It's been a few days since our last post....

We were anchored at Weems Creek near Annapolis for about 5 days... visiting with friends (Deb, and Lili Taber; and Morina, and Owen Ware). 

 

I spent a little time in the sack with some 23 hour virus... but that passed quickly...   

We did get a chance to see Owen and Morina's new Gulfstar 44 ketch... and have dinner there...   and Deb Taber, as usual was a great host, and ran us everywhere we needed to go, around Annapolis.  

 

the remaining time between posts has been 'slogging' down the Chesapeake...in less than perfect conditions.

 

Friday we pulled the hook at the Solomons, and ventured out, into the Bay, after a wild night of wind, in the anchorage.. (with boats dragging anchor, and moving about, trying to find secure holding.... We held fine, right in the middle of the channel, where we normally anchor).

We expected the Bay to be full of rollers.... in fact, it was... 4 to 5 footers... fortunately we could take them on the quarter most of the way down the bay.

Last night when we looked at the weather... with the storm moving across the country, and bringing snow to the northeast, and cold, and wind...etc.     SOOOOOOO... a Friday sail or motor-sail...seemed to be in order... resting SATurday as the storm really passes over.... then moving on Sunday, or Monday.

We started with just a reefed mains'l, and the stays'l..... then as the wind began to die off from the initial 24 knots... to about 15 k. apparent...we used about 3/4 of the Yankee (for'sl), as well...

A little lumpy, but a nice ride.... but still a long, long day.... started at 8:30 AM... anchored by 6:00 PM... 

We rushed a bit, so we could enter the Deltaville entrance channel in the daylight, as it's really narrow, and has a few tight turns in it...

tonight... cold, and blustery outside.... Nice inside.....
Tomorrow we'll try to visit with Richard Rister (s/v Euphoria), who's boat is on the hard, getting ready for another season of cruising.

Next stop for us... NORFOLK, VA -- Can't be soon enough.... to get south....

This being chased South, by cold, and storms... could really OLD, really FAST!!!

We made it...

Woke up this morning to decent weather.... WELL... (sort of)...

it was very nice in STILL POND up at the north east corner of the Chesapeake....

I even pulled up the anchor with no-one at the helm... (remember..manual windlass)... it was THAT calm in the "pond"....(which by the way.. isn't a pond at all... just a small bay).

Anyway....once we started out into the chesapeake... toward Annapolis the protection given by the "Still POND" borders became violently obvious... the Bay was sort of a wreck... The color of a light chocolate milkshake, with the mud of the bottom stirred up....

As we continued to the South West I had to haul in the yankee to 1/4 of it's full size... the winds raised to 31.+ knots, at one point.... but for the most part stayed about 20 to 24 knots.... (for those sailors out there... the winds came to the point where the "backsides" of the waves were blown 'smooth'....then the breaking tops blew off...

Not a really good sign....)

For the first few hours of the trip down to Annapolis we looked like the only boat out there.... Small Craft Warnings were up but... it wasn't that bad... we were doing 7 to 8 knots, using the tidal current... as a boost...

The USCG came on the radio and mentioned that the US Navy was exercising a security area of 1000 yards around a naval vessel near the Severn River... (our destination)... GREAT!!! Turns out the naval vessel was a Submarine...

NEAT !!!! Small Attack type.... I think....

I had to laugh at that.... This is our fifth year of doing this.... and we still move during the crap weather, and sit and visit with friends during the nice weather.... Maybe someday we'll actually "MOVE during the GOOD weather"

Tonight we were picked up by Deb Taber, and went to dinner in East Port... NICE... we do look forward to visiting with Deb. Susan is staying over at Deb's tonight.... and I may do that tomorrow, IF Sydney will get along with their two cats.

STILL in STILL POND - Chesapeake Bay

Good Morning… it’s still Thursday the 20^th of OCT.

The wind started blowing toward Gale Force this morning… very early… about 4 AM… we were up a couple of times from then on until dawn…checking things… and not really getting back to sleep.

We did try to leave the Still Pond anchorage (although with this wind… it’s not a very ‘still pond’).  We pulled the anchor up about 0830 and tried to motor out into the Bay…. NO WAY…

Gale force gusts, with steady winds of 30 knots… with 3 to 5 foot waves, some coming over the bow… convinced us this was not a good move…. So we came about, and returned to STILL POND.

But… This time we anchored way over to the east, and against the south shore… somewhat more protected than the place we were in last night.

We’re still rocking a bit with the rollers coming in from the Bay… but it’s a LOT more protected…!!!

 

Anyway… we fixed a nice breakfast,  more coffee… I fixed the anchor ball, and am now making fresh water for dishes, etc.

I did manage to get in a nap… until one mammoth explosion entered my ears…. Wham… I was up and out of the berth like a shot… I thought the anchor chain, or swivel had snapped, and we would be adrift…  Turns out it was that Army proving ground just across the Bay…. Artillery…. I think it’s Aberdeen… ???    Must have been a "bunker buster"... !!!

Anyway…. Once awake… I decided to continue with some of the projects….

I did take the offending buzzer out the circuit for the main engine warning system; …. And tape up the wires…. That was truly weird… (why it started working after 6 months or more of sabbatical?????)

It does appear that we have better TV reception, and internet service on this side of the “pond”…. Don’t know why that would be, but… we’ll take it.

OK… have to go check the watermaker again…. Filling just the forward-starboard tank…for now…

Finally in the Chesapeake Bay - Yeah - WED.

After anchoring at 12:20 AM this morning... at Reedy Island after a very long day...(coming from Atlantic City, NJ...down the coast, then all the way up Delaware Bay...) we slept in a bit..

After a late breakfast...and tidying up the vessel a bit, and replacing the smallest Bilge pump, ...we decided that we were getting pounded in this anchorage at Reedy Is. (outgoing tide, and opposing wind)...with 2 to 3 foot waves rolling through anchorage, and pounding us in the side... (as you don't lay to the wind, and waves there... you lay to the current).

So...if we were going to get "pounded" anyway.. .we may as well do it while moving! So we upped anchor and took off to the C&D canal....

Picking up the anchor there, at Reedy Island, is always interesting... because as a result of the current, and it's affect on the hull, and keel.. the anchor is sometimes behind the boat (to our stern)... wierd but true...

So to raise the chain, Susan actually had to back the boat up while I wound in the chain. Fun Wow.

So... off we went...Wild, and foggy trip for the first 3 nm up to the C&D... one tug and barge came out of the C&D canal, and just dropped the hook right in front of us... Perhaps it was THAT BAD!!! ????

OH well...we were committed now...to the west bound passage. So... in we went with the wind behind us now... and an EBB tide Moveing toward the Chesapeake...we carried quite a bit of speed all the ways through and about half-way down the Chesapeake route to STILL POND, which is where we anchored.

 ONE weird thing happened about 1/2 hr away from our anchorage...the engine buzzer (trouble alarm started buzzing)... One would think.."OMG" shut the engine down... BUt wait... the buzzer hasn't worked in 6 months...(since the trip north)... why now.. The gauges (oil pressure, and water temp) show normal readings... Then as quick as it started.. the buzzing stopped... then started... then stopped... What the heck?????

So... tomorrow we take apart the engine control/display... and see what's happening.

We also discovered that with all the motoring and motor sailing in fairly rough waters...we've developed a leaky rudder packing. GREAT !!! Always something to keep us busy, right?

So...we're anchored in Still Pond just north of Annapolis, MD (about one day's sail). Weather will most likely make tomorrow a project day, right here at anchor. The barometer dropped about 1/4 of the glass...and the wind is now howling in the rigging. We're both tired...and may make a very early evening of it....

 

Still Waiting for Weather for NJ 'rounding - Atlantic Highlands

We're still waiting for a weather window to go 'round NJ... and down towards Cape May, then up the Delaware....

tow Boat US - hip towing 38 footer with ripped sails, and broken rudder.

It's been very stormy, and now windy here...  The ocean is a wreck (waves)... and you can see by the photo some didn't believe in or even look at the weather forecasts...

captain bounced this 38 footer off the bottom at Sandy Hook channels. OUCH!

We have had great holding with our Manson anchor, and chain rode (10:1 storm scope), but we've been "dragged down on" twice today... by others dragging anchor in the high winds.

The maximum wind we saw was 33+ knots.... but sustained winds of 27 knot went on most of the daylight hours.   This wind, andt the resulting waves put some strains on lots of ground tackle in this harbor.

Things calmed down a bit near 1700 hours, so Susan and I went for cocktails at the s/v Second Wind (anchored near by).  There are quite a few cruisers here now... waiting for that weather window to get South.  We'll see how many go on Sunday, and how many wait for Monday or longer...   It would nice if we could more than two weather web pages to agree on what the forecast will be....for this coming week.

Down the Hudson - through NYC

Left Haverstraw Bay this morning, and cruised through NYC in the afternoon.
Susan was out on deck snapping photos of the new / revised skyline. 

New World trade Center Building

Empire State Building

Statue of Liberty

New World Trade Building

Short Time Left at Hop-O-Nose Marina

We're now about a day away from starting south on the next adventure, on Autumn Borne.
It's been a wild summer here; running out to the Hudson to anchor, and weather storms (Hurricane/TS Irene, and the remnants from Hurricane Lee); and then being pinned to the docks for two other creek events.

Most of our projects have been completed, or are in the final throws.  The 6 year old Gel-Cell batteries have been replaced with AGM units, doubling the battery capacity of the AB.  The SSB transmitter, which had a slight corrosion, and static hit on the IC transmitter section is being repaired, and the watermaker will now have a new membrane.  

A week ago we constructed a second jerry can rail along the port side of the vessel. (The starboard rail holds the scuba tanks, and diesel, and now the water can be separated and moved to the port side (where the water fill fitting is located). 

We're trying a new blog layout too...  So... this should be interesting.  :)