cruising on the Mary T

My left knee has been bothering me since late August. But, it only hurt when I walked any distance longer than a block or two. Amy kept asking me to get it checked out but, I didn’t think it was worth a visit to a doctor. It continued to bother me every time we went for a long walk, then would feel better when we stopped. We did quite a lot of walking while we were in North Palm Beach awaiting our life raft. On one walk, I saw an orthopedic clinic and thought maybe now would be a good time to have it checked out. I got an appointment very quickly and my cousin, Alex, kindly agreed to drive us. It was a good thing too, because they sent me to another town for an MRI. Turns out that I have a torn meniscus–the cartilage in the knee. The doctor said it would not heal itself and recommended arthroscopic surgery. Not wanting to miss out on all the hikes we expect to take, I agreed.

So, I’ll be heading into surgery Monday afternoon. We are parked again, at the Riviera Beach Municipal Marina and will be here until the knee is good enough for us to go back out to the nearby anchorage. Once it’s good enough for me to move freely about the boat, we’ll start heading south again.

 We celebrated “Pirate Saturday” with grand-daughter Trynity, last weekend. She spent the night aboard the Mary T and delighted us with her excellent reading and interpretation of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” We went to Peanut Island on Sunday for a bit of exploring and digging. We all had a wonderful time. (Click on the pictures to see an enlarged version).

Since our rollicking time in St. Augustine, we’ve inched our way south on the good ole Intracoastal Waterway. The large seas and Northeast winds in the Atlantic have kept us “inside.” November 17, we arrived in Jensen Beach wearing shorts and t-shirts. Jensen Beach is a must stop because Kenny’s cousin George and his wife Peggy dwell there.

Upon arriving, George met us at our dinghy and drove us at great speed in his convertible Porsche to Conchy Joe’s for cocktails while we awaited Peggy to get off work. All three of us were able to squeeze in the car with the top down. It would not have been possible otherwise. When Peggy caught up with us they treated us to a lovely dinner at the Dolphin, their neighborhood restaurant. I ordered the Dolphin a la Dolphin, which I surmised was the signature dish. It was a lightly breaded Mahi Mahi with a sauce of white wine and capers, etc. I was not disappointed. I am hoping to catch some dolphin fish of my own on this trip. I’ve been busily downloading documents about how to clean and fillet fish. I am somewhat daunted but not discouraged.

You’d think I would’ve learned how to clean a bloody fish during the two years I spent in Senegal as a Peace Corps volunteer. My village “mother” went fishing several days a week and prepared dinner, while princess Peace Corps chowed down on the fresh catch, never deigning to dirty her hands. So much for development work.

Anyway, Cousin George has been most generous with us. He took us out for a major shopping trip so we could stock up on food items before we jump over to the Bahamas in the next week or two. The second night in Jensen Beach we dined at an Italian restaurant owned by friends of Peggy and George. Everyone at the restaurant was terribly friendly and the ambiance and appearance of the wait staff made one feel as if on the set of the Sopranos.

Prior to arriving at Jensen Beach, we anchored at Daytona Beach, then Melbourne, and finally took a mooring at Vero Beach, often referred to as Velcro Beach. Apparently some cruisers have a hard time pulling themselves away from the cozy harbor, free bus service to shopping areas and nearby public beach. We’d never stopped there before and were curious about the place. Taking a mooring at the Municipal Marina is compulsory as there is no space for anchored boats in the tiny harbor, and the marina often puts 2 or more boats on a mooring. When we learned we would have to share a mooring we almost declined and went elsewhere, but changed our minds and decided to give it a try.

Much to our surprise and delight we found ourselves sharing a mooring with Ruth and Barry on Another Adventure. We’d met the couple from Appleton, WI, on our previous trip to the Bahamas in 2007-2008. They’d heard us on the VHF radio and told the marina to raft us up with them. They put out fenders and we slid up next to them and jumped into their cockpit for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. In addition to being very generous and loads o’ fun Ruth and Barry are a wealth of knowledge re/sailboat maintenance and cruising. They develop and sell boating paraphernalia for Cruisingsolutions.com. Ruth and Barry cruise with their parrot, Buddy, who enjoys whistling and laughing with people. I have yet to hear him utter a word, but they say he has quite a vocabulary.

In addition to meeting up with Ruth and Barry, we also had a chance meeting with the Sayres aboard Spartina. Their hailing port is Claiborne, MD, where friends John and Susanne Scott have a home. We asked if they knew them and sure enough, they’re close neighbors and good friends.

We just arrived in Lake Worth near North Palm Beach and dropped the anchor. Saturday and Sunday we’ll get a slip at the Riviera Beach Municipal Marina while Kenny’s many relatives come to visit. We are expecting to see brother Jack and wife from Tampa; son Justin and family from Jupiter; and cousin Alex and wife from Delray Beach. We’re looking forward to it! Nothing like a Kurlychek fest!

Our trip to the Caribbean has officially begun. We left Deale, MD, on Monday, October 18–only two and a half weeks after our target date. Although we had been preparing for this trip for about a year, the month of September was especially frantic.

We had the boat hauled out and did all the bottom cleaning, painting, waxing, some minor hull repairs, along with the installation of our new solar panels. We stayed with our dear friends, Tim, Viki, and Annie while Mary T was out of the water. As usual, they treated us like family and never put any pressure on us to get a move on.

We didn’t want to live aboard Mary T on the hard. For one thing, the boat sits at a steep angle with the bow higher than the stern so the rain won’t collect on deck. Secondly, it’s not very romantic.

At the time we were getting hauled out, Hurricane Earl was a potential threat to the Chesapeake region, so, Robert, the yard manager at Shipwright Harbor Marina, placed Mary T in a safe place amongst some larger vessels and also put additional jack stands under her as a precaution. Robert was also very helpful with advise on some of our repairs.

The major event of our September occurred on the 19th, when we went to Gloucester, MA to get married aboard the sailing vessel, Windfall, a Hinckley 49. Windfall is owned by our friends Raffi and Lisa who charter her out of Gloucester in the summer, and then, out of the Abacos in the Bahamas for the winter. Massachusetts is one of the few states that allows ship captains to perform weddings. So, when Amy and I got engaged, it was a no-brainer to ask Raffi to officiate ours. My brothers Jack, and Bob, along with all of Amy’s family came aboard for the ceremony. We left the dock, circled around Gloucester harbor, and then head to Misery Island near Salem and Marblehead. What better place to start a marriage, eh? It was a splendid day aboard Windfall, followed by an exquisite meal at Duckworth’s Bistrot back in Gloucester. (yes, that is the way they spell “bistro.”) We highly recommend Windfall to all who may be looking to charter a crewed sailboat. (www.defiancesailcharters.com) (Go to: Wedding Photos)

Our trip to Massachusetts, by car, was a great opportunity to visit crusing friends Lou and Jane in Nyack, NY, as well as Corning and Tita in Edgecomb, ME. It was a very special ten days. Kind of like a “pre-honeymoon.” In between, we stayed at Amy’s sister, Molly’s, place in Littleton, MA. Molly, husband Tim, and son Woody, hosted with the mosted, making us, along with the rest of Amy’s family, feel like royalty.

We had to complete all our boat work after the wedding when we returned to Maryland. Weather played a small part in our delayed departure but most of our time was spent re-organizing our lives. With daughter Kai-lee’ and family headed to Finland in May, 2011, we realized that we had better get all our stuff out of their garage and attic. Then there was the unexpected passing of Peter, the Berke family dog. Kai-lee’ and Rory had raised Peter since his puppy-hood in Hawaii and his passing was very painful. He was special and will be sorely missed. Here is a short film Amy did when we were pet-sitting Peter a few years back.

So, after several farewell dinners with friends and family in October, we thought we were ready to set sail on the 14th. But then, during a routine trial of the motor, we found that our motor gauges were going crazy. Needles were flying all over the place while others were normal. We looked everywhere for some clue as to why, but found none until Sunday. That day, we found a wire with a broken ring connection to the alternator. Once that was repaired, we were golden. Or, so we thought.

We left Deale Monday despite the fact that the tachometer was not working. We did not understand that that meant the alternator was not putting juice into the batteries. Fortunately, Monday was sunny so our solar panels were charging the batteries. We made it to Solomons where we had a rendezvous with sailor friends David and Peggy for one last farewell dinner. Tuesday, we saw by way of our boat’s regulator, that the alternator was functioning but failing to charge the batteries.Tuesday we arrived in Deltaville, VA, and were very fortunate to find a highly recommended mechanic, Henry Lackey. Dripping with southern hospitality and charm and an accent to match it, he came out immediately to Mary T to help us. He found yet another broken wire that was a completely different issue from the one I had found a couple of days earlier. All is well now: alternator, regulator and tachometer all working like a charm. Henry showed up later in the evening with a promised gift of two bottles of his home-made wine — one tomato and the other crab apple. We sampled the tomato, which was white and tasted nothing like tomatoes. Hard to say what it tasted like…but we were touched by the gesture.

In Norfolk, we anchored in Willoughby Bay surrounded by Naval ships. Rebel Marina owner, David Briggs, was very kind to us and let us tie up our dinghy at one of his docks and borrow the courtesy car. We needed to drive our portable Honda generator to a Honda dealer for repair. David also offered us the use of his marina’s showers, morning coffee… and he always had plenty of time to chat no matter if he was in the middle of a million tasks. Now that’s southern hospitality.

Cruising married is much different than it was when we were lovers. Amy won’t stop telling me what to do and I scowl and mope.

Today (Sunday, Oct. 24) we continued on to Great Bridge, VA where we sit presently, tied to the side of a canal with other cruisers watching the Canadian geese swim back and forth. The tachometer has stopped working again. Henry!!

It will toll for us on September 19th–“Talk Like a Pirate” Day. Although we wish we could say that we planned it that way, in truth, it’s just a happy coincidence. Yes, the crew of the Mary T will exchange piratical wedding vows aboard Windfall in Gloucester, MA. Our friend, Captain Raffi, will officiate, and perhaps, obfuscate. Our wedding will, no doubt, be an economic boon for Gloucester much the same way that Chelsea Clinton’s did for Rhinebeck, NY. Everybody who is “anybody” will be there or, at least our relations might show up.

On May 1, we did a land cruise to Baltimore so that Susie Chatham could cover the American Visionary Art Museum’s annual Kinetic Sculpture race for her yet-to-be-named next film. Tim Keating, ace cameraman, did the filming. Ken was driver, key grip, and best boy. Although it was rather hot that day, this was one of the most fun events we’ve ever been to. The crowd was outlandishly festive.

Amy hopes to have some footage ready for YouTube in the coming weeks, but until then, we hope you enjoy the still photos below.

Tuesday, April 6, was unseasonably warm with a perfect breeze out of the south west. We took Mary T out for a day sail just to see if all was in order. All mechanical and electronic systems  seemed to work fine with the exception of the batteries. Even though they had been charged all winter, pressing the autopilot button caused a low battery alarm to sound. The autopilot continued to work and the motor started when needed so we’re not sure if the alarm is false or what.

The crew, although a little rusty, eventually remembered how to sail. We toasted Posidon, Neptune, and all other gods and supreme beings, asking for a safe and happy season on the water.

We’re currently living in West Annapolis for two weeks while daughter, Kai-lee, and family vacation in Hawaii. While here, we’re doing more interior varnishing as well as other odd chores that are difficult to do while living aboard. We still haven’t found another slip for the summer. The slip holder where we are currently docked, will be coming back in a few weeks.

We abandoned ship for the Superbowl weekend storm and instead spent the weekend at Kai-lee’s house. After shoveling out on Monday, we shoveled in to Mary T and rode out the Feb 9/10 blizzard onboard. It wasn’t too bad as the wind was off the land. We heeled a bit but it wasn’t uncomfortable. We did not go outside until Thursday. Things are back to normal for now.

We’ve been back in the Annapolis area since Oct. 5 but were too busy to finish the blog in a timely manner. So, here’s the belated recap of where we’ve been and what we’ve done since leaving Robinhood Marina–the end of the last major blog entry:

We left the foggy, foggy Sheepscot River on September 13th. The pea soup gradually dissipated and by mid-day the sun was out. Our destination, Cape Porpoise, was about 45 nautical miles away. The sailing was good fun until the last hour or so when a front approached driving some big waves and gusty winds. And, just like when we arrived back in June, the entrance to Cape Porpoise was congested with an inordinate number of lobster pot buoys that added to our other challenges.

We navigated through without mishap and again found an unoccupied mooring. It was right next to the one we had used on the way up which, at this time, was holding the boat of the fellow who owned it. He happened to be aboard so we invited him over for a drink. Peter didn’t quite remember us at first but we jogged his memory with a reminder of how we ran in to him at the town dock. The course of the conversation covered sailing, lobstering, Buddhism, and small town politics among other things. Peter departed as the sun set and wished us fair winds and flat seas.

We set out for Gloucester on Monday with hopes of seeing our friends from Windfall, Raffi and Lisa, as well as Amy’s sister, Molly, and brother-in-law, Tim. Despite a somewhat light wind we sailed most of the way and arrived in the late afternoon. We picked up a city mooring in Smith Cove and Molly and Tim drove out from Littleton to join us for dinner. Amy cooked up a delicious pot of lentil stew as well as the leftover moose stew that Tim was eager to try.

Raffi and Lisa were away with charter guests, so, we decided to stick around to see them when they returned the following day. It gave us an opportunity to get some walking in and see parts of Gloucester we’d missed before. We were also able to have our refrige ration system examined by a fellow whom Raffi had contacted. The system had been quitting on us at random intervals since Shelburne, NS. Herman, the repair man, diagnosed it as needing a new controller but he didn’t have one to replace it with. So, we figured we’d deal with it in Maryland and just continue to buy ice.

Raffi and Lisa returned later that day and invited us to join their charter guests for cocktails. The guests, a couple from New York, were eager to hear of our trip to Newfoundland.

The following day, Windfall headed to the Misery Islands near Salem, since the forecast was for rather strong northeast wind. We were heading for Scituate or Provincetown and figured the strong winds would get us there quickly. However, after a few hours, we found the very large following seas to be a bit too unpleasant. So, knowing that Misery loves company, we decided to rendezvous with Windfall.

The Misery Islands are part of a conservation organization and there are many moorings available used mostly by day-trippers. Raffi saw us approaching and got in his dinghy to assist us since the moorings do not have pick-up lines. We threw him one of our dock lines and he attached it to the mooring for us. Such service!

Windfall departed shortly afterward due to their guests’ schedule, but we decided to spend the night. Although there was a wee bit of ocean swell that rolled through the very small break between the islands, the anchorage was very protected from the 25 knot north east winds that were blowing. We remained at Misery for two nights waiting for the seas to settle down. Although we were not actually miserable, the swell made us have to hold on as we walked around the boat.

We left Misery behind on Friday and had a lively ride to Scituate. The wind was still in the 20s but the waves were somewhat kinder and gentler. Saturday brought even stronger winds but we thought that the waves would be smaller since we believed the wind would be more offshore. Our geography was a little off, however, as the wind had a lot more fetch and thus produced some rather large waves. We moved quite fast under reefed sails and hit the Cape Cod Canal on schedule and rode the tide to Onset, the first town on the western side of Buzzards Bay.

Onset has a very nice anchorage and quaint atmosphere–at least in the waterfront area. We didn’t get to walk around as much on our previous visit in 2007 and were quite impressed with the place this time around.

We set out for Block Island on Sunday but were not making very good time. The wind gradually picked up but it was against us. Feeling that we were in no hurry, we decided to go up the Sakonnet River rather than beat all the way to Block Island. The Sakonnet is east of Newport and the Naragansett Bay. It has grand mansions like Newport but not the heavy boat traffic.

It was around this time that we decided to head down Long Island Sound rather than spend several days waiting on Block Island for favorable winds. We figured we had time to enjoy the Sound and didn’t relish the thought of meeting up with the fleet of commercial fishermen during the overnight portion of that route. During the next few days we hit Fisher’s Island, NY, the Thimble Islands, CT, Stamford, CT, and finally City Island in NYC.

In Stamford, we visited with Amy’s friend, Michelle, who treated us to a fine, home-cooked meal and much needed hot showers. We were also able to hook up with cruising friends Lou and Jane from Nyack, NY. Our visit with them was quite memorable for a variety of reasons, including seeing Lou and Jane’s house; being chauffered by them around the treaherous NYC metro area in rush hour traffic; going to the fabulous Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Garden in Purchase, NY, and seeing a very large gathering of Hasidic Jews involved in Tashlikh–the practice of casting off the year’s sins by throwing bread into the Hudson River and preparing for the new year.

We had heard on the news earlier in the week, that a record number of the world’s leaders would be gathering at the UN starting around September 21. These events happen about once a year and back in 2007, our friends, Bruce and Ester, aboard Con El Viento, got hung up in the East River during that year’s meeting because the Coast Guard closes the river to all boat traffic. Their story was quite scary, and we didn’t wish to be caught in a similar situation.

Therefore, we decided to wait until Saturday, when there were no scheduled meetings with bigwigs at the UN. We had telephoned the Coast Guard and they informed us there would only be the standard security zone. After we started to head down the East River at Hell’s Gate, we heard on the VHF radio that the Coast Guard moved the security level up a notch so that we had to transit on the east side of Roosevelt Island. It wouldn’t be such a big deal except that there is a bridge there that must open for us to pass under. We had a very difficult time finding out the opening schedule due to the very busy VHF radio traffic. Although you would think the Coast Guard would help mariners by giving out the schedule, they insisted they did not know what it was. Another boater heard our conversation and said it is simply every hour and half hour. How hard would it be for the Coast Guard to relay that information in their radio announcements?

Anyway, we arrived at Atlantic Highlands, NJ, around mid-day and settled in for an extended stay waiting for favorable winds. When the wind finally shifted to the north, we had an exhilarating ride down the coast of New Jersey. The wind was truly offshore this time, blowing in the upper teens. The waves, however were non-existent so it was like sailing on a lake.

We arrived in Atlantic City after about 12 and a half hours and found a spot in the Brigantine anchorage. The next day was a shorter run to Cape May where we ran in to our favorite good Samaritan, Paul. Paul lives in Atlantic City but was in Cape May aboard his boat, Journey, headed for the Chesapeake. We had dinner together and shared many cruising stories. Fortunately for Paul, Journey fits under the Cape May Canal bridge. Mary T’s mast is just a couple of feet too tall. This means that Paul can shave about two or so hours off the trip up the Delaware. We, on the other hand, have to head back out the Cape May inlet into the Atlantic and go around the very bottom of the Cape May peninsula. We, along with all the other cruisers poised to head up the Delaware the next day, had the choice of leaving in the wee, wee hours of the morning to catch the flooding tide, or wait until the afternoon. We figured we’d just leave at daybreak.

This was not a good decision. Although the wind was favorable (from the southeast), the current was against us. Despite the conflict, we were making good time at the start. But later in the day, as the current grew swifter and the wind stronger, we had some serious gybes both planned and unplanned. We were motor sailing with only a reefed main but the reef was coming undone with each gybe. The conditions were so rough we figured it was better to live with it than take a chance on the deck. We knew we’d eventually get to some protected waters but we had a bit of a struggle to get there. Our nerves were severely tested by the weather as well as the large ship traffic, the shoals, and the crab pot buoys. This particular Saturday won the award for the worst sailing of the whole summer. Luckily, no one got hurt and nothing got damaged.

In order to help recuperate, we treated ourselves to the marina at Summit North, DE, and then sailed into our beloved Chesapeake on Sunday, October 4.

After about four and a half months and 2,950 nautical miles, our second sailing adventure was over. After much thought, we decided to stay put in Maryland for a year rather then continue heading south to the Caribbean. We plan to continue cruising in October of 2010.

Amy is currently working hard on the docu-comedy of our 2007-08 adventure which we hope to make available for public consumption in the coming month–just in time for Christmas. Check back here for the release announcement.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading.