather for the past 10 days has been great too......sunny and warm, with the temps in the high 70's and mid 80's every day. But as we all know, good things will soon come to an end. Everyone here is concerned about the Tropical Storm Karen that is coming up the coast.
If the weather is good, we are going to be traveling to Solomon's Island, MD, if not, we stay here, and fly out of Baltimore home so I can do a funeral before resuming our trip.
You have to understand Annapolis to realize why it is known as the "Sailing Capital of the World." We are docked at the Port of Annapolis Marina, another huge marina with over 500+ boats.
Out of the 500 boats here I bet more than 400 are sail boats and out of those 400, more than half are full time "live aboards". We had never seen so many sticks in one place before.
The Port of Annapolis Marina is a privately owned business and the owner lives and works this business like he cares about boaters. He is around 24/7/365. and it is the second place winner in our quest for the perfect marina. It has every marine related facility and business located here, plus every amenity known to boaters, including clean and cared for showers and bathrooms, club house, fitness center, bikes, pump outs and wireless internet all, of course at no charge, plus they have free shuttle van service, free pool, free laundry, free putting green ,a water taxi stop, picnic area, playground, and a great restaurant known as the Dockside Grille. Their "goodie packet" alone reduces cost to about $2.00 per foot.
There rates are $2.75 a foot ($83.85 per diem) for transients, a week or longer will cost you $11.00 a foot ($418.00), a month or longer is $25.00 a foot ($960.00) and 12 months or more is a flat rate of $6,325.00.....double of what I pay now, but down here you are in the water 12 months of the year, as very few boaters pull their boats out of the water for the months of January and February.
Right now, I pay over $3,000 a year for this boat, and I am seriously considering making a permanent move. I love the weather and atmosphere of southern boating.
If it has to do with boating they do it here. They have a fully stocked ship's store and they also do fiberglass repairs, bottom refinishing, engine sales and repairs, rigging, electrical repairs, fabrication custom carpentry and woodworking.
The reason it is still not number one is the size, it is just too big (18 acres) and location....it is too close to downtown Annapolis and it is located on the Back Creek of the Serven River, which is just a busy boating harbor. All you see is boat after boat after boat. This marina is noting like an average marina up north.
The weather for the past 10 days has been great too......sunny and warm, with the temps in the high 70's and mid 80's every day. But as we all know, good things will soon come to an end. Everyone here is concerned about the Tropical Storm Karen that is coming up the coast.
If the weather is good, we are going to be traveling to Solomon's Island, MD, if not, we stay here, and fly out of Baltimore home so I can do a funeral before resuming our trip.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Day 9 - Friday, October 4th, 2013 - Cheaspeake City to Worton's Creek, Maryland
We left Summit North Marina at 8:15 AM and arrived here at 12 Noon, for just a nice, peaceful ride toward Worton's Creek, and this is about just enough time for me behind the helm, because after 4 hours steering it gets very, very boring.
We pulled out into the C and D canal hung a sharp turn to starboard and continued on down the center of the canal into the Elk River. We stayed within the shipping channels all the way down to Wortons Creek Marina, then a hard turn to port put us right into our slip here.
It is a nice marina, but nothing like the Utche's Marina of Cape May, NJ (it spoiled us early in our trip).
Lunch aboard and then an afternoon of rest, followed by a local restaurant for dinner called Harbor House. It was nice place with great food and even better, friendlier service.
Tomorrow we shall be on our way to Annapolis and the US Powerboat show....Yeah!!
Worton's Creek Marina is a nice, family owned and run business.
Dockage is $2.50 per foot.
We pulled out into the C and D canal hung a sharp turn to starboard and continued on down the center of the canal into the Elk River. We stayed within the shipping channels all the way down to Wortons Creek Marina, then a hard turn to port put us right into our slip here.
It is a nice marina, but nothing like the Utche's Marina of Cape May, NJ (it spoiled us early in our trip).
Lunch aboard and then an afternoon of rest, followed by a local restaurant for dinner called Harbor House. It was nice place with great food and even better, friendlier service.
Tomorrow we shall be on our way to Annapolis and the US Powerboat show....Yeah!!
Worton's Creek Marina is a nice, family owned and run business.
Dockage is $2.50 per foot.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Day 8 - Thursday October 3rd, 2013 - Cape May, NJ to Chesepeake City, MD
We left Utche's Marina a t 8AM today and planned our day in the following manner.....we would take the Cape May Canal out to Delaware Bay, have lunch in Delaware and the go on to Maryland via the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, winding down our day at a marina called Summit North in Chesapeake City MD.
After taking on an additional 130 gallons of fuel at 3.39 per gallon at Utche's Marina we got underway. We were in Delaware by 10 AM, had lunch at about 11:30 and kept on going to Chesapeake City in Maryland, arriving at Summit North at about 4PM. All marinas down this way are large, especially this one, however this is too large for me, acreage-wise. It is about a half-hour walk from the boat to the office.......or Restaurant, which is called Aqua- Sol. We had dinner here and it's food is excellent and Miami style.
Summit North is a brand new mahttp://www.summitnorthmarina.comrina, charges $2.00 a foot for a transient
After taking on an additional 130 gallons of fuel at 3.39 per gallon at Utche's Marina we got underway. We were in Delaware by 10 AM, had lunch at about 11:30 and kept on going to Chesapeake City in Maryland, arriving at Summit North at about 4PM. All marinas down this way are large, especially this one, however this is too large for me, acreage-wise. It is about a half-hour walk from the boat to the office.......or Restaurant, which is called Aqua- Sol. We had dinner here and it's food is excellent and Miami style.
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| The St. George's Bridges welcome you to Maryland |
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| We are small here compared to other boats. A 50' Marine Trader Europa Style |
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| The Lucky Find III is a dink in comparison. |
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| On the left is a 50's and on the right our 38 footer. You can see and feel the difference right away. |
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| Summit North Marina |
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| The marina's fine restaurant, serving everything Miami Style. |
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Day 7 - Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013Cape May, NJ
We decided to spend an extra day in Cape May, so this AM we took our bicycles and went for a ride around Cape May. We had breakfast in a place called Zoe's. It was quite good, except the portions were small.
We rode back to the boat around 10:30 AM and passed a place right next door to Utsch's Marina called the Lobster House. I went in to see if I could get a reservation for dinner tonight, but was told they do not accept reservations, however the girl said she would make sure I had a table at 6:30 PM. The Lobster House also has a fish market, so I bought some lobster salad and shrimp salad for lunch along with a fresh loaf of their house bread (onion bread) . It was excellent, so I knew that dinner would even be better. After lunch we just hung around the boat yard all day until dinner time, then we went to the Lobster House for dinner.....but of course, first came cocktails aboard the sailing schooner Americana. Utsch's Marina had the best facilities so far, making our local marina look like a POS, and the rest of the marinas also. Talk about clean, their bathrooms were spotless and not only that you had a choice between a private bathroom and a locker-room style. They give you keys for both, but I really have to say the building with the boaters lounge and pvt. baths was superb.
All furniture is wicker or bamboo, and it all fit in nicely with the surrounding atmosphere.
The marina itself is huge with 615 slips accommodating boats up to 200 feet in length.....it just made any other marina that we had ever been to look and feel crappy. and for $2.25 per foot, we got, the most bang for your buck!!. Their " goodie packet", given to each transient boater is fantastic. A bottle of local wine, tee-shirts and a whole bunch of local advertising materials.
We rode back to the boat around 10:30 AM and passed a place right next door to Utsch's Marina called the Lobster House. I went in to see if I could get a reservation for dinner tonight, but was told they do not accept reservations, however the girl said she would make sure I had a table at 6:30 PM. The Lobster House also has a fish market, so I bought some lobster salad and shrimp salad for lunch along with a fresh loaf of their house bread (onion bread) . It was excellent, so I knew that dinner would even be better. After lunch we just hung around the boat yard all day until dinner time, then we went to the Lobster House for dinner.....but of course, first came cocktails aboard the sailing schooner Americana. Utsch's Marina had the best facilities so far, making our local marina look like a POS, and the rest of the marinas also. Talk about clean, their bathrooms were spotless and not only that you had a choice between a private bathroom and a locker-room style. They give you keys for both, but I really have to say the building with the boaters lounge and pvt. baths was superb.
All furniture is wicker or bamboo, and it all fit in nicely with the surrounding atmosphere.
The marina itself is huge with 615 slips accommodating boats up to 200 feet in length.....it just made any other marina that we had ever been to look and feel crappy. and for $2.25 per foot, we got, the most bang for your buck!!. Their " goodie packet", given to each transient boater is fantastic. A bottle of local wine, tee-shirts and a whole bunch of local advertising materials.
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| Cape May, NJ is noted for their architecture |
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| From modern skyscrapers downtown to... |
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| the Victorian homes which put Cape May on the National Register of Historic place, the only city in America with that distinction.
The NUMBER ONE MARINA SO FAR....Utschs Marina.based on cleanliness, bathroom facilities, and friendliness.
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Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Day 6 - Tuesday, October 1st, 2013 - Atlantic City to Cape May
We celebrated Dottie's birthday by leaving AC at 8:15 AM and traveling the 60 some miles to Cape May. It was a very long and twisty ride., You see, we took the inside route (ICW) all the way. Had we gone outside and taken the ocean, it would have been only a 32 mile ride.
The Jersey ICW added, probably double the mileage, but it was slow and leisurely, and of course well worth it.. We went through Ventnor, Margate and Longport......all towns that I knew really well from my teens of growing up in Margate.
What changes have happened over the past 30 some odd years, properties that were selling for 20 and 30 G;s are now selling for 300-500K. Since Superstorm Sandy hurt, Jersey has changed it building code to one of safety and pre-cautionary.....all waterfront homes, now, must be built on stilts at least 16 feet high. We also went through some very narrow channels and "skinny water" and by skinny I mean shallow, 2 feet or less under our keel and by narrow I mean channels that are maybe 20' feet wide.
After passing the inlet at Longport, we were in Ocean City, then Sea Isle City, Avalon, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest and the finally Cape May.
We are staying at a marina call Utsch's Marine Center and will be here until at least Thursday, the 3rd of October. Then it will be off to Chesapeake City, DE and Annapolis, MD. Once we get to Annapolis, we will be there till at least Monday the 7th because I want to attend the US Powerboat show.
The Jersey ICW added, probably double the mileage, but it was slow and leisurely, and of course well worth it.. We went through Ventnor, Margate and Longport......all towns that I knew really well from my teens of growing up in Margate.
What changes have happened over the past 30 some odd years, properties that were selling for 20 and 30 G;s are now selling for 300-500K. Since Superstorm Sandy hurt, Jersey has changed it building code to one of safety and pre-cautionary.....all waterfront homes, now, must be built on stilts at least 16 feet high. We also went through some very narrow channels and "skinny water" and by skinny I mean shallow, 2 feet or less under our keel and by narrow I mean channels that are maybe 20' feet wide.
After passing the inlet at Longport, we were in Ocean City, then Sea Isle City, Avalon, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest and the finally Cape May.
We are staying at a marina call Utsch's Marine Center and will be here until at least Thursday, the 3rd of October. Then it will be off to Chesapeake City, DE and Annapolis, MD. Once we get to Annapolis, we will be there till at least Monday the 7th because I want to attend the US Powerboat show.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Day 5 - Monday, September 30, 2013 - Forked River to Atlantic City
We left the dock at 9:00AM and arrived in AC at 12 Noon, just in time for a buffet lunch at the Golden Nugget Casino.
We are docked at the Senator James Farley Marina, which is right across the street from the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, which is right next door to Harrah's Casino and Hotel. Here are a few pictures from Atlantic City before lunch.
The Atlantic City In-Water Boat show was over yesterday and I figured they would have room to stay, and I was right. Out of 640 slips, only 385 are filled year-round, and the rest is for transients and boat show guests. They charge $3.00 a foot for nothing but a parking space and the closeness of Atlantic City.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, is Dottie's Birthday and we will go to Cape May, NJ for the day.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Day 4, Sunday September 29th, 2013 - Forked River, NJ
We spent today just doing nothing, no cruising or going anywhere. You see, if you don't know NJ at all, we are right across the bay from Tom's River......where Dottie's parents and relatives live.
so....my father-in-law picked us up to go food shopping and then to a discount marine store, which ws no really discount at all.
After shopping, Dottie did all the laundry and then we went to dinner at the marina's restaurant with Dottie's parents and cousins Jeff and Helene Roscoe.
Dinner was fantastic, and hopefully someday the resturants we now frequent in and around Upstae, NY will be similar.
They have a bar down here called the Tiki Hut which also serves lunch, which that too was terrific.
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| Dottie's father picking us up in Forked River to go shopping. |
After shopping, Dottie did all the laundry and then we went to dinner at the marina's restaurant with Dottie's parents and cousins Jeff and Helene Roscoe.
Dinner was fantastic, and hopefully someday the resturants we now frequent in and around Upstae, NY will be similar.
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| The Tiki Hut Bar at the Marina |
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| Sun setting at the Captain's Inn and Marina, Forked River, NJ |
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Day 3 - Saturday, September 28th, 2013 - Manasquan, NJ to Forked River, NJ
We had left Manasquan at about 9:00AM and arrived in Forked River, NJ at about 3:00PM. I was chatting with a fellow boater this morning and he said that NJ should be our worst experience as far as running aground goes. Although magazines and others say it will be in the Carolinas and Georgia. It is just devastating what Super storm Sandy did, especially down here.
The trip from Manasquan to Forked River was uneventful after the first two hours, and I'll explain why.
We ran aground in Manasquan AGAIN. Buried in the soft sands of NJ, but this time, we got buried hard in the sand. We waited for the Towboat US like about 20 minutes and by the time he got ready to tow us a bit, the tide rose enough to free us and on our way we went.
Let me tell you, the best thing I ever did was sign up for Boat's US unlimited towing package, because I got my money back yesterday and on Friday 9 fold. You see, a soft-grounding cost just a tad under $500.00 each time, Friday's bill was $467.00 and the same for Saturdays bill.......so I definitely did the right thing.
The weather today was another hit....mid 70's and low 80's with 100% sunshine. In fact, they are calling for that same type of day tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday ( although, the temps may rise to mid 80's) Thursday and Friday.
We are docked at the Captain's Inn and Marina in Forked River, NJ. The reason we picked Forked River was so my mother in law and Father in law who live about 5 minutes away in Bayville, could have dinner with us on Sunday, along with Dottie's cousin and her hubby Jeff.
I met a guy by the name of Peter James who owns company called The Big Pond Boatworks. www.bigpondboatworks.com and he is going to single hand it to Key West aboard his 52' sailboat, Viewfinder......what nice guy he was and we are supposed to meet up again in Norfolk, VA. Every boat he builds, he builds from the hull up, and his wood craftsmanship is second to none. Simply beautiful boats, with beautiful lines.
We will leave here on Monday and if it is calm enough, we are going to take the outside passage( in the Atlantic Ocean) south to Cape May, if not, we will remain inside (ICW) to Atlantic City. Both Dottie and I are looking forward to visiting Cape May, as either of us have been there before.
MORE PICS TOMORROW
The trip from Manasquan to Forked River was uneventful after the first two hours, and I'll explain why.
We ran aground in Manasquan AGAIN. Buried in the soft sands of NJ, but this time, we got buried hard in the sand. We waited for the Towboat US like about 20 minutes and by the time he got ready to tow us a bit, the tide rose enough to free us and on our way we went.
Let me tell you, the best thing I ever did was sign up for Boat's US unlimited towing package, because I got my money back yesterday and on Friday 9 fold. You see, a soft-grounding cost just a tad under $500.00 each time, Friday's bill was $467.00 and the same for Saturdays bill.......so I definitely did the right thing.
The weather today was another hit....mid 70's and low 80's with 100% sunshine. In fact, they are calling for that same type of day tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday ( although, the temps may rise to mid 80's) Thursday and Friday.
We are docked at the Captain's Inn and Marina in Forked River, NJ. The reason we picked Forked River was so my mother in law and Father in law who live about 5 minutes away in Bayville, could have dinner with us on Sunday, along with Dottie's cousin and her hubby Jeff.
I met a guy by the name of Peter James who owns company called The Big Pond Boatworks. www.bigpondboatworks.com and he is going to single hand it to Key West aboard his 52' sailboat, Viewfinder......what nice guy he was and we are supposed to meet up again in Norfolk, VA. Every boat he builds, he builds from the hull up, and his wood craftsmanship is second to none. Simply beautiful boats, with beautiful lines.
We will leave here on Monday and if it is calm enough, we are going to take the outside passage( in the Atlantic Ocean) south to Cape May, if not, we will remain inside (ICW) to Atlantic City. Both Dottie and I are looking forward to visiting Cape May, as either of us have been there before.
MORE PICS TOMORROW
Friday, September 27, 2013
Day 2 Friday, September 27th, 2013 - NYC to Manasquan, NJ
Well, being our first day was uneventful, lets see if today is the same.
We left Liberty Landing Marina
at about 9AM and arrived in Manasquan, NJ at 4:00PM, a run of almost 60 miles, however it was not completely uneventful.
We were supposed to follow some friends, (Roger and Dorothy Hayes aboard SLOW CHURN) of ours to Manasquan, however they travel about 2 hours earlier in the AM than we do.....so, we decided to meet at Manasquan. Mistake #1......
The trip through Lower NY harbor is a maze of buoys , ferries and freighter's, but after about an hour of not knowing where we were heading, and watching our charts and e-charts we figured it out. I have to say one thing for captains of ferry boats....they suck!! They try their best to come as close as possible and have their wake rock the crap out you. They are the most rude and obnoxious bunch of boat captains we had ever met.
We headed down the New Jersey Coastline finally getting a response from the Manasquan Coast Guard on the VHF radio. They gave us our position and then told me to hang a sharp left and we would see the inlet.....they never said it was the Manasquan inlet and it wasn't. I listened and they were wrong....MISTAKE #2. Never listen to anyone!!
We lazied up the Shark River through two draw bridges and a railroad bridge with no sight of Slow Churn, so I called Dorothy on the cell, and she said they had just entered Manasquan and that they had just gone through the railroad bridge.....:Where are you"? she asked. I was getting more and more pissed, because as far as I am concerned when I ask someone for help, either they give it or they don't. and I kept telling Dottie, "Wait till I get Roger" "I am going to yell and beat him to a pulp".I WAS PISSED!
We tied up at the first marina we saw and we asked someone why the Manasquan Inlet was not so busy, his response was "this is not the Manasquan Inlet, it is the Shark River Inlet, Manasquan is about 5 miles south of here."..so we had lunch, re-couped and headed back out into the ocean, turned right (starboard) and headed south.
After about an hour, Manasquan came into view.....I was boiling inside ready to attack Roger for not waiting for us earlier in the day.
(You see, Roger and Dorothy come from Toms River, NJ and live aboard full time on Slow Churn. If anyone knows NJ it is them.
We have gone out of our way numerous times to help them out, lending them our car and whatever it took to give assistance. However, they could not do the same for us, but that is a whole different story, that I will not get into here.....)
After heading through Manasquan inlet, Dottie points and says there is the Point Pleasant Canal, so I throw a hard left (port) to enter the canal and then... BOOM....nothing. I had run aground in the soft, white sands of NJ. The Coast Guard answered me on Channel 16, saying, "We can see you captain, but we figured you knew what you were doing"......a few hours earlier giving me instruction, although wrong, on where the Manasquan Inlet was located.
So after waiting about 30 minutes for the BOAT US Tow Boat to arrive, and free us, which I must say they were very helpful, we were on our way again.....pulling into Hoffman's East Marina at exactly 4:00 PM.
An un-eventful day ??....to say the least, eh!
Tomorrow we head to Forked River and Bayville, NJ on our own.
We left Liberty Landing Marina
 |
| The fuel dock at Liberty Landing Marina in NYC as we were leaving |
at about 9AM and arrived in Manasquan, NJ at 4:00PM, a run of almost 60 miles, however it was not completely uneventful.
We were supposed to follow some friends, (Roger and Dorothy Hayes aboard SLOW CHURN) of ours to Manasquan, however they travel about 2 hours earlier in the AM than we do.....so, we decided to meet at Manasquan. Mistake #1......
 |
| Our welcoming committee at Hoffman's Marina.....what a beauty! |
We headed down the New Jersey Coastline finally getting a response from the Manasquan Coast Guard on the VHF radio. They gave us our position and then told me to hang a sharp left and we would see the inlet.....they never said it was the Manasquan inlet and it wasn't. I listened and they were wrong....MISTAKE #2. Never listen to anyone!!
We lazied up the Shark River through two draw bridges and a railroad bridge with no sight of Slow Churn, so I called Dorothy on the cell, and she said they had just entered Manasquan and that they had just gone through the railroad bridge.....:Where are you"? she asked. I was getting more and more pissed, because as far as I am concerned when I ask someone for help, either they give it or they don't. and I kept telling Dottie, "Wait till I get Roger" "I am going to yell and beat him to a pulp".I WAS PISSED!
We tied up at the first marina we saw and we asked someone why the Manasquan Inlet was not so busy, his response was "this is not the Manasquan Inlet, it is the Shark River Inlet, Manasquan is about 5 miles south of here."..so we had lunch, re-couped and headed back out into the ocean, turned right (starboard) and headed south.
After about an hour, Manasquan came into view.....I was boiling inside ready to attack Roger for not waiting for us earlier in the day.
(You see, Roger and Dorothy come from Toms River, NJ and live aboard full time on Slow Churn. If anyone knows NJ it is them.
We have gone out of our way numerous times to help them out, lending them our car and whatever it took to give assistance. However, they could not do the same for us, but that is a whole different story, that I will not get into here.....)
 |
| Some sport fishing machines we tied up in front of.... |
So after waiting about 30 minutes for the BOAT US Tow Boat to arrive, and free us, which I must say they were very helpful, we were on our way again.....pulling into Hoffman's East Marina at exactly 4:00 PM.
An un-eventful day ??....to say the least, eh!
Tomorrow we head to Forked River and Bayville, NJ on our own.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Day 1 Thursday, 09/26/13 - Stony Point, NY to NYC
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| Competing with a freighter on the Hudson River |
I thought we were going to see prices in excess of $5.00 per gallon for diesel fuel, but instead the fuel was $4.40 per gallon. I took on exactly 100 gallons of diesel (as I only had about 60 gallons left from last season, and we hold about 310 gallons) and we shoved off at 2:30 PM.with 160 gallos of diesel in the tanks.
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| Ahhh....the Tappan Zee Bridge |
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| And the workers that make bridges.....as they are building the Tappan Zee 2 |
After tying up and putting things away, we enjoyed a nice quiet dinner of sausage, creamy macaroni with a garlic parmesan sauce and dessert, aboard the boat.
I was exhausted and hit the pillow by 8:00PM. Tomorrow it is onward to Manasquan, NJ and then to Forked River, NJ
Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City charging $4.40 ($167.20 per night) per foot, and gives you nothing but beautiful views of Manhattan. RIP OFF to Say The Least.
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| The George Washington Bridge welcome all travelers along the Hudson River to NYC.... |
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Finally....It has been a 3 year preperation!!
Well, here we are, September 25th, and as promised, and we are shoving off in the morning.
We made the trip to Stony Point via car. We had left Clyde at 9:20AM and arrived here at 1:15 PM. The only thing that did happen was:
I ran out of gas in the van. Dottie and I were shooting the shit and not paying attention the fuel level, ligt or gauge. and all of a sudden, about 1 mile from our destination, the car just quit. I did a bunch of exspearlitives and then realized it was nothing major.....we we were out of gas. We sat on the side of 9W Southbound for only 10 minutes when a real nice guy asked if we were ok.....Dottie explained the situation and lo and behold he said well, I have a five gallon reserve that I keep in a portable tank in my truck......he ran to the truck, got the gas and a funnel and we were off after giving him a $20.00 dollar bill as our way of saying thanks. He took it and then we drove about a half-mile to a Gulf station, fillered her up to the tune of $73.00 bucks!and off to the marina we went. We had heroes for lunch, and then unpacked the car and put everything away in the boat.
At 6PM we went to a nice Italian restaurant called Babes.....there I had calamairi and shrimp fra diavalo and dottie had shrimp parm......both of us agreed it was a delisious meal, and well worth the few bucks we spent for it. It is bedtime soon and tomorrow AM we leave for the Florida Keys.....after filling fuel and water tanks and doing a few odd jobs on the boat.
We made the trip to Stony Point via car. We had left Clyde at 9:20AM and arrived here at 1:15 PM. The only thing that did happen was:
I ran out of gas in the van. Dottie and I were shooting the shit and not paying attention the fuel level, ligt or gauge. and all of a sudden, about 1 mile from our destination, the car just quit. I did a bunch of exspearlitives and then realized it was nothing major.....we we were out of gas. We sat on the side of 9W Southbound for only 10 minutes when a real nice guy asked if we were ok.....Dottie explained the situation and lo and behold he said well, I have a five gallon reserve that I keep in a portable tank in my truck......he ran to the truck, got the gas and a funnel and we were off after giving him a $20.00 dollar bill as our way of saying thanks. He took it and then we drove about a half-mile to a Gulf station, fillered her up to the tune of $73.00 bucks!and off to the marina we went. We had heroes for lunch, and then unpacked the car and put everything away in the boat.
At 6PM we went to a nice Italian restaurant called Babes.....there I had calamairi and shrimp fra diavalo and dottie had shrimp parm......both of us agreed it was a delisious meal, and well worth the few bucks we spent for it. It is bedtime soon and tomorrow AM we leave for the Florida Keys.....after filling fuel and water tanks and doing a few odd jobs on the boat.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
September 25th .....we will resume this blog
We will continue our blog on September 25th when we resume our trip to the Florida Keys.
Stops will include, Leg 1- NYC, Manasquqn, NJ; Forked Rive Atlantic City, NJ; & Cape May, NJ
Leg 2 - Delaware and Maryland
Leg 3 - Virginia, Washington, DC
Leg 4 - North and South Carolina and Georgia
Leg 5 - Northern Floida to West Palm Beach
Leg 6 - West Palm, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami Beach......ananananand.......................KEY LARGO
Our final destination.
Stops will include, Leg 1- NYC, Manasquqn, NJ; Forked Rive Atlantic City, NJ; & Cape May, NJ
Leg 2 - Delaware and Maryland
Leg 3 - Virginia, Washington, DC
Leg 4 - North and South Carolina and Georgia
Leg 5 - Northern Floida to West Palm Beach
Leg 6 - West Palm, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami Beach......ananananand.......................KEY LARGO
Our final destination.
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