Isle of Shoals- Gosport Harbor

This group of Islands is mostly in New Hampshire but parts are in Maine . Did you know New Hampshire has only 18 miles of coastline so having some Islands to call their own is a plus for their citizens . Star Island is the largest of the Islands and has a religious conference center that is open in the summer months for retreats and groups. People used to live here and there were hotels etc here in the 1800’s. They run a launch service for the day trippers to get to the Island from their boats and they have a place people can go to eat.There are mooring balls open to all , some are privately owned and some belong to Portsmouth Yacht Club. The rule is if they are open you can use them but if the owner or a member of the Yacht club show up you have to vacate.

We had an 8 hour journey- leaving just after 8 am so got in at a reasonable time. The big excitement was Marc saw a whale en route- I just saw it in the distance breaching and could see the spout from the blow hole. Shortly after that I saw a good size dolphin which somewhat made up for me missing the whale! I’m reading Moby Dick maybe the Gods wanted us to have this whale sighting. Otherwise it was an uneventful day. We had the jib out but motored the entire way.

What we liked about Gosport harbor was 1. We got a mooring- also no charge for it which is nice 2. The light was beautiful both in the evening when we arrived and the next morning. 3. it was very peaceful. A lot of locals seemed to use it as a quick place to go for an overnight. Great swimming etc.

What we did not like was their policy on dogs. Understand it but don’t like it. We had to go to Malaga Island and walk across rocks to bring Buckley to do his thing. Luckily the conditions were good-and we were able to navigate the rocks and beaching the dinghy. Buckley was not enamored. We spent a long time trying to persuade him to go morning and evening. What a palavar! We did buy one of those fake grass kits for just these sort of situations, which he has not figured out yet despite our best efforts. What we have realized is we are much more anxious in these situations than he is LOL.

We didnt get to go on Star Island as dogs not welcome. We were happy to stay on the boat and admire the scenery plus enjoy our Mojitos. I made them with the mint I bought in P- town from an honor system cooler parked outside someones house.

So while we may have been in Maine we cant swear to it so our next post will focus on Maine.

Perplexed Puppy saying “ you want me to go here on the rocks…??

Malaga Island

Isle of Shoals on the left

Buckley- none the worst for wear after his bathroom expedition

Star Island

Malaga Island ( to the left)

Provincetown

Just left this lovely Cape Cod town this morning en route for Isle of Shoals in Maine. We chose to anchor as moorings here are equivalent to dockage for us in cost. We felt as long as the seas were calm enough we would be fine. While the seas were calm , ferries coming and going caused some rolling. We stayed 2 nights. The holding for the anchor was good which reduces anxiety. Last night was not great for sleeping due to a 180 degree wind shift and more wind than was forecast causing lots of mostly gentle pitching which put our brains to go into overdrive 🥴 We didn’t have much protection from the cape with the wind coming from this new direction.

We had 2 beautiful weather days so enjoyed being out and about and walking this lovely town. There is a great buzz around with lots of people watching. Lot’s of choices for live entertainment here too. The tea dance on from 2-5 pm daily sounded like a blast and at only $5 is a deal. All are welcome. We had Buckley so couldn’t go but we really wanted to. Studio 54 eat your heart out.

We found lots of pet friendly restaurants and had dinner in 2 of them.We’d happily return to both. One is Tin Pan Alley. We sat outside with a water view. Drinks, meal and service were excellent. They had live piano music and a singer. The 2nd we tried was Pilgrim House, just set back off Commercial street. Also pet friendly with a nice courtyard, food was great, drinks and service excellent. We had no issue getting tables at either though we did go before 7pm both days.

I went into the town hall ( bathrooms there) and got a recommendation of things to do, that we could bring Buckley , from a volunteer. One was to walk the breakwater out to the lighthouse. Its a mile each way . Manageable for most, even Buckley did half way. Its good to have sneakers on to walk from rock to rock. I thoroughly enjoyed it. You get to see a bit of the dunes and tide pools aplenty. On our way to the breakwater we walked on a street parallel to Commercial street looking at beautiful houses.

There is so much to do in this town. Whale watching cruises, fishing, shows, shopping, dancing, kayaking, biking, walking and beach activities . We’ll be back.

We have been in several other places prior to coming to Provincetown , will catch up on those entries in the next few days.

Finally in Long Island Sound.

We have been remiss in posting…. where have the last 9 days gone?

The short story is we are in Setauket beside Port Jefferson having stopped at Liberty State park, Port Washington,Northport, Glencove ( yes in this order).

We arrived in Liberty State park in very foggy conditions. The entire journey was foggy although we had some visibility and spoke directly to a ship or 2 to make sure they knew we were there and what our route was. We stopped at Liberty Landing Marina to get some fuel and water then headed over to the Anchorage at the south end of the park. Anchoring took a little time longer than usual with multiple anchor resets. The craziest most violent storm came up as we finally got a good set. We had been watching the weather and thought we were a bit ahead of it. Marc felt the wind coming up and gunned the engine as we recorded a 60 mph gust!! Thats a sound I hope I don’t hear again anytime soon. Boy that was scary. Glad to have Captain Marc at the helm I can tell you.

The next morning we left for Port Washington having our eye on those free town moorings. Nice hop up the east river and no drama at Hells gate. Must say I always love that run , going under the 3 bridges Brooklyn , Manhattan and Williamsburg and admiring the buildings on the upper east side.

There were lots of free moorings available when we arrived early on Friday. They are yellow and black . We learned there is a 2 day free limit. The town launch manages them if you need to stay extra nights.

We enjoyed lots of things in Port Washington, the farmers market on Saturdays from 8-12, ice cream at the shop beside Louies and the proximity of Stop n Shop at one of the Dinghy Docks. The highlight of our trip was having dinner with our old friends Artie and Greg at Nikkei’s of Peru. This restaurant was across the road from the same Dinghy dock. It has no time limits which we appreciated unlike the town dock Dinghy dock which has 15 min time limits. I felt the need to write to the town Mayor about that situation. There is a west marine, laundry and liquor store all within walking distance from this same dock. Great for boaters.

I walked all over Port Washington, locating the post office, railway station and library. I hung out there for half an hour on the lovely deck with water views. I think sometimes we forget what great facilities our library’s have for all people.

There is a great little thrift store across from the town park. All sorts of finds in there. This time I got a loaf pan for those rainy days when maybe baked goods are hard to find.

Next stop was Northport. 4 and a half hours, mostly motoring. This has to be one of my favorite places to stop. There are lots of moorings ( try Seymour’s) we anchored this time and felt very secure. The town dinghy dock is very hospitable. Lots of space and no time limit. This is also one of the most dog friendly places we have ever been. People are in this park from early morning til late at night, its such a nice friendly atmosphere.

I did a lot of walking, poor Buckley had the legs walked off him. I’m sort of i training to do a leg of the Camino in Spain so I walk everywhere I can.

Our friends Matty and Evie have a boat in Northport, luckily they were aboard and we accepted their generous invitation to dinner. Did I mention Evie is a fabulous cook ? she did not disappoint with a wonderful seafood salad and guacamole/pepper salad. So refreshing and tasty. They are such nice people. We always enjoy our time with them.

We also enjoyed an epicurean happy hour at Rockin Fish . $1 oysters that did not disappoint . The beer and cider were good too.

Our next stop saw us going in the wrong direction to Glen Cove. We stopped here to get a leak investigated that we though was associated with our repair work done last summer/ fall. After several trips on the boat with marina staff and management, turns out the leak is not consistent and posing no safety issues.

While we were there we were able to make use of laundry facilities, pump out and enjoyed their swimming pool too. The artsy town of Sea cliff is close by and as the name suggests up a cliff to get to ! Suffice to say I got 14 flights of stairs credit in my fitness app for walking there and back.

One great find was North Shore farms.Its like a mini Whole foods. I made 2 visits there. They had a fabulous fruit and veg section, prepared foods ( stole some of their recipes) bakery, fish, meats and even beer. It was only .7 miles from the marina ( Safe Harbor at Glen Cove) . http://northshorefarms.com/

So after 3 days there on a dock it was time to move on.I did enjoy being able to get on and off the boat at will but also enjoy the peacefulness of an anchorage.

Setauket ( our current location) is a beautiful spot. The town dock is easily accessible ( ample space and no time limits) and there is a deli 15 mins walk away. The harbor is surrounded by nice homes. Someone just landed in a helicopter on the lawn of one of the larger ones ! We have a nice little beach beside wherewe are anchored , unfortunately it does not meet the bathroom needs of our dog. We made a special dinghy run for him last night and nothing …..

There is a little public beach beside the dinghy dock with paddle boards and kayaks for rent.

Marc is getting some projects done today.Have to batten down the hatches for a storm coming shortly.

Then off to Shelter Island first thing in the morning.

We’re heading North…

Last night we arrived in Atlantic Highlands at 2115 (9:15pm) after departing Utschs Marina in Cape May NJ at 0615 covering the 115 miles in 15hrs essentially to the minute.

There was a pretty heavy 3-5′ swell running on our beam (side) from the heavy winds of the previous days so we were rolling quite a bit but otherwise the sea was good to us. There was not too much wind (as we expected) but we did have just enough in the right direction to help us rather than hurt us but not enough to “just sail”. That said we had some coastal current against us and although we were making 8.5 through the water and were surfing occasionally at 9.5+ knots… our average speed over the ground ended up 7.5 kts for the day. (Not too shabby)

We avoided a bunch of t-storm cells (by shear luck) they either passed ahead or behind us and we only had some light rain the last 2-3 hours of the trip. (We expected much worse)

Unfortunately the engine had to drone all day but truly performed flawlessly.

Sun set at 2035 (8:35 pm) but there was still some residual light as Caroline picked up our mooring ball pennant and immediately boarded the Yacht Club Launch to get Buckley ashore to do his business. Considering his last walk had been at 0545 he was fairly eager… probably just as much to be on terra firma as to find a tree. 🌳

A great nights sleep was had by all and awoke to rain showers… to be honest it’s kind of nice to be back in a familiar place for a bit.

We are staying here for a couple nights then back to NY Harbor before heading East into Long Island Sound and then points north.

Stay tuned campers !

Chesapeake City , Maryland

June 10th 2019, we set off for Chesapeake City before 9 am . We knew in advance we would not be sailing due to wind direction. Bummer again. We had a nice motor cruise just a little over 6 hours in length.

The last time we were in this area about 4 years again we got into a shallow spot so could not go into Back Creek to Anchor, this time we knew it had been dredged and were hoping there would be room at the Inn so to speak. We came in gingerly enough and sure enough plenty of depth 13 ft plus ( we need 6ft) and only 1 other boat in the anchorage. Perfect !! There was bad weather forecast that night and within a very short period there were 6 other boats anchored. Everyone having the same idea , to get ahead of the storms. we thought that was pretty packed. Little did we know.

We also found out there is a free wall boats can tie up for 24 hours right by the downtown. Not a lot of privacy but free is free and its first come first serve.

We had an eventful night ( Marc more than me). It seems there was quite a current coming from an outflow where we and several other boats had anchored that was whipping us all in several different directions. Typically in an anchorage sailboats swing on their anchors similarly and motor boats swing on theirs likewise. We were all doing quite the choreography and Marc was very concerned re one boat that was getting very close to us. I do remember hearing a whistle at one point! One of the methods he was using to wake up the occupants. Hitting the side of their boat with the boat pole did the trick 😅. Anyway, they let out more chain and all ended well.🙏

Chesapeake city itself is a charming little spot and very friendly to boaters. There were 2 areas to bring the dinghy ashore, one in town and one by the Army Corp of Engineers HQ. Having a dog that was rally convenient. In town there were several trash cans as of course we always need to get rid of trash. The town itself has several cute little gift shops, an ice cream shop and a coffee shop that sells bread, milk and eggs. There is a C &D canal museum on the grounds that is open daily and free. Takes 20 minutes to have a whip around.

We had an early dinner at Chesapeake Inn one day and another day had a really pleasant happy hour at the Black Hole. Its the outdoor bar area of the Bayard house restaurant right on the canal. We were there for taco Tuesday and with a drink each had change of $25. The outdoor seating meant we could bring Buckley but more importantly had a front row seat for all the marine traffic passing by. There are some huge craft that go up and down the Chesapeake and Delaware canal ( apparently 3 rd busiest in the world) . The maritime industry did not disappoint.

On our last day we had a very fortuitous meeting with a lady called Roni.I asked her about a walking trail she was coming off and mentioned what we had seen and things we were planning to do in the area. She offered to drive us to the Bu De vineyard ” Yappy hour” 🐶which was en route to where she and her husband were heading that evening. Roni

and her husband Roger are widely traveled including a trip to Ireland so we had lots to talk about. They like to pay it forward as people were so kind to them when they were traveling. She even brought us a large stuffed mushroom each ( which were delicious) so we would have something to eat with our wine. They drove us all around showing us scenic ateas for bike rides and pointed out key places about a mile away, diner, dollar store, Italian restaurant and their national award winning library. Its always a highlight to meet kind people. We will keep in touch with Roni and Roger. Rogers motto is keep flexible. I will keep this in mind while we travel.

Ireland

The Bu De Winery was a fabulous find. https://www.chateaubude.com/. We had a bottle of Chardonnay for half price and it was no wonderful ( could compete with California Chards toany day) we bought another , should have got more – Note to self🤔

Remember in the beginning there were 6 boats in Back Creek anchorage, well on our last night by the time all was said and done there were 11 !! It was quite the stormy night with very heavy rain. Marc did do the rounds on the dinghy to make sure those near the outflow were aware of the potential for strong current which was appreciated by them. Somehow we all made it , no drama whatsoever.

Rockhall , Maryland

Today finds us on a mooring at Swan Creek Marina in Rock Hall, MD. We initially found out about this place from an introduction to an Irish friend Evan we met via our friend Pierrick. The surroundings are idyllic, very quiet marsh type surroundings with lots of birds and bugs too! We have nesting Osprey pairs, swallows and cormorants to name some birds I recognize.

Our trip here was uneventful. We motored most of the way due to wind direction.We did put out the jib for a while but a wind shift made that untenable. It took us about 6 hours from Oxford thanks to an opposing current .We had a small rain shower before the Chesapeake bay bridge.Really looking forward to doing some sailing.

Swan Creek Marina is small and offers showers, wifi, pump out and free bicycles .We have our own bikes but so nice not to have to load them into the dinghy. Lee the marina manger is very friendly and informative . We met some fellow boaters yesterday evening that gave us the low down. Shuttle provided by the town , local beach, ice cream store and grocery store that delivers . Whats not to like ? We found out today its Friday only deliveries but good to know.

So today we were up bright and earlyish! There were so many bugs last night we just went to sleep when it got dark. No point in fighting mother nature.

We borrowed the marina bikes and headed into town. En route we came across a park on the water that looked like it was a farmers market, tents set up etc, as we got closer we could see it wasn’t but saw fresh lemonade for sale. Got a large one of those. Turns out it was a fishing competition set up.

We continued on down the road and came across a marine consignment shop Rock Hall Marine Consignment ( veritable screech on the brakes for that 😅) . Found some stuff in there that Marc bought. Great place . We may even come back with some items to leave there.

We continued into town, supermarket has everything necessary. Saw a nice ice cream shop that seems to be a locals favorite. We were on our way home when we passed a restaurant. Something on the menu caught Marcs eye so decided to have a late lunch. The Pearl on Main turned out to be a wonderful stop. We sat outside ( luckily they have outdoor seating) we ordered the scallops and pork belly that was devine plus a spinach and apple salad that we split. Thumbs up on this establishment.

Marc has looked at the weather for the next week as we are heading back towards NJ. We are forecast for rain, thunderstorms and strong winds, not what we want or need heading down the Delaware and up the NJ coast. So we are staying here 2 more nights and then plan to anchor in Chesapeake city ( we can stay there 72 hrs apparently) .Then the plan is one night in Summit North Marina , Bear, De before heading down the Delaware to Cape May , then up the NJ coast to Atlantic Highlands. We’ll stay there a few days as we hope to meet up with friends.

Monument to local Watermen

Our huge lemonade we bought

Swan Creek Marina

Finally on the move…

Yesterday we started cruising, leaving the safe haven of Cambridge Municipal Yacht Basin. Our months contract was up and we really needed to get going. The weather was not looking promising for the day and despite grand plans of going to Deal on the western shore that would put us close to Annapolis, we settled for anchoring near Oxford Md up the Tred Avon. We put out the main and jib, wind was 17 to 25 knots and gusty. Eventually took the jib in to make it more comfortable. We arrived about 1 pm (a 2 hour journey) and found a spot to anchor in Flatty Cove. We could see a tiny beach that seemed perfect to bring Buckley ashore. It was a quiet spot with no through traffic. One other boat anchored in the next cove over. Marc was delighted with his new anchor monitor which showed great holding and no drift. This made for a comfortable night for everyone. It rained on and off but no crazy wind. We dinghied ashore with Buckley before the rain came and gave him a run in a nice field and on the tiny beach. I got stung by a bee for my troubles. Thankfully the old vinegar trick took the sting out. I was a child the last time I was stung .

Our only issue with our anchorage was some pesky little black flies that stung. Marc bombed the boat and got rid of most of them.

The day before we left we biked 10 miles round trip to Emily’s produce on Route 16 outside Cambridge where we stocked up on veg, meats they procure and freeze and other items.https://www.emilysproduce.com/ Our findings featured in meals yesterday starting with the fresh mint we used for mojotos. They were good if I do say so. I found a nice recipe on allrecipes website. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/147363/the-real-mojito/

Dinner was crab cakes made from fresh lump crab I got directly from J.M Clayton crab supplier in Cambridge and white corn from Emily’s farmers market. All delicious. Captain Marc does it again. We were eating pretty late but no biggie.

The days prior to our departure from Cambridge, Several projects got checked off the list as we knew d day was looming. The dinghy had a slow leak and as our major form of transport needed attention. Marc ordered Toob seal from Bixlers.It involves deflating the dinghy, introducing the sealant ( liquid) into each chamber- ours has 3.Re-inflating the dinghy ( thats a workout in itself) and then rotating the dinghy every 30 minutes x 6 times. No easy feat to rotate a 9.5 foot dinghy to ensure all interior surfaces get coated. Basically it took all day. Thankfully it worked. We highly recommend the product plus the people at Bixlers were great to deal with. https://bixlersmarine.com/toobseal/

Marc also made fender boards which will be needed with all the piling docking used in the Chesapeake.He did a very nice job.

Sometimes I wonder how we worked and did all this stuff.

Richardson Maritime Museum

Anytime I find myself visiting a place for longer than a week, I find I put off until tomorrow seeing things I could do today! The Richardson Maritime museum in downtown Cambridge fit nicely into this category. Today I finally visited this fine museum that is a tribute to a local boatbuilder, Jim Richardson.

I spent a happy hour learning about ” Mr Jim ” as he was known to his aprrentices and about his contributions to the locality. He finally built his own sail boat at the age of 76 ( a 48 footer ) that he could single hand.
No mean feat for a man of his age. He had spent his life ’til then building boats including some for the navy during World War 2 and was considered a master boatbuilder. He did not make a lot of money at bis profession despite the accolades luckily his wife was a nurse which helped the household. He wanted his own boat to see the Chesapeake waterways that he had largely missed during his long years of working.

He said ” Every boat begins with a dream” and ” A good boat will get you from here to there…it will get you off the highways and on to the water and under the sky. It will let you live your dream”

Thats what we are hoping for ” No Doubt”

Today is a lazy day. I decided to take a day off from the Y. I joined and take a class daily. Marc is recovering the 2nd ships wheel. Its a tedious task. The leather is pre cut. He wears his sail gloves for better grip on the needle. He started yesterday and will definitely complete today. My job was to fill the water tanks. Mission accomplished.

Tomorrow we looking forward to the Cambridge watermen docking challenge in the marina. We will miss Cambridge when we leave this week. We have felt very comfortble and safe here.The locals are very friendly.

Ahhhhh…

Found out last night that no pump-outs were available in our temporary marina or even nearby (multiple locations had breakdowns….) so had to make a 3hr… 16mi round trip to Oxford Md.

Got the holding tank emptied ant topped up w/fuel also. All was well and a very nice motor out the Choptank River but… 3 BIG storm cells were moving our way at 25kts.

Turned out 90% of it missed us completely and we just docked in a bit of wind/rain… it was nearly clear by the time we were secure.

Nice shakedown of our new electronics and great to be out on the water again even if only as a powerboat. 😉

So… on to the Ahhhhh…

What a month it’s been !

Just one month ago today (April 4th 2019) we removed our winter canvas cover. On April 13th we left our slip of 4 seasons (5 winters) as we arrived with this boat in September 2014. Spent our last night in a transient slip there and departed on Sunday April 14th in chilly and less than favorable conditions. (slip-less)

That day was the worst of it but after 4 additional days of high winds and less than calm seas we arrived here on 18/Thursday at precisely 1200.

We are currently in Cambridge Md on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake and are at the tail end of our electronics/instrument upgrade which I have been directly assisting with. We still have a few more days to finish some electrical ie: shore power changes. But… tomorrow we will move the boat from the installers private docks to the municipal marina <1 mile away.

Then drop off our little boy Buckley to a local home where he will stay during our drive to Florida for our niece Zoë's high honors graduation 👩‍🎓 from U of Tampa.

We will return to the boat on the 15th or 16th and in a few days drive north to NJ for a few days to settle a few scores… (just kidding 😂)

Hopefully my honey Caroline will be contributing here again soon for her spin on the last few weeks.

Oh yeah… we also drove to Portsmouth Va last wknd where I aced the testing for my final 3 endorsements of my USCG license renewal. 😃

Please stay tuned… more to come.

Marc