Huge Breakers!

Yes we are still in Cape May! This is us sitting secure at the dock on a very windy, sunny day.

Saturday morning very early before sunrise we made an attempt to leave by way of the main channel but were stopped by the very huge breakers coming in. We had followed our buddy boat out the channel but after seeing them go just about vertical making their way out we decided not to go for it. They are eight feet longer than us and have 20 more horse power in their engine. It seemed like an eternity watching them as they struggled to make headway. Then the waves turned them sideways, not for us. As we were going back and forth with our decision another boat larger than our buddy boat made it's way out the channel. He also went sideways, that firmed up our decision to go back. The day never cleared up and the wind became even stronger. We heard later from our buddy boat that it was a tough trip up the bay. They had the tide against them most of the way and were hit by a squall part way up the bay.

Sunday we stayed put again and were glad we did, several large boats attempted to go out and turned back. We enjoyed our day. It was sunny and warm and we walked to church with another couple we met here at Utch's. We relaxed and visited in the afternoon.

Today, Monday we had planned to leave but with the tide turning and in our favor, we decided to wait until tomorrow, Tuesday, to leave. Tomorrow morning we will leave the dock before daylight and traverse the Cape May Canal. The water level will be such to give us enough room under the bridge. The tide will also be with us giving us a lift up the Delaware Bay and into the C&D Canal and as far as Chesapeake City. We will anchor in Chesapeake City for the night and possibly stay for the next day.

Hold Up in Cape May Again!

Sunrise on the ocean, Monday morning!















Entering Cape May Monday afternoon!

















The harbor in Cape May, New Jersey during the storm!

Well, as you can guess by the title we made it to Cape May! What a trip! We decided late Sunday night that it was the best time to go though the night from Atlantic Highlands to Atlantic city. After eating dinner and watching Desperate Housewives, we attempted to nap but weren't very successful. At midnight we lifted our anchor and were underway with another boat, Cerulean. Rich and Lynda on S/V Cerulean have been living aboard for 10 years but this is their first time on the East Coast. Our evening was lit by an almost full moon and an amazing canvas of stars. The moon did leave us before sunrise but the stars keep the sky lit for us. The evening was relatively warm compared with previous night time passages we have made. The unfortunate part for us the wind and waves were once again on our nose giving us a bumpy ride. No complaints though it was a safe passage. We arrived exhausted in Atlantic City around 3:00 in the afternoon on Monday. We chose to get a dock at Historic Gardner Marina given the weather prediction for heavy winds. Gee what a surprise! We were very exhausted from the night trip and had very little sleep. We took showers, had a sandwich and laid down for what was to be a little nap. We woke at 5:30 AM Tuesday morning. Guess we were more tired than we realized. Tuesday turned out to be an extremely windy day and we stayed put. Safe and secure.

We thought we would not be able to leave even on Wednesday but we woke to the phone ringing and Lynda telling us they were going to leave. Before daylight Larry and I wondered the same thing because the winds had completely stopped. The weather prediction was off, the front had stalled causing a calm. We cast off our lines before 7 AM and were under way. The waves were monsters in spite of the calm winds. I wasn't sure I could handle them for 8 hours. Fortunately for me they subsided a few miles past the channel. We started out under motor but then the winds picked up and we motored sailed. Given what was to come for weather Larry wanted go as fast as our boat would go. The last few hours the wind died and the waves settled out. The calm before the storm! We arrived in Cape May around 2 PM and took a dock at Utsch's Marina, our friends chose to anchor out, not a good choice. The winds were predicted to clock around to the Northeast and this anchorage is not good with that wind direction. In fact this whole harbor isn't good with a Northeast wind. We are even moving around at the dock. The winds have been steadily over 25 knots. They have even sustained gusts above 30 knots. When this starts you can not get into a dock or away from a dock. We talked to Lynda and Rich this morning and they are alright but it is uncomfortable out there.

We had planned to leave tomorrow, Friday but the wind will clock around to the East and will be strong like today, which will make it impossible to exit the channel. Guess we'll just stay put and be safe for another day.

This marina has cable and we have been watching the weather channel and following the fire out in California and feel very fortunate that the wind is all we are dealing with, a minor inconvenience.

Hold Up In Atlantic Highlands

You can see this was the height of things yesterday! Keith was being productive on the computer, Larry read and lounged and I foiled my stained glass. The day was very deceiving from our view. It was calm and warm and sunny in our little bay but it was completely different out at sea. It is hard to sit in such beautiful weather and wonder if it is truly that bad out to sea. We were one of about 20 boats waiting to go off shore. We met one of our neighbors and they agreed with what we were saying "what's the hurry this is our home".

This picture is of the mooring field and we are at anchor just outside the mooring balls. We like saving $40 dollars a day. The generator did a good job of heating the water for showers.

You can tell by the ragged jib on the boat in the picture it does get windy in here. We will probably get a taste for the wind tonight. There is a small craft warning up in the bay as well as the ocean. It looks like we will not be leaving here before Monday. Unfortunately we will lose our buddy, Keith as extra crew for our overnight, he has to return for work.

Waiting for a Weather Window in Atlantic Highlands

We left Lock 8 early on Saturday morning and traveled to the flight of 5, arriving in Waterford early afternoon. The day was calm and warm, a welcome reprieve from the cold night we had spent. Our friend, Keith met us Saturday night to travel with us down the Hudson River and then overnight down the New Jersey Coast. Larry and I spent the day cleaning the boat and doing laundry. We went into the town of Waterford for a nice dinner and arrived back at the boat just as Keith was coming down the dock. Good timing!














Sunday morning we got an early start from Waterford. We had one more lock and that was lock 1 on the Hudson. Also known as Federal Lock Troy. Most people dread this lock but Larry and I actually think it is one of the better ones. The picture is of the tug and barge we shared the lock with. When he was going into the lock it didn't look like there was much room for us but we all fit just fine.















This is Keith! He held the midship line to keep us close to the wall while Larry, Oh I mean Captain Larry drank his coffee.

We arrived in Catskill around 1 PM and got settled in for the next day having our mast stepped. Larry and Keith washed the bottom of the dinghy and the fenders. They were pretty dirty from the canal.

Patience our youngest daughter stopped to spent the night and next day with us. She was traveling back home to Connecticut after visiting her sister in Rochester over the weekend. We had a great visit but as usual it was too short.

Monday we did have our mast stepped. It went relatively smooth. The only thing that was difficult was reattaching the roller furling to the mast. The angle of the mast and the furler and the dock were not cooperating but we managed after some rearranging. Larry and Kieth finished the rigging and cleaning and putting back of all the parts and equipment while Patience took me to the store for more provisions.

We were all very tired at the end of the day and slept sound but woke early for a long day on the Hudson to Croton across from Haverstraw. We arrived at about 6 Pm after 11 hours on the water. We had a quiet night at anchor along with several other boats. This morning we woke and were underway by 7 AM.















This was the picture I took as we past by the Statue of Liberty. We had planned originally to anchor behind the Statue at Liberty Island but after listening to the weather report decided tonight was our best night to do our overnight run down the coast of Jersey. We headed across south Bay and into Atlantic Highlands for fuel and water. After which we headed out in the calm water of the channel.














We traveled five miles down the coast into a head wind of 15 to 20 knots and were crashing on the waves as they washed over the bow. This was not the predicted weather for tonight. The further we went the worse it seemed to be getting. We made the decision to turn around and go back to Atlantic Highlands and drop a hook for the night. When we arrived it was calm and we had very little wind but that to has changed. The wind is building but fortunately we only have a little chop in the water. It should be and interesting night.

A Short Windy Day

This is us securely tied to the wall at lock 8 after a short wet trip from Amsterdam this morning. If you look close at the water you can see the fetch created by the wind. It was one of those dark, misting, cold mornings but you would not have guessed by the picture I took this afternoon. The sun did come out but the wind continued to howl. We came through the first lock this morning with very little wind but by the time we arrived at lock 9 the wind was strong and it made it very difficult to hold on to the lines. Before arriving at 8 we decided to call it quits before something happened to make us unhappy and damage our home. We originally pulled up behind a tug and barge tied to the wall but had to move for another barge that needed to off load some logs he had cleared out of the water by the dam. There we very few of us moving this morning and none by the afternoon. Both of us were tired from the early starts and long days so we took a nap until the chill from lack of heat woke us. Tonight we are snug and warm running the generator and the small heater we keep as a back up.

Tomorrow is supposed to be better with no wind in the morning and up to 10 mph later. We will go through the rest of the locks and dock in Waterford. It will be good to finish.

Rain, Rain and More Rain

We had another long day today! We were under way by 7 AM but it seemed like the dark of night. The weather never ceases to amaze me. How it can be beautiful one day and be so ugly the next. I guess it's just like Lake Ontario because I always say the lake is like a female it changes it's mind momentarily. Monday we were actually in our bathing suits, Tuesday we didn't know if we would ever warm up, Wednesday it was beautiful sunshine and warm and today, well lets just say it was today. It rained all day long but one good thing it wasn't bone chilling cold or maybe we are just getting used to the cold. I doubt that will ever happen.

When we started our day in the locks they (the locks) were still on restriction, due to the drought and only opening on the hour. By late in the day we had so much rain the restriction was lifted. This helped us to go further than we had originally planned. Tonight we are on the wall in the town of Amsterdam. We had to pay one dollar per foot of boat but that was OK as we have electric, which equates to heat. Tomorrow the weather prediction is for more of the same as today but with a little bit of wind mixed in. As long as the wind doesn't get to strong we will continue on to Waterford.

The picture was of a barge and work crew with crane about to lift the steel I beam up to the bridge. They were at the bottom of lock 14 and as we passed. We had to go slow as to not create any wake. I always wondered how they worked on a bridge over the water, now I know.

Another Dream Fulfilled!

Tuesday we traveled from Sylvan Beach to Herkimer. Our days travel was uneventful except for the submerged log we hit. We came to shoaled area and had to move to starboard close to the green mark and when we did we collided with what we think must have been a log. We never did see anything so we only surmised what it was. We didn't sink so it didn't damage us. That's a good thing.














Today I got to do something I have wanted to do for about 25 years. Go to Herkimer Diamond Mines and prospect for diamonds! The weather was perfect, sunny and warm and we found several very good diamonds. That's me in the picture finding them just lying on the ground.















This is Larry standing beside the water fall at the mine. The colors of the leaves were beautiful in the sunshine. Larry actually got into the swing and I mean swing he was hitting rocks like a pro. Near the end of the day he found 5 very beautiful diamonds in one rock. You just don't know whats inside until you open them up.















The picture is of the jewelery quality diamonds we gathered today. We did gather some small rocks with diamonds still attached but with a small living space we limited those to just a few. The small ones in the picture to the left are perfect and can be set into settings without a need for cutting. The ones to the right can be wire wrapped or cut for use in settings. We were pleased with our finds today and I plan to use some of them for future jewelery projects.

It is a good thing we didn't leave for the South any later than we have. We heard today that they are going to close the canal November 1, which is two weeks earlier than usual. The closing is due to the continued drought here in New York.

Run Away Barge!

Delays, delays, delays, if it's not the weather, it's mechanical, if it's not mechanical, it's something blocking the way!

As you can see from the picture Larry and I didn't get much in the way of sleep Saturday night in Oswego. Around 2 AM the wind switched around as predicted to the North East and it howled the rest of the night, causing reverb of the chop coming into the marina. It continued to blow on Sunday until late in the evening. We had made a deal not to go into the locks during high winds after the episode in the Spring, so we stayed an extra day in Oswego. We walked to town and the book store then to lunch. It was a quiet night last night and we enjoyed a good nights sleep.

We left Oswego at dawn this morning to travel to Sylvan Beach, just East of Oneida Lake and
this is the story of our day as it unfolded.....















This picture was taken from the town dock in Minetto. We were advised by the lock master at Oswego lock number 5 that a run away barge was blocking the channel and we would be wise to wait it out on the town dock. When we pulled into and out of lock five we noticed all the weeds floating in the water but were unable to avoid them. Upon accelerating we could feel the boat vibrate and have difficulty gaining speed. Larry put the boat into reverse and did a 360 degree turn, which freed the island of weeds around our prop. After about a half hour wait, long enough to have a cook breakfast, we were hailed and told to proceed with caution around the barge.















As you can see it was a very big barge and took up the entire channel. The power boat to the right of the tug went aground as he swung to wide and went into shallow water. Captain Larry on the other hand being the good navigator snugged up close to the tug and did a wonderful job with plenty of water to spare. Yeah!

At this point all the fun began with the engine intake and the result of the weeds. we seemed to be stopping every hour or so and Larry would have to go though the process of clearing out the lines while I up above had to keep us from going aground with out a motor or sail to help. Thank goodness for no wind or very little wind.















This is the lock and bridge in Phoenix, the one where you have to guess weather the tender got you request for right of passage because he never answers. He must have heard us because as you can see it did open for us.

Well we are securely tied to the wall in Sylvan Beach tonight and arrived 6:50 PM and have had our cocktails and have eaten dinner and are looking forward to a good nights sleep.

Beginning Our Trip South!

As you can see from the picture we started out at dawn for Oswego. Larry was doing some last minute rechecking of the rig for the mast, you can never be to cautious.
We experienced many weather changes today some not so good. At one point near Oswego about 15 nm West, we in our small boat, felt like a toy boat in a bath tub with a couple of rambunctious kids. The waves were coming at us from the side and tossing us from side to side. This is not a fun motion when the mast is horizontal on the deck from bow to stern.














This picture is of the lighthouse at the Oswego break wall and the last of the little bit of sun that we saw at sunset. We were very tired but arrived after traveling 77.7 nm and 12 hours of fun. We are certainly glad this leg is over. Tomorrow is a new day and possibly another wet one but we will start out a little later, about 8 AM and travel the locks on the Oswego Canal System. For now we plan a good nights sleep listening to the rain on the deck.

On Going Saga of the Furler

This was the picture I took yesterday and we were almost ready to start our journey South but not quite. If you look closely you will notice our roller furling forestay is missing. We decided to have the mast stepped here on Oak Orchard Creek so Larry could take his time to secure it to the top of the deck. On Wednesday we removed the sails in preparation, all was well until Thursday morning when the mast was lifted and the same old problem happened once again. The upper extrusion came apart and separated. We knew we would not be leaving early this morning as planned but we didn't know how long it would be before we could leave. We went to bed last night and still didn't know. This morning at 9 AM we received a call that our furler was ready. Wow! We believe this time for good! The only problem is, our weather window to travel the lake with the mast down is now short. We had planned for two good days one to Sodus and then from there to Oswego the next day. Now we have one good day and will have to go the entire distance. It will take about 12 hours, not the way we wanted to be inducted into our trip. Oh well such is the life, aboard a boat. We are just happy to have it fixed in such a short time.

Over the last week we have continued to visit with a few friends and family and to take care of last minute preparations. We have spent many hours sorting photos and slides attempting to get the slides on a DVD and the photos into a scrapbook. I have also been cutting and grinding glass to finish some stained glass projects, something difficult to do under way. Larry finished installing the solar panel and we will get the opportunity to try it out in route. Larry put the motorcycle in storage this afternoon after we provisioned one more time the food we have eaten. We felt if we stayed any longer we would eat up all the stores. Well I guess we are ready for tomorrow morning which I'm sure will come much to soon.