Day 30: Champlain Marina, Colchester, VT

Mangled raw water drive cam. The
shaft of the raw water pump wasn't
much better.

Brian inspected and cleaned the heat exchanger, but there was nothing to be found there.  Lastly, he lubricated the impeller real well and cranked the generator.  The impeller didn’t move (explicative deleted!). Pulling the raw water pump off, he found the pump shaft and drive gear were bad. Brian found a new raw water pump at a great price locally. He also made an appointment with Shelburne Ship Yard to get the generator repaired.  The earliest they could take us was the morning of 15 July.  While Brian was working on the generator, Linda started cleaning the strataglass on the lania and flybridge until, once again our neighbor Sue generously offered her car.  Linda went to a nearby grocery store for some provisions.  When Brian emerged and cleaned himself up, we motored over to the fuel dock to get fuel and a pump-out. Then walked to a pub just outside the marina for lunch.  We spent the rest of afternoon contemplating our options.

DAY 28 & 29: Champlain Marina, Colchester, VT

Saturday was filled with organizing and planning.  Linda started with a pedicure, which restored her human spirit.  We borrowed Sue’s car to run for marine supplies to do more investigation and possible repairs.  Found a great little pub — McGillicuddy’s on the Green, where the bartender knew what to suggest for Linda.  We had the best burgers ever — Vermont beef!  The afternoon was one of frustration for Brian.  He generator was not pumping raw water for cooling.  So Brian opened the raw water pump expecting the impeller to be gone. It was in perfect condition.  So, he checked the hoses to and from the pump and found nothing. He contacted J.T. Cheely of Full Throttle who provided some suggestions, but those, too, didn't work.  Brian figured he had to check the thru hull fitting under the boat and check the heat exchanger for blockages later.

St. Andrews Episcopal Church
Colchester, VT

The Rev. Lisette D. Baxter,
Linda, & the Brick

On Sunday, we walked up to the local Episcopal church — St Andrews and were welcomed by everyone in the congregation.  They were all delighted to hear about “the brick” and the Pastor, The Rev Lissette Baxter, was kind enough to pose for a photo or two with the brick as well.  She pointed out their altar cross, made from drift wood found in Mallet’s Bay and the “eye” was woven by the children.  A bit of fishing net was strung, truly invoking the “fisher of men” feeling.  The service was wonderful — the same and yet different than what we do at our home church, St John’s in Hampton, VA.  To Linda’s surprise, they also offer Gluten Free wafers and use a separate chalice of wine so there is absolutely not cross-contamination.

Interior of St. Andrews (no air conditioning) so fans
were used for this rare 94° day

The music was great and we heard many different instruments including a dulcimer played by Roni Lessage.  We enjoyed the experience and felt restored.  After our walk home (about a mile to the boat), we elected to take the rest of the day off.

Day 27: Chipmans Point Marina to Champlain Marina, Colchester, VT (58NM, 7 hours)

Lake Champlain with the
Adirondack Mountains in the distance

Hurray, the winds are gone and the lake is smooth as glass.  Unfortunately, the fog had set in.  We puttered around while it burned off.  We departed the dock at 09:12 with a gentle push off by Kay and we had the calmest ride for the first 3 hours with drop-dead gorgeous vistas.  Even when the wind picked up a bit (just 6kts from the north) the Adirondacks on the left and the Green Mountains on our right, beautiful clear water and sunny skies with just a cloud or two in the distance.  Linda passed control of the boat to Brian, went downstairs to make lunch, and immediately came back up to ask why Brian had turned off the fans in the main cabin.  Uh oh—Brian had not turned off the fans, so this was not good news.  Looks like our impeller on the raw water pump to the generator stopped working.  Since we were already underway, we didn’t really need the generator to finish the day’s trip.  Around 14:00, we saw Burlington and went in for a closer look.  Burlington is Vermont’s most populous city.  By 16:10 we were at our marina — Champlain Marina in Colchester, Vermont and we tied up right next to another Tollycraft (same year as ours)!  We met Scott and Sue Peterson, aboard their Offshore, on the other side, and then Robert and Linda Lee, from CT aboard their Nordic Tug, “Errante”.  Robert and Linda are also doing the loop and in the same general flow as we will.  We also learned that Scott and Sue are owners of a resort called Stirling Ridge Resort in Jeffersonville, VT.

Day 26: Chipmans Point Marina

The Brick at Ft. Ticonderoga
overlooking Lake George

The owner of Chipmans Point Marina, Ms. Pat Ullom, promised the use of the marina courtesy car. Unfortunately, her grandson borrowed it to take a driving exam. So she allowed us to use her personal car to visit Ft. Ticonderoga, The King’s Garden, and do some shopping. When we returned, we socialized for a bit with Kay and Richard Davis aboard the Texas Ranger.  Brian was so happy to be able to talk “texan” again.

Panographic image of the inside
of Ft. Ticonderoga

Panographic image of
The Kings Garden

Day 25: Chipmans Point Marina

It rained all day. Linda did laundry (wash & dry for just a $1.00) and Brian cleaned the engine and air-conditioning strainers, cleaned the bilges, changed engine zincs, and added engine oil. Later two Kady-Krogen yachts arrived in the rain - Spirit Journey, from Seattle, WA and Texas Ranger, from Corpus Christy, TX - both are on the Down East Loop.

Day 24: Ft. Edward to Chimpans Point Marina, Orwell, VT (38NM, 6 Hours)

Spillway at Lock C-9

When we checked the weather, we learned heavy rains and winds were forecast for this evening and all day tomorrow. So, our goal was to get to Chipmans Marina and settle before the weather turned nasty. We left Ft. Edward at 9:06am and locked through Lock C–7 by 9:15am – the gates were open, went in and lifted 10 feet to be 130 feet above sea level. We dodged and weaved around a few more barges and tugs until we passed Lock C–8 (11 feet, 141.4 feet above sea level - highest point on the canal system). After that he trip was uneventful, beautiful, and quiet. We had the Champlain Canal to ourselves. All the locks were in our favor – Lock C–9 (-16 feet, 125 feet above sea level), and Lock C–11 (-12 feet, 113 feet above sea level). The lock C10 does not exist. It was in the original plans, but determined to be unnecessary during construction phase of the lock system. Not sure why the locks were not renumbered, but they have been operating like this for years and it seems to work for the various communities. As the water level dropped in Lock C–11, Zebra mussels that lined the lock wall started spitting. It looked like little waterfalls. Finally, there was Lock C–12 (-15 feet, 98 feet above sea level - about the average hight above sea level for Lake Champlain) and we were done with the locks for the time being. We had the southern part of Lake Champlain called “The Narrows” to ourselves.

Exiting the Champlain Canal
and into Lake Champlain

The wind and current were in our favor, and the views were spectacular with lush green trees and shrubs, towering granite cliffs here and there, and clear water. Once we exited The Narrows and enter the wider body of lower Lake Champlain we felt the winds begin to pick up. We still had the fortune of the wind behind us and following-seas. We also began to see small fishing boats in the coves and among the reeds. By 2:30 we approached Chimpans and the winds where up to 15-20 knots. Brian brought the boat around such that our bow was facing the wind and glided us in to a docking on a T-head. We were secure by 3:00pm. We had an early Lunch/Dinner and watched two Spaghetti Westerns.

Rain over
Lake Champlain

Day 23: Waterford to Ft. Edward Yacht Basin, Ft. Edward, NY (33NM, 8 Hours)

We arose early for our trip to the free docks at Ft. Edward, NY.  We only saw Warren to say our “good by’s.”  We’d catch up with Monica later by phone.

Splash Down behind one of the tugs pushing
a small barge

We were off the dock at 8:02am.  Brian crawled up to the Lanai roof to angle the antenna down as we headed for Lock C–1.  The first bridge we encountered at Waterford had a height of 20 feet.  We reached Lock C–1 within 30 minutes of leaving Waterford.  Lock C–1 lifted us 14 feet to an elevation of 31 feet above sea level. Next was Lock C–2 for a lift of 18.5 feet to 49 feet above sea level.  It also had a utility bridge with a height of 17 feet.  The tips of our antennas touched the bridge, so Brian crawled back up to rotate the antennas horizontal just to be safe. Lock C-3 lifted us 19.5 feet (the highest lift in the Champlain Locks) to 69 feet above sea level. We reached Lock C–4 by 10:50am with a general speed of 8 knots for a 16 foot lift.  We shortly encountered barges and mini-tugs (lots of them).  Some barges and tugs doing dredging and others transporting the dredged material to makeshift terminals.  It slowed us down some as we made slow passes through the work areas.  

Narrow part of the Champlain Canal
30 feet deep

By 12:30 we reached the Schuylerville Yacht Basin, a half-way point between Waterford and Ft. Edward, to top off the fuel tanks and do a pump-out.  It was a quick and informative stop.  We learned the two marinas north of Lock C–12 at Whitehall, NY were closed completely with no dockage available.  We thought the trip would continue without issues, but at Lock C–5 (19 foot lift) we waited for over 30 minutes for a barge to lock though and then at Lock C–6 (16.5 foot lift), the mast of the sailboat “Mill Evasion” came within a few feet of our lanai.  (Sailboats must have their masts removed and set in make-shift cradles so the mast straddles the centerline of the boat to allow them to pass under the bridges.)   We arrived Ft. Edward and Lock C–7 around 4:15.  Ft. Edward lies less than a quarter mile west of Lock C–7. We motored into a

Free Dock Wall at Ft. Edward, NY

space at the free dock wall.  After getting water and power connected, we relaxed with glasses of wine then took a stroll round a small part of the town.  Linda had read a review of high praise for a local restaurant, but we found they close on Monday’s and we ended up eating on the boat.

Day 22; Houhtaling Island to Waterford, NY (24NM, 3 Hours)

Entering Lock #1 behind Untied

We pulled anchor at 08:17 and had a slow start back up the Hudson River towards Albany and eventually our first lock — the Federal Lock at Troy, NY.  By 11:27, we were tied up at Waterford, only to relocate to grab an electrical outlet at the free dock.  We walked the town to a recommended pub (naturally) with Warren and Monica to have a late lunch.  Although the restaurant didn’t open for another 30 minutes, they weren’t opposed to serving us a drink at the bar until then.  Since we took them up on the offer, we were seated early. Terrific lunch for all of us that restored us enough to walk a bit more and eventually to the lock to obtain our lock pass for each of our journeys.  Untied will go to Oswego to make their way to visit friends in Rochester, NY while we will head towards Lake Champlain through a different series of locks.  After obtaining our passes, Brian and I relaxed on the boat as the afternoon, cooled off with a few clouds overhead, and worked on this blog.

Day 21: Kingston to Houghtaling Island (35NM, 5 Hours)

Brian lowering the anchor

Our friends from Untied, who anchored out, travelled by dinghy so we could have breakfast together.  What a great shop we found, even though it only took cash.  Since Monica needed eggs, we had a lovely stroll up town to a nearby market for four dozen eggs.  We were slowed by the many buildings with beautiful architectural details, and for once, Linda was not the main picture taker!  Mentally, we bought and restored over a dozen along our walk.  On our way back to Splash Down we ran into Maurice, from Quotidian, who was just a bit down the creek from us.  Returning to our boat, and with the help of Warren and Monica we talked through what our first anchorage would be like.  Then, we pulled out and marked our chain on the dock.

The historic Kinston Opera
House (missing a fourth floor)

Afterwards, we met were greeted by Dale from the Lindy, whom Linda had talked with on the radio earlier the previous day.  Dale and his wife (also Linda) are from Michigan.  Linda was interested in their recommendation for a winter storage location.  We got the full scope on that and much more about the various ports of interest in person.  Brian was able to barrow a bicycle pump from the dock owner at Kingston to inflate all our round fenders in anticipation of locking through soon.  (The pump that Brian had stopped working).  At 1pm, we got the call to depart and followed Untied up to a terrific anchorage point.  Truly a magnificent ride with delightful lighthouses and scenic vistas, followed by excellent instruction and guidance over the radio while Linda handled the boat and Brian handled the anchor, chain and snub line— for our first time “on the hook”.  By 18:30 we were settled with beautiful views and a celebratory wine prior to dinner and a quiet night without any city/dock noise.  We weren’t lacking for entertainment — recall the spaghetti westerns?  Yup, we watched another after catching up with our sons activities.  

Day 20: Croton-on-Hudson to Kingston, NY (49 NM, 6.5 Hours)

West Point Military Academy

We left this morning with calm waters on the Hudson River.  The riverbanks were lush with green trees with beautiful large homes intermingled with some not so beautiful, not so large homes.  Evidence of Hurricane Irene (no, not Sandy) was evident in some areas along the bank.  We slowly passed West Point Military Academy a few feet from their dock debating whether to tie up and take a tour of the grounds.  A civilian tall ship had just departed and we could easily have fit in.  Alas, we decided to press to Kingston.  We had serious whirlpools that were fun to look at but less fun to power through. In route, we passed Bannerman Castle on an island in the Hudson, Hyde Park (home of Franklin D. Roosevelt) and Vanderbilt Mansion.

Lighthouse at the entrance to
Rondout Creek

We reached Rondout Creek Channel and headed straight for Rondout Marina for a pump-out and some fuel.  The fuel dock was in a tight space.  Never-the-less, Brian wanted our port side to the dock to make it easier for accessing the port-side pump out access and fueling.

Historic Kingston

He did a beautiful 180° rotation as the boat moved backwards to a perfectly soft broadside docking.  After doing our business there we headed for the Kingston City Marina for our night stay.  The dock master said he had plenty of room for us when we called ahead.  When we approached the dock, the dock space was about 55 feet between two boats on a “parallel” dock reserved for us.  Brian did a similar maneuver that he did earlier and again we had a perfect docking.  Our slip was at the very end of historic Kingston’s main street — Broadway St.  The most ideal spot with a wonderful view of the old town.  Plus, we were surrounded by 30 or so mallard ducks; young and old.

Ducks greeting Splash Down

When we checked in at the marina office we learned that historic Kingston was having their Friday night “Open Market” on Broadway St. where stores and street vendors were open until 9:00pm.  We had dinner on-board before we toured the “market.”  Linda purchased gluten free zucchini bread from one of the street vendors—Meredith breads.  Afterwards, we went back the boat, had some wine, and listened to the band.

Day 19: Half Moon Bay Marina, Croton-on-Hudson, NY

The brick with Linda &
The Rev. Susan Copley

A morning of laundry and food shopping was followed by a quick walk to the train station for a fast train to Tarrytown, where Susan, our former Assistant Rector at St John’s, is now the rector of Christ Church Terrytown.  Susan was able to meet us at the train station and took us straight to her church.  We had explained about our traveling with the brick and she happily supported us with posing for photos.  We met the parish administrator and her new Assistant Rector, and than a quick ride to Abbott House where many of the children escaping the horrors Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala are being processed.  It is frightening to think what the children are going through physically, mentally and spiritually.  We were thankful that Susan was able to meet with them and help them.  Of the 20 or so kids, only a few remained today, the rest have been sent on to family members all over the country.

Joel (red shorts), Alex (gray shirt),
Susan, Brian, & the Abbott House
Social Workers

Although Brian nor I speak spanish, we were profoundly moved by the two that met with Susan.  The social workers, who stay regardless of who is meeting the kids participated in the session.  Brian even played the paralyzed man from the lesson in Mark 2:1-12.  We had to carry him into the casa (a.k.a. home).  Luckily, Susan didn’t have us lift him through the ceiling!  After our session at the Abbott House, we returned to the rectory, only to have an emergency call for Susan to serve at a funeral that evening.  Long story short, Susan offered to drop us at the marina since it was on her way.  Unfortunately, the car she was driving developed a problem and we convinced her it was not good to continue driving it.  Susan was able to borrow a car, and we were back on the road rather quickly.  We decided that God wanted us to be with her today.  Once again we were able to witness her ministry in action and also, to help her not ignore the car issue, which she probably would have done otherwise.  Although shorter and not what any of us had planned, we were grateful to be able to reconnect.  And the brick has another story to tell.

Day 18: Great Kills Yacht Club to Half Moon Bay, Croton-on-the-Hudson, NY (48NM, 6 Hours)

Passing Lady Liberty

We departed with a little bit more chop in the water than we had anticipated and much more wind than we wanted at 07:55.  We made a serious pass by Lady Liberty at 09:30.  We didn’t stay long, due to the amount of traffic on the water.  While entering the Hudson, we saw a barge with the words “Lockwood Marine”.  Linda was able to get a photo, which Brian sent off to our friend, Dan at St Johns’ and sure enough it was part of the same company.  Dan even knew what it was they were carrying.

A barge carrying three GE
generators according to Dan Clark
of Lockwood Brothers, Inc., Hampton, VA

Along the Hudson we saw such diverse architecture styles from contemporary to the great craftsman skills of the mid-1800s.  There are a few places along the way that are not fully built out, and along the western bank, we saw high cliffs.  At 12:30 we made it to the Tapenzee Bridge, which has just begun a renovation that will take years to complete.  By 13:42 we were at Half Moon Bay, and shortly afterwards, Untided and two other loopers (Quotidian and $kid$) joined us at the marina.  We hosted a wine celebration on our boat and met with Maurice, who is already a gold looper (meaning he has completed at least one loop) and is currently working on the Down East Loop.

Day 17: New York City

Staten Island Ferry in front of the Statue of
Liberty and New York City

A full day of being a tourist! John dropped us at the train station, which took us to the ferry that took us to Manhattan. We took another ferry to Liberty. Lady Liberty is a marvel to view up close. We had seen the model at a park in France, but had not been able to visit the real deal on any of our previous trips to New York. It was well worth it! We took another ferry to Ellis where Linda’s grandfather processed in. Years earlier, Brian was able to pull the ship manifest her grandfather had been on. About two years ago a cousin had given Linda some of his papers, and tucked in was his citizenship certificate. While looking at the photos of what conditions were like during the height of the processing period on Ellis, we could only marvel at the grit of these immigrants. It was a warm day, mid 80s, sunny and humid.

Ellis Island 

We were hot and we were wearing shorts. Imagine not speaking the language, leaving what few possessions you had in the baggage area, and being separated by gender, put through medical exams, and not really understanding when it would be over. All that, if everything went in your favor. Much more if you answered a question differently, or looked as if a cold was coming on, or had some other difficulty. We returned to Manhattan exhausted, hungry and tired, and found a delightful little restaurant close by. Having refreshed and restored ourselves, we returned to Staten Island and the Yacht Club in time for dinner with Warren and Monica on their boat. Lucky for us, Warren brought their dinghy over and we all remarked how peaceful it was in the late afternoon with the son beginning to set, and the water settling down.

Linda, Monica, Warren, & Brian

Day 16: Atlantic City, NJ to Great Kills Yacht Club, NY (94NM, 8.5 Hours)

Great Kills Yacht Club
Great Kills, Staten Island, NJ

Based on the favorable travel conditions, we were up and out by 05:55.  The boats anchoring were slightly delayed due to the shallow water.  We listened on the radio as each made their way cautiously out of the harbor.  We saw many fishing boats, but no one seemed to be reeling anything in.  It was interesting to watch some of the larger vessels run full speed and then stop suddenly to allow the lines to be cast.  We were running well, and decided to make a pit stop at the Atlantic Harbor Marina.  We were in and out in less than 40 minutes.  We arrived at Great Kills Yacht Club on Staten Island, NJ, at 15:48 and had absolutely the perfect tie up conditions.  Brian just eased the boat into the dock and landed with all finders touching simultaneously — it was a thing of beauty.  We were greeted by John, John and John of the yacht club, and met one or two other Johns on our walk up to the club.  The bartender’s name was Tommy (whew), and we met with Klaus.  After our tour of the club house, which included incredible photos of what Hurricane Sandy had done, we enjoyed the local beverages and company.

Day 15: Atlantic City, NJ (Father’s Day)

The brick relaxing on
Atlantic City beach

We woke to see many of the super sized boat had departed in the early hours.  Linda brought out the hidden Father’s Day cards and a present of “20 Spaghetti Westerns” box DVD set.  Brian only recognized two actors names; Terence Hill (Mario Grotti) and Lee Van Cleef.  Shortly after that surprise, we jumped on a Jitney (an Atlantic City bus service) and rode over to the Revel casino on the boardwalk.  The Revel unofficially marks one end of the boardwalk and our goal was to walk the entire thing…about 38 city blocks worth.  We did walk through a few casinos to cool off (we didn’t do any gambling).  We also had a nice rest at the Pier Shops where there is air conditioning and chairs, with a bit of sand underneath,  are placed along the glass windows overlooking the ocean.  We finished the walk and although tempted to use the rickshaws, we ended up walking back to have “Cheeseburgers in Paradise” at the Margarittaville Restaurant.  We again celebrated Fathers Day with a cheeseburger (Linda’s cheeseburger was gluten free).  Linda sipped on some wine and Brian downed four margaritas.   We caught another Jitney back to the Golden Nugget for a dip in the pool.

View from the Pier Shops

Happy Father

Day 14: Atlantic City, NJ (Flag Day)

We awoke late and had a relaxing morning before chores.  Brian cleaned the windows, then caulked some areas that had opened up around the port glass windows.  Linda cleaned the interior and the Lanai roof.  Warren and Monica (from Untied) rode their dinghy over and rafted to us while they went to lunch and walked around the Boardwalk area.  When they returned, exhausted, we settled for a glass of wine.  Shortly afterwards, others anchoring out with Warren and Monica strolled past, so of course we had them on board.  One couple was returning to their home port — Herrington Bay north, where we had recently visited.  The other couple would continue with us to New York, and then turn off for their home in Connecticut.  After they left, Brian gallantly fought the wind and grilled our meal of corn on the cob and chicken.  Warren and Monica were able to return to their boat before it was too dark.

Day 13: Cape May to Atlantic City, NJ (41NM, 6 Hours)

We awoke early and check the weather to see if voyaging to Atlantic City was a go or no go due to atmospheric and ocean conditions.  According to the National Weather Service/ National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration the wind was light, the current was light, and the fog was to clear early morning.  Well, the winds were light, the current was light, but the seas had three to four foot waves at five to seven seconds apart making for Brian a pleasant trip, but for Linda a too rough a ride.  Plus, we were in fog the entire voyage from Cape May to Atlantic City. We arrived in Atlantic City, Farley State Marina, in front of the Golden Nugget Casino, about 6 hours after leaving Cape May.

Atlantic City when the fog lifts

Day 12: Cape May, NJ

Church of the Advent
Cape May, NJ

The weather did not look good for leaving Cape May.  Plus the currents were going to be against us for proceeding to Atlantic City.  The best time to leave was Friday morning when the winds were light and the currents in the North Atlantic were not as strong.  Brian secured another night at the Marina and we rented bikes to ride to see more of the town.  We were doing fine until Linda’s rear tire went flat.  We didn’t realize how bad it was.  Never-the-less, we visited the Church of the Advent (http://capemayadvent.org), an Episcopal Church in downtown Cape May, and got a brief history lesson about the church before the Bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey arrive for a conference.  After that we proceeded to the downtown market to do some window shopping.  We planned to proceed to the Cape May light house when Linda’s tire went completely flat.  We stopped at a filing station that was only six minutes from the marina by car.

Cape May Light House

We called the marina and waited 45+ minutes before the owner of the marina, John Utsch, showed up with a replacement bike for Linda.  We proceeded to the Cape May lighthouse and did some sight seeing.  We were hoping to do lunch at a restaurant nearby and find another Episcopal Church named St. Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, but we were chased by the serious threat of thunderstorms.  We spent the remainder of the afternoon on the boat watching the rain, drizzle, and fog.  

Day 11: Delaware City to Cape May, NJ (52NM, 8.5 Hours)

We arose at 2:00am and by 2:58am were underway.  We were excited at the prospect of our first “night” adventure.  The wind was near nil and the current was in our favor.  Brian had the engines running at idle and we where made 8 knots out of the Delaware City channel.  In the Delaware River we were running at 12 knots with the engines set for an 8-9 knot speed.  It was extremely dark on the water.  Brian hugged the shipping channel, watched the chart plotter, radar, and AIS.  Occasionally, we could see lights on the shore but we had no idea how far away or what cities.  It was a smooth crossing until we approached the Brandywine Shoal Light - approximately 6 nautical miles from the Cape May Canal.  The wind and current changed making for a rougher ride than the previous 43 nautical miles.  Plus, our speed slowed to 6 knots so Brian increase our speed to maintain 9 knots into the opening of the Cape May Canal.  We docked at Utsch’s Marina before 9:00am.  We spent the rest of day cleaning the boat, walking around town, and having a wonderful lunch at The Lobster House, just a short walk from the marina.

DAY 10: Delaware City, DE

Started the day with a walk about town in the morning.  We visited the local Episcopal Church, built in 1849 and modeled after the floating churches of England.  Great history lesson and wonderful to just walk around the quaint town.  We ended up at a restaurant called Crabby Dick’s, relaxing, and looking at the Delaware River and the ramparts of Fort Delaware.  We also partook of the beverages available to help in the relaxation.  Unfortunately, we were ushered back to the boat by the thunderstorm that came through.  Shortly after lunch we learned the part we needed had arrived at the marina office. Brian installed the part and all is well again — until the next issue.  At 5:15 we went to the marina office to get the weather brief from Tim.  He confirmed our conclusions: from 1:00am — 6:00am the easterly winds were going to be five knots or less and the current would be heading south giving us an extra push. Then from 6:00am the wind will increase to five to ten knots and the current will shift northward with the tidal flow.  Therefore, we decided to depart around 3:00am (no kidding).

At Crabby Dick's Restaurant &
Bar before the thunderstorm

St. John's brick at Christ Church
Delaware City, DE

Christ Episcopal Church
1849 Building

Christ Episcopal Church

DAY 9: Delaware City, DE

Delaware City Marina 

Next morning, we connected with a third couple from New Zealand, who Brian had been watching on his marine tracking application.  Tim, the marina owner gives a great weather, current, tides run down at 5:15 every night.  We didn't think we would be departing since we are awaiting the delivery of the part from Defender, but thought it wise to start thinking through when we will depart and attended the brief with the other loopers. After doing some laundry and boat chores, we had planned to grill out.  The bugs had planned to eat out as well, so we quickly moved to inside dining.

DAY 8 Baltimore, MD to Delaware City, DE (61NM, 5 Hours)

We all were up early for a quick breakfast at a restaurant that is highly regarded by the Gluten Free application.  Although tasty, all of us had a few issues afterward, so we weren't under way until 10:00.  We are hoping to see Chris in Ottowa, Canada next month.  A bit more chop on the water than we were hoping for, coupled with the longer drive time to get to Delaware, encouraged us to throttle up and we made it to the C&D canal in good time.  Although we came in at low tide, the Delaware City Marina dock-master, Corey, knew exactly how to handle us and got us settled in record time.  We met two other boats on doing the loop, and were immediately invited to join them at the local diner.  Corey ran us down in the golf cart so we could catch the last 30 minutes of the steel drums.  Great meals and good conversation made our day end on a high note.

Day 6-7: Baltimore Inner Harbor

St. John's brick at the entrance to
Ft. McHenry

Chris was in Baltimore on business.  So we had an opportunity for him to be with us Thursday evening through Sunday morning.

We were able to get up with Rev Anna Noon, a former Assistant Rector at St John's in Hampton and had a lovely time catching up with her activities at her new church..and a obligatory photo with "the brick".  On Saturday, we played tourist and the brick made the journey all day, thanks to Chris' willingness to carry in one of his bags.  The highlight of the day was visiting Ft. McHenry.  There were re-enactors there demonstrating 1812 life at the fort.

The brick at Ft. McHenry

The Rev. Anna Noon with the brick

Ft. McHenry

Day 5: Harrington Bay to Baltimore, MD (41NM, 5 Hours)

We left Harrington Bay early and headed to the Inner Harbor East Marina in Baltimore, MD.  This marina is an old haunt.  We stayed at the marina in July 2012 when the Hampton Yacht Club power boat cruisers visited Baltimore.  The wind was predicted to from the East at 5 knots moving to north east at 5-7 knots.  Linda ran us at 10 knots most of the way.  It wasn’t until we passed the Chesapeake Bridge north of Annapolis that the winds shifted and the wave height increased.  She pressed on at 8-9 knots and didn’t get relief until we enter Baltimore harbor.  Linda took us by the red, white, and blue buoy marking the spot the British warship HMS Tonnant was anchored on September 13-14 with Frances Scott Key on board.  During his forced stay on board, he started pinning the poem he titled "Defence of Fort M’Henry," which we knnow as the Star Spangled Banner.  We motored pass Ft. McHenry into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Buoy marking location of
HMS Tonnant & Frances S. Key

We got tide up with a very capable dock hand.  After checking in at the marina office, Brian found the front head floor full of clear water and the aft head close to overflowing with not so clear water.  Turns out the water pressure caused the front head’s fresh water solenoid & back flow preventer to fail.  Brian shut off the water supply to the front head toilet and ordered the part from defender.com expecting the part to arrive Friday or Saturday.  That was not the case.  The part ended up be schedule for delivery Monday afternoon.  Brian left a note with the marina to refuse the delivery and planned to work with defender.com to get the part to Delaware City Marina on Tuesday.

Day 4: Solomon’s Island to Harrington Bay, MD (35NM, 4 Hours)

After a “fly-by” to Susan and Gerry, we cruised at about 8-10 knots for a very comfortable ride to Harrington Harbour South Marina in Harrington Bay.  We arrive to a nice looking marina in a well protected area.  As we took on fuel for the first time of our trip, Linda found out that the slip they were going to put us in had no potable water.  Plus, what appeared to be a nice looking marina had hidden surprises like no conveniences close by (showers, washer & dryer, etc.).  The dock lady quickly called up Harrington Harbour North.  They had a slip with potable water, WIFI, with convinces in convenient locations.  In addition, the marina has a little shop with Gluten Free ice cream -- a rare treat that we enjoyed as we watched mallards play in the water!  The rest of the evening was relaxing.

Day 3: Dozier's to Solomon's, MD (54NM, 6 Hours)

Last night we looked at the weather forecast for today and decided to get up early to avoid the thunderstorms predicted for Solomons, MD in the afternoon.  We were off around 6am and arrived around Noon.  There was fair winds and following seas the whole way.

Brian, Gerry, Susan, & Linda

Gerry Gleckel is a member of the Air Force C4 Association, through which we've became acquainted.  He and his wife, Susan live just across the Patuxent River from Solomons Island with easy access to the Gov. Thomas-Johnson Bridge that connects the two cities.  Gerry and Susan visited with us this afternoon.  We enjoyed a glass of wine on the lanai while a thunderstorm passed through, then had dinner at the Back Creek Bistro. The Back Street Bistro is a stones throw from the float floating docks at Calvert's Marina in Solomons Island.  They had lots of Gluten Free menu choices which made this place a great find for Linda.  Best Lobster bisque Linda has had in a long time.  All our meals were good.  After dinner we took more selfies. Tomorrow we'll float by Gerry and Susan's dock before heading north to Herrington Harbour South Marina, North Beach, MD.

Day 2: Dozier’s

Second Day on the Loop, same Marina, but with a change of views!  Chris, co-owner Custom Canvas (C2), came by around 7:00am this morning to take our Lanai canvas door to his workshop to make repairs to the torn canvas around the bottom dot-snaps.  He wasn’t due back until noon. 

Stingray Point Lighthouse Replica

Linda and I took a walk over to Stingray Point Marina where there is a replica of the Stingray Point Lighthouse.  The old lighthouse is “an exact, full scale recreation of the Stingray Point screwpile lighthouse, built in 1858 and demolished in 1965.  It was located 1.8 miles [statute] due east of this spot and marked with the shoal extending from Stingray Point, dividing the Rappahannock and the Piankatank Rivers.  Stingray Point was named by Captain John Smith during his exploration of the Chesapeake Bay in 1608.  John Smith was actually stung by a stingray so severely he thought he was going to die and gave instructions to his crew regarding the disposition of his body.  Luckily the locals (Indians) were able to apply their medicine and avoid that scenario!  Afterwards we returned to plan our options if we left Dozier’s shortly after noon or if we would be better to stay another night.  As it turned out we decided to stay another night.  With the Monk-fest (about 20 Monk vessels coming in to Dozier’s) we needed to relocate to the outside wall for the night.  Jimmy apologized so many times, we started feeling bad about our extended stay.

Sunset

Chris found us—no problem and was able to fix our strap issues in no time.  Our mended door panel looks wonderful and works like brand new.  We were so grateful to his rapid response to Loopers, and great rates!  We used the remainder of the day to get a few minor chores accomplished and rest.  Absolutely gorgeous sunset – reaffirms the joy of the journey.  Truly magnificent! Our night was capped off with a Facetime session with our son Nick, who is watching the house and caring for our dog.  We miss both a lot.

We have an early start and long day tomorrow.

Day 1: White House Cove Marina, Poquoson, VA to Dozier's Regatta Point Yachting Center, Deltaville, VA (33NM, 4 Hours)

Wow. It was an adventure just getting ready.  The past several months seemed like a whirled wind of activity.  Linda did all the route and food planning (to ensure we had enough gluten free food) and Brian ensured the boat was electrically (with the help of Billy Hunt) and mechanically sound (with the help of J.T. Creely – Full Trottle Marine).  Brian installed an Automatic Information System (AIS) transponder for the chart plotter, a WiFi system from Island Time PC, and with the help of Bob Stewart of Island Time PC and our son Nick, got the WiFi connected with the chart plotter to transfer routes and waypoints from our iOS devices, added an AC power outlet on the flybridge, and prepped areas on the boat to store bins and bins of stuff.

June 1, 2014

Brian, Linda, & St. John’s Brick

We didn’t want a big send-off.  Chris, Nick, and Brian’s Mom, Ella, saw us off as we departed the Marina at 11:00am.  The ride was smooth at 7 knots until we were north of the York Spit area.  The wind shifted more to the North and increased in speed making the ride rough.  We increased our speed to 14 knots for a smoother ride.

We arrived at Dozier’s at 1:30pm - an hour earlier than planned.  Our visit to Dozier’s is two fold.  First is to have repairs made to our canvas.  Second because Dozier’s is highly rated by AGLCA and MTOA members.  In fact, we have the perfect slip – the first one on the dock with our stern facing the marina’s office.  We are right next to Loopers Bob & Sharon Boynton on Sno Daz (a Monk 36) who are in year two of their trip. 

Chris made a side trip enroute to his home in Spotsylvania, VA.  He took us to dinner at Eckhard's Restaurant in Topping, VA (about 15 minutes away).  Jimmy (Dozier’s) highly recommended it when we checked in.  It was definitely worth the short drive.  After Chris left, we relaxed, watching a beautiful sunset, had drinks and great conversation with Bob & Sharon on Splash Down.  We all watched a deer foraging for food in the grass between us and the marina office. Tomorrow we have a canvas maker coming around 7:00am to start work.