Sometimes You Just Got To Be Lucky

Anxious to get underway on our final day of the northern journey, we left Liberty Landing Marina around 8:00 am headed out into the always busy New York Harbor. Listening to the constant chatter on the VHF radio between the various ferries, water taxis, shuttles, commercial vessels, tugs and barges, is not only important information but rather entertaining as well. We plotted our course and timing perfectly and ducked around Battery Park and into the East River without issue. Sometimes, you just got to be lucky!

One of the often navigable challenges is timing the East River run through Hell Gate (a merging of sometimes raging water that makes a couple of sharp turns) so as to avoid going against the current and tide. Fortunately, we were on a rising tide and were running in the same direction as the current this morning which not only made the ride smooth, but much faster! Sometimes, you just got be lucky!

While the skies were mostly overcast and temps remained very cool for this time of year, the winds subsided and the air was calm. As a result, when we entered Long Island Sound, the water was not just calm, it was dead calm -- smooth as a lake, a bathtub, a tabletop, a baby's butt. And it remained that way for the entire 100 mile run to the entrance of the Connecticut River. It seemed a fitting payback after so many days of rough seas and weather along our trip. Sometimes, you just got to be lucky!

It felt strangely good to work our way up the Connecticut River and to our summer home port at Essex Island Marina. We pulled into our slip and were warmly greeted by both staff and other nearby boaters with a smile, a wave and a hug. It was good to be "home".

Sometimes, you just got to be lucky!

Heading up the East River past the United Nations

Long Island Sound -- calm as a lake

Endless Summer at her summer port - Essex Island Marina

New York, New York

We finally got a break in the weather with offshore winds and seas forecast to 2-3 feet with southwest swells and moderate winds of 15 knots. Okay, so maybe not ideal conditions, but you consider that 36 hours ago it was 6-8 foot seas and winds up to 30 knots, today was a "good day" to be on the water.

We left Cape May bright and early (as in 7:30am) hoping to get ahead of any changes that might come our way along the 140 mile 5 hour run in the Atlantic Ocean. There's not a lot to look at when offshore, so not a lot to share with you today.

That said, I must confess it is always special coming into New York Harbor with Freedom Tower and among the many buildings making up the backdrop of lower Manhattan. And to go past the Statue of Liberty is without a doubt a true "moment" for me as both my grandparents immigrated from Italy through Ellis Island. I am a grateful and humbled grandson for all they sacrificed and accomplished in building their lives here for themselves and their family.

Tomorrow will mark what is hopefully our last day as we traverse around Manhattan up the east River, through Hell Gate and into Long Island Sound. It will be another 5 hour tomorrow but one we are both looking forward to!

Off shore conditions were mostly good today

Approaching NYC

Lower Manhattan

Gets me every time

On to Cape May

Yesterday evening as we were waiting to meet my sister for dinner a rather large contingent of 15-20 sailboats from the Kempton Yacht Club started pouring in to the Annapolis Yacht Basin in the same vicinity as Endless Summer. Now normally, this wouldn't trouble me, but it seemed the so-called "yacht club" was a group of guys on sailboats out for a good time in all manner of speaking. Fortunately, they were relatively harmless and due to the rain, wind and cold weather didn't really stay up all night partying on the docks. Thank goodness!

So after spending five days in Annapolis waiting for the weather to clear, we decided to make a go of it this morning and headed for Cape May, NJ.

The forecast suggested that we would have some rough seas the first part of the day going up the Chesapeake Bay, more moderate conditions through the Elk River and C&D Canal, and finish it off with some nasty, confused and rough seas in the lower Delaware Bay.

The weatherman got it right!

But we made the trip safely and without incident traveling 130 miles from Annapolis to Cape May in just under six hours. With small craft warnings still in effect we didn't have much of any "boat traffic" to deal with -- just a lot of wind and waves.

Our next leg takes us offshore in the Atlantic Ocean as we traverse the New Jersey coast in route to New York City. Based on the forecast (and our penchant for calmer seas), we are going to stay in Cape May for two nights and hopefully make the run of Tuesday when conditions look more favorable.

One last Maryland crab cake before leaving town!

Heading north on the Chesapeake Bay

Arriving at South Jersey Marina, Cape May, NJ

Waiting it Out

It seems each time we come through this section of the Chesapeake Bay we get waylaid by the weather. Our planned three days in Annapolis have turned into five as a large low pressure system filled with strong wind and torrential rain has slowly moved through the region. With the boat docked at the Annapolis Yacht Basin and winds up to 40 mph coming from the southwest, it created a strong "rock and roll" all day and all night. What to do?

The good news is there is a hotel within 100 yards of the marina and with discretion being the better part of valor, I decided a couple of nights on land might be a good break for the Admiral ... and for me. I was even able to get a room that faced the marina and have been able to keep a close eye on the bobbing and bouncing from a more comfortable distance.

Fortunately, we have a number of friends and family in the area and have enjoyed spending some time together. Of course, getting to enjoy some Maryland favorites like crab cakes, soft shell crabs, Maryland crab soup, Rockfish and Smith Island Cake has certainly enhanced our time here.

The low pressure system appears to finally be moving to the northeast and while still windy and cold for this time of year, should allow us to get underway on Sunday for Cape May.

Wind, rain and no fun

Keeping and eye on Endless Summer from our hotel room. Smart!

Smith Island Cake

Maryland crab soup - crab cake sandwich 

Rachel's good luck Lady Bug rides along!

Maryland My Maryland

We left Portsmouth Virginia bright and early yesterday morning for what would be our longest day on the water to date. The 160 mile run is all open water the entire distance on the Chesapeake Bay and when the winds blow it can create less than pleasant conditions. Just the same, knowing that things weren't going to get much better the next few days, we opted to venture out and take our chances. Well, that may have been a bad choice as the ride was very rough, very wet and very difficult. It's never fun to get beat up on a boat with water crashing over the bow and bouncing up and down like a cork in a tub. But we were in the thick of it decided to just continue on and get it over with.

If the weather and seas didn't present enough of a challenge, we were once again the subject of a military interception, this time by the US Navy that were conducting practice bombing runs just west of the Patuxent Naval Air Station. There is a designated "restricted area" right in the middle of the Bay on the nautical charts that I have always avoided but this time was properly "instructed" to navigate to the far west shore and remain there until cleared. Given the sea conditions we were dealing with made this detour all that more unpleasant. But when you see Navy aircraft make low flying live bombing runs, it kind of gets your attention. Needless to say, the Admiral's pucker factor was a 10+.

By the time we finally arrived in Annapolis, the boat was covered, and I do mean covered, in salty sea spray. We were both very tired but relived to be off the water and "home" in Maryland.

As I suspected, the weather has become a factor in our continued travel north and it appears we will be "stuck" in Annapolis at least through the weekend. As much as we would like to get on with our trip, neither of us want to go through another nasty day on the high seas. Since a major portion of the next few days will be offshore in the Atlantic Ocean our timing to run the New Jersey coast will be closely monitored. Of course forecasts are often wrong so we have to take each day as it comes.

In the meantime, we are safely and comfortably docked in Annapolis where we have an opportunity to visit with friends, enjoy some Maryland cooking and get some needed service work completed .

Oh yeah, and relax too!

The lights of Norfolk

Sloppy seas on the Chesapeake Bay

Spray over the bow

Thomas Point Lighthouse

A very salty "Endless Summer"

Short and Sweet -- Before the Storm

Our original plan for today had us going from Coinjock NC to Cape Charles, VA on the eastern side of the Chesapeake Bay just north of Norfolk. That, however, was soon revised after reviewing both the current Bay conditions and the forecast for the next 24 hours. We are expecting a major storm front to come through area later tonight and into Tuesday morning and thought that it would be safer (and certainly more comfortable) to ride that out in a nice secure marina like Tidewater Yacht Basin in Portsmouth, VA.

Coming into the Norfolk - Portsmouth harbor is always interesting as it is filled with a large military presence including US Navy Warships, an extensive Coast Guard station, an Air Base, and all manner of commercial vessels, tugs and barges.

But today was a first as we approached the harbor and were hailed by a Coast Guard cutter who said they were escorting a 590 foot LPG (liquid petroleum gas) tanker and that we had to "stand down" and be "shadowed" by a patrol boat as we passed.  Not just any patrol boat but one with a guard on the bow standing behind a rather intimidating machine gun! Guess they didn't want anyone messing with a tanker full of explosive gas.

While that experience was certainly one for the memory bank, today was also a significnat milestone in our trip. We have now officially completed the designated Intracoastal Waterway at mile marker "zero" in Norfolk, VA. While we have traveled 900 miles since leaving Cocoa last week we still have another 545 miles to go before reaching our final destination in Essex, CT.

We shall see what the winds and waves tomorrow morning bring before deciding if we make way for Annapolis or not.

US Coast Guard Cutter

Patrol Boat Escort (for us)

I think this guys means business

590 Foot LPG Tanker "Sahara Gas"