Wednesday, October 30th
We were up at the crack of dawn as the mechanic starts work at 7 AM. WishBone was put back together again today with her new voltage regulator and alternator - the latest of her new charging system parts. There is a front coming through tomorrow and Friday with high winds and rain and since it is free dockage (with repairs), we will sit here in Harve de Grace until Saturday. The plan is on Saturday to head for Annapolis. We have missed that port in the past and other cruisers tell us it is a must do. The cold is catching up with us, so we certainly hope we can keep moving now.
April is now known far and near, so the squirrels who were so tame now run as soon as she appears, and she has run all the rabbits out of the marina. I think they should pay us to bring here into town.
We are missing everyone. Thanks for keeping up with us. Hopefully, our trip will get much more interesting soon!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Monday, October 28th
While we wait for a new alternator and voltage regulator to be delivered to replace that which was installed with our new engine, we are touring Havre de Grace. The weather has been cold but sunny. We have checked out all the quaint shops and found a delightful bakery that also makes delicious crab soup. Yes, we are back in crab land - my favorite! The marina has a courtesy van so we have used that to catch up on laundry, provisions, etc. Everyone here knows April now as do many who walk the beautiful boardwalk across the Susquahanna River every day. Bill found a barber and I a salon, so we are more presentable again. This area is historic and there are some impressive buildings, the most beautiful of which are the churches.
The marina is fenced in so April has the run of the place and guess what, it is full of rabbits and squirrels - her favorite. The pictures below are taken on our downtown walk - leash hunting.
While we wait for a new alternator and voltage regulator to be delivered to replace that which was installed with our new engine, we are touring Havre de Grace. The weather has been cold but sunny. We have checked out all the quaint shops and found a delightful bakery that also makes delicious crab soup. Yes, we are back in crab land - my favorite! The marina has a courtesy van so we have used that to catch up on laundry, provisions, etc. Everyone here knows April now as do many who walk the beautiful boardwalk across the Susquahanna River every day. Bill found a barber and I a salon, so we are more presentable again. This area is historic and there are some impressive buildings, the most beautiful of which are the churches.
The marina is fenced in so April has the run of the place and guess what, it is full of rabbits and squirrels - her favorite. The pictures below are taken on our downtown walk - leash hunting.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Wednesday, October 23rd
We left Cape May on Monday very early to catch a low tide for us to go under the 55' bridges. We held our breath, but made the bridge at a marked 55.5 feet. Since our mast needs 54 ft. with our antennae we made it with a little to spare under both bridges. The tide gave us a push through the Cape May canal, all the way up Delaware Bay and halfway through the C&D canal. It was a sunny, warm, calm sea day - fabulous. Tuesday we were up and ready to take on the Chespeake, however our recurring charging problems showed its ugly face again. We headed for the Tidewater Marina in Havre de Grace, Maryland on the western shore of the Chespeake where we hope to have our problem solved time being of the essence. It is getting cold now and we need to be further south. Thank goodness for Tricia and Ed's warm clothing gifts and Bill and Geoff's diesel heater installation!
April continues to be the perfect boat dog. She rests while we are running until she knows we are near land, in the canals, etc. Then she sits up and watches the happenings. She also has figured out when we are anchoring, docking, or mooring and is very interested in the happenings then too - she will be out on the deck with me, but very good about staying out of the way. Her favorite onshore pastime is chasing the squirrels and rabbits.
Wednesday, October 23rd
We had a nice stay in the pretty city of Cape May. We had been there before, however we really explored this visit. The Victorian architecture was fun. Below is the Octagon House pained lavender with purple trim.
We had a nice stay in the pretty city of Cape May. We had been there before, however we really explored this visit. The Victorian architecture was fun. Below is the Octagon House pained lavender with purple trim.
Note this is Holly's House - a favorite family name
This one is typical of the house all over the city.
While we were exploring, we happened upon the Halloween Parade. April loved the kids (and their candy) watching the parade.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Saturday, October 18th.
We are in Cape May, NJ. April is on deck soaking up the sunshine and Bill has gone to have two jerry cans filled with diesel fuel. It is good to be out of Atlantic City. The stay was much too long. Once the weather broke for us, the boat refrigeration quit. We left Atlantic City yesterday in what seemed like great conditions. However, once outside sure enough the sea kept us rocking and rolling all the way to Cape May as it has since we left Kittery Point. Today we wait with all the other sailors here while the winds and seas calm. WishBone has a 53' mast and the bridge on the way out of the Cape Cod canal is 55', so we will wait for low tide to go under (and cross our fingers) and out into the Delaware Bay. April and I found the dog park this morning where two labs greeted her, and she showed them just how April can run - fast! She had fun. This afternoon we will seek out the fish market we remember from our last visit. Walking around Cape May is interesting because of all the beautiful Victorian homes.
We are in Cape May, NJ. April is on deck soaking up the sunshine and Bill has gone to have two jerry cans filled with diesel fuel. It is good to be out of Atlantic City. The stay was much too long. Once the weather broke for us, the boat refrigeration quit. We left Atlantic City yesterday in what seemed like great conditions. However, once outside sure enough the sea kept us rocking and rolling all the way to Cape May as it has since we left Kittery Point. Today we wait with all the other sailors here while the winds and seas calm. WishBone has a 53' mast and the bridge on the way out of the Cape Cod canal is 55', so we will wait for low tide to go under (and cross our fingers) and out into the Delaware Bay. April and I found the dog park this morning where two labs greeted her, and she showed them just how April can run - fast! She had fun. This afternoon we will seek out the fish market we remember from our last visit. Walking around Cape May is interesting because of all the beautiful Victorian homes.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Friday, October 11th. Nothing has changed very much here in Farley Marina, Atlantic City in front of the Golden Nugget. The rain is coming down in sheets and the wind won't stop blowing. When they get weather here, they get weather. We drove to Sommers Point, New Jersey yesterday - the nearest West Marine. We prayed that they wouldn't close the roads before we returned. The tide was flooding the sea walls and roads all around us. We managed to find our way around the highways and biways of Atlantic City, but it wasn't easy. The car was without navigation equipment. Anyway, we got our provisions done. The diesel heater Bill and Geoff installed in the boat has really been handy, not so much for heat but for the drying. It is in the 60's, but it we drag all the dampness in with us every time we come back from outside. Our rain wear is continually dripping in the shower. What fun! I took some pics of WishBone for those of you who have not seen her.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Wednesday. Stuck in Atlantic City. The wind continues to blow and the seas are rough. Rain is on the way this afternoon and the wind and seas are predicted to get higher. And so we wait. We know how to do it. We've had to do it many times before. To help past the time, we have rented a car for provisioning. Yesterday after some continual boat work and lunch, we walked the other end of the boardwalk - from the inlet and lighthouse end. We found a nice long clean beach with no one on it (because of the wind) for April to run and play - and that she did. This morning Bill is draining the water tanks to refill again (a task with the two big tanks. Then he has to fill them again!) The goal is better tasting water, we hope. It is a break for him from tightening connections, something that seems to be continual. April has found some Mallard ducks at the end of the piers to entertain her.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Mark of Mid-Coast Marine installing new batteries - and they were huge! Bill is getting some education.
April and Mark are friends. She gets to go back and forth to the truck with him. Meanwhile, she is making sure the H dock is gull free.
Golden Nugget at the head of our dock.
Harrah's just a short walk away along the ICW.
The Water Club and Begota all in their gold attire and at night.
Golden Nugget at night.
We are surrounded by casinos. These are some that are located on our starboard. On the ocean side are many others. After Mark was done with our battery installation and reorganizing our electrical system, we walked the boardwalk. We saw the site of the fire and the reconstruction of the beach after Sandy. April found many, many pidgeons. What fun! The wind has been blowing a gale all day and we are in the middle of a thunderstorm right now. We must still wait out the weather.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Sunday. Looks like we'll be here until Karen blows on by. They are predicting pretty good winds and seas. We are having three new batteries installed on Monday, so at least the time we have to sit coincides with the repair. It was very foggy this morning - couldn't even see the surrounding casinos. All the power boaters waited until noon time to leave. We did a waterway walk this morning - it was long, but beautiful. This afternoon we took the dinghy out for fuel and to check out the harbor, then we washed WishBone. April has been busy keeping the gulls off the pier. It is her job. It is 80 degrees and beautiful this afternoon.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Saturday, October 5th. We are in Atlantic City, New Jersey this morning. Yesterday's run from Manasquan was 9 hours with some charging problems. So we hope to get that resolved today and keep an eye on Karen and the resulting weather as she moves. We are tied up at the state pier surrounded by casinos. We did manage to find a small beach for April - hard not to find a beach in New Jersey. The weather is still sunny and warm. Love it! Cape May will be the next stop, just not sure when that will happen.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
I love it when a plan comes together. An 8 AM departure from City Island, NY took us through the Throngs Neck Bridge, Hells Gate, the Battery and on past the Statute of Liberty with flying colors, but not at an uncontrollable speed as it did once before. We sailed through New York Harbor and headed for Sandy Hook NJ - the newly rebuilt Sandy Hook. They did have storm damage. The yacht club alone where we stayed lost 150 boats and all of the docks and waterfront facilities. We picked up a mooring and took the launch, April's new favorite kind of transportation to land, and walked to the supermarket. April realized the launch had new friends aboard and took her to land - both great things.
Thursday we headed out of Sandy Hook and ended up in Manesquan, NJ. We came in through the inlet smoothly and headed for the marina for fuel and a tie up. Pole tie ups are always a challenge and the tide was working against us. But the deck hand was great and we managed to get five lines and a ladder rigged (to get us off the boat). April is climbing a ladder again (just like her pool days). We walked to the beaches and again took in all the damage and rebuilding going on. We found a great beach for April and she ran and swam and played with the other dogs, then stopped for ice cream. Tomorrow we head out to Atlantic City, a long day, but we need to go while this fantastic weather holds.
Thursday we headed out of Sandy Hook and ended up in Manesquan, NJ. We came in through the inlet smoothly and headed for the marina for fuel and a tie up. Pole tie ups are always a challenge and the tide was working against us. But the deck hand was great and we managed to get five lines and a ladder rigged (to get us off the boat). April is climbing a ladder again (just like her pool days). We walked to the beaches and again took in all the damage and rebuilding going on. We found a great beach for April and she ran and swam and played with the other dogs, then stopped for ice cream. Tomorrow we head out to Atlantic City, a long day, but we need to go while this fantastic weather holds.
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