What a Week!

After the grounding and the days spent in Beach Haven avoiding the wind, I had a pretty good cruise up to an anchorage in Silver Bay (NJ). The anchorage turned out to be really popular with the local boating crowd. There were scores of boats on anchor. Most were just there for the day. Many were on anchor overnight. What I couldn't get over was the discourteousness of the boaters not on anchor. Many, with rather large boats, cruised through the anchorage at high speed, throwing a huge wake behind them. I was rocking and rolling until well after dark. And then got woken in the morning by even more high speed boaters. When I went to bed, I wasn't real sure on where I was going to go, but I knew that I had to get out of there.
I looked at my charts and found that there was a marina in Belmar, New Jersey. I called and found that they had a slip available. I was grateful for that, but I was a little scared about the fact that I would have to go out into the Atlantic. That would be Traveler's first taste of real ocean.
It was a relatively short trip to Belmar and the Atlantic decided to be real cooperative, smooth, calm, and virtually no wind.
When I got to Belmar, I got fueled up, pumped out, and tied up in no time at all. Really nice dockhands. I realized that the next day was the Fourth of July and if I left Belmar, I'd be traveling through New York harbor on the Fourth. That was a not-starter, so I checked with the marina office and arranged to stay until the 5th.

Behind the Statue of Liberty 7/5/17

The big boat across the dock from me had his hailing port listed as New York, New York. I figured he would be familiar with the waters so I asked his advice. Jim said that I should cruise straight into the harbor and anchor out behind the Statue of Liberty.
Again, I was pretty scared at the prospect of cruising the Atlantic. I was also pretty intimidated at the prospect of taking my little boat through New York Harbor. But, I got up early and got underway. The Atlantic was not as calm as I had hoped for, but it wasn't bad, either. I got beat up by a couple of really big ships, but I tucked in behind the Statue of Liberty. There was only one other boat on anchor. I had a pretty quiet night.
I was going to head to Tarrytown, NY, but the belts (water pump/alternator) starting making a lot of noise. I decided to divert to Ossining, NY. I headed to Westerly Marina. Among other things, they are a Yanmar (my engine) certified shop. Good call on my part. They were able to get the belts and replace them in short order. I had to spend an extra night, but that was OK, too.
I called my high school buddy, Lou. He and his wife, Toni, came down and got me. We went out and had pizzas and drinks. I had a great time visiting and catching up.
And that brings me to Poughkeepsie. I got up fairly early this morning and set out for Shadows Marina. I had a gorgeous cruise up the Hudson. I passed Peekskill, the Bear Mountain Bridge, and West Point. It was a beautiful day and I made great time. I got here and got settled in for the night. It all went so well that I decided to change the oil in the engine. It had just come due. So, it was a productive day, too.

And then the journey took a turn...

I was heading for an anchorage near Beach Haven, NJ. It was a little breezier than I like, but we were moving along nicely. I had been warned about the Intra-Coastal Waterway in New Jersey. It is really shallow and many of the larger boats choose to take the Atlantic route. But, I've got a 2 foot draft, n worries. My shallow water alarm went off on several occasions. I've got it set to warn me when I have less than 2 feet of water under the keel. Usually, I just probe around for deeper water and all is well.
About 3p on June 30, as I was cruising toward Beach Haven, the alarm went off and I couldn't find deeper water. I tried to back off. Nothing worked and finally, with the tide going out. I was hard aground.
I called the USCG for assistance and they contacted BoatTowUS for me. About an hour later rescue came... sorta. The guy on the rescue boat assessed the situation and said that there was nothing he could do. We'd have to wait for the tide to come back in. It hadn't completely gone out, so I was 7 or 8 hours away from being pulled off of the sandbar. So, there I sat watching the tide continue to go out. I wound up in inches of water and heeled over at about a 30 degree angle.
The guy came back around 9p to reassess the situation and decided that it would be a couple more hours. The tide had begun to come back in and I was mostly afloat, but still unable to move. He finally came back around 11p. He approached my boat and tossed me a harness to tie to my bow cleat. By now, the wind was howling and it had begun to rain. He told me to hurry, like a needed prodding. As he started to back away from my boat, he fouled the tow line in his starboard engine. He raised the engines out of the water. I could see that it was a mess. He asked me it I had a knife. I had bought a knife at West Marine. Supposedly the best at line cutting, it is the third time it has come to the rescue.
He got the lines cleared and restarted his engines. It was a hard pull, but suddenly I was off the sandbar. He told me to make for Beach Haven (not the anchorage) Yacht Club. I would be able to tie up at the fuel dock for the night. I had never navigated in the dark before. Suffice it to say that it was a harrowing final 5 miles to Beach Haven. The wind continued and the tide was ripping, but I managed to get tied up at the fuel dock for the night. I went to bed and slept the sleep of the exhausted.

Out of Maryland, Through Delaware, and Into New Jersey

So much has happened in the last several days, I don't know where to start. I guess I'll just go chronologically.

Under the Bay Bridge

After the nice visit with my family in Annapolis, I cruised under the Bay Bridge and got to an anchorage across the Chesapeake Bay. It was about a 25 mile cruise in smooth water, which was a pleasant surprise. I anchored out in a big cove that protected me from the south. And, I was in a good position to get to the C&D Canal.
Of course the winds shifted and I was again exposed to some of the worst that the Chesapeake has to offer. Small craft warnings and a gale warning kept me on anchor for an extra day and awake all night.
The winds subsided on Wednesday (6/26/2017) and I was treated to a  beautiful run up to, through, and out of the C&D. I got into the Delaware City Marina for the night. The marina it on a narrow channel that connects the C&D to the Delaware River. The single dock must stretch for 1/4 of a mile. The tidal current runs through the channel at an amazing speed. The guy who runs the place gives an extraordinary briefing on the expected conditions for traveling the Delaware River out into the Delaware Bay and on to either Cape May, NJ or Lewes, DE. He then gives you a departure briefing the following morning. He laid out my journey down the river and told me that I could expect to arrive in Lewes at 1530. He broke it down into segments that involved tide, current, and wind. He said the with a 6 knot boat and the tide, I'll be doing 8 knots for 2 hours. Then at slack tide, I'll be doing 6 knots. After that, I'll be doing 4 knots. And then, the tide shifts again and I'll be back to 8. He was amazing and I arrived in Lewes at 1530.
I had contacted a couple that I had met in Pensacola, in the RV park. Rich and Linda had been following my journey and told me to contact them when I reached Delaware. So, I did. They were nice enough to come and get me from the marina. We went out to dinner with another couple that I had met in P'cola. Linda did a load of laundry for me and I stayed overnight at their home. That was the most comfortable night I've had since visiting Connie and Stan!

Sunset on Delaware Bay

After staying the night, Rich took me grocery shopping and dropped me off back at the boat. I headed out for a short cruise to Cape May Point, NJ. Another beautiful crossing. The bay was like a mill pond and I arrived mid-afternoon and anchored about 100 yards off of the beach. Again, I was well positioned for the following day's cruise, which would be through the Cape May Canal.
As you can see in the sunset picture, the water of the bay is already getting choppy. There must have been a big storm to the south because I was pounded by 4-5 foot waves all night long. I didn't get much sleep at all. The pleasant surprise is my anchor. Through all of this bad, overnight weather, the anchor hasn't budged an inch.
June 28, sees me through the Cape May Canal and well into New Jersey. It was a windy day cruising, but I got to a marina in Marmora, NJ. I got checked into the marina and I asked the young woman at the desk if there was any shopping or restaurants near-by. She said, "Yes, there is a restaurant about a mile or a mile and a half away. Depends on how fast you walk." I responded, "No, it doesn't." She said, "Yeah, I know. Nobody ever gets that!"
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had the inflatable fixed in Annapolis. But, they didn't have the seat for it. I had the seat on the tug. So, I took the opportunity to pull the dink out of the water, partially deflate the tubes, and insert the seat. I had sort of forgotten how light the boat is, so instead of towing it behind, I've mounted it on the swim platform. Although, there is a bit more wind resistance, I think there is less of a performance impact than when I'm towing it. We'll see how it works.
So, with the dinghy on the swim platform and a full tank of fuel, I set out for an anchorage in Beach Haven, New Jersey...

Bad Idea #381

So now that my inflatable dinghy is fixed, I have to tow it behind me and tend to it when docking and leaving dock. What I've been doing is pulling it up tight to the stern and lashing it to the swim platform cleats using the towing bridles. So far, so good.
Turns out, it's a little difficult to lean out over the swim platform, grab the bridles and tie them securely to the platform. So, genius that I am, I tie a bow line to the dinghy and tie the line to the stern cleat on the boat. Works like a champ. When I want to pull the dinghy in, I just grab the line, haul away and tie the line to stern rail. Easy.
Yesterday, I was pulling into a dock in Lewes, Delaware. Of course, I hadn't secured the dinghy because this was going to be an easy dock. Pulling in bow first, I get the bow line secured. But, the wind and the tide are working against me and pretty soon, I'm sideways in the dock. I put it in reverse to correct the position. But, the line on the bow of the dinghy sunk under the boat and got caught in the prop. The engine comes to an abrupt halt.
We get the boat secured to the dock and the suggestions and comments start to pour in.
Get it towed over to the haul-out facility across the canal. That's about $250 to $300.
Hire a diver. Probably more than the haul-out.
"Yeah, when that happened to me, I broke a motor mount."
"Yeah, I bent the prop shaft like that."
I was getting a little panic stricken.
The Asst. Dockmaster says, "Hey, I get off a 4. I'll look at it"
It took him about half an hour of holding his breath and using my dive mask and it was done. He would only accept a $20.00 tip.
Can't say thank you enough!

Annapolis

From St. Mary's City, I jumped to Solomons, MD. That was one of the roughest days I've had on the water. It was pretty choppy cruising down the St. Mary's river. I was getting hit head on by some fair sized waves, water breaking over the bow. I put on my life vest and clipped my radio to my belt.
About halfway to Solomons, the USCG broadcast a small craft warning (wind 25 to 33 knots and/or waves 5 to 7 feet). I was too far out to turn back.
I had to make a port turn to stay on course. That meant that the waves were bashing me on the starboard beam. Fortunately, that only lasted about an hour. Another starboard turn put the wave to my stern. Keeping a steady course with those waves was a real challenge.
So, it was a scary day, but I made it to Solomons and tied up for the night. The bad weather was forecast to continue, so I stayed at the marina for another night. Glad to say that it was a relatively inexpensive marina.
We got rocked by some huge thunderstorms that night and wind and rain the next day. I was able to get out and go shopping.
From Solomons, I cruised out to an anchorage just about 20 miles shy of Annapolis. One reason I wanted to get to Annapolis was to get my inflatable boat repaired. While I was at St. Mary's, I noticed that all their inflatables came from Annapolis Inflatables (sailing and crew are big at SMCM). Anyway, I spent a quiet night on anchor. I watched Master and Commander, again. I love that movie.
And a 4 hour cruise got me to Annapolis Landing Marina. I arranged to have the inflatable picked up (I hope that they are working on it right now). My daughters brought the grandchildren out for a visit and a quick tour of the boat. We all went out to dinner.
Tomorrow may be my last day in Maryland. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is only a day's cruise away.
Waiting on the inflatable.

St. Mary's College of Maryland

I called the director of alumni relations, Dave Sushinsky, and asked him about tying up on the docks at the river front. Dave checked, called me back, and told me that I would be fine tying up for the night.
It was really cool cruising up the St. Mary's River. I went past the replica of the Dove that is part of Historic St. Mary's City. The Ark and the Dove were the two ships carrying English settlers to the new world. They landed near what is now Point Lookout and established the first city.
I cruised around Church Point and right up to the docks. A couple of students were lounging on the docks and I asked for a little help getting tied in. They were very nice. I introduced myself as a member of the class of '04. They said welcome back.
It was really nice to be back. I sat and talked with one student for an hour or so. She made me feel really connected to the school. There is 50 years difference between us, but we have SMCM in common.
I walked around the campus. Yes, it did bring back a lot of fond memories. I walked over to the bookstore. I was hoping to score a new SMCM T-shirt, but they were closed. As was the Daily Grind, the little coffee shop next to the bookstore. I had been hoping for a cup of Starbucks on Sunday morning, but that was out, too.

Dave told me that the bathrooms and shower room would be open all night, so I availed myself of a nice shower. I went back to the boat and grabbed some wine and a glass. I spent a beautiful evening on the upper deck of the River Center watching the sunset.
Even though it was a bit out of the way, I'm glad that I visited the campus. I'll have to make it a point to get to campus for next year's reunion.
Right now, I'm in Solomons, MD. This, too, is bringing back memories. It appears that I'll be in Annapolis with in the next 2 to 3 days.

Big, Scary Place

I approached the crossing of the Norfolk Naval Shipyards and Hampton Roads with a great deal of trepidation. Norfolk is the fifth busiest port in the USA. And, of course there is all the naval ship movement going on.
As it turns out, my fears were all for naught. The hardest time I had was getting through the railroad bridges. Some of them sit down as close as 5 feet above the water. They swing out of the way, rise straight up on enormous structures, or rise to an angle using counterweights (Bascule Bridges). I wound up navigating through 2 bascule bridges, 1 vertical lift bridge, and one lock. That all cost me more than 2 hours of travel time.
I passed a lot of big commercial ships as well. I got a kick out of two of them, they were registered in Majuro. I've been there. I'm pretty sure that the ships are nearly as big as the atoll and probably more heavily populated.
Surprisingly, there was virtually no Navy traffic. I passed one destroyer that looked like it was coming back from sea trials. I did pass by a lot big navy ships, several aircraft carriers. It was an interesting day. Best of all, the water was relatively calm.
I had a nice cruise and got to Salt Ponds Marina. I got fuel and tied up for the night. Nothing too exciting. The restaurant that was advertised had closed about 2 years ago. Fortunately, I had supplies in the fridge from the trip to Walmart. They did give me a free beer cozy, however.
I got up after a good night's sleep and headed out. I am now officially in the Chesapeake Bay. I'm anchored out for the night in a lovely little inlet. I've already been approached by two local boats. The folks were admiring my boat and asked about where I came from and where I'm heading. Everybody likes my "cute", "little" boat.
It looks like tomorrow will be my last day in Virginia. I'm going to try to get to St. Mary's College on Saturday. I was hoping to anchor in the St. Mary's River, but as my dinghy is still non-functioning, I'll try for a marina... again.