Shawnee's final destination: Zimmerman Boat Yard, Mathews, VA

The patch is complete on Tweety and leak is plugged.  So much for that project.  Next we'll have a new dinghy Tweety II hanging off the davits.

Beautiful, sunny, windless day coming out of Hampton Pier opposite Norfolk Naval base.  There were 5 major ships leaving port for sea trials just as we left at 9:30am.

We pulled out the sails right away to capture a little wind  for our 30 mile trip.  The last for at least a couple of months.  Notice the radial design of this sail.

Osprey nests are frequently on top of markers.

Drew straightening the lines as we head into the Chesapeake Bay.

Pulling out the staysil

We had to anchor outside the boatyard for 3 hours because there wasn't room yet for us.  So we celebrated a little.

 Mazu came up out of the salon and jumped right into the helm seat.  Ready to go ashore.

To celebrate we had to have a little dance:

Walked around the boat yard.  Love their signs.

This sign gave us confidence that they'll do a good job.  They have higher standards.  Shawnee will be here for at least 6 weeks.

We spoke with Enterprise for a car (minivan), packed it up, and we head north tonight.  Easier not to take the big cities at rush hour.  NYC at 2 am is the best.  Adieu 
Since we are taking a road trip across the USA by car I may sneak a few non-sailing photos from that trip as we go.  Drew's first time driving across and seeing the parks and Grand Canyon.

Day off in Hampton Pier -- old post in drafts

From 2015-16

We are eating away all our food so we don't have a lot to take off the boat when we leave, i.e. we are eating out a lot.
  We met James Swan today, an Australian solo sailor (about our age) who is traveling the world.  Incredible independent sailor with many stories.   We ate dinner together a second night at Venture Restaurant and didn't stop talking all night.  Hopefully he'll contact us when he gets to New England.
  Today was fixit day.  Drew repairing the bow light that smashed when we hit the side of the lock at Great Bridge Lock.  I patched the patch that is leaking on the dinghy, Tweety.  We bought a new dinghy at the Miami boat show, but of course it's been delayed for several months and we don't have it yet.  Here are pictures of how to do a patch.
   First you put soapy water on the area where you think the hole is.  Small bubbles will come out of the hole where the leak is and thus shows where to put the patch.  I had to rip off the old patch that wasn't working.   I cut a yellow patch to match the size of the one that was peeled off.  The pin hole is right in the center of the gray circle.

The new patch gets a 2 part adhesive painted on. I deflate the dinghy, and then clamp on the patch for 24 hours.

Ran Mazu at the dog park, read my book Old Jules by Mari Sandoz, a story of settling Nebraska in the 1800s like my Swiss relatives did from the Jura area of Switzerland.
   Not sure if we'll have wifi tomorrow in Mathews, VA.  We'll be up and out by 8 am  for the 30 mile trip (about 5 hours.)  I know I need to take more pix of Mazu - she's more popular on this blog than anything else I write about.  She is feeling much better and happier now that we've learned to leave her down below when we're moving.

Coinjock to Portsmouth, VA

Clear skies, calm water and many bascule, swing, lift bridges to go through today and one lock.  We left and cruised through the ICW always watching the depth.  We only once came to the 5.4' panic "which way should I turn!!"  We did not go aground and Drew navigated the buoys while I steered.
  Mazu stayed down below with less anxiety.  This is her new place whenever we move.
  When we arrived in Portsmouth, VA.  We thought we'd stay at the free High Street or North Basin, but since it is Memorial Day weekend both were full of boats.  We stayed at the $2/' Tidewater Marina.  Drew deftly motored the boat bow in to the slip.  I threw the lines to the dock boy.
  We ended up walking over to High Street and the historic home district to find a family owned excellent restaurant, Cafe Europa.  The waiter monologues for the specials and the way the food is prepared were impressive.
US Navy ships we passed as we motored today.

  Today on very calm waters and a 75 degree sunny day with no wind we took a couple of hours to cross Hampton Roads north to Hampton Town Pier.  I took one try on going stern into the slip and Drew tried 3 times before we motored to the end of the dock and tied up.  Mazu jumped off, remembered immediately the place and headed to her spot for relief. 
   Since our final boat yard destination is not open over the holiday we cannot arrive until Tuesday.  So we're here for a couple of nights.  We'll leave early Tuesday morning for Zimmerman Boat Yard in Mathews, about 5 hours north off the Chesapeake Bay.   We'll leave it there for some work to be done.

Heading out of Coinjock, NC

While waiting I gained a new skill:  crimping, very necessary when installing new LED lights. Crimping is attaching 2 wires together with the red plastic crimped together with the jaw like tool in the picture.
 

 The stormy day produced these lines of foam in the water directly in line with the direction of the wind.

Friday morning at 6:30 am dawn we headed north.  Beautiful calm waters to motor up for 11 hours.

We motored all day and I slept because Drew gave me 2 sturgeron seasick pills that knocked me out after my 3 hour watch.  I'll stick with the patch from now on.  I only have one left.  Mazu stayed below all day and that seemed to work the best with less panting and no shaking.  So heading north and no more colorful tropics of Miami

Shawnee at slip

Usual all day view of the ICW.  We are at the dock at the Midway Marina here.

We're jumping off the dock now so I'll write when I have wifi again.  We are at mile marker 50 and Norfolk is mile marker 1 where we're headed today.

Go with the Flow

As we sailed toward Belhaven another sailor friend suggested we meet him at Dowry Creek Marina, about 30 minutes north of Belhaven.  So we did and had drinks in the boaters lounge over looking the pool with people in the marina and later dinner onboard Priority, a sister boat in the slip next to ours.
  As usual Mazu was barking and frantic to get off the boat after the 7 hour panting, shaking day on the water.  She made friends with everyone with her Wheaten greetin' a jump and twirl in the air.

Thursday May 21
In the morning after the forecast study Drew decided it would be too risky to venture out with major Thunderstorm predictions.  Thunder means lightening, and it's not a good idea to be in the middle of Albemarle Sound in a storm.  It churns like a huge shallow bathtub. In this Marina,open to the east, we are having a pretty rolling day.  I am hugely disappointed not to get home by Memorial Day because my son and his family are visiting Exeter!  Learn to let go and go with the flow.  Many other boats left today.  I wanted to be among them but safer is waiting.
And my computer is broken with a fluttering curser that won't move where I put it.  Argh! Sometimes you're the windshield sometimes you're the bug.  Today took Mazu for a walk and did the laundry and listened to the wind.  I also learned how to do the blog on my iPad but haven't mastered inserting pictures.
The good news is that it's a warm comfortable day in the middle of nowhere.

Headed out to the Chesapeake Several days in one post

Friday, May 15
Few pictures because the wifi is terribly slow to download them and transfer them to the computer from my iphone.
 Started my day at 4:30 am applying the Transderm Patch behind my ear to prevent seasickness. It lasts 4 days.  Walk Mazu. Left the dock this morning at 9.

Going out of Fisherman's Cut, Miami to the open ocean we were greeted by huge 8' wave walls with 1 second intervals that slammed the boat.  At the helm (Drew's below assessing our route to Morehead City)   I watched the bow dip under the waves with the water rolling up to the closed dodger and fanning out spectacular white spray on either side.  The boat was moving against the waves and wind and puttering/motoring forward with the outgoing tide and current.  All hatches closed, the walls of waves keep bashing the sturdy boat.
   Our cockpit is fully enclosed with dodger/windshield bimini top and zippered vinyl curtains.  We don't get wet.   A half mile out we enter the Gulf Stream to give ourselves the extra 2 to 3 knots.  But this sunny day we're slapped hard with the 5 swells against us in NNE wind.  The all holy weather reports forecasted a SE wind.  We never saw it.  We take shifts.  I never do 2 am to 6 am. 

Saturday May 16

9 to 9, out 24 hours with a pretty rocky ride.  This is what they call salty sailors sailing.  The total trip is 615 miles at sea Miami to Morehead City.  We go in there because of the rough seas around Cape Hatteras.  I listen to my ipod's entire list setting it to random.  No phone, No Internet 84 miles off shore  just VHF radio to call nearby boats.  We haven't seen any.  At the 31st parallel we turn east.  Now the rolling swells wash under our starboard side instead of hitting them straight on.  It gives a gentler motion enough to stop Mazu from shaking, but she still pants and not enough to put on toenail polish, but enough to allow me to read (Daring - a Gail Sheehy memoir, finished Thomas Harding's Far from he Madding Crowd)  and write.
  When I watch the water on all sides I start to see different shapes of waves. The triangular pyramid wave is my favorite because the water comes together and at the top a pirohette  of white foam spurts out the top in a little dance.  The wave must have a name.

Sunday, May 17
  Still watching the black and navy blue ovals and lines that paint the surface of the ocean.
84 miles off shore and birds skitter across the water and settle camouflaged between the waves.  Once we saw a little migrating bird land on our steering wheel.

Monday, May 18
  Back on land at 3:30 after 79 hours out at sea.  Mazu is ecstatic.  We crash into a slip at Morehead City Yacht Basin.  We are terrible going into slips with their high pilings and finger piers dividing the boats.  We always use the bow thruster to direct the bow against wind or current and try to line up our boat to back in.  Tricky business.  I frequently get exasperated and say, "I can't do this."  Drew handles the lines to tie and untie at the dock, and I'm at the helm trying to follow directions.  Fortunately we've never had any damage to others' boats.
Ate at a fabulous place called Red Fish a short distance away.

Tuesday, May 19
 Sunny, 79 degree day we putz up the ICW 35 miles (6 hours) to River Dune Marina, NC - shangri la for us.
As soon as we check in I head for the pool (after walking Mazu).  Finally a swim and hot tub. Of course, torrential rains shorten the hot tub.  We run to the wide wonderful screened in porch, had a drink and watched the storm.  This is a resort with very low slip fees.

Wednesday, May 20
  Another short day, 35 miles, 6 hours to Belhaven.  Last year like a horror movie May flies coated the boat.  We had to put towels over our heads to get inside.  It's almost the exact day we were here last year. 



 

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting for Godot Happy Mothers Day

New named early storm ANA off Carolinas is causing lots of high waves and winds though we feel nothing down here.  We finally did go out for a 3 hour sail to calibrate the new installed auto pilot.  Wanted a swim but missed that since we didn't anchor.  anyway the auto pilot works well.  Drew did a great job.
  Yesterday as an early Mothers Day gift we took a walk at Fairchild Gardens and saw the Chihuly exhibit throughout the grounds and the butterfly conservatory.  They release new butterflies every day.  
  These are glass blobs floating in the pond.

Boat with glass:

 
Also a stop off at Monty's for muscles and crab claws.

 


Other tasks we need to do before we take off:  clear A/C hose of debris, use filter water to fill up the water tank since the water maker filters get clogged so quickly in this slip or mooring water.  Make sandwiches and easy to eat food we can grab while on watch.  Do laundromat wash. Return rental car. Bail out water from Air conditioning bin.
   Update on Mazu is that the 2 x a day antibiotic has knocked out the skin problem and living in air conditioning has helped immensely.  It's been in the 90s most days here.
Aisle down the pier to our boat where the little flag is flying.

Had to stick a couple of kid pix in since it's Mothers Day.
Yeang, Sarah's husband with Isabelle in the pool in Malaysia.  Got to love that hair!

AJ, Dillon's wife, hiking in Vermont with the last snow. yes, still.

Waiting in Miami with wind

I flew into Miami from Manchester, NH on Saturday after leaving NYC Friday, kissing Sarah, Yeang and Is good-bye for their visit to grandparents in Malaysia.  I drove the car from Queens to park at home in Exeter.  So complicated and busy.  We are straying from sailing and fast becoming a travel blog.

 Historic sign in the park on the East River.  Part of my 2 x daily 1 hour walks with Is in the stroller.
 Is sitting up in her chair at 3 months!

Isabelle Chng (3 months) and Celia Twombly (8 months), first cousins (Sarah's and Dillon's kids) held by Shelly, Dillon's nanny.

Back to fixing in Miami:  Drew took on the auto-pilot by replacing the rudder position transducer sensor.  Drew in the cockpit locker:

 Mazu supervising on the deck next to the dock.

Later we'll head out into the Biscayne Bay where the wind is okay to calibrate the auto-pilot mechanism so we can continue to wait for favorable winds. 
   Presently there are up to 8-9' waves and a north wind that doesn't equate with a nice enough sail.  They say this weather is for salty sailors, not us.  We are looking for 3-4' waves and south, southeast or southwest winds to push us north.  Our planned route is to stay a bit outside, ideally hop in the Gulf Stream that's about 15 miles out.  It adds a few significant knots onto our speed.  We'll go directly from Miami to Moorehead City just below Cape Hatteras or stop in West Palm Beach on the way for a rest. Go inside at Moorehead City for several days on the ICW which means stopping at night and coming out at Norfolk, VA.  From there head straight for Buzzards Bay another 3 - 4 days.  Then into Mass. Bay to Marblehead.  The whole thing takes about 3 weeks whenever we get going.

ASIDE:  Just a note of thanks to Sarah and Yeang for such a great time taking care of Isabelle for the month of April.  It was nice that they thought about what I might like to do there too.
  One of the fun activities was seeing Freedom Park, a national monument to FDR on Roosevelt Island in the middle of the East River. a short 10 minute drive.  Pix below.  We also rode the tram up over and back over the East River, one subway fare.  We could see straight down each Manhattan avenue north to south.  We also had a nice little reunion at Lisa's (my niece) in Pelham when I drove bookcases out to her place.

 United Nations from Roosevelt Island

 Tram to Manhattan                                                   View down the avenue

Looking north on the East River

Moon over Miami