September 11, 2011
We departed Crockers Boatyard @ 0930 after taking on fuel and pumping off the sewage holding tank. We had a great time with our friends and family. New England is very special to me and I have always regretted not going back to live in Connecticut. Phyllis is a Southern girl by choice and doesn't like cold Wx.
I had calculated that the Ebb tide for the Race would start around 1000 hrs. The wind was blowing out of the SE at 10-15 kts. One doesn't want to be in The Race with an opposing wind against current but in this case there was no other choice so I went through at slack water. Wind against current sets up a nasty uncomfortable chop. My plan was to head for Montauk Point which is the Eastern tip of Long Island. We were motoring with the current and wind on the nose so setting sail was out of the question. I had checked out the depths around Montauk Point and there are several shoals with adequate depths for our draft which is 6 ft. We went over several areas with depths of 19 ft and wind against current set up seas around 8 ft: short and steep. A Valiant 40 can handle this without any concern whatsoever: It's just uncomfortable in the short run. As soon as we cleared Montauk Point and got into deeper water, the seas dropped down to 4-5 ft and continued to decrease throughout the day. There was a noticeable SE'ly swell running with a NE'ly chop but it wasn't uncomfortable. When it comes to yachting and, boating in general, people pay a lot of money to be miserable! There just has to be touch of masochism in those that choose this way of life. I think Romanticism overrules the stark reality that this is a hard life. It becomes easier in the Trade Wind Belt with long passages and fairly constant balmy wind.
Anyway, the trip to the Delaware Bay was unevenful and required a lot of motor sailing: set sail, take it in, motor, motor sail. If there is a any kind of cross sea and light wind, the sails will flog back and forth with is annoying and wearing on them. Under these conditions, it's best to drop them and motor on. A good part of this trip has been just that: motor on. To date we have put on 500 engine hours. I calculate the the engine burns about 0.7 gal per engine hour. Do the math and you can figure that we have spent in excess of $2000. in fuel! Not to mention the misery. The Erie Canal looks better all the time!! In Ike and Tina Turner's song "Proud Mary": "we never ever do nothing easy". Rollin, Rollin keep right on rollin.
September 14, 2011
Now we get to the lower Delaware Bay and have to anchor to wait on a favorable flood tide. This is an area that I know well since, in my tugboat life, I used to lighter Super Tanker ships at Big Stone Anchorage. So I headed for Big Stone and dropped anchor outside the anchorage in 14 ft of water. All was quiet and wonderful. We had a three hour wait on the flood tide. Just when I thought that all was going well, a S'ly wind came up at 10-15 kts. Remember wind against current? The Delaware River is ebbing South and the Wind is blowing from the South into it: a nasty vicious chop! All of this set the boat sideways into the seas and put such a strain on the nylon anchor rode that it chaffed through and parted: we lost my beautiful wonderful Mason Supreme Anchor. A lesson learned under these conditions: use only chain. I learn fast: we got underway and I set up another 45 lb CQR anchor on chain. The future has us with all chain. The reason I had used nylon line with 30' of chain was for easy retrieval by hand. With chain I have to crank on the anchor windlass 40 turns for every 30 ft. Normally I put out at least a 5:1 scope and, preferably 7:1 scope. If the water is 20 ft, I am paying out 140 ft. Let's see, 40 cranks for every 30 ft = 187 cranks. The gearing on the anchor windlass is low so it's not hard just time consuming.
Loosing the anchor was the easy part. The last way up the Delaware River from Ship John Light to Artificial Island anchorage was the most harrowing I've had in this vessel: a trip up the River Stix into Hades. Remember all that flooding in the Northeast? Well, the Delaware River received all the deadwood and debris from all the tributaries and floated in down in islands of logs, refrigerators, barrels and everything else imaginable. Whole trees floating down the River and it was nighttime. I stood on the bow with a spotlight and directed Phyllis, at the helm, to come left or right. I was sure we would loose the propeller at the very least due to underwater trees. To not have done so is just a stroke of luck in a sea of debris that I never want to see again. Finally, we chose the closest anchorage I could find and "dropped the hook". We were both exhausted so I set up the anchor alarm on the GPS and went to bed.
September 15, 2011
reanchored in Reedy Island anchorage to wait on the the Ebb tide going through the Canal. The debris wasn't as bad in this anchorage but everywhere else there were huge floating islands of debris. We had a three hour wait on the Ebb Tide so we prepared everything for the remainder of the trip through the C & D Canal to Annapolis.
We weighed anchor at 1230 hrs and started towards the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Slack water was predicted for 1333 hrs. The trip through the Canal was uneventful and beautiful but there was some debris to steer around. We anchored that evening at Turkey Pt in a place called "Jacobs Nose". A quiet anchorage that was recommended by a former co-worker and Chesapeake Pilot. Wonderful to have these resources at hand!!
September 15, 2011
We left "Jacobs Nose @ 0745 for Annapolis: distance 60 nm. We had a very restful night and this morning is bright and clear. An Ebb tide is flowing with us and the wind is just aft of the stbd. beam. We motor sail using the jib sail for an extra knot of speed. We're making 6.4 kts. As we enter the Upper Chesapeake Bay the Ebb is with us and we carry this all the way to Annapolis at 7.1 kts. There is a Cold Front to the North of us but we beat it into Annapolis Harbor and pick up mooring buoy #37. I contact the shipyard that will do the work on "Solstice" and have picked up a mooring just a "stones throw" from their dock. We have brought "Solstice" back to her home and one of her former owners who happened to be the broker who sold it to us.
September 16, 2011
Today is a busy day of arranging how we will install the solar panels and wind generator on "Solstice". We went to the shipyard floating dock and discussed the details with Kevin McPadden. He is a "yachtie" and former owner of a Tayana 37. Knows yachts. We will be here for several days until we can haul the boat out for inspection, repairs and installation.
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