The harbor is filling up after 3 days of very, very, windy and stormy weather. Of course, we are expecting more to come in the next few days as those fronts keep coming in. I feel wonderfully secure at our mooring and have even slept through a night of high winds (with a little help from ear plugs). Bill has put up our white lights and more and more lights are being lit in the harbor and around the houses. Our first holiday special was a performance Wednesday evening by the children whose families belong to the Methodist Church here in Hopetown. It was fabulous. An original story with all the children participating. They sang several songs, simultaneously signing as well – even the youngest ones. The story was fun, the actors were energetic and gave their all. Unfortunately the Friday performance was filled with unexpected drama. Just as the children were getting their makeup and costumes on the heavens opened up with a wicked storm. The lights went out, the wind came up, and the rain came down. But…they pulled together and the show went on. Two men held up hurricane lanterns for the entire time and the audience showered the stage with flashlights. I’m sure the children will remember this night forever.

There was the tree lighting where children were given ornaments to place on the tree. However, this was also a forum for one of the Bahamian politicians to make a speech and mentioning all the improvements that were coming in the future (seems like we heard the same speech 2 years ago). Last night we went caroling through the town. About 60 people gathered to sing walking through the town. I made cookies (just one of many) and after the singing was over we had cookies and souse.


Bill and I did get some beach walking in as well as meeting a wonderful couple originally from Ireland and now living in Glouster, Ma. It was a chilly day and they invited us to join them on their golf cart for a tour of the southern end of Elbow Cay. It turned into a bar hopping ride with the finale a cup of coffee with a shot of Bailey’s Irish Crème…yummy.

Thanksgiving weekend was quite busy with many charter boats coming into the harbor. However, when they left there were many, many empty moorings and only a handful of cruisers, like us, around. We talked to several locals and the downturn in the economy has definitely affected all business down here. Many cancellations particularly among the boaters as well as homeowners who were counting on renting their homes for the season. However, there was a huge crowd for the 11th running of the Box Car Derby – a fund raiser for the junior sailing program for youngsters from Elbow Cay, Guana and Man o War. . The day was gorgeous and both young and old participated in the 800 ft. long track down the “Big Hill”. Bill and I volunteered to sell T-Shirts and I took lots of photos. Trophy’s were not only given for fastest time but also for showmanship. Great day all around!
We have been trying to extend our walks on the beach to get somewhat in shape but it’s getting harder and harder. I have also joined a water aerobics group that meets 3 times during the week – the pool is freezing!!!!! But we warm up pretty quickly. This hardy group meets all winter even when the wind is howling around us. Bill keeps busy doing boat stuff and has begun the Conch Hunt. Will keep you up to date on his success.
He also helped string the Xmas lights on the lighthouse and every night at 6 the lights come on and the church chimes a series of Xmas music.

According to the locals we have been having very unusual heat and humidity. Storms, always so far at night, don’t really clear the air and we have put our air conditioner on several times.

It also seems that my reputation as a retired speech/language pathologist is traveling through the islands. Several days ago a woman on a boat was near us and when I went up to ask if she needed something she told me about her the difficulties her 2 year old daughter was having. We spoke at length but she lives on Guana Cay, a boat trip away. I am looking into trying to give her strategies to help her daughter.
And today, while having lunch at Snappa’s our waitress (whose cousin is Patti Lupone), also shared her concern about a speech issue. I guess I’m on a busman’s holiday.
Both Simon and I are on medication for minor issues and I’m very happy we are within reach of medical care. Everyone has been so supportive and concerned from Patti on the cruiser’s net to Ainsley, the manager of Hopetown Marina and friends.

We are looking forward to many more Xmas and holiday events and hopefully a little cooler weather!!!!

TO HOPETOWN

November 27, 2009


We borrowed our friends car and took Simon to the vet to get his health papers and we did our final errands in preparation for a departure from Vero Beach. We dropped the mooring at 7 am headed toward Lake Worth, Florida where we left the Unite States to begin crossing the Gulf Stream. We moved the boat to Peanut Island where there were lots of anchored boats waiting to make the trip. However, at 2 AM on Monday morning, Nov. 23rd, we seemed to be the only one pulling up our anchor to leave. I was still unhappy about making the trip but after looking at all the positive weather information I felt a little better about doing this crossing.

It was very dark but the lights of Florida were available for quite awhile and then at 5:46 the sun came up. So much better traveling in the daytime!! It was a partly cloudy day with winds out of the South Southeast with a little over 1 ft. seas. A comfortable ride.
However, during the day we saw in the distance storm clouds and as we watched the track on our chart plotter we realized that the front was not moving towards us – however it truly looked awesome. ‘Interim’ kept on course and at 5:15 pm we had an anchor down in Great Sale in the Bahamas. There were about 8 other boats also anchored down.
Had a decent night’s sleep and left at about 7 am. As we started the last part of our journey south the Bahama seas were flat, looking glass calm. All of a sudden I saw something pop out of the water. Three dolphins decided to play with us for almost 15 minutes. I took photo after photo and even caught them on video. It was truly awesome. Look at our albums to see these pictures.

After a very, very long and stressful day we crossed the Whale (a body of water that can only be traveled under very mild sea and wind conditions) and anchored off Guana Cay in the Sea of Abaco.

The next day we went to Marsh Harbor and cleared customs and immigration. We realized how early we were since the Harbor in January is usually wall to wall boats but today there were only a handful. After getting the paperwork done we once again set sail (oops – motored) to Hopetown. So very grateful to Bill and his work keeping ‘Interim’ chugging along but exhausted.

We will update the blog as we go along like we had a wicked storm our first night here, Thanksgiving was OK , there was an art show today with some interesting local art, and tomorrow I am volunteering at the Box Cart Derby selling T-Shirts.

We are also tinkering with the idea of joining the Sailing Club. It’s not expensive and Bill is interested in Sunfish racing and also socializing. One of the members is a woman who is incredibly gifted in making baby clothes and seems there will be a craft group in January. We think we already have the three sponsors we need to join and we will be meeting other members tomorrow afternoon at the “Stand Up” (aka cocktail hour).

As our new friends who had Thanksgiving dinner with us said “you are being adopted” into the group. Of course he is encouraging us to join.

Please check out the new photo albums…..

VERO BEACH CONTINUED

Before our arrival at Vero Beach we made a stop at a marina 15 miles away from the Kennedy Space Center. The marina was land locked and incredibly protected from wind and waves. It took us a little while to get into our slip and the thoughts of having bow thrusters moved from the back of my mind to right up front. But we finally made the docking and only bent the propeller of our Whaler a little. Of course Bill has spares and we are in good shape. We had heard that a rocket carrying a satellite was planned to launch sometime between 12:01 am – 2:30 am. So Bill and I bundled up and waited for the launch. At 2:30- am we were still waiting and then went to sleep. The next morning we went to the Kennedy Space Center, somewhat tired, but we had a wonderful time. The guided tour through the facilities included a pretty good view of the Spaceship Atlantis as it was waiting for it’s launch on Monday. Even more impressive was the amazing wildlife we saw as we traveled through the site. Alligators, turtles and a wonderful variety of birds are all protected throughout the approximately 17,000 acres of land. Our guide did tell us that during the heat of the day the workers must look under their cars to see if any alligators are cooling off in the shade before they start their cars. We were there all day and by the time we got back on board Bill and I were truly exhausted. However, I decided to take Simon for a walk since it was after dark and I knew that the no-see-um were back in their homes. WRONG. I woke up about 2:00 am scratching. The most awful red bites on my ankles and a few up my let (I was wearing cropped pants). Fortunately, I still had some cream on board from our trip 2 years ago which helped a little and went to a doctor when we got to Vero Beach. It’s warm and I’m wearing long pants..No photos allowed.

But, before the break of day on Sunday we were up, the motor started and we made the 7:30 bridge opening to leave the canal. This was the last day of traveling with our destination Vero Beach, Florida. It was a long, boring trip in calm waters (except for Florida power boaters who sped by - not caring about the enormous wake they make as they watched us wallow in the waves. Throughout our entire journey up to this point if a power boat approached a sailboat there was a courtesy move by both boats. We would slow down and so would the power boat. However, even at a slow speed he passed us by with minimal wake and when he passed us he would then throttle up and head off.
A few times we were really tossed about but no damage was done and I did use a few appropriate words to vent.

Our arrival at Vero Beach was the culmination of a very long trek down the coast with an enormous change in experiences from day to day. We were so thankful that ‘Interim’ with Bill’s vigilance and preparation never failed us. We were also thankful for our travels with Denise, Andrew and Murphy on ‘Samaria II’. Instead of just repeating the same trip of 2 years ago we got to stay at several different harbors and stop at places new to us.

Now we are making our final preparations for the trip from the United States to Florida. Bill and I were able to borrow a car from a couple we met 2 years ago to take Simon to a vet to get papers signed and do some last minute shopping. ‘Interim’ is stuffed!!!!!!
We are also getting together with another couple who we met the first day in the Bahamas 3 years ago. They live close by and will also be in Hopetown for Christmas and New Years.

There is a possibility that a weather window is opening up sometime Saturday, Sunday or Monday. So the next time I write may be from Hopetown, Elbow Key, Bahamas.

VERO BEACH

I am thrilled to report that the longest part of our journey is now over and we are in Vero Beach, Florida. We are at a mooring and now we just have to wait for the right weather window to cross over to the Bahamas. The north wind that blew from behind us to make the trip easy is now working against us. We have to wait for the north winds to diminish and clock to a more favorable direction. Unfortunately the predictions for that to happen are dim right now but you can never tell. The weather now is very warm during the day and delightfully cool at night.

Will continue this blog later...Simon needs to go to the park to play with all the other dogs..

WE'VE ARRIVED

Once again, up at 6:00 and on our way with ‘Samaria II’ by 6:15 just as the dawn was breaking. Today we traveled through the sounds of Georgia. These bodies of water are usually connected to inlets to the Atlantic Ocean. These sounds can be flat calm or more often than not choppy and sometimes downright ugly. However, we sailed (well maybe not a true sail) through with calm seas and sunshine. A little chilly in the morning but definitely warming up as the day went on. Saw quite a few dolphin but not too close to us. I do think we saw many more on our trip 2 years ago…oh where have they gone!!!
We anchored down in New Teakettle Creek – a safe and quiet night. Through all these days both Bill and I and Garmin worked on keeping a course with enough water under our keel. I made many notes about the status of the waterway’s depth using the internet and several books. However, on Sunday the 8th we met with many possible shoaling areas as well as minor boat difficulties but it was the day we happily left Georgia and crossed into Florida.

After listening to NOAA the government marine weather “experts” and looking at weather information online we decided to make our next stop St. Augustine where we would be protected from any weather associated with hurricane Ida. Our friend Andrew recommended a marina tucked into the harbor. Oyster Creek Marina certainly was a fortuitous stop. The winds picked up yesterday and today was also very windy but we felt very secure in our slip. Right now it is pouring, the wind is blowing and we are very happy to be here.

I think I solved the photo situation…
Please go to :

http://picasaweb.google.com/cdichter3

to see my albums. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I did taking them.

From Wrightsville to Charleston

Our next stop after Mile Hammock was Wrightsville, Va. We had an easy trip through the ICW and a cloudy, cool day in the morning. Very few people can imagine a group of boats racing to make a bridge opening but often the bridges have restrictions and if you miss the opening on the hour you have to wait a full hour before the next opening. At times that could be extremely frustrating since we need to keep our boat from drifting into other boats and/or shallow water. Today we missed the opening which meant waiting the hour and then trying to get to the next bridge which we did with only minutes to spare. However, while waiting the sky cleared up, the sun warmed up the air and I changed into a pair of shorts…with continued warm days for several days until we reached Charleston, SC. The weather turned nasty and we spent a cold day walking around the city. The old parts of Charleston are quite beautiful. The southern architecture and lush gardens are lovely. Even though the homes are close together there is a quiet charm as we walked around. Then, there are the huge, stately homes facing the harbor dwarfing everything around them. At the park we were able to see Ft. Sumter and the guns that were fired to start the Civil War. History was all around us, homes that had historical significance and battles that were fought. The market place in downtown Charleston was the site where slaves were bought and sold and is now a market for tourists to buy anything from jewelry to spices to fabulous and expensive woven baskets. There were men and women making the baskets all through the market.

I think Charleston must be exquisite in the spring when all the flowers are in bloom and we may stop there on the trip home. We spent time with old and new friends = going out to dinner, having cocktails on our boat, and just hanging around discussing boat stuff. Bill did have his quota of ice cream.

We left Charleston and headed towards Beaufort, S.C. We stayed on the dock for 1 night so we could see the wonderful homes here as well. Fortunately the weather has been incredibly gorgeous for the last few days and the temperature was perfect. I walked around for almost 2 hours with many old live oak trees and Spanish moss. I followed the track of a tourist buggy by finding the horses you know what on the road. Great fun.

Our travel today was also easy, no thin water under our keel and blue skies. However the morning was quite chilly (remember we leave just as the sun is coming up) and the temperature didn’t really warm up all day. However, we were comfortable and bundled up when necessary. After we settled down at anchor, Bill and our friend Andrew took the dinghy to a nearby marina and bought back shrimp that just came off the boat. I made a fairly good spice rub and we grilled them on wooden skewers. What a treat especially since we were also celebrating long distance our friend Jan’s birthday.

According to the captains we should be in Florida in just 2 or 3 days….

Will be sending more photos soon...

The Traveling Begins

Finally Traveling South

After spending 5 days in Cambridge we finally left the Marina and really started our trip although Bill stated that he is going to miss having a Domino’s Pizza store so close by!

But the sun came out and off we went but not before Bill took a side trip to Wal-Mart to purchase an electric blanket for me. A friend on another boat found that you could run it off the boat battery and was I ever thankful. Although we had sun we still had very cool to cold nights.Even Simon knew enough to get warm.

It took 3 days to get to Norfolk,Virginia where Mile 0 starts the Intracoastal Waterway. Once again we had many boats going through the first (of many) opening bridges but it seemed always to work out without hostility. There were 8 sailboats and 8 powerboats in our group and we traveled with them throughout the day. We never usually see powerboats again but at times we run into boats that we saw days ago since we are all traveling on different schedules. Some go 50 miles a day and then maybe stop at a city to sightsee for a couple of days. We do the same thing so we often meet up with someone we met in another harbor days ago. There is a marked difference between this trip and our previous one. We are traveling with many more boats in a group. I think the weather held everyone up and when it was a good travel day many boats left at the same time.
We started out with 16 boats at the first bridge and today at the bridge in Wrightsville, NC there was a group of 10 boats who traveled about the same speed as well as our small group of about 5 who raced to through the bridges.

One reason I haven’t written earlier is the schedule our captain has set. Up before dawn, anchor up and off we go at first light. Yuck…..After boat handling, studying charts (maps), and trying not to find ourselves aground where there is no water under our keel we are exhausted. But not so exhausted that we can’t visit with our friends for the traditional cocktails before dinner.

Our stop at Oriental, NC was particularly lovely (unfortunately the weather wasn’t) since we were with friends and had a slip in the Oriental Harbor Marina with amenities such as free ice, showers with shampoo, towels and hair dryer in a calm, protected spot. And last night we were anchored off of Camp LeJeune (marines) where we were (I think) target practice for the marines learning how to fly exceptionally noisy helicopters. They flew overhead until about 9 pm well past our bedtime.

Speaking of nighttime - it’s 9:23 and I must get to bed so we can be alert for tomorrows journey. I have more photos but haven't figured out how to share them...

The Waiting Game

Hi everyone, it seems that this awful weather may be coming to a close and we are hopeful that Tuesday will be a traveling day. We haven't come far from Annapolis but have been staying at the Generation III Marina in Cambridge, Maryland. We are the only livaboards here but we have plenty of available services. There are restaurants, hardware stores, automotive shops, and groceries within walking distance. Of course, we had to walk in the rain with layers of warm clothing but it wasn't so bad. At an early walkabout we found a hair salon and I made an appointment to get a hair cut which led to a recommendation from Shannon to eat at 'Ocean Odyssey'.

Our friends Bill and Sherry came down and we thought it would be fun to go to the annual Crabtober Festival. Unfortunately it was pouring and the outside events were cancelled. However, there were authentic dress contests (photos will follow), lots of lederhosen, German food, beer and of course cooked crabs.The music was loud and the food did not look appetizing so we decided to go somewhere else for dinner. But first we had a CAR which resulted in stops at the Dollar Store and Wal Mart. According to the captain 'Interim' is topped off with everything needed for our trip -except for several more visits to the hardware store!!! We went to 'Ocean Odyssey' - good food at a reasonable cost and wonderful company . Tonight we are having pizza from Domino's Pizza just a short walk away (Bill is doing the walking - I'm keeping warm)and watching a movie.

We also lucked here in Cambridge when we noticed that Simon was doing a great deal of shivering. We understood that he needed to be covered when we were outside while traveling but he continued to shiver even when it was warm. Thanks to the internet I found the Choptank (the name of the river we are on) Animal Hospital in walking distance and they told us to bring him right over. The staff was wonderful. They checked him out and even though the doctor we saw looked like a teenager she gave him a complete workup. She took bloodwork and suggested that we might want his teeth cleaned but really couldn't find the cause of his shaking. Because the shaking might be due to some pain he was experiencing she gave us a pain medication to see what would happen. The receptionist gave us a lift back and picked Bill and Simon up the next morning to see the doctor who owned the practice. Once again they found him in the best of health and couldn't explain his shaking. I know Simon has been having some difficulty jumping up and off the furniture ( we even have purchased rugs to help him get securely on and off)and he demonstrated the shaking last year when the vet thought he had some pain in his neck. So after a few days of pain meds he seems OK. I can't explain how difficult it is to see him hurting - even Bill had a hard time. I am feeling positive that we might have solved this problem.

I hope the next installment will be filled with sunshine, warmth and the real start of our adventures south.

ANNAPOLIS

We are getting closer to the day when we will be leaving Annapolis on the second leg of our journey south. Bill and I are so very grateful to Tony and Bruce for making the trip from Mamaroneck to Annapolis in only 40 hours. Of course Simon was on board to stand watch as well. Annapolis, once again, has been a wonderful place to stop. We have had a variety of different weather systems come through but no matter how hard the wind blows during the day when we are ready to go to sleep the water is calm with absolutely no wind during the night. We have met new people and have met up with 'Dana' and 'My Whim'. Jim and Bonnie and Bill and Sherry may be traveling with us for part of the trip south. We've shared experiences that included a wonderful time at the naval academy before the Air Force vs. Navy football game. All 4000 + navy cadets in dress whites and in their platoons marched to the stadium while their band was playing "Anchors Aweigh". An awesome sight.
Bill decided that Sunday would be a good day to go to the top of the mast to install a light and antenna. We are so very lucky to have Jim and Bill(O'Malley) to help. I watched and took photos to keep me busy. Bill spent almost 3 hours doing the work and when he came down he slept about the same amount of time. Now we just have to see if they work when he installs the cable connections!!!
We went to the boat show on Friday, gorgeous and hot, hot. We know that won't last but it sure felt good.
During the boat show we met up with the Dan, Joli, Hank and Max , Franklin and Esther, Janet and Mike and Bruce. Thanks again to Bruce for helping us obtain more storage by taking home stuff we don't need (until we need it and won't have it).
It's Columbus Day and one of the chilliest yet.
Even Simon curled up under the covers. However it warms up a little during the day. We are all looking forward to finding the sun and the rum.

ANNAPOLIS

I am sitting in the cabin of 'Interim' with a full, gorgeous sunset outside the porthole windows. Bill, Bruce and Tony left Mamaroneck on Wednesday, September 23rd heading towards the East River and then down the coast of New Jersey to Cape May. The beginning of the trip was uneventful except for a slight difficulty in the East River. Our fabulous friend, Patrick, was in the city in the morning and called Bill to ask why there were so many Coast Guard Vessels in the river. I immediately recalled (from my days driving to New Rochelle) that when the UN begins sessions and all the big whigs of the world are in town the Coast Guard closes the river to recreational vessels at their discretion. I then called "Homeland Security" and was told to contact the Coast Guard directly. I did and was informed that the river would be closed from 9:30 to 3:00 and after 3:00 only the West Channel (the one furthest from the UN) would be open. Now, we had to find out if the bridge in the West Channel was high enough for us to go through - well it wasn't. However, when 'Interim' was close by Bill was to call the bridge tender and he would open the bridge. And so he did. I have to say that everyone I spoke to was polite and informative.

Once through the East River the captain and crew went on watches down the coast of New Jersey, up through the Delaware Bay, through the C&D canal and down the Chesapeake Bay and at 5:30 am on Friday morning they picked up a mooring in Annapolis Harbor. I'm told they slept til 10:30 and then went into Spa Creek where we are now moored. I drove down to Annapolis on Saturday and as I approached the town it started to drizzle. We exchanged crew - I went on board 'Interim' and Tony and Bruce took the car back to Mamaroneck.

Of course Bill and I then had a wonderful time trying to find places for all the stuff. We went to sleep early to the sound of rain which lasted the entire night and morning but at about noon the sun came out and we walked through the lovely town of Annapolis.

This was an uneventful transit and I am grateful for the wonderful crew and weather. I'm not sure how long we will stay in Annapolis - probably til the Sailboat Show - and then we will start the trip to the Intracoastal Waterway.

Sorry no photos yet - I can't seem to find my cameras!!!!!

ONE WEEK TO GO

We just had the most beautiful weather window but as fate would have it we were not ready to drop the mooring and head out to the Jersey Coast. Bill has several people lined up to go on the first leg from Mamaroneck to Annapolis. We are working very hard to get the boat in shape and this photo proves that Bill was serious about taking some of his (hopefully not needed) "stuff" off the boat. However, we just loaded bags and bags and bags of food that is now sitting on the cabin floor waiting to be stowed. I guess it's like moving to a new, larger home. The first one small but filled to the ceiling with "stuff" and when moved to a larger home there is no holding back filling the NEW space. Well, I just fill all the spaces, it's one of my few vices (Bill is chuckling looking over my shoulder).

There are so many little/large details still to do in order to close up the apartment: forward mail, terminating CABLE, taking out batteries for the many electronic gizmo's, etc. etc. The list is long.

There will come a day, however, when all the prep is over and 'Interim' becomes our home. Of course, there will be many items that still won't have homes but that just mimics our apartment and in a way somewhat satisfying.

August Preparation

August has been incredibly hot and Bill has been just as hot preparing all the systems on 'Interim' for our trip South. Hoses that are as old as the boat have been changed, a heater that comes off the motor is installed, and on and on and on. I only hope that the weather cools off a little so he can finish all the projects before he leaves. Right now the plan is to leave Mamaroneck around September 15th. We still have many loose ends to tie up but I'm optimistic that everything will be completed before we leave.

I now have a webcam and look forward to using SKYPE once again during the entire trip. I'll send more info about this in my next installment.

I am using the same website blog: blogspot.com and the link will be:

http://www.interim3.blogspot.com

I hope this year's adventures will be enjoyable to all.