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9/22/09
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click here for Southbound trip, Maine to Florida Summary: TabbyCat and her faithful crew spent about four months enjoying the East Coast between the antebellum, but rebellious, Charleston, SC and the Down East Yankees in Maine.
The pictures and text found below briefly covers an incredible trip that we hope to add to next year. Perhaps the best parts of this trip were the wonderful acts of kindness from everyone from family to friends to total strangers all along the way. Enjoy!
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September 3 - 16: Lots of stuff done to the boat. We had a list with over 30 items and most of them are done thanks to the guys @ Maine Cat. Special thanks to Mark, Tom (the Master UME) and crew for making good things happen. Write us if you want all the gory details - did I mention that there were OVER 30 items? Or that Susan spent several hours installing our new, high tech, LED anchor light? August 30 - September 2: After spending a few frustrating days with our builder (they were NOT ready for us to be there, but that is another story), we set out for the Labor Day Weekend. After anchoring in Pulpit Harbor on North Haven Island, Penobscot Bay, we caught up with cruising friends Steve & Rachel (Silk Road) and spent several fun days with them and their guest Sandy. Can anyone say "Fairy House?" Ayuh, they have 'em neah Stonington, and McGlathery Island.
Oh, but here's the key thing we learned - Maine virtually closes on Labor Day Weekend; summer is over! August 26: We motored out of a windless Boothbay Harbor and suddenly found a whole bunch of wind! So we actually sailed in Maine. We were also able to "show off" our screacher to the competition on "Dream Maker". A couple of jibes later and we found ourselves heading up the Muscongus Bay to spend the next few days/weeks moored outside of Broad Cove Marine so the folks at Maine Cat can do some work on the boat (upgrades, warranty fixes, etc.) When we got into the bay, the wind shifted to the North so we had a fun beat with gusts up to 20 knots, while dodging lobster pots and islands and ledges (aka ROCKS!) While here, we saw most of the lunar eclipse on Tuesday morning. We are so far East that the moon was over the horizon before the eclipse was complete. The pictures here are for those of you who think the sailing life on a "new" boat is "all easy all the time"... FYI - Broad Cove Marine is where we first stepped on TabbyCat two years ago. It is still a lobsterman's marina and we are definitely "outsiders". August 25: We motored down the Kennebec and then over to Damariscove Island. The cruising guide and some friends said it was a good anchorage and a neat little secluded place. We found out that "little" was the operative word. After squeezing TabbyCat in and motoring to the end of the anchorage, we turned around (we were happy to have two engines so we could turn inside our own length) and decided to head for Boothbay Harbor, ME. Okay, okay, call us "chicken", but a small, tight anchorage with a bunch of hard rocks waiting for us if we dragged during the night did not sound appealing in spite of the Damariscove's scenic beauty. When we arrived in Boothbay, we were hailed on the VHF by friends Rob and Adele Chevalier on "Dream Maker", a Voyage 440. We were able to pick up the mooring right behind them. After getting a tour of their boat and meeting Adele's parents Ozzie and June, we all had dinner ashore. We didn't mind getting a ride in their huge dink with a 50 (count 'em) HP engine. The Voyage 440 was one of our "finalists" when we were deciding on a catamaran and we met Rob and Adele on a 440 at the 2004 Annapolis Boatshow. The boat offers a lot and they have really set theirs up well. Rob and Adele look very happy with their choice. We hope to see them in Cape Cod when we head South in a few weeks. Boothbay is filled with lobster boats and classic boats, beautiful gaff-riggers and a little round light house (Susan wants to buy it and live in it). Oh, and the only waterfront bowling alley we have seen. August 23: Mike's daughter Anna turned 30 today! We (the older folks) spent most of our day motoring to Bath, ME which is 10 - 12 nm up the Kennebec River. We briefly tried to sail as we made our way out of Falmouth via Casco Bay, but the winds were...yes, you guessed it, too light and on the nose. This coupled with a lot of lobster traps and the current against us called for using our beloved auxiliary engines. On the 24th, we went to the Maine Maritime Museum (in Bath) which is centered around three boatyards that made these huge 4, 5 and 6-masted sailing schooners (see picture and caption on the left). Most were "coalers" and they hauled coal as far as Brazil. The trade was apparently quite lucrative, and I guess the boat-building may have been too (for some). Since we live in a very different time, it is hard to imagine why anyone would want to be involved in the boating industry - it looks like it was pretty tough, wet, cold and dangerous. We also saw (from a distance) the Bath Iron Works, where they make some of the U.S. warships. Here is one interesting bit of trivia we learned: until 2001 all ships built in the Bath Iron Works were launched "down the ways" (backwards down a set of greased, inclined rails) at an angle of between 11 - 13 degrees (hello Archimedes!). This method has been used since the Phoenicians. Starting in 2001, they started using a dry dock. August 21: motored all day to Portland, ME, which resulted in the batteries finally reaching 100% charge. The cruising guide suggested Centerboard Yacht Club, but all their moorings were taken and there was no room to anchor (as stated in our cruising guide). We ended up in Falmouth, ME just four miles away when a nice dockhand from Portland Yacht Club hailed us on the VHF to offer us a mooring for $30 night. Super deal as we got the "treatment" (launch service and club access). Went for a bike ride and bought 1 lb lobsters for $6 each at "The Landing Market" and made ourselves quite a spectacular (but messy) dinner. August 19: Sailed and motored to Portsmouth, NH. Saw a seal when we arrived in the harbor (we originally mistook it for a dog in the water...). August 16: We had a lovely day in Marblehead, MA including a long bike ride around the harbor and attending the Jazzfest at the Unitarian Church in the evening. It turns out that the Church has a summer series www.marbleheadJazz.org that's been going on for 23 years! There are 2000 moorings in the harbor at Marblehead. August 13: Cuttyhunk, MA: We anchored outside Cuttyhunk, and had a rough night. Note to self- don't go unless there's room inside the anchorage. August 10: Jamestown, RI: We had a nice sail to Newport, and picked up a mooring at Conanicut Marina. Mike has unlocked the secret of how to make bread rise - don't be timid with it! All this time we were being so careful not to handle it too much, and it was coming out flat. Attended the Newport Jazzfest with Susan's sister, Fae. We saw BB King, Al Green and others. It was also our 12th anniversary! (Mike bought Susan Keen sandals - "rubber" for 12 years?!) Sadly, Susan's mom called this morning with that news that Vince (Susan's step dad) passed away last night from ALS. Vince had many interests - sailing, SCUBA, snow skiing, and woodworking, to name a few. He visited the Bahamas on his beloved Bermuda 40, Tourmaline, and several times after that on other boats. He enriched our lives in uncountable ways. August 6: Mike landed our first fish - while anchored at Three Mile Harbor (just around the corner from Sag Harbor). We actually caught 2 of them (for those of you still keeping score: Fish 3, TabbyCat 2)! Susan filleted them - fresh fish for dinner. When we planned this leg of our journey, we looked at Three Mile Harbor and thought it would be very protected. While crossing from Coecles Harbor to Three Mile Harbor we saw winds up to 30 knots with 2 - 4' seas that were building. Inside we still had high winds up to 25 knots, but 0 - 1' seas that quickly diminished. Three Mile Harbor got its name because it is 3 miles from upscale East Hampton, NY. Next stops - Port Judith, Rhode Island and then Newport for a visit from Fae and celebrating our 12 wedding anniversary at the Newport Jazz Fest. August 5: After a little bump
in the night (why do
these things happen between 2 - 4 AM?), we dinghied into Coecles
Harbor Marina
and rode our bikes to the Mashomack Preserve,
owned by the Nature Conservancy. Bikes cannot be ridden at the
preserve, so we went on a 6 mile hike. The preserve is nearly 2,100
acres and composes approximately 1/3 of Shelter Island. While we were
in Sag Harbor, we saw where 8 acres on Shelter Island were selling for
$33 million, so the value of Mashomack is...PRICELESS (insert
MasterCard
commercial here)! Anyway, we thought it was
pretty amazing to have that
much of the island dedicated to preservation.
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August 4: Susan decided to try some fishing, using the rod and reel that Cathy gave us. She figured out how to cast the line, and in no time had a medium sized round looking fish on the hook. Unfortunately, it came off the hook as Mike was getting ready to net it. Score: Fish 3, TabbyCat 0. We are getting quite good at catch & release! Motored from Sag Harbor to Coecles Harbor, Long Island. Heard on the VHF: 33' Sport fisherman "Something Fishy" sinking due to a lost rudder. We were amazed at how calm the captain remained (he never raised his voice; never got excited or upset with repeated requests for information, etc.), continuing to motor along at 8 knots while water rushed in a hole in the boat and came up over the bilge pumps. He didn't think they were going to make it to shore, but Sea Tow came to the rescue with big pumps and saved the day. August 2: Left Shell Island and sailed around with the other Maine Cats. We flew the screacher and had some glorious sailing, working our way around Shelter Island to Sag Harbor. Sag Harbor was one of the original customs tax collection centers in the newly independent USA, briefly rivaling New York City in terms of shipping, and was a whaling town; it's now known as the summer home for the rich & famous and as a destination for some very expensive yachts. We walked around town, admiring the cedar shake houses and toured the whaling museum. We ate at the Dockside restaurant, which was housed in the Foreign Legion. We were shocked at the price of just a salad ($18) until we found out that people like Billy Joel dine there. Next time we'll check the menu prices first! August 3: Met Judy and Andy Droitcour, of Double Diamond (another Maine Cat 41), while anchored at Shell Island. They have done all sorts of functional and attractive upgrades to their boat. Andy gave us many ideas for TabbyCat.
July 31: We motored 8 NM to Shell Island, which is a scenic bay. You are only allowed to stay for 48 hours.
July 27: After we were unable to find an open mooring at Greenport, we motored across the river to Dering Harbor, Shelter Island, Long Island. There are almost no catamarans here, so we were very surprised when another Maine Cat 41 picked up the mooring right next to us. It turned out to be Dan Dimola, owner of Pelican Charters. We went out as crew for an evening sail with Dan the next day.
July 24: We played tennis at our
next stop, Port Jefferson (locally called Port Jeff), Long
Island. Port Jeff is named for Thomas Jefferson, someone
thought it would be a better name than "Drowned Meadow". P.T. Barnum
wanted to make Port Jeff a winter home for the circus, but couldn't get
the town to go along. Old P.T. did start the Port Jeff to Bridgeport,
CT ferry, which still runs today (don't get in the way!). We also
visited the Mather Museum, which has clocks donated by a guy who
collected over 900 (yes, they filled every room in his house), boats,
and the traditional old house tour. The marine patrol here is
overzealous, so watch your speed and be sure to have all safety
equipment aboard your dinghy. The marina charges $7 to keep your dinghy
at the dock (of the bay) for the day.
July 17: Oyster Bay, Long Island is a nice town with free tennis courts and a dinghy dock. We walked up to Sagamore Hill, the residence of Teddy Roosevelt and did a tour. High winds and rains kept us here an extra day. In the small world department, we met a couple on a Perry 43 catamaran, "Bedouin" that is insured through IMIS.
July 15: Motored out the inlet, then sailed to NYC. Just about a perfect day for sailing - our maximum speed under full main and screacher was 15.6 kts. Rode the subway to Manhattan, ate at Sardis, and saw the musical "Xanadu". It was hilarious- it uses a bunch of Olivia Newton John's songs and weaves them into a story. The original movie, which starred Olivia and Gene Kelley was played straight and was a box office bomb. The Broadway version plays for the laughs - and gets them! We also visited the Guggenheim. Note: many museums offer discounts on Friday nights. We missed the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) due to rain. Thank goodness, because we might have been on or near 41st Street when the steam pipe blew up - our thoughts and hopes are with those who were hurt. We initially anchored behind the Statue of Liberty at a park, but then motored through the East River and anchored off La Guardia Airport at the World's Fair Marina ($22/day to land the dink). It was noisy due to the airplanes.
July 13: Sailed offshore with the screacher for most of the trip to Barnegat Light, NJ. The entrance was easy, although many of the markers are not on the charts, since they move about so much. We bicycled on Long Beach Island all the way to a town called "Harvey Cedars". We saw many nice houses- some very modern, others very traditional beachfront. The lighthouse, called "Old Barney" by the locals, is the 2nd tallest in the US, so of course, we had to climb up. What a view! As we took in the sights from on high, we spotted TabbyCat in the harbor. After a few moments we suddenly realized she was NOT where we left her. Our leisurely stroll down the steps and back to the bikes ended right there as we ran down the lighthouse steps, back to the bikes, furiously pedaling to the dinghy so we could and secure TabbyCat.
July 11: It was a short hop to (34 NM) to Cape May, NJ. While there, we toured the Emlen Physick House and had an "Elegant Tea". There was so much silt in Cape May due to the current that the watermaker could not handle it.
July 10: It was windy on the Delaware Bay (20-25 kts) with waves building, and the current was running opposite to the wind, so we went to the Maurice River instead of Cape May, NJ. There was a lot of current and the water was 20-30' deep - we had to work hard to find water shallow enough to anchor in.
July 9: We spent a night in Veazy Cove on the Bohemia River, then headed through the C&D canal. We showed TabbyCat to Dr. Joe Eckman, who flew up to Maine the following week to go on a test sail. July 8: We sailed with the screacher, (the big headsail) from Sparrows Point to Sue Creek, behind Hart and Miller Island.
July 6: Nancy suggested that we try Old Bay Marina, which is just outside Sparrows Point, so we did. It was cheap ($20 for 2 nights) but no water or electricity. While we were there, we were able to meet up with our old neighbors, John and Dianne White for dinner at The Dock of The Bay Restaurant. Mike's brother Hank, loaned us his car, and we shopped for groceries and visited with Hank's family. We explored the nice creek behind their home, and looked at the rental house across the street that they just purchased.
July 4: We spent the 4th at Baltimore, at the Inner Harbor Marina. This was expensive - $120 per night. We later found out that you can tie up at the seawall by the lighthouse for $1.25 per foot, but you get no electricity or water. Mike's Dad, Harry, and Nancy Pryor, an old family friend, out for a sail. The wind ranged from 4 to 23 knots!
July 2: We visited George and Gail Braun, on the Magothy River. George and Gail buddy boated with us down the ICW on the way to the Bahamas, but came back earlier. We took them our for a sail on TabbyCat for the 4th of July, and saw some fireworks off Rock Hall, MD.
June 13: Back in familiar waters - we anchored in Weems Creek, Annapolis. We had appetizers with old C&C sailing friend Howard Hobbs. The anchorage there is convenient to downtown, and we rode our bikes all over the place, re-provisioning, dropping off SCUBA equipment and sails for repairs. Luckily, we met up with Roger & Bonnie (Kokomo) and they helped us lug our huge mainsail to UK sailmakers. We visited every boating store possible, then had a burger at Davis' Pub in Eastport.
June 11: Anchored in Mill Creek, Solomon's Island. Saw the John Smith Shallop on the way. This is a replica boat, designed to educate the public about the travels of Captain John Smith, who mapped the Chesapeake Bay back in 1608. http://www.johnsmith400.org/voyage.htm
June 10: We saw a nice Chris White Catamaran called Starry Night while exploring the Coan River, where we anchored for the night.
June 9: It's always so hard to sail away from Healy creek, but we needed to get to Maryland, so we did a short hop to Henry's Creek, VA.
May 30: We sailed to Healy Creek, VA, where our good friends Ellen & Leon live. Rachel & Steve were still with us, so we were able to introduce them and have nice meal together. Rachel Steve moved on the next day, but we stayed in Healy creek until July 9th. Ellen & Leon let us use their car, their laundry, and as always, were kind hosts.
May 29: We sailed most of the way to Mobjack Bay, VA, averaging 5.7 knots, with a top speed of 10.47 kts.
May 27: Transited the Dismal Swamp. It was a calm uneventful trip that strongly reminded Mike of the "CBS Sunday Morning" w/Charles Kuralt shows. You know, they had a segment at the end of each show without human sounds - just the sounds of nature, birds, bugs, frogs and the wind in the trees. We arrived in Norfolk, VA at 6:30 pm. While in Norfolk, we spent time with Silk Road, and took a harbor tour of the naval ships.
May 25: We motored to Elizabeth City, NC in a flat calm. This town is know for its "Rose Buddies"- a group of citizens, headed by Fred Fearing, that tries to make the boaters feel welcome. Fred is getting on in age now (93 years), so he drives to the waterfront in his golf cart, but he still handed me a pair of scissors and directed me to cut my own welcome rose. He had a small wine & cheese reception at his house and gave the ladies a tour. Elizabeth City also boats one of those movie theaters that lets you watch the movie while dining, so we took advantage of that opportunity to see Spiderman 3 with Jim and Donna from Ragtime x2, a Gemini catamaran. There is a small grocery store a little away from the harbor that has fabulous sausage.
May 24: Found a nice anchorage east of the Alligator River mouth called South Lake. We had the best night's sleep ever- it was so calm! On the way there, we listened to a drama unfold on the VHF- Azul, a powerboat, was traveling at high speed and hit a sandbar, when they missed the S turn at the mouth of the Alligator River. The passenger was thrown through the window and had to be airlifted out, and the boat was totaled.
May 23: Arrived in BellHaven, NC after traveling 56 NM, with a maximum sped of 10.68 knots.
May 21: We scored the free dock at Oriental, NC. What a fun town! The locals seem to have a sense of humor, and have hidden dragons in various places throughout the town. The cruising guide reports that they have a population of 1,000 but 13,000 boats. Met Ann & Jim from the Bees Knees and had dinner with them at M&Ms.
May 20: Beaufort NC was too crowded (all the moorings are privately owned), so we pushed on to Cedar Creek, NC.
May 19: Overnight anchorage at Mile Hammock Bay, NC. While there we picked up an abandoned crab trap in our anchor and almost dragged into the sea wall.
May 17: We left on a favorable 2 knot current and headed for Wrightsville Beach, NC. The anchorage here is quite pretty, and there are lots of shops and eateries. We lucked out and arrived in time to bike to Airlie Gardens for a tour and an outdoor concert. While listening to the concert, a nice couple befriended us and shared their appetizers with us. How cool is that?
May 15: Since we were not a tight time schedule, we then departed the ICW and took a side trip up the Cape Fear River to Wilmington, NC. The current is quite fast, and we saw trees and other large items hurtling past the boat. The town has lots of nice restaurants, and the dockage is only $1 per foot, but we felt that the lack of an anchoring basin and the logs bumping into the boat in the middle of the night made it a less than desirable location for cruisers. We had a wonderful meal at the Riverfront Landing - our table was set in a balcony that overlooked the street and waterfront. We went on the obligatory horse drawn carriage ride and learned that much of the city is quite old. Unlike many southern cities, it was not destroyed in the Civil War, so there are many antebellum houses.
May 12: From Charleston we headed north to Georgetown, SC, where we were treated to the local Symphony's annual public performance, at a little park right on the water The trip from the Bahamas to Charleston was an exciting one. We saw waterspouts, dolphins, and avoided what turned out to be the first named storm of the 2007 season. We had originally planned to ride the Gulf Stream from the Abacos all the way to Beaufort NC, but the beginnings of Tropical Storm Andrea made the seas lumpy and uncomfortable, so after 60 hours of non-stop motor-sailing, we hung a left and went into Charleston, SC. While in Charleston, we visited the Magnolia Plantation, ate at Jestine's kitchen, shopped at the Harris Teeter grocery, and explored the waterfront. Steve & Rachel (Silk Road) and Bonnie & Roger (Kokomo) were also in Charleston at the same time. |
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