Still on the move

It's been 2 weeks since I last wrote in the blog.  Sounds a little like going to confession!  We sailed to St Augustine after the visit at Cumberland, where we met up with Cynthia and John on Utopia. The temperature was warm and tropical feeling as we headed off for dinner in the old town. There was a magnificent orange moon rise over the water and gentle warm winds were blowing. We opted for an Italian meal at a sidewalk table where carriages and horses made a regular pass down the narrow street. Made it back to the marina just as the skies opened up. The rain moved in early.

The following day we were plagued with rain, 30 knot winds and cool temps. It lasted into the night. Needless to say we ventured nowhere until the next day. Sharon Greenlaw, a friend from Freeport and also a resident of this fine city met us at the marina after the weather had cleared. We had a tour of their home and met their pups before going to dinner at the Kingfish Grill. She and Larry were kind enough to wait as we did a little grocery shopping at the nearby Publix. 

We took off from St. Augustine the following morning via the ICW, as we planned to meet up with Anna at Telemar Bay near Melbourne. 

One of the best parts of the ICW is the amount of wildlife that inhabits it. Dolphins swam along side for awhile, we spotted a Northern Harrier, egrets, herons, kingfishers and rosette spoonbills. \

Along with rowing there were paddlers in fancy racing canoes

Anna and Randy enjoying coffee in the cockpit

We spent a couple days visiting Anna at Telemar Bay. It was good catching up as we had not gotten together for 2 years. Our slip at the marina was a choice spot with dolphins cavorting, herons squawking and osprey fishing. The Banana River is a training area for rowing teams, both professional and high school. Every day they set out at sunrise for a few hours of practice. 

Anna gave us a walking tour of the area which had several parks, an old resort and a large park called Gleason. We saw turtles, many long-billed ibises and dogs everywhere (on leashes). Later in the afternoon we headed out on the tropical trail which is an old neighborhood with great flora and pleasant architecture. Saw a little blue heron perched along the riverside as we walked. 

Driftwood horse at Vero Beach Art Museum

Time to move on to Vero Beach where we like to stop but apparently so does everyone else. The marina was packed so we had to raft up with another boat on a mooring. Haven was the name of the vessel and Betsy and Ed are from NJ. We all saw tv footage of their home on the evening news during hurricane Sandy. Their home stood alone in the new inlet created by the storm. Ed showed us photos of the refurbished home that looked great and now protected by a new sea wall.

At the beach

We headed to the beach which is a pleasant walk down a tree lined street and takes about 30 minutes. The water is warm but pretty rough so not the best swimming. Sunbathers abound and the sidewalks are lined with every kind of shop you can think of. This town also offers free bus service so it is easy to get supplies. The bus delivers you right back to the dingy dock if you wish. 

Now we are in an anchorage called Peck Lake. This is a wilderness preserve that has about 1000 acres and miles of beach walking. The weather here and the transient population of this spot has enticed us to stay for awhile.  The weekends are busy but during the week it is very pleasant

Beach at Hobe Sound Wilderness Preserve

Gifts From The Sea

In the fall of 2014 we took Emme south to Brunswick, GA. We returned to her on February 19, 2015 after negotiating the snows of Boston. When we arrived in Brunswick it was 33 degrees with 18 knot winds and then went down to 25!  We were holed up there until 3/2/15 awaiting warm sunny weather.   It did not materialize so we ended up departing in dense fog, no wind and mild seas. We arrived At Cumberland Island under late day sunny skies and we were the only boat there. We spent a quiet night at anchor and awakened to a perfect day for a hike on the island. A couple wild horses were meandering on the sandy road while we hiked by on the path to the beach. The fog had persisted on the east side of the island and was visually gorgeous with birds wading, flying and foraging all around us. It seemed strange to see turkey vultures up close, but there were also plovers, American oyster catchers and as we reached the dunes, there were redstarts and other warblers. A few other walkers ethereally came out of the fog in an other worldly fashion.   There seemed to be a plethora of shells strewn about the beach along with pieces of horseshoe crab shells.

We circled down around Dungeness ruins of the Thomas Carnegie estate where the sun returned and then followed the western side up the river for a total of about 5 miles. Back at the boat, we had a ring side seat watching loons fish, feral horses meandering on the beach as they foraged for dinner, and terns diving. It was the best day since arriving at the Golden Isles.

The Day before we left the snowy north.

Mary on the trail at Cumberland Island.

Trail to the dunes and the beach.

Amazing live oak growinf out of a dune.

Ruins of the Carnegie mansion at Dungeness.

2014 & Back On The Water

Emme was hauled out of the water last fall and we stored her on the hard in Maine for the winter this year. We had suspected it would be a tough winter for Randy's 89 year old Dad so we wanted to stay close to home. That turned ot to be a wise decision as things went down hill and he passed away peacefully at home with family present. He was 3 weeks shy of his 90th birthday and will be missed by all who knew him.. We got Emme back in the water in early June and went for our first sail on Father's Day.

Our first cruise started on June 23rd as we headed downeast to meet up with some old friends from the county.  We headed out under sunny skies and fair weather puff ball clouds. On a beam reach, we traveled at 6.5-7.1 kts nearly the whole afternoon to Linekin Bay, where we anchored for the night.  Tuesday morning we were up and sailing by 7:45 AM powered by the weather forecast.  Predictions of thunderstorms were in the air so we were on it. We did check out Eastern egg rock to see if the puffins were in sight and they did not disappoint.   There were also tall ships heading to Boothbay Harbor for the Windjammer Day celebration.

On the 25th we met up with Steve and Diana under grey damp skies and light wind.  We headed to Pulpit Harbor for the night where the rain became torrential during the night.  We holed up in the harbor another night which gave us time to explore the island, have lunch by the thoroughfare and get a few miles behind us.  The following morning, the sun shone brightly and the wind rallied to 15 knots which gave us ideal conditions to sail up Penobscot Bay and reach across Eggemoggin.  After anchoring in Buckle Harbor, we tried negotiating the trails on the island.  Winter had taken its toll on the trees which were fallen across the trails in so many places that we felt we were on an obstacle course.  The night skies proved to be our reward, as it was a new moon and the stars shone brightly and plentifully with an occasional meteorite punctuating the horizon.

Summer Cruising in Maine Part Two

It was still foggy when we arrived in Northeast Harbor where we pulled up to the Clifton Docks for fuel and water. After filling the tanks we called the harbormaster and were lucky enough to get the last available mooring for the night. Since it was so foggy we think that most everyone decided to stay put so very few moorings opened up. The next morning it was such a beautiful day that we decided to hike over to the Jordan Pond Teahouse for popovers and raspberry lemonade.  Popovers are a must when visiting the Teahouse.

Randy on the trail to Jordan Pond

 After a leisurely lunch we boarded the Island Explorer bus for a ride back to the landing in Northeast Harbor. The free bus service has a number of routes that provide transportation all over Mount Desert Island. After two nights we left for Somesville at the head of Somes Sound where we anchored and had a nice walk ashore. In 1761 Abraham Somes landed near the spot in the photo below and founded the first permanent settlement on the island. 

Somesville Harbor

View from the museum in Somesville

Window box on the museum

The next morning we thought it was time for another hike so we caught the bus to the trailhead of St. Sauveur and Acadia Mountains. We had a perfect day and brought a lunch with us as it takes a few hours to complete the hike. There are many beautiful vistas as one traverses the two mountains.

On Top Of Acadia Mountain looking out Somes Sound

We left Somesville and had a day of decent sailing to the next stop of Holbrook Harbor near Castine. As we pulled into the anchorage we saw a familiar boat in the harbor; our friends, Howard and Debbie were there on Salty Goose with their dog Brownie. We had a nice visit and made plans to meet up again for lunch in Castine the next day.  That evening we were treated to a wonderful sunset.

Holbrook Harbor Sunset

  After lunch with the Salty Goose crew the following day, we took a longer trek to the lighthouse and explored some of the historical sites and the Campus of Maine Maritime Academy where our nephew Alex went to school.

As it was nearing the time to get back to Freeport, we started to make our way south through Penobscot Bay.

Boats at anchor in Pulpit Harbor

We  were fortunate enough to meet up with fellow Rockland Yacht Club members when we anchored in Pulpit Harbor, North Haven. We had a tour of Snowy Owl, a Sabre 402 made here in Maine, that Don and Jody recently purchased and are outfitting for some extended cruising.  Later, we gathered on Altair for sundowners, hors d'oeuvres and visiting with friends.   Yet another sunny day greeted us in the morning so our folding bikes came out  for a tour of North Haven. We stopped  at the grocery store and the oyster farm for some of their deliciously briny oysters. When we arrived back in the harbor, the wind was up so  we set sail for Long Cove at Tenants Harbor, where we anchored for the night.

Birds abound on the water, and we were fortunate enough to see puffins,  gannets of all ages, herons, ospreys, eagles, guillemots, eider ducks, terns and the ubiquitous gull.  Not a single song bird made a landing on the boat on this trip.  The wind cooperated with us as we sailed Emme to Linekin Bay.  Of course, the closer you get to your destination, the stronger the wind becomes.  After settling into our anchorage, we decided to have dinner at the Linekin Bay Resort.  Our meal of mussels with fennel, scallops over greens and potatoes was delicious.  Our waiter was from Turkey and his assistant and sailing coach was from Ireland.  Apparently, the resort hires Europeans to help staff for the summer.  Thanks to Kaan, we have a list of places to visit when and if we make it to Istanbul.

Unbelievably the sun was shining and the wind was up from the north as we left Linekin Bay and made our run down to  Quahog Bay, where our friends Nancy and Otey live.  They were kind enough to invite us to dinner at their beautiful waterfront home, where the barbeque doesn't quit and the cookies have huge chunks of chocolate to satisfy the cravings of chocolate lovers.  We savored the ambience of the bay in the early morning and then made our way back to our home port of  South Freeport without much assist from the wind but with favorable current the whole way. 

Summer cruising in Maine

Sunset at Carvers Cove Fox Islands Thorofare 

We set sail on our summer cruise on August 3 and made our way to Linekin Bay.  Met up with friends on Aqua Mirus who we knew from Charleston, SC.  Helen and John hail from NH but have retired and now live aboard.  The following day, we sailed by Eastern Egg Rock and saw at least a dozen puffins flying and swimming in the water.  We were on our way to our next anchorage at Dix and High Islands along Mussel Ridge Channel.  We arrived just before the thunderstorms and in time to make our way over to Aqua Mirus.  As we were visiting, Riley of Mainestay.com, showed up in the rain offering here wares.  She had homemade everything to offer, so we bought freshly dug and steamed steamers, cheddar and chive biscuits, couscous Italian salad and strawberry rhubarb pie.  It was almost too good to be true.  After dinner we enjoyed a walk and colorful sunset on Birch Island.

We sailed into Rockland for fuel and then made our way to Carver's Cove along the Fox Island Thorofare where we enjoyed yet another beautiful evening.  Here we heard taps played as the flag was lowered and the Star Spangled Banner as it was raised in the morning.

Swimming Quarry on Swans Island

Swans Island was our next destination as we had tickets for 2 nights of the Sweet Chariot Music and Art festival.  Our friends Susan and Stephen Leighton met us there after driving from the county and taking the ferry from Bass Harbor.  We were graced with yet another fine summer day so went ashore and found the swimming hole to refresh our bodies and souls.  The water in the quarry was so clear that you could see your feet while treading water.

The music was outstanding as usual. We always promise ourselves another year after hearing those great musicians.  The intense rain storm with wind kept us there an extra day.   

The view from the rocks above the quarry

We sailed under sunny warm skies to Somes Sound via the outside route around Great Duck Island.  The view was as clear as glass as we sailed up the sound among the mansions and valley cove.  We had dinner at Abel's Restaurant as we were all in the mood for lobster.  They serve it up in several different dishes without the shell.  

Come morning, the weather gods were still with us as we sailed over to Frenchman's Bay around Bar Harbor and past Sorrento to Hancock Point.  It was there that Kevin picked us up and had us over to their home in Hancock for the afternoon.  Kevin and Mary are friends that we know from the county and have lived in this area for a number of years.

Sailing from Hancock through the bay among the Porcupine islands with the Acadia mountains in the background may be one of the most beautiful sails around.  Frenchboro on Long Island was calling to us as we headed back out to sea.  We arrived just in time to pick up one of the last moorings available for the night. After a refreshing hike around some of the Maine Heritage trails, that are so beautifully maintained, we walked the hill up to Lunt's lobster dock.  It was the Leightons last night on board so we had a feast of lobster with the usual trimmings.  

The morning brought fog and plenty of it. Emme crept her way over to Swans Island where we dropped the Leightons off and we spent another night due to the weather. 

  

Lighthouse entering Burnt Coat Harbor

Looking in the Western Way Mount Desert Island

Big Beach on Long Island

Frenchboro Harbor Long Island

We are now in Northeast Harbor after a foggy sail from Burnt Coat Harbor.  Emme was filled with fuel and water and we got the last mooring available here.  By about 5 PM the fog lifted and the starry skies became visible again after sunset. We will spend a couple of days here to do some hiking.

Home Again!

We stayed a night in Dowry Creek, did laundry, grocery shopping and got caught up with Mary and the gang. The next day we anchored in the Little Alligator River and then traveled to Great Bridge and tied up at the free dock, just before the bridge and the locks that lead into Norfolk. There we met three boats that had sailed from Australia and one on them is headed for Maine later in the season! They had some stories to tell and one boat, Jack Tar, had met some friends of ours from the Rockland Yacht Club in their travels.

Emme in the ICW

In the morning of the 23rd we went through the bridge and transited the locks and headed towards The Top Rack Marina where there is a free slip if you eat at the Marina's restaurant, the Amber Lantern. It is one of the best restaurants that we have found on the waterway so a stop there was welcome. As it turned out it was also a convenient place for Lloyd to join us; it is close to his friend's house and the airport. He flew in from Maine to crew since Mary was leaving for home a couple of days.
Mary left on the 25th for Freeport to get some gardening  and other chores done before starting work so Lloyd and I were on our own. We left Little Creek Va. around 1:00 PM and sailed non stop to Block Island a 353 mile trip in 50 hours. We were able to sail most of the time and had some fantastic sailing off  the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula. On the 28th we sailed to Newport RI to pick up another crewmember, Dave, who had done the trip with me last year. Onset Ma. was the next stopover where we anchored to await favorable current in the Cape Cod Canal. After passing through the Canal, we decided to stop in Provincetown as Lloyd had never been there and Dave and I enjoyed our last visit. We visited the museum, visited the Pilgrim's Tower, enjoyed fresh oysters and dined ashore. We left Provincetown around 10:00AM and headed straight for Freeport as the forecast was for bad weather later in the day on Sunday. By 7:00 AM Sunday morning Emme was back on her mooring and we were packing our bags.
We had a great journey, met many wonderful people and explored the beautiful waters of the Abacos, and the east coast travelling 3181 nautical miles in the process. Emme is safe and sound in Freeport Harbor awaiting summer cruising in Maine and perhaps another adventure next winter.

Florida to North Carolina

Left the mooring field in Fernandina, FL at 5:55 AM on Tuesday morning May 14 and set our sails for Beaufort, NC.  Had a great 5 hour sail and then had to motor, which we did all night. The seas had calmed down so it was not too lumpy until morning.  The wind kicked up to 25 kts. with 35 kt gusts and the seas were running about 6-7 feet.  It was just getting started so we decided to divert to  Georgetown, SC.  As soon as we set our waypoint and headed due North, spotted, bottlenose dolphins were jumping out of the waves and swimming along side and riding the waves.  They at times would swim 5 abreast as they came alongside.  At one point I counted 30 of them playing in the waves with Emme.  It was a wonderful beam reach sail but very lumpy and they provided a delightful distraction.  We pulled into Winyaw Bay and anchored after a 207 mile sail.   

The following morning we followed the ICW up the Wacamaw River to Myrtle Beach.
the waters were lined with beautiful cypress trees, many turtles, osprey, and an occasional eagle. There were songbirds that we could hear but never saw.  That evening we pulled into the dock at Barefoot Marina and tied up just in front of another Baba.  This boat hailed from Omaha, NE.  John and Cheryl have been out sailing for 2 years but are now heading to Annapolis to sell their boat and head back to land.

After cleaning all the salt of of Emme, we headed to Flying Fish for fresh oysters on the half shell, tuna and crab sushi and a ceasar salad.  Love those oysters!

Awakened the following morning to an ebbing tide which was down to 6.8 ft.  We draw 6 feet so we made quick work of getting the water tanks filled and getting off the dock.  We had sail assist all day as we headed along the Holden Beach area and then into Southport and up Cape Fear River, through Snow Cut and into an anchorage in Carolina Beach, NC.  We are now in Oriental, NC after 2 days of motor sailing.  This place is called the sailing capital of NC.  It is located on beautiful Neuse River and indeed there are a lot of sailboats out and about.  Bird sightings along the way included the American oyster catcher, a Black Skimmer and I think a Dunlin.  There were also many Great Blue Herons, White Herons and Ibis.

From Oriental we will sail to Dowry Creek Marina which is where we spent time waiting for hurricane Sandy to pass last fall. It sure will be nice to see those wonderful folks again.