Hurricane Prep

Please follow and like us:
Our last leg….100 miles….Cape May, NJ to Rock Hall MD
Cape May is the point at teh Delaware Bay
Rock Hall, MD is in the Chesapeake Bay, safer area

We are currently running the Delaware Bay from Cape May NJ to the C&D Canal where we will then run down the Chesapeake Bay to our home port of Rock Hall, MD where we will dock. Tonight we will strip the boat of all sails, canvas, dinghy, and tie up with extra dock lines and spring lines. We have booked a room for Sat PM to move off the boat as the winds will be so high that the boat will be rocking and bouncing so much that it could be dangerous, plus during a storm like this, there will come a time, if you are on the boat, that you will NOT be able to get off. That is very dangerous….so we will move off to land. We hope everyone fairs well in this EPIC storm!

Here is the forecast for today and Sat at our home dock.

TONIGHT

 SE WINDS 5 KT. WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS
 AND TSTMS IN THE EVENING.

 SAT
 TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED. E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT WITH
 GUSTS TO 20 KT...INCREASING TO 30 TO 35 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WAVES
 1 FT...BUILDING TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
 TSTMS IN THE MORNING...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY WITH A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN
 THE AFTERNOON. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.

 SAT NIGHT
 TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED. NE WINDS 40 TO
 50 KT. WAVES 5 FT...BUILDING TO 7 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. A CHANCE OF
 TSTMS IN THE EVENING. SHOWERS. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.

 SUN
 TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. N WINDS 40 TO 50 KT...
 BECOMING NW 25 TO 35 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WAVES 7 FT...SUBSIDING TO
 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. SHOWERS...MAINLY IN THE MORNING WITH VSBY
 1 NM OR LESS.
Please follow and like us:

Arriving Cape May, NJ

Please follow and like us:
Sailing Close Hauled into Cape May, NJ…. w/no full

We arrived into Cape May, NJ yesterday after a run from Block Island, RI. Winds were SW 10 knots and
the seas were 1-2. All night long we powered into this, as usual, pushing hard to make it in before the 15-20 knots of South winds would start. Well, we ended up running out of fuel 12 miles short of Cape May, NJ. Lucky for us, the South winds came in at 15-20 as projected and we were able to sail close hauled to the inlet and then fall off to a beam reach where we sailed into Green 3, turned the corner sailing right up to the sandbar where we then dropped anchor and dropped sails. We had already called TowBoatUS who stood by, running behind us in case we had any trouble. Radeen did a great job sailing into the inlet and once anchored, we secured the tow boat to our beam and they passed over a 5 gallon jug of diesel fuel. Blaine poured this into our tank, we signed the paperwork, and pumped up the fuel into the Racor fuel filter, started the engine and we were off again. It was like an Indy 500 pit stop….funny….but I would prefer to NOT do this again. We ran out of fuel for two reason:
1. We ran 6+ hours more starting in Martha’s Vineyard (we usually start in Block)
2. We motored at 2800 RPMs all night, pushing hard (we usually run at 2500 RPM)
3. We backed it down to 2400 when South winds came and motor sailing leans over the tank, making the last 4 gallons unusable. (yes, maybe…maybe in flat calm seas we could have burn the end of the tank)
4. We only hold 48 gallons

In all, we were very happy that we love to sail close hauled and that we can sail up to a setting of 38 degrees on the B&G wind machine! So we had to take one starboard tack to go offshore at Wildwood, then one final port tack to the inlet where we could beam reach in the Cape May Inlet.

NOW….we will run for Rock Hall, MD tonight at 0200hrs, as we wait here in NJ for this next front to pass today. Friday, it is to be calm and we will run the full 100 miles for home where we will then ride out the hurricane in Rock Hall, MD.

PS:
Our plans were…..to spend a week here at CMNJ but…..that is not going to happen.

Please follow and like us:

Depart Block for CM NJ

Please follow and like us:

After a day at Block Island and a connection with our good sailing friend Blaine Parks, we three departed Block Island at 0530hrs for a direct run for Cape May NJ, CM NJ. We should arrive CMNJ Wed around 4-6pm if the winds and seas are nice to us. Once there, we will take a rest day and beach day at Utches Marina and then run the Delaware Bay for the C&D to our home town of Rock Hall, MD.

The run from Block to CMNJ is 204 miles on a course of 240 degrees. That is South West SW and the winds here are usually SW, but today they were NW at 15 and now they are W at 5-10, so the seas are flat and we are motorsailing at 6 knots. The forecast is for backing winds to SOUTH and building 10-15, the issue will be when and then as Wed night approaches they will build to 15 with gust to 20 and the seas will come up.

So, we are pushing to get into CMNJ before this builds, but it is all a matter of timing and we can only run at 6 knots. We can sail at 7 knots but need 15-20 knots and NOT SW winds.

Then on Sat/Sun we have hurricane IRENE to deal with and we plan to get out of CMNJ running north to the Chesapeake Bay where we should be protected. This storm looks very serious and we have been very active on monitoring the development.

Photos and more to follow….we are currently 10 miles south of Montauk Point, NJ.

Please follow and like us:

Run home from Maine

Please follow and like us:

Getting your boat from Maine to the Chesapeake Bay is a bit of a challenge and we are feeling like delivery captains at this point. We have been moving the boat non stop every day since departing Camden, Maine on Tue, Aug 16th. Here are the legs we have run…

  • Camden Maine to Boothbay Harbor…45 miles
  • Boothbay Harbor to Gloucester Mass…92 miles
  • Gloucester Mass to Cape Cod Canal to Pocasset, Mass…72 miles
  • Pocasset to Vineyard Haven via Quick’s Hole Passage…30 miles
  • Vineyard Haven to Block Island, RI…53 miles

We have had some great fun along the way!  McSeagull’s was the place for dinner in Boothbay with Eric & Pat from IP-460 Cutter Loose and Bob, Kathy & 3 adorable daughters of IP-380 Drake’s Passage. Next, we had a delightful and delicious evening with Bernie and Eileen aboard IP-40 Top Cat in Vineyard Haven. And here in Block, we have had beach adventures and dinner at the Narragansett with the team of IP-380 Drake’s Passage. We are so fortunate to have a moveable neighborhood of IP friends out here!

Now we are on anchor in Block Island and we would like to be in Cape May NJ by Saturday! We have a major front to deal with and then maybe a weather window to make the 220 mile ocean run on Tue/Wed. Lucky for us, we have a great friend, Blaine Parks, arriving here in Block for a visit and he will sail with us back to NJ. This will make it much easier as with three onboard, the night watches are less tiring. So, we wait in Block Island for a weather window to run for NJ and we are also keeping a keen eye on tropical storm IRENE….

Here are some photos of the transit from Maine…

My Favorite scene in Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Cape Ann Twin Lighthouses at Gloucester, Mass

Our WARNING in the morning leaving Gloucester,
we took a beating exiting the Cape Cod Canal 8 hours later!!!! Story to follow

Sailing south off Plymouth Mass, beautiful day sailing for the Cape Cod Canal

Cape Cod Canal with the Railroad Bridge in the distance

The ferry arriving Vineyard Haven off our starboard side at anchor.
What a great town, we need to revisit this and spend a summer here!

Sunrise 0540 hrs with Vineyard Haven off our stern as we sail for Block Island, RI

Ahhhhh…..Block Island North Lighthouse, a great view when sailing in from the North.

Welcome to Block Island, the entrance is narrow with people on the beach.
The cut is easy, straight, and short, then you enter the GREAT SALT POND and drop anchor.

Our welcome back sunset over the Coast Guard Station….thank you, Block Island !

Here is a map of the run home…

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205565364602003786360.0004ab0ed5c034b5704e2&msa=0

Next stop….CAPE MAY NJ….as we may make a direct ocean passage from Block to
New Jersey.

Please follow and like us:

Maine 2011

Please follow and like us:

One word….MAINE….that is all I can say! Sadly we are now in Gloucester Mass, and I am trying to catch up on the blog, so for me, being a visual learner, the best way is with photos. In the past month I have taken over 3,000 digital photos and most of them only turn out half as good as it really looked. So here are a few from my MAINE collection….enjoy….

Please follow and like us:

Lost in Maine’s Beauty

Please follow and like us:

We are still here….still afloat….but have NOT blogged in a week! We are lost in the beauty of Maine from NE Harbor through Deer Island into Hell’s half Acre and then onto Vinalhaven and then into Camden where we waited out the 30 knot blow last night. Today, we are underway again, motorsailing the 45 miles from Camden Maine west to Boothbay Harbor. We hope to catch up with the blog soon with more photos….but for now, we are under way….

More later….with photos….ok…back to relieve Radeen at the helm….wind…rain….low viz….MAINE

Please follow and like us:

Northeast Harbor Maine

Please follow and like us:
Island Spirit and Cutter Loose share a dock float
mid harbor in North East Harbor Maine
After a rain day at Little Cranberry Island, we motored to our ultimate destination, Northwest Harbor, ME, where we are sharing a float with Cutter Loose. We climbed the Asticou Terraces and took aerial pics of the harbor and our boats. Strolling through the Thuya Gardens is always a pleasure and this time we took in Henry Curtis’s summer cottage as well. He was a landscape architect who donated the gardens to the town in a trust in 1928.
Our evening was delightful, having friends Linda, Ray and Tristan join us for dinner aboard. Linda and Radeen taught together for over 30 years. (Really?!) Hard to believe Tristan is now a senior at the University of  Pittsburgh! Since they have vacationed here many times and now own a cottage nearby, they gave us great advice on Acadia’s hikes and carriage roads. We enjoyed another round of Radeen’s homemade chili and we all squeezed into Island Spirit for a sit down dinner for 7 shared with our good “boat buddies” Eric and Patricia.
Photos of the day…
Cutter Loose, IP460, on anchor at Little Cranberry with Mount Desert in the fog

Sutton Island north of the Cranberry Isles on the approach to NE Harbor

Radeen secures Island Spirit to a NE Harbor float

Asticou Terraces overlook, an easy walk up from the harbor

The view over NE harbor, our float is to the left of the tall tree
Thuya Gardens are the reward at the top of the hike

Local artist painting at Thuya Gardens

Island Spirit and Cutter Loose on the harbor float
Thank you, Henry Curtis, Landscape Architect and protector of these hills
Tristan, Ray and Hayden on Island Spirit

Radeen and Linda, friends for over 30 years, teaching school together

Hayden takes the team back to shore after a fun dinner aboard Island Spirit
Please follow and like us:

Eggemoggin Reach Regatta

Please follow and like us:

We sailed from Isle au Haut through Merchant Row and up into Eggemoggin Reach just in time to arrive at the finish line of the wooden boat regatta, http://ERregatta.com. This location at Brooklin Maine is the home of WoodenBoat School where you can learn to build your own wooden boat. We have never seen so many magnificent wooden boats and perfectly varnished brightwork and wooden masts and spars in one harbor anywhere.

In the morning, we explored the WoodenBoat Bookstore and the WoodenBoat School where we observed students working on their kayacks and small sailing dinghies. This looks like a very interesting program and maybe someday we will come up here to participate in building a boat. Take a look at some of the yachts I photographed below. I tried to show their beauty and their varnish. Enjoy the photos….

White Wings, a W Class yacht!
http://www.w-class.com/spirit_of_tradition_yachts/f/w_class_yachts_home.html

Team W-Class, White Wings with her FLEET!

Wild Horses, White Wings, Race Horse plus a sailing dinghy
http://www.w-class.com/spirit_of_tradition_yachts/f/w_class_yachts_home.html

Beautiful varnish

Ticonderoga and her gold leafed dolphin

Classic

CANGARDA and the Bow Sprit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cangarda

The Classic Herreshoff Sailing Dinghy, this is one you can learn to build

Island Spirit off the stern of M/V LITTLE VIGILANT, with her race boat to port!
The RACE Course for the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta

Please follow and like us:

Isle au Haut, Acadia National Park Hike

Please follow and like us:
Hayden and Radeen on top of Duck Mountain, Isle au Haut

Following our good friends Eric and Patricia, who are the directors of our “Outward Bound” hiking program, we followed the Duck Harbor Trail up to the peak of Duck Mountain, 314 feet high. Compared to the hike Eric and Patricia did to reach Cadillac Mountain at 1300+ feet, this was a breeze…..for them….and a stretch for us. We love to hike trails, and take in the beauty, but scaling granite boulders and steep grades was a new challenge for us. The beauty of these park trails is breathtaking! hen you reach a summit on a clear day, you are rewarded with a vista across the bay and back to Vinalhaven and the Camden hills. Thank you, Team Cutter Loose for leading us through a beautiful trail and climb.

Here are some photos of the 50+ I shot….

The Park Map, Duck Harbor Trail lower left
Island Spirit IP35 and Cutter Loose IP460 at anchor Duck Harbor
Part way up, with a look back to our boats in the harbor

A great view overlooking the bay

Looking north to Merchant Row
Patricia with Eric pointing to our boats in the harbor

Dew on the local vegetation

One granite rock ledge we climbed, National Park Service has cut hand holds into the rocks, Eric leads us UP!
Patricia easily handles the hike down
Beautiful close up of a mushroom and moss…NO we did not eat this 🙂
Back down to our boats at anchor, before we depart for Eggemoggin Reach

CHECK OUT THE 10′ TIDES….

Notice the high tide mark on granite blocks at the dinghy dock!
Tide part way down on dinghy dock.
Tide down, part way, these blocks are about 3 feet thick!

Please follow and like us:

Isle au Haut, Acadia National Park 1

Please follow and like us:
Island Spirit IP35 and Cutter Loose IP460 Isle au Haut

We departed Rockland Maine for the Island of Isle au Haut, part of Acadia National Park system and to connect with our good friends Eric and Patricia on www.CutterLoose.com the dream Island Packet 460 from our home port of Rock Hall, MD. We anchored in Duck Harbor on the west side in a narrow rock lined cove with pine trees rolling up the hills. In the Taft Cruising Guide, this is rated a #4 out of 5 so it is spectacular in its beauty. I keep taking photos and none of them look half as beautiful as this place is in real life. Everyone says there is something special about the light, the colors, the water,  this place, and we both have to agree, Maine is truly beautiful. Last night we had a wonderful meal aboard Cutter Loose and we enjoyed re-visiting with our good friends Eric and Patricia. Today, we plan to hike a few easy trails here and then sail over the Eggemoggin Reach for a wooden boat show.

Here are some photos, the best I can do, enjoy the beauty….

Eric and Patricia on Cutter Loose welcome us to Isle au Haut

Island Spirit anchored in 30 feet, high tide, look at the rocks. Tides 10′
Our view from the galley port, notice the tide dropping, look at the rocks!
Granite shores with beautiful sea grass and pine tree lined hiking trails
Duck Harbor Cove on Isle au Haut, Acadia National Park

A local cabin on the water, Isle au Haut

Well, that’s it for now. I am nearly freezing here this AM. I get up at daybreak to blog, 5:30-6:00, it is now 7:40, slow connections! The temperature here in the boat is 55 degrees. I have a fleece top and fleece pants on and socks and I am still COLD! Topside the boat is soaked with morning dew, the enclosure is fully covered with moisture. The tide is down and it looks like we could be up on the rocky shore, but I am in 25 feet of water! The anchor chain wakes you up as it grinds over the granite rocks on the sea floor. The 10 cups of coffee help me to warm up. When we head for the trails today….I will be taking my jacket! Brrrrrr

Have a great day! ACADIA IS B E A U T I F U L……

Please follow and like us: