We've now cruised into Casco Bay, Maine. From Woods Hole, Scituate and Boston, Massachusetts, we crossed Cape Anne via the Blynman Canal and Anisquam River to the Isle of Shoals, about six miles off the coast of New Hampshire. From the Isle of Shoals we traveled the 50 ocean miles to Portland, Maine, where we stayed for several days, and yesterday cruised a short distance to South Freeport (L.L. Bean country).
In Boston we had a mooring literally downtown just off of historic Long Wharf. We toured the city and walked the Freedom Trail from the Commons to Bunker Hill.
At the Isle of Shoals we took a free mooring courtesy of the Portsmouth Yacht Club (available to transients if no member is using or wants them) and visited several of the islands by dinghy. We also ate dinner at Star Island at the Oceanic Inn along with the regular diners.
In Portland we saw friends, and with them attended a Georgia O'Keefe exhibit at the Portland Art Gallery. We'll be staying in Casco Bay for several days, then moving further down east into Penobscot Bay, visiting Bath and other locations along the way.
We've now traveled 2067 nautical miles and been underway for 325 hours.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Martha's Vineyard
Over a month has passed since I updated Sanderling's blog, so will quickly bring you up to date.
After entering the Chesapeake we cruised up the Potomac to Washington, DC, where friends from Grayslake, Illinois, joined us. The four of us then cruised down the Potomac to Chesapeake Bay and north to Solomons where we spent several days (and dodged a few tornados), then across the Bay to Oxford, Maryland, for a day, then back across to Annapolis, Maryland, for several days, and on to Baltimore where our friends departed.
At that point Judy flew back to Florida and on to Las Vegas for some American Heart Association meetings, and I helped my daughter, Jennifer, with some projects on her home in Baltimore. When Judy returned about a week later, Jennifer joined us and we spent three days cruising up the Chester River to Chestertown, Maryland, a delightfull little town and the home of Washington University.
After returning Jennifer to Baltiimore, we continued up Chesapeake Bay, down Delaware Bay to Cape May, New Jersey, then up the New Jersey Coast (stopping for one night in Atlantic City) to Great Kills, Staten Island, NY, where we spent several days recuperating from our long day's cruise from Atlantic City. From there we cruised through New York City and up the East River to Long Island Sound, stopping at Oyster Bay for several days, and one night in both Port Jefferson and Three Mile Harbor on the eastern end of Long Island.
We departed Long Island and soon ran into fog, so spent seven hours watching the radar and avoiding other boats which we never saw on our way to Wickford, Rhode Island. After a night there we cruised north on Narragansett Bay to Greenwich Bay and had a delightful dinner with a friend there at her home in East Greenwich. The next day we cruised in 15-20 knots winds to Bristol, Rhode Island, where we spent the 4th of July weekend with friends and their children and grandchildren. We observed the Bristol 4th of July parade - the oldest in the country (and perhaps the longest)!
We departed Bristol Sunday morning and arrived at Martha's Vineyard on a fair tide by mid-afternoon. We'll be in Martha's Vineyard anchored on Lake Tashmoo for a couple of days while a windy front passes, then head to Woods Hole, Boston, and then on to Maine.
Everyone, including Julie and Khepera, are doing well. We have now been underway for 296 hours and covered 1872 nautical miles.
After entering the Chesapeake we cruised up the Potomac to Washington, DC, where friends from Grayslake, Illinois, joined us. The four of us then cruised down the Potomac to Chesapeake Bay and north to Solomons where we spent several days (and dodged a few tornados), then across the Bay to Oxford, Maryland, for a day, then back across to Annapolis, Maryland, for several days, and on to Baltimore where our friends departed.
At that point Judy flew back to Florida and on to Las Vegas for some American Heart Association meetings, and I helped my daughter, Jennifer, with some projects on her home in Baltimore. When Judy returned about a week later, Jennifer joined us and we spent three days cruising up the Chester River to Chestertown, Maryland, a delightfull little town and the home of Washington University.
After returning Jennifer to Baltiimore, we continued up Chesapeake Bay, down Delaware Bay to Cape May, New Jersey, then up the New Jersey Coast (stopping for one night in Atlantic City) to Great Kills, Staten Island, NY, where we spent several days recuperating from our long day's cruise from Atlantic City. From there we cruised through New York City and up the East River to Long Island Sound, stopping at Oyster Bay for several days, and one night in both Port Jefferson and Three Mile Harbor on the eastern end of Long Island.
We departed Long Island and soon ran into fog, so spent seven hours watching the radar and avoiding other boats which we never saw on our way to Wickford, Rhode Island. After a night there we cruised north on Narragansett Bay to Greenwich Bay and had a delightful dinner with a friend there at her home in East Greenwich. The next day we cruised in 15-20 knots winds to Bristol, Rhode Island, where we spent the 4th of July weekend with friends and their children and grandchildren. We observed the Bristol 4th of July parade - the oldest in the country (and perhaps the longest)!
We departed Bristol Sunday morning and arrived at Martha's Vineyard on a fair tide by mid-afternoon. We'll be in Martha's Vineyard anchored on Lake Tashmoo for a couple of days while a windy front passes, then head to Woods Hole, Boston, and then on to Maine.
Everyone, including Julie and Khepera, are doing well. We have now been underway for 296 hours and covered 1872 nautical miles.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Past ICW Mile Zero
Today was a milepost, in several ways. We completed the IntraCoastal Waterway when we passed mile zero in Norfolk, Virginia. In the process we have covered 993.6 statute miles and been underway 139 hours and 15 minutes!
Now we have Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, the New Jersey coast, New York City, Long Island Sound, Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts Bay, and the coast north of Cape Anne to transit before reaching Maine and the Bay of Fundy. We're actually about half way to Maine - we just cover a lot of named places before getting there.
The engine is performing well after replacing the transmission oil cooler and the engine oil cooler last week. The fuel seems to be a bit dirty and we're replacing a Racor fuel filter about every six to seven days, but that's not bad. Soon the remaining fuel in the tanks will be scrubbed clean. Fortunately, our fuel filters are set in a housing that lets us switch from one filter to another with a 180 degree rotation of a handle, so when the engine starts to sputter a little, I open one of the engine room hatches and flip the handle to the unused filter; that night I change out the dirty filter for a new one so we can repeat the process a week or so later! Not as good as having clean fuel to begin with, but better than having to shut down the engine on the spot and change the filter in a hot engine room.
Our next destination is Washington, DC, where we'll meet up with friends who'll be aboard for a week while we cruise down the Potomac River to Solomons, Annapolis and Baltimore, Maryland.
All is going well.
Now we have Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, the New Jersey coast, New York City, Long Island Sound, Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts Bay, and the coast north of Cape Anne to transit before reaching Maine and the Bay of Fundy. We're actually about half way to Maine - we just cover a lot of named places before getting there.
The engine is performing well after replacing the transmission oil cooler and the engine oil cooler last week. The fuel seems to be a bit dirty and we're replacing a Racor fuel filter about every six to seven days, but that's not bad. Soon the remaining fuel in the tanks will be scrubbed clean. Fortunately, our fuel filters are set in a housing that lets us switch from one filter to another with a 180 degree rotation of a handle, so when the engine starts to sputter a little, I open one of the engine room hatches and flip the handle to the unused filter; that night I change out the dirty filter for a new one so we can repeat the process a week or so later! Not as good as having clean fuel to begin with, but better than having to shut down the engine on the spot and change the filter in a hot engine room.
Our next destination is Washington, DC, where we'll meet up with friends who'll be aboard for a week while we cruise down the Potomac River to Solomons, Annapolis and Baltimore, Maryland.
All is going well.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Georgetown, South Carolina
On Wednesday, May 13th, we stopped at a marina in Georgetown, South Carolina, so Judy could return to Merritt Island and Orlando for some American Heart Association business; she'll return on Saturday and we'll be back on the waterway on Sunday (weather permitting). In the meantime, I'm taking care of some little boat projects.
We took on 142.2 gallons of diesel yesterday morning and were for the second time able to calculate our burn rate while cruising. We'd cruised 88 hours since our last fill-up just before departing Manatee Cove Marina. During that time we'd operated the generator for about four hours - it burns about 1/2 gallon per hour at "normal" load. All that means that we're burning about 1.6 gallons of diesel per hour while running the main engine - very good news in these days of extremely high diesel prices on the water (it's higher than diesel for cars).
I've also replaced the electric horn which had decided to stop working the day we started our trip. The marina was able to order one from their wholesaler and had it delivered the next day.
The last day on the water our navigation computer had decided it didn't want to operate, and after much work it is again working properly. We use it as a backup to paper charts and the electronic chart plotter, and in some instances it is more helpful than either of our primary navigation aids. It displays our location (via an independent GPS) on up-to-date electronic charts in real time, and when it is working we rely on it if we have to go into a narrow anchorage or have a question about where we are in relation to shallow water or a charted obstacle.
When Judy returns on Saturday we'll do some shopping to get a few food items that we need, and on Sunday morning head north. We should be in the Chesapeake in a week to a week and a half, depending on where we stop along the way to sight-see.
Julie and Khepera are doing well. They seem to lounge around a lot, but they do that at home, also. Khepera goes outside to walk the decks in the morning, while I keep my eye on him while having my coffee. Julie seems to prefer to stay inside - it's been windy and I think that bothers her.
We took on 142.2 gallons of diesel yesterday morning and were for the second time able to calculate our burn rate while cruising. We'd cruised 88 hours since our last fill-up just before departing Manatee Cove Marina. During that time we'd operated the generator for about four hours - it burns about 1/2 gallon per hour at "normal" load. All that means that we're burning about 1.6 gallons of diesel per hour while running the main engine - very good news in these days of extremely high diesel prices on the water (it's higher than diesel for cars).
I've also replaced the electric horn which had decided to stop working the day we started our trip. The marina was able to order one from their wholesaler and had it delivered the next day.
The last day on the water our navigation computer had decided it didn't want to operate, and after much work it is again working properly. We use it as a backup to paper charts and the electronic chart plotter, and in some instances it is more helpful than either of our primary navigation aids. It displays our location (via an independent GPS) on up-to-date electronic charts in real time, and when it is working we rely on it if we have to go into a narrow anchorage or have a question about where we are in relation to shallow water or a charted obstacle.
When Judy returns on Saturday we'll do some shopping to get a few food items that we need, and on Sunday morning head north. We should be in the Chesapeake in a week to a week and a half, depending on where we stop along the way to sight-see.
Julie and Khepera are doing well. They seem to lounge around a lot, but they do that at home, also. Khepera goes outside to walk the decks in the morning, while I keep my eye on him while having my coffee. Julie seems to prefer to stay inside - it's been windy and I think that bothers her.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Underway!
We cast off lines from our dock at Manatee Cove Marina at 1105 this morning (Thursday) and by 1400 had transited the Banana River north to the Canaveral Barge Canal and across the Canal to the Indian River Lagoon. About 1840 we anchored for the night in Mosquito Lagoon about three miles north of the Haulover Canal, between Titusville and New Smyrna. We're in a rather exposed area and the wind has picked up, again, to around 12 knots; not a bad anchorage nor too windy, and we're just about 300 yards off the ICW in eight feet of water.
While we were eating dinner topside (at our new eucalyptus table and chairs) we noticed that the pine forest about 1/2 mile to our west was burning. 'Tis forest fire season in Florida, with dry easterly winds to fan the flames. We tried to call someone to report the fire but after contacting the Fish and Wildlife Commission and being transferred to the Forestry Division, the call was routed to an operator who evidently was out for dinner!
Tomorrow night we'll be in Daytona or a bit beyond depending on what time we get underway in the morning.
The weather today was beautiful with temps in the low 80s, sunny skies, and a constant breeze out of the east.
While we were eating dinner topside (at our new eucalyptus table and chairs) we noticed that the pine forest about 1/2 mile to our west was burning. 'Tis forest fire season in Florida, with dry easterly winds to fan the flames. We tried to call someone to report the fire but after contacting the Fish and Wildlife Commission and being transferred to the Forestry Division, the call was routed to an operator who evidently was out for dinner!
Tomorrow night we'll be in Daytona or a bit beyond depending on what time we get underway in the morning.
The weather today was beautiful with temps in the low 80s, sunny skies, and a constant breeze out of the east.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Getting Closer
Yesterday (Friday) was a long day. A friend at the marina had arranged for a fuel truck delivery around 0800 on Friday, and I had pre-positioned Sanderling at the fuel dock the previous afternoon (Thursday); my friend was going to bring his boat over and tie up behind me on Friday morning - early.
I arrived at Sanderling before 0700 in order to help my friend, and by 0730 his boat was tied up at the dock behind Sanderling. Then we waited for the fuel truck - and waited - and waited. We had several phone calls during the day from the owner of the fuel company, apologizing for the delay - he was short of drivers. Finally, about 1730 the truck and driver showed up and we were able to take on fuel.
Sanderling only held 150 gallons of diesel; I had anticipated around 200 gallons based on the number of hours the engine had operated since we filled up last May. Excluding the fact that the generator had run about 25 hours during that period of time, that means that we burned about 1.7 gallons per hour - much better than I had anticipated. If the generator burns even 0.5 gallons per hour (I'll have to check on that today), that would mean the main engine burned about 1.5 gallons per hour!
Not all the waiting time was lost. The outboard engine had been serviced and was ready for pickup, so I brought it aboard (will get it onto the Zodiac today), and I took the two propane tanks to be topped-off.
On Wednesday we held "fast cruise" for a 24 hour period. This involves pretending that Sanderling is actually underway - in this case, we pretended that we were anchored and operating solely from internal electrical sources. I actually spent the night aboard (Judy was out of town visiting her mother in Kansas) in order to make it more realistic. We "anchored" at 1715, and through the evening I cooked dinner using the microwave (left overs), watched TV for half an hour (the evening news), read until about 2200, and fixed coffee and toast for breakfast. During the evening I had several lights, the GPS, a VHF radio and the AM/FM/CD stereo operating. I even flushed the heads several times (the Lectrasan consumes 12 volt electricity for about 2 minutes while it is cycling). The refrigerator was operating the whole time. During the 24 hour period we consumed 215 amps of the roughly 500 amps that are available through the inverter. That means that we can anchor out for about two days without running the generator to recharge the batteries.
We're almost ready to cast off.
I arrived at Sanderling before 0700 in order to help my friend, and by 0730 his boat was tied up at the dock behind Sanderling. Then we waited for the fuel truck - and waited - and waited. We had several phone calls during the day from the owner of the fuel company, apologizing for the delay - he was short of drivers. Finally, about 1730 the truck and driver showed up and we were able to take on fuel.
Sanderling only held 150 gallons of diesel; I had anticipated around 200 gallons based on the number of hours the engine had operated since we filled up last May. Excluding the fact that the generator had run about 25 hours during that period of time, that means that we burned about 1.7 gallons per hour - much better than I had anticipated. If the generator burns even 0.5 gallons per hour (I'll have to check on that today), that would mean the main engine burned about 1.5 gallons per hour!
Not all the waiting time was lost. The outboard engine had been serviced and was ready for pickup, so I brought it aboard (will get it onto the Zodiac today), and I took the two propane tanks to be topped-off.
On Wednesday we held "fast cruise" for a 24 hour period. This involves pretending that Sanderling is actually underway - in this case, we pretended that we were anchored and operating solely from internal electrical sources. I actually spent the night aboard (Judy was out of town visiting her mother in Kansas) in order to make it more realistic. We "anchored" at 1715, and through the evening I cooked dinner using the microwave (left overs), watched TV for half an hour (the evening news), read until about 2200, and fixed coffee and toast for breakfast. During the evening I had several lights, the GPS, a VHF radio and the AM/FM/CD stereo operating. I even flushed the heads several times (the Lectrasan consumes 12 volt electricity for about 2 minutes while it is cycling). The refrigerator was operating the whole time. During the 24 hour period we consumed 215 amps of the roughly 500 amps that are available through the inverter. That means that we can anchor out for about two days without running the generator to recharge the batteries.
We're almost ready to cast off.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Almost ready!
Last week a friend and boat electrician (one and the same person) came aboard for three days and vastly improved Sanderling's electrical system. We installed a new Balmar 110 amp alternator and external regulator, and a Link 1000 monitor; rewired the battery banks to make one large (10 - 6 volt deep cycle batteries) house/engine/bow thruster/windlass bank and one generator starting bank; and split the 110 volt side of the electrical panel into two sections: one powered when the inverter is operating and everything powered when using shore or generator power. It was a big job, and the last of the three major projects necessary to complete prior to cruising.
In the process of checking out all the electrical systems after the rewiring project, we discovered a short in the spreader light circuit. Upon further investigation I discovered that the electrical line at the base of the mast where it passes through two stainless steel plates had become stripped of insulation and the hot side broken due to strain on the wire. The very short length of wire projecting beyond the base of the mast was not long enough to allow a crimped terminal, and I was unable to pull any additional wire from the mast; to top it off, there is no way to access the wires inside the mast - a real bummer! Now we're faced with having to lay a temporary line along the outside of the mast to the spreader lights. There is always something to provide a challenge.
We're still hoping to get underway around the 30th of April, despite the challenges of rewiring the spreader lights and provisioning food and clothing.
We'll make it!
In the process of checking out all the electrical systems after the rewiring project, we discovered a short in the spreader light circuit. Upon further investigation I discovered that the electrical line at the base of the mast where it passes through two stainless steel plates had become stripped of insulation and the hot side broken due to strain on the wire. The very short length of wire projecting beyond the base of the mast was not long enough to allow a crimped terminal, and I was unable to pull any additional wire from the mast; to top it off, there is no way to access the wires inside the mast - a real bummer! Now we're faced with having to lay a temporary line along the outside of the mast to the spreader lights. There is always something to provide a challenge.
We're still hoping to get underway around the 30th of April, despite the challenges of rewiring the spreader lights and provisioning food and clothing.
We'll make it!
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