Day 195 - Florence, AL
Days Events: Wx - in Harrisonburg, 80/60, whereas in Florence, AL 92/74 with sun and light winds. Travel - left the Doubletree Inn in Harrisonburg, VA at 0740, traveled 638 miles to home, Florence, AL, in 10.3 hrs; followed I-81 to Knoxville, TN, where I-40 took over through Knoxville, then I-75 to...
Day 194 - Harrisonburg, VA
Days Events: Wx - fog on departure, about 1/4-1/2 mile visibility; 49/70, light winds. Developed some rain later, but sunny arriving at Harrisonburg. Travel - left Alex.Bay at 07:45, traveled down I-81, 536 miles to Harrisonburg, VA, through 5 states [NY, PA, MD, WV, VA], arriving at 17:00 [5pm]. Tr...
Day 193 - Alexandria Bay, NY
Days Events: Wx - cloudy with possible sun in afternoon, 59/69, winds NNE 5. Photos - the Riveredge Resort with a NW view; built about 1988 and its age is starting to show; view NW along the hotel out to the Bay and the St.Lawrence R; another balcony view SW of the Riveredge harbor; a most important...
Day 192 - Alexandria Bay, NY
Days Events: Wx - cloudy, rain later, 55/65, winds NE 5. Departure Preparations: We spent our last night on D.A. and today moved to the hotel, after we picked up the Enterprise SUV in Watertown [39miles] and dropped off our local rental. Loaded our stuff into the SUV this afternoon. Have to drain th...
Day 191 - Alexandria Bay, NY
Days Events: Wx - 56/75, winds SSW 10-20, cloudy, rain likely -- not a great day for any outside work. Departure Preparations: Sorting clothes and other stuff. Cleaned the sump - found a low spot in the hose from the sink, so put some 7th Generation toilet cleaner down sink and used brush to clean r...
Day 190 - Alexandria Bay, NY
Days Events: Wx - 51/71, sunny, winds only 1-2 mph, W. Nice day, lots of boat traffic from this marina and others. Photos - several of the Service Dock with its covered section or outside dock; the 2-story building area has the oil/fluids change tanks, etc. This is the last weekend for many boaters....
Day 189 - Alexandria Bay, NY
Days Events: Wx - 51/71, partial sun, winds 5-10mph W but gusts to 15 at least. Wind and cloud and occasional rain is apparently the norm here. Storage - to answer Ernie's question, they have 8 trailers to move all the boats into their 'warehouses' and put them onto 'stands' for the winter - the boa...
Day 188 - Alexandria Bay, NY
Days Events: Wx - 59/73, sunny, winds 5-11 gusting to 20 W. To-Do Plans: Met mechanic Ken and reviewed our list; gave me advice about 'normal' oil leaks, etc, [such as the turbo housing inlet and from the CCV regulator]. Due to winds, we deferred O/F change until next Thursday; all service work, whi...
Day 187 - Alexandria Bay, NY
Days Events: Wx - forecast is amazing - 59/78, winds S 1-7, sunny. Travel - left Clayton at 08:40, traveled a long way [10 miles] in 1.3 hr, to the Horizon Marina's Thousand Is. Club on Wellesley I., across from Alexandria Bay, NY. Little boat traffic, mostly fishing runabouts; had to contest the ce...
Day 186 - Clayton, NY
Days Events: Wx - windy 15-30 SE, TSM this pm. [tomorrow, winds will be 1-2 !!] Photos - the flags at attention, which makes us glad we didn't dock at Horizon today, even with assistance! Two pale ales - Marg had Toegs Haze Charmer, from Pennsylvania; I had Smuttynose pale ale from New Hampshire; bo...
Day 185 - Clayton, NY
Days Events: Wx - 69/76, winds S 10, cloudy. Photos - Marg captured the clouds last night, as well as the marina office and flags; the Clayton Harbor Resort/Hotel - really nice spot overlooking the St. Lawrence R; a mural near the town center; we had a nice stroll around the Hotel; a new pale ale th...
Day 184 - Clayton, NY
Days Events: Wx - forecast 64/79, wds SE 8, mixed sun; waves <1 ft. SE shifting to ENE. Travel - left Oswego at 07:25, light winds off stbd stern, traveled 64 miles in 5 hrs, arriving at Clayton Harbor Municipal Marina at 12:30. Wind picked up just as we approached the marina [naturally]; a fello...
Day 183 - Oswego, NY
Days Events: Wx - forecast 61/75, winds NW 8-12, cloudy to sunny. Travel - left Brewerton at 07:50, traveled 33 miles in 6.2 hrs, arriving at Oswego Marina on L.Ontario at 14:05/2:05 pm. Wx was great, no boat traffic, but could not really go much faster than 6-8 mph due to homes with docks/boats alo...
Day 182 - Brewerton, NY
Days Events: Wx - forecast changed from yesterday to TSM, severe, with winds up to 27mph in afternoon between here and Oswego; so we decided prudence was in order and will defer travel [again] until tomorrow. Folks here were happy to have us stay another day, of course. Travel - Marg took the courte...
Day 181 - Brewerton, NY
Days Events: Wx - forecast 77/63, WNW at 4, p.cloudy. Travel - one of the nicest days we've had. Left Sylvan Beach at 07:40, cloudy, <1ft waves, traveled 22 miles over increasingly smoother water, to arrive at 10:00 at Ess-Kay Yards in Brewerton, NY. Cool and nice for traveling. Little boat traff...
Day 180 - Sylvan Beach, NY
Days Events: Wx - well, Mother Nature [i.e. God] is very obviously in control. I commented yesterday that "assuming the wx doesn't change...", etc -- well the wx did change, to rain and TSM starting at 05:00 and lasting to the afternoon; looking at the radar and I had some sphincter spasms thinking...
Day 179 - Sylvan Beach, NY
Days Events: Wx - forecast 71/54, sunny, wds W 4-13+. Travel - left Utica at 08:30, traveled 28 miles over 4.5 hr through 3 locks. The first lock was another 'Up' one, but then the next two were the beginning of 'Down' - they were 16', 25', and 25' respectively. We were in the canal the whole distan...
Day 178 - Utica, NY
Days Events: Wx - TSM rolled through at 05:00-06:00; forecast is 78/48; wds W at 5+, p.cloudy, occasional TSM. Travel - as Marg noted, decided to have Instacart deliver groceries today; arrived right on time. Marina - lines are all intact! Adjusted them though and added an opposing spring line to st...
Day 177 - Utica, NY
Days Events: Wx - forecast 66/88, fair, wds 2-7 W, Travel - decided this a.m. to go on to Utica Historic Marina - larger city and they have water hookup! Left at 09:00, traveled 31 miles in 5.8 hrs, with 5 locks - all locks were 'easy' except for the last one, E19 at Frankfort -- we had been securin...
Day 176 - St. Johnsville, NY
Days Events: Wx - 64/88, sunny, wds S 2-9mph. TSM threatened late in afternoon. Travel - a most interesting and long day. Left Schenectady at 09:00, planning to travel 26 miles to stop at the free dock on the west side of Lock 12, Tribes Hill, which was to be our 5th lock of the day; actually arrive...
Day 175 - Schenectady, NY
Days Events: Wx - forecast 62/84, wds W4, cloudy. Travel - We have begun another -- our 'final' -- phase of the season - the Erie Canal. It was built originally in 1825, but significantly altered in 1903 to be what we see today; is 340 miles, has 34 locks [we will only go through 22 of them, because...
Day 174 - Waterford Harbor Docks, NY
Days Events: Wx - forecast is 54/86, wds SW 7, sunny. Travel - left Shady Harbor Marina at 10:00, after pumping out [the marina mgr, Nick, did a great job, and rinsed twice, which made big difference in the final rinse with scant color remaining, which should help for odor also; and then we added th...
Day 169 to Day 173 - New Baltimore, NY
[Ed.note: days 169-173 summarized from original blog] Sun.Aug.16/Day 169: Wx - forecast 61/78, wds NNE 4-6, cloudy. Left Kingston at 08:25, traveled 4.1 hr, 42 mi., to New Baltimore and Donovan's Shady Harbor Marina; 61/78 with wds NNE 4-6, cloudy. No incidents and little boat traffic. Passed by co...
Day 168 - Kingston, NY
Days Events: Wx - cooling off, 85/61 forecast, mostly cloudy. Nice. Travel - we still have a tidal effect that we can feel - a 'wobbliness' even though it is mild - we are likely too sensitized to it. Although others have reported the same sensations too. Photos - took a few of the marina - the offi...
Day 167 - Kingston, NY
Days Events: Wx - forecast is 88/65, partially cloudy; should be good travel wx. Travel - left Newburgh at 09:10, with wind pushing us downriver and into dock and current pushing upriver; a boating neighbor assisted by throwing the spring line to us and we had no trouble backing upstream against the...
Day 166 - Newburgh, NY
Days Events: Wx - cloudy, cooler, 64/86 forecast; a pleasant travel day. Travel - left Croton at 09:30, cruised 3 hrs upriver to Newburgh, arriving at Riverfront Marina at 12:30. They had a wee bit of current [3mph] which made for some interesting docking but fortunately all went well - they placed...
Day 165 - Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Days Events: Wx - hot and humid. Mild winds. Travel - Marg grabbed Uber to get groceries. Photos - one from the hill [at gate to condos and the Uber drop-off] is quite picturesque looking West over the marina; a South view of the condos beside the marina; night without the bright NYC lights; one I j...
Day 164 - Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Days Events: Wx - forecast 75/88 but with a heat advisory. Partial sun. Humid! Trave l - we left Liberty Landing at 10:30, hazy, and hot already. The Hudson River was quiet! Very little boat traffic - we were waked only once, by a 100ft cruiser; saw '0' commercial traffic except for a few ferry boat...
Day 163 - Liberty Landing Marina, Jersey City, NJ
Days Events: Wx - A great travel day - 73/94 forecast, bit humid of course, winds WSW 4-5mph, sunny. Travel - we left Raritan Bay marina [after a nice quiet night without any wave/wake chop!!] at 11:10 - due to the high tide 13:30/1:30 and dockmaster encouraging us due to the shallow inlet only had...
Day 162 - Raritan Marina, Raritan Bay, NJ
Days Events: Wx - great! Forecast 72/82, sunny, wds WSW 3, waves SE 2ft. Travel - a good open ocean cruise; still swells off the stbd stern but tolerable - we now admit we are seawater wimps! Left Hoffmans at 07:55, followed Loop buddies in GarNak at 11 mph about 1-2 mile offshore; there was a fishi...
Day 161 - Manasquan, NJ
Days Events: Wx - cloudy, 68/78 forecast. Foggy early a.m. Then sunny. Marina - busy place; not only a large boatyard, they have restaurants, townhouses [see photos], yacht sales, great ships store. Photos - one of a boat passing through the VERY narrow channel under the RR drawbridge - it is a one...
Day 160 - Manasquan, NJ
Days Events: Wx - cloudy, raining most of day; forecast 73/78; peaceful most of morning till rain started. Definitely cooler which makes traveling much more enjoyable. Travel - left Atlantic City at 07:30, with recent buddy boat loopers in GarNac [short for Gary & Nancy - from Ottawa, ON !] followin...
Day 159 - Atlantic City, NJ
Here we go again!! This will be another ongoing report due to severe wx - again. 08:00 - Had planned to leave at 06:30 but fog thick. Wx forecast big change with severe TSM warning starting about 08:00 for all morning; radar not very encouraging. And, it has started - dark as sin, winds 15-20mph, ra...
Day 158 - Cape May, NJ
Days Events: Post-hurricane comments from Admiral - Thanks to everyone that followed us yesterday. It was a long stressful day and knowing you were there was comforting. Even when we thought the big event was over another round of heavy wind would hit us. And from a different direction! We are grate...
Day 157 - Cape May, NJ
Days Events: Will make this a 'running' commentary with postings every few hours, since we have nothing else to do today except watch the wind! 05:00 - the forecast remains a tropical storm - winds predicted as sustained 37mph with gusts to 73mph peaking mid-afternoon. Right now, SSE 11mph, 76 degre...
Day 156 - Cape May, NJ
Days Events: Wx - a quiet wind day! Forecast is only 6-13 mph S/SSW/SSE. Temp 78/84. Tomorrow will be the bigger winds, starting early a.m. but only rising to 35-40mph sustained; with higher gusts possible to 70mph however. Storm Prep - Although looks like the storm will be less than originally pred...
Day 155 - Cape May, NJ
Days Events: Wx - winds SE 10-25kn, with SCA [Small Craft Advisory] in effect tonight; temps 78/87. Tuesday is 'D-Day' though. Storm Prep - adding 3 forward spring lines on each side [prevent going aft from SE winds] and a couple in opposite direction for stabilization, plus bow and spring stern lin...
Day 151 to Day 154 - Cape May, NJ
[Ed.Note: Days 151-154 summarized from original blog; hurricane days 155-158 remain as originals] Wed.Jul.29/Day 151: Wx sunny, 76/87, winds NW - W @ 4-9mph. Left at 07:40, arriving at Utsch’s Marina at 12:25, at the east end of Cape May canal, 4mi.inland; 61 miles in 5.1 hrs, @2200 rpm the whole...
Day 150 - Delaware City, DE
Days Events: Wx - heat advisory today, again. Marina - watched a 32' boat leave this a.m. at 06:30 - he was tied up stbd with bow away from the ebb tide current, which was 1mph at that time; tried to pivot his bow out from dock but current pushed him into a catamaran docked immediately downstream fr...
Day 149 - Delaware City Marina, DE
Events of Day: Wx - hot and humid again 76/96; winds 3-6mph; 89-57% humidity. Sunny. Travel - left Bohemia Bay at 07:05, traveling at 9mph avg, arriving at 10:30 at Delaware City Marina [we wanted to get there at 'slack' tide]. No boat traffic until the last few miles and then only a few runabouts,...
Day 148 - Bohemia Bay
Days Events: Wx - no change. A sauna by any other name... Marina - A quiet night, but wkend traffic increases and makes it choppy; made all 3 fenders into 'fender boards' and tighten spring lines to stop bouncing; we can still move with the tides but now maintaining contact on pilings so we don't 'b...
Day 147 - Bohemia Bay, Chesapeake City, MD
Days Events: Wx - "great" day; 73/86, overcast until about 1pm; humidity only 97% initially; but, winds only 1-4mph; Travel - fog greeted us at first light but burned off before planned departure [see photo]; traveled 42 miles in 4.3hr to Bohemia Bay Yacht Harbor; lots of boat traffic - confirmed wh...
Day 146 - Osprey Pt., MD
Days Events: Wx - 73/82 - almost cool! Except humidity 98% after raining all night and was supposed to continue off and on today; but have had nothing. Waters calm though, which is a nice change from the constant rocking we've had since being on the East coast. Shopping - I took my e-bike into town,...
Day 145 - Osprey Point
Days Events: Wx - great! 73/89, winds SW 3, partial sun, waves SW <1ft. Travel - left Horn Point at 08:20, traveled at 8mph, arriving at Osprey Pt. at 11:30. Considered challenging a 1043' cargo container approaching us at 16mph just after we crossed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge; decided to go...
Day 144 - Horn Pt. Annapolis, MD
Days Events: Wx - TSM last night; today 75/91, humid of course. Marina - remains choppy, constantly, although last night was relatively calm. Changed the aft fender to a horizontal orientation [i.e. now a 'board']; tightened the stern spring line and we seem to be rolling a bit less, per the boss. O...
Day 143 - Annapolis, MD
Days Events: Wx - hot and humid!! 77/95, winds NNE 4-5mph, sunny. Travel - left at 08:20 after a wee shock when the stbd engine wouldn't start???!!! checked the battery switches, the fuel solenoid switch, the ignition switch, etc.; had power to the key/switch but no engine turnover. Hmmm. Panic city...
Day 139 to Day 142 - Oxford, MD Safe Harbor Marina
[Ed.note: Days 139-142 summarized from original blog.] Fri.Jul.17/Day 139: 76/94, 89%, hot and humid, wds 5-9SSW; left 0740, pivoting into wind, travelled 38mi. with some 2-3’ waves briefly, total 4.2hr, arrived 11:40 at Safe Harbor Oxford marina, which is under major renovation, so we were docked...
Day 136, 137, 138 - Solomons Island, MD, Spring Cove Marina
[Ed.note: Days 136-138 summarized from original blog.] Tues.Jul.14/Day 136: left 0730 to avoid mid-day winds 7-12mph; sunny, 70/88; travelled 48mi. in 5hrs, arriving at 1230 and now in MD; large freighter and a USCG cutter passed us; noted large naval simulation/air support station. Marina larger wi...
Day 135 - Ingram Bay, VA
Days Events: Wx /Travel - TSM on radar, and on horizon, forecast from 0800 to 10:15, from Deltaville to the Potomac River; waited for storms to blow through and left at 10:40, traveled 24 miles in 3.0 hr, to Ingram Bay Marina, on Wicomico River. Sl. overcast, <1ft waves on the bow. Little traffic...
Day 134 - Deltaville, VA
Events today: Wx - no change from yesterday. Travel - none; stayed on board, worked. Or read. Marg took the courtesy car to get groceries. The marina, like the others we have been at, are busy; and this is one of the best. Reading - working on Larson's book about Churchill and WW2 - excellent summar...
Day 133 - Deltaville, VA
Days Events: Wx - 72/94, wds SW 7, hot/humid. Travel - left York R. at 07:40, cruised 36 miles in 3.7 hr arriving at Deltaville at 11:30, averaged 10 mph, swinging wide around two points to avoid the shallow spits - adds a few miles, but better than running aground after allowing oneself to be decei...
Day 128 to Day 132 - Gloucester Pt, VA - York R. Yacht Haven
[Ed.Note: Days 128-132 summarized from original blog.] Mon.Jul.6/Day 128: hot & humid, 73/93. Left Waterside at 07:40, light S winds. Stayed on far side of channel going by Navy yards [sentries on ships and patrol boats!]. Norwegian Cruise ships sitting idle. Lots of boat traffic. Arrived at York R....
Day123 to Day 127- Norfolk, VA
[Ed.note: Days 123-127 summarized from original blog.] Wed.Jul.1/Day 123: Marg: Yesterday was a long day and the final 10 mile leg into Norfolk was intense, navigating through a maze of huge naval operations, commercial/industrial operations, boats including pleasure craft, barges, cargo ships, n...
Day 122 - Norfolk VA & Dismal Swamp
Days Events: Greetings all from Virginia!! It feels like progress when we cross into a new state. And, we've never been to Virginia before. The Great Dismal Canal: We departed 06:30 to time our arrivals thru the entry lock and bridge [a 2hr leg]. The Dismal Swamp canal was first conceived of in 1728...
Day 121 - Camden, NC
Days Events: Wx - beautiful sunrise - see photos. Forecast sunny, 71/89, 88% humidity, wds W @ 5-10. Travel - they either lied, or we misinterpreted the forecast; or the hand of God wanted to teach us another lesson in humility! And, needless to say, 'fetch' is indeed important! We left at 07:10, li...
Day 120 - Alligator River Marina, NC
Days Events: Wx - warm 73/92, humid [what's new!], slight overcast, winds W 5-10+. Has been hazy all day - the DNR/wx channel has an Air Quality Alert/advisory out related to the Saharan Desert Plume/Air Layer now here which is affecting breathing, until Monday. Travel - left River Forest at 07:50 w...
Day 119 - Belhaven NC, River Forest Manor/Marina
Days Events: Wx - 73/89, humid, mixed cloud, wds SW 5-10mph. Belhaven - we took the courtesy golf cart and drove downtown, about 4 blks, to the ACE Hardware (Riddick & Windley) for some bug spray and some diesel engine oil; then, stopped for brunch at Spoon River Artworks & Market Restaurant , and w...
Day 118 - River Forest Manor & Marina
Days Events: Wx - sunny, humid, warm 71/86, winds NW 6-9mph. Thank goodness for the pilothouse and a/c. Travel - we left at 07:30, arriving at Belhaven at 15:05/3:05, 7.6 hrs and 68 miles later. Had a bit of wind when we left and we were in a rather tight channel in the marina, with a large boat bow...
Day 114 to Day 117 - Beaufort, NC
[Ed.note: Days 114-117 are summaries of original blog.] Mon.Jun.22/Day 114: Wx 69/84, humid, sunny, 3-16SW. Left Harbor Village at 0745, 65mi. to Beaufort Docks Marina, 6.3hr, 10mph avg, little traffic. Only 1 swing bridge. Went by Camp Lejeune, the marines training base, with its live fire range;...
Day 113 - Hampstead, NC
Days Events: wx - nice, sunny, 69/84, winds SE 5-8. Travel - crazy! We left St. James Marina at 08:10 and within 1-2 hours, especially after we left the Cape Fear River, there were boats passing us in both directions, constantly. It only worsened and the ICW was choppy all day from so much boat traf...
Day 112 - St. James Marina, Southport, NC
Days Events: Food - Marg Ubered to another Publix, this one only 3 wks old. A few masks and the usual Publix distancing was found. Water tank filled. We alternate the two tanks, via valves in the Utility Room, which keeps the water fresh. Swim Platform - the swim platform becomes brown from the wate...
Day 111 - Southport, NC
Days Events: Wx - nice, 70-80, sunny, some clouds threatening in afternoon but nothing happened. Winds SE 8 as day progressed. Travel - left Osprey at 07:50, no wind, peaceful, cruised 58 miles to St.James Plantation Marina, arriving 15:15/3:15, so 7.4 hr, avg 8mph. It was often busy with boats, esp...
Day 110 - Myrtle Beach, SC
Days Events: Wx - perfect - sunny, 72, little wind, smooth water. See photos. Travel - left Georgetown at 09:15, having to use a pivot/spring line on the stern so we could pivot the bow out and avoid hitting a large catamarran docked in front of us, on the face dock; arriving at Myrtle Beach, Osprey...
Day 109 - Georgetown, SC
Days Events: Wx - cloudy until arrived in Georgetown and sun appeared! Temp in upper 60's, cool, pleasant; little wind. Travel - left Charleston at 07:25 with winds WNW at 3mph; travelled 65 miles, for 7.5 hr, averaging 9mph, due to having ebb tide current with us for a fair bit. Great day on the wa...
Days 106, 107, 108 - Charleston, SC
[Ed.Note: Charleston days 106, 107, 108 summarized below, from original blog.] Sun.Jun.14/Day 106: Had a most unfortunate experience as departing in wind & current when stbd throttle locked up and control lost causing us to hit a 16’ jon boat with our swim platform and we ended up ‘stranded’ on the...
Day 105 - Charleston's Carolina Yacht Club
Days Events: Wx: coolish in 70's, but windy to 15mph, cloudy, choppy waves. Travel: left St.Johns Y.Harbor at 11:30 with wind against us in the slip and rising tide pushing us forward; had 3 fellows helping on the lines to keep us alongside the dock until we were past the end and wouldn't blow into...
Day 104 - St.Johns Y. H., Charleston
Days Events: Wx - stormy most of day; cloudy; temp 75-80, humid as usual; flood warnings here. Tourist - had booked a carriage tour of old city but wx interfered and we cancelled. Will try for their DASH bus downtown tomorrow, where one can get off/on at several stops and it is free. Shopping - I to...
Day 103 - St.Johns Y.H., Charleston, SC
Day's Events: Wx - cloudy, humid, 80's [feels like 90's], rain off and on. Winds remain brisk, causing quite a bit of 'chop' which keeps us 'rockin'/rollin' most of the time, which in turn causes some near-vertigo, but today we both are affected. Despite 3 mo. on the boat, our brains haven't adapted...
Day 102 - St.Johns Yacht Harbor, Charleston, SC
Days Events: The Significant Event - there were NO significant events - and that is significant! per the Admiral. Wx - great, partially sunny, hot and humid, little wind. Travel - we left at 07:50, 64 miles, arrived in St.Johns Yacht Harbor at 14:30 for 6.8 hrs; little boat traffic, only had to pass...
Day 101 - Beaufort, SC
Day's Events: Wx - sunny, warm 80's, humid; no rain. Shopping - borrowed the courtesy car and dropped Marg at Publix while I ran into Walmart for wiper blade replacements and female hose connectors; in Walmart, the majority of customers wore masks as did the staff; Marg said in Publix only 1/10 wore...
Day 100 - Beaufort, SC
Days Events: Wx - cloudy, occasional rain, T - 84 [feels 94], humid. Tourist - borrowed marinas courtesy car and looked at the Spanish Moss Trail - several miles of hiking/biking on a paved surface, with lots of live Oaks/moss visible along the way; we just stopped at two of their parking access poi...
Day 99 - Beaufort, SC
Days Events: Wx - started in fine rain but settled to just clouds; warm in the 80's; winds 5-10. No problems. Nice travelling. Travel - left Thunderbolt at 08:25, arriving in Beaufort, SC, Lady's I. Marina, at 13:55, 47 miles/80km over 5.5hr. No bridges to deal with. Had one concern at Fields Cut ,...
Day 98 - Thunderbolt, GA
Day's Events: Wx - high of 85F forecast [but feels like 89 in a.m.], humidity 66%, Wds WSW 7, mostly cloudy, possible TSM. Laundry - Marg took the sheets to their laundromat, close by, with her bag of quarters; nice and clean. Planning travel days - friend Duane McMartney asked how we plan our days,...
Day 97 - Thunderbolt, GA
Events of the Day: Wx - Mostly cloudy, but pleasant; no rain. T = 90F+. Humid - what's new. Wind only 4-8 mph. Travel - Passed through 'Hell Gate', called such because many have run aground if not paying attention to staying within the channel. Passed one sailboat, same one as yesterday; had a coupl...
Day 96 - Sunbury Harbor Crab Co Restaurant & Marina,
Events of Day: Wx - started out in a fine drizzle, but forecast said that was all; lied; 3 miles into the bay and rain and some TSM started in earnest, such that we couldn't see much and had to rely on our electronic navigation line, etc. to go from one channel marker to the next. Had to have our na...
Day 95 - Brunswick Landing Marina
Day's Events/Non-mechanical: Wx - great sunrise [see photo]. Temp in 80's but humidity 80-90% range. Sunny until mid afternoon and now clouds. Hair color - Marg decided there was too much gray visible and now looks more like her usual, younger self. Uber to Publix - Marg made her solo run, preferred...
Day 94 - Brunswick Landing Marina, Brunswick, GA
Events of the Day: Travel - Left at 09:30. Their Pumpout boat wasn't available, so we deferred the PO until Brunswick. Sunrise was nice [see photos]. Departing dock bit tricky due to easterly wind pushing us against it and us being tight between other boats. New looper friends helped to control a bo...
Day 93 - Fernandina Harbor Marina, Fernandina Beach
Events Today: Wx & Travel - we debated travelling due to forecast winds 15-25mph with gusts to 35. Checked with the marina in Fernandina and since the wind was easterly, the marina was protected, and there is only a 'face' dock for transients - face docking is easier in a wind [certainly for me]. So...
Day 92 - St. Augustine
Day's Events: Wx - nice all day, 85F, mild winds, clear skies. Taxi blow-out - Took the two batteries back to NAPA for recycling refund and dropped the SUV off at Budget. My taxi coming to bring me back here blew a tire driving to get me so I had to call another; but, since I am retired now, time is...
Day 91 - St. Augustine
An Eventful Day: Wx - no change: warm, humid, sunny, TSM possible this evening - basically same lately! Shopping/Tourism - we rented an SUV [nothing else available] from Budget x 24hrs for our own touring and several shopping stops. Got groceries [WinnDixie], refreshments [ABC wines/spirits - v.inex...
Day 90 - To St.Augustine, FL
EVENTS TODAY/non-mechanical: Wx - sunny, little wind, 85F; TSM as approached St.Augustine but the gods were on our side and it missed us. Travel - a pleasure boating with not as many and only 1 instance of waking; lots of different terrain and homes - see photos. The Rivers Edge Marina is close to d...
Day 84 to Day 89 - Daytona Marina, Daytona Beach, FL
[Ed.note: original blog summarized below from May 23-29] Sat.May 23/Day 84: Left Cocoa at 06:50 with beautiful sunrise [see photo] but wind gust required more power to the port engine as existed marina channel. A long day with many boaters, cutting in front of us frequently, until we arrived 2:30pm...
Day 83 - Cocoa Village Marina, Cocoa, FL
Events Non-mechanical: Travel - left Sebastian just before 08:00; great sunrise photo! Followed AICW [Atlantic IntraCoastal Waterway] for only 36 miles to Cocoa Village Marina, Cocoa, arriving at 11:40. Really nice marina and staff who guided us in and helped tie up; had a bit of wind both departing...
Day 81, 82 - Sebastian, FL
[Ed.note - May 20-21 have been summarized from original blog.] Wed.May 20/Day 81: Left Sunset Bay Marina at 07:50, travelled 61 miles to Sebastian River Marina and Boat Yard at 14:30/2:30pm – primarily a ‘working’ yard with 60 slips and only 4 transients. Only 1 bridge to call. Lots of boats Rea...
Day 80 - Stuart, FL
Events of the Day: Some folks might be 'less interested' in maintenance related issues, so I'm going to divide everything into 'Mechanical' and 'Non-mechanical', and if you are not interested in my maintenance related ramblings, it will be easier to skip over! MECHANICAL: [ie. probably interesting a...
Day 79 - Stuart, FL
Event of Day: Travel: We left at 06:50 this a.m. to cross L. Okeechobee and had a great travel day with minimal winds, some pleasant cloud cover, all the way to Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart, on the East coast, 57 miles away; took us 6.5 hrs and we were anxious about getting tied down before a major T...
Day 78 - Clewiston, FL
Events of the Day: [NOTE: wifi too erratic, so I will upload the photos tomorrow when we have better connectivity.] Traveled 69 miles to Clewiston, Roland & Mary Ann Martins Marina, on the western shore of L. Okeechobee. Took 7.6 hrs, three locks, and 1 swing bridge. A swing bridge is one which pivo...
Day 71 - Day 77: Legacy Harbor Marina, Ft. Myers, FL
[Ed.Note: the week of May 10 to 16 has been summarized below, similar to the OBM and Demopolis summaries.] Sun. May 10 Day 71: Left Boca Grande at 08:20 into a 12-15 mph east wind; a dull, cloudy day, some choppy 2-3 ft waves with salt spray over the boat, but relatively calm after the first hal...
Day 70 - Boca Grande, FL
Events of the Day: Busy GICW [Gulf InraCoastal Waterway]: There is one photo showing at least 12 boats ahead of us, and more aft. It was crazy; they all passed us without significant waking, although we learned to turn into the wake at 45 degrees asap. Most are runabouts that travel at 20-25 mph or...
Day 67, 68, 69 - Marina Jack, Sarasota, FL
[Ed.note: Sarasota/Marina Jack for May 6,7,8 summarized from original blog.] Wed.May 6/Day67: Leaving Tarpon Springs, forgot to pull up a fender but recovered it shortly after it floated off! The FICW is crowded with homes, apartments, docks, etc. and speed limits are posted on markers. Lots of ma...
Day 66 - Tarpon Springs, FL
EVENT OF THE DAY!! Woke this a.m. at 04:30 to a different view from my porthole - we had obviously swung around! Also, noticed we weren't rolling like we had though still felt choppy slaps from the water. Went up to see what was in the works. Bow now pointed East - was West when went to bed. Anchor...
Day 65 - Crystal River, anchorage
Event of the Day: The weather forecast said winds <1ft and winds 5-10kn. They lied. Left Sea Hag in beautiful sun, cool, winds 5, at 07:50 and back into Gulf; as soon as left the river channel [5miles], the waves were 1-3 ft off our starboard beam, so we rocked for awhile, until made the turn 10...
Day 64 - Steinhatchee, FL
Several momentous EVENTS of the DAYS: 1st: we crossed the Gulf of Mexico without a problem. Many folks have had to wait up to a week for favorable weather, but we had been watching the forecasts and it favored us today. Sunny, minimal wind, smooth surface except for the mid-portion when we had about...
Day 62-63, Carrabelle, FL
Didn't post anything yesterday, because no cell service on Saul Creek, north of Appalachicola. Events yesterday, Friday, May 1: Our two anchors worked well to stop the swing and rocking - too well!!! We couldn't retrieve the stern anchor; likely stuck too deep in the mud and even with backwards powe...
Day 61 - Choctawatchee Bay/Bridge Anchorage
Events of the Day: Finally on the water and all electronics worked. Wind at our stern, 10-20 mph, waves 1-2 ft on Choctawatchee Lake. We cruised at 11mph most of the time except for the 'no wake' or 'idle speed' zones at 7-9 mph. Miss Marg yelled at a big fishing yacht who 'waked' us, suggesting he...
Day 60 - OBM
Events of the Day: This is our last posting from OBM. We paid our fees and in the morning head for Carrabelle, FL, with two nights anchoring before we arrive there Saturday to a reserved slip - and several packages from Amazon. Weather looks good for the travel. We will be sad to leave this great ma...
Day 59 - OBM
Event of the Day: our HP printer is driving us crazy; sometimes it will connect [direct wifi connection, not via a dockside or community wifi], sometimes it won't; Marg was getting quite perturbed, so I came and offered help and it worked - really 'perturbed' then. Then, I was having trouble printin...
Day 52 to Day 58 - OBM
Wk 5 – Mon.Apr.20/Day 51 to Sun.Apr.27/Day 57: Paid for the work done by SYW! $$$ Took the Portabote motor off the dinghy transom and laid it in the dinghy. We found our WiFi connections were erratic and worked on how to improve it. Our sump float jammed causing an overflow and empha...
Day 44 to Day 50 - SYW & Gulf Shores
Wk 4 – Mon.Apr.13/Day 44 to Sun.Apr.19/Day 50: Almost daily trips to the grocery store [Publix or Rouses] and prepared for the boat going back in the water and to OBM. A notable event. Life is truly a circle: we start out in diapers and end up in them. When potty training, we are fascinated...
Day 37 to Day 43 - Saunders Yachtworks, Gulf Shores, AL
Wk 3 – Mon.Apr.6/Day 37 to Sun.Apr.12/Day 43: D.A. hauled out at Saunders Yachtworks and we moved into the Hampton Inn in Gulf Shores, with only 2 or 3 other rooms being occupied due to Covid. Rented a car for the week to go for groceries and to the hardware, etc [still only about 10%...
Day 30 to Day 36 - OBM
Wk 2 – Mon.Mar.30/Day 30 to Sun.Apr.5/Day 36: Realized that after a month away we are still only a 7 hr drive from home! Photo of the holding tank and contents prior to pumpout. Noted our daily ‘sniff test’ related to the VacuFlush system we decided. Got some anti-oxidant grease from hardwar...
Day 21 to Day 29 - Orange Beach Marina, FL
[Ed.Note: our stay at OBM has been summarized by weeks from the original blog, from Mar.21 through May 1] Wk 1 – Sat.Mar.21/Day 21 to Sun.Mar.29/Day 29: Sat.Mar.21/Day 21: Left Dog R. at 07:15 in light chop, N.winds, for first 10 mi., crossing Mobile Bay 25 mi.SE to Oyster Bay and ICW [see photos],...
Day 18, 19, 20 - Dog River Marina, Mobile
[Ed. Note: Days 18, 19, 20 in Dog River Marina summarized below from original blog.] Wed.Mar.18/Day 18: After great night with no movement of anchor, fog delayed leaving until 08:00. Many tows/barges and we had only one bridge needing raising for us and two tows waiting. Mobile harbor interesting...
Day 17 - Anchored at m.16, Mobile River
We left at 07:30 just behind a tow/barge. The lock only has a 5ft drop right now due to the flooding, so turnaround time is fast. The normal drop is 34 ft - telling us there is 29 feet of flooding downstream yet; supported by fact there are almost no buoys to give boaters directions where the channe...
Day 16 - Bobby's Fish Camp
Left Demopolis at 08:45 - waited for a tow/barge to go through [see photo of tow in front of Marina entrance heading for the lock; also photo of buddy boat Manifest as Lock opening]. After that, great travel day [photo of Manifest - waters smooth; also evidence of flood, with 'steps' going up shore...
Day 9 to Day 15 Demopolis
Ed.Note: Days 9 to 15 in Demopolis are summarized from the original blog. Mon.Mar.9: Realized we’ve been on the water for the past 9 days and only a 3 hr drive from Florence!! Decided to remain here for few days due to high water flooding/current with more debris; at least until flood gauge at Coff...
Day 8 - Demopolis, AL
Day 8 - we left Sumpter Landing anchorage at 08:10, our party of 2 boats with Doc's Aweigh 'breaking trail', and cruised 54 miles to Demopolis, going through only 1 lock, Heflin. Just below the lock, although the river's flood stage had passed, there remained lots of flooding downstream to Demopolis...
Day 7 - Sumpter Recreation Area/Landing
Saturday, Mar. 7, we left Columbus with a Looper 'buddy' boat, the Manifest [Tom and Phyllis Hedge, from San Diego], a 1989 42 ft Cruiser Express Bridge, at 08:30 and had a great trip down to the anchorage at the State Park of Sumpter Landing, travelling about 10mph, and passing through 2 locks with...
Days 4,5,6, Columbus, MS
[Ed.Note: our 3 days at Columbus have been summarized from the original blog.] Wed.Mar.4/Day 4: Decided to stay several days due to poor wx forecast. Took well used courtesy van to Walmart/Lowes for tarp and plastic to cover dinghy, and groceries; and to ‘ Hucks ’ restaurant. Met new Looper fr...
Day 1, 2, 3
We are nothing if not adaptable! We said we were leaving Mon.Mar.2 to wait for the flooding and debris to clear. Then, big weather prediction on Sat.Feb.29 said severe wx [weather] starting Tues. Mar.3 w/ flooding anticipated across the SE region. Possible closure again of locks, etc so we made an e...
In the beginning...
Ed.Note: We started this 'journey' in the fall of 2018 when the Admiral suggested we should consider it! We joined the AGLCA [Americas Great Loop Cruisers Association] that fall and went to one of their conferences in Fort Myers, FL in January 2019; where we simultaineously looked at a boat specific...