Adventures with the crew of MV ADVENTURES

A Month-long Pause

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:47:37 GMT

Sorry for the long delay between Blog updates! We're docked in a little marina between Baltimore and Annapolis while we pause for some maintenance on the humans and on the boat. Now that we're cruising full-time we need to plan for these kinds of stops now and then.

Jim broke an old dental bridge and is now in the process of major renovations for his smile! We both need eye exams and new glasses, etc. The boat needs oil changes, new zincs, impellers, etc. We're definitely making the most of our time here - catching up with friends as well as pouncing on the various chores and appointments. So far we haven't had much time to sit still - this is much more tiring than cruising.

We're anxious to head south, and we'll leave here around mid-November as soon as the last dental appointment has been taken care of. In the meantime, we're enjoying the fall colors and the birds - wishing we had more time to explore and play in the Chesapeake since this is the best time to be here.

New York & New Jersey

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:21:34 GMT

We left Mystic heading for NY City about a week and a half ago. Just as we were heading out into Long Island Sound we were greeted by the sight of a submarine heading into the sub base at Groton, CT.

We had a good speed boost from the tide so we decided to make the marathon run all the way to City Island, arriving shortly after dark to a mooring at the Harlem Yacht Club. It was neat to see the NY skyline as the sun was setting, and then to see the Empire State building light up and the Throgs Neck and Whitestone bridge lights twinkling as darkness settled in.

We stayed in the area to visit Robin's parents for the week - which was good, but always too short. The thermometer is a steady reminder that it's time to keep moving south!

The trip around Manhattan and through New York Harbor is always a thrill - there is so much going on in one place - on land and on the water. It's an amazing ride, and so exciting to pass so close to so much. It was particularly interesting to be cruising through the East River during the Monday morning rush hour - a reminder of how lucky we are.

This is the view looking under the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, with Lady Liberty in the background.

Once we passed through the Harbor, we had an easy cruise down to Atlantic Highlands, NJ near Sandy Hook. We took on a little fuel and filled water tanks, and anchored with our traveling companions on BAY PELICAN to wait a day for good weather. The weather day gave us a chance to explore the town of Atlantic Highlands - we found great bagels and a killer bakery, a good pasta special at the Italian restaurant and a good Thai place. We also got to visit with my old friend Mike Clark and his wife Monica, and their 20 month old son Ryan. Since the little guy had a proper life jacket, we took them out to the boat by dinghy (Ryan's first boat ride), and had a great time catching up.

After spending this past year in so many new places, it's been fun to see familiar places with fresh eyes. We're noticing things we never really saw before, and we're finding so much that is interesting and beautiful - it's a shame that many people can't fully appreciate what's right on their doorstep. All along this trip the scenery continues to delight us, but the time we've gotten to spend with family and friends has been the real highlight.

We left Atlantic Highlands this morning with a stunning pre-dawn sky and NYC twinkling to the north. It's a nice easy ride on the ocean today, and we'll be anchored near Atlantic City in time for dinner this evening.

Mystic Seaport

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 02:25:23 GMT

We arrived in Mystic, CT on Monday afternoon and decided to head up the Mystic River and dock at the Seaport Museum for a few days. Mystic Seaport is a favorite for both of us - the last time we were here was the weekend we got engaged 20 years ago! It's really fun to be right in the middle of everything, and to stand in the cockpit with my morning coffee and look over at the tall ships MORGAN and CONRAD.

We've been lingering over the exhibits and falling in love with many of the different boats in the Museum's collection. My favorite is this racing sailboat - a type called a "sandbagger" since it used sand bags as moveable ballast.

We are having so much fun talking to the Museum staff about boats, old engines, astronomy, navigation, etc. We've been learning and doing and putting lots of miles on our shoes! Yesterday we went to a little talk and concert of sea shanties and whaling songs - wonderful!

While we're waiting for the bad weather to move out of the area, we made the happy discovery that our friends Deb and Marty (and their bird Bugsy) are right down the River a few miles away. We've been getting together with them every evening to catch up on adventures and other friends since we last saw them in Halifax. They have a rental car and Deb took us grocery shopping - this is a very big treat when you've been cruising for a while!

We're still on our way to the New York City area to visit my parents, but the big winds have delayed us. If you have to get "stuck" somewhere waiting for weather - this is the perfect place.

Zooming through New England

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 02:47:22 GMT

I didn't realize that it's been ten days since I've blogged. We spent a windy day and a half in Boothbay Harbor, Maine after leaving Rockland. Boothbay is very cute - another typical tourist town with lots of galleries and shops, but also the home of some very serious wooden boat building and repair for really large wooden sailing boats. Several were in for maintenance when we stopped by the shipyard to see some of their projects.

The weather forecasts were indicating several days of heavy winds, so we left Boothbay during a one day lull, and ran up into Casco Bay where we anchored to wait for the winds to blow through. Because of all the lobster pots anchoring space is relatively hard to find, and we ended up a little more exposed to the wind than we'd prefer. We found a spot with good holding and just enough room for us to swing in any direction and miss the surrounding pots, and we hunkered down for a windy cool weekend. Fortunately we could pick up a good TV signal on the regular antenna, since the choppy water made it impossible to lock in a good signal for satellite TV. I was happy because the local station had the Giants game, and the Giants won.

Once the winds eased, we decided to skip Portland and head directly for Gloucester, Mass. We'd love to see Portland but anchoring is not allowed there, moorings were all too small for us, and the marinas were ridiculously expensive ($3.75/foot!). Pass.

We had a nice 86 mile run down to Gloucester and we picked up a mooring in the inner harbor so we could play tourist for a day and visit with a distant cousin - the family historian. We had fun walking around the town and seeing Christina and one of her sons (Chuck), and laughing about the antics of our Dads and that side of the family. Gloucester has its own Fisherman's Memorial, another sobering reminder of the tremendous risks and losses that we've seen in all of fishing towns we've visited this summer.

After Gloucester we headed into Cape Cod Bay to visit a dear old family friend and our retired minister in Wellfleet, Mass. The forecast called for some wind out of the NE, but our 65 mile passage was probably the roughest we've ever had. The winds whipped up much higher than predicted and the waves were very close together and steep - 4-6' on the stern quarter. It was a lively ride and a few things got tossed around, but nothing was broken and nothing was harmed. We had to anchor in the outer harbor in Wellfleet since the moon was causing extra-low tides and there wasn't enough depth in the more protected inside harbor for us. The ride to town was a bit choppy, but it was fine and we had a terrific visit with Rev. Bancroft.

We transited through the Cape Cod Canal yesterday (Saturday) with beautiful fall weather, and took a mooring in Marion, Mass.

Today we're heading to Jamestown, RI - adjacent to Newport. We're fighting the tidal current, but we're hoping to get the anchor down so I can catch most of the Giants game. Priorities!

If the weather is good, we'll head to Mystic Seaport tomorrow and spend a day touring there. We haven't been in 20 years - the last time was the weekend we got engaged!

Hint of Fall

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:26:13 GMT

Fall is starting to assert itself - the temperatures are dropping just a little, trees are starting to show the slightest hint of color, and the towns and harbors have thinned out since Labor Day.

We left Northeast Harbor (Acadia National Park) on Monday and headed to Castine to visit our DeFever friends and to sit out some frisky weather. Nearby Smith Cove has good protection from weather, and several large schooners in the area converge on Castine when the weather turns ugly. Everywhere we turn, we see stunningly beautiful boats - traditional lines and elegant shapes for work or for pleasure.

We traveled through Blue Hill Bay and the beautiful Eggemoggin Reach on our way to Castine...

The lobster boat is a reminder of the millions of pots that clog Maine's waters. They are EVERYWHERE - in the middle of channels, in anchorages, and in the middle of mooring fields. We need to pay constant attention to avoid the pot floats, especially when the current is running since they are occasionally dragged underwater.

Castine is a great stop and we enjoyed watching the Maine Maritime Academy students practicing with their tugboat and barge near our mooring. We also enjoy watching the birds - like this black legged kittiwake.

Yesterday's stop was Rockland about 25 miles down Penobscot Bay, where we had an appointment with a local fuel barge for diesel. We had some minor alternator problems on the way, so we spent the afternoon getting a few parts at Hamilton Marine and replacing a bad wire instead of exploring the town. The commercial lobster boats made huge wakes as they zoomed in and out of the harbor, rocking the daylights out of the boats in the large mooring field (not exactly a plus for the Chamber of Commerce) so we won't stay.

This morning the fuel barge ANNE came right to our mooring.

It was run by two of the nicest fellows you could possibly meet, and the entire process was smooth and easy. They charged us less than the price they had quoted, and were just a delight to deal with. We took on 500 gallons for $3.479/gallon. After fueling, we left rocking Rockland for Boothbay Harbor - it was a gorgeous day to travel - cool and clear.

We picked up a mooring in Boothbay late this afternoon and will explore the town tomorrow. From here, we'll probably head down to Portland.

Acadia National Park

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:02:30 GMT

We're still in Northeast Harbor, Maine - right in the middle of Acadia National Park. We've been trying to do and see as much as we can - but there's enough here for a lifetime of exploration! We hiked up to the top of Cadillac Mountain (Bar Harbor is on the right way down below)...

...We hiked and biked around Jordan Pond, Eagle Lake, and the Bubble Mountains - what's most amazing is the gorgeous pink granite!

...and we enjoyed the famous popovers at Jordan Pond House. Jim chose to have his stuffed with two scoops of ice cream (peach and blueberry)!

Yesterday we took the dink up Somes Sound (a fjord), and today we'll be back on the bikes to explore more of the carriage roads that criss-cross the Park.

We had some big winds on Monday (Labor Day), so we stayed aboard to keep an eye on things, and it looks like the remnants of the hurricane will blow through here on Sunday - but it's not expected to be much trouble when it gets here. We're in a very protected harbor anyway - so we're not concerned.

It looks like we'll leave here on Monday, probably heading for Castine. We'll keep an eye on some of these other storms and will make sure we keep close to protected places in case we need to duck in somewhere.

In the meantime, we're still enjoying the beauty here - the mountains, the views, the aroma of balsam and pine, and the pink granite.

Back in the USA

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:37:35 GMT

We left Yarmouth, Nova Scotia last night around 9:30 pm and had a very nice crossing to Maine, arriving on time in Northeast Harbor (on Mount Desert Island) around 11:15 this morning. The stars were incredible last night, and the seas were nearly glassy for most of the trip. We had a little fog as we got to the Maine coast, but it cleared as we entered the harbor, and the weather today is prettier than predicted.

Customs formalities were quick and easy, and we know a few of the boats in the harbor. Our friends aboard AWEIGH (we met up in the Bras d'Or Lake) came by in their dink and took us ashore for a nice lunch and to catch up.

We're right in the heart of Acadia National Park, so we'll stay here for up to a week to explore and hike. The dink is already in the water, and the kayaks are soon to follow. Tomorrow we'll take the dink and cruise up Somes Sound - the only fjord on the US east coast.

Shelburne, Yarmouth, and the Fundy Shore

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:29:18 GMT

We continued our journey back down the coast of Nova Scotia with some delightful stops in pretty anchorages - among some islands in the LaHave River and just off the gorgeous sandy beach in Port Mouton. We finally arrived in the town of Shelburne and took a mooring at the Shelburne Harbor YC. Shelburne achieved some fame as the site of the Disney movie "The Scarlet Letter" shot in 1994. The waterfront is historic and very pretty, and the folks at the YC were very friendly.

We also met a couple from the DeFever Cruisers club who are building a summer house nearby, right on the water. They took us to two excellent local restaurants and showed us around the area. We keep meeting people - friends old and new - which has made the trip really special.

After a few days in Shelburne, we headed down to Yarmouth to wait for good weather to cross back over to Maine. We first arrived in Yarmouth to begin this part of our trip two months ago, in fog, and we arrived back here once again in the fog! We tucked into the harbor just before the high-speed ferry was to depart for Bar Harbor, Maine. "The Cat" is a 285' catamaran ferry that travels around 50 mph and can carry up to 700 people and 200 cars and trucks. The Cat makes the trip in three hours, and we do it in 14.5 hours. Here she is, looming in the foggy late afternoon.

We're at the edge of the Bay of Fundy, and the tides here in Yarmouth are about 15'. Some fishermen take advantage of the tides to careen their boats for maintenance - this boat will be afloat at high tide.

We exhausted the sights of Yarmouth while waiting for a good weather window to cross back to Maine, so we rented a car for the day and explored farther into the Bay of Fundy on a peninsula and two small islands. This area has a serious fishing industry - scallop draggers, offshore and inshore lobster boats, seiners, and long-liners. Fish stocks are declining, and the sheer number of fishing boats and the volume of their catches explains why.

Contrast these modern boats with the traditional sailing vessels that were used for fishing these waters, year-round. The large sailboats would launch 24' dories (equipped like the one below) out in the ocean manned by one or two fishermen who hand-lined a load of fish weighing a ton before they could return to the mother ship.

We will leave for Maine tonight at 10pm, and should arrive late morning.

Peggy's Cove

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:50:11 GMT

Sadly we had to take Clara & Bill to the airport in Halifax - we hated to see them leave. As a consolation, we took the coastal meandering route back to Lunenburg and we made a brief stop to see the famous Peggy's Cove. The cove is a tiny fishing village with a classic Nova Scotia lighthouse, but it's interesting since this particular area is very noticeably shaped by glaciers.

We'll wait out some high winds in Lunenburg, and use the time to catch up on laundry and repairing two small things. We're not sure where our next stop will be, but we seem to be dragging our feet about leaving Nova Scotia, so we will take it slow and savor as much as we can.

Rafting the Tidal Bore

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:50:11 GMT

We haven't spent any time on the Fundy side of Nova Scotia, and we wanted to see a little of it before we head south, so we rented a car and arranged for a rafting trip on the tidal bore with Clara & Bill. We drove to Truro at the end of the Minas Basin where the tide meets the Shubenacadie River. The rafting trip takes you out in the mouth of the river and you get to repeatedly attack the white water waves created when the force of the huge incoming tide meets the outflowing river and actually turns it backwards. This is the "before" photo - looking across the Basin. Everything that's green will be the edge of the shoreline once the tide comes in. The little reddish specks in the center of the photo are some of the rafts gathering at the water's edge at low tide.

This "after" shot was taken from the same spot, and the old shoreline is now under about 33' of water.

What happens in between is the interesting bit. There are a lot of bald eagles around since the river is a good food source for them. They never cease to take my breath away!

As far as the rafting goes, the actual tidal bore isn't as violent or wild as you might think, but it's easy to see rough water meeting placid river water. The initial meeting is rather tame, but as the ocean picks up velocity and volume, rapids build up shaped by the contours of the riverbed. It's very safe whitewater rafting since the water is deep and there aren't any rocks. The rafts have 60hp engines on them, and they crash through the white water, then zip back downriver and do it again. The rapids continue to move upriver, so we chased them for about 2 hours. Each raft driver would gauge the fear level of their group and find suitably sized waves. We were crazies and ended up with big mouthfuls of water from laughing so hard when the waves would crash on us. What fun!! The river is very cloudy with a reddish brown silt, so the effect felt like having buckets of cold watery chocolate milk slammed into your face. We were utterly soaked - Jim was washed out of the boat at one point when it swamped, and Bill & I were in the bow taking the brunt of the waves. Clara was the only smart one! We got one of those disposable waterproof cameras to snap some photos in the deluge, but we'll have to wait to get them developed to relive the experience. Here are Soggy Bill, Damp Clara, and Dripping Jim.

After a shower and a nice BBQ at the rafting company, we spent the night at a lovely B&B in Truro. The town is interesting - they lost a lot of big elm trees to Dutch Elm Disease, so various artists carved the remaining tree trunks to honor various people. Neat!