Days 15-55 as the Adventure Continues

June 14-July 23, 2018, Days 15-55

On Monday July 23, 2018, we find ourselves safely docked at Havre de Grace (forget those French lessons – the name is Americanized as have-er-de-grayce) at the northern reaches of the Chesapeake Bay hoping that the weather improves.  The last 40 days or so have witnessed our passage from Kingman’s Yacht Center to the lovely Chesapeake with multiple stops in between.  We spent more than a week (an unplanned extended stay) at Kingman’s getting the auto pilot repaired (or so we thought) by replacing the hydraulic pump.  The tech said he would purge the hydraulic line but apparently didn’t, so the auto pilot continued to squeak but much softer than before. 

East Greenwich, RI

Greetings from East Greenwich

From Kingman’s we motored to East Greenwich where we picked up Jim and Dede McGuire’s mooring ball and spent four great days visiting with fellow boaters whom we first met at Little Falls, NY in 2013.  As a former Coast Guard Coxswain, Jim is a veritable fount of information as well as a great story teller.  Dede is a bundle of energy and has her hands full keeping Jim out of trouble.  Jim and Dede’s house is literally a quarter mile from Greene Farm, the location of the burial service for Howard Wulsin to which we were uninvited.  Needless to say, Bob and I couldn’t resist going to the family cemetery at Greene Farm and visiting the site!

Howard's burial site at Greene Farm

Jim loves his sweets and ordered an
outrageous waffle, banana, vanilla ice
cream and chocolate syrup for breakfast!

Cruising to New York City

We left East Greenwich on Monday, June 25 in the late morning thinking we would cruise to the breakwater at Pt. Judith where we planned to anchor for the night.  We arrived at Pt. Judith much too early to stop for the night and decided to continue on to Fishers Island to an anchorage Jim told us about at East Harbor.  His description of the anchorage as very nice is an understatement. 

Fishers Island sunset

Phenomenal is a much better adjective – serene, excellent holding, scenic eye candy!  Our goal at this point was to make NYC by Thursday but a review of the weather forecast indicated deteriorating conditions which were a concern.  Based on the forecasts, if we didn’t make NYC by Wednesday, we would have to wait until Sunday for better cruising weather.  Waiting out for better weather was not a viable option as we made a commitment to attend a Schlegel family reunion on Sunday in Pennsylvania.  Plans and boats often lead to stressful cruising days which was the case here.

On Tuesday weather conditions were again favorable and we were able to get as far west along Long Island Sound to Northport Bay off Huntington where we anchored again.  The next morning we pulled up anchor and got on our way early hoping against hope to make it to Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn before dark.  We knew we had to time our passage through Hell Gate on the East River on the east side of Manhattan to pass on an ebb tide in order to maintain steerage.  Velomer has a top speed of 8 knots and the current on the East River can reach as high as 9 knots.  Therefore, if we timed our passage incorrectly there is the possibility of running 1 knot backwards, a situation we wanted to avoid like the plague!   We made Throgg’s Neck Bridge at the far westerly end of Long Island Sound at 1015. A small inlet known as Little Bay is located on the south side of the bridge where we planned to anchor to wait for a favorable tide.  Only a few miles separate Little Bay from Hell Gate.  

Garmin chart plotter with our speed in
the upper left hand corner -- 11.1 knots!

I consulted Eldridge Tide Tables for Hell Gate which indicated the beginning of the ebb tide at 1018.  Am I reading the tables wrong?  We can’t be this lucky!  OMG!  We are this lucky!  Full speed ahead.  We had ideal tide and current with us the entire trip along the East River!

New York Harbor is even busier than Boston with the addition of even more ferries, sea planes landing in the East River, tugs, police boats, helicopters swooping overhead.  Once we got around the Verazano Narrows Bridge on our way to Sheepshead Bay Yacht Club, the seas got wonky but still manageable.  Velomer bottomed out in the channel on the entrance to Sheepshead.  We got too close to the green can but overcame this problem by putting her in reverse and were able to dislodge.  Note to self – hug the red markers at the entrance to Sheepshead Bay!  We picked up a mooring and got settled in.

Soaking Up New York City

Brooklyn Bridge over the East River

Having grown up in Croton-on-Hudson, NY, the city holds a special place in my heart to say nothing of the fact that our son and his beloved as well as my beloved grand-puppy, Howie, live here.  This particular visit was especially exciting because I finally figured out the transportation system for the most part, or so I think I have.  I also discovered Net Cost, a grocery store chain somewhat similar to Whole Foods with high quality produce and prepared foods but substantially less expensive.  Our ten-day stay in New York was soul renewing.  We spent endearing time with Phil and Bettina learning about their trials and tribulations.  We spent time with Bob and Essie Schlegel, Bettina’s parents, and thoroughly enjoy their company. 

Our grandpuppy Doctor Howie Small wearing his PFD
aboard Velomer on July 4th.  One happy pup!

On Saturday the last day in June, Phil, Bettina and Howie boarded Velomer and we all went for a cruise to Sandy Hook where we dropped an anchor and spent several hours swimming, eating, and enjoying each other’s company.  While on the hook, we deployed the life ring only to find out the line tied to the ring became tangled up and took unreasonably long to untangle.  If this had been an actual deployment, we would have been in big trouble.  As a result, we re-tied line for easier deployment, so an important lesson – test all safety equipment to make sure it works properly before you need it.  On Sunday, July 1, we attended the Schlegel Family Reunion at Bob Schlegel’s brother’s house in Pennsylvania and met the extended family from the 90 something year old uncle to 7-month old baby Steven, the newest member.  The entire family was very welcoming.  I now understand what a terrific family Phil has married into.  The 4^th of July included another cruise to Sandy Hook with Phil, Bettina, Howie and five of their friends for a picnic/swim and had a great time.  That evening we saw no less than 10 fireworks displays from our mooring in Sheepshead Bay – quite the show!

Phil and Howie -- Phil is trying to get my
I-Phone working well!

Our city sojourn included a visit with Karen Shatzkin, a middle-school and high-school classmate, reminiscing about the good old days and our various classmates; several visits with our friends Sam and Susie whom we introduced to each other (now in their 30ieth year of togetherness); and Bob, with Sam’s great assistance, getting and loading an I-Pad for boat navigation – no easy task for a reluctant PC user. On July 6^th we departed SBYC and cruised to Sandy Hook for a third time where we filled with diesel fuel at the municipal dock in Atlantic Highlands and anchored off the Coast Guard Station to get an early start for Hoffman’s Marina in Manasquan, New Jersey.

Making Way to Cape May

Our early morning departure from Sandy Hook was well rewarded when a whale crossed about 100 feet off our bow as we rounded the hook.  Other events of the passage included large fish balls, fish schools just below the surface, and dolphins feeding and surfacing.  Our entry into Manasquan had to be carefully timed due to currents and tide.  We arrived about noon with plenty of time to shower, do laundry, and find a post office to mail apartment keys back to Phil and Bettina as we forgot to return them when still in New York.

At Manasquan we had to make the decision to travel south on the inside on the New Jersey portion of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) or the outside along the Atlantic coast.  If we went on the inside the furthest we could get in a day would be Atlantic City and we would have to go on the outside the next day to get to Cape May.  If we went on the outside we might be able to skip Atlantic City and travel all the way to Cape May in only one day.  Personally, I really dislike Atlantic City and have no desire to spend any time there whatsoever.  In addition, the likelihood to going aground on the inside is rather high for a boat such as Velomer with a 4-foot draft.  In addition, the seas were forecast to really kick up in the day after tomorrow.  The answer was clear.  We’re going on the outside and cruising from Manasquan to Cape May in one day.  Adding clarity to our decision was the auto pilot which started to squeak even louder indicating air in the hydraulic line. Damn auto pilot!

Once again, our decision to go on the outside was well rewarded with dolphin sightings, more fish balls, skates, and a huge fish jumping out of the water just off our bow while I was at the helm.  What a treat!  While underway, Bob got on the phone with Garmin about the auto pilot, again.  According to Garmin, the hydraulic line needs to be bled and until it is, the auto pilot should not be employed.  This was not really too much of a problem as we were outside without too many turns and we had the benefit of not having to hear the irritating squeaking.  Fortunately, the Canyon Yacht Club and Resort Marina has a Garmin certified tech who could look into the issue and had a slip available for us.  The travel day was long --12.5 hours but well worth it.  The seas really kicked up the next several days and even the fishing boats did not venture from the docks.  

While at Cape May, the auto pilot was looked at by the Garmin tech.  After making multiple adjustments, the tech said he was able to solve the squeaking problem without power purging the hydraulic line and that we were good to go.  We certainly hope so as this is becoming a persistent problem!  Bob and I also did some exploring by bicycle and our big find was Swain’s Hardware Store that sells everything a hardware store should and then some!

Adventures with Sam & Susie

While in NY we invited Sam and Susie to join us on Velomer for a few days to get a taste of the cruising lifestyle as Sam has chartered a 42-foot trawler for a week in late August.  In addition to his somewhat limited boating experience, Sam has been taking multiple on-line courses on boat handling and has obtained a great deal of “book knowledge” about how to operate a boat.  He has also hired a licensed captain for the first two days of the charter to instruct him on boat handling.  His hands-on experience aboard Velomer will be a valuable in determining if the charter is a good idea.  Sam and Susie arrive on Thursday late afternoon on July 12. 

Velomer departed for Chesapeake City on the C and D Canal at 0600 hours Friday morning.  We left at such an early hour to take full advantage of the incoming tide on Delaware Bay.  Our cruise up Delaware Bay was largely delightfully uneventful.  The highlight was upon the exit from the Cape May Canal when a pod of dolphins greeted us.  Our timing paid off when we arrived in Chesapeake City at 1400 hours in time to capture the last spot along the free municipal dock.  Electric service was available at $15 payable at the town hall.  The only problem was that when we plugged in the 30-amp power cord, we received a warning message on our electric panel of “reverse polarity,” not a good sign.  Susie and I went to town hall to pay and told of our reverse polarity issue.  The mayor himself came down to the dock to check out the situation stating that he was no electrician but would see what he could do.  The mayor, Bob and Sam worked on the reverse polarity issue while Susie and I explored downtown Chesapeake City, which is more of a charming little hamlet than a city.  By the time we returned to the boat, the reverse polarity issue had been resolved by repeatedly trying different things until something worked.  Not one of the three guys really knows what solved the problem, but it got resolved. 

The Chesapeake Inn in Chesapeake City is situated just inland of the municipal dock and is quite the hotspot complete with marina slips, dockside wait service, outside deck, outside restaurant seating and a live band.  The inn attracted several flashy Donzi speedboats that run at ridiculously high speeds and make an obnoxious racket.   Fittingly one was named Noise & Pollution.  Donzis are the archetypal penis boat.  If you don’t know what a penis boat is, visit donzimarine.com and you will realize what the term means.  All this activity made me doubt how quiet the night would be.  Fortunately after a great dinner, even better conversation and a fine evening overall, sleep was not a problem. 

The next day after a fine breakfast at Bohemia Café in downtown Chesapeake City, Velomer’s lines were disconnected from the dock and we were off to Georgetown Yacht Basin up the Sassafras River, a slow and pleasant journey of 25 miles.  The last time Velomer docked in Georgetown, Bob and I went to the Kitty Knight House restaurant where we had a delicious, reasonably priced dinner.  We were looking forward to doing the same this time around.  The restaurant sits at the top of the hill from the marina and is a hike, especially for folks who aren’t fairly active.  We arrived at the restaurant to be told that the menu is food truck venue.  Note quite understanding what that meant we ordered drinks first and then our food: coconut shrimp with cole slaw for Susie and me and brisket ends for Bob and Sam.  Total disaster!  The food was inedible for the most part and the drinks arrived after the food.  We found out that the restaurant was under new ownership/management as of two weeks ago and they were working out the kinks.  Ouch!  Hopefully they get their act together!  Sam was particularly diplomatic in making the owners aware of how dissatisfied we were with the fare.  Kudos, Sam!

Charmed by Baltimore

After lengthy discussion, we four decided to head to Baltimore’s inner harbor to take advantage of what Baltimore has to offer as well as to provide convenient transportation back to NY for Sam and Susie.  Dock lines in Georgetown were castoff at 0930 Sunday morning and we were off to Charm City.  Other than encountering several humongous container ships in the channel to Baltimore and a short lived torrential rain storm, the cruise was delightfully uneventful.  We arrived at the Inner Harbor Marina by the Rusty Scupper restaurant at 1630.  This marina is centrally located with easy access to the best of Baltimore.   The next day we four visited the National Aquarium which never ceases to amaze and educate.  From the informative exhibits to the helpful staff to the touch tanks where you can touch a non-stinging jellyfish, we were enthralled.  The major exhibit of the black tip reef containing manta rays, reef sharks, giant green turtle and a large variety of fish captured our attention for a long time as we studied the movement of the larger animals.

We found Nemo at the National Aquarium

Hogfish at the National Aquarium

The following day we walked to the American Visual Art Museum within two blocks of the marina.  Panned by the New York Times as not a serious art museum, the exhibits were mesmerizing in their messages, creativity, cleverness and emotional impact.  Many if not most of the artists whose works are displayed have not had formal art training.  Many have been institutionalized for mental issues.  The museum is the brain child of its director, Rebecca Hoffberger, who is criticized by the NYT article as a high-school dropout.  In any event, Ms. Hoffberger is a dynamic art enthusiast who is a master marketer and knows how to get things accomplished.  More power to her.  The museum shop, Sideshow, is as interesting as the exhibited art.  Lots of very intriguing items from the standard T-shirts, jewelry, toys, scarves, mugs, curios.  We spend almost as much time in the gift shop as in the museum itself!  We liked the museum so much we all became members.  Susie and Sam want to bring their daughter there and we definitely want to go back while still in Baltimore! Sam, a renowned and awarded artist in his own right, also made contact with Rebecca as to the possibility of displaying his photography as a visiting artist.  Go Sam!

Exterior of AVAM in Baltimore showing
4-story sculpture

My Favorite -- Bra Ball by Emily Duffy at the
American Visual Art Museum in
Baltimore that includes 18,085 bras from across the country

 

PM and Susie showing off cool sunglasses from AVAM

Sam and Susie departed for New York that afternoon in another torrential downpour after we all enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Rusty Scupper, a far superior repast than the other night in Georgetown!

Post Sam & Susie

Bob and I made the decision to stay at the marina for the week to take advantage of the weekly rate and continue our exploration of the city.  Guests are wonderful and it’s wonderful when they leave.  Velomer is a very comfortable for the two of us but a bit tight with four.  Good thing we are close friends!  The remainder of our time was spent doing laundry, restocking the coffers, revisiting the aquarium and art museum, doing boat projects, and running between the raindrops of the multiple torrential downpours which were inevitably followed by hot steamy sun.  We also experienced the onslaught of the welfare ducks. 

Solo welfare duckling!

The marina had its own flock of welfare ducks that hung out between the granite block lined bulkhead on shore and the finger piers of A and B docks.  The flock was just over 30 ducks strong of which 10 were hatchlings ranging in size from the puny (but adorable) runt to the larger more robust duckling (also adorable).  The ten followed a female duck and whether the female was the same duck at all times I don’t know.  I find it hard to believe that one female duck had all these chicks, and I also find it hard to believe that of all the female ducks in the flock only one of them had chicks.  The female with the ducklings may have been the designated child care provider for the day.  In any event, the female and ducklings would approach the boats within the marina and look all cute and adorable and basically beg for food – bread crumbs, crackers, chips, whatever.  The poor unsuspecting boater, thinking “Oh my, how adorable!” would provide said tender vittles.  Then on to the next boat and then the next.  Great racket and hence the descriptive adjective of “welfare.”  By the end of our stay, some of the more adventurous chicks would split off from the child care provider and beg on its own – the risk taking entrepreneur of the ducklings!

Cargo ship encountered coming out
of the channel from Baltimore.

We left Baltimore Sunday morning and cruised up to Tidewater Marina at Havre de Grace, again through torrential downpours where we await our great friends Ed and Carol who were kind enough to go to Trader Joe’s in Jacksonville and get three cases of our favorite Sauvignon Blanc.  Yeah!  Hurry up Ed and Carol!