Silver Maple Blog

First of all, our thoughts go out to all our friends, fellow boaters and the people of the Abacos in the Bahamas, where we had so many wonderful experiences over the years. The devastation from hurricane Dorian is heart-breaking. Hopefully, things are starting to look up and people are beginning to get back on their feet.

September 15th to September 22nd, 2019 — Zagreb to Dubrovnik by car

When we land in Zagreb, Croatia, the sun is shining and it is in the high 70s F. Lovely! We pickup our rental car and head to the Astoria Hotel in downtown Zagreb. Driving is surprisingly easy here, and as we find during our time in Croatia, drivers are aggressive but courteous.

Zagreb is a modern city, that was a stop on the Orient Express so there is beautiful old hotel and large, elaborate train station. Since the war in the 90s, life seems to be back to normal and most physical signs of the war have been cleaned up. In conversations with locals though, we found that feelings are still strong. Most people in Croatia speak English, so it is easy to get around and ask questions.

From Zagreb, we drive to the western-most region of Croatia called Istria. Historically, this peninsula was part of Italy, so we found great wine and wonderful Italian food. It is also truffle season, so many of the towns are having truffle festivals. Yum!

After a day of driving around Istria, visiting towns along the way like Hum and Motovun and enjoying the amazing scenery en route, we settle into our hotel in Rovinj before heading out to explore the town. We love Rovinj — a small historic town with narrow, stone streets and buildings, great restaurants, food, shops and harbour.

From Rovinj, we drive to Zadar. This is a larger city with ruins of a Roman forum in the center of it all and a Byzantine church built over some of the ruins. We wander the city and then meet Julie and Dawson, our friends from Toronto/Sudbury (who we know from sailing in the Bahamas) for drinks and dinner.

After Zadar, we leave Julie and Dawson and drive to Split. The highway system in Croatia is amazing. Roads are new with very little traffic. There are lots of tunnels to save time through the mountains and most appear to be newly constructed. Just outside Split, we stop in the historic town of Trogir. Lovely place with quaint narrow streets and cafes.

When we arrive in Split, we walk around town and visit the Diocletian’s Palace. Not a surprise this is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage site. There is wonderful history here as well as a lovely waterfront. The downside… there are tons of people from the multiple cruise ships moored in the harbour. We spent two days enjoying Split. On the second day, we meet back up with Julie and Dawson for a segway tour up to Marjan park that overlooks the city.

From Split, we drive towards Dubrovnik. Along the way, you need to cross through a small portion of Bosnia Herzegovina, but the border crossing is fast and easy. Before Dubrovnik, we stop in a small town called Mali Ston. We are told this is the place to get oysters which the area is well know for. We are at the Bota Restaurant as they are opening for some great wine and oysters.

When we arrive in Dubrovnik, it is gorgeous! Narrow streets, tons of stairs and lots of history. And, when we say stairs, we mean stairs! It is a beautiful place, but horrible for hauling our luggage to the hotel. Surprisingly, we manage to get there without a tumble down the numerous flights. As for the city itself, unfortunately, it too is a bit over-run with tourists. The crowds are coming close to Venice levels as people from the cruise ships flood the place. Regardless, it is lovely and since many scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed here, we take a guided tour and visit the old fortress that overlooks the walled old-town.

After a great visit in Dubrovnik, we haul our luggage out of the old-town and catch an Uber to the harbour where we meet up with Julie and Dawson for the second leg of our Croatia adventure…sailing!!

September 22nd to September 30, 2019 — Sailing the Adriatic

One of the main reasons we sold Silver Maple was so that we would have the opportunity to travel to, and sail in, other interesting places. We did the Grenadines in the spring… and now a week in the Adriatic Sea! Woohoo!

When we get to the marina where Sunsail is based just outside of Dubrovnik, Julie and Dawson are already waiting for us. And, the boat is ready! We load our gear onto Diana II, a 47ft Jeanneau with three cabins and two heads. It feels huge with tons of space for the four of us. Just to try something different on this trip, we have signed up to be part of a flotilla of boats. There are about 12 boats in the group and the organizers make all the arrangements including the route, the marinas where we will stay, and group dinners. It is no muss, no fuss!

Unfortunately, the forecast the first day of our trip is for rain and thunderstorms. So, we stay in harbour and head out a day later than planned. Boo! When we do finally get on the water though it is lovely! Most of the time we have been in Croatia it has been sunny and in the mid 70 degrees F. Once we are out on the Adriatic Sea, it is more of the same. Lovely! We have fun sailing the first day, although the wind is against us most of the time.

Our first stop is in the island town of Okuklje. Beautiful spot. Randy, Dawson and Julie head out for a paddle in the harbour. Lee walks to the top of the hill overlooking town to visit the historic church and take in the view. In the evening, we have a group dinner with the other boaters at the Maestral Restaurant. Really good!

The next day, winds are down so we motor most of the way. We stop at Pomena for lunch and a swim — it is a beautiful little harbour in the national park. Later in the afternoon, we arrive in Lumbarda, Croatia. The harbour is close to a village called Korcula. We taxi in for dinner and a walk-about. Korcula is really nice! Kind of a mini Dubrovnik without the crowds. It has great cafes and narrow streets. And, it is a beautiful evening for a stroll.

The next day is what the flotilla captains call a ‘free day’. Basically, they cut us loose while giving us a few options for places to go on our own and spend the night. We head to a place called Trstenik. It is an island with a small fishing village that is well know for its local wine. When we arrive, we have to wait for them to shuffle some of the fishing boats around before we can tie Diana II off to the wall. Once settled, we go for a walk through town and visit the wine store for a tasting. The woman there is the local English teacher at the school, but her family produces the wine. Oh, and is it good! Later we have dinner in one of the local restaurants. Randy and Dawson order Peka, a local dish that includes a variety of meat with potatoes, cooked in a pot that is covered with hot coals and baked for hours. It is really good!

The next day as we pull out of the Trstenik harbour the winds are up, so we are excited that we might be able to sail. Short-lived though as the winds quickly die down and we are once again motoring. We stop for lunch in a nice spot along the channel that leads to Ston, our next destination. Great snorkeling. Water in the Adriatic is cool and refreshing. Perfect for swimming.

When we arrive in Ston, we tie off along the wall and head into town. The town, and its counter part Mali (meaning “small”) Ston are surrounded by historic defensive walls, second largest in the world behind the great wall of China. We have a group dinner in town and finish the evening with some Bridge back on the boat.

The next morning, Lee is up early to hit the bakery in town for fresh bread — definitely one of our favourite things about being in Europe. Afterwards, Lee, Julie and Dawson spend an hour climbing the wall over to Mali Ston. Good hike and amazing views. We take the (level) trail back to the boat in time for breakfast before we head out.

After the morning wall hike, we travel back to the Sunsail home-base and the end of our sailing trip. The four of us have a great dinner at a restaurant a short Uber ride from the marina called Amfor, then head back to the boat to pack up. We have to be off the boat in the morning to fly back home. Dawson and Julie carry on with their vacation to Dubrovnik and the Plitvice Lakes National park. It is very sad the trip is over, but it was really great. We loved Croatia and will definitely be back!

 

After some great years of sailing, we finally sold Silver Maple last week. We are sad to see her go, but won’t miss the maintenance and work that goes with owning your own boat. Having said that, this will definitely not be the end of boating for us. We are chartering a boat in Croatia this fall, and are planning to do more charters so that we can sail in new and exiting places.

As for this blog, we will keep it going so we can record our travels and adventures. If you don’t already, you can follow us by clicking the follow button on the bottom corner of your screen.

Fair winds to all!

 

 

Sunday, March 3rd to Sunday, March 10th, 2019

For those who have been following us the past few years, you may have noticed a lack of postings recently. Well, Silver Maple was put to bed at the end of the season last year and she is now up for sale. We decided it was time to move on to another chapter and some different adventures. We loved our time sailing the east coast of the US and in the Bahamas, but it is time for something new.

So, in keeping with that, we chartered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for two weeks. The first week we were with Jackson and his girlfriend, Laura, on a boat named Isaphil. And, the second week just the two of us on Willow Dew. This was both our first time sailing a catamaran, and our first time in the Grenadines. Always fun to try new things! For Laura, this was her first time on a sailing trip beyond an afternoon outing. She did great and is now a welcome addition to the crew whenever she would like to join us.

After arriving in St. Vincent at Barefoot Yacht Charters we climb aboard Isaphil, the catamaran that we will be sailing for the week. Lots of room for the four of us. The rocking motion is quite a bit different than the mono-hull we are used to, so there are a few green faces until we get used to it and take our sea-sickness meds.

We sleep aboard tied to the mooring ball the first night before heading into town for groceries and provisions the next morning. Then, we cast off for Bequia. It is a beautiful day, but the winds are high and so are the waves. We learn very quickly, that this seems to be par for the course here in the Grenadines. Unlike the Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands where we have sailed previously, the waters between the islands here are deep and each trip is like doing a full on ocean crossing even if it is only for a couple of hours. The roughest waters seem to be between Bequia and St. Vincent. Okay when you are on a run with the winds behind you, but a bit crazy when the wind and waves are hitting you on the nose. Thankfully, on our first day getting used to the boat, the wind is behind us.

We spend a night anchored at Bequia which is a very pretty island with colourful houses on the hills, a cute town with friendly people and some very good restaurants. From there we continue south staying in Canouan, the Tobago Cays and Salt Whistle Bay/Mayreaux before heading  back north toward St. Vincent to take Jackson and Laura back at the end of the first week. Our last crossing is in the morning the day they have to catch their flight. On the trip from Bequia back to St. Vincent we are in some the highest seas we have ever sailed in with 3 metre waves. Crazy! Our crew takes it is stride though and we make it back safe, sound and salty.

Sunday, March 10th to Sunday, March 17th, 2019

Week two we switch to a different boat (also a catamaran) named Willow Dew. It is just the two of us, so we head further south with a long trip the first full day from Bequia to the town of Clifton on Union Island. Each day the winds are 20 to 30 knots and waves are high even though the forecast is not predicting them. The Grenadines are not for novice sailors, that is for sure.

From there we stop at the beautiful Petit St. Vincent and then Chatham Bay. Both are lovely quiet spots with nice resorts. We finish the trip with two nights at our favourite place, Bequia before doing the crossing back to St. Vincent. Again, on the return trip, even though the weather in the Bequia harbour is quite and calm, when we head for St. Vincent, the winds are up to 40 knots on the nose with over 2 metre waves and driving rain. We are soaked through by the time we get to St. Vincent where the sun is out and it is a beautiful day.

It was great to be back on a sailboat for a couple of weeks. It really made us miss Silver Maple and our times living aboard. The Grenadines are beautiful and some sunshine and 80 degree F days were just what we needed. The catamarans were nice, but we have decided we are mono-hull sailors and will go back to that next time… on our next adventure in sailing.

Stay safe everyone! Hugs!

 

 

Friday, March 30th to Tuesday, April 17th, 2018

What a trip! The weather stays unusually cold most of the way as we continue north. From Oriental, NC we head to Belhaven, NC and stay at a nice marina called River Forest and explore the town. It is one of the few stops along the way where we have seen a town improve since we last visited it 6 years ago bringing Silver Maple down the coast.

The  next morning we head towards the Pungo-Alligator Canal and Alligator River. When we get to the Alligator River Marina, we meet a nice couple, Sophie and Stephane from France on their trawler named Troll. We have cocktails together and then meet them for dinner again at our next stop in Coinjock, NC.

Beautiful calm morning on the Pungo River leaving Behaven, NC

From Coinjock, it is on to Portsmouth/Norfolk, VA marking the end of the Inter-Coastal Waterway (ICW) and the Carolinas. It is a beautiful calm day with Ospreys nesting on almost every channel marker. But, it is a hectic managing the timing of multiple bridge openings and a lock, so we are pushing Silver Maple’s engine hard.

We spend a day in Norfolk exploring and waiting out bad weather, then carry on to our next stop at Deltaville, VA. In Deltaville, the weather turns bad again so we stay put for a few more days before heading to Solomons, MD. The Chesapeake Bay is cold, windy and wavy both days we are on it. Heading to Annapolis from Solomons, our last day on the water is probably our roughest day yet.

 

When we get to Annapolis, MD, we take 4 days to pack up all of our belongings and move off of Silver Maple. Our friends, Ruth and Bruce drive down with their trailer from Canada. We load it up and say goodbye to Silver Maple. The drive home is a bit treacherous with snow and freezing rain.

Now back at home, winter is still in full swing. Lots of unpacking to do to keep us busy until spring arrives. Which, hopefully, will be sooner rather than later…

 

 

Saturday, March 17th to Friday, March 30th, 2018

It has been a challenging few weeks of cold. Is spring coming …ever? We continue to take our time moving up the coast in hopes that it will warm up. Temperatures have been 10 to 15 degrees F. below normal and very windy. When we started this trip we had planned to do sections of it out in the ocean, but the weather just hasn’t made that possible and we continue to putter our way slowly up the Inter-coastal Waterway (ICW).

After a fun visit in Charleston, we continue north. When we hit Georgetown, NC they are expecting thunderstorms and tornadoes, so we leave the boat for a couple of days, rent a car and drive up to visit our friends, Ellen and Doug at their place in Huntersville, NC (just outside Charlotte).

Once the weather clears, we are on our way again through some of the pretty parts of the ICW. It continues to be cold — in the 30s F. at night and the 40s and low 50s F. during the day with high winds. In St. James Plantation near Wilmington, NC we stop for a day of golf. Our great golf pro, Doug Hammer, at Troon North in Scottsdale arranged for us to play the beautiful Reserve course in St. James. It is a cold day, but well worth it. Thanks Doug!

After our golf break, we continue through North Carolina, passing through the Cape Fear River, visiting Wrightsville Beach, Swansboro, and Beaufort. We now have just 200 miles to Norfolk, VA where the ICW ends and we enter the Chesapeake. Yesterday the weather finally warmed up enough to remove some layers. Woohoo!

Now in Oriental, NC at the lovely Grace Marina at River Dunes, we are once again waiting out bad weather. We had hoped to carry on tomorrow but now looks like it might be another day here. Not to worry. It is a very nice place and we are enjoying the break. Cheers!

Wednesday, March 7th to Friday, March 16th, 2018

Well, we certainly weren’t expecting this! It has been cold, cold, cold through most of Florida, and now Georgia and South Carolina. Still we are making tracks, though admittedly we are doing it very slowly in hopes that spring will arrive up north and the storms will pass before we get there.

We have a great time touring around Jekyll Island, GA on bicycles. This island was historically used as a playground of the rich with many beautiful ‘cottages’ and a large Club House. Thankfully, the weather warms up a bit and it is a beautiful day to see the island.

From Jekyll Island, we head to Wallberg Creek, GA and then on to Thunderbold, GA just outside of Savannah. On the way, our mileage on Silver Maple passes the 5000 mile point. Wow!

While in Thunderbolt, we take a day to tour around Savannah, GA. What a great city! All of the squares give it a very peaceful feeling. And, the weather warms up a bit for us again for the day. Woohoo!

From Thunderbolt, we do a very short trip to Hilton Head, SC marking the end of Georgia. Whew! The shallow depth of the Inter-Coastal Waterway in Georgia makes it very challenging.

Bad weather and gales are moving in later in the day, so we want to get tied to the dock as soon as possible.

From Hilton Head, we take off for Beaufort, SC. which is another very short run. And, then the next day we head towards Charleston, SC. This turns out to be a horrible day. Its cold, in the 40s and 50sF. Its windy, with up to 30 mph winds. And, its a long day where we are on the water early and don’t get in until the early evening. We are so glad to get to the St. John’s Yacht Harbour Marina just outside of Charleston.

We take the next day to visit Charleston. Love that city!

Today, we are still on the dock at St. John’s Yacht Harbour. We will be moving Silver Maple later this afternoon into the a marina in Charleston where we will be meeting up with our friends, Doug and Ellen from Charlotte, NC. Looking forward to seeing them!

Tomorrow we will be back on the water!

 

Tuesday, February 13th to Wednesday, March 7th, 2018

A warning in advance, it has been a long time since we last posted so this will be a long one. Time is passing so quickly it has been challenging to keep up with it all. We had a great visit with the Lyon family in February for four days — Stacia, Paul and the two 10-year olds, Celia and Andrew. It is the most people we have ever had on Silver Maple, but it was a blast. So glad Stacia and Paul made the trip down to the Bahamas with the family.

When they arrive we pick them up in Marsh Harbour and head to Fishers Bay, Great Guana Cay, to anchor out. We have lunch at Grabbers Restaurant and then hit the beach for some time playing in the waves. The Lyons seem to have no trouble jumping right in to the slower pace of life in the Bahamas. Well done!

The next morning we head to Lubbers Quarters for some snorkeling on an old sunken barge and then off to Tahiti Beach to anchor for the night. The following day, we make our way to Hope Town and stay a few days at the Hope Town Inn and Marina. While there, we climb the lighthouse, spend time on the beach and go to the Hope Town Song Writers Music Festival at the Abaco Inn. What a fun time!

After Stacia, Paul, Celia and Andrew leave, we take a day to prepare and then push off the dock and start our trek back north. The weather is in our favour so we make tracks for West End in the Bahamas, with stops in Allans-Pensacola and Great Sale Cay. West End will be our starting point for the crossing to Ft. Pierce, FL. The night before we leave for Florida, we have a nice visit with Debbie Meeker who lives in Freeport. Originally from Mississauga, she and her family have been family friends of the Potters for years. In fact, Debbie used to baby sit the Potter kids. Lee often refers to Debbie and her sisters, Kim and Shannon, as ‘cousins’.  So great to see her!

The next morning on February 26th, we cross the Gulf Stream over to the US. It takes us 12 hours to make the crossing to Ft. Pierce, FL. It is a long day!

Since arriving in the US, we have been making our way up the coast the via the Inter-coastal Waterway (ICW). We had hoped to go on the outside to the ocean for some of the trip, but so far the weather has been too unsettled, cold and windy to do that.

Yesterday we crossed the Florida – Georgia border and we are now at the Jekyll Island Marina in Georgia. Taking a day off from travel today to do some bicycling around the island. Should be fun. Tomorrow we are on the water again. Goal is to be in Annapolis, MD by mid-April. Still a long way to go.

Wishing everyone fair winds!

 

 

Friday, February 2nd to Monday, February 12th

The weather has been windy and rainy since we got here, so we haven’t been able to get off the dock. Regardless, we’ve been enjoying Hope Town and all the fun people we meet here. Lee is feeling much better and is pretty much back to normal. Yeah! We keep busy with boat chores and just hanging out. Randy has been doing lots of varnishing and waxing. Silver Maple is looking great!

Good news! This week, the weather has changed! It’s been gorgeous so we take a trip down to Lynyard Cay and Tahiti Beach.

Next week we have visitors coming, Stacia, Paul, and their kids Celia and Andrew from Ann Arbor, MI. It will be cozy with all of us on the boat, but should be really fun. Looking forward to it! Yeah!

 

Thursday, January 11th to Thursday, February 1st, 2018

The start to the 2018 sailing season wasn’t as smooth as we would have liked, but we are here in the Bahamas now, so life is good. Lee contracted something called Valley Fever when we were in Scottsdale in the fall, so Randy went down alone to Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas where Silver Maple is stored to get her prepped and into the water. Then, he single-handed her from Green Turtle Cay, through the Whale Cay ocean passage to Marsh Harbour, where he picked Lee up about a week and a half later after the doctors finally gave her the thumbs up to travel. The sailing season is finally underway!

So, our Bahamian sailing season is underway, but Lee is still taking it easy and continues to recuperate. Much better to rest and heal in the warm weather than in the winter at home in Canada.

When we arrive in Hope Town, it was like we had never left. All our boating friends are here, as well as some new folks to join the crowd. Randy plays in a Bocce Ball tournament and although he doesn’t win, he somehow manages to score the best looking partner when they do the random draw for teams. Hmm..

We’ve been mostly taking it easy so Lee can get back on her feet, but there are always chores to do on the boat to keep busy. The weather has been a real mixed bag, with cool temperatures one day, rain the next, then heavy winds and some beautiful warm sunshine thrown in. Next week the weather is supposed to be nice, so hopefully we will be able to get out on the water for some sailing.

Stay warm, Everyone!

 

Saturday, April 1st to Wednesday, April 12th, 2017

It is a sure sign of spring… Silver Maple is wrapping up its sailing season. Hard to believe it is over. We’ve had a great time, but we are always happy to be heading home.

We arrive in Green Turtle a few days before our scheduled haul out date to give us time to do some chores around the boat. It also gives us time to catch up with friends and enjoy Green Turtle. Always lovely and quiet here, but this year between road construction, forest and dump fires, staying at the Green Turtle Club is less than perfect. We move over to the Leeward Yacht Club in the next sound over which is a bit further away from the dust and smoke to wait for our day to pull out the boat out of the water.

When the day finally arrives, we are ready and the weather is perfect. She is pulled out of the water without a glitch. We then spend the next four days cleaning and putting her to bed. Always a big job.

Randy with his mean machine, our transportation while we are putting the boat away on Green Turtle Cay

We fly out on Tuesday, April 11th. It takes two days to get home, so it feels like a very long trip. Randy is invited for a weekend golfing with the guys in Florida, so Lee leaves him in Ft. Lauderdale and carries on home via Washington, DC while Randy drives to Port Charlotte, FL for the weekend.

 

 

Back at home in Canada, the weather feels spring-like, but there is still ice on the lake. Great weather for raking and cleaning up before the bugs come out.

Well, that’s it for another season. Wish you all fair winds and following seas. Until next time! Cheers!