Sandy's progress

Well the predictions of Sandy seem to be very accurate although the wind hasn't been strong yet.  Last night we talked over our plan and decided to find a shelter on land.  The nearest one to the Solomons is the High School thirty miles to the north.  That seemed to be a bit of a hike so we opted for the local Hilton Garden Inn.  http://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/maryland/hilton-garden-inn-solomons-DCASOGI/index.html

Capt. Mike was running to the local hardware store for some fix-it items and gave us a lift with the loaner car from the marina.  (I didn't tell ML that I considered waiting out the storm in the loaner car if there weren't any other options.  Shades of the past when we would be out in fire trucks throughout the storm.)  Had we known this would be our shelter we would have packed swimsuits for the pool.

Sending out emails is on the to do list and checking later on the boat.  It has been a very steady rain so far and the tide last night came to the bottom of the dock.  Let's hope the rest of the day stays that calm.

Pre storm

Last night Ken and Irene from Interlude had everyone over for a pre-storm baked ham dinner.  We could smell it cooking as we walked down the dock.  MaryLou had made her spaghetti squash casserole and Mike did his baked-stuffed potatoes to add to the meal.  Hank baked an apple pie for desert and used his alter-ego name SaraLee to neatly package the pie.  The dinner was great and we sat again telling stories untill nearly falling asleep (8pm).

Like everyone else we've been watching Sandy closely and adding protection to Dalmatian.  We removed the loose items, brought in the flags, and added extra lines.  It has been very calm at our marina but a flurry of activity of people tending their boats or hauling them out.  Since the wind direction will change over the course of the storm, I added "Lee Boards" to keep Dalmatian off the pilings.

Capt Mike also suggested we add a line from the pilings to a winch onboard so we could pull the boat closer if we want to use the shore facilities during the storm.  If shore power is interupted we still have the onboard generator so we're better off than many on shore.  The oddity of the Chesapeake is the wind-driven surge + or -.  If the wind direction drives the water up the bay, it can add 5-6 feet.  The opposite is true if the wind blows toward the south the bay can have lower water levels of as much as 3-4 feet.

We've checked our depth and we are in 12 feet of water at low tide.  Not to get stuck in the mud is pretty important since we draft 7 feet.  12-4=8.  Sounds like a non-issue except the full moon effect which causes higher and lower tides.  So to all our family in the Baltimore/DC area, please flush your toilets regularly during the low tide cycle.

The other day

We've been waiting out Hurricane Sandy by doing small items on the boat and visiting the local area.  The other day Ken and Irene took us to the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum.
http://www.jefpat.org/

If you select the Pattersons it will take you to the history of this family.  Irene had made an appointment for us to get the tour of their country home at the park.  We spent three hours learning about the Pattersons and their influence on world affairs. 

This property was also the site of a very important battle during the War of 1812.  Select the 1812 icon and it will explain the significance.  There are also many other activities going on at the park which would take several days to explore, we may have more time later this week.

MaryLou and I have made extra chaffe protection for our lines in the event that Hurricane Sandy blows into the Chesapeake.  Here are some of the finished lines.

We also changed out the bent traveler parts we were able to find and have delivered to this marina.

As you can see the old parts were quite bent.  Well Captain Mike promissed us sour dough pancakes this morning so we're dining on Our Little Cape.  We also headed to Walmart for some preweather shopping, there was plenty of TP, batteries, and water on the shelves. 

There were some of us that are unafraid of the weather.  Here are a few local ducks.

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Enjoying the weekend

 

We met up with Ken and Irene on their boat Interlude who have been here at Calvert Marine since last winter. They will be sailing with us as we make our way south. Since we're waiting for Mike and Hank to return, Ken and Irene have given us the use of the auto and we'll be joining them on a day-trip to a local museum.



 

 

 

 

However today we went across the river to the Calvert Maritime Museum.  http://www.calvertmarinemuseum.com/exhibits/

The area has a rich history dating back to pre-historic eras.  There have been many fosils found in this region.  As for me I just couldn't help getting geared up for the afternoon.

 

 

 

We did the self-guided tour and then walked to the Drum Point Lighthouse.  While inside we had a great view of the harbor and the upcoming races.  The local hobyists race their model skipjacks around the inlet in spirited competition.  It was amusing.  Too bad my picture of the lighthouse didn't take, it was quite interesting.

 

 

There were also exhibits of biological research in the bay and how to restore the fish stock to its former levels.  Here are the oysters they will be spreading back into the water.

 

 

 

Historically the area was most significantly involved in the War of 1812 and WWII.  But today it is tourism that drives the economy.  It was a good day of relaxing and learning.

Solomons

The Solomons were supposed to be a quick stop to water-up and refuel.  We were also meeting Ken and Irene on Interlude to sail with us going south.  They were berthed accross from us when we were in Southport Marina, Maine.  As we entered Back River we went by the Pride of Baltimore at anchor.  They had been sailing ahead of us all day.



As things happen, we found some more folks traveling and created more friends than facebook.  One elderly couple was having a difficult time with their motor cruiser and Mike and Hank were hired to deliver their boat to Oriental, NC.  We decided to wait in the Solomons for their return in four days giving us a chance to do several mechanical maintenance items.

We spent several days changing oil in the engine and genset, doing laundry, big time shopping for groceries and dry goods.  We also have an older sailor from Annapolis filling our CNG bottle for cooking for us.  Yesterday was a combined fuel, pump-out, and have the refrigerator checked to fill our day.  After lunch and a nap we headed over to Kabria to watch Corky hanging out.   

Careful on the lines Anna.  So much easier using an electric winch.

We also saw the NOAA boat next to Kabria that has the bottom mapping device.  We've seen them working in the bay so it was interesting to see the stuff up close.

 All aluminum.....

Plenty of interesting stuff..........

  Nobody around to explain it?

 

Oh well, it was getting late and we invited Corky and Anna over for spaghetti.  Just like the fire station people stop in just about supper time and ML had plenty of wine and pasta.

 

 

 



We also turned on the party lights to add to the ambiance.

 

 

Everyone enjoyed the meal, drinks, and company in the evening warmth.

NJ coast to Md

From Sandy Point we sailed the coast of NJ to Atlantic City where we could pull in and work on the generator problem we were having.  It was also a good time to relax at a slip.  The state pier is across the street from the Golden Nugget so we went to the buffet line for dinner.

 

 

Next it was off to Cape May and to get ready for the trip up the Deleware Bay. 

This guy wasn't aware that his boat couldn't get under the bridge on the Cape May Canal.

 

There was quite a bit of damage and gear thrown around on top of his deck.  After several attempts to anchor they settled in behind us and went below for the rest of the day.  It was a family traveling from a Caribean island and perhaps were heading home, hope they recover.


We headed out early the next morning and had a long day around the Cape May Channel and up the Deleware Bay to the C and D Canal. 

Just before the entrance to the C&D Canal Hank on Heron had picked up a crab bouy which eventually stuck around his rudder shaft.  It broke free but he still had some resistance in the steering.  Corky from Kabria dove under once we got to Chesapeake City.  Here's the bouys causing the trouble.

We were able to get to a library and WiFi.  We got caught up on emails and other online functions as well as a few cards for family.  We also took some time to visit the C & D Canal Museum.  Sometimes you have to share the canal with other boats.  Here's one taking up the skyline.

I got busy again with brainstorming the issue we had with the generator and getting the boat ready again for our next leg of the trip.  While checking the oil and coolant on the engine I happened to look at the inverter and noticed a reset button popped on the side of the panel.  I pressed it in and started the generator.  We now had power back to the main part of the electrical panel.  Go figure, after two weeks of trying everything it was that simple.  That called for a celebration.

We also met the folks on Dealatis, they're from Maine.  David and Tanya who are rebuilding their Pearson 40 and traveling south.

After leaving Chesapeake City, dragging bottom as we entered the canal, we headed to South River.  Along the way near Annapolis we had to share the Chesapeake with commercial carriers and pleasure craft alike. 

And there's always a race that we have to cut through to stay on course.

We spent several days anchored in Harness Creek by Quiet Waters State Park near Georgetown, MD just in time for the Arts Festival.  Here we walked to the local business area at the park entrance to get a few groceries and then enjoyed some BBQ sandwiches at the festival.  It was restful with the boat ready again to travel.

Along the way

There were many stops between weather windows that had something of interest.  Port Jefferson had this little guy looking for a handout. 

 

 

 

There were many lighthouses that were interesting, but because they are on land it difficult to get close for a picture.

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Getting through the East River of NYC was interesting and at times confusing. You travel through the heart of the city while dozens of commercial marine carriers are crossing around you to get to their docks.

 

 

Tugs, ferries, tankers, and barges all bigger and faster than us making the water choppy and confused. We held our course within reason and let them sort out the rest. 

 

 We were glad to leave them in our wash and anchor at Sandy Point, NJ for the night.

Four to go

We were looking for a fourth to go on the trip.  Quite a few had issues keeping them from coming along.  We also invited some folks to come with us, but there weren't any takers. 

We did find another boat in Port Jefferson, NY that wanted to join in.

 

No not her, that's Lady Liberty and she's busy.

 

 

 

There, that's "Kabria" with Captain Corky and Anna aboard.  We also have more friends that move with us, then go their own way for a while and later catch up.

 

 

Three to get ready

We were sure everything was ready on our boat and soon found out differently.  The other boats we were traveling with also had some challenges along the way.  Here's the starting group.

"Our Little Cape"  with Captain Mike.

"Heron"  with Captain Hank.

We had a generator problem the first day out and had to do a temporary rewire to keep food from thawing.  We also had issues with the engine charging system which Captains Mike and Hank were able to fix for us.  We got some pictures of the trip and will post them soon.  We are happy to say after problem solving for two weeks we finally found a fix to the generator issue.  We should have more on that later.  Otherwise it was three to get ready.