Water Water Everywhere

We are still drying things out from our drenching in New York Harbor. Let me back up a day or two and tell you what happened.

We had just cleared under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge (first picture) which spans between Brooklyn and Staten Island. A large ship (Chinese) was proceeding outbound at a very high speed and was kicking up a large wake. You can just see the ship in the distance in the second picture.   The wake didn't look too bad so I waited for the wave to close on us and turned the bow into it. Lucky I did because the second wave was HUGE. Summer Snow stood on her stern until cresting the first wave and then pointed straight down, bow first into the trough between the waves. She scooped up a bow full of ocean before doing the same thing with the next wave.

Patrick said "I think we took in some water down below!" He ducked down the hatch and found the forward hatch had leaked and there was a lot of water in his bunk, on the deck, and even on the table in the middle of the boat. The automatic bilge pump came on right away so I knew we had taken in significant water.

The hatch had been closed but not secured tight and the bathroom port was open. We had major water on the carpeting all the way back to the galley! Well, live and learn. We have plenty of extra sheets and sleeping bags but drying salt water soaked carpeting takes time and lots of air. The wet carpeting makes your shoes slippery on the stairs and I don't want to do the splits again so "easy does it" for a while. I think I had better take Neal's advice and turn around before going down the stairs.

Jersey City

After breakfast this morning Patrick and I took our bikes to Jersey City so Patrick could do his laundry. We found a great little bagel shop while his stuff washed and then found a barber shop for me. We took the "scenic" route back along the waterfront so I could get a photo of Manhattan.

The Yankees and Mets play on the 3rd and I'm hoping we can get tickets to the game. I found some online but will wait to see who wants to go before I buy.

New York City

Well, close - we're actually anchored in Jersey City which is across the Hudson River from Manhattan. The anchorage is part of Liberty Landing State Park and is free. They have a dinghy dock so we can go ashore in the park which has many bike and walking paths along with a waterfront promenade. We have our bikes so getting around is easy. There is a shuttle on weekends that serves the whole park and a light rail station next to the park. The light rail takes us to a PATH station (subway) and from there we can go anywhere (with transfers). I'm really liking mass transit!

Liberty Landing is right next to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, in fact, the historic Ellis Island railway station is in the park. There is a ferry that will take us to Manhattan for $1.05 (or $2.10 for you younger folks) right from the park.

So far there has been only one boat in this anchorage which really surprises me. I thought I would have to fight for a spot but maybe the boats will start coming in this weekend for the 4th.

Yesterday we biked over to Liberty Landing Marina (also part of the park) and they let us use their showers for free. Must be part of their "Clean Marina" program ;>) They also have a nice marina store and two restaurants. The manager told us that the City moves the 4th fireworks every year and this year it is up the Hudson a few blocks but that we should still have a good view from the park. We'll plan on a picnic in the park before the fireworks.

The Mets and Yankees are playing on the 3rd so we're looking for tickets. Those games are usually a sellout so tickets may be hard to get.

Bad Bad Marina

We sailed from Atlantic City to the next (and only) good inlet which is Manasquan Inlet. There is no anchorage that I am aware of so we called ahead and got a slip at Brielle Marine Basin for the sum of $90.

There were a few problems with this marina and not just the fact that it was over priced (but the same as the other marinas here). The docks were old fixed docks that were missing a few boards but the person who checked us in warned us to not step where the boards were missing or broken. Thanks a lot!

Patrick went to check out the rest room and it was filthy. The shower required 50 cents for 7 minutes of water and you would not step into it without shower shoes (fire boots would have been better). The water did get warm half way through.

As you can see in the picture there is a railroad bridge right next to our slip. The bridge closes every 20 minutes for a train. That isn't enough though, they use a fire siren before it opens and when they close it. This goes on day and night! So you have a siren going off, then a train that sounds like it is going to run over you, and then the siren again.

Most of the boats are commercial fishing boats and the fish smell is everywhere, especially in the restrooms. While I was sitting in the cockpit some guy (the official fish cleaner I would guess) came to the end of the dock and dumped a whole big container of fish guts into the water. I guess that's the way they get rid of them here.

We left at 6:30 and I didn't bother to check the weather. It couldn't be bad enough to get me to stay here another night!

Waiting For Weather

This picture depicts a typical day of sailing. As you can see the crew is busy with his daily tasks such as scrubbing the deck and practicing his knots. In this picture we are 2 or 3 miles off the New Jersey coast which seems to be all sandy beach with many homes and condos. Patrick and I were both very impressed with the fine quality of the beaches and summer homes in this area.

We saw this guy rowing his boat while we were sailing up the coast. He was about 2 miles off shore and heading out. He was still heading out as far as we could see him.


There is a new casino being built on the Board Walk (last picture) and it is HUGE. A local we chatted with today said it will be finished next May and is being built by the Chinese. It will totally dwarf all the other casinos and already dominates the skyline. This picture doesn't do it justice because it was very foggy when we approached Atlantic City. Later on we walked the Board Walk and got the impression that many of the shops and casinos have seen their better days. We are next to the Golden Nugget Casino (in the harbor area) which was Trump Casino two weeks ago. It has also seen better days and appears to need a lot of work. Next door is Harrah's and the Borgata which are fantastic and very busy. They are considered the best casinos in town.

The wind and waves have picked up and are expected to continue to build for the next two days so we will wait for the wind to die down. We are looking at wind in the 15 to 20 with gusts to 25+ and waves in the 5-7 ft range. Summer Snow can handle these conditions with ease but since we have the time we decided to wait for more comfortable seas.

Atlantic City

Patrick and I left Cape May at 7:30 and sailed into the North Atlantic Ocean.  Once clear of the inlet we set a heading of NNE.  The wind was 10 knots out of the SE so we made good time. The wind varied but by the time we got close we were at hull speed.  We entered the Absecon inlet (Atlantic City) at 2:30 and found a good anchorage. 

Dinghy Motor + Bad Fuel

I determined that the motor issue was a fuel issue. After some preliminary troubleshooting I took the carburetor off the engine and took it apart. It was FULL of junk! It looked like jellied fuel and sand. The only fuel I have purchased lately was in Hope Town Bahamas so I suspect that is where the problem started. I could not get the main fuel jet out and I could not get a needle through the crud in it to clean it out. My thought process was like this, "it doesn't work now so why not experiment". So I made up a container of water and Joy dish washing soap and soaked it for a few hours. Guess what? It softened up the crud and I was able to clean the jet and the rest of the carburetor. Sweet! After drying it and blowing out all the passages I reassembled it. I sucked out all the fuel from the internal fuel tank with my oil changing tool and put in fresh fuel. Then I got a "inline" fuel filter and installed it before the carburetor. Ready to go, right? Not so fast! The fuel filter filled about half way and then stopped. Low fuel pressure is the next issue.

I took the fuel pump apart and found the same issue, lots of crud. I cleaned the fuel pump parts in Joy and reassembled. Now the engine runs and we should be able to get from Summer Snow to shore and (hopefully) back.

Delaware Bay

Patrick and I left Baltimore at 8:30 AM and headed for Chesapeake City which is located at the start of the C & D Canal. We made good time under sail and motor and arrived at the anchorage at about 6:00. We had prepared our supper (brats along with some scalloped potatoes) while underway so when we got settled in the anchorage we took the dinghy to shore and went for a walk.

The dinghy motor would not start so we rowed in. Chesapeake City is "party central" for the power boat types and their marina has no fuel or ships store, just a restaurant and booze. I guess it's all about knowing your customers although I would think they could make a fortune on gas sales. We didn't find anything that interested us so we went back to Summer Snow and read for a while.

We left Chesapeake City at 7 AM and headed for the next anchorage which was the Cohansey River which is about the half way point of Delaware Bay. There were many fishing boats like this one on the way. We got into the river at about 4:30 and proceeded up the river to Greenwich, New Jersey. We expected to see lots of fishing boats but were surprised to see many sailboats. There doesn't seem to be much great sailing on Delaware Bay so they must keep them there because it is relatively easy to get to Chesapeake Bay from there. At any rate we couldn't get the dinghy motor started (again!) so rowed to shore (big mistake). After a nice meal at the overpriced local restaurant we attempted rowing back to Summer Snow but the current in the river was so strong that we couldn't make it. Now please know that Patrick is a real strong oarsman but there was no way we could make headway against the current. What to do? What to do? Well after surveying the situation carefully we pulled the dinghy over the long river dock to some dead water between the land and the dock. Then rowed the length of the dock in the dead water to get upstream enough so we could row like mad while being carried down stream and catch Summer Snow as we went by. It worked and some very nice power boat people came out with their boat to make sure we made it. I must get the dinghy motor going if we are going to anchor out in rivers or inlets that are affected with the tide.

We pulled up our anchor at 7 AM and headed back down river to Delaware Bay. Once in the bay we rounded Ship John Shoal light (second picture) and then set a direct course to the Cape May canal which takes us to Cape May. By using the canal we save a few miles vs. going to the ocean inlet. The downside of the canal is the two fixed bridges that have a 55 ft clearance. We need at least 50 ft to make it and 55 looks really close when you go through! We went under them but the clearance looked very tight. Once in the harbor area we anchored near the Coast Guard Station so we could figure out our next move. The anchorage was mud and my new Delta anchor didn't hold so after screwing around we headed for the only marina and was deep enough for us to get in. I vowed to get the dinghy motor running before we leave!

Water Quality

The states that surround Chesapeake Bay have legislated standards to reduce water pollution. Part of these standards includes a 1000 ft (3 city blocks) filtering area on the shoreline of Chesapeake Bay and tributaries. Cities and industry that can not meet the 1000 ft law must take other measures to meet the water improvement standards. Baltimore's waterfront is classified as being "hardened", that is, built up with docks and buildings to water's edge making the 1000 ft difficult to do. They were allowed to create a 100 ft promenade on their 7.5 miles of waterfront and that promenade is part of the City Docks where I am staying. They also use water skimmer boats to clean the junk off the surface as part of the clean water initiative. I understand the goal is to have the harbor water up to fishing and recreation standards by 2020.

The parts of the promenade that I have observed is heavily used by runners, walkers, bikers, other general use. There are numerous small businesses and restaurants along the way. There are 4 different types of harbor tour boats that leave from the city dock area plus water taxi boats that run every 20 minutes from 17 stops in the harbor. For getting around in the city they have a subway train, a light rail, city buses, taxies and two free shuttle services.

Baltimore is a great city and I hope to return to enjoy it again.

Baltimore - Inner Harbor

I am docked at Baltimore City Docks which is the best location for seeing the sites in Baltimore. Besides being centrally located in the heart of Baltimore it is adjacent to a city park and close to many activities such as the Historical Boat Tours, the water taxi, many restaurants, and my personal favorite - Barns & Noble Books. It is also the cheapest marina in town which really makes it my favorite dock.

There is so much to see and do here that it would be a sin to be bored. A sailboat docked yesterday and the captain said that he and his old Little League team (who took the Baltimore city championship in 1965) meet here for a reunion every year. They were sitting around on the dock all last evening eating and having fun long after I had retired for the night.

Yesterday I walked the waterfront for an hour or two and saw the Pride of Baltimore (pictured here) along with the submarine Torsk, the light ship Chesapeake, the USS Constellation, and the USCGC Taney (last surviving ship for the Pearl Harbor attack).

This morning I went to a farmer's market to get some fresh veggies and stuff. I found some great homemade "Prairie Gold" bread and some turn-overs to have with my morning coffee. Most of the veggies were organic but I figured I could wash them well and get by eating them if I cooked them well. I wanted some apples but they looked a little rough so I got carrots, onions, and squash. Now I can make my favorite rice with sauteed veggies, yum!

I have included two pictures that I took from the back of Summer Snow last night of the Inner Harbor.

Sailing to Baltimore

Neil Opstad and I made it to Baltimore at about 3 PM so we had some time to check things out. Neil will fly out at 6:30 PM on the 9th so we have another day to see some of the sights. We knew the "must see" things included the USS Constellation (the sister ship to Old Ironsides - USS Constitution) and Fort McHenry so we made our plans with those two sites in mind. We also wanted to use the water taxi and try out some of the really old taverns that line the waterfront.

But the very first thing we did was get checked in so we could take a nice cool shower as it was like 101 degrees and we were too warm.

We found a spot at the Baltimore Public Dock which is in the middle of "down town" Baltimore. In front of the dock there is a very nice park and the Inner Harbor (where we are at) has a cobblestone area along the waterfront which extends for miles. There are many restored buildings that now contain restaurants and shops. The park near us seems to be the place to run in the morning as there are many healthy looking people running about 6 or 7 AM and a fountain that is designed for children to play in during the hot afternoons. I was tempted to jump in as soon as we docked

We went to the Rusty Scupper for a bite to eat but it was too hot to eat very much so I just had soup and a salad. It was very good and I drank three large ice waters and three large lemonades. They have live music somewhere in the Inner Harbor every night and their seems to be a children's activity in the park every day.





On our way into the harbor we passed the stars and stripes buoy which is the exact spot that Francis Scott Key wrote our National Anthem. I have included a photo of the buoy and a photo of Fort McHenry from the water which is the fort the British were bombarding when Key had the inspiration to write the "Star-Spangled Banner". The next day Neil and I took the water taxi to the fort and looked it over close up.



The water taxi is a pay once - ride all day deal so we had the water taxi drop us off at a Irish pub on the way back and we both had their special Chicken Pot Pie for lunch. Then we picked up a ride on the water taxi to the USS Constellation and toured the ship. They have a very nice little museum before you get on the ship and you get to go on all 4 decks. It is very well done and is a "must see" for anyone coming to Baltimore.

Neil took the Light Rail to the airport which is about 7 miles away. The Light Rail is only 55 cents for senior citizens so is a great deal and goes all the way to the airport. There is a Light Rail station about a block from the harbor so it was very convenient.

Annapolis - Sailing Capital of the USA

What a great town! We spent a second day in Annapolis and I have to say I believe this city has a truly great "Old Town" area. It is easy to get around and not so large that it overwhelms. We went to the Hard Bean Cafe for coffee and to read the paper and then went to the Naval Academy Museum (this took most of the morning). It was a very well organized museum and you would have to spend a week there to absorb all it has to offer.

There are taverns and "bar and grills" though out the old section so we picked the Middleton Tavern for lunch. Everywhere you look there was restaurants and taverns from the 1700's. The food was great so we had to walk some of it off. Neil got some posters at the Naval Academy so we walked up to the post office and he mailed them to himself rather that trying to carry them home on the plane next Thursday.

We found the bronze Alex Haley statues so had to take a few photos. His ancestors came through the Port of Annapolis so this is where he did most of his research for his book "Roots".

Besides the United States Naval Academy Annapolis is the home of St. Johns College which is a small (450 students) liberal arts college. They have a rather unique curricula in that it is composed of 40 books. They require their students to read and then discuss and write about each of the 40 classic type books. It takes 4 years but when they are finished they get their BA. They have the highest percentage of graduates that go on to get a PHD of any college.

There was so much to see and so little time we took a Trolley Tour which gave us a good understanding of the history of Annapolis. The driver was very good and also had a good sense of humor. The Trolley Tours is part of the Historic Annapolis Museum which we also toured.

We are in the Annapolis City Marina which is right in the heart of downtown Annapolis so we can walk to most things although we did take the water taxi ($2) back to the marina just for fun.

Solomons Island Maryland

This is Point No Point Lighthouse which is just off Point No Point Maryland. They must have a great sense of humor.

We motor sailed all day to get to get to Calvert Marina near Solomons Island Maryland. Solomons Island is a very popular sailing port and is very close to Washington DC, in fact they say that many of the boats and condos are owned by persons working in DC and they commute to Washington. It was fairly easy getting into the marina but we found the old fixed docks rather "rustic".

We had a very nice supper at "The Back Creek Bistro" and then went back in the morning for the breakfast buffet. While having our breakfast we chatted with a couple that had noticed we were seated at the very same tables as last night. They asked about our trip and then gave us a very good tip on a restaurant to try as we go through their hometown in New York. One again I have found that one of the best parts of boating is the people you meet along the way.

We will spend another day here in Solomon and sail tomorrow to Annapolis. The last picture is of a ship we passed as we were entering Solomons Island Harbor.

Deltaville VA

We sailed from Little Creek to Deltaville VA on Wednesday. I had chosen Deltaville Marina ahead of time because I knew I needed a shower since there was none at Little Creek. Neil is with me now and it is great having someone to talk to. It was dead calm for the first few hours an then the wind came up out of the south east. We had put up the main sail early on just to dampen the roll of Summer Snow when power boats came cruising by so all we had to do is pull out the jib to be wing-on-wing sailing. Wing-on-wing is a real cool way to set your sails when sailing dead down wind. You have the main sail on one side and the jib on the other side so you expose the maximum sail area to the wind. It works great but you must be very careful to keep the main boom from hitting you if it suddenly reversed sides (unintentional jibe). A safety precaution for this is called a "preventer" which is a secure line that keeps the boom on a particular side of the boat.

The wind continued to build along with our speed so we made good time and didn't have to listen to the diesel all day. We turned in toward Deltaville and so changed our sails to a "broad reach" setting and picked up speed again. The seas were running about 2 to 3 ft. so we had "green" water running down both sides of the deck, what fun!

We grilled brats for supper and had a great evening solving the problems of the world. The alarm on my phone went off at 6 AM but we had to wait until 8 for the office to open so we could get some ice and pay our marina bill. Nevertheless we were on the water at 8:30 heading north. Unfortunately the wind piped up out of the North so it was right in our teeth blowing at 15 knots with gusts to 25. I did the math and realized that it would be 16 to 20 hours to our chosen destination so I decided to head back to Deltaville. So here we are waiting for weather and chatting with the locals. The picture I have added is of the tornado damage that happened a couple of months ago. The damaged building is the Baptist Church.