Close quarters in Myrtle Beach

Washington, DC will be our home for the month of May.  We arrived at Gangplank Marina just steps from all that DC has to offer after a mostly uneventful but quick cruise north.

Staci successfully completed the car tango and flew back to the boat in Stuart.  We turned in the rental she used to get from the airport back to the boat and fired up the engines.  We eased out of our slip and headed for points north.

After going about 100 yards, we sat and sat and waited for the Florida East Coast railroad bridge.  It closed seconds after we cast off lines.  While the bridgetender at the adjacent Roosevelt Bridge can be cranky, he will usually get you through pretty quickly.  The railroad bridge is another matter.  It closes at least 10-15 mintes before a train is due and you just sit and wait and circle and wait some more.  The bridge finally went up and we got underway again.

Day one took us to the anchorage at the Palm Shore bridge.  This is north of Melbourne and provides decent shelter from either north or south winds.  You just pick your side.  It was a quiet evening.  We were immediately struck by the fact that we didn’t see any other cruisers all day.  Were we early? Late?

The next day we moved on to the Addison Point bridge anchorage.  We had dolphins with us all day and Piper, who doesn’t forget anything, immediately complained that we still hadn’t gotten her one to keep on board.  She scurries all over the boat trying to get the best vantage point.  When the dolphins get tired of following, Piper vigilantly lies by the window in the hopes that she will hear the telltale splashing sounds that signal their return.

From Addison Point, it was on to Palm Coast.  We had good tides throughout the usual shoals that plague the Ponce Inlet area near New Smyrna Beach.  Still, we did not want to repeat last year’s mistake so we crept passed the danger zone and sighed in relief when we found the deepest water. Thank you Active Captain.

We wanted to stop in Fernandina Beach, but the MTOA (Marine Trawler Owners Association) had pretty much taken over the town for its Spring Rendezvous.  As non-members, we couldn’t get in.  Instead, we stopped short of Fernandina at the Amelia Island Yacht Basin.  We made the dangerous walk along a very busy road with no shoulder to nearby Barbara Jeans restaurant for lunch and were quickly reminded for about the tenth time that we really don’t like it.  We’ve vowed to finally stop going there.  Really.

As we cruised past the Fernandina marina the next morning, we noted a large number of empty spots on the docks.  We’re not sure why they told us they had no room for a one night stay when they clearly they did.  Continuing on we moved north behind Cumberland Island, out into the ocean for the brief transit of St. Andrew’s Sound and then through the shallows at Jekyll Island near low tide.  It was slow going and there wasn’t much water but there was enough for us.

The anchor went down on Buckhead Creek after a long day.  Happily, the no-see-ems weren’t out and we enjoyed a quiet evening with just one other boat in the anchorage.  For days we’ve felt like nobody was going north but us.

From Buckhead Creek, it was another long day to Datha Island.  We’ve enjoyed stopping here the last couple of cruising seasons.  The marina is nice, the restaurant is pretty good (free wine for transients!) and it is well protected from the southerly breezes that are beginning to pipe up most afternoons.

North of Charleston, we found our usual  anchorage at Dewees Creek to be wide-open.  We set the hook in 25′ of water and marked the second anniversary since the tug Maverick passed us here. (See the log entry for April, 2010 for the gory details.)

We made a long day to get to Myrtle Beach and then planted to wait for the weather to improve, hire a diver, and get Staci to the eye doctor to check out a small irritating bump under her lid.  Happily it was just a stye that resolved itself in a couple of days.

The diver was hired to help resolve a number of mysterious and very expensive sounding “thunks” we ‘ve had while underway the last couple of days.   We’re cruising along at 9 knots with normal engine temperatures, normal oil pressure and normal transmission temperatures.  All of a sudden a very loud “thunk” occurs that makes me immediately think that I’ve run over a crab pot float while playing with my iPad. I immediately put the engines in neutral while Staci dashes to the back of the boat to see what pops out.  Nothing.  Everything still runs fine – normal speed, temps, no vibrations, etc.  No missing parts in the engine room. Everything was fine for 5 or 6 hours and then the same thing happened again.  The next day, the same thing happened twice; once in the AM and once in the PM.  Never did we see any debris behind the boat (nor in front of us before the noise).

At this point, I’m convinced I couldn’t possibly be hitting that many submerged objects and start to worry about the remnants of the 401K.  Surely a prop/shaft is ready to fall off or else we’re dragging along the remains of a stabilizer fin that I somehow managed to demolish.  We talked about getting the boat hauled to take a look but decided a diver would be a better (read less expensive) first step.

The marina found us a diver who showed up at the boat only to tell us that he had left the keys to his dive locker, with all the necessary equipment inside, some 30 minutes away.  It was close to sunset so we agreed that he would free dive before the light completely disappeared and depending on what he saw, come back the next morning.

We held our breath, as did he, waiting for him to surface.  After several deep breaths and repeated dives, he reported that everything looked fine – nothing wrapped around the shafts, no obstructions, etc.   We decided to continue on the next morning.

The next two days, all was quiet.  On the third day, the thunk returned.  You don’t know how happy we were to find a crab trap float in our wake.  The rest of our trip north was thunk free.  I think several things could have been going on.  This stretch of the waterway is characterized by very strong tidal currents.  It’s possible that trap floats were being sucked under the water and made invisible.  It’s also possible that there were submerged logs that were completely below the waterline.  Tsunami debris from Japan could have also worked its way into the ICW. Right.

We had planned on getting hauled this summer for bottom paint, shaft alignments and prop balancing anyway, so it will be interesting to see what dings there are down below.  In over nine years as full time liveaboards, we have never made the 1,000+ mile trip north or south without one or two trap float encounters.  This has been the first time we’ve had so many thunks in just a couple of days with no visible evidence that we had hit anything except the last time.

Thunk free, we worked our way through North Carolina with a stop in Oriental.  We waited out a gale there and then moved down the Neuse River and across Albemarle Sound to Coinjock.  From there it was on to Portsmouth and the Bay.

Our first stop  was Horseshoe Cove on the St. Mary’s River just off the Potomac.  We anchored in front of the sailing center at St. Mary’s College.  It was a delightful spot and the air was still and crisp.

Another fifty miles took us to an anchorage on the Port Tobacco River.  These were new waters for us and we marveled at the width of the Potomac (not as wide as the Neuse though) and the small towns along the way.  We were also surprised by how shallow the tributaries are.  There were a number of interesting places we would have liked to have visited but there was not enough water to safely see us in.

Soon the country gave way to the city and we had DC in sight.  We are now at Gangplank Marina and having a great time.   We’ve been to DC many times by car but this is our first time by boat.  Once we get a few boat and bowl business chores out of the way, we plan on doing 2 or 3 real touristy things every week.  Weekends will be devoted to replenishing the cruising kitty.  Staci has been accepted to 8 out of the 10 higher-end fine art shows she has applied to.  She’s wait-listed at the other two.

Updates to follow.

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Tapestry and Solveig IV

We have arrived back in Stuart after a great winter in Marathon.  Our cruise north is starting much earlier than we had planned because Staci has been accepted to some first class art shows in early May – very exciting!

This was, no doubt, the best winter we have spent in Marathon since we started going there.  In part, it was due to the extremely pleasant weather (much like the rest of the country enjoyed this year) but also because of the slip we had in our new marina.  Having John and Barbara (Solveig IV) as neighbors was terrific.  Most evenings we unwound with cocktails in our tiki hut while discussing the state of the world and politics.  Being likeminded, we found it easy to solve the issues of the day.

Sitting behind our boats most evenings and staring out at the water had us come to the realization that Tapestry sits about  six inches higher in the water than does Solveig IV.  John attributes this to Barbara’s brightly colored plastic jewelry.  As he is quick to point out, a ton of plastic still weighs a ton.

Barbara and Staci spent a lot of time gardening in the patch of marl next to the Tiki Hut.  Since John and Barbara arrived in Marathon about a month before we did, Barbara had an early start with fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, and all kinds of tropical plants.  Staci joined the effort with a potted tomato plant that yielded many delicious, though somewhat undersize, tomatoes and a fine looking Mexican Heather.  The culmination of the gardening effort was the cultivation of several orchid plants inspired by a visit to the local flower club (reported by several attendees to be a very nasty group of women).  Still, Staci’s Epidendrum, now ensconced in the sink on our “back porch” was regarded by many to be of prize-winning stature.  Staci’s pride  diminished only a little when she read that in some parts of the country, this hardy orchid is regarded as weed-like.

We were regular attendees at a number of weekly events.  The Tuesday Krogen breakfast at Dockside was interesting in that they just started offering breakfast as a response to our request to have them host the event.  What was more interesting was that the cost of the breakfast, no matter what you ordered was $8.00.  The former sailor in most Krogen owners found everyone ordering increasingly large plates of food from week to week.  We never had lunch on Tuesdays.

Every other Thursday evening found us at Dockside for dinner and the fine sounds of Joe Mama and John.  The Krogen group was usually able to fill four or five tables. Friday night of the weeks we didn’t go to Dockside was dinner at Burdine’s for more Joe and John plus the best french fries this side of Thrasher’s in Ocean City, MD.  We decided it wouldn’t be prudent to do Dockside and Burdine’s in the same week.

As always, we found ourselves enjoying the surprisingly large number of good restaurants in Marathon.  In addition to the aforementioned Dockside and Burdine’s we also ate at the Sunset Grill, Keys Fisheries, Cabana Breezes, Castaways, and The Island.  We had a few glasses of wine too.

Art and Craft shows kept us busy on a number of weekends.  As part of our plan to apply for higher quality shows, we decided to upgrade our tent to a much sturdier and more professional model.  We also found a new display system for showing off the bowls, wall hangings and other items.  We ordered everything in December but made plans to have it all delivered after we arrived in Marathon and our car was in place.  I think the UPS driver was getting pretty ticked at us, as was the bar staff at Dockside, where all packages end up, due to the frequent delivery of large heavy boxes.

By the time all items had arrived, our poor Scion was packed to the point where nothing else could fit.  There was one way and one way only to load the car.  Setting up for our first show took about three hours compared to the 20 minutes it used to take with our lightweight EZ-UP tent.  However, we were very happy with the outcome and over the course of the winter, we were able to get the time down to about an hour and fifteen minutes.  We think the new display will serve us well with the upcoming spring shows.

Unfortunately, our new display includes some tables with removable legs that are heavy enough to break your big toe should one fall on it.  Sadly, this happened to Staci while we were setting up for the two-day Local’s Art Show in Marathon.  She toughed it out on Saturday but was in too much pain/discomfort to attend on Sunday.  John and Barbara volunteered to help me tear down after the show.  Dangerous business this craft show circuit.

Some shows were great; others were disappointing when compared to previous years.  Interestingly, this was in line with comments we read on a blog devoted to art shows – the Florida Art/Craft market had a bad year this winter.  The biggest gripe is that there are too many shows and not enough tourists to support them all.  Next winter we are going to be more selective, do fewer shows in the Keys and spend more time making items for the Spring and Fall seasons.

We made an important boat repair while in Marathon.  We discovered that the exhaust riser on our starboard engine had developed a leak.  After seven years and thousand of miles, the salt water that cools the engine exhaust had corroded a  weld on the riser.  This meant fabricating a new riser.  While the port engine riser still looked okay, the engines have the same number of hours and we decided to have it replaced as well.  A crew came down from Plantation Key and took our risers away (along with John’s as his were looking a little sketchy too).  Three weeks later, they came back looking bright and shiny and with new ceramic coatings to replace the usual fiberglass wraps.  We should be good to go for another 5-7 years.

Just when that repair was completed, the sink trap in the master bath developed a pin size hole that, while pin size, was large enough to flood the bathroom floor before we knew what was happening.  Happily, I can repair that with a $6 part from Home Depot and no master mechanics at $100/hour.

Susan came down for a five-day visit.  It was great to see her.  We had a quick trip to Key West to drop off framed fabric pieces for professional photography and a nice lunch at a Mexican restaurant we’ve been to before.  Staci went with Susan to the beach and pool several days where they discussed showers, wedding plans, and honeymoons.  Mostly, we laid around in typical Keys fashion.  We certainly missed Ross but loved having some time with Susan.  Soon, she’ll be off to Manilla again for another five weeks.  I guess Ross will be in charge of all wedding planning in her absence.  Right.

Before long, our winter in Marathon came to an end.  We fired up the engines and slid out of our slip on a sunny, warm and calm morning.  We eased out of Boot Key Harbor and rounded to the south toward Hawk Channel.  Then we pointed east and began the return trip that will take us to the Chesapeake for the summer.

Our first day, we cruised to Angelfish Creek and rode the near high tide over the rocks to our anchorage near Pumpkin Key.  We were all alone for the first time in weeks and enjoyed the solitude and the glorious sunset.

The next morning, we moved up Biscayne Bay to Miami and a favorite anchorage near Star Island.  Because it was the weekend, there were lots of jet skis disturbing the peace but a torrential tropical downpour quickly scattered them and we had another still evening.

The next day, with near perfect conditions, we rode the ebb out Government Cut and turned north into the Gulf Stream.  The deep blue water carried us along at almost 12 knots.  An afternoon sea-breeze developed and began to kick up some sloppy waves in the Gulf Stream so we eased closer to shore.  Our speed dropped to a still respectable 10 knots, as we were still in an eddy, but the waves disappeared.  Before long, we picked up the Lake Worth inlet and were soon at anchor in Palm Beach for the night.

From Palm Beach, we moved up the ICW to Stuart.  Unfortunately, while the offshore conditions remained prefect, the St. Lucie inlet is pretty much unnavigable to boats with a 5’4″ draft.  Shoaling has made it very dangerous.  Dredging is underway but completion of the work is still several weeks away.  That meant dealing with lots of bridges and no-wake zones.

We tied up at Sunset Bay Marina and then promptly walked over to the Krogen office to retrieve our car (which we had deposited there a week earlier).  After reprovisioning and other chores, Staci will drive the car to Alexandria, VA and a storage facility.  She’ll then fly back to the boat and we’ll be off the next morning.  We’re going to spend May and June in Washington, DC.  We’ve been there plenty of times by land but never by water.  We’ll be right downtown and a just quick metro ride away from most of the monuments and museums.  Updates to follow.

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Sunset at Sunset Bay

Happy New Year!  We arrived in Marathon and are settled in our slip at Sombrero Marina.

Our stay in Stuart was very nice; Sunset Bay Marina remains a favorite.  The day after we arrived, we rented a car and drove up to Orlando to pick up our car (and all the craft show supplies) which Staci had stashed in a storage facility near the airport in late October.  We turned in the rental and headed right back to Stuart.

The next event was a new-to-us craft show in Ft. Pierce that takes place every Saturday in conjunction with a large Farmer’s Market.  We were set-up by 7:30 AM and waited all day for the shoppers that never really came.  It seems the crowd was mostly “locals” and that the snowbirds are arriving later and later each season.  Something to do with an economy in turmoil.  We decided we would try one more time the following Saturday.

Seven inches of rain in six hours put an end to that plan.  The roads were all flooded and getting around was a real problem.  It didn’t deter us from wading through the water to Steak ‘n Shake for a consolation lunch, however.

The next Saturday was clear and warm and the show ended up being great.  Staci is now back in full production mode for the upcoming events in the Keys.

Other Stuart events included getting the boat waxed by Dana and Heidi from Fluff ‘n’ Buff – the best in the business.  We try to schedule this work at least six months in advance to make sure we can get on their calendar.

We also arranged to get our name-boards painted.  Why we didn’t do this at the same time as we painted the caprail is beyond comprehension.  With that job finished, there is no varnish left on the boat and we love the look.

Krogen events included attendance at the weekly owner’s breakfast  (26 on one occasion), dinner with Larry Polster who was in town for a management meeting, dinners out with Steve and Ruth (“Sequel”) and Jennifer and Darryl (“Freelance”)  (We’re both on diets now.)

Soon it was time for the holiday road trip.  With Piper in the Fur Seasons Resort, we drove to Sanford, FL and boarded the Auto Train for Lorton, VA.  The trip was uneventful and we actually arrived about 1 1/2 hours early.  Too bad the folks who offload the cars weren’t at work yet.

When we had our car back, we headed for Mom and Dad’s apartment where we enjoyed a Christmas Eve brunch in the dining room.  On Christmas day, we all went to Chris and Bob’s for the annual family get together/celebration.  Susan and Ross were off in Houston visiting Ross’s Dad and Pat was out in Washington working hard at his new Producer job at the local TV station.  We all missed them.

The next morning we piled back in the car and drove to Cincinnati.  The weather was perfect and relatively warm for late December.  Our first stop was at Cory and Sue’s home/zoo.  Since we were last there, they have added four alpaca’s, some Chinese pheasants, and a couple of giant puppies.  They’re all really cute!

We then went to Dick’s house where Staci prepared a delicious dinner that we shared with Dick’s neighbors – a wonderful family who keep a close eye on Dick and his escapades.  The latest of which involved acting as a contractor for the renovations of his church.  We were given a full tour.  It’s too bad we hadn’t seen the “before” because the “after” is pretty impressive.

After a great time up north, we pointed the car back to Florida and two days later we were in Stuart.  We didn’t head directly to the boat though.  We stopped at the Dermatologists on the way home for a follow-up on what I thought was a bad bug bite on my cheek just under my eye, and what the Little Clinic in Cincinnati told me was really Impetigo and what the Dermatologist in Stuart told me was really Shingles!  With that diagnosis in hand and given the proximity to my eye, we did one more detour to the Opthamologist.  Fortunately, I think my case was pretty mild and the antiviral drug seems to be working fine.  I’ll follow-up at the end of the week when we go back to Stuart to get our car.

A few last minute boat issues nearly held us up but with a perfect weather window we quickly dealt with them, reprovisioned, and cast off for Marathon.  As the inlet in Stuart is not usable due to shoaling, we moved down the ICW to Palm Beach and then out the Lake Worth inlet to the ocean.  Our destination was Ft. Lauderdale and a nearby marina on the Dania cut-off canal.  It was to be a long day but our weather window to get to Marathon was only 2 1/2 days so we need to make long days.  After a great day on the ocean, we headed into Ft. Laurderdale just as the sun was beginning to set.  We moved the two short miles to the marina in twilight and were quickly tied up and celebrated the day with a glass of wine.  I slept through the New Year’s Eve fireworks that surrounded the boat.

It was up again at first light the next day.  We went back out the inlet and cruised down the coast past Miami and then joined the Hawk Channel through the Keys.  Our destination was the Channel Five bridge at Lower Matecumbe.  We set the anchor in the lee of the bridge as the sun was setting and enjoyed a settled evening with burgers on the grill.

At this point, we were only 25 miles from Marathon.  With NOAA forecasting a very strong cold front with gale force winds the following afternoon, we were well positioned to make it safely to Marathon, even if the front arrived several hours early.

By 9:45AM we made the turn into Boot Key Harbor and our slip at Sombrero Marina.  John and Barbara (“Solveig IV”) are our next door neighbors and they delayed a trip to the health club in order to be there to catch our lines.  Barbara was sad that the health club outing wasn’t cancelled altogether.  Both of us decided to move to from Boatman’s Marina to Sombrero this year – the docks are in much better shape and we are sharing the tiki-hut right behind our boats.  Barbara has planted lots of flowers and it’s just beautiful.

So here we are for the next few months.  The cold front and winds arrived exactly when predicted (shocking!) and we’re glad we raced down the coast.  Had we not left when we did, we would probably still be in Stuart where it was 39 this morning (a balmy 54 in Marathon).

The Marathon edition of the Krogen breakfast began yesterday and it was nice to see familiar faces and catch up on plans and cruising stories.  We’re off to get our car in a couple of days.  There are bowls to be sewn, engine room tasks to be completed, and then changing the body-clocks to Keys time.  Updates to follow.

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Is Tippi Hedren anywhere?

Our stay in Morehead City was completed with a very nice dinner out at Picatta’s Fine Dining.  This was a new-to-us restaurant that was not at all fancy decor-wise but was absolutely great (and inexpensive) food-wise.  We’ll certainly visit again.

From Morehead City, we moved west and south through coastal North Carolina making stops in Hampton and Southport.  The tides were favorable the entire way and we didn’t find the bottom at any of the usual places that cause “bumping” in low tides.

Then it was on to South Carolina where we anchored on the Waccamaw River near Georgetown and Dewees Creek near Charleston.  The weather kept improving with higher highs and lows most days.  The winds occasionally picked up but working through the low country of South Carolina means “small” water for the most part.

From the Charleston area we headed down the various rivers and land cuts and made for the marina at Dataw Island near Beaufort.  Again, our timing of the tides worked perfectly and we always seemed to find enough water at the critical spots.

Dataw Island is a self-contained community that is very quiet and pretty.  In an effort to attract transient boaters, they have instituted two policies that agree favorably with us.  First, electricity is free.  At most marinas it is $5-$15 per night in addition to the dockage charge.  Second, and most important, if you eat dinner at the on-site restaurant, they’ll treat you to a free bottle of wine.  Perfect!

Within a few minutes of checking in, the electricity on the docks went out completely.  No wonder it’s free.  The restaurant seemed iffy power-wise so we stayed in and drank our own non-free wine.

The next morning, we woke to blustery winds and very dense fog.  Nobody was going anywhere.  By mid-morning, the electricity was restored and the restaurant was taking reservations.  The very nice folks at the marina office said that due to the inconvenience, they wouldn’t charge us for the second day and they would still give us the wine at dinner!  What a deal.   (Little did they know that with our battery bank and generators, we really weren’t inconvenienced at all.)  We highly recommend this great stop a few miles off the waterway.

Then it was the event we had been waiting all year for:  a return to Hilton Head and lunch at Fiesta Fresh.  We managed two lunches over our two-day stay and were not at all disappointed.  The manager and staff always seem to remember us even though we only get there once or twice a year.  Of course after probably 35-40 lunches over 9 years of full-time cruising and lots and lots of tacos, enchilladas, and taquitos, it seems likely we have made an impression.

We  pushed hard through Georgia to make sure we arrived at the Little Mud River near high tide.  This is one of the worst spots on the waterway and can get as shallow as 4′ near low tide.  We made it through with plenty of water after a very long day.  We set the anchor on the South Altamaha River just as the sun was setting.

The next morning we got an early start for Fernandina Beach and Florida.  The winds were fairly light and we transited St. Andrew’s Sound on fairly calm seas – a very welcome state of affairs as this body of water can be as nasty as any between the Chesapeake and the Keys.

Soon we tied up at city marina for a couple of days.  We had some great pizza at a place called Arte Pizza.  This was recommended by a Doctor in Solomons that Staci had once seen.  Apparently he has a house in Fernandina right across the street from Arte’s and makes a point of eating there regularly every time he is in Fernandina.  Our other dinner out was at Luigi’s Tratorria.  While the ambience was nice (an enclosed front porch), the food was not.  Whoever was cooking seemed to think the way to make Italian food involved tossing handfuls of garlic on everything.

We left Fernandina and moved on to Palm Coast.  This is a nice facility and we always see familiar faces here.   Peter and Sandy on “Bewitched” used to winter in Marathon but for the last few years have stopped here for the season.

Staci made a terrific Thanksgiving dinner and we both laid around stuffed.  We tried to walk it off but left the boat without jackets only to discover that what felt warm only a week ago (65 degrees) now felt pretty chilly when the wind was blowing 15-20 knots.  We quickly headed back to the boat and watched TV.

Our interest was piqued by one of the items on the news: NASA was going to be launching the MSL (Mars Science Laboratory) in two days.  We were just a long day away from the Cape Canaveral area so we decided to make a go for it.  Our destination was a familiar anchorage near the Addison Point bridge.  After consulting Google Maps and satellite views of the area, we determined that this was about as close as you could get to Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  When the sun set, we were well-positioned for the launch the next morning at 10:02 AM.

We turned on NASA TV on the computer and discovered that the cloud cover in the area reduced the launch probability to about 70%.  As the morning went on, the clouds began to dissipate.  We went out to the foredeck with our binoculars and quickly found the launch site where we could just see the tip of the rocket.  At precisely 10:02, the MSL was headed for Mars.  Even in the bright morning sky, the flames from the booster rocket were incredibly bright.  The extremely loud noise and vibration of the rocket arrived at the boat some 30-40 seconds after the launch (it’s that speed of sound thing).  In very short order, the MSL was miles away.  We’ve been in position several times in the past to watch the space shuttle take off, but it was always delayed.  It was great to finally see a rocket take off  - really spectacular.  We weighed anchor and moved on at our comparatively snail-like pace.

The next stop was another bridge anchorage in Palm Shores.  The state of Florida has built numerous high-rise bridges across the ICW between Titusville and Stuart.  While they are all 65′ in the middle, there are also low causeways on each end of the bridge that were built on man-made landfills in the Indian River.  These landfills make for perfect anchorages because you can pick your side (North or South and East or West) and find decent protection from just about any wind condition on the otherwise totally open river.  We settled on the southeastern side for a quiet night.

Our slip in Stuart was still occupied so we decided to stop in Ft. Pierce.  With a cold front and strong storms and winds in the forecast, we sought out the protection of the Harbour Isle Marina.  There are several other Krogens here but the owners were all away on road-trips for the Thanksgiving weekend. So it’s was pretty much just us in the marina.

Today we arrived at Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart, FL which will be our “base” for December.  After the first of the year, we’ll head for Marathon.  In the meantime, we’ll rent a car and drive to Orlando to pick up our car.  The art/craft show season starts on Saturday in Ft. Pierce and before long, we’ll make our way back north to Baltimore and Cincinnati for the holidays.  The next update will be in January.

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Entering the great Bridge lock.

We are at Morehead City Yacht Basin in Morehead City, NC enjoying a rare gale-free day.

Our stay in Solomons ended up being much longer than anticipated.  One front after another came through with strong winds, driving rain and big waves on Chesapeake Bay.  Even though the winds were from the north, crossing the mouth of the Potomac River was not something to do in these kinds of conditions.  So, we, along with all the other Krogens, sat and waited and waited  and waited.

Time was spent repairing the saltwater washdown pump (bad contacts on the switch), making fabric bowls, giving fabric-designs.com a fresh look, and watching the NOAA forecast.

Finally, after six days, the winds had abated enough that we were able to head out.  We made the run down to Fishing Bay on the Piankatank River.  The Bay was still pretty sloppy and the Potomac at Smith Point tossed some waves our way.  The Krogen “fleet” was all in place and riding the anchor by 5PM.  It was a delightful evening with cool skies and dying winds and we were happy to be headed south.

The next morning, we raised the muddy anchor and turned south towards Portsmouth.  We got an early start because we planned on fueling up at Ocean Marine before heading to our slip.  The run back from Canada, coupled with our “down-the-Hudson, up-the-Hudson, down-the Hudson” dance, meant we were only carrying enough fuel to get us to South Carolina.

We finished fueling just as the rest of the Krogens arrived and just before the skies began to darken again.  Some of us made plans to go to the Commodore theater  for a movie and dinner. The remake of “Footloose” was playing and we watched that while eating lite fare, drinking cheap wine and munching on popcorn.  We were having a great time until the movie was over and we stepped outside to return to the boats.  It was cold, windy, and pouring.  The next round of gales had arrived.  Our stay in Portsmouth was extended a day while we waited for the rough weather to move on.

With the Great Bridge lock up next, we decided that we should split up so as to increase the likelihood that no one would be left out of a lockage.  The early crew (not us) left the docks at 5:15 AM in order to get through the bridges before they went on rush-hour restrictions.  Our group departed at 8:30AM.  The first group later reported that they had to deal with fog but very few other boats.  In turn, we arrived at the lock with 13 other boats including a couple of  very large sportfish (who of course rudely pushed their way to the front of the line despite their late arrivals at the lock).  We were all shoehorned in the lock with no room to spare.

In short order, we were out of the lock and underway again.  By late afternoon, we were anchored on the North River just before the Albemarle Sound.  The rest of the boats were scattered around the river in several different spots.

The next morning, we left in the dark as we had a long cruise planned to Pungo Creek past Belhaven.  We arrived at the Albemarle as the sun was rising and enjoyed near flat water as we crossed the often very rough sound. As the day wore on, we passed numerous boats taking advantage of a nice weather day to make some progress south.  Besides having to dodge a lot of deadheads, the cruise was uneventful and we had the anchor down in one of the prettiest, most tranquil creeks in coastal North Carolina.

That was all scheduled to change, however.  The forecast for the next several days included gale force winds (yet again.)  We decided that we would head for the River Dunes Marina on Broad Creek off the Neuse River and hole-up.  We wanted to get there early in the day before the really high winds arrived.

We had the anchor up by 6:45AM and ghosted out in dawn twilight to the Pungo River.  It was as calm as could be.  Soon we were across the Pamilco River and in the land cut that connects the Pamlico to Bay River and the Neuse. When we emerged on the Bay River side, we were smacked on the beam by instant 25 knot winds and sloppy water.  The next few miles were a cauldron of confused seas and blowing spume.

When we got to the Neuse junction and Maw Point, we turned up the river and began to enjoy the ride on a following sea.  The apparent wind dropped and Piper started smiling again (she wasn’t happy for the previous few miles).

At Broad Creek we headed in and soon were in the completely protected basin at River Dunes.  The other Krogens arrived in short order and we all spent the rest of the day inside and out of the wind.

Dinner was a group outing at the marina restaurant.  Joining us were Jeff and Karen Siegel of ActiveCaptain fame.  They are on a Selene 53 headed south for the winter but agreed that doing dinner with 12 Krogen owners would be okay.  We all had a good time before heading back to the boats in the cold winds.

The next day greeted us with sunshine but the wind was still howling and we decided it would be prudent to stay in port another day.  All of the wives went to the grocery store in the marina courtesy car while the husbands pretended to be busy with engine room stuff.

We are now in Morehead City, NC after three days at River Dunes.  The wind has abated quite a bit but is forecasted to strengthen again in the coming days.  We’re also keeping our eyes on a late-season low pressure system that may become tropical.

Our group has dispersed with some folks in a hurry to get to Florida so that they can fly back to be with family for Thanksgiving.  We’ll do our annual holiday road trip at Christmas so we are moving a little slower than the others.  We usually don’t like to cruise in company with lots of other boats.  Having said that, we did enjoy getting to know some Krogen owners that we were meeting for the first time and to spend some time with others we know well but haven’t seen since spring.

I put the shorts back on today as we finally hit the mid 60s (and, don’t faint, did some post-surgery manual labor for the first time!)  Updates to follow.

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Leaving Tapestry at Haverstraw Bay

Now where were we?  That’s right,  I was leaving the boat to head off to Annapolis by car to have a small hernia repaired and then be back on my feet in no time.  Well, it wasn’t so small and “no time” translated into six weeks of light duty.  First things first.

We turned the boat over to Captain John Stemke and First Mate Ken.  Both came highly recommended.  We spent a couple of hours going over systems but since John had delivered a number of Krogens in the past, he was pretty familiar with the boat.  In short order, we moved our bags to the car and headed for the Tappan Zee Bridge and points south.

While waiting for the boat, we holed up in a motel near Chris and Bob.  The best part of the plan was that they hosted us for our first steamed crabs since May.  The crabs were great and they were one thing we really missed in Canada.

In just three days, John had the boat at Port Annapolis Marina.  We met them as they pulled in and Staci took lines while I stood idly by. As it turned out, our decision to have the boat delievered was a good one.  John reported that for the first 30 miles or so of the New Jersey coast, all of the debris that had washed down the Hudson was now littering the rhumb line to Cape May.  It took them hours of weaving at close to idle speed to work their way safely though the mess.  I don’t think I could have comfortably endured standing at the wheel for that phase of the journey or even have helped Staci spot debris if she were at the wheel.  The seas were mostly favorable but they did do some bouncing south of Atlantic City.

Having said that, we were thrilled to get back aboard.  We never like being off the boat for any extended time and especially don’t like the notion that we’re not in charge.

Susan and Ross flew down from Boston to help celebrate Mom and Dad’s 90th and 91st!  Ken and Lynn arrived from Savannah while Marg and Bill drove down from Old Saybrooke. This was the first year in 10 that we didn’t go to Ocean City.  Moving around on the beach would have been too difficult these days.  But where we were didn’t matter.  We were all happy to be together and enjoyed a nice early dinner at Peerce’s Plantation.  It was then back to the birthday kids’ apartment for some more memories and laughter.

The next order of business was the consult with the surgeon. Ten days later was the surgery.  Without going into details, suffice it to say for the first week post-op, I was not a happy person.  While Chris babysat me post-surgery, Staci carried on heroically and worked the art/craft show circuit by herself (Bobby did help with tent set-up).  Apparently my presence at the shows must hold down sales.  As it turned out, Staci had several record breaking events and the bowl inventory was seriously depleted – good news for the surgeon who will now get paid!

Over the next few weeks I did little other than lay around while Staci continued to do everything that involved lifting even the slightest weight.  She got the boat provisioned, resupplied the wine chiller, cleaned and cooked, etc., etc.  In other words, status quo.

We did manage to get to a Krogen Cruisers lunch at the Annapolis Yacht Club and had some great dinners out with John and Barbara (Solveig IV) and Larry and Janet.  We also treated ourselves to a fine dinner at Carroll’s Creek Cafe where we raised glasses to toast Staci’s terrific caregiving.

As I continued to mend, we prepared to get underway again – yeah!  We had a diver check/clean the bottom and hired A&B Yachtsmen to service the sea strainers (full of Back Creek muck) and change the engine zincs.  (I couldn’t close/open the seacocks without a lot of strain and Staci was too busy with a myriad of other jobs.)

We had one last event in Annapolis and that was to participate in the fall Krogen Open House.  The event was a great success with over 35 couples checking out all of the owner-supplied boats.  On hand were a 39, 44, 48, 55 and our 58.  Will and Sue Parry were onboard their 48 North Sea “Second Star” and we had a nice evening with them eating burgers off the grill and enjoying some wine.

The next morning, we cast off for the first time since we left the boat in Haverstraw Bay.  What a joy it was to be underway.  The skies were sunny and the Bay provided a nice flat day for us as we headed down to Solomons.

We were soon tied up at Calvert Marina where we were shocked to see many Krogens still in town  (Sequel, Sea Dweller, Ariel, Grand Adventure, Puffin, and Wanderer’s Rest).  We had assumed most folks were already well on their way south.  It looks like we’ll have a convoy!

After a visit to the dentists for the annual check-up, followed of course by a great dinner at the CD Cafe with Tam and Viv, we are ready to go.

I am now 4 1/2 weeks post surgery and with only a week and a half of light duty remaining, not only are we eager to head for Florida, I am also eager to start pitching in again.  Now if we only didn’t have a crappy forecast for the next several days.  (Not many pictures this time; Staci said “no” to a scar shot.)  Updates to follow.

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Rising water in Albany.

What a long, strange trip it’s been.  Oh wait, I think some obscure band already used that line.  Anyway, we’re in Half Moon Bay Marina on Haverstraw Bay for the second time on our cruise back to the Chesapeake.

We left Waterford after the rains eased and worked our way south through the last lock in Troy – yeah!!!  With good current behind us, we were soon in Catskill Marina where we put the mast and the bimini back up.

Before long, the boat was looking ship-shape again.  I, unfortunately, was not.  It seems that a 20 year long pre-hernia condition was no longer “pre”.  Apparently it decided that doing all those locks wasn’t a good idea and I suspected things had “let go”, so to speak.

We agreed that the best thing to do would be to see my Doctor in Annapolis to confirm the diagnosis and to discuss a treatment plan rather than do anything while in New York.  The first thing was to get the boat a little closer so we moved down the river to Half  Moon Bay Marina in Haverstraw Bay.  We have anchored here many times but we thought a marina would be a better choice given our plans.  It’s a nice marina that is fairly well protected except from the six-a-day ferry passings that get everyone rolling for a minute or so.

After a long day on the river, we walked into Croton for some New York style Pizza.  It was excellent and we went to bed sated.

The next morning, I caught a cab to the Croton train station and headed first to Penn Station and then to the station at Baltimore’s airport.  Finally it was a short shuttle ride to the storage facility where our car was parked.

After getting the parked-for-a-long-time lumps out of the tires, I headed for the Doctor’s office and a quick exam.  They said to head across the street to the imaging shop where in a matter of minutes I was drinking some disgusting barium stuff and then laying on the CT scan slab.  Fifteen minutes after that, it was confirmed that I had a small hernia.  It was not an emergency situation but my usual sedentary ways were destined to become even more so until the surgery could be scheduled.  Actually, I’m really looking forward to getting this repaired.  Staci has been doing the heavy lifting for years and in spite of all appearances, I do feel guilty.

After a few phone calls, we made arrangements to have a captain bring the boat back to Annapolis.  It’s one thing to avoid pulling dock lines but I didn’t want to take the chance on some unexpected bouncing in heavy seas off the Jersey Coast.  I drove our car back to Croton so we could transport the stuff we would need for the 3-4 days the boat was in transit.

One small problem intervened: Hurricane Irene.  As the storm track looked increasingly dangerous for New York, we decided that a partially exposed marina on the widest part of the Hudson River was not the place to be.  We figured the best thing to do would be to head back up the Hudson and seek cover.

We called Catskill and Kingston and nobody had any room. The Albany Yacht Club was booked too. It seems the megayachts from Nantucket and points east had the same idea and were racing for cover.  The dockmaster at the Albany Yacht Club suggested we call the Dutch Apple Cruise Co. and see if we could tie up there.  It’s just across the river from AYC and has a floating (if somewhat rickety) dock. They said “yes”.  We parked the car away from the trees and headed the 95 nautical miles back up the river.

One thing cruisers have really come to appreciate in the last few years is the development of the relatively inexpensive AIS technology (Automatic Identification System).  This system provides real-time tracking information for boats/ships equipped with AIS transmitters.  This is really helpful when you see a large tanker on the horizon headed your way.  The AIS will tell you the ship’s name, its course and speed, and how close it will come to you.  If a collision course is indicated, you can then make radio contact with the vessel to discuss collision avoidance plans.  We love our AIS receiver.

As we moved up river, I noticed a strange target that appeared on our AIS display panel.  It indicated a boat named Survey II was 2.7 miles away traveling the same general direction as us at 65 knots!!!  Brief panic ensued.  Where was it and where was it headed were the first questions.  I clicked on the boat name in the AIS list and the chart scrolled to its location.  All was revealed – Survey II was being towed up the NY State Thruway and somebody forgot to turn off the transmitter!

With favorable current for all but the last two hours we had the lines secured by 4PM Friday.  Saturday was spent stripping the boat and watching the cruise “ship” go out and back for lunch, dinner, and booze cruises.

Late on Saturday, the rain started and didn’t stop until Sunday evening. At times it was coming down at about 3″ per hour. Happily, the wind never really arrived on our dock. The maximim we recorded was only 22 knots during our stay on the dock. We were in the lee of a small building and next to a seawall that was fairly high (until the water came up).  Albany Airport was reporting sustained 40-45 knots during that same period.

Our big concern was flooding. All day Sunday, we watched the water level rise – slowly at first and then about 12″/hour (near slack!). At 5PM Sunday, we decided it would prudent to leave the dock before the water was over the sea wall.

We headed down river about 13 miles. Away from the dock, the winds from the backside of the storm were frequently gusting to 30+. We found a protected creek behind one of the islands and set our big 175 lb. Bruce anchor. Wine was open at 6:45 (huge current boost made the 13 miles go very quickly!)

As the sun was setting, a couple of megayachts appeared in the creek. They were fleeing problems in Troy and other marinas where the inadequate docks were giving way under the strain of the rising waters.

We heard (radio chatter, so who knows what’s true) that Troy was kicking people out as was the Catskill Marina. Bulldog Sally, a Krogen 48, was at the AYC and reported that they had concerns about the docks there. (AYC was destroyed in hurricane Floyd under similar conditions).  Four to five knot currents in Rondout Creek (Kingston) were also reported.   Record flood levels were re expected  in Troy, Albany, and Poughkeepsie.  There will also be tons of debris in the river.

The wind died completely at midnight. It got so quiet that I couldn’t sleep!

The next morning we headed back to Haverstraw Bay where we found that the Half Moon Bay Marina and the boats had fared pretty well under some very rough conditions.  On our cruise down the river we got a good look at the damage.

Sadly, the Catskill waterfront was totally destroyed. Catskill Marina lost all of their brand new docks (installed when the old ones were destroyed in the Spring Floods.) The docks were out in the river floating away with boats still attached to them. The runoff current was reported to exceed 18 knots on the creek. The waterfront condo docks are totally gone as well.

Kingston looked okay from the river but we heard there were lots of dragging boats and much debris carried down Rondout Creek (10+ knots of runoff current).  A fellow Krogen owner was at one of the marinas and while his boat was fine, he couldn’t leave because the current was pinning him to the dock.

Albany Yacht Club lost half their docks at last report. Others were in sad shape. Shady Harbor Marina near New Baltimore is on the verge of coming apart. The dockmaster was working really, really hard to save it. Time will tell.

The river, itself,  is littered with major debris – whole trees, docks, barrels, tires, etc., etc. Every day will wash it further downstream but I suspect it will be weeks before it’s resolved itself.   The tugs are back at work and the megayachts are headed home.

We were extremely lucky that the marinas we thought would be safe were completely booked. Tapestry came through without a scratch  In contrast to Saturday and Sunday, it was a beautiful day on the river today:  bright sun, blue sky and no wind. Sadly, it was also a day when many not so fortunate people had to come to grips with devastating losses.

Next up is a meeting with the surgeon and a hopefully minor operation in September.  After all, it will be time to go south before long.

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Guard gate on the Champlain Canal.

After many miles and over 50 locks, we’ve closed the “Little Triangle” and are back in Waterford, NY.  What a great cruise it has been.

While we sat in Westport watching the rain fall and fall and fall, we decided it would be prudent to get through the Champlain Canal pretty quickly.  With the local rain plus the real start of the Cape Verde tropical weather season (that could conceivably send buckets our way), we were getting concerned that too much water would trap us in Lake Champlain.  That’s a great place to be trapped in the summer; not so much in the winter.

We left Westport under dreary skies and patchy fog and made for the headwaters of the lake.  We passed between the support structure for the new Champlain Bridge.  It seems the old one was in such bad shape, that it was completely torn down and a new bridge was being built.  Ferry boats ran continuously between New York and Vermont as the old bridge was one of only two that crosses the lake.  There were lots of cars that needed to be shuttled across.

Soon we were off the lake and winding our way through the narrows.  Before long, we were at Lock 12 on the Champlain Canal, the first lock on the way south.  After a short lift up, we moved to the town wall in Whitehall, NY and tied up for the night.  Whitehall is a struggling city.  In spite of that, they have down a great job of creating a first-rate facility for transient boats.  There is a beautiful park and with the fire department right there as well, it felt very secure.

“Twocan” with Al and Susan on board arrived a couple of hours after we did and they were followed soon after by “Nomad”, the boat from Solomons that we first saw in Montreal.  Well, we weren’t all Krogens but there was clearly enough people that drinks and appetizers at the picnic tables were in order.  We caught up with Al and Susan and got to know Tom and Linda from “Nomad”.   A torrential downpour started just as we were winding down and we all dashed back to our boats.

The next morning, Twocan left in heavy fog.  We waited several hours as we only moving about 12 miles to the wall at Lock 9.  According to the cruising guides, this is supposed to be the nicest wall/park on the Champlain Canal.  Indeed, it was very nice with fresh cut grass, pretty flowers and complete solitude.

Yesterday we transited the rest of the locks and canal and arrived at the wall in Waterford. The bridges on this canal have the lowest clearance of any on the Triangle Cruise. With our KVH TV antenna dome on the pilot house roof, we need 16.5″ of clearance.  There are a number of bridges where the clearance is 17′.  Even though we knew we should make it, we placed a PVC pipe in the flag holder on the bow pulpit.  The top of the pipe was 16.5″ above the water.  If the PVC pipe taps the bridge, we know to slam it in reverse before something really expensive hits the bridge.  While there were several times when we didn’t think we would make it, we eased under the lowest bridges with several inches to spare.

At one lock, we had a brief moment of real panic.  I was at the wing station guiding us into the lock while Staci answered a radio call from another boater. The next thing that happened is about the worst sound you can hear on a boat.

For some bizarre and maddening reason, every alarm on our boat sounds the same (radar, autopilot, back-up power supply, etc.) except for one: the high water alarm.  This is an unmistakeable ear-piercing high pitch scream that lets you know your boat is taking on lots and lots of water.

Normally, you would race to the engine room and look through the watertight door window to see if any fish were swimming in there.  In our case, this was not possible.  We were halfway into the tight confines of the lock with gusty winds blowing us around and four boats behind us encouraging us forward.

Staci had the presence of mind to look at the bilge pump switches to see if any of them were lighting up.  Happily they were not.  We quickly secured the boat to the lock wall.  In my mind I had visions of us staying tied to the wall hanging in air while the water was drained from under us.  I also knew in my mind that the 1/2″ lines the lock provides would have lasted about a second once they were asked to take up the 100,000 pound load.

As I dashed through the pilot house to head for the engine room, I glanced at the high water alarm control panel.  Unbeknownst to Staci, the microphone cable had become entangled with the toggle switch for the high-water alarm control panel.  For the first time in seven years, it seems that the microphone cable had snagged the toggle switch and moved it into the “test” position.  We weren’t taking on water after all.

When we arrived in Waterford, the floating dock was full so we spent the night on the wall.  We went out to dinner at the Angry Penquin where we had dined when we started the “Triangle”.  We ordered the same meals we had the first time, they were that good, and of course we raised a glass of wine to toast the end of another canal adventure.

This morning, we watched on the Watertown web-cam to see if any boats were leaving.  When a spot opened up, we threw off the lines and dashed over. Air conditioning!

These big beefy Krogens will take you anywhere in the world you want to go.   Some of the finest hours we’ve spent on Tapestry surely include the fantastically beautiful inland rivers, canals, and lakes of New York and Canada.  We’ll be back.

Next up is the Hudson River and then the Jersey coast and Delaware Bay to the Chesapeake.  We’ve signed up for lots of craft shows in September and October.  There’s lots of diesel and wine to be replaced!

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Benoît gets his boat card.

We’re in Westport, NY after a great cruise through Canadian waters.  It’s hard to believe that it’s mid-August already (early fall on Lake Champlain!).

Our second day in Chambly involved walking all over town looking for a hardware store.  Sadly, we seemed to be walking in the wrong direction.  French had nothing to do with it as we got our directions from Al on Twocan.  Apparently when he said “Turn left”, I processed that as “Be sure and go right and don’t even think about going left.”   We did get to see a part of town that we wouldn’t have otherwise.  Of particular interest was the visit to the funeral home that had a “Chambre de Commerce” sign on the front of the building.  The only directions they were serving up were “Get your life in order”.

We left Chambly and made our way down the 10 mile Chambly Canal.  With locks spaced every few tenths of a mile, there is really no chance to relax.  The locks, combined with the very narrow stretches also means little chance for sightseeing.  The lockmasters are well aware of the boats in transit and will occasionally ask a northbound boat to wait in a wider spot while a really fat southbound boat (us) eases its way past.  That works fine if the northbound captain does what he is told.  As we approached a very narrow area, a Sea-Ray was advancing in front of us contrary to instructions from the lock.  With rocks lining the channel on both sides, I refused to give up the centerline.  The Sea-Ray did make it by with just inches to spare and we discovered that some familiar American hand gestures are also used by Canadians.

As we approached one of the last bridges on the canal, we got a radio call from Benoît, the lockmaster friend from Chambly we mentioned in our last update..  He was working the bridge that day and told us that he had lost our card.  He asked if we could we slow down while we transited the bridge and hand him another.  This seemed like an incredibly brilliant idea.  Still, we thought we’d give it a try.

We watched as he opened the bridge, climbed over the rail, tied himself to the bridge structure, and leaned way out as we idled by.  I have no idea what the occupants of the waiting cars were thinking but I’m sure some surmised that drugs were involved.

We arrived in St. Jean and tied up on the town wall.  St. Jean is very different from Chambly.  It seems much more industrial and is struggling to keep the downtown area vital.  Many stores/restaurant were boarded up.  There were some signs of renovation and certainly the town dock is very nice, new and convenient.  We hope that their rejuvenation efforts are successful.

From St. Jean we headed for Burlington, VT.  The cruise continues up the Richelieu River into the mouth of Lake Champlain.  We were held up briefly by maintenance work on one of the cross-river bridges but soon found ourselves back in the U.S.  Our first stop was the new U.S. Customs dock near Rouses Point.

It used to be that you would have to go into a marina to clear customs.  The marinas typically charged up to $50 even if you were only staying long enough to clear in.  Several years ago, Customs built their own dock where check-in is free (unless you are caught smuggling).  We tied up and then went up to a “tent” where the paperwork was completed.  While we were dealing with that, one heavily armed agent got on the boat and snooped around for awhile.  Soon we were back underway.

As we were about 10 miles from Burlington, a thunderstorm that we had been tracking on our weather radar caught up with us.  With our mast back down on the deck, we had no wind instrument.  We guessed it must have blown a sustained 30 knots for about 15 minutes with torrential rain and, fortunately, not too much lightning.  At one point, we altered course toward the New York side of the lake so we could get on the backside of the storm cell.  Before long, the clouds were breaking up and and we turned toward Burlington.

The Boat House marina is right downtown and an easy (mostly) walk to all kinds of stores and restaurants.  Al and Susan (“Twocan”) were here, as were Don and Cheryl from “Dawn Treader”, another Krogen 42.  We explored downtown, had some great and not-so-great meals, went wine shopping, hit a bookstore and were entertained by “O.A.R.”, a popular band from Rockville, MD, that was performing in the park right next to our boat.  No $30 tickets for us!

After two days, we were “kicked out” of the marina due to an antique boat show that would require all of the transient slips. We headed up the lake to Westport.

Westport is a nice stop.  The people here are incredibly friendly.  While the docking situation is a little peculiar (half of the boat is attached to nothing), the breakwater and low wind conditions make the situation tenable. Our plan was to spend the weekend and avoid the “crazies” out on the lake.

Staci washed the boat and got rid of the millions of spider carcasses.   She also did some waxing to remove the black streaks that show up almost every time it rains

I spent the morning repairing the toilet with the spare nozzle kit that we had successfully shipped ahead to us.  (We continue to “blow-dry” the refrigerator and it seems to be working okay and the washer is draining just great with good dock power.  Of course this is now the “kiss of death” for these two appliances.)

Having washed the boat and gotten it gleaming meant that it was guaranteed to rain within 24 hours.  Sure enough, we sit here in what is forecasted to be a day-long rain.  Anytime this happens, we get a little nervous about the water levels on the Champlain Canal.  We need almost 17 feet of bridge clearance to get through.  If the water get too high…well, we don’t even want to think about that.

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Fish ladder at St. Ours.

After seven great days in Montreal, we have moved north and then south to Chambly, Quebec.  Hopefully we’ll soon be in the spider-free zone.

Our visit with Don and Lynn, formerly of “Landd Ho” was terrific.  We ate some great food, drank way too much wine, did some tourist stuff, and enjoyed reminiscing about our cruise through these waters seven years ago.  Too soon they continued on to Ottawa.

Staci and I managed to walk and ride the subway all over Montreal.  We hit the famous and huge Atwater Market where we were able to load up on just-picked produce.  Conveniently, there was also a grocery store and pharmacy right next to the market so we also restocked a few dry goods and fresh milk and orange juice.  Our backpacks were bulging as we made our way back to the marina.

Another outing was to the Plateau district which is known for its many restaurants, shops, and vibrant night-life.  As you move away from the international district into the outlying neighborhoods, English becomes less common and a smattering of French is really helpful.  Somehow I managed to get a haircut and we ordered lunch and bought a neat wall-mounted planter without insulting anyone.

We also made several outings to the local SAQ shop (wine store) as we were getting a little nervous about the bottle count.  We loaded the backpacks and tote sacks and put a couple more cases on board for the journey back to the States.

In the small world department, we discovered we were docked by a boat from Solomons that we had seen many times at Spring Cove Marina.  We also noticed a Zimmerman in the marina.  This one was “Bee Weems” from Annapolis.  Peter and Kathy, the owners, brought the boat north but would be handing the wheel to Steve Zimmerman and his wife for the trip back to Annapolis.

In the spider department, it seems that all the freshwater bugs that moved aboard had attracted a large following of hungry spiders.  Not only is it annoying to walk face-first into an near-invisible web, their bites can be really nasty!  One of them took a chunk of my ankle the day we arrived.  For the next few days, the site became increasingly inflamed, more swollen and larger in diameter.  While Staci measured and recorded the circumference of my ankle/leg in several locations and prepared poultices of baking soda, I spent way too much time looking at gross pictures of what can happen when some spider bites are neglected (e.g., the Brown Recluse).  We researched nearby urgent care centers in case my leg started to look at all like the pictures.  Fortunately, by day four the swelling had started to go down and the inflammation began to recede.  Now if we can convince the spiders to move ashore, all will be well.

After a wonderful week in Montreal it was time to move on.  We cast off and headed back out to the St. Lawrence.  This time we had the 5-6 knots of current on the stern and we raced down stream.  In a few short hours, we were at Sorel.  This is the junction of the  St. Lawrence and the Richelieu River.  We made a hard turn to starboard to enter the Richelieu and begin the journey back south.  Our destination for the first night was the lock wall in St. Ours.

We tied up and spent a quiet night in the park setting.  The next day, we decided it was such a pleasant spot we would stay another night.  (This decision was made even easier given that it was Saturday in the midst of Canadian “Vacation” and staying put would keep us well out of the way of crazed jet-skiers and go-fast drivers.)  We also had to put the mast and bimini back down and wanted to walk across the dam that the lock bypasses.

On the far side of the dam is a 17 chamber fish ladder.  It’s designed to help some 50 species of fish and eels reach their spawning grounds on the upper Richelieu River.  You can actually climb down from the dam and look into one of the chamber that has a glass side.  We spent a few minutes there but never did see any fish.

Back on the boat, we sat on the back porch enjoying a glass of wine as the lock opened.  Soon the immediately recognizable bow of a Krogen began to slowly emerged from the lock.  It was the 42 “Twocan” with Al and Susan on board.  We jumped up and went to grab their lines.  As soon as they were secure, hugs and handshakes were exchanged.  We had last seen Al and Susan last winter so there was much to catch up on.  We told them they had about 30 minutes to get settled before coming to our boat for the continuation of happy hour.

The next morning, we woke to heavy rain and got a late start.  We would be headed for Chambly and the start of the 10-mile long Chambly Canal.  The locks on this canal are so small that we have to lock through by ourselves.  We decided that Twocan would leave first and we waited until they were a few miles ahead before we left.  That way, we hoped they would be able to get through the flight of three locks at the start of the canal before we arrived.

Bridge at Beloeil Point.

We crept up the river at a slow 6 knots.  Before long, we arrived at the very, very scary bridge at Beloeil Point.  This is an old railroad bridge which is the site of the worst train disaster in Canadian history.  In 1864, the engineer ran through a red light that indicated the bridge was open for passing barge traffic.  The train plunged into the river and 99 people were killed.

For modern-day boaters, the terror comes from the fact that you have to pass under the bridge in the narrow segment closest to the rock-lined shore with raging current on either the bow or stern depending on the direction of travel.  Heading south, once through the bridge, the channel takes a totally blind dog-leg to the right.  There is no way to see oncoming boats until it is too late.

Tapestry is equipped with a very loud Kahlenberg air-horn system.  About 1,000 feet from the bridge, we sounded five blasts – a general danger signal.  At 500 feet, we repeated the signal.  We signaled again as we were about to pass under and then kept our fingers crossed.  We made it through safely about 30 seconds before we would have encountered a north-bound boat.  Hopefully, the captain would have heard our signal and knew what it meant.

A short time later, we crossed the Chambly Basin and approached the locks.   We saw that Al and Susan were on the “Blue Line”, the place where you tie up while you wait for the lock to become available.  As we approached, we saw that they were given a green light to enter the first lock.  As the boats left the blue line, we moved over to the dock and took our spot indicating we wanted the next lockage.

The flight of three locks is designed so that when you leave the first lock, you enter the second and when you leave the second, you enter the third.  As such, we had to wait until “Twocan” went through all three locks and the waiting northbound boats were then brought down to the basin.

After about an hour, they were ready for us and we crept into the 22′ wide lock.  With our 19′ beam plus fenders, it’s a very tight fit.  Staci ran all over the boat spotting our location while I steered from the wing-station.  About 50 tourists watched the proceedings from just a few feet away.  The water was raised, the front gates were opened and we moved into the next lock.  The process was repeated for the third lock.

Just above the third lock, we tied up on the lock wall next to Twocan.  We were hot and sweaty and glad we beat the forecasted severe thunderstorms.  Of course the next order of business was drinks on board Twocan.  The four of us then headed out to dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant that we had been to before.  We were not disappointed.  The food and company were excellent.

This morning, Al and Susan took off while we plan on staying another day to visit the hardware and grocery stores.  We’ll probably catch up with them in Burlington.

As Twocan departed, one of the employees from Parks Canada came over.  It was Benoît, the lockmaster we first met in 2004 and then again in 2007.  He always remembers our boat because of the massive size relative to the locks.  We talked to him for about 20 minutes and learned that he is in his 32nd year working on the canal.  With no plans to retire, we all agreed that we would meet again the next time through. He wants to ride through “his” locks on a big Krogen!  More to follow.

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