September 16, 2006 – Dering Harbor, Shelter Island, New York
Judy returned from Orlando on Thursday morning, I met her at the airport in the rain, and we stayed the night on Sanderling (in the rain) rather than trying to leave late that afternoon.
Early Friday morning with no rain but overcast skies we moved Sanderling to the marina’s dock and filled our water tanks, got ice, and left our trash, then headed out the Connecticut River into Long Island Sound bound for Shelter Island. After proceeding about two miles slogging into 2-3 foot waves from the east north east (we were heading south east) we decided there was a better way to spend the next couple of hours, so turned to the west to find a place to spend the night which did not involve pounding into the wind and seas. We found it behind a V-shaped well-protected breakwater at Duck Island, just about a mile off the coast and seven miles west of the Connecticut River. We anchored around noon, and shortly thereafter the rain started and didn’t stop until we were well into the evening. By the time we went to bed the wind had died down, and we had a very peaceful night at anchor.
This morning, the sky was clear and the sun was shining. We headed again for Shelter Island, and this time the trip was uneventful with plenty of sunshine and hardly any wind. We took a mooring in Dering Harbor, on the north side of the island. We wanted to stay here the first night so we could rent bicycles and tour the island, which we did this afternoon. We didn’t get everywhere, but did see most of the coastal areas, including some nice little bays we’ll be anchoring in over the next two nights.
The forecast is for good weather for the next few days, possibly extending through the week. We’ll be in the area of Shelter Island for another two nights, then head back into Long Island Sound and westward to Oyster Bay (on the south shore of the sound) and then through the East River into the familiar water of New Jersey by mid-week.
The cats are doing well. They like being able to get outside at night, and we are frequently awakened by the thudding sound when they jump from the upper steering area onto the deck just above our bed!
September 20, 2006 -Oyster Bay, New York
When we last wrote (September 16 – Saturday) we were on a mooring in
Dering Harbor, Shelter Island, Long Island, New York. We stayed there
one night; on the afternoon of our arrival we rented bicycles and biked
around the island (roughly 4 miles by 5 miles) for about four hours. Had
a great time. What a beautiful spot.
On Sunday we did a counter-clockwise circumnavigation of the island, and
ended up in Coecles (pronounced cockles) Cove, on the eastern side of
Shelter Island – an absolutely beautiful anchorage. There were about 30
boats of all sizes and descriptions in the designated anchorage there by
mid afternoon, but by late afternoon they started to leave, and by
evening there were 13 of us remaining for the night. No wind generators
whop-whop-whopping, no loud music, no bright lights – just nice and
peaceful!
Monday morning we headed out for Milford, Connecticut; thru Plum Gut and
a long 40 mile stretch westward on Long Island Sound. The sound was
peaceful, with waves no higher than one foot (that’s good) and a gentle
breeze and comfortable temperatures. Milford is about two miles up a
small river, and the municipal marina we went to was at the very head of
the river, just a few hundred yards from shallow water and a waterfall.
The marina was also just a short distance from town, in a beautiful
setting, with very clean bathrooms, showers, and laundry facility, plus
an extremely friendly staff. We walked around town during the afternoon.
That evening we ate dinner at a small bar/restaurant. While we were
watching a movie, the small boat marina across the river erupted into a
crime scene with the arrival of about six police cars, fire truck, and
EMT truck! We watched through our binoculars as the EMTs treated a man
laying on the road – looked like he had been hit by a car, or mugged –
couldn’t tell. That is not the type of thing you expect to see from your
boat!
Tuesday morning we learned that the only fuel dock in town was open only
during the weekends this time of year, so we had to go to the next river
to the west, the Husatanic, just south of Stratford, in order to get the
fuel we needed, then we headed westward again for about 25 miles to the
entrance to Oyster Bay, childhood home of Theodore Roosevelt, on Long
Island. About half way across the sound the sun disappeared behind
clouds, and by the time we reached Oyster Bay we had to duck inside and
steer the remainder of the way into the bay from the inside to avoid the
rain. Radar helped identify the buoys in the rain and poor visibility,
and we made it to the mooring field of the Oyster Bay Marine Center
without incident.
Today (Wednesday) we walked through the town and had an extraordinarily
good lunch at a Greek restaurant where we had the best gyro sandwich
we’ve had for a long time! Little things can really make your day. We
were too full for ice cream, and we had to pass three ice cream shops on
the way back to the marina.
Tonight, as we do all the time, we’re keping our eye on the weather
forecast. We would like to get through New York City tomorrow and visit
with a friend on Staten Island. We’re experiencing wind gusts of 15-20
knots right now (as predicted earlier), but I just got the weather
forecast for the next five days (I use NOAAs FTP site to get an email
containing the forecast) for the westen Long Island Sound, New York
Harbor, and the coast of New Jersey, and the forecast is good for the
western sound tomorrow (wind topping out at 10 knots and seas 1-2 feet).
Tomorrow morning at sunrise we’ll find out whether the forecast has any
relationship to reality when we head out into Long Island sound for the
15 mile trek to the East River. If conditions are good, we’ll pass
through New York City tomorrow, then hopefully down the coast of New
Jersey on Friday.
We still hope to be in Baltimore on Sunday, Annapolis on Tuesday, and
Solomons on Wednesday in time for the start of TrawlerFest.
September 23, 2006 – Atlantic City, New Jersey
We departed Oyster Bay on the 21st (Thursday) as planned, and had an uneventful trip through New York City and into Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island. The trip down the East River was different from our other passages through this area, as the channel on the west side of Roosevelt Island was blocked by the Coast Guard as a security area (the United Nations was in session and Bush had spoken two days earlier), so all boat traffic was required to use the east passage. Roughly the same trip, but it was interesting using the otherwise seldom used channel.
Great Kills Harbor is a beautiful, small “hurricane hole” along the western side of the entrance to New York Harbor, just south of the Verrazano Bridge. A friend had graciously offered us his yacht club’s mooring for the night, which we gladly accepted. He was then able to join us in the early evening aboard his own boat, and we had a nice evening together with our boats rafted. Before we went to bed, we moved the mooring line to his boat, so we could leave early the next morning without by just slipping the lines which held our two boats together.
We were underway about 0615 on Friday morning, just as soon as we could see the surface of the water enough to weave our way through the mooring field and out of the harbor. We headed around Sandy Hook, and then down the New Jersey coast. We ran at higher RPMs than normal in order to get to Atlantic City while it was still light and before the predicted wind increase. The run was fairly smooth all the way, with a four foot long period swell out of the southeast all day, and by mid afternoon 1-2 foot wind driven waves. By the time we got to the Absecon Inlet (Atlantic City) we were happy to be going into a class A inlet and out of the ocean.
We’re now in a small and relatively inexpensive marina in an area of Atlantic City where we can see all the big casinos but yet in a relatively quiet area which seems to be developing since we were here last. There’s a small aquarium at the head of the dock, and several new restaurants. It’s a 15 minute walk to the boardwalk.
With the wind increasing to 15-20 knots now (temps in the mid-70s) we’re going to stay put for a couple of days. We’d prefer to be moving on toward the Chesapeake, but the weather out-trumps that plan! Consequently, we’ll get to know Atlantic City a little better than we had anticipated. There is a city “trolley” that stops about 100 yards from the marina that we can catch and will take us into the heart of the city (and the casinos); there are several restaurants close at hand; and of course, there’s the boardwalk!
After listening to the forecast this morning, we may not be moving again until Monday. That, of course, will delay our reaching the Chesapeake until Tuesday (at the earliest).
September 26, 2006 – Veasey Cove, Maryland
We were able to depart Atlantic City early on Monday morning with predicted winds in the range of 10-15 knots from the west, and long period swells in the range of 3-4 feet from the east. We were out of the inlet just after sunrise, and had a relatively uneventful trip to Cape May, and had our anchor down west of the Coast Guard station by noon! Saw a number of commercial fishing boats out in the ocean around Cape May – looked like they were fishing for menhaven.
We stopped in Cape May because the wind on Delaware Bay was still in the 15-20 knot range, and we would have had a tide running against us! By waiting until this morning, we were able to ride a fair tide all the way through the C&D Canal into the Elk River at the top of Chesapeake Bay. We were turning rpms for about 7.4 knots, and once we reached the main shipping channel (14 miles northwest of the western end of the Cape May Canal) we were running at about 8.4 knots over the ground thanks to the tidal current! Delaware Bay was a little rough for that first 14 miles, with the wind from the northwest opposing the tidal current creating waves in the three foot range, but once we turned into the shipping channel the waves dropped to about two feet, and when we reached the nuclear power plant the waves were one foot or less and made for a much nicer ride!
When we passed Chesapeake City we noticed that Schaefers Fuel Dock and Marina was for sale! The free city dock at Chesapeake City actually had space for a couple of boats, but we wanted to keep going.
We pulled into Bohemia Bay, just a few miles south of the official Chesapeake side of the C&D Canal, for fuel ($2.40 per gallon) at the Bohemia Bay Yacht Harbor, then anchored for the rest of the afternoon and night in Veasey Cove, on the south side of Bohemia Bay. A beautiful, but shallow, little spot we’re sharing with five sailboats.
Tomorrow we’ll leave early for Annapolis where we’ll meet my daughter for dinner, then it’s on to Solomons on Thursday (weather permitting). We feel like we’re back in familiar waters now that we’re on the Chesapeake.
September 28, 2006 – Annapolis, Maryland
Departed Bohemia Bay yesterday morning and were in the channel southbound by 0800. Pulled into Annapolis around 1400, after a pleasant, mostly sunny, cruise down Chesapeake Bay with the tidal current against us all the way! We’re on a mooring just a few hundred yards from “Ego Alley.”
Met Jennifer and Arik for dinner in town last night – had a nice visit.
Weather forecast last night, and again this morning at 0600, was for southerly winds of 20 knots, gusting to 30 knots, and waves from 2-4 feet today on this section of the bay, so we’ve decided that we really didn’t want to beat our heads into a brick wall for the 50 plus miles to Solomons; instead we’re staying in Annapolis today, possibly tomorrow, while waiting for the wind to shift or subside.
We still hope to get to Solomons for the tail end of TrawlerFest on Friday. In any event, we’ll be heading to Solomons when the weather permits, and will be there a few days to see friends and reprovision before heading further south.
September 29, 2006 – Annapolis, Maryland
Forecast for Chesapeake Bay has improved slightly, with winds from the NW at 15 knots. The tidal current turned south at about 1000 this morning, so that means we’ll have following current and wind astern on the way down to Solomons. So, we’re going to give it a try about 1100 today (Friday).
With any luck, we’ll be in Solomons before 1800 this evening! If conditions are too bad, we’ll pull into the South or East River for the rest of the day.
September 20, 2006 – Solomons, Maryland
It’s difficult to believe that this is the last day of September – we started this cruise 3 months ago today! So far, we’ve covered 2750.7 nautical miles in 414 hours 45 minutes underway! In fact, tonight at a TrawlerFest dinner we won the prize (a small serving tray) for traveling the longest distance by boat to attend the fest! Judy accepted the prize on our behalf.
We departed Annapolis on Friday, arriving in Solomons on Friday about 1715. We are in the Navy marina at the Recreation Center in Solomons, where Sanderling was located for the first five years, prior to our move to Florida. We had dinner with friends from the marina last night.
Today, after getting a rental car this morning and buying a few boat items at West Marine, I attended the “Trawler Crawl” (oggling boats) at TrawlerFest while Judy had her hair attended to. Then we both attended a get together of folks attending the Fest who also are online on Trawlers-and-Trawlering List and the Great Loop List aboard a new 44 foot Krogen trawler owned by one of our list subscribers and a member of the Administrative Team. Then dinner at the Fest with list subscribers. Saw any number of nice boats at the fest, none within the range of our pocket books!
Tomorrow we’ll do some shopping for groceries and other necessities at the Navy Exchange and Commissary, and do a little work on Sanderling. We’ll probably be leaving Solomons on Monday or Tuesday, weather permitting.