We arrived at "our" marina today at about 1255 in the midst of winds from the NE at 20-25 knots and scattered showers. Fortunately, a few dock friends were available to help us make up to the pumpout dock near the club house so we wouldn't have to get into our slip in the gusty winds. We'll move Sanderling to her "home" when the wind subsides in a couple of days.
We exited the Dismal Swamp Canal as anticipated, and spent the night in Elizabeth City at the free town docks. We departed early the next morning and anchored out in a little stream off the Pungo River the first night, and in Oriental, North Carolina, the next. From Oriental we did make it to New Bern for the better part of a day and an evening - what a great place. After that we made tracks south and along the way stopped in Beaufort, South Carolina, for an afternoon and evening, and then cruised about 50-60 statute miles a day until we reached Titusville, Florida, last night. From there it was a short hop today to Manatee Cove Marina.
We logged almost 5200 statute miles and 650 hours underway on this cruise. It was the longest in terms of both mileage and time we've ever made. We met some great people, saw some great sights, and had a great time! We'd do it again in a heart beat, but after a few months of rest here at home. It was essentially a 5000+ miles shake-down cruise, and now there are many items on the punch list that need to be attended to over the next six months or so. Sanderling served us well, but she needs a little rest and some maintenance before she heads out to sea again.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Oriental, North Carolina
We fairly raced down Long Island Sound after departing Wickford, Rhode Island, and the free town mooring there. Block Island Sound, Rhode Island Sound, and Long Island Sound were all relatively calm by the time we poked our head around Point Judith about 0800 on Monday, September 8th. The wind picked up a little in the afternoon, and by the time we reached The Gulf it was blowing a bit. We anchored behind the island, but spent a very rocky night with opposing wind and current. After a rocky ride to Manhassett Bay, we spent a very peaceful night at anchor, and the next morning headed down the East River and through Hell's Gate in New York City.
We met up with friends from the Trawler and Trawlering List in Great Kills Harbor on Wednesday, September 10th, taking a mooring ball provided by friend Kevin who is the Assistant Listmeister. The next day we pushed our way down the New Jersey coast to Absecon Inlet (Atlantic City), and the next day we were in Cape May by noon. We then had a very pleasant (unusual) cruise up Delaware Bay on Saturday, and by mid-day on Sunday we were at Henderson's Wharf Marina in Baltimore. Judy flew back to Florida on Monday for some business meetings, and then returned on Thursday. While she was gone I helped Jennifer with various projects at her home.
We departed Baltimore on Friday, September 19th, with a bit of a wind from the northeast. By the time we approached the junction of the Baltimore Channel and Chesapeake Bay we decided we'd had enough and pulled into the Magothy River where we anchored for the rremainder of the day. The next day took us to Solomons, Maryland, and the day after that (Sunday) to Old Point Comfort at the south end of Chesapeake Bay. Weather forecasts were warning of a storm advancing up the coast, so we made plans to wait it out in the Great Dismal Swamp Canal - similar to what we did two years ago on our trip south. We got fuel in Portsmouth, Virginia, as we passed through the Norfolk area, and then headed to the canal. By late afternoon we were in the canal and tied up to Elizabeth's Dock along with two other boats that had locked into the canal that afternoon.
The next four days were spent in the canal, waiting for the storm to pass (it did blow quite a bit and rained a lot the last two days we were there), and by Friday we were heading south through the canal and on to Elizabeth City. We then cruised through the Albermarle Sound, Alligator River, Alligator River-Pungo River Canal, Punto River (where we anchored for the night), the Pamlico River, Pamlico Sound and into the Neuse River. We're now in Oriental, North Carolina, a nice little fishing village on the north shore of the Neuse River. Today we're going to cruise further up the Neuse River to New Bern where we'll play tourist in the historic town.
The weather forecast is good for the next five days (as far as the forecast goes) so we should be able to continue south without further weather delays when we depart New Bern.
We met up with friends from the Trawler and Trawlering List in Great Kills Harbor on Wednesday, September 10th, taking a mooring ball provided by friend Kevin who is the Assistant Listmeister. The next day we pushed our way down the New Jersey coast to Absecon Inlet (Atlantic City), and the next day we were in Cape May by noon. We then had a very pleasant (unusual) cruise up Delaware Bay on Saturday, and by mid-day on Sunday we were at Henderson's Wharf Marina in Baltimore. Judy flew back to Florida on Monday for some business meetings, and then returned on Thursday. While she was gone I helped Jennifer with various projects at her home.
We departed Baltimore on Friday, September 19th, with a bit of a wind from the northeast. By the time we approached the junction of the Baltimore Channel and Chesapeake Bay we decided we'd had enough and pulled into the Magothy River where we anchored for the rremainder of the day. The next day took us to Solomons, Maryland, and the day after that (Sunday) to Old Point Comfort at the south end of Chesapeake Bay. Weather forecasts were warning of a storm advancing up the coast, so we made plans to wait it out in the Great Dismal Swamp Canal - similar to what we did two years ago on our trip south. We got fuel in Portsmouth, Virginia, as we passed through the Norfolk area, and then headed to the canal. By late afternoon we were in the canal and tied up to Elizabeth's Dock along with two other boats that had locked into the canal that afternoon.
The next four days were spent in the canal, waiting for the storm to pass (it did blow quite a bit and rained a lot the last two days we were there), and by Friday we were heading south through the canal and on to Elizabeth City. We then cruised through the Albermarle Sound, Alligator River, Alligator River-Pungo River Canal, Punto River (where we anchored for the night), the Pamlico River, Pamlico Sound and into the Neuse River. We're now in Oriental, North Carolina, a nice little fishing village on the north shore of the Neuse River. Today we're going to cruise further up the Neuse River to New Bern where we'll play tourist in the historic town.
The weather forecast is good for the next five days (as far as the forecast goes) so we should be able to continue south without further weather delays when we depart New Bern.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Heading south from New Brunswick
From Gagetown, we returned to the Royal Kennebeccasis Yacht Club on August 20th. By the time we reached the RKYC the wind was blowing so hard no one could raft up with our trek's boats that were already on a mooring, so we anchored in the lee shelter of an island near the club. That night at dinner we discussed how we would proceed through the reversing falls the next day: those who wanted would make the crossing in the dark at around 0500; others would make the crossing at about 1300. We elected to make our crossing in daylight at the slack tide around 1300. It was relatively uneventful.
From St. John we went to Dipper Harbor for the night, and the next day proceeded to St. Andrews on Passamaquody Bay. The sun came out and the weather was the best we'd had the entire time in Canada, so we elected to stay the full day on Saturday. We had a great day touring the gardens and walking around the town.
We departed on Sunday, August 24th, and several hours later had checked back into the United States at Eastport, Maine. We then headed out around Campobello Island and made it to Roque Island Harbor that night. From there we returned to Northeast Harbor, Maine, for a night (we climbed to the gardens there - in sunshine), and then to Southern Harbor on North Vinylhaven Island, back to Snow Island on the northeastern side of Casco Bay, and finally to Portland where we enjoyed the Labor Day weekend with friends before heading out again on Monday, September 1st.
Since then we've stopped at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Scituate and South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and then stopped at a marina in Warwick Cove, Rhode Island, to wait out the remnants of Hanna as she made her way up the coast. We departed Warwick Cove this morning and are now in Wickford, Rhode Island, about 8 miles from the ocean and Rhode Island Sound. The forecast for tomorrow looks good, so we're going to get underway at the earliest light tomorrow morning heading for Long Island Sound and as far as we can get before dark. We hope to cross Long Island Sound to Great Kills, New York, in two more days.
Since leaving Portland the weather has been fairly good, with only a few days of fog.
From St. John we went to Dipper Harbor for the night, and the next day proceeded to St. Andrews on Passamaquody Bay. The sun came out and the weather was the best we'd had the entire time in Canada, so we elected to stay the full day on Saturday. We had a great day touring the gardens and walking around the town.
We departed on Sunday, August 24th, and several hours later had checked back into the United States at Eastport, Maine. We then headed out around Campobello Island and made it to Roque Island Harbor that night. From there we returned to Northeast Harbor, Maine, for a night (we climbed to the gardens there - in sunshine), and then to Southern Harbor on North Vinylhaven Island, back to Snow Island on the northeastern side of Casco Bay, and finally to Portland where we enjoyed the Labor Day weekend with friends before heading out again on Monday, September 1st.
Since then we've stopped at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Scituate and South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and then stopped at a marina in Warwick Cove, Rhode Island, to wait out the remnants of Hanna as she made her way up the coast. We departed Warwick Cove this morning and are now in Wickford, Rhode Island, about 8 miles from the ocean and Rhode Island Sound. The forecast for tomorrow looks good, so we're going to get underway at the earliest light tomorrow morning heading for Long Island Sound and as far as we can get before dark. We hope to cross Long Island Sound to Great Kills, New York, in two more days.
Since leaving Portland the weather has been fairly good, with only a few days of fog.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Gagetown, New Brunswick on the St. John River
We've covered a lot of water since the last update. We spent several weeks getting to Northeast Harbor, Maine, stopping at several beautiful harbors on the way, including the Goslings, Snow's Island, Sebasco Harbor (all on Casco Bay), then Bath and the Maine Maritime Museum on the Kennebec River, Christmas Harbor, Hog Island, Maple Juice Cove on Muscongus Bay, and Camden, Pulpit Harbor on Penobscot Bay, and the Wooden Boat School on Eggemoggin Reach.
On the 10th of August we departed Northeast Harbor, along with 25 other boats, for our Fundy adventure! Since then we've visited Cutler, Maine, then Grand Manan, Dipper Harbor, crossed the reversing falls at St. John where we entered the St. John River and stopped at the Royal Kennebeccasis Yacht Club. At that point we spent several days cruising north on the St. John River, eventually all coming together again at Gagetown, New Brunswick, about 30 nautical miles upstream from St. John.
We'll be departing Gagetown tomorrow (Wednesday the 20th) for the RKYC, then on the 21st we'll again cross the reversing falls and head toward St. Andrews, New Brunswick, where we'll spend several days before heading to Eastport, Maine, and clearing back into the United States.
For the most part the weather has been rainy and foggy, with many ocean cruising days in the fog, never seeing land until we get within a mile of shore. However, we've gotten used to the gray skies, and welcome any bit of sun that peaks through. The next 4-5 days are predicted to be sunny, so hopefully the sunshine will follow us back into Maine when we're making our way westerly to Portland, Maine, for a get together with friends over the Labor Day weekend.
On the 10th of August we departed Northeast Harbor, along with 25 other boats, for our Fundy adventure! Since then we've visited Cutler, Maine, then Grand Manan, Dipper Harbor, crossed the reversing falls at St. John where we entered the St. John River and stopped at the Royal Kennebeccasis Yacht Club. At that point we spent several days cruising north on the St. John River, eventually all coming together again at Gagetown, New Brunswick, about 30 nautical miles upstream from St. John.
We'll be departing Gagetown tomorrow (Wednesday the 20th) for the RKYC, then on the 21st we'll again cross the reversing falls and head toward St. Andrews, New Brunswick, where we'll spend several days before heading to Eastport, Maine, and clearing back into the United States.
For the most part the weather has been rainy and foggy, with many ocean cruising days in the fog, never seeing land until we get within a mile of shore. However, we've gotten used to the gray skies, and welcome any bit of sun that peaks through. The next 4-5 days are predicted to be sunny, so hopefully the sunshine will follow us back into Maine when we're making our way westerly to Portland, Maine, for a get together with friends over the Labor Day weekend.
Monday, July 21, 2008
South Freeport, Maine
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.
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 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!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Preparing for Cruise
A few days ago we received the schedule for the Points East Fundy Flotilla which we'll be joining. Currently, there are 32 boats registered. Here's the schedule:
Saturday, August 9: Northeast Harbor, crew meeting at a downtown church, noon-3:00; drinks 5-6:30 at the Main Sail Restaurant at the harbor, followed by buffet dinner.
Sunday, August 10: Cruise to Cutler, Maine. Anchor, go ashore for lobster supper at the Methodist Church.
Monday, August 11: Cruise to Grand Manan . . max flood (1+ knots) in the Grand Manan Channel is approximately 1300 ADT, so plan accordingly. Moor or berth at North Head Harbor. Be prepared to raft at the floats. Go ashore to clear customs. dinner at The Inn at Whale Cove. Two seatings. Transportation will be provided. menu is al la carte; food is excellent.
Tuesday, August 12: Cruise to Saint John, arriving in plenty of time to pick up our "pilots" in the harbor and get to the Reversing Fall in time for low slack at 1930 ADT. Continue up the river and to the RKYC for moorage and dockage (if the latter is available). Be prepared to raft on the moorings.
Wednesday, August 13: Relax, clean up, banquet in the evening upstairs at the RKYC.
Thursday, August 14: Mid-morning tour of the operations center of Fundy CG Radio and Fundy Traffic in downtown Saint John. Then free time downtown. The RKYC puts on its usual Thursday night buffet and flotillians are invited - but you have to make reservations ahead of time.
Friday, August 15: enjoy the river.
Saturday, August 16: ditto.
Sunday, August 17: At Gagetown Marina; Flotilla dock party in the afternoon.
Monday, August 18: All-day outing to Kings Landing, including bus transportation, guided tour of the reconstructed early-19th century village, private-room luncheon.
Tuesday, August 19: Outdoor BBQ at the marina. Possible trip to Fredericton beforehand, if we've got a few fast cruisers to cart everyone up there.
Wednesday, August 20: Back to the RYC in order to be ready for an early - very early - crossing of the Reversing Falls.
Thursday, August 21: Cross the Reversing Falls at high slack (0535 ADT) and continue on to St. Andrews. Mooring or anchoring. No docks.
Friday, August 22: In St. Andrews, a great town for walking, shopping, dining.
Saturday, August 23: High tide is 0454 ADT, and you'll want to be ready to head out of the harbor early, if you're one of the slower boats, in order to ride the ebb to Eastport. There are additional docks and moorings in Eastport this year, which will be explained later. Upon arrival at Eastport, report in by calling Customs and Border Protection in Houlton, Maine. Then present yourself and your documents and those for your vessel and your crew to the Customs officials who will either be on the docs or in their office adjacent to the harbor.
Sounds like a great cruise!
We're making progress in getting Sanderling ready for the trip. Most everything is completed except reworking the battery banks, and that should occur in early April.
We now plan to depart our marina on April 30th and take our time heading north (unlike our trip north in 2006). We'll spend some time on the Chesapeake, renewing our acquaintance with some of our favorite spots and possibly heading up the Potomac River to Washington, DC. We also hope to spend more time on Long Island Sound, Narragansett Bay, and in Maine prior to the Fundy trip.
Friday, January 25, 2008
New boat - Preparing for trip north
It's been a busy year and a half since the last post. We began a hunt for a slightly larger trawler in 2006, and by May 2007 we had settled on a DeFever 41 built in 1987. Since then, we have been working to upgrade some of the systems and the decor, with a new Force 10 propane stove/oven to replace the dreadful electric stove/oven (requiring us to operate the generator every time we wanted to use the stove), a hand held Simrad auto-pilot control unit (in addition to the console mounted unit), new GPS, new curtains and cushions (absolutely beautiful), new bow-thruster (to replace one 1/2 the proper size), and soon-to-be rewired electrical system.
We hope to have everything completed in time for a departure in late April 2008. We'll be heading to Canada, either via Maine on the ocean side of the continent, or via Lake Champlaine on the inside route.
Pictures of the new Sanderling can be seen at http://public.fotki.com/rmcleran/sanderling/
We hope to have everything completed in time for a departure in late April 2008. We'll be heading to Canada, either via Maine on the ocean side of the continent, or via Lake Champlaine on the inside route.
Pictures of the new Sanderling can be seen at http://public.fotki.com/rmcleran/sanderling/
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