Hampton - at a dock

A favorite place for sunrise and sunset for many of the locals - I can see why

Today was provisioning day at the nearest Walmart. Virtually all of the Walmarts nowadays are Supercenters. Unless you're so rich that you don't care about prices, you'll  do a lot of business with Walmarts as you cruise up and down the ICW. It seems that in the last two years Walmart has upgraded their grocery selections to include just about everything you could buy at a supermarket where you would pay a higher price - unless it's on a major sale where there are still bargains to be had if you shop carefully.

This bridge was referred to as "filtering out the salboats" in going to the anchorage to the left

So now we're all fixed for the next leg of our trip that includes Barefoot Landing where we know the dockmaster there and he'll take us to the nearby Walmart for another provisioning trip.

We're hosting Gordon and Eta Johnson Wednesday night on our boat for a session on going down the ICW. It will be their first year down the ditch but then they've done a lot of bluewater sailing which we've haven't done in Fleetwing. We're just coastal sailors. We've chartered extensively in the BVI, St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Martin but  have never taken Fleetwing there. I think Ann is preparing Chicken Cordon Bleu with a special appetizer and dessert, should be fun. 

Hampton Public Piers Marina - at their dock

Ann took this photo, she likes the reflections - sailboats rule!

After almost three weeks of neglect, it was time to pay the piper and clean the boat and do laundry. That took most of the day but now we look presentable at least. Gordon, one of the members of the Beneteau 423 forum I run, was kind enough to loan us a car for our stay at Hampton and we'll use it for provisioning for the rest of the trip and run other errands as needed. It is so convenient to have access to wheels when at a marina!

The weather here will be in the 70's all week, not hard to take. We're taking advantage of it to rest and prepare for the ICW south. At last we are out of the Chesapeake and into waters where we don't care so much for whether there's high winds or not. We'll be concerned about rain but that's all.

The Taphouse - a local tradition

We plan on leaving Thursday morning for the Welcome station on the dismal canal, hopefully the depths will be improved over what we've seen the last few years where we've bumped with regularity. We'll see.

Hampton - at a dock

Early morning at Fishing Bay YC

There were races scheduled for today at the Fishing Bay Yacht Club so we left early to avoid the fleet. The day was marvelous, blue skies, light wind, no waves. We headed south and the autopilot did all the work.

Gordon and Buddy from the Beneteau 423 forum I own invited us our for dinner and even loaded us a car to use for our stay in Hampton. He has a condo at salt pond in Hampton right next to his marina, very convenient and the condo is top notch as was the dinner tonight. Both Gordon and Buddy also own Beneteau 423's so we had lots to talk about. Gordon and Eta are due to make their first trip down the ICW starting October 15 so they will be follow us down the ditch.

At Downtown Hampton Public Piers - notice the half length fingers, tricky docking

We are settling in for the next few days for laundry and general provisioning with a lot of boat cleaning, it's due. With the generosity of the loaner car, we'll explore the area too. We look to stay here for the next four days, at $0.75/ft it's not hard to take.

Fishing Bay YC - at a free dock

Fishing Bay YC - note all the sailboats!

We had 57 miles to go so we left at 7:00 am when we heard the good weather report of 10 to 15 kt winds out of the northeast with 2 ft waves. Also in our favor was an ebb tide so we picked up about 1/2 knot of current heading south. That also meant the the Potomac was also ebbing so the wind was with the tide crossing the Potomac, taming the river compared to what others have experienced. It was a calm ride. We motor sailed most of the way as was everybody else going south. We had ground to cover and didn't have time to poke along at 5 kts.

We passed this guy on the way in, what is it?

We arrived at the yacht club around 2;30 and they had a dock reserved for us. Ann pointed us in and we docked without a problem even though there was no one around to help. You may or may not get help in these situations depending on who's around so you need a dependable technique for getting in, Ann has it down pat by now. You do not come in parallel to the dock, you come in at a 30 degree angle and then at the last minute swing the wheel over to align the boat with the dock and put the engine in reverse. Works everytime.

Nice dock, nice people

The yacht club here is all all sailboats. It's sailing territory and we fit right in. The free dock is for visiting yachtsmen from recognized yacht clubs and Poughkeepsie YC qualifies. We always stop here on the way south and north and know the steward. The electricity is also free, what a bargain.

We'll leave Sunday at 8:00 and hope to make Hampton by 2:00 pm. We've even been invited out for a home cooked meal by a member of the Beneteau 423 Yahoo group which I founded. We're looking forward to that!

Somomons - Last day at anchor

A "Woolie" from 1865, all made with thread

At last we got through the rain and wind with a morning that dawned with blue skies and warmer weather. Now this is more like it! Two other boats left this morning but we stayed on, we wanted the promise of 10 kt winds out of the north and 1 to 2 ft waves on Saturday.

Below a guard rail was a wall of riotous color!

We still had the rental car so we decided to explore Annmarie Gardens, only a few miles from the Holiday Inn anchorage. What a great place to explore! They are art exhibits and a path through the woods with stops along the way highlighted with sculptures on loan from the Smithsonian. The the warm temperatures in the 70's with full sun, it was a delightful stroll.

Upon closer inspection, the wall of color was made up of water bottles, painted, cut and heat treated

In the art center they had what they called "Woolies" on display. They were made by sailors on long voyages during the middle 1800's. The attention to detail and the time it must have taken is staggering. The art center had a large collection on loan for display, we enjoyed every bit.

A closeup of the wall of color

In another part of the center they had a multicolored collection that wasn't entirely obvious as to the source. Every color in the rainbow was represented. On getting a closer look from behind the display, it appeared to  be made up of water bottles that had been spray painted, split and then heated to distort their shapes. It made a stunning display.

The workshop mural

They had an art workshop for kids and the main effort was on a huge mural on one wall made up entirely of bottle caps. You would never guess that from a distance and it only became apparent upon closer inspection.

The source of the mural

In the gardens were many sculptures and the walk was through the woods, enjoyable in itself. We had a grand time and a great break from yesterday's overcast day!

A "fairy house" in the woods

It now looks like Saturday will be a good day for resuming our trek south. If the prediction holds up we'll leave at 7:00 am for the Fishing Bay YC, 57 miles south of here. They offer a free dock for visiting yacht club members and we've stayed there on every trip south. As always, we'll make our final decision on the morning of the trip.

Solomons - at anchor with a rental car

We're at the middle, right - just a dull, overcast day

Well, it's been a typical miserable Chesapeake Bay week, at least in our experience in early spring and early fall on our trips up and down the ICW. Lots of adverse wind, lots of cold weather, lots of rain and high winds. We've been sitting out the weather in Solomons waiting for the typical Chesapeake Bay weather to end for awhile so we can move south to warmer climes.

Meanwhile we rented a car today and made a trip to Walmart for provisions. The trip was made worthwhile just by the price of the Shell Rotella oil at $12.50/gal, 1/2 the price of that offered by West Marine. Many other items are similarly priced, including groceries. I can see why Walmart is so popular with cruisers.

We made lots of trips into the local Holiday Inn which provided docks for those anchored

Hoolie's outings were a wet proposition. I dressed in full raingear but Hoolie just had his fur. Off we went and a full toweling drydown was required upon return. Oh well, Hoolie didn't seem to mind. We're looking at the forecasts every few hours as you might expect. So far it looks like Saturday might be doable but that's far from certain. We'll know on Friday night at best. That would put us in Hampton on Sunday but nothing is certain when it comes to the weather. 

Solomons - at anchor with lots of rain

Only three boats in the entire anchorage 

Lots of rain and high winds predicted for the bay today so we just decided to stay put. The large powerboat anchored ahead of us left this morning and about a couple of hours later we saw him come back in and anchor in the same place as before. I thought to myself, "We've done that!". The winds in the anchorage are very deceiving, nothing like what's happening out on the bay. We've taken more and more to believing the NOAA forecasts for the bay. They may be overly cautious for the ocean but they seem to have their act together for bay forecasts.

The powerboat went out this morning and then turned tail and returned when they saw what was happening on the bay

There's due to be even more rain on Thursday so we'll just be sitting here for at least Thursday and Friday and maybe even Saturday. We're in no rush, time is our friend, as the saying goes, and we intend taking advantage of every bit of it. We'll rent a car Thursday afternoon and explore the area, visit Walmart and Home Depot before returning the car Friday afternoon. We'll explore the area by dinghy on Saturday and hopefully the forecast for Sunday will be in our favor. We're two days out from Hampton, we just need two good days.

Solomons - at anchor

Not many boats in the anchorage

Today was a traveling day that all days going south should be. The wind was directly behind us as were the waves and even the tide was with us. It was as calm as we've ever seen the Chesapeake and yet when we passed a boat headed north they reported that the mouth of the Potomac was so rough that they almost turned back! The Potomac is ahead of us yet on our way south.

Today we pulled into Solomons and  anchored at the end of the creek in 8 ft of water. The protection here is outstanding with high trees all around and no fetch for waves to build up. Adding to the ideal conditions is the availability of a dock supplied by the local Holiday Inn for visiting boaters for their dinghies. So we have easy land access and local markets for provisioning if we need it.

Unusual sunset for us, nice end to the day

The weather forecasts have turned for the worse. On Wednesday there's a small craft advisory out with gusts to 25 kts and 3 ft waves and Thursday is not much better. For that matter, neither is Friday and Saturday has reverted to the usual "We don't know" forecast of 5 to 10 kts that I'm sure will change as we approach the weekend. So it appears we'll be here for at least three days and probably longer. With that I'll do boat errands and we may rent a car for local exploring. Meanwhile, we are well protected and can ride out anything.  

Rhode River - at anchor

What a restful anchorage - after that ride

We thought we were going to get 10 to 15 kts winds with occasional gusts to 20 today. So armed with that forecast we headed south out the Chesapeake Canal at 7:00 am. The canal itself was fine, there wasn't much fetch for the waves to build up but once we exited the protection of nearby shores for the open waters of the bay, did that ever change! The wind had the opportunity to build up wave action the entire length of the bay from the north. The waves hit us broadside and made the boat bob like a cork. We were all braced constantly to keep us from knocking around the cockpit. It was not a good ride. The peak wind gust recorded by us was 37 kts (true wind speed, corrected for boat speed). That was NOT what was predicted!

Hoolie's favorite place at Rhode River

Around noon we thought we'd head for Annapolis instead of Rhode River but then the wind abated to only 17 to 19 kts and the waves decreased due to less fetch off the eastern shore so we proceeded on to Rhode River.

The anchorage here could hold an armada. It's never full (it would take hundreds of boats to do that). Yet, it very protected with all the side creeks and islands to provide shelter from the winds and Hoolie even has his own private beach!

A few minutes later, we were greeted with a great sunset

The forecast for Tuesday is much better, 5 to 10 kts out of the northeast with less than 1 ft waves. If that holds, we'll head for Solomons and the anchorage deep into the river. 

Chesapeake City - at anchor

The anchorage is surrounded by well tended landscaping, courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers 

Although we anchored in 35 ft of water and only had 100 ft of rode out, we were fine. We swung with the tides and at time did circles but there was never a problem. We were the only boat in the anchorage. We were well placed to catch the tides north in the Delaware Bay and reached Chesapeake City by noon.

The rumble is much louder than a typical motorcycle - deep and loud from the speed boats

The entrance to the anchorage here has silted in. It was dredged a couple of years ago but there's only 7 ft now at the entrance. Once in the anchorage, you're fine but getting in you have to be careful. If you enter in the middle of the channel, you will go aground.

Peaceful evening - so far - the wind is supposed to pick up later tonight

The town here was packed. There are no provisions available, just a lot of shops typical of tourist towns. Nevertheless, it was pleasant walking along the sidewalks looking in the shops and looking at the many flower displays. The Chesapeake Canal is famous for the muscle boats, made for high speed and a deep, throated rumble you can feel in your belly. There is no speed limit on the canal and they take advantage of it.

We plan on leaving Monday morning and aiming for Rhode River anchorage. It will be a long day and the winds are forecast for 15 to 20 kts but they will be behind us so we're going. We want to get through the Chesapeake as soon as possible, we never found it to be a good sailing area, at least for the time periods that we transit through.  

Cohansey River - at anchor

All alone in the anchorage

We had to wait for low tide to get under the 55 ft bridges at the Cape Cod canal so we didn't get started until noon on our trip up the Delaware Bay. The forecast was for 10 to 15 kt winds out of the southeast which would put the winds behind us.

Hoolie liked the beach!

So we hauled anchor at noon and found it full of mud, that thing was dug in! However, it did come up easily when pulled directly overhead. With Ann at the helm, we headed to the canal. We passed under both bridges with 57 ft showing on the boards (it was a 0.9 ft low) and with our 55.3 ft mast, we cleared easily. All was well until we approached the exit where the two ferries were docked. We arrived just as one of the two ferries was coming in so we had to back up and wait for his arrival.

We hope for a calm night

Going forward I got too far over to the north side and ran aground. I put the engine in idle forward and just slid over to the south side of the channel and gradually saw deeper water, no big deal after four trips up and down the ICW (you get used to shallow water).

We are now anchored behind an island in front of the Cohansey River, protected from waves from the Bay and with Hoolie relief nearby on a sandy beach, ideal for us! We'll leave Sunday at 8:00 for Chesapeake City with the tides with us and then collect ourselves to see when to spring further down the Chesapeake. 

Cape May - at anchor

How to visit the Coast Guard - drag your anchor! Note the foreground boat about to reanchor

Today was a layover day. With winds in the 15 to 25 kt range, it would not have been comfortable going up Delaware Bay so we just sat on our anchor for the duration. We did watch four boats drag their anchor in the strong winds. One wound up against the Coast Guard bulkhead. They later moved to out to reanchor. Luckily, all the boats that dragged were behind us in the wind so we were unaffected. Of course we had no problem with our 66 lb Spade anchor and 60 ft of 3/8 inch BBB chain. The wind howled but we didn't move an inch. The boats that dragged seemed to have tiny anchors from our viewpoint and not the kind that cup the bottom like the modern Spade, Aocna or Manson. 

Taking Hoolie ashore was a challenge in these conditions and to top it off, the shore was littered with shells and bits of left over dinner from seagulls. Hoolie found that fascinating, even to the extent of not doing his business! It was his chance to have fun! However, I was not having fun waiting for Hoolie to do something besides examine the beach debris in detail. So eventually I hauled him back into the dinghy and he could wait for the next trip. Luckily, the next trips was not quite so interesting as I chose a section of the beach with fewer baubles. 

Our first sunset of the cruise south 

We need low tide to get under the 55 high bridge in the Cape Code canal on Saturday and that's not until 12:30. Also, we want to catch the current going up the Delaware and that's even later so we won't make Chesapeake City and will aim for Cohansey River and the anchorage there instead. The next day the tides are favorable for a ride through the Chesapeake - Delaware canal and we'll anchor at Chesapeake City on Sunday. Of course, all of this is pending a  good forecast, always iffy. 

Cape May - at the Coast Guard anchorage

Good bye Atlantic City - Two of these towers are bankrupt (far right and far left)

The swells from hurricane xxxx are finally subsiding so we waiting until 10:30 and started out. There was no wind so there were no wind driven waves which made the ocean look like a lake except for the 4 ft swells. However, they were 15 seconds apart so you hardly noticed them. The  boat just went up and then it went down, no big deal. The lesson learned is not to pay attention to swells forcasts, pay attention to the wind and you don't want wind on the nose. Not only will it slow down the boat, it will also produce waves on the bow that will gradually grow in size until they start coming over the bow unless the wind is less than 10 kts.

Our August condo (left of space in middle)

With no wind, the trip down to Cape May was uneventful. There were more boats in the anchorage than we anticipated, seven in all. We had thought it would  be almost empty judging by the number of cruising boats we saw in Atlantic City (none heading south). I guess they were hiding somewhere else.

Well, I guess that's pretty plain, no Hoolie relief there

The anchorage here is calm at night but not when all the commercial boats come in around 4:00 pm, it's rock and roll then. We'll wait and see what the forecast is before heading out on Friday. One forecast says 15 kts winds, another one says gusts to 25. Perhaps they will converges by Friday?! Forecasts are such a crapshot!

The Coast Guard station is also the main training station for new recruits - they are always marching around

We plan to next stop at the Cohansey River anchorage and then move on to Chesapeake City the next day. The favorable tides (currents, actually) are all in the afternoon. 

Atlantic City - at the Golden Nugget Marina

The upper deck of the Golden Nugget offers a pool for all guests, including us

Having no other source of information, we have to look at the predictions even though our confidence in their accuracy has been sorely impacted.The weather patterns of late are rather variable even without an active hurricane season. It seems that we have a 1/2 day window to go south on Thursday afternoon, provided you believe the forecasts. The swells from the hurricane out in the Atlantic are due to subside as the day progresses giving us the opportunity to reach Cape May in the afternoon. We will examine the forecasts Thursday morning, cast a few bones, look at the horoscope and then decide.

Here's the Coast Guard station anchorage, always an alternative

If we do go, we'll probably reach Cohansey on Friday afternoon and then Chesapeake City by Saturday. Then we would breathe a collective sigh of relief upon completing the most taxing part of our passage south, at least for us.

We're tucked in, several boats down

We just met a couple that just bought a 50 foot Beneteau to replace their 34 foot sailboat, what a move up! It seems to us that they have tons of room, more than us. We wish them luck. They are not yet retired so the boat won't see full time use for a few years.

Well, we don't have a ouija board available so we'll have to make due with best guesses on the weather, wish us luck.

Atlantic City - at the Golden Nugget Marina

Our home for the next few days

You would think that with access to all the latest weather forecast technology that the forecasts would be accurate - WRONG! The predictions were for 5 to 10 kts of wind out of the north so where did the 15 to 20 kts of wind out of the southesast come from?? So instead of the wind behind us, we had the wind on the nose for the first five hours complete with 3 to 5 ft waves coming over the bow. Unfortunately, we had neglected to secure one of the forward hatches and much became wet, including Ann's new cellphone which now does not work.

We're surrounded by casinoa

Wind eventually did turn from the north but not until we had endured a beating. It was never a case of being out of control, just uncomfortable. The afternoon was different even as the wind peaked to 20 kts but out of the north, not a problem for a boat heading south. We left at 6:00 am and reached Atlantic City by 5:00 pm.

Coming into Atlantic City, we called and the dockmaster said, "Oh yes, I remember you". We tend to get that response more and more as we continue our travel south over the years. The city here is on the ropes with several big casinos closing. They have slipped to number three in size with Vegas and Pennsylvania being one and two. They have a hard time competing with casinos being much closer to populations centers. Now even more are being  built in New York. However, the marina seems to be okay, they have a unique location and very protected although we don't do much in the Golden Nugget.

We'll sit here and study the predictions although I sometimes wonder if flipping a coin would be better. The swells from the hurricane out in the Atlantic are due to arrive over the next three days so we'll problem stay at the marina until the Atlantic calms down before continuing on to Cape May.

Atlantic Highlands - at anchor, the only boat in the anchorage

Magnificent Skyline!  

I think this will be the last time we use the Hook Mountain anchorage. There was not much wind, no problem there but the small waves were fine when hitting the boat on the bow. However, when the tide changed and the boat was side to the incoming waves, it rocked quite a bit. Unfortunately, the tide change occurred at 1:00 am an so we rocked all through the night. The rocking stopped with the tide change at 5:00 am but the damage was done as far as getting a good night's sleep. We'll take one of the other two anchorages in Haverstraw Bay the next time.

Boat Beacon - round icons are anchored boats, icons with lines off the bow are underway

The tide was really ebbing in the morning, much more than predicted by the current charts. We were routinely reaching 9.2 kts over ground and occasionally up to 9.8 kts! We made the Battery in 2:45 from Haverstraw Bay, a record for us and we anchored in the Atlantic Highlands anchorage by 12:45 pm. The passage through New York harbor was eased by having a new app for the iPad, "Boat Beacon". It displays all the boats with AIS signals on an easy to read and interpret chart of the bay. Boats at anchor have a different icon from those underway and a line is drawn on the chart where the underway boats will be in 3 minutes, easy to see if there's a collision potential. In fact, the app will automatically alert you to a potential collision course automatically. It's a great help in transiting New York Harbor.

We leave the harbor under the Verrazano Narrows bridge 

Meanwhile, we had been looking all over the boat for our reef runner shoes, good for taking Hoolie ashore when your feet might get wet. I looked in the starboard locker, the aft locker and finally gave up. So I was putting away the folding step and noticed the pail turned upside down, removing the pail, I discovered the reef runners under the pail! I had thought I had to try the "never fail" solution to finding stuff - buy another one. After that, whatever you've lost will turn up immediately! Luckily, I didn't have to do that this time.

Hopefully, tomorrow brings a good day for going south

So we had a swift ride down the Hudson with little wind and made good time. We are now anchored at Atlantic Highlands in preparation for our trip down the New Jersey coast to Atlantic City on Tuesday. We use four weather forecast sites and was concerned that the NOAA site on Coastal Forecasts differed from the other three. We've found that the NOAA CoastalForecasts are usually much more pessimistic than grib, Stormsurf or Swellinfo - the other three we use. Finally, this afternoon, the NOAA forecast fell in line with what the other three had been saying all day which is a calm ride down the coast. I think that sometimes NOAA just likes to discourage boaters from going out, maybe less work for the Coast Guard??

We plan on raising anchor at 6:00 am and hope to make the Golden Nugget by 5:00 pm. I found that after new bottom paint on a clean bottom, Fleetwing will now do 7.7 kts at 2300 rpm where it used to only reach 7.3 kts after several months in the water. We will take advantage of the extra speed going south!

Hook Mountain anchorage at Haverstraw Bay

The Bear Mounting bridge, once one of the longest in the world

After a day of rain we awoke to sunny skies but a very brisk day. It's getting cold! All the more reason to hurry south so we pushed off around 9:00 for Haverstraw. We have always enjoyed all our trips on the Hudson River. The passage is through highlands on either side that plunge into the river so steeply that you can be within 20 feet of the river bank and still be in 60 ft of water.

Barge traffic near Storm King

The Hudson River is a busy highway for barges, sea going ships and all manner of commerce. The river is deep all the way to Albany and even requires a Pilot to be aboard all ships to ensure safe navigation.

Storm King - A great view from the top - 1340 ft high

We continued south to the Hook Mountain anchorage where we had a bad experience last year. On the Hudson River, the wind always blows north or south, very seldom does it ever come from east or west. So a northwest wind will be out of the north, any wind with a southern component will be out of dead south. Last year we had anchored at Hook Mountain and thought we were protected from a northwest wind, wrong! It was a bad night of bouncing with the wind driven waves. However, tonight is another story. The wind has abated to less than 5 kts and it's perfectly calm.

We plan on getting an early start Monday to take advantage of the ebb tide to reach the Atlantic Highlands anchorage, a staging area for our Tuesday venture down the New Jersey coast to Atlantic City. So far the weather looks okay but that can always change, we watch the reports every morning.

At Poughkeepsie YC - We leave Sunday for our fifth trip down the ICW!

Unfortunately, a very cloudy and rainy day - but tomorrow is predicted to be better!

After umpteen hours getting the boat ready with three coats of wax, new bottom paint, new propeller zinc, sanding the teak and applying Semco, a new rear engine oil seal, a new engine dampener, a repaired head sail and a hundred other odds and ends, we are finally ready to resume our ICW adventures. 

All set to go!!

We had planned on leaving PYC on 9/15, a Monday, but the weather in the Atlantic would not cooperate. There were multiple storms brewing and we watched them intently, almost hourly over the past few days using our weather apps, about a half dozen or so. So as of this evening, it appears that we still have a weather window for a Tuesday trip down the New Jersey coast to Atlantic City. However, after that the swells from Edouard will reach the New Jersey coast with 6 ft swells or higher so we'll probably sit at Atlantic City for a couple of days to let the Atlantic settle down before proceeding further south. 

Goodbye to PYC - see you in May 2015!

We made reservations at Atlantic City and the dockmaster said, "Oh yes, I remember you - Fleetwing, right?" After a few trips you start to know all the dockmasters and vice versa. Our trip south this year will include visits to past PYC members in North Carolina and Florida as well as visits from our kids in Key West. The ICW has become very familiar, like family - and that's nice. We feel more at home on our boat than in our house in Lagrangeville. We're headed for an anchorage at Haverstraw on Sunday night.