Newport, RI to Annapolis, MD

Newport to Annapolis!

It went really well!  We left Newport with the main sail up at 6:15am on Wednesday morning, September 16 (Sharon's brother-in-law Alec's birthday!)  Wind was very light and a bit out of the Northwest.  We motor sailed out of the Narragansett Bay, past our friend's Roger and Chrisy's Jamestown house, past Beaver Tail Light, past Point Judith.  We passed Block Island three hours later, and then we sailed by Montauk Point two hours after that.  It was a sunny day and the seas were very calm.

Interesting sights included the sun shadows of jet streams as they traveled high past the sun's rays and a pod of small dolphins.

Beavertail Lighthouse

Jet stream shadows!

The winds were no more than five knots the entire trip and seas were one foot or less.  Though we had to motor all the way, we were happy not to have big rolling waves.  We took turns napping all day, banking our sleep, as Greg calls it.  By 5pm, 80 miles into the trip, we began to cross the first of three very large New York shipping channels, the first being the Nantucket Channel.  The sun set at 7pm and we saw a beauty of a crescent moon hit the horizon soon after.  A very bright Venus hung out next to Orion from 4am until dawn. 

A very calm sea 

Sunset

Dawn Breaking

We passed the last of the NY shipping channels by 6am the next morning - 13 hours later!  We could see the tall buildings of Atlantic City by 10am Thursday.  Greg had an exciting night when a fishing vessel decided to leave the place he had been hanging out five miles away and head straight for Dream Catcher.  Greg changed course a few degrees at a time until he was 60 degrees off the course we had been heading since we left Newport, to hopefully avoid this guy.  He kept coming straight at us, which meant he had to be continually turning toward us as we were continually traveling South.  Greg radioed him twice and got no answer.  Finally, only a few hundred feet from us, he turned away and his bright lights showed his team working his aft deck preparing to deploy fishing nets.  He finally called on the radio and said he always found sailboats were trying to bump into him and he  was just checking to see if we were awake!  A shout out to Greg for not losing his temper - he was so ticked that there was nothing we could do.  Greg said it was like a semi-tractor trailer coming toward you in the middle of a narrow two-lane road and turning away at the last possible moment.  Playing chicken for fun - being the larger vehicle.  This all happened 60 miles from shore where even the coast guard can't be contacted by radio.  (As Billy Currington says, "People Are Crazy")

Then, later that same morning, Greg was at the helm again and saw an AIS signal showing a vessel directly in Dream Catcher's path and traveling toward us - at 268 knots!!  Just as it was getting close, it turned around, now traveling at 232 kts, until it approached the Delaware shore and disappeared from our chart plotter (GPS) screen!  Very weird!  We guessed it must have been some sort of military plane - but we will never know.  There were no other details on the AIS signals.  For those not familair with AIS it's a system that allows us to see icons on our chart plotter/GPS screen that represent commercial ships and pleasure craft.  Each icon can show the speed and direction of the vessel, as well as much more information so that ships can safely avoid each other.  So, we were able to watch this very fast moving vessel come toward us on our screen, but we never saw the actual thing.  When it turned, it did so extremely quickly.  It could only have been a jet of some sort.  And commercial jets don't do this.  AIS is based on VHF radio signals, which reach a limited distance. This signal disappeared approaching the Delaware shore probably because it left our range.  But, while it was within range it was crazy!  As far as we know planes do not carry our form of AIS.

At about 2pm on Thursday, we dropped the mainsail and motored the rest of the way to the breakwater and into the anchorage in Cape May, NJ.  We covered 238 miles in 33 hours - wow!  Once at anchor we were heartened to hear the Coast Guard cadets doing their regular drills at the training center just on shore.  A light meal and a great night's sleep came early.

Friday dawned clear and we headed out around 6:30am to make the trek up the Delaware Bay and into the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.  

A beauty of a sunrise coming out of Cape May, NJ

We have to time this part of the trip right so as to catch a favorable current in the canal.  A little tension was felt as we navigated the shoals around Cape May (without hitting them) and up into the bay.  About two hours into the trip, we discovered that, though the engine was chugging along at 2700 rpm (a sweet spot), it wasn't charging the batteries.  This is not good.  We need the batteries to keep the engine running!  The solar panels can keep up the electricity up fairly well, but maybe not when we have an engine, navigational instruments, radios and a refrigerator running all at once.  Greg was able to get an internet connection and started studying furiously to troubleshoot the issue.  Several checks later, he found a broken wire connecting the regulator to the alternator.  So - everything was shut down - engine, electronics, batteries.  Sharon had to hold the boat as steady as possible, assuring no drifting into objects or shoals, given little steerageway.  The wind was a blustery 2 kts!  It was very handy to have an iPad with the navigational app open to at least let us know if we were drifting into dangerous territory.  Fortunately, current was with us.   (Later at dinner with our friends Lori and Tom, Lori said when she checked SPOT, it looked like we were in the same place for about an hour - yes Lori - you are correct - we were!)  After about 30 minutes, the wire fixed, engine turned back on, alternator was charging away like it is supposed to.  GO GREG!!  

We continued up the bay and into the canal.  By 3pm, we pulled into the fuel dock at Schaefer's Canal House and came to rest at a spot where there was an electrical pedestal in front of the restaurant (we wanted to be certain if we couldn't fix the charge issue that we had electricity to charge the batteries through the night).  A welcome hug from Lori and Tom and we enjoyed a fun meal on the deck at Schaefer's.  Thanks for making the trip you two.  Always great to see you!

Saturday dawned with thick fog, enough to keep all of the boats on the dock until 8:30am.  Though we wanted to head off the dock by 6:30am to catch the last of the favorable current, we stuck close.  Finally it began to lift enough to feel confident, and using radar and fog horn we made our way through the last few miles of the canal, down through the Elk River and into the Chesapeake Bay.  By noon, the sun was out and the wind came up, allowing us to raise all three sails and enjoy a wonderful sail across the bay - one of the best sails we've had for awhile!  We found a new anchorage spot off Back River, just north of the Patapsco River that leads to Baltimore, and we joined the 25 other vessels enjoying the sunny afternoon at anchor.  By nightfall there were only four of us left.  All the others went home after their weekend on the water.  

Sunday morning, we left the anchorage with a brisk North wind of 18-22 knots, pulled out the large genoa and sailed downwind 20 miles to Annapolis.  We poked up into Spa Creek and found a town mooring to hook onto.  We got lucky and were able to watch the second half of the Patriots/Buffalo game at a sports bar in town.  As we launched the dingy, three little green frogs appeared.  They had hitched a ride from somewhere!  Two of them went in the water as we prepared to take off, but one other little guy stuck around for the ride both ways.  He was still hiding under the outboard this afternoon!

Tucked safely on the motor mount

Tomorrow, we head back to Galesville, MD, where we will leave Dream Catcher at a dock at Pirate's Cove Marina for a couple of weeks.  We plan to head over to Fenwick Island, DE where we will accomplish some house chores, have all the packages sent that we have been holding, waiting for an address to send them to, and enjoy the last of summer at the Delaware seashore.  We will be back in Annapolis for the annual Sailboat Show over Columbus Day weekend and then begin our trek south for the second year.  

'Til then - 

Narragansett Bay, Newport, RI and our daughter's visit

We had a fabulous weekend due to the visit of our daughter, Courtney, and her boyfriend, Paolo.

Courtney and Paolo 

We sailed, had great meals at our favorite restaurants, watched a polo match, and cycled around Newport's coastline and historic mansion district.

Cycling around the Newport coastline

After they left we fueled up for our transit to the Chesapeake Bay.  Pete Townshend's yacht, the guitarist for The Who, was docked in front of us at the fuel dock.  This is a 126 foot schooner with lots of varnish.  Beautiful!

Pete Townshend's yacht Gloria

Close up of PT's Gloria

So, we are preparing for another offshore passage.  Heading south again!  We've had a lot of enjoyable times this summer in Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Long Island, Boston Harbor (and the North End!!!), Portsmouth, NH, and our sailing soul home, Newport, RI.  We have cherished our visits with family and friends (including Greg's mom's 91st birthday).  And we have loved our family and friends visiting us.  Courtney and Paolo just left.  We all had a fabulous time together!

So, what does one do to prepare for an offshore passage?  And, by the way, what the heck is an offshore passage?  Well, an offshore passage is usually a sail of a full day or longer (24 hours+) in the open ocean - as compared to coastal sailing, which is often a few miles from a land mass and shorter durations.

Preparation? Really?

Here's the short list...

The obvious:

Top up water and fuel tanks.
Fill the reefer (aka refrigerator) and cupboards with fresh, frozen and preserved food.
Make sure belongings are secured.  You don't want cameras or laptops sailing through the air to the other side of the boat due to wind and wave action....or an anchor coming undone 50 miles from land.

The not-so-obvious:

Pay very close attention to weather.

Waves - look for a time when ocean waves are benign and/or flowing in the direction you are going (more or less).  Avoid leaving when waves are high and/or against you.  This would make for a very difficult and slow ride.  Imagine 48 hours in a washing machine moving ever so slowly toward a destination hundreds of miles away!  Really, it's sorta like that on a bad day!

Pay equal attention to wind conditions - look for wind that is in any direction other than opposite, or near opposite, your intended route.  Sailboats like to sail.  So, wind from behind or across the boat will give you a lift that you can use to deploy sails, turn off the motor and have a very enjoyable ride. This is what it's all about!

The trick is assuring that if offshore for several days in a row, the wind and waves are still predicted to be favorable.  Our 340 nautical mile sail from the Bahamas to Charleston, SC was true bliss.  We didn't go until the storm, Anna, was working her way north, leaving a "high" in her wake.  A barometric high usually means very nice, settled weather with mild winds.  We were lucky enough to have beautiful weather and enough wind to sail much of the way...and a sea state (height and mix of waves) that was very calm.  It was a perfect two-day offshore sail.

On the other hand, things can change. A weather disturbance can develop or dissipate.  So, we always look at many sources of weather information in order to understand the weather for several days in advance.  And, knock on wood, so far, we have been fortunate.

As of this writing there is the seed of a possible hurricane leaving NW Africa, which is where all north Atlantic hurricanes start.  This one is called 93L until it develops further.  If it reaches storm status, it will be called Tropical Storm Ida.  Later, if winds rise to hurricane force, it will be Hurricane Ida.  We hope it doesn't!  See http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/tropical-system-atlantic-depression-tropical-storm-ida/52379971

OK, so we filled the tanks, stocked the cupboards, checked the weather...ready?  Not quite.

Remove the outboard motor from the dinghy and secure it to the aft rail so the dinghy isn't too heavy in large wave action.

Secure anchors so they don't move constantly and break something.

Check engine oil, antifreeze, alternator belts.

Make sure instruments (wind speed and direction, water depth, boat speed, compass and course) and radio are working.

Fasten jack lines along side decks and cockpit floor.   These are to clip your harness onto when offshore so you can't be thrown overboard.

Charge and make sure cell and satellite phones work.

Check that all hatches and ports are closed tightly so no sea water gets into the boat (particularly on your bed).

Check all shelves and bureau tops so that nothing can fall over, drop to the floor, or fly to another location.

Make sure all cabinets, drawers and closets are latched shut.

Deploy water bottles, quick snacks, binoculars, sun lotion.

Chart course to destination (well in advance - then recheck), taking into account shorelines, shoals, shipping lanes, tides and currents (especially canal tides and currents, such as the Chesapeake and Delaware, or the Cape Cod Canal, where currents can reach five knots - you want them with you, not against you!)

Time your departure so as to maximize weather, canal transits and arrival times (avoid arriving in deep night, although not always possible).

Then go!

At this moment, if weather forecasts stay reasonably steady, we will haul anchor early Wednesday morning, head South out of Narragansett Bay, turn southwest past Block Island and continue along New York's Long Island for 260 miles to reach Cape May, NJ.  The plan will be to reach Cape May Thursday late afternoon.  This gives us an opportunity to sleep at anchor and continue on the next day.  Once rested we will head North up the Delaware Bay, through the C and D canal, into the Chesapeake Bay and reach Annapolis a few days after leaving Newport.

We'll let you know how it goes.

Portsmouth, NH to Boston, MA, to Narragansett Bay

If you are keeping track of us on SPOT, you will see we have made some tracks!  Wentworth Marina in Portsmouth, NH was delightful and we pulled out of the dock around 7am last Tuesday to head back south.  It was a gorgeous day.  Our chart plotter (a boat's GPS) lays a track as we travel, so we followed it back to Boston.  Along the way we spotted a few whales, dolphins, more Northern Gannets and a couple seals.

Yes, that is a whale - there were three, just tough to capture with the camera

We decided to head back into Charlestown Marina and get one last fix of the North End before we departed for southern life.  The next morning, it was off the dock by 6:30am and more southing.  No wildlife to speak of except a lot of lobster boats and the traps to which they were making their way to haul.  This day, the wind piped up the closer we got to the Cape Cod Canal so we were able to sail almost all the way.  As we headed into the Canal, the chop was pretty interesting - strong current colliding with a narrowing waterway.  It was a sleigh ride through the Canal, hitting it at the fastest current, and we pretty much raced through at 11 knots over ground.  The shoreline sped by.  Just at the west end of the Canal, you can turn off into the west and there is a sweet harbor at Onset, Massachusetts.  Since we were there during the week and school has started, it was a quiet harbor.  We picked up a free mooring ball and enjoyed a quiet night.

Next morning, it was off for just a short hop to a place we had heard about from work friends.  Quisset Harbor is a quiet throwback to gentler times.  A small working boatyard sports an old marine railway that allows them to haul smaller boats out of the water to work on them.  A walk up the hill gets you to a main road where you can flag down a trolley to take you into Wood's Hole.  Wood's Hole is famous for the Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institute.  We took the opportunity to check out the Exhibit Center.  If you are in the area, this is well worth a visit.  We got to see and enter a replica of "Alvin" a deep submergence vehicle, and learn about some of the discoveries and research they do with this.  It is all quite fascinating and we encourage you to check out the website linked here and if you are in the area, visit. Evidently the US Navy owns Alvin and WHOI manages it. We learned that it just went through a $41 million refit! 

After a quick stop at the market in downtown Woods Hole (after waiting for the drawbridge to go back down), we hopped back on the trolley and headed home.  Another quiet night on a mooring was delightful and this is a place we hope to return to again.

Quisset Harbor

Friday morning dawned cool and damp with a North wind.  We decided to head out around 8:30, let out the big genoa and headed West.  When you head down Buzzards Bay towards Newport, it is always a surprise to look at the compass.  You feel certain you are heading South, but in fact, you are heading almost directly West.  Our course didn't divert much, except to assure we missed some rocky, shallow areas on the Western shore of Buzzard's Bay and we made our way nicely at about 6 knots toward Newport under our 130 genoa.  There was only one moment of panic when Sharon was at the helm, drawing a direct line to Seal Ledge buoy, and large white floats and flags loomed directly in front.  There are several areas along the coast that are set aside as "fish trap areas".  At the very last minute, she turned hard to port (that is left for you non-sailors), started the engine to gain ground and was thankful to only have the jib out, allowing her to skirt the area with no damage.  Whew!  (Greg had a rude awakening from his nap, spouting something like OMG!)

One of the beefiest tugboats we have seen

With the north wind, we decided to try a coveted anchorage that is not typically tenable with prevailing southwest winds in the summertime, and pulled into Mackerel Cove, on the island of Jamestown, Rhode Island.  This is a sweet spot with plenty of water and beautiful homes lining the Maine-like rocky shore.  A bit of roll through the early night finally gave way to quiet waters and we had a good sleep.  Up anchor the next morning, we took advantage of the east wind and sailed around Beaver Tail Point and up into Dutch Harbor, still part of Jamestown Island.  It was a lazy day, involving hanging out and enjoying the sunshine.  

As Greg's mom turned 91 on Labor Day, we decided to get to a place where we could rent a car and go spend the day with her.  That led us to Greenwich Bay - in the northwest corner of Narragansett Bay (but not quite to Providence).  There are several marinas and lots of boat traffic in this area (especially Labor Day weekend), but we found a quiet spot to anchor and, though a bit rolly with boat traffic, allowed a lovely night at anchor.  Distractions were the planes taking off from Providence's T F Green Airport, the Amtrak commuter train that runs right along the water, and the slight rush of traffic heard from I95 (we are not in the tropics anymore).

Monday, we used "Uber" to get us to the airport to get the rental car, and then headed to Massachusetts.  After a stop at the Lowe's, the grocery, and liquor store we descended on Greg's mom and enjoyed her backyard pool, a barbecue by the water and lots of family.  We forget how hot it can get on land.  There is usually a light breeze on the water and with cooler water, the air temps tend to be 10 degrees cooler as a result.  We were happy to have a refreshing pool to ease the heat.

We kept the rental car overnight and took the opportunity to shop at our favorite market in this area - Dave's.  There are six Dave's Markets, only in Rhode Island and only on the western side of Narragansett Bay. They are much like a Whole Foods or Fresh Market, but with their own local character (and not as expensive). We have missed shopping here!  When we were docked in Wickford, years ago, this was our favorite market.  Anyway - we drooled our way through our shopping, took the car back and dingied back to Dream Catcher to stow our finds.  After a quick run into a neighboring marina for water, we headed around the bend to Potter Cove on Prudence Island, another fav spot when we were weekending in the Narragansett Bay.  Often a very busy place on summer weekends, it was quiet enough for us during a September week.

Each dingy ride to and from shore, and even at anchor, we have seen  huge schools of fish very near the surface churning up the water and jumping out for what must be flies.  There are hundreds of them - most about 10-12" long.  After trying to see them clearly enough to identify we still are not sure what they are, but they are plentiful!

Prudence Island is one of two larger islands that sit in the middle of the Narragansett Bay.  This one is served only by ferry or private boat.  We have never stepped foot on land and decided to do so yesterday.  A very sleepy spot, it put us in mind of many Caribbean islands we have visited over the years; dirt roads, overgrown foliage, grassy paths, old vehicles, weather worn homes.  Except here we found an oyster farm run by Roger Williams University and a research weather station.  We didn't walk the entire road into "town", but did see modest homes lining the shore and wondered how life was for those who live here year-round.  We also spotted a Common Loon sitting on the beach.  It seemed that it may have been injured as it tried to walk into the water.  It was unusual to see a loon in these waters.

The camera has spent a lot of time in the bag these last few days.  We will try to do better next time.  Tonight is the Patriots season opener at home.  We wish we could be there, but will find a sports bar to check out the action.  This will help us stay awake for when our kids arrive around 11:30pm.  Courtney and boyfriend, Paolo will be spending the weekend with us.  We are looking forward to it.

'Til next time -