Silver Maple Blog

Now that we are this far along, we are taking time to enjoy Florida while we wait for hurricane season to be over in mid-November. Then, we will make the crossing to the Bahamas from Palm Beach, FL.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28th to SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4th — DAY 68 to 75 (Seeing Florida — St. Augustine, Palm Coast, Daytona Beach, Titusville, and Cocoa)

After weathering Sandy in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, we head to St. Augustine. Travelling the ICW through Florida is a better experience than some of the other states. Depths are better and the tides aren’t as extreme. The scenery and wildlife in Florida are fabulous too. We see dolphins, manatees, bald eagles, flamingos — it has been just incredible.

St. Augustine has a lot of great history, but unfortunately, the town is a bit of a tourist trap. As the birth place of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, the whole place has a bit of a ‘cheesy’ vibe. Nonetheless, we enjoy the visit and a walk around the Spanish fort.

Walking around the historic city of St. Augustine, FL

Bricks that are used to pave the streets are Reynolds Block!

Home of the original Ripley’s

The Old Senator tree is said to be over 600 years old

Visiting the fort

Silver Maple in the marina at St. Augustine

From St. Augustine, we head to Palm Coast and stay for a couple of days at a small marina there. Our friends Marcie and Jim on their boat ‘Island Jim’ are there when we arrive. Dave and Anne on ‘Time 2 Go’ (from Port Elgin, ON) arrive the next day.  We take a break from travel to play and round of golf at a nearby course on Tuesday.  It is still windy and cold, but we enjoy the day anyway — being the hardy Canadian golfers we are.

Golfing in Palm Coast, FL

Leo in Palm Coast, FL

Heading To Daytona on a cold day in Florida

Next, we head to Daytona Beach, Florida.  The Halifax Yacht Club in Daytona is just near the waterfront town that they are attempting to revitalize. We have a short walk around, but there isn’t much to see. Anne and Dave (Time 2 Go) meet us for a fun dinner at the Yacht Club.

Radioing to get the draw-bridge to open

Time 2 Go

Dave and Anne on ‘Time 2 Go’

After Daytona, we head to Titusville.  This is the best wildlife viewing day! We see 4 manatees and lots of dolphins. Wonderful! Time 2 Go follows us most of the day. Titusville is the final destination for them for this leg of the journey. They are flying home from there to spend the holidays before returning in January to continue the voyage south to the Bahamas. We have cocktails on their boat and agree to meet up in the Bahamas.

Dolphin!

White Heron

Nice!

Manatee Zone! We see 4!

Just before we head to bed in Titusville, we hear what sounds like gun shots nearby. When we ask the guy at the marina the next day about it, he gives us the impression that it is normal. Needless to say, we are happy to leave Titusville and head to Cocoa, Florida.

Another draw-bridge, but still enjoying them

Leo loves the wind in his face

When we arrive in Cocoa, we dock right next to our friends on ‘Island Jim’.  Small world! We keep seeing them. Near the marina, the town of Cocoa is lovely. Cute restaurants, art galleries and a great hardware store all within walking distance. We rent a car and stay for a few days. On Saturday we head to the Kennedy Space Center. Very cool! And, we run into Dave and Anne (Time 2 Go) there! Sunday (today) we play golf and its a beautiful sunny day and around 80 degrees F.

Visiting the Kennedy Space Center

The Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center

Atlantis in its new location for retirement (moved there the day before we visit)

Golfing in Cocoa, FL

Tomorrow we are heading on to Vero Beach, Florida. It will be a slightly longer day for us of around 50 miles, but with the time change, the sun will be up early so we can get a good start.

The winds have now calmed down quite a bit as Sandy moves north of where we are here in Jacksonville, Florida. Our first hurricane, so it is kind of exciting. No rain to speak of — just a lot of wind. We will be thinking of everyone north of us as the hurricane comes your way. Stay safe!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26th to SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27th — DAY 66 to 67 (Hanging out in Jacksonville, Florida while we ride out Sandy)

The last few days was chores around the boat and keeping an eye on things as the heavy winds were on us for the last two days.  All fared well, and we will be back on the water tomorrow (Sunday).

Hurricane Sandy brings heavy winds to Jacksonville Beach, Florida where Silver Maple is docked

Silver Maple well secured for the storm

Lovely sunset as the stormy skies clear

After 2 months since leaving Canada, we have crossed the border into Florida! Woohoo!  We still have a few weeks before we reach our crossing point to the Bahamas near Ft. Lauderdale, but it seems like we have somehow arrived.

With the approach of the storm, Sandy, we are holed up in Jacksonville Beach, FL for a few days to let the weather pass. Some heavy winds and rain are expected over the next few days so we will be staying put.

Here is the latest on what we’ve been up to:

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17th to FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19th — DAY 57 to 59 (Finishing South Carolina — Charleston, SC to Hilton Head, SC)

The tides and depth of the Inter-Coastal Waterway (ICW) across South Carolina are a constant challenge, and Randy spends a lot of time planning and navigating through the shallow areas and finding places to stay until the water comes back up with the next convenient tide.

After leaving Charleston, SC we travel a half day to Bohicket, SC while the tide is good. The Marina in Bohicket is a lovely spot. People there are still talking about Tiger Woods’ yacht “Privacy” that was docked there the week before for the US Open. At 160 ft, we don’t know how he turned it around on the narrow river and in the small marina.

Leo admires the homes in South Carolina

Beautiful evening in Bohicket, SC

Holy pelicans!

Gorgeous morning on the water as we leave Bohicket

After Bohicket, we head to Beaufort, SC.  What a nice town! Definitely one of our favourite stops. Great history and old homes here. We also see places where movies like Forest Gump, The Big Chill, and Prince of Tides are filmed. Very cool.

Grassland marshes along the ICW through most of South Carolina

Another swing bridge, but we still enjoy

Carriage ride in Beaufort, SC

Field from football game scene in The Big Chill

From Beaufort, we head to Hilton Head, SC. We decide to pass on golfing, so it seems a bit empty. The visit is short. We have a lovely dinner at Bistro 17 at the resort attached to Shelter Cove Marina where we are staying, then the next morning head to Savannah, GA (Isles of Hope Marina).

Randy and Leo as we are back on the way

Hilton Head!

Silver Maple docked at Shelter Cove Marina in Hilton Head, SC

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20th to MONDAY, OCTOBER 22nd — DAY 60 to 62 (Crossing Georgia — Isle of Hope (near Savannah), GA to St. Simon’s, GA)

Dolphins are now a regular sighting, so we are counting the number we see each day. Our highest count is 17 so far. Travelling through Georgia, we find the tides and depths on the ICW just as frustrating as in South Carolina. Many parts have silted and shoaled-in making it barely navigable. The channel is in desperate need of dredging. To compound the problem, the area is experiencing unusual tides of up to 9 feet in some areas. Crazy!  Randy is anxious to get off the ICW and head back out to the ocean to travel down the outside rather than deal with the tedious channel.  Unfortunately, the weather isn’t cooperating. Each day we end up heading back inside as the forecast is for heavy seas. We chat with our friends Marcie and Jim on “Island Jim” who go out on one of the days we decide not to go. Apparently, we make the right choice. They say is it very rough.

The trip through Georgia seems short compared to some of the other states. The scenery is of beautiful marshes and wetlands mostly. We enjoy a stop in Isle of Hope near Savannah, GA. The marina lends us a car to go into the city. Savannah seems very vibrant with a healthy night life. We have dinner in a pub and head back to the boat.

We see an eagle as we approach the Isle of Hope, near Savannah, GA

Strolling through Isles of Hope, Georgia, where there is lots of Spanish moss on the trees

We anchor out for the first time on the trip in Wallberg Creek, GA. The hassle of having to take Leo to shore in the dinghy deters us until now, but it works out well. Leo loves the beach near by and runs up and down the sand. He experiences his first salt water and refuses to stop drinking it. He doesn’t seem to understand why it tastes different from the lake at the cottage. Unfortunately, we have to deal with a lot of vomiting the next 24 hours while he gets it out of his system. Ugh!

Leo enjoying his first salt water beach

Captain is disappointed we aren’t able to go out on the ocean

Our friends Anne and David from Port Elgin, Ontario on their boat “Time2Go”

We get to sail across some of the inlets and sounds. Yeah!

We pass lots of shrimp boats

Approaching St. Simons, GA

Saint Simons Island, GA which has been rated one of the best places to live and retire by Money Magazine, has a nice marina, but we don’t get around to see much more of it than that.

Silver Maple docked in St. Simons

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23rd to THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25th— DAY 63 to 65 (Into Florida and waiting out Sandy)

Our first landing-place in Florida is in Fernandina Beach. The guide books tell us not to be put off by the industrial look of the town as we approach it, so we do our best to keep open minds as we see the pulp and paper mills. The marina is nice though and a lot of the boats we have been travelling with along the way are arrive here also (Time2Go, Island Jim, Hurlevent). Everyone gets together for happy hour on Silver Maple.

Getting pointers on avoiding shallow areas from other sailboats we are travelling with via radio

Showing off our colours

Just before we cross the border into Florida, we cross the Cumberland Sound where they are working on nuclear submarines

We get a security escort past the submarine. Can’t imagine why!

Woohoo! We are in Florida!!

Lovely (?) Fernandina Beach, Florida — it is actually quite nice!

Originally, our plan was to sit tight in Fernandina Beach as hurricane Sandy approaches since the forecast is for the rain and wind to start the next day, but Wednesday is nice when we get up, so we head back out on the water after having breakfast in town. We arrive in Jacksonville Beach, FL in the sunshine without any rain all day.

Nice marina in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, where we are holed up for the passing of hurricane Sandy

We definitely aren’t in Canada anymore. This flyer was in the morning paper in Jacksonville Beach. Seriously!? Automatic weapons!?

Thursday is chores (groceries and oil change) to keep busy. It is a nice day. We rent a car and head to a movie theatre to see Argo (very good). In the evening the wind picks up and they say we will feel the effects of Sandy within the next 24 hours. Jacksonville is not expected to experience much impact as it passes.

Next stop is St. Augustine, Florida, which we hear is really nice. Plan is to head there on Sunday once the weather has cleared.

Apologies for the long break between blog posts!

We are still moving along and having a lot of fun. Seeing some the sights and meeting lots of great people.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5th to THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11th, 2012 — DAY 45 to 51 (Alligator River Marina, NC to St. James, NC, just south of Southport, NC)

We stopped at some interesting little places along the way including, the Dowery Creek Marina in Belhaven, NC where the small restaurant in town called Georgie’s served some of the best seafood we’ve had on the trip.  The River Dunes Hotel and Marina near Oriental, NC was lovely with a great pool (unfortunately, freezer problems on the boat kind of dampened that visit). Beaufort, NC has a nice town by the waterfront where we met up with John and Linda (on their boat Adnil) who we have met on the trip in a few ports. Swansboro, NC was a great surprise with a cute downtown just a short walk from the marina. Then, we hit Wrightsville Beach, NC and later St. James, NC just south of Southport.

Randy securing the boat in at the Dowery Creek Marina in Belhaven, NC

Making reservation at next port

Storms threaten but don’t come as we leave River Dunes near Oriental, NC

Lovely morning sail leaving River Dunes

We see our first shrimp boat as we leave Swansboro, NC

Heading to Beaufort, NC

View of marina in Beaufort as we arrive

Randy’s new wheels! (Loaner car from marina in Beaufort, NC) Nice!

Silver Maple in Beaufort, NC

Cold morning leaving Beaufort, NC but at least the fog has cleared

Lots of birds to see

Homes along the ICW in North Carolina

Leo enjoying the ride

Everyone waiting for the bridge

Passing through the swing bridge

Going through one of many draw-bridges along the way

Sunset in Wrightsville Beach, NC

Sightings of dolphins through North Carolina are a daily occurence and what a joy! Only one day when we were back in fresh water for a bit did we have a whole day without seeing any.

Dolphins!!

Dog’s-eye view

More dolphins!

Happy Captain

Enjoying our trip of a lifetime

Weather has been great. We had a few days of cooler temperatures, but it warmed backup.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12th, 2012 — DAY 52 (St. James, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC)

We finally make it through North Carolina and cross the border into South Carolina. Making it through that state seems like a milestone with its long portion of the channel. Shortly after we cross the border, we are following a Canadian boat called “Time 2 Go”. Suddenly, the depth in the channel becomes very shallow and they run aground. Thankfully, we don’t. We follow closely behind them as they weave their way through the channel. The Inter-Coastal Waterway (ICW) since we have been in South Carolina has inconsistent water depths due to silting, shoaling and tides. We have to constantly watch and slowly move through shallow areas. Exhausting.

Following Time2Go as we cross the border into South Carolina

In Myrtle Beach, we stay at the marina next to the Grand Dunes Resort. Unfortunately, it is pretty tough to get anywhere in Myrtle Beach without a car, so we don’t really see much other than the hotel, marina and grocery store (the marina guys gives Lee a ride there and back).

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13th — DAY 53 (Myrtle Beach, SC to Georgetown, SC)

The trip through South Carolina from Myrtle Beach to Georgetown, goes through some beautiful scenery including forests and cypress swamps. The current is with us most of the trip. Our friends, John and Linda on Adnil pass us along the way.

Leo playing as we leave Myrtle Beach

Why not to rely only on electronics for navigation. It thinks we are on land.

Silver Maple on the water

Remote South Carolina is beautiful

Our friends John and Linda pass us on their boat called Adnil (Linda backwards)

That evening we meet our friends Doug and Ellen (who live in Charlotte, NC) in Georgetown (Doug and Randy met at Queen’s University). Doug brings their boat, Trillium, to Georgetown and Ellen drives down by car. We have happy hour on Silver Maple and then walk to town for dinner.

Approaching Georgetown, SC

Doug and Ellen on Silver Maple

Doug doing work on top of Trillium

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14th to TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16th — DAY 54 to 56 (Georgetown, SC to Charleston, SC with time enjoying Charleston)

The trip from Georgetown to Charleston is about 56 miles — a long one for us. We get an early start. Its a beautiful morning. Doug passes us on Trillium mid-day and arrives in Charleston a few hours before us.

Sunrise leaving Georgetown, SC

Captain back at the helm

Being passed by Trillium

More dolphins!

Our trip is slow and tedious. The current is against us most of the way, and the depths in the ICW along the way are challenging. Thankfully, we make it through without incident. On the radio we can hear other boats who have not been so lucky.

Very shallow waters in ICW

The Harbor Resort and Marina in Charleston, SC is just outside of town near where the decommissioned USS Yorktown aircraft carrier is docked. Doug arrives with Trillium a few hours before us. We have cocktails on their boat and dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Marina in Charleston next to the USS Yorktown

On Monday, Doug and Ellen drive home to Charlotte and leave their boat in Charleston. Randy and Lee spend the day touring the Yorktown and Clamogore submarine. It is hot and humid again. Later we take the water taxi into town for dinner at a great restaurant called Husk, featuring all local South Carolina ingredients.

Randy in front of the big ship

Touring the flight deck of the USS Yorktown

Randy at the helm of the USS Yorktown

On water taxi going into Charleston, SC

Today (Tuesday), we spent in town. We do a great carriage tour of the historic city in the morning, lunch and walk around the market area in the afternoon. The last few days have been hot, and today the weather finally has cooled. We enjoyed the 75 degree F day with sunshine.

Carriage tour of the historic city

We will be getting back on the water and heading south towards Hilton Head, SC on Wednesday. Woohoo!

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26th to FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28th — DAY 36 – 38 (Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake City, VA)

We spend three days at the Atlantic Yacht Basin Marina in Chesapeake City, Virginia (just next to the Great Bridge) waiting for and having work done on the boat, including a new double anchor roller and fuel filter. The marina is a busy place with lots of huge motor boats and yacht that seem to get priority over our sailboat. By Friday, all the repairs are done. It continues to be really hot and humid. We are looking forward to getting out of AYB.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th — TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2nd — DAY 39 – 42 (Side trip to Pinehurst Golf Resort in North Carolina for Lee’s 50th)

When we leave for Pinehurst on Saturday morning, it is pouring rain. Not a great start for a golf weekend, but such is life. We drop Leo at the kennel on our way and then do the 5+ hour drive to Pinehurst. When we booked this weekend, the plan had been to be a bit farther south on the boat so the drive turned out to be a bit further than we had hoped, but not bad.  Our friends, Susan and Maneesh drive 13 hours from Toronto to meet us for the weekend. Makes our drive look like a cake walk.

Pouring rain as we leave for Pinehurst Golf Resort in North Carolina

Sunday morning we golf Pinehurst #8. Beautiful course lined with huge pine trees.  The resort is kind of in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina, but hosts 8 lovely golf courses including their championship course, Pinehurst #2, that will be the location of the 2014 US Open. On Monday, we play Pinehurst #5. An older course, with homes lining most of it. Luckily, the rain holds off both days although it always seems to be threatening. Monday night we have a lovely 50th Birthday celebration for Lee in the Carolina Diningroom at the resort. Way too much food, but really good! Thanks to everyone for the Birthday wishes!

Lee and Randy before golf our first day at Pinehurst (course #8) in North Carolina

Randy making a Tiger-like shot out of the sand

Golfing with Susan and Maneesh

Pinehurst #8 is gorgeous!

The foursome!

The lovely Carolina Inn at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina

Tuesday we head back to Chesapeake City, VA to pick up Leo and get back to the boat. Susan and Maneesh have the long drive back to Toronto. Ugh! It is pouring rain when we arrive back in Virginia, but clears just as the evening sets in.

Last night at the Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake City, VA

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3rd — DAY 43 (Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake City, VA to Coinjock, NC)

When we get up in the morning to head out, Randy notices a large chip in the boat where it looks like one of the guys dropped a tool when they were doing the work the previous week. The marina folks are at the boat and make the repairs first thing and we are on the water by 9AM. This stretch of the ICW (Inter-Coastal Waterway) along the east coast of the US in Virginia is pretty remote. Mostly just trees and wetlands along the way. We have to time a few bridge openings and end up waiting for a few.

Bridge closing behind us on the ICW

Banks of ICW in remote part of Virginia

Waiting for bridge to open

Going through the open bridge

Getting passed. They were parked near us in Catskill, NY. Small world!

Heading to Coinjock, NC

By evening we are in the cute marina at Coinjock, NC.  We meet a few other couples on sailboats (“Best of Times” and “Escapade”) who will be heading south also. Other cruisers seem to be very friendly and love to chat about making the trip south to Florida and beyond.

Settled at the Coinjock Marina in North Carolina

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4th — DAY 44 (Coinjock, NC to Alligator River Marina, NC)

We wave goodbye to the other folks on their boats as we leave Coinjock in the morning. We survived the most humid and hot night yet on the boat (over 80 degrees F at bedtime). Later we see “The Best of Times” and “Escapade” not far behind us when we are sailing on the Albemarle Sound (just inland from Kitty Hawk). As we approach the Alligator River, the water in the sound is almost blood-red. When we arrive at the marina, which is just at the mouth of the river, the attendant tells us the colour is a result of the minerals mixed with the brackish water (salt and freshwater mix). He also tells us that the river actually does have alligators on it!  We will keep an eye out of that. Leo has a great run in the field near the marina, which is basically a gas station that backs on to the water.

Leaving Coinjock, NC

Morning coffee on the water

Heading to Albemarle Sound

Great close-hauled sailing on the sound

Good sailing = Happy Captain!

Blood-red water of Albemarle Sound in North Carolina

Alligator River Marina

Leo playing in the field at the Alligator River Marina

Happy pooch

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18th — DAY 28 (Waiting out weather in Annapolis, MD)

Overnight the winds pick-up and some nasty weather starts to move into Annapolis. Regardless, the Beneteau dealer has his repair guy at the boat first thing to repair the bilge pump (it was a faulty check-valve).  Carla, who Lee worked with at KPMG let’s Lee know that she, her husband, John, and Tracy will not be able to make it to Annapolis from DC since the weather is so bad (bummer!). In Annapolis, the heavy winds and rain, and high tide flood the city streets and the marina yard. We are wading up to our knees by the end of the day to get off the dock.

Leo thinks the docks are now part of his home — with toys in Annapolis, MD (before the storm hits)

Raining hard in Annapolis

Streets flooding

Leo’s evening walk is more of a swim

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19th, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th — DAY 29, 30 (Annapolis to St. Michaels, MD and enjoying St. Michaels)

We have a relatively easy day from Annapolis to St. Michaels. The bad weather has passed and the sun is shining. The wind is good so we sail and race a few other sailboats on the way  into St. Michaels. Stepping onto the deck at one point, Lee twists her foot/ankle and spends the rest of the sail below deck with ice on it. Ouch!

Looking back at Annapolis as we leave

Quaint little cottages on the shore of the Chesapeake as we pull into St. Michaels

St. Michaels definitely lives up to the claims that it is the nicest place to visit on the Chesapeake. Lovely harbour. And, the Harbor Inn and Marina where we stay has a great pool and free loaner bicycles (saves us digging our’s out of the boat locker).  We have a rest at the pool once we are settled. Lee is still hobbling around with her sore ankle, but it feels better on the bike than walking so we ride into town to have dinner at a great restaurant called the Town Dock down by the water.  More crab cakes — Lee can’t help herself!

The Harbor Inn and Marina in St. Michaels

The next day we spend checking out St. Michaels by bicycle. The town is very nice, but the traffic through the main street is a bit hectic for bike riding since it is a main thoroughfare for the area. It is another gorgeous day of sunshine and 70-80 degree F. temperatures.

Morning coffee in St. Michaels

Morning view from Silver Maple

Lunch at Foxy’s Grill (named after restaurant in the BVIs)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22nd — DAY 31, 32 (St. Michaels, MD to Solomons Island, MD and hanging out in Solomons Island)

The trip from St. Michaels to Solomons Island is a long one so we are up and on the water by 7:30AM.  Unbelievable — another beautiful morning. Its cool, but sunny. We have had incredible luck with the weather!  We do a bit of sailing, but end up powering a lot of the day. As we pull into th Patuxent River inlet, we can hear the jets over head from the nearby naval base. They are noisy but it is very cool seeing them fly overhead. Like having your own airshow.

Fishing boats on a lovely morning as we head to Solomons Island, MD

Traffic along the way (passing us) — hey, Canadians!

Sailing to Solomons Island, MD

More (huge!) traffic

More traffic

Again with the traffic! Think they are following us?

Jets overhead in Solomons Island, MD

Saturday we spend hanging out by the pool at Zahnhisers Marina (where we are staying) and ride the loaner bicycles around the town. Not really much of a town, so it is a short visit.

Bicycling in Solomons Island

Nice pool with fabulous view at Zahnhisers Marina

Hanging out at the pool

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd — DAY 33 (Solomons Island, MD to Deltaville, VA)

We hit the water just shortly after 7AM. We stay in Solomons Island Saturday not only because it was a really nice port, but also because we wanted to wait for the wind to change from the south (on our nose) to the north (at our back) which was forecast (correctly – thankfully).  Also forecast were 2 – 4 ft waves, which seem to be more on the 4ft side. Some of the crew feel a bit sea sick and we struggle to keep the boom from banging round with the waves.

The marina in Deltaville called Dossier’s is in a very nice rural spot and has a great field for Leo to run. We BBQ and eat outside on the boat with a beautiful sunset.

Another beautiful morning leaving Solomons Island, MD

Leo settling in for another day on the boat

Sailing!

Happy Captain with good sailing

Motoring. 😦

Rocky ride and feeling a bit green

View at dinner from the boat in Deltaville, VA

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th — DAY 34 (Deltaville, VA to Norfolk, VA)

The trip to Norfolk is shorter and the waves are down, so it is all-round a better day.  Just after noon, we see 4 dolphins swimming next to the boat. Our second siting on the trip!  They seem to be swimming along with us in formation. Incredible!

Heading for Norfolk, VA

Passing a lighthouse

Shortly after seeing the porpoises, the winds die so we motor in to Rebel Marina in Norfolk, VA. The marina is owned by David who had his boat, Condor,  parked next to us in Oswego, NY.  It is great to see him again.  Docked at his marina, we can see the aircraft carriers at the naval base in the distance.

Traffic as we enter Norfolk’s harbour — some of the guys on deck wave as we pass. Nice!

View of aircraft carrier from Silver Maple docked at Rebel Marina in Norfolk, VA

Leo on guard in Norfolk

David lends us his van and we head into town for some groceries and stop for a Chinese food fix.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th to THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th — DAY 35 – 37 (Norfolk, VA to Chesapeake City, VA with time parked in Chesapeake City at the Atlantic Yacht Basin)

Pulling out of Rebel Marina in Norfolk, we can see the US Naval fleet parked there. In the morning sun, even an aircraft carrier can look nice. They are huge and just amazing to see.  As we pass, we notice we have security escort following along side of us just off shore. The boat escorts us until we pass the fleet.  Near the naval docks, there is also a huge amount of ship building and support facilities. An incredible amount of activity.

Even aircraft carriers can look nice in the morning sun

Another US aircraft carrier

The fleet

We have a shadow escort along shore

By late morning, we are out of the Chesapeake Bay and start into the ICW (Inter-Coastal Waterway) which we will be on for a good part of the rest of the trip south to Florida. We hear that it gets a bit tedious from Georgia to Florida, so if the weather is good we may head back into the ocean. We will play that by ear.

In this first part of the ICW, we have to wait for a few bridges as they open and close. Some only open at certain times during the day, so we have to time arrival. We also do one last lock. It’s only a 3ft rise though — easy compared to what we’ve done on the Erie Canal. Piece of cake!

We are in the ICW!

Railway bridge raised so we can pass under

We clear some lower ones. Whew!

Our goal is to get past the Gilmore Bridge which we hear will be closed for repair early October. We don’t want to get hung up by that so we schedule a stop at the Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake City, VA. Randy wants to have a double anchor roller put on the front of the boat and a new fuel filter on the engine. It is recommended to us by our friend, Doug Wilkie, as a good place to get work done. We will be here until Saturday when we will be taking our rental car the five hour drive to Pinehurst Golf Resort & Spa for Lee’s Birthday.

Getting through the Gilmore Bridge

Atlantic Yacht Basin — where we will dock Silver Maple while drive to Pinehurst on Saturday and stay until Tuesday

Silver Maple at the Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake City, VA (at the back of the row)

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10th — DAY 20  (Brielle, NJ to Atlantic City, NJ)

When we head out on Monday morning, it is a beautiful day with the wind at our back — so we get to sail. Just off one of the points along the coast of New Jersey, we see a whale! Amazing. First time I’ve ever seen one in the wild.

Morning of departure from Brielle, NJ (with nearby draw bridge up)

The guys resting as we sail to Atlantic City

Sailing the coast of New Jersey

As we approach Atlantic City, the wind picks up and we are flying along. At one point, we hit 9 knots and break our speed record for the boat.  We are loving it!  Then suddenly, we get hit by a gust and a wave at the same time and we get knocked over. The auto-pilot that we were using at the time, kicks off. Apparently, as we discovered, there is a safety setting so when you hit a certain speed/pressure it will automatically shut off.  Good to know.

Sailing towards Atlantic City

Being relaxed and way too complacent

Approaching Atlantic City

We motor in to Atlantic City and settle at the marina at the Golden Nugget.  We are warned that crime is really high in Atlantic City so we don’t walk around. Just taxi. We have a great dinner in the restaurant at Revel (the newest casino in town) called Amada, but we are too tired to gamble (aren’t we just the party-couple!). We call it a night early.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th and WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12th — DAY 21 and 22 (Visiting Cape May, NJ — Atlantic City, NJ to Cape May, NJ with a day in Cape May)

We leave early from Atlantic City as we hear the wind will we good at the start off the day and then fade. As we are pulling out, there is a boat just in front of us. As Randy likes to say, two boats make a race!  Just as we pass them, the wind dies. We start the motor and head to Cape May, NJ.

Leaving Atlantic City. Lovely morning!

Leo is now a full-fledged, ocean-going, boat dog

Competition in front — race is on!

Passing them

Happy Captain

Cape May, NJ is a very cute town and we enjoy some riding our bikes around, eating some great meals, walking in the pedestrian mall, and seeing the beach. Really fun.

Silver Maple docked in Cape May, NJ

Biking around town

At the Cape May beach

Dinner in town

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th — DAY 23  (The longest day: Delaware Bay — Cape May, NJ to Delaware City, DE)

Our earliest start ever, we head out of Cape May at 6:30AM.  We have a really long day ahead to make it up Delaware Bay, known for being very busy with commercial traffic and being a bit busy and wavy.  Just before entering Delaware Bay, we see 3 dolphins.  Very cool!

For us, the day is calm — and very hot. We don’t meet much traffic until the afternoon, when the freighters start coming by one after the other.

Leo Leaving Cape May (wearing his life-jacket as do all good boat dogs!)

Beautiful morning for our earliest (6:30AM) start

Delaware Bay traffic

How Leo passes his longest day

It is slow going. We have 3 knots of current from the tide against us the whole day. Our plan to make it up some of the C & D Canal (we think that stands for Chesapeake and Delaware) is adjusted, and we head to Delaware City, just past the mouth of the canal. After 11 hours on the water, we are exhausted — and Leo is ready to run around in the nearby field. Romping in the grass near the places we stop, has become his most favourite thing to do.

Settled in peaceful and friendly Delaware City

The staff at Delaware City Marina are the friendliest we’ve met yet. They invite us to join them at the local restaurant call Crabby Dicks for karaoke. We head there for dinner later, but manage to avoid having to do any singing.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14th and SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15th — DAY 24 and 25  (The Chesapeake: Delaware City, DE to the Rock Hall, MD with a day in Rock Hall)

After the brutal day we’ve just had, we decide to take it easy and have a later start to make on our way to the Chesapeake.  We head up the C & D Canal and into the Chesapeake Bay. Goal is to reach the town of Rock Hall. Unfortunately, we mis-judged the additional distance we would need to go to circumvent some shallow areas in the bay, so we don’t get into the marina until after 7PM. But it is a beautiful evening and we have a great crab dinner at the restaurant called Waterman’s within walking distance of the marina.

Waiting for the railway bridge to raise on the C & D Canal

We arrive at the Chesapeake! Yeah!

How Leo passes the time until arrival (our latest)

View from Silver Maple settled in Rock Hall Harbor Landing Marina

Garlic crab feast at Waterman’s in Rock Hall harbor

The next day we move just a quarter of a mile across the bay to the marina called The Sailing Emporium. Wonderful, friendly people there. They invite us to their end of the season Dinner/Dance that night. Have a great time with our boat neighbours, Cyndy and Chuck, who helped us dock when we arrived (our first stern-in docking with pilings, no dock).

Rock Hall Harbor field for Leo

Happy to be on land!

Biking into the town of Rock Hall, MD

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th and MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th— DAY 26 and 27  (Rock Hall, MD to Annapolis, MD and hanging in Annapolis)

Leaving Rock Hall, we have a quiet and relaxed day. We have a very short trip to Annapolis, MD, so we sail most of the way even though the winds are very light. We aren’t in hurry.

Chesapeake Bay heading to Annapolis, MD

Are we there yet?

Entering Annapolis, there are sailboats every where. A beautiful sight!  We have dinner at a restaurant that Chuck and Cyndy from Rock Hall recommend, called Lewnes. It is fantastic! More crab cakes. Lee is becoming an expert, ordering them in pretty much every town.

Entering Annapolis harbor — Holy Sailboats!

Silver Maple at the Annapolis Yacht Club

Leo happy in the field at the Annapolis Yacht Club

Plan is to stay in Annapolis until Wednesday morning since some bad weather is moving in. Additionally, Randy would like to get some work done on the boat under warranty and Annapolis seems to be the center of the boating universe, so a good place to get work done. Sounds like that will happen tomorrow. While we are here, we are hoping to connect with Carla and Tracy from KPMG for a visit.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7th — DAY 17 (Liberty Landing, NJ, across from Manhattan, to Brielle, NJ)

When we pulled out of the Liberty Landing Marina, across from Manhattan, the city had soft haze over it.  It gave the skyline an eerie feel and was quite beautiful. As we entered the harbour, we turned south and passed Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It was just before 8AM and we were on the water. Once again, the ferry traffic was intense. But, the winds were calm and the waves on the harbour were low (other than the wake from the large number of boats of all sizes — freighters to small pleasure craft).

Morning coffee overlooking the New York skyline

Passing the Statue of Liberty as we go through the New York harbour

Staten Island Ferry on a beautiful morning

Managing the traffic

Heading towards the ocean!

As we pulled further from the city, the boat traffic abated. The winds began to pick up a bit and turned from being directly on the nose of Silver Maple, to something we could sail.  We put up the sails. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough wind to move much, so we went back to the motor.  As the day progressed, the winds picked up, but unfortunately they were again directly on our nose.

Finally, we are sailing!

Checking the rigging — all good

Seas start to get choppy

We figured we had about a 5 hour trip to Hoffman Marina on Manasquan inlet in Brielle, NJ.  But the head winds continued to build and the seas got rougher and rougher as the day progressed. By the last 2 hours, the waves were pounding us. Poor Leo was hanging his head over the side of the boat feeling sick. Randy took the boat off autopilot so that he could turn Silver Maple and slide sideways down the back side of the waves instead of pounding the nose of the boat into the trough between swells.  Lee sat at the back of the boat holding on to the dinghy to stop it from swinging around too much with one hand and  Leo with the other hand to keep him sitting in one place. It was intense, and although it seemed to go on for hours, it was probably just a couple of hours at its worst.  Unfortunately, along that stretch of the New Jersey coastline, there are no harbours we could fit into other than the on we were heading to in Manasquan (Brielle, NJ).

Leo doesn’t like the big waves (neither do we)

By the time we reached the opening to the inlet, were well-jostled and worn-out. But the boat functioned well and nothing seemed to be seriously out-of-place. The generator we had sitting on the bench at the back of the boat fell off the seat (no damage), but other than that, we were in good shape.

As we entered the inlet (which Randy did an incredible job threading the needle given the waves we were in), a small boat was fishing in the middle of the channel. We couldn’t believe that we were now having to manuever around them. Ugh!

The Hoffman Marina has nice new docks, but they don’t float so we got some pointers from the staff on how to tie up to them to allow the boat to go up and down with the tides. After settling Silver Maple into her spot, we sat for a bit and settled our nerves (a glass of wine for Lee and beer for Randy, rounded out with some potato chips for comfort food).

Weather the next day, was expected to be horrible with thunderstorms, so Jacquelyn and Dave drove down to get us to stay with them in Whippany, NJ for a couple of days. With Friday night traffic, the trip was an hour and a half. Ugh!  We picked up sushi at their local place and had a great evening with them. Leo, enjoyed playing with their dog, Sam’s toys.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th — DAY 18 (Jacquelyn and Dave’s in Whippany, NJ)

Very nice visit with our friends, Jacquelyn and David, son James, and dog Sam. We took the pooches for a walk through their neighbourhood on Saturday morning. It was hot humid and thunderstorms were rolling in. We watched the weather channel and saw that tornadoes were hitting New York. The rain pounded down. But, on the bright side, the forecast for Sunday was looking good for us to continue south and make our next stop, Atlantic City, about 8 hours away.

Out for a walk with the pooches

Great hosts, Jacquelyn, David and Sam at their home

We had a fabulous home-cooked Saturday dinner with Jacquelyn and David, and then they drove us back to the boat so that we could get an early start the next day. When we got back to the boat, there were no issues. It survived the storm fine. Before bed, Randy checked the weather forecast for the next day. Unfortunately, the prediction was now for 4 to 6ft seas. Wasn’t looking good.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9th — DAY 19  (Brielle, NJ)

When we got up today, there was a small craft advisory, so we decided to stay put and work around the boat.  When we were in Haverstraw, Randy noticed that the bilge pump that pumps any water out of the bottom of the boat wasn’t working. So, he spent the day trying to decode the issue with that and the stereo, which also seemed to quit around the same time. It is now Sunday afternoon.  We are going to head out to an Italian place for dinner, recommended to us by the marina. Then, fingers crossed we will be able to get out tomorrow.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6th — DAY 16 (Half Moon Bay Marina, Haverstraw Bay to New York City)

Although overcast and a few sprinkles during the day today, we made New York without incident.  The New York habour was incredibly busy with boats, ferries, helicopters overhead, sailboats… so the number of AIS signals on Silver Maple’s navigation system was crazy.  By 4PM, we were settled in the marina at Liberty Landing, very close to the Statue of Liberty.  Jacquelyn and David came in from Whippany, NJ and met us for dinner.

Lee points out first glimpse of New York skyline

Randy enjoying the view

Coming into town

New York with Manhattan on the left and New Jersey on the right

First view of the Statue of Liberty

Arriving in New York

Settled at the marina in New Jersey. Leo enjoying a rest on the deck.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4th – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th — DAYS 14, 15 (Half Moon Bay Marina – Haverstraw Bay)

On Tuesday, we moved from Haverstraw Marina across the bay, to Half Moon Bay Marina. Thunderstorms in the area, which are apparently the remnants of Hurricane Isaac, are making us hole-up here. Moving to the east side of the river allows us to take the train into the city, so we decide to meet up with Sandra Lee for dinner on Tuesday evening at the Grand Central Station Oyster Bar.

Moving from Haverstraw Marina on the west side of the Hudson River to Half Moon Bay Marina on the East side

Wednesday, we spend puttering around the boat. But now, after 3 days waiting on Haverstraw Bay on the Hudson River just north of New York City, it looks like we are getting our weather window.  The skies have finally cleared and the thunderstorms have stopped. Plan is to have a late morning start from Half Moon Bay (just north of Sing Sing – somehow fitting) tomorrow morning (Thursday) and head south to Liberty Landing Marina in New Jersey across from Manhattan. Woohoo!  After that, it is on to the ocean for the first time (that should be Friday, weather permitting).

Storms in Half Mood Bay

Rain stops long enough for a walk to breakfast and groceries

Just pouring down rain

Skies cleared this afternoon! Yeah!

Lovely evening — finally (but heat and humidity persist)

Nice enough for bike ride into town (Croton on the Hudson) for dinner

Lovely sunset — fingers crossed for fair skies tomorrow!!