Monday July 10, 2023

As you know, if you live on the Chesapeake, a trip north begins with a winding trip south to Cape May:  north up the Chesapeake Bay, east through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, and south down the Delaware Bay to Cape May.  You are then free to turn the bow north up the New Jersey coast.

Our two favorite bridges (for the third time)- the St Georges at 8:02 this morning. Hopefully we won’t see them again until September!

After yesterday’s aborted start, we had 50 miles to cover to reach Cape May – about 4 hours.

The boat was running fine, and the first two hours were very pleasant.  Mostly on autopilot.  The second hour was a little choppier, and the final hour was hard work…manually steering in confused seas.

But here we are, tied up at South Jersey Marina – one of our favorite stops.  Our chores are finished, the boat is refueled, and we’re looking forward to dinner at a new restaurant here at the marina.  

Then tomorrow, we head north.  We’ll start out outside, and then head into the Barnegat Bay (at the Barnegat Inlet).  We plan to stay overnight at my brother’s house on the Metedeconk River, at the north end of the bay, close to Bay Head.

Our next stop after Metedeconk is Liberty Landing in New York Harbor – within sight of the Statue of Liberty.  We’ll post again after we make it to NY

Sunday, July 9, 2023

It was not a very propitious start, I’m afraid.  The boat felt sluggish, and we were burning more fuel than we used to.  Partly, we were fighting a foul tide, but Lynn said the boat just needed to “wake up”: it had hardly been used since we got home in April. Mostly, it was being waxed, and varnished, and re-fit mechanically.

Anyway, after a couple of hours, things improved greatly.  We had a very pleasant trip up the Chesapeake Bay and through the C&D Canal.  When we reached the Delaware River, however, the seas got choppy.  About 30 minutes later, we turned south around the Salem Nuclear Plant, into the Delaware Bay.

Here we are crossing under the old and new St Georges Bridges heading east at 11:06 am.

The Delaware Bay is notoriously rough, because it’s shallow, and any unfavorable wind can kick up a nasty chop.  The waves were more than twice what had been forecast – about 2’, right on the nose, with a 5 second frequency.  When you are heading right into the waves, they are effectively hitting you about 1-2 seconds apart.  It was very hard on the boat: rising; slamming down; shipping a lot of spray and water over the windshield.  It was going to be 4+ hours of damaging conditions.

And so – for the first time ever – We simply turned around.

And here we are crossing under the St Georges Bridges heading back west at 1:40 pm!

We are now holed up in a placid marina just off the C&D Canal, and a thunderstorm system is passing overhead.  At least I don’t have to wash the salt water off the boat – the rain is taking care of that.

Lynn reminds me that our last trip had a rocky start – my wrestling with the water pump for the better part of a day.  She says it’s a good omen.  I’m hoping she’s right.

Tomorrow, we finish the second half of the trip to Cape May!

CANADA, EH?

Lynn and I really enjoyed our trip to Lake Champlain last summer, so we decided that this year, we would push on into Canada.  The Chesapeake is very hot and humid in mid-summer, so we plan to leave July 9^th and return early in September. Roughly 60 days.

The route we’ve planned will take us:

• North to the top of the Chesapeake Bay
• East through the Chesapeake & Delaware canal
• South on the Delaware Bay to Cape May
• North along the NJ Coast to NY Harbor
• Up the Hudson River
• West on the Erie Canal
• North on the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario
• Across Lake Ontario to the Thousand Islands
• North on the Rideau Canal to Ottawa
• East on the Ottawa River to Montreal
• South on the Richelieu (Chambly) Canal to Lake Champlain
• South through the length of Lake Champlain
• South on the Champlain Canal
• Back down the Hudson and home to the Chesapeake.

I’ve attached a link to a map of our route.  The map is interactive, so you can zoom in on it, and you can click on the little blue place markers for more info. Click on the blue hyperlink, then click on the map title to open the map: Interactive Route Map.

I estimate the distance to be about 1,250 miles – almost the same distance as a one-way trip to Key West. 

BUT IT’S GOING TO TAKE TWICE AS LONG, because of

• Restricted speed limits in the canals
• Transit times for over 100 locks!

We’re experienced with locks – we passed through 24 last summer, traveling up and down the Champlain Canal.  But this will take it to a whole new level.  Based on our experience last summer in the Champlain Canal, we allow ½ hour to transit each lock. So, imagine: 100 locks x ½ hour per lock = 50 hours.  One whole week of the trip is just lock transits!

We typically plan for 20 travel days to reach Key West, with a few stopovers along the way.  So, that trip typically takes about 30 days in total travel time.

We expect THIS trip to take almost 60 days, including 40 travel days. So twice the travel days to cover the same distance. 

I am going to have to learn to SLOW DOWN and enjoy the journey! 

Follow our travels at http://www.FreedomKeyWest2020http://www.freedomkeywest2020.com./.com.

Friday, April 14, 2023

We left Kilmarnock at 8 this morning, after a wonderful visit with our friends Kathy and Dave. They picked us up at the marina and drove us to the gorgeous waterfront homesite they’ve purchased in Virginia’s Northern Neck. Appetizers and wine at the homesite, then a great home-cooked meal. Heaven. We are very happy for them!

With 100 miles to go, we figured we’d cover about half the distance to Rock Hall today. But conditions were excellent, and we just kept going; we rolled into Rock Hall at 2:30 today. Lynn’s daughter Iris is going to pick us up tomorrow.

It was a great trip, but we’re glad to be hope after our 5-1/2 month odyssey.

We plan to put together a summary of our thoughts…we’ll put this in a subsequent post.

It’s been wonderful! Good night!

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

As we reported yesterday, we arrived in Coinjock to find that our route north was blocked, because the Great Bridge Lock was closed indefinitely. (What?) The Coast Guard did a woeful job of getting there news out, otherwise we could have chosen a different route.

Undeterred, we decided to back track about 1-1/2 hours and take the other route – through what is known as The Dismal Swamp Canal. It’s an ugly name, but it turned out to be a GORGEOUS ride.

Leaving the Albemarle Sound, you follow the Pasquotank River north to Elizabeth City, a cute little town at the river bend. As you enter the river, you pass the Weeksville Dirigible Hangar.

We weren’t quite sure what we were seeing until we got closer-neither of us win the bet!

From there you follow the river’s winding course for several hours until you connect with the Canal.

In May 1763, George Washington made his first visit to the Great Dismal Swamp and suggested draining it and digging a north–south canal through it to connect the waters of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. As the first president, Washington agreed with Virginia Governor Patrick Henry that canals were the easiest answer for an efficient means of internal transportation and urged their creation and improvement

In 1784, the Dismal Swamp Canal Company was created. Work was started in 1793. The canal was dug completely by hand; most of the labor was done by slaves rented from nearby landowners. It took approximately 12 years of construction under highly unfavorable conditions to complete the 22-mile long waterway, which opened in 1805.

Along the canal, there are what appear to be original stone mileage markers

The only drawback of the trip is that it is SLOW: 23 miles at 5 MPH. It was a 9-hour day, our longest passage ever. And very straight!

I would not have chosen this route, and I’ll probably never do it again, but I’m SO glad I got to see it!

The good news is that – rather than sit pinned at the Coinjock docks, we ended up just a few miles short of where we would have been if the Great Bridge Lock had been functioning!

We are spending the night at the foot of Deep Creek Lock just miles from Norfolk. We would have continued, but the last opening was at 3:30, and we didn’t arrive until 5PM. We knew this in advance, so we decided to push on as far as we could so that we’d be poised for the first opening tomorrow at 8:30 am.

Then it’s on to Kilmarnock

We are pleased that – once again- what seemed like a setback resulted in a great adventure!

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Stuck in Belhaven – again – for four days: Gale-force winds, poring rain, and bitterly cold temperatures!  Why did we ever leave the Bahamas?  

For our regular readers, you might remember that Belhaven is where we stayed waiting for hurricane Nicole to pass in November. A cute little town of 1600 with a great gourmet restaurant, good pizza and breakfast places and a fantastic Mexican restaurant. We enjoyed all of them again. 

Sunrise photo

First sunrise we saw in four days – the fog in front should have been a clue as to the trip ahead!

Anyway, we finally headed out at 7:00 am this morning to Coinjock, VA. So we dropped the lines and headed out into the Pongo River, then to the Alligator-Pongo  Canal and it was a whiteout. The temperature was 34 degrees but the water was warm so the the fog in the river and canal made visibility almost zero. At one point, Rod asked me to look for debris in the water (sometimes you’ll see a floating log) and we couldn’t even see the water. Thank God for Radar and a chart plotter and the Magenta Line!

The Magenta line on the charts and plotter is the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) and Rod has to keep the boat on the line and watch the radar for boats ahead and behind us. The canal is narrow but we could hardly see the banks on either side. Here’s a shot of the screens he is using the drive the boat. 

The left screen is the chart with the white area where we can drive the boat – the very faint magenta line in the center is the ICW. The right screen is the radar that tells us where the river banks are and if there is anything in front or back of us. Rod is driving completely on electronics. ….

….. because the was the view off the front of the boat.

Here we are approaching a bridge about 50 feet ahead. 

This went on for about 30 miles when the sun finally burned off the fog. We finally got to the Alligator River ( it really is shaped Ike an Alligator) and if it’s too windy, the bridge won’t open – it was closed the last three days. 

Next, we crossed the Albemarle Sound. This was the area that can be rough and treacherous when the winds are blowing. It’s only one hour but can be miserable. It was calm and beautiful today. 

It cleared up, the sun came out and it’s now 70 degrees.

So we arrived in Coinjock at 1:00 and hear on the radio that the locks ahead are closed!  There is some repair going on and they aren’t sure when they will open.  So on to Plan B. We will head back south in the morning and up the Dismal Swamp Canal to Elizabethtown. Rod has never been through here but at dinner the other night, one of the guys was telling us he hit a dead cow floating in the canal on his last trip. We will be sure to take pictures!  

Hopefully, this hasn’t put us too far back on our return. We plan to visit friends on Thursday night and weather permitting, run up the Chesapeake about 100 miles on Friday. Stay tuned!

TTFN

Friday, April 7, 2023

Guinness here today….

I’m 3 1/2 years old and I’ve spent almost half of my life on a boat. First it was just Rod and me with an occasional visitor. We brought the boat from Massachusetts to the Chesapeake and later travelled from the Chesapeake to Key West and back. I curl up at Rod’s feet when the boat is moving but when we get to a marina, I love to go exploring. Last week, I actually jumped on the boat next to us because they had a little “hot dog” that barked and said hello and another big yellow lab that came to visit. 

This trip Lynn came along. She feeds me and I love that she gets so excited when she puts something special on top like a treat, or cheese or leftovers from dinner. I’m not sure why she’s so excited since she doesn’t even try any of this good stuff. 

This trip we went from the Chesapeake to Key West and then to the Bahamas. It’s been warm most of the time so Rod takes me for walks and sometimes I get to run on the beach and go swimming – that’s the best part. Sometimes there are weird things in the water – sharks, alligators, snakes and Lynn gets really scared.  But jumping in the waves is so much fun.

And I love going for rides in the dinghy-aren’t I cute?

And I get toys!  I have a bone that I carry around and some rubber things that hold treats, and   last week I got a snake that squeaks – or at least it used to before I chewed it up and the squeakers “fell” out. I love toys that make noise. 

The squeakers “fell” out!

I sleep on the floor in the cabin at night and I try to sneak up on the mattress hoping they won’t notice. I’ve learned the word “down”. But sometimes I pretend I don’t hear them. – it’s much more comfortable. If I’m not careful, I will get locked in the shower again at night 

Other dogs might think this is a strange way to live but I love being with Rod and Lynn. And the best part is that I don’t get seasick!

WWFN

April 6, 2023

Yes, it’s been a while since we’ve posted to the blog. Yes, we are safe and well and happy! Charleston was lovely (as always) although the dinner at the Peninsula was a disappointment.

From Charleston, we headed north to Georgetown, SC, a charming little town just off Winyah Bay. We had to lay over an extra day there, because gale-force winds were forecast. They never materialized, but better safe than sorry!

Next was a stop in Little River – think Myrtle Beach. Then up to the Cape Fear River and on to Wrightsville Beach. And then on Tuesday, an 85-mile run to Beaufort, NC. Fast cruise all the way. Very few No-Wake zones, and very little traffic.

I am still concerned about the leak in the cooling system. My temporary repair is holding up well, but we are still getting a slow leak. While we were in Charleston, I replaced the main bilge pump, which should have been keeping us dry automatically. It appears, however, that the main bilge pump is NOT working automatically, so I run it manually every 30 minutes, and that keeps the bilge dry. One more thing to investigate once we are home. At least we’re not getting any more warnings about water in the fuel; I was getting really tired of bleeding the filter.

Unfortunately, the refrigerator is still beeping, but Lynn has devised a set of protocols to deal with it: she keeps frozen water bottles in it to lower the temperature, and we simply turn it off at night so that she can sleep. Haven Harbour marina has the required part in hand, and it will be waiting for us on our return.

It sounds like our problems are legion, but they are all manageable.

Since we’re traveling the same way home that we did on the way south, the scenery is the same so not many new photos. Every day we pass the same boats, some of whom we see in the marinas when we stop. To pass, the captain calls out the boat on channel 16 asking for permission. Rod is usually the one passing since his boat runs faster than the sailboats or trawlers, but a boat we had met in Georgetown wanted to pass us and asked if it would be okay with Guinness – a first shout out for the dog on the ICW! (They had met Guinness during our layover in Georgetown).

We spent the last two nights at the Town Docks in Beaufort – very charming town. Last night we went to a wine and cheese tasting that was very well run. We bought bottles of each (wine and cheese), and Lynn picked them up this morning.

Today was a short, smooth run from Beaufort to River Dunes, an exclusive, members only development off the Neuse River. As marina guests, we have dining privileges in the Clubhouse. OOO-la-la! However, it turns out the dining room is closed tonight but three is a boaters lounge where we hope to catch some of the Masters.

As luck would have it, there is a 36-foot Legacy for sale here. We took a look. Just for giggles! But the math doesn’t work: it’s 4 feet longer than my boat and costs more than twice as much!

Charleston, Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Lynn here today….

I know I said this before, but I am so impressed by Rod and his knowledge of the boat, the mechanics, and his ability to get things fixed. 

We had a bit of a  scare the last few days. When we returned to the boat after a wonderful visit with Cathy and Jeff in Palmetto Bluffs, we noticed some water but it had rained so we thought maybe we hadn’t closed the back curtain tight enough. Then when we got to Beaufort, Rod noticed that the storage bins in the bilge were full of water. The bilge was relatively dry so that didn’t make sense, but he cleaned out the containers and spent the afternoon cleaning all of his tools (the electric drill is history). 

We took off for Bohicket (yes, that’s a real place) and had a nice lunch. Guinness even got to bite an alligator (actually an alligator bit which was pretty good) and we thought we would have a relaxing afternoon. 

We were about to leave the next morning when Rod checked the bilge and the containers were full of water AGAIN! Something was leaking!  He assumed it was a hose and, for some strange reason, had purchased a roll of special tape that sticks wet or dry. He was able to repair the hose with the sticky tape. After some pumping out, a few swear words, and some work, we headed off carefully to Charleston. Luck has been with us…had he not purchased the tape, he couldn’t have repaired this. And since it was a calm day, we were planning to go “outside” which means we would have been in the ocean with the leak. 

We are now safely tied up in Charleston, and the unfortunate damage was the box of manuals that Rod keeps on board for all the systems. We took pictures of the wet paper and will try to find pdf’s online to replace them. 

So today it’s a trip to West Marine, laundry, groceries, replacing the pump and hose that leaked. He’s working on that now – he must think I can’t hear him talking while he’s working and saying some not very nice things to the tools and pump. Tonight a lovely dinner at the Península, which is one of the top ten rated restaurants in the US – it will be nice to enjoy an evening without the stress of the last few days. 

Rod has done a lot of things right on this trip, but this was amazing. Someone is watching out for us!

Saturday March 25, 2023

We left Jekyll Island after two cool but pleasant days, stopped at St. Simon’s Island (much busier than Jekyll Island), and then followed Georgia’s twisting creeks and rivers to Isle of Hope, an adorable little town between Savanah and Skidaway. Then on to Palmetto Bluff last Thursday.

Sunset at Jekyll Island

We are in Palmetto Bluff for three days, visiting with Jeff and Kathy. Jeff is the brother of Cathy Drennen, my late wife, and I am still vey close to my in-laws.

For those of you who followed my trip two years ago, you’ll remember the photo of their beautiful home on one of the lakes and waterways in this 20,000 acre development. Just 4,000 homes on 20,000 acres. Wow!

Kathy and Jeff’s house – great deck with wood burning fireplace on the water!

Yesterday, Jeff rented a Duffy electric boat, and we cruised through the waterways, admiring the beautiful homes. Kind of a busman’s holiday, I suppose. But it was a pleasure to let someone else steer for a while.

Lots of cute Duffy boats on the waterways here!

Lots of cute alligators too!

This one swam right past our boat.

….and here’s Wally, the LochNess monster of Palmetto Bluffs

Today is warm and breezy, with high cloud cover rolling in, a harbinger of a late-afternoon storm. Lynn is shooting Sporting Clays with Jeff and Kathy, while Guinness and I took a long walk. We had one scary moment where he insisted on taking a dip right next to the sign that said “Do Not Feed Alligators”.

This is always a welcome stop for me. A chance to completely relax and recover from the trip. As Lynn explained to Kathy: “Traveling by boat is more work than you might think.”

We leave tomorrow morning – a short hop to Beaufort, SC, then on to a marina on Bohicket Creek, just off the North Edisto River – almost where the river spills into the ocean. Like Jekyll Island, this is a new stop for me, and it looks charming. The name is certainly fun! From there, we are back in Charleston!