In for the Winter

After enjoying a week of unseasonably warm Fall weather on the Chesapeake Bay we moved Endless Summer over to Pleasure Cove Marina just off the Patapsco River near Baltimore. We have been busy getting the engines, pod drives and generator serviced as well as preparing the other operating systems for five months of winter storage.

It seems very strange to "winterize" our boat, something we haven't done in over 20 years of boating. But given that we have been living on board the past six months, it will (might) be good to have a break from the long range cruising and transiting the Intracoastal Waterway. We shall see.

Even though the boat will be stored in a indoor heated facility (to 40 degrees), we still needed to remove most of our personal belongings, portable electronics, linens and provisions. That meant renting a SUV for hauling much of our "stuff" back to Florida.

Following the haul out, wash down and storage, we climbed inside our very full SUV and headed to Florida. Two days on the road seems like an easy commute compared to moving a boat the same distance down the coast, but rest assured, it was not nearly as much fun!

So unless something dramatic happens over the next five months, this will be my final entry regrading the journey and adventure of our "Endless Summer".

Sad day as Endless Summer comes out of the water

Moving in to its indoor storage at Pleasure Cove

The Captian & Admiral are back on land

Onward to Maryland

Today we finished our last leg of the trip (for now) going from Cape May, NJ to Kent Island on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Once again, the wind and waves were "reasonably" cooperative after getting an early morning "first light" start. We traversed north on the Delaware Bay, westerly across the C&D Canal and finally turning south into the Chesapeake Bay. The total run was 130 miles which we did in just over 5 hours.

Tonight, and for the next few nights, we are docked at the Bay Bridge Marina which will be our "home port" next summer. But for now, we are going to celebrate our safe passage and enjoy some time with friends before getting Endless Summer ready for her first winter.

"First Light" Cape May, NJ

Planning or Luck?

Well, yes -- a little bit of both!

While Endless Summer can handle most anything within reason, running offshore in the Atlantic Ocean is always a catch as catch can affair. One day you can have 5-7 foot head seas and the next 2-4 following. As I looked out as much as a week ago, it seemed there was going to be a "window of opportunity" today to make our run from New York City to Cape May along the New Jersey coast. That is why we left Essex Connecticut on Tuesday.

While the winds were forecast to be 12-15 knots, it was blowing from the west (offshore) so the wind waves were minimized as long as we kept close to the shore line -- which we did! The "swell waves" -- those things that surfers yearn for were forecast for 2 feet out of the south at 10 seconds apart. The combination was more than manageable and we had a very pleasant (well, at least reasonable) six hour run.

Running offshore is often less interesting than inside the Intracoastal Waterway because there isn't that much to look at except the distant passing shoreline or the open ocean horizon. Today, we were treated to not just dolphins dancing in the waves but we even saw a whale. Either that, or it was the biggest damn fish I've ever seen! Regardless, keeping a watchful eye made the time pass more quickly.

The other good thing that happened was the sun was shining bright, the sky was crystal clear and the air temperature was somewhat warmer. That always makes for a better day!

Nipping at Our Nose

As I worked on planning the three days from Connecticut to Maryland I was careful to study the wind and wave forecasts, the tidal current down the East River through Hell Gate, and especially the offshore run down the New Jersey coastline. The one thing I didn't really pay much attention to was the forecasted outside temperatures. Big mistake!

Yesterday, New England weather took an abrupt turn as temperatures dropped and the winds started to howl. We went from wearing light-weight sweaters to full-on fleece and gloves in a matter of 24 hours. This morning when we woke up it was 38 degrees with the wind decidedly nipping at our nose! It was definitely time to head south!

We said out final goodbyes to the great folks at Brewer Essex Island Marina and pointed Endless Summer down the Connecticut River toward Long Island Sound. The forecast was for diminishing winds out of the north and the seas were reasonably calm. As the sun brightened in the clear blue sky we got to enjoy some last "peeps" of the beautiful Fall colors along the river and sound. A perfect ending to our time in New England.

The run into New York has become one of my favorites. Seeing the city come into view from the water with its towering skyline is quite a treat. While passing through Hell Gate (a narrow confluence of fast running and turbulent water in the East River) is always a bit intimidating, we managed without incident and proceeded along the river along city edge to lower Manhattan. As we made our final turn passing under the Brooklyn Bridge the Statue of Liberty came into view, and as always, a site to behold.

Tonight we are docked at Liberty Landing Marina looking back across the Hudson River to the "city that never sleeps". The view at night is nothing short of spectacular, punctuated by Freedom Tower standing tall and proud.

Approaching NYC coming south down the East River

One of the best views anywhere

"Empty Sky" 9/11 Memorial

Lower Manhattan

Ticked in for the night at Liberty Landing 

Time to Leave New England

After a wonderful summer based in Essex Connecticut, the time has come to depart New England and head south to the Chesapeake Bay. This year we have stayed longer than normal to try and take in some cooler weather, the changing colorful Fall leaves and a few more baseball games with our kids and grand kids. One last run up the river, a final lobster roll, a cup of clam chowder and some hot mulled cider makes for a perfect ending.

We will make the run to Maryland in hopefully three stops running from Essex across the Long Island Sound, down the East River past Manhattan with a stop at Liberty Landing Marina. From there we will make the 145 mile open ocean run to Cape May, New Jersey and South Jersey Marina. From there, it will up the Delaware Bay and through the C&D Canal to the Chesapeake Bay where will will turn south and head toward Baltimore.

This year we have decided to "winter" Endless Summer at Pleasure Cove Marina in Pasadena, MD just off the the Patapsco River. We will have our annual service done there before having the boat hauled and blocked in a indoor facility that will be kept at a 40-50 degree temperature all winter. Not only does this allow us to skip the normal "winterizing" process, but gives the boat added protection from the elements until it is relaunched next Spring.

Big bother on the mound

Little brother in training 

Aft deck music and "Boat Drinks"

Our nightly Essex sunset!

Nana and the boys

Home Again

Our run from Newport, RI to Stonington, CT was uneventful (the way I like it) under clear skies light winds. This was the first time we had been to Stonington and very glad we stopped there. It is a town rich in maritime history, early colonial trade, battles with the British, and beautiful old (and fully restored) homes from the 1800's. We had a great dockage location with our aft deck facing out to the quiet harbor filled with other boats on their moorings swaying with the wind and tide. Simply delightful.

This morning we awoke once again to clear blue skies, light winds and calm seas. It was a great final day for the last leg of our journey back to Essex, CT. We decided to get away a little earlier so as to avoid some of the Friday afternoon "rush traffic" on the Connecticut River. Long Island Sound was a smooth as a lake which was a nice bonus for our final day on the water (well, at least for a while that is!).

In a strange sort of way, it actually felt good to be "home" in Essex, CT even though it's not really HOME. Spending this time together, doing what we love and making new memories is not something we take for granted.  Perhaps the best way to sum up the past two weeks on the water is to steal a few lyrics from the Jimmy Buffett song "Lovely Cruise".

"May you always remember

These moments are shared by few

And those harbor lights

They're coming into view

We bid our farewell much too soon

So drink it up

This one's for you

It's been a lovely cruise"

Boston to Sandwich to Newport

We left Boston around 10am on Thursday morning and cruised a little further up the harbor to the Charlestown Navy Yard to take a closer look the U.S.S. Constitution (a.k.a. Old Iron Sides) which was just recently put back in the water after two years of dry dock repairs, painting and maintenance. She is the oldest actively commissioned vessel still afloat, originally launched in 1797 by President George Washington. Impressive stuff!

As we departed Boston Harbor, past downtown, Logan Airport and the various sundry islands and old forts, we both agreed that this was a stop worth making and while brief, was filled with history, tradition, great food and good times.

Upon reaching the open water of the Atlantic, we were greeted to strong NW winds at 20 knots and rolling seas of 2-3 feet. While there was a Coast Guard "Small Craft Advisory" in effect until 11am, we felt that the boat (and the crew) could handle it until things started to calm down. Well, it never did. In fact, the wind picked up, as did the seas, and what we thought was going to be relatively easy "following seas" going south was rougher and sloppier than anticipated. But we pressed on, dodging lobster pots and adjusting our course to minimize the roll of the ocean.

We reached Sandwich, MA right at the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal around 130pm. "Endless Summer" was a pretty well covered in salt spray, so once docked, she got a good hosing and wipe down. After the commensurate arrival cocktail, we headed to Fisherman's View for dinner. This restaurant is owned by two local fisherman who bring in fresh seafood daily -- instead of "farm to table" it is "dock to dinner".  Excellent food, great service and a wonderful view out to Cape Cod Bay.

This morning we departed Sandwich at 830am and headed west through the Cape Cod Canal. Since the speed limit is only 10 mph, it took us a full hour to come out the other side and into Buzzards Bay in route to Rhode Island Sound. Once out of the canal, the seas conditions were much better than the day before and we cruised along at a rather leisurely pace arriving in Newport, RI at 12:30pm. This is one of my favorite ports of call and am looking forward to taking in all this maritime city has to offer. Well, at least for a couple of days!

U.S.S. Constitution 

Leaving Boston Harbor 

Looking out to Cape Cod Bay

My new friend 

Endless Summer in Sandwich

Boston in Pictures

We have had a great couple of days in Boston and taken advantage of our downtown location on Long Wharf. Outside of a few showers on Saturday, the weather has been good for doing some sight seeing and just walking around this history filled city.

City view on approach

Boston Waterboat Marina - great location right downtown

Afternoon at the Aquarium

City streets - North End

Boston Public Market

Fanuiel Hall Meeting House

Italian Street Festival - North End

Goodnight Boston!

Edgartown to Plymouth to Boston

After two wonderful days on Martha's Vineyard, we departed Edgartown Wednesday morning under overcast skies and a lite breeze. The first part of the journey took us across Nantucket Sound to Vineyard Sound and through the Woods Hole Inlet into Buzzards Bay. That lead us northeast through the Cape Cod Canal, a 10 mile "ditch" that cuts through Cape Cod and connects the two bodies of water. Since we had never traversed this area before, we were extra cautious in making sure we followed all the markers always attentive to the radar and AIS for oncoming boats and large ships. I guess it was beginners luck as we basically had the waterway to ourselves for the entire run.

Once we entered Cape Cod Bay and turned north, we were quickly and repeatedly introduced to lobster pot floats.  Now, we have boated extensively in Florida waters as well as the Chesapeake Bay, so "crab pots" are nothing new to us. But lobster pots are a different thing -- both in terms of quantity (think lots and lots of them) and in their scattered array and clusters. Fortunately, "Endless Summer" is a fairly maneuverable boat and we simply played "dodge" as we worked our way north.

Coming into Plymouth of course, took us back to our US history lessons and the whole Mayflower-Pilgrim-Plymouth Rock thing. Once we docked, we decided to take in a little of that history first hand by visiting the Pilgrim Hall Museum and THE Plymouth Rock -- which is just that -- a rock!

This morning we left for Boston under clear skies and lite winds. Since the winds and seas forecast was for increasing in the afternoon, we opted for a early start for our short 50 mile run to Boston.

Coming into Boston Harbor was nothing short of spectacular. There is so much history, so much beauty, so much to see and do. We are docked at Waterboat Marina right in downtown Boston with a terrific view over the harbor and the city.

Boston Light

Boston coming into view

Approaching Boston Harbor

Montauk to Edgartown

We woke up Tuesday morning to crystal blue skies, light winds out of the NE and seas forecast of 2-3 feet. Now sometimes, 2-3 foot seas can be most unpleasant when breaking and running against the wind and tide, but in this case, they were mostly gentle "rollers" which provided excellent conditions for our 87 mile open water trip to Martha's Vineyard. We arrived in Edgartown 4 hours later. Delightful!

Edgartown is a beautiful harbor with 84 moorings and just TWO slips that can accommodate a boat the size of Endless Summer. Due to its popularity and demand, I had to make reservations back in February to assure we would have one of those slips. We were guided in expertly by the harbor master and tie-up on the face dock looking directly out onto the harbor. Perfect!

Speaking of the harbor master, she was one of the best I have ever come across in all of our travels. Coordinating the coming and going of over 80 boats of all shapes and sizes was both educational and entertaining. We left the VHF radio on the entire afternoon just to watch and listen as she did her job like an air traffic controller at a major airport. Impressive!

Edgartown, as you might imagine, is quite upscale with incredible homes, mega yachts, with high end shoppes and restaurants yet has managed to keep its classic New England charm in place. We walked the streets through town passing beautiful homes, perfectly manicured grounds filled with hydrangea in full bloom. While busy with tourists (like us), the people were warm and welcoming. We also had the chance to visit with some old friends who reside on Martha's Vineyard which is always a bonus when traveling by boat. Delightful!

Today we will head out to Plymouth, MA via the Woods Hole Inlet, Buzzard's Bay and the Cape Cod Canal before turning north on Cape Cod Bay. It looks to be a good day on the water!

Sunrise over Edgartown Harbor 

The coolest sail ever

Essex to Montauk

We departed Essex Island Marina mid-day on Sunday and headed down the Connecticut River toward Long Island Sound. It was a bright sunny day with a steady breeze out of the NE. I still haven't gotten use to the way other boaters on this river seem to ignore each others presence, no regard for wakes, passing or overtaking. It is a "every man for himself" attitude with boats going every which way and makes what could be an easy relaxing ride rather stressful. I was glad to finally exit the Saybrook Point jetty and into the open Sound.

While the tide was with us as we crossed, the wind was against us which always makes for confused seas. Not really all that bad, just choppy. Interestingly enough, as we rounded the corner on the north fork of Long Island and into more open water, things calmed down and the balance of the ride was with gentle 2 foot rollers.

We arrived in the busy Montauk harbor in the early afternoon, docked the boat without issue (in a very narrow slip I might add) and settled in for the day. As you might imagine being this close to the open ocean, the marina is filled with all manner of sport fishing boats, charters and large yachts. Montauk Yacht Club is both a marina and resort hotel in the Hamptons so it is summer in full swing.

This morning we poked around the little town of Montauk and then headed out to the Montauk Lighthouse at the very end of Long Island. It is quite a sight and is rich with history, lore and myth. Commissioned by George Washington in 1792, it is the oldest lighthouse in New York and the fourth oldest in the United States. And yes, I walked the 137 steps up the spiral staircase to the top. Quite a view!

New England Cruise

Since we arrived in Essex, CT in early May, we have been enjoying the summer with family, friends and the occasional outing by boat along the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound. From Saybrook Point, to the Hamburg Cove to Greenport and Shelter Island, we have stayed pretty close to "home" so far. But the time has come for us to take advantage of the normally favorable summer winds and seas. 

So once again this year, we have decided to venture out for a two week cruise on New England waters.  We are going to go a little further north this year (to Boston) while visiting some new ports of call and a couple of favorites along the way. 

We plan to depart Sunday July 30th and return on Friday August 11th.

As most of the trip is open ocean cruising, we will be subject to potentially more delays and rerouting than normal due to weather and sea conditions so the following float plan may be revised. As you can see below, most distances we will travel are less than 60 miles a day which gives us greater freedom to choose our departure and arrival windows. 

Float Plan

Sunday 7/30 - Montauk, NY / 30 miles - Montauk Yacht Club (2 nights)

Tuesday 8/1 - Martha’s Vineyard, MA / 87 miles - Edgartown Harbor (2 nights)

Thursday 8/3 - Plymouth, MA / 63 miles - Brewer Plymouth Marina (1 night)

Friday 8/4 - Boston, MA / 44 miles - Boston Waterboat Marina (2 nights)

Sunday 8/6 - Sandwich, MA / 55 miles - Sandwich Marina (1 night)

Monday 8/7 - Newport RI / 58 miles - 41 North Marina (2 nights)

Wednesday 8/9 - Stonington CT / 37 miles - Dodson’s Boatyard & Marina (2 nights)

Friday 8/11 - Essex CT / 30 miles - Brewer Essex Island Marina

Summertime and the Living is Easy

It is now late July and our summer has been filled with family and friends, little league baseball, cook-outs, kids and grandkids, the occasional exploratory jaunt (by land and by sea) and mostly good weather (except for the rain!).

Other than having to replace the starboard Zeus transmission (under warranty thank goodness!), the boat has been trouble free and been a comfortable and enjoyable "home".

Here are a few of the highlights so far.

Sunset over Essex Island 

Raising the Connecticut State Flag

Elizabeth Park Rose Garden - Hartford 

Lobster Roll time - Clinton, CT

Family time - Hamburg Cove

Full moon over the river

Saybrook Point Light

Replacing the transmission - major job!

Grandson at bat!

Ready for action!

Little brother running the bases.

My daily ritual feeding the ducks

Sunset from the aft deck at Essex Island

PWD "grand-dog" at watch

Playtime

Feeding time!

Drone shot of Essex Island Marina