Timm’s Picnic & Home!

Saturday, August 13:  Coleman invited us to have breakfast with him at the club this morning.  He prepared bacon and eggs for me and bacon and pancakes for Ted and himself, plus baked toMAHtoes.  We ate outside on the club’s big porch and enjoyed the pleasant morning, lingering over our coffee. 

There was a smoky haze in the air from a big brush fire in the Dismal Swamp to our south that had been burning for several days.  The air was clear, here, last night, but the wind changed direction this morning, bringing in fairly thick smoke and it’s distinctive smell.  The visibility was less than a mile.  It was going to be a warm day, with high in the upper 80s, moderate humidity, and a good chance of showers and thunderstorms.

After spending some time cleaning the boat inside and out, we dropped lines from the club docks around 11:30 and motored over to pick up Stephanie.  She rowed out in Ted’s dead battery dinghy to meet us, so we would not have to tie up at her dock.  We were on our way over to the club picnic at the Timm’s house on the Eastern Branch of the Corrotoman river (Lance decided to drive his car over). 

There was just enough wind to sail, so Ted put Stephanie at the helm of Bottlenose and the rest of us did the trimming, as we cruised up the Rappahannock and into the Corrotoman river.

We next stopped at Ted’s private dock to pick up Sheila and Ted’s wife, Ene-Mai.  However before we left for the picnic, we had some drinks and a tour of Ted & Ene-Mai’s beautiful home.

At the picnic, there were around 50 people and lots of food, drink, and games.  We played a round of Bocce Ball, before the eating, drinking, and socializing got into full force.

We were talking with our friends about the cruise we just completed and what cruises the club might sponsor in the future.  One idea was a circumnavigation of the Delmarva Peninsula, where we would sail from our club, down the Chesapeake Bay to Hampton, VA, out into the ocean along the Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware shores, up Delaware Bay, through the C&D canal, and down the Chesapeake Bay back to the club.  This is a popular “bucket list” cruise for many coastal cruisers.

Ted pointed out that the Delmarva circumnavigation is exactly what we just did (plus an extended side trip to Block Island, Long Island Sound, and the New York City area)!  OK – I can cross this off my list!

Toward the end of the picnic, we had a light rain shower, with distant thunder.  When this cleared, we dinghyed back to Bottlenose and motored back to Ted’s dock.  Ted drove Sheila and me in his car, the short distance to our house.

In all, our cruise lasted exactly three weeks and covered about 1000 nautical miles, half of which was blue water ocean sailing.  We sailed as much as we reasonably could, usually only motoring when our boat speed dropped below 3 kt.  We also used the spinnaker a lot.  Ted said it was the most he had ever used it in the 10 years he has owned Bottlenose.

All in all, a fantastic blue water adventure!

Rappahannock River Yacht Club

Friday, August 12:  We were not sure where we were going, today.  We wanted to go as far as we could, so we can make it to the RRYC picnic at the Timm’s house tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm.  The winds, however, were forecast to be N 5 to 10 kt.  Even with 10 kt, the wind was nearly behind us, so the best we were going to do was 5 kt of boat speed with 5 kt apparent wind over the boat.  Not great, but OK.

We weighed anchor from Solomon’s Island at 7 am and set out into the Chesapeake Bay.  It was a nice day.  Warm, mid-80s, a mix of sun and clouds.  We were able to raise our sails coming out of Solomon’s Island this morning and, a short time later, fly the spinnaker a good way down the Bay.

We first thought we might just make it to Reedville or maybe Dymer Creek.  But, even though we were not going very fast, we were making steady progress and by afternoon realized that we could make it to our sailing club in Carter’s Creek.

But, half-way to Windmill Point, the wind died and we had to motor.  After we turned the corner, cutting way inside the Windmill Point Light, we were able to motor sail the rest of the way.  We got to our club right at happy hour.  Sheila met us at the docks and we broke out a bottle of bubbly to celebrate the end of our trip.

Stephanie & Lance called to invite us over to their house for a steak dinner, so the four of us jumped into the dinghy and headed up Carter’s Creek past the four-star Tides Inn resort to where we thought Stephanie lived.

Wrong!  We went up the wrong prong!  We had to backtrack to the other side of the Tides Inn, because that is where Stephanie & Lance actually live.  The only problem with this was that we were in Ted’s dinghy with the “all green” electric outboard – and we had just about used up all the juice in the battery.  We just made it to Stephanie’s dock before the battery died.

They have a beautiful home and garden, and a nice wine cellar.  We had appetizers and drinks, and then dinner out on the screened veranda.  It was a wonderful meal – Lance grilled the steaks to perfection and served an excellent red wine to complement them.

After dinner, Lance volunteered to drive us back to the club, so we wouldn’t have row the dinghy.  We will bring Bottlenose over in the morning to collect the dead dinghy and pick up Stephanie & Lance to go to the Timm’s picnic.

Solomon’s Island

Thursday, August 11:  This morning in Annapolis, we picked up Stephanie & Lance in the dinghy at 7:15 am and went ashore to Chick & Ruth’s Deli for breakfast.  Coleman had recommended it to us and we had a fine meal.  We were done by 8 am, but had we stayed, we could have participated in their regular morning ritual of standing and reciting the pledge of allegiance at 8:30 am.

We dropped the mooring pennant at 8:55 am and headed out into the Bay toward Solomon’s Island.  It was a beautiful day with blue skies and small puffy clouds , mild temperatures, lower humidity, and the wind was NE at 10 kt.

We hoisted the spinnaker and had a nice gentle port reach down the Bay at 5 and 6 kt.  What a contrast from yesterday!  Nevertheless, a delightful day.

We arrived at Solomon’s Island on time at exactly happy hour.  We anchored near the Solomon’s Island Yacht Club, picked up Stephanie & Lance in the dinghy, and went to the club for drinks.  They specialize in $2 Manhattans and Gin & Tonics.  We enjoyed the drinks and socializing with the SIYC members at the bar, then walked across the street to Stony’s Solomons Pier for Maryland Steamed Crabs, with Old Bay seasoning.

It was 10 pm, by the time we got back to the boat.  The evening was calm and pleasant, except for the wild party going on in a restaurant near where we were anchored.  No problem – I have ear plugs.

Annapolis

Wednesday, August 10:  We woke at 6 am to a sunny, pleasant, calm morning in Chesapeake City.  The weatherman is calling for winds W at 10 to 15 kt, with gusts to 20.  If this pans out, we will have a fine sail on a starboard reach down the Bay to Annapolis.

We dropped lines at 7 am and turned back into the C&D canal.  We had three miles to go to the end of the canal and the current was running slightly against us.  So, our boat speed over the bottom was about 5.5 kt.  Soon, we were out of the canal and into the Elk river.  We passed an Army ship, headed the other way, but there wasn’t much other commercial traffic.

Then, the wind started to pipe up as forecast and we raise our sails on a starboard beat.  Now, the current is in our favor.  We had to tack back and forth until we got more out into the main part of the Bay, then we were able to stay close hauled on starboard tack and head directly for the Bay Bridge in Annapolis.

By now, the wind had piped up to a steady 25 kt apparent and heavy spray was frequently crashing over the foredeck and drenching us in the cockpit.  Occasionally, we even got some green water on the foredeck and the wind blew it right onto us, as though we weren’t already wet enough!   But, hey, we were going 9.5 kt over the bottom and the sailing was exhilarating!  It was one of the best sailing days I have ever experienced.

We continued this for over an hour, then we were able to bear off slightly onto a close reach.  The boat responded by going even faster – 9.7 kt, 9.8 kt!  There was one gust to 30 kt that got our speed up to 10.2 kt!!!

Bottlenose loved this kind of wind.  We never had to reef.  We did let the mainsail traveler down a little to counteract weather helm, when the wind was above 25 kt, but that was it.  The boat just took it in stride.

We arrived in Annapolis mid-day and took mooring ball number 1 in Spa Creek, right next to “Ego Alley.”  MerSea arrived about a half-hour later and took the mooring right next to ours.

After lunch aboard and an afternoon of relaxation, we dinghyed ashore to Pusser’s for Painkillers and Bushwackers on their dockside tables overlooking the harbor and the Naval Academy.  By now, it was approaching dinnertime, so we dinghyed across Spa Creek to East Port and had dinner at the Boatyard Bar & Grill.

Back at the boat, the evening was cool and quiet.  We slept well.

On to Chesapeake City

Tuesday, August 9:  Ted took over at midnight and helmed the rest of the way to Cape May.  I came on at 3 am and rounded Cape May up into Delaware Bay, where we went off to the left side of the main shipping channel and paralleled it all the way up the Bay.

When Sheila came back on watch at 6 am, the sun was just peeking up above the horizon.  Two big cargo ships loomed from opposite directions and passed each other and us at the same time.  It was no problem, since we were well out of their way.

Ted was at the helm when we left Delaware Bay and entered the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and he brought us the rest of the way in to our destination – Chesapeake City, MD.  They have free docks that boaters can tie up to for up to 24 hours.

From the time we left New York, until we tied up at Chesapeake City, we have had strong following current.  Our over the ground boat speed rarely has dropped below 7.5 kt and often was as high as 8.5.  As a result, we have made excellent time the entire way and arrived at Chesapeake City before lunchtime, when we thought it would be mid- to late afternoon.

We had lunch together at the Hole in the Wall restaurant, just a short walk from the boats.  During lunch, a huge thunderstorm blew in, with torrential rain for about a half-hour.  At one point, the wind was blowing 30 to 40 kt from west to east, straight down the canal, and it was raining so hard that you could not see the other side of the canal.  We watched as a small power boat that got caught in the storm, struggled to deal with it.  At first, it was motoring slowly into the fierce wind and rain, then it turned around and ran with it until it disappeared into the storm.

When the storm passed, the air was cooler and drier and the sun came back out.

After lunch, Coleman arrived in his truck.  He came to get back on the boat and allow Sheila to return home.  We helped Coleman move his bags from the truck to the boat.  He had also bought some provisions that we were running low on.  We loaded Sheila’s bags into the truck and walked across the street to the ice cream shop for gelatos to celebrate her successful ocean overnight and Coleman’s return.   

We said our goodbyes and Sheila was off for home.

For happy hour, everyone came to Bottlenose, with plans to do dinner ashore.  However, we decided that we didn’t need another big meal, so Coleman volunteered to whip up one of his masterpieces in the galley and fed all six of us.  Great food and a nice view from Bottlenose’s cockpit of all the commercial traffic passing by on the canal.  Two huge roll on/roll off car transporters glided by.  They were so big that they seemed totally out of proportion to the size of the canal and everything else around them – like the transporters the Sand People used in one of the Star Wars movies.

Sheila’s First Overnight At Sea

Monday, August 8:  We left Liberty Landing marina at 7 am, in order to catch a favorable current as we left the New York harbor area.  It was a pleasant morning.  A little hazy and humid, but cool enough, with high thin clouds and some sun.  It is supposed to reach 89 degrees in New York City, today, but it should be cooler than that at sea.

The highlight of the morning was sailing past the Statue of Liberty.  She was a magnificent sight, with her golden torch gleaming in the morning sun.

After we cleared the harbor, with all the moored barges and high-speed ferries that we had to dodge, we raised our sails and motor sailed in the forecast wind that was W at 10 kt.  With help from the breeze and a good following current, we managed over 8 kt over the ground.

A little later, the wind picked up and moved to our beam, so we cut the engines and raised the spinnaker.  We had a good run down the Jersey shore, with boat speed over the bottom of 7.5 to 8.5 kt.  With our spinnaker up, we were slowly pulling away from MerSea.  But, after a while, we looked back and saw that MerSea was hoisting her spinnaker, as well.

Now, the race was on!  When the wind was over 10 kt, Bottlenose would pull ahead.  When it was under 10 kt, MerSea was faster.  We sailed neck and neck for several hours, each taking great pictures of the other boat.

At last, around 4 pm, the wind died, so we doused our spinnakers and motored.

Sheila came on her night watch at 9 pm and had an uneventful leg down the Jersey shore past Atlantic City.  All the casinos on shore were lit up.  One tall building looked like a giant projection screen, with colorful animated scenes flashing in succession.  The night was a little hazy, but the visibility was not too bad.  There was very little commercial ship traffic and nothing she had to avoid.

New York and Jersey City

Sunday, August 7:  Today, we left City Island at 8 am, with a 15 kt wind on our nose and a steady light rain from  grey overcast skies. 

We could see the New York City skyline off in the distant gloom. 

Our departure time was selected so we could motor through Hell Gate on the East river with the current running with us.  By the time we got there, the rain had stopped and there was some blue sky starting to appear.

We found that the current was indeed pushing us along but somewhat faster than we expected.  In fact, we saw boat speeds over the bottom of up to 11 kt.  11 kt!  

I am guessing that our water speed was no more than 5.5 or 6 kt, so the current must have been running at about the same speed, giving us the extra push.

It really was not a problem.  The water was swirling noticeably in places, but the channel was fairly wide, making navigation quite manageable.  It was only when we looked at the shoreline racing by that we could tell that we were going really fast.

After making it through Hell Gate, we then motored down the west side of Roosevelt Island,  then came around the south end of Manhattan, passing by the UN building and under the Manhattan bridge and the Brooklyn bridge. 

We also  got our first glimpses of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Empire State Building.  Wow!  We are really sailing in New York City!

We then went a short distance up the Hudson R. to Liberty Landing marina at Jersey City, NJ, and took a slip that Stephanie had reserved for us.

We settled in and then walked a half mile to a bike rental stand and the Bottlenose crew rented bikes.  Then, all five of us rode the Liberty Landing ferry over to the Manhattan financial center for lunch.  We sat outside under thick shade trees at “Southwest NY”, looking out over all the activity on the Hudson. 

There were ferries zooming around in every direction.  Add, commercial tugs with barges and recreational boats and it was a zoo.  The water on the Hudson was in perpetual turmoil from all the boat wakes, yet, out “playing in traffic” were two kayakers.  How they could handle the rough water and not get run down by a ferry was beyond me.

After lunch, Stephanie and Lance took us inside a nearby building that had a great vantage point for seeing the construction of the new Freedom Tower on the site of ground zero for the 9/11 attack.

Then, they went back to work on their boat, while the rest of us went for a bike ride along the Manhattan shore of the Hudson.  We got as far as the aircraft carrier museum, Intrepid.

By now, the day was hot and steamy, so after riding an hour or so, we had had enough and took the ferry back to our boat.

Back on the boat, we worked on cleaning it up, inside and out, since this was the first marina we have stayed in for a while.  We had earlier filled our fuel and water tanks.

We met Eric, who came on board MerSea today to help them stand the necessary 24-hour watches during our overnight ocean leg that starts tomorrow.

All six of us had dinner at Liberty House, just a few steps from our marina.  It was a little expensive, but the food was good.

It was still steamy outside but cooler.  No matter – we have our A/C units humming and it is comfortable in the boat.