1st Leg: Tenants Harbor, ME to Osterville, MA (Cape Cod)

Thursday, September, 3rd

Nip left Tenants Harbor at 9:00AM and by the time I was boarding my 11:30 AM flight from LGA, he was pulling up to DeMillo's dock in Portland. Two and one half hours! It was going to be an excellent adventure. We met the Wagners at Flatbreads down on the Portland Waterfront. Delicious homemade pizzas. Then off to the fish market to purchase dinner which Whit was cooking. For those of you who have had a Whit Wagner dinner, you know how delicious this is going to be. And it was ... grilled swordfish with a rissoto. Oh my! After a quick trip to the local sweet shop, we gathered Mrs Potter and her friend, piled them in our boat, Rum Drop and headed for Prouts Neck which was to be our first port of call. But not so fast! Halfway out of the harbor we lost linkage in the port engine controls. For those of you who don't know what that means, you can learn right along with me. You'll be glad to know that Nip knew exactly what the problem was called, we just needed to find someone to fix it. Off to Sprague's Marine, (thank you, Wags) and within ten minutes a man had met us, opened the cover on the port engine, reconnected the linkage which had become pinched and disconnected, put the cover back on and we were good to go!!! So everyone got back on the boat and off we went. (A special thank you to Chris DeMillo who created dock space for us at his yard even though he was "an inboard guy".)

We pulled into Prouts an hour later and unloaded. Henry Wagner followed Nip down to the mooring in the river. (Thank you Bob and Sarah Gould. That is a great mooring) while Helen and I went up to the house, unloaded and had a little nap before hottubbing, drinks and a delicious and fun dinner. I doubted that any of our future evenings would be so plush!

Friday, September 4th:

Off to the dock at 7:15AM with Whit, Helen and Henry. Wow, what a send off. Thanks Guys!Henry dropped us at the boat with Wagners waving from the dock, we were off on a gorgeous morning with relatively flat calm seas. We passed Boone Island with it's red bricked light appearing right out of the ocean and then on to the Isle of Shoals, (pictured here) which are islands in the middle of nowhere off of Portsmouth, NH. They are a cluster of small islands. One was called "Smuttynose". Love that. In the picture you can see a big beautiful wooden hotel just sitting on this island. Amazing!

We pushed on to Cape Anne, deciding to cruise the Annisquam river and Byman canal instead of going around. Beautiful. It was a good time to have lunch while slowly navigating the sandy river. Out into Gloucester Harbor and tucked in by Manchester Harbor, skimmed West Beach and poked around Marblehead Harbor. You could almost walk from boat to boat the harbor was so full. We saw the Casey's light blue Little Harbor called Manticore getting ready for a trip. We also saw Sea Blitz, a red Hood/Zurrin design owned by the Noyes. They looked like they were heading out as well. It was a gorgeous day! Then on to Boston.

We entered the harbor via the North Channel passing high speed ferries, some tugs and some beautiful sailboats all enjoying the day. At the Longwarf docks, we saw some tri-decks. One was sporting the Ocean Reef burgee. Another beautiful boat was called Mary Alice. her dinghy was the size of our boat. Tucked up next to the Charlestown Bridge is the Constitution Marina. Great place. We tied up, headed for the pool and cooled off, relaxed and napped.

.

At 6:15PM, we picked up Courtney and some of her buds from the Longwharf and cruised around the busy harbor at sunset while the full moon was rising. We had so much fun. It was so beautiful. At 7:30 while still light out, we dropped them off headed back to our slip. Off across the street, we dined at a place called "Olive's". I highly recommend it! Came back to the boat ... no shore power. Didn't matter, we curled in with the hatch open and fell sound asleep with a cool breeze blowing.

Saturday, September 5th:

We showered at the marina and said "Good-bye" to some friends we met. (Hi Patrick, Tom, Sheila and Tara) Had some quick photo ops and signings, got some advice about making and eating our lunch in the canal and off we went at the crack of 10:30. (We did have to wait for Courtney to walk down to the boat.) As you can see from the picture....it was another 10! And just a beautifully calm ocean. We headed directly, or as directly as we could, for the Cape Cod canal. We weren't alone. Who did we meet at the entance to the canal?... Mary Alice. She is so large that she had to radio ahead and communicate with the canal master to get permission to enter and a coast is clear sign. It is a little skinny in there for a boat her size. The tide in the canal was falling and the current going through the canal was amazing. An "E" ticket ride is the best way to describe some of the water at the mouth and turns in the harbor. And low and behold, who were we following? The Manticore was also rocking and rolling their way through the canal on their way to Marion. Preparing lunch in the canal was hysterical. I felt like I was doing a plate-spinning routine. But everyone got fed and we made it out the other side to Buzzards Bay. Apparently, some one yelled, "Go"! and everyone ran to their boats and floored it across the bay. I have never seen so many boats going in so many different directions so fast. Hysterical. On through Woods Hole which was another ride. Speed boats flew through and small boats almost buried their bows in the waves. Safely out of Woods Hole, we headed across the sound for Osterville or West Bay. We pulled into West Bay @ 2:15PM. The first boat we pass in the channel is the Wyeth's boat, Dreadnought from Tenants Harbor. What are the chances of two boats from the same small harbor in Maine finding each other? Well Jamie's wife happens to be from Osterville as do I and her family was having a wedding in town so I guess the odds got better. We headed for Crosby's and waiting for us in front of the Wianno Yacht Club is our welcoming committee, Ginny and Will Stevens, Tom and Todd McInerney. Now I know I am home. We gassed up at Crosby's, unloaded at the Ellis' dock (Thank you sooo much Ellis clan) and picked up the Phillips' mooring just off the Kjorlien dock. Thank you Karen and Mrs Kjorlien!!! My sister met us at the dock and we waved "good-bye" to Rum Drop for the week. A big thank you goes out to Matt Carstensen at the Oyster Harbors marine. He came out on a blowy rainy Sunday and adjusted shore power and generator and made us all happy again. You are the best Matt.

I promise not to be so mind-nubingly detailed in the next post. This is the first leg and there was so mauch to say.. I know, hard to believe for me, huh? Until next leg!

2nd Leg: Osterville, MA to Old Saybrooke, CT

Friday, September 11th:

This was the day that we were supposed to be leaving Osterville, but a low pressure system has found it's way to New England and has decided to hang out for a bit. So we leisurely found our way up to the Cape. We took our daughter's car back to her in Boston and took the bus from South Station back down to Barnstable where my fabulous sister Chappy hosted us once again.

Saturday, September 12th:

The next morning was still iffy. But by 10:00AM we decided to make a crossing to Cutty Hunk which would place us an hour closer to New London where we hope to have lunch with our son on Sunday. Lots to do with bringing the boat in from the mooring, loading the boat and getting supplies, leaving Chap's car for her and getting a cab back to the Ellis' dock. All of this was accomplished while the weather went from intermitten sun to steady rain to sun to fog back to sprinkling rain. After this weekend in Osterville, we are now referring to our boat as "THAT boat". When people heard of our journey to the keys in Rum Drop, the overwhelming response from our older friends was, "in THAT boat?" Trust me when I say that we are not roughing it. We have air conditioning and heat. We have shore power and generator (all working) a small galley with a microwave,cooktop and sink (hot and cold station), seperate head with shower (hot and cold station, as a matter of fact we have four hot and cold water stations which include one at the bar area and one on the swim platform) Our berth sleeps both Nip and I very comfortably. Considering that he is 6'6" that is saying something. So off we went with Pam Simmonds and Catherine Ellis waving us off. Jamie Jones texted us directions to Cutty Hunk: "go out to Bell 8 and turn right". Thanks Jame! And out the harbor we went. It was a perfect time to go. Once we were off-shore we watched the rain move into the mainland. We stayed nice and dry as there was occaissional spitting but mostly a beautiful overcast sky for the whole trip through the Vineyard Sound. We left Martha's Vineyard to our port and the Elizabeth Islands to our starboard, dodged a few trawlers and ferries and we were there at 3:45PM one hour fifteen minutes later. We crossed through the Elizabeth Island chain at Quick Hole which was perfectly calm and rounded the bell to the entrance to Cutty Hunk's inner harbor. We picked up a mooring from their rather large mooring field and couldn't wait to try out the engine on the dinghy. It worked! We wandered around the island and hiked up to the top via a very wide paved stone wall-lined road. The views from the top are spectacular. We watch the low system work it's way north away from us and knew that we would have a great day tomorrow.

 

We went back down to the boat, fixed ourselves a cocktail and settled into a dinner consisting of expertly grilled cheeseburgers a la Chef Nip. As you can see from the picture, we weren't alone. The breeze was wonderful. It picked up in the night, we had a little rain, but we both slept like babies and were ready for the big crossing.

Sunday, September 13th:

It was a bit breezy and cloudy in Cutty Hunk, but when looking West which was the direction we were heading, the weather looked much promising. And by the time we crossed the shipping lanes that run up to Buzzards Bay, the sun was starting to come out. Whatever chop there was, 2' to 4' , was mostly at our stern while crossing the bay. Once we got in the lee of the mainland, it quieted down. We basically headed west to Watch Hill point and cruised effortlesly with the sunshine through Fisher's Island Sound. Everyone was out enjoying the weather. from Narragansett Bay through Fishers Island Sound there were boats everywhere: sailboats with their colorful spinakers, ferries dashing between Block Island and the mainland, tugs with barges and .... Mary Alice. There she was off of our port bow. I wonder if we'll see her in Manhattan. The journey was warm, calm and sunny the whole way into New London and up the Thames River. We passed the Eagle which is the Coast Guard's square rigger. She is still majestic even with her sails furled at the dock. We cruised under Rt 95 and passed the "Nautilis" the nuclear sub on our starboard side. The water depth getting into Conn Coll docks is a little shallow, so we found a marina right up the river who let us dock there for a couple of hours while we hiked up to the road where Phips came to pick us up. Saw Phips' house, had a little lunch at a hole-in-the-wall diner and then back down to the boat right on time. The shock was when we went to give them a few bucks for the tie-up. Three mortgages and a bridge loan later.... we got in the boat and pulled away with Phips waving and vowing that he would see us later, (maybe after the football games). Lesson learned here: always negotiate the price UPFRONT. Yikes!

Back down the Thames and out to the sound we went, excited for our evening plans with our son and thrilled that we had such good weather. The run to Old Saybrooke was a quick 40 minutes. The entrance to the harbor was interesting. It is very shoal on the eastern side of the Connecticut River. There is a light marking the entrance to the west and a causeway/jetty on the east side of the channel. It is narrow and there are speed restrictions. Although apparently those restrictions didn't apply to the 65 footer that barreled past us and buried our bow in it's wake. Hhmmm! Where are the speed patrollers when you need 'em? The Saybrooke Point Marina Inn and Spa is between North and South Cove on the western shore of the river. It is a "green" marina, the first in CT (or so they say).We fueled, pumped out, iced up and went on our way to our slip. The marina is very nice. And although you move quite a bit during the day, it's quiet at night...water-wise. Off to the pool for Hillary with book in hand and Nip stayed on the boat and relaxed/napped. This place has a fitness center, indoor and outdoor pool, a dockside bar and a fantastic restaurant with terrace dining over looking the marina. So after football games were over, Phips and some friends came for cocktails on the boat and off to the restaurant for a delicious dinner. We said our good-byes and nestled into our air conditioned  berth. Love that shore-power!

Monday, September 14th:

It's a beatiful day and we must say "good-bye" to THAT boat again. Work, work, work! We will be back and look forward to our next leg, moving Rum Drop to Manhattan!

3rd Leg: Old Saybrooke, CT to Jersey City, NY via Hell gate

Friday, September, 18th:

Nip spent the night on the boat to await Jim Van Ness who was coming to replace the actuators (lifters) on the main hatch. The part arrived after we left Tenants Harbor and Jim was kind enough to incorporate a visit with his daughter to come to us in CT to do the work. I had to work Friday but was able to catch the 5:40PM train up to Old Saybrooke arriving just in time to join Nip, Phips and some of his friends for dinner near the marina. Needless to say, a great time was had by all. Heartfelt goodbyes after dinner, as we were leaving the area, and off to the boat we went to settle in for a nice comfy sleep.

Saturday, September 20th:

We woke up early to a very cool morning, made coffee, had a little hot-tub, (I am telling you this marina had everything) showered and organized ourselves for the trip into Manhattan, or so we thought. It was another gorgeous day. We got up on a plane outside Old Saybrooke Point at 10:15AM. Whatever reservations we had about the weather and the wind vanished as we cruised happily down the middle of Long Island Sound passing many fishing boats, sailboats and light houses along the way.

As you can tell from the pictures, the weather was a "10". Our goal was to make sure that we caught the tides right for cruising into the East River. The East River is actuallly not a river at all but the connection between Long Island Sound and New York Bay. Although the currents are strong on the waterway that runs up the East side of Manhattan (East River) they are equally strong coming and going. Where the waters meet between the East River and the Long Island Sound is a place called Hell Gate. The waters here are very strong. The high tides meet here and the low tides depart from here. The bottom changes depths rapidly causing great troughs of water and almost rapid-like conditions depending on the flow of the tides. You want to hit this area at the changing of the tides. (either high water or low water) In order to calculate this, we had a tide book that not only shows when high tide is at the Battery, but also shows the current at Hell Gate in hour  increments from high tide to low tide. We calculated that two hours after high tide at the Battery would be the ideal time to hit Hell Gate. Unfortunately, high tide was at 9:32 that morning and not until 9:30 or so that night. At 12:30 we decided to make an adventure and find a cozy harbor to spend the night so that we could approach NYC in the morning with the wonderful weather promised by the news. So into Oyster Bay, LI we went. The outer harbor is the entrance to two different inner harbors: Oyster bay and Cold Spring Harbor. We knew the wind was going to swing 180 degrees that night, so we needed shelter from the NW wind as well as the SE wind. It was decided that picking up a mooring at the Sagamore Yacht Club was the answer which we did after puttering around the harbor, passing Plum Point, circling Center Island and nosing into Mill Neck Creek while eating our sandwiches.

After securing our mooring, launching the dinghy and straightening up, it was naptime and then off for some exploring through the town. There is a fabulous pawn shop right in the downtown area that has some wonderful things. Gold coin, bullion, sports memoribilia and other really cool stuff. We shopped for our dinner and happily walked back to the docks, hailed the launch and went back out to our nest. We sat in the stern watching fabulous wooden boats sail out for a race, large sailing vessels come in for the night, and the launch darting around the harbor to pick up and drop off anyone who wanted to explore.After dinner in the stern, we fell into bed excited about our day.

This is the view we enjoyed from our stern over a Maine Mud and a Grey Goose and water...4 olives!

Sunday, September 20th:

We awoke early. It was cold so we put on the heat and huddled making coffee until the sun rose a little more.  The sea smoke was on the water giving the harbor a heavenly feel. Truly, it almost looked as though we were floating on clouds. After coffe and lunch making, we took the boat in to the docks. While Nip hosed down the salt from the isenglass and engines, I went ashore for a shower. We fueled, pumped out and we were ready to rock. High tide was 9:56AM at the Battery so we wanted to make sure that we were at Hell Gate by 11:30-12:00.

Did you ever have one of those days when everything seemed to go right, better than right, just perfect? It almost feels as if you are in a movie where you are the lead character and everyone else is there to either create atmosphere or facilitate your characters journey. It is as if a stage manager (mine is named Needles) is there to cue the world into action solely for your benefit. And once you pass, everyone sits down and waits for your return. This is what Sunday was like for us. There wasn't a cloud in the azure blue sky. The waters were flat calm. We cruised under the Throgs Neck and the Whitestone bridges and rounded the corner to see the Statue of Liberty way in the distance. The sun was glinting off the razor wire on Rikers Island and the fuselages of the planes on LGA's runways, a sight I have never seen from a boat. (I had never seen Riker's Island before boat or car.)We chose to go between North and South Brother Island. (North Brother Island is where they kept lepers in the olden days. It was also the scene of the worst maritime disaster in NY history. A steamship exploded there killing 1,000 people who either succumb to the flames or were drowned.) There is a channel that runs further west of North Brother Island.  I could almost hear Needles say: "CUE THE TUG": A huge tug was rounding the island from that side approaching our stern. "CUE THE SAIL BOATS": There were a line of sail boats all under power making this voyage hoping to catch the tide right. "CUE THE JET SKIS": five jet skis came out from where the Harlem river meets the East River bouncing off of the waves caused by the current. We were now in Hell Gate. "CUE THE WATER": the water churned and we had to watch the bouys to see if it was coming or going. It wasn't too much, but it was strong. "CUE THE TUG AND BARGE": we have now caught up to a tug pushing a large heavily laden barge. We lay back and just follow in his wake while the jet skis race around and play in the wakes. "CUE THE CIRCLE LINE": the tour boat coming up stream decides to cut across our bow to make the entrance to the Harlem River. It circles Mill Rock and comes down stream behind us. There is more wake and the jet skis are loving this. "CUE THE KAYACKS": a flotilla of eight kayacks are trying to work there way north to run with the fading current, but the busy river traffic is keeping them well to the Queens' side. Now the Circle Line is passing us on the left to take the barge on its starboard side while the jets skis are racing down our starboard side to play with the waves now bouncing off the retaining wall by the East River Drive. "CUE THE GUNS": (that's right, GUNS!) Two inflatables with mounted and manned gun turrets on their bows race up to the jet skis and wave them away from the  retaining walls. There was no nonsense to be had. The vessels stared at us. (needless to say, I didn't take a picture of that) We were a little alarmed until we realized we were by the UN. General Assembly in town? no just Nip and Hill! On to the South Street Seaport and as we passed the helipad..."CUE THE HELICOPTER": it flew out at us clearing ouroutriggers by what felt like ten feet. The pilot was wearing aviators and a lovely pink and blue striped shirt. That's how low he was to us. We rounded the Battery "CUE THE HIGHSPEED FERRIES: CUE THE STATEN ISLAND FERRY: CUE THE HELICOPTER: CLEAR THE STATUE OF TOUR BOATS": AND SUDDENLY ALL THE FERRYS AND THE TOUR BOATS WERE GONE AND WE WERE ALONE WITH THAT MAGNIFICENT STATUE.

We headed up the Hudson and as we reached the Chelsea Piers, the fire boat that had been sitting there quietly, exploded with water spraying all their hoses at once. CUE THE FIREBOAT, NIP AND HILL ARE HERE!

We found our way to the Newport Marina, tied up, washed down, tidied up and spent the rest of the day watching the scenery change from bright sunlight glinting off of buildings, to sunset colors reflected in the glass towers of Manhattan, to the night lights of the city. The river calmed, the helicopters stopped, the planes were fewer and the stars did come out. Neither of us wanted to end this spectacular day. It has truly been an excellent adventure and we were sad that so much of it is already behind us.

Monday, September 21st:

Time to return to reality. We were  off to our respective trains. Nip headed home to his office, I headed into the city. Everything came like clockwork for both of us. CUE THE PATH, CUE THE TRAIN, CUE THE SUBWAY....CUE NORA.

We can't wait for the next leg!

Side Trips: Up the Hudson and around the Island

Friday, September 25:

This was a day that we had been planning for a long time, going up the Hudson River. We originally wanted to spend the night in Kingston, NY and really explore. Bob Woods told me about Bannerman Island, an island with the remains of a castle that was built by some Highlander many years ago and fell into rubbles from an explosion. I had read about Haverstraw, where they made all the bricks for the buildings in Manhattan until there was a major collapse of the town from over mining and the need for bricks diminished. I read a great blog about going up the Hudson and where to stay. As the day approached, we decided to just do one day on the Hudson and save the journey up for a time when we could go all the way to Lake Champlain. So we gathered a group of friends, (Goss', Dillons, Danas) met at the boat at 1:00PM right when I got off work and ventured out.

The plan was to get as far north as Westpoint. The wind was blowing quite a bit up to 20-25 knots and coming out of the north on a rising tide. That means the wind was blowing against the flow of the water and making for some very choppy seas. But I am thinking it will get better as we head north and get more protected. Well, with the wind out of the north and the river running  north/south... guess what? No protection! As a matter of fact it got worse the further north we went until just north of the George Washington Bridge dipping our bow into almost 4 foot swells coming at equal intervals, we turned around and headed for the sights at the mouth of the harbor. The Hudson River has been going through some amazing changes on the New Jersey side. There are some wonderful towns that have been built right on the water, great looking town houses with access to water taxis that head for Manhattan. And the Hoboken train station is spectacular looking from the water. Lots of marinas with beautiful boats. new Jersey has a much more thriving boating community than NYC. We poked in and waved to young Tommy Dillon at the seawall. His project looks fabulous. and then off to the Statue of Liberty.

No matter how many times you see this woman, her size and majesty get you. And for the golfers on the boat, we snuck in around Liberty Island back towards Liberty Point to see the golf house where the PGA played in Jersey City. That was amazing. The golf house is all glass and designed to look like the bow of a ship. On the left ia a picture of the guys on the stern with the golf house in the backround. We poked around Ellis island and danced with the ferries and trust me when I say that they lead! Water taxis, Staten Island ferries, helicopters, barges anchored off the Battery with their tugs...waiting. Huge cargo ships coming under the Varrazano Narrows Bridge. Lots of comercial traffic. At 5:00PM we went back to the marina to drop off the Goss' and pick up Michael and Anne Smith and out we went again. Past the Statue, around the Battery and up the East River which was very protected. Still, there was lots of commercial traffic, ferries, water taxis, heicopters taking off over our heads, barges and of course, the Coast Guard standing guard of off the UN building. This time the bigger boat made it's way over to us. This time there were no guns, just a friendly request to stay clear of the UN and navigate on the east side of the East River. No problem, we were just leaving anyway. Back down the river we went and after a quick jaunt up the Hudson staying below the heavier swells, we worked our way back to the marina. Anne, as always, came laden down with fabulous cheeses and sausages, crackers and nuts. We all had a cocktail enjoying the view from the boat of the Mahattan and Jersey City skyline and then up to the restaurant for a fabulous dinner. Walt Willey was sitting at the bar with a friend and I finally got to say to him, "I get it! I completely understand why you would want to live in Jersey City." We waved everyone Goodnight. (Thanks for dinners, guys!) and back to "that" boat we went for the night.

Saturday, September 26th:
We had one more excursion planned for Mahattan. I wanted to take a little girl to the Statue of Liberty who had no idea how big it really was. She thought it was two inches tall because that's how big it looked from her bedroom window. On Friday morning on my way to the boat, I pulled into Chelsea Piers to find out if there was a place where you could pick up and discharge passengers. After all Manhattan is an island, right? You might think so, but you can't there from there! I went into Surf Side 3, which is the marina there and made arrnagements to pick up my precious cargo. He needed to know the size of the boat so he could make sure that there was room available. When I told him the size of our boat, "a 35 foot side console Contender" he looked at me and said, "Is that your tender?" (For those of you who don't know, a tender is a dinghy for a large yacht.) my answer, "Well its tender to me." So Saturday morning, after cleaning up, washing, refueling and refilling the water tanks, we went over to Surf Side 3 at the Chelsea piers to pick up Lauri Hogan, Bari Halle (LA friend), David Brooks and 5 year old daughter Ruthie. The day was beautiful. What wind there had been the day before had subsided and the river was much calmer, a perfect day for tootling around. During the night 5 cruise ships had come into the harbor. There were three at the main docks by 40th street, one at the Brooklyn yard and another in Bayonne. I couldn't wait to show Ruthie the sights and Ruthie couldn't wait to go below and jump on the bed. After some coaxing we got her back to the sights. Again there was the Statue of Liberty, only this time it was a whole new reaction. Ruthie was amazed but it was Bari who never having seen the statue before, got tears in her eyes and was overwhelmed. We hung out by the helipads and waited for helicopters to take off and land over us. We dodged the taxis and ferries and laughed at the ferries that were listing because everyone was standing to one side to see the statue. Up the East River, we hung out under the bridges while the trains passed overhead. That was really cool. But the highlight was watching a seaplane head for the UN building getting lower and lower until I thought we were going to watch another disaster. We didn't. It landed without ruffling the feathers of the Coast Guard, so I guess they were expecting the arrival. We had so much fun on a beautiful day, but there were birthday parties to rush off to so back to Chelsea Piers to drop everyone off. Thank you Scott at Marine Max for the dock space. We waved good-bye and headed back to the marina. The next time we would leave, it would be for good. We had a great time in Manhattan, but it's time. New horizons. Can't wait!

4th Leg: Manhattan to Annapolis

Tuesday, September 29th:
It's time to say "Good-Bye" to Manhattan and Jersey City. Nip and I meet at the boat at noon. He takes the train from home, I take the PATH from NYC. We are gassed, watered, supplied and pumped. The day is over cast and the wind is gusting up to 25 knots from the west. This will make for a rough crossing of New York Harbor, but once we get in the lee of Sandy Hook which is 40 minutes or so away, we should be fine. We pass under the Varrazano-Narrows Bridge and sure enough, it's a bit of a roller coaster. The wind is blowing water up over the bow when we hit a rough one. The spray sneaks in between the T-top and the isenglass showering us with a fine spray. We are safe, but wet. Finally we sneak into the lee of Sandy Hook and we are golden. It's still windy and the sky is still dark and cloudy, but the seas are much calmer only 1 to 2 footers instead of the three to four footers that we had before. (That is a compromise in height. Nip said they were more like three footers; I said they were more like ten footers... I exagerate so I compromise on two to four footers.)We run in the Manesquam Inlet, entering the unofficial Intercoastal Waterway and wind our way up the river, sneak into the canal that connects to Barnegat Bay and are happy to tie up to the Bay Head Yacht Club. Thank you, John Kissel. We had a lovely nap, dinner inside the glass as it was still quite windy and snuggled below for an early evening. We had a long day coming up.

Wednesday, September 30th:
We got up early and headed to the gas docks to fill and run. Nip had stopped off the night before and arranged that we would be there at 7:00AM when they opened. We had a long run down the coast and we were hoping that if we left early enough we might make some progress before the wind picked up. Lucky for us it was going to be out of the west again which meant we could run in the lee of the land. Makes for calmer seas. We arrived at the dock, coffee in hand.... no one. Finally after fifteen minutes or so we untied and pulled away. The man came running out and we went back to the dock. He said, "I thought you were bringing the big boat." Our response, "This is the big boat." I think we have a theme here.

We stayed inside the ICW, which is a series of narrow waterways inside the shorline. We are making great time, but decide to head out to sea. We make an attempt at the inlet at the end of Long Beach Island called Little Egg Inlet. The chart says 19 feet of water, the GPS says 19 feet of water, but Nip notices that we are kicking up sand. No thank you, we'll wait until Atlantic City. So back inside we went and thank God we did. I wouldn't have wanted to miss the beauty of the bird sanctuary. This is a narrow channel that you can cruise at a nice speed. The birds are everywhere and we had no other boaters in sight. Just the marsh grass, the water, the markers and the birds.   (Side note: That night in Soundings Magazine, Nip read an article about a 40 foot catamarran that ran aground at Little Egg Inlet and the passengers were airlifted to safety.)

We could see Atlantic City from 14 miles away. The land is so flat and then suddenly there are these tall buildings. This is of Harrahs. It's for you, Laurie. The tables miss you! LOL! This channel was very well marked compared to the unmarked previous channels. Out and around the point and there was the Boardwalk in all it's glory. We stayed outside for the rest of the trip, making very good time. Wow, New Jersey has some beautiful beaches! A flock (?) of pelicans flew over us. Pelicans? Had no idea that they summered this far north. We left Bay Head at 7:15 AM and arrived at Cape May at 12:15PM. Five hours is remarkable considering how much of the trip was on the inside. Cape May Harbor, major home of the Coast Guard) is a tricky place. Lots of sand bars everywhere. The marina where we were putting in was at the entrance of the Cape May Canal, a waterway that empties into the Delaware north of the mouth of the river. It saves you a lot of struggle with the current. We called to the marina and they guided us past marker 14 headed due north for marker 16 then take a sharp left and hug the wall then a 90 degree turn to the right at the entrance. But once inside it was quiet and calm. We gassed up, watered up, Nip washed and I reorganized. Two sailboats pulled in next to us. One was a catamarran. This couple had attempted to head up the Delaware to make the C&D Canal. (Chesapeak and Delaware Rivers) The wind was on their nose blowing against the tides and they were banging so much they turned around and came back. He told us that the Friday we had tried to go up the Hudson, he had been out to sea trying to get to Cape May fighting eleven foot waves that broke under the hull. NO THANK YOU! The other sailboat was a big roomy mono-hull. They are heading for the Exumas ultimately. After a discussion with both captains, the decision was that Thursday wouldn't bring the right winds, but Thursday night the wind was to shift and blow out of the south. That would be good to go up the river. You also want to accomplish this on a rising tide. Dead low on Friday is 12:00 noon ..or so. We made the decision to go home and get some things done while we could. We battoned down the hatches and headed for home for a night. We'll return Thursday night and give ourselves until Sunday to make Annapolis with the right tide, current and wind.

Friday, October 2nd:
We returned to the boat at Utsch's Marina in Cape May late Thursday night ready to depart with the slack tide around 12:00PM the next day. There was lots to do until then. We replaced some lines, did some sightseeing, grocery shopped and returned the rental car.

That's me on the streets of Cape May and Nip standing at the beach with the lighthouse in the backround. It's a beautiful town and definitely worth spending time there. But we were getting antsy to go. Had we known what was in store for us, we might have hung around for another day. The wind was still blowing but it was coming out of the south which would blow us up Delaware Bay. Although a southerly wind would be on our nose for the trip down the Chesapeake to Annapolis, we didn't feel that the tide would be a great factor as it is more river in the Upper Chesapeake.  We would assess when we got there. Of course we left before slack tide so the tide was still dropping. That put wind against tide. It does ruffle the water a bit.

We passed through the Cape May Canal which is the best way to circumvent the currents at the opening of the Delaware and drew a straight line for the Ship John Shoal Light. We left the canal at 10:45AM. The Delaware is the most boaring  body of water. I am sure on a good day with no wind it is probably beautiful. But it is very shallow so you are watching for fish traps and crab pots and in the following sea that we had, it was a very rolling gray experience. We passed other boats that left before us and I know I was glad that we were on our boat. We were going to get out of this faster. The main shipping channel of the Delaware is marked by large lighthouses and enormous square blocks of rock so that tugs and cargo vessels can see it in any tide.

We made it to the C&D Canal at 12:15. Once in the canal we were sheltered from the gusting wind and the water flattened to glass.

We passed Chesapeake City on the Maryland side of the canal. We had thought of staying there for the night and moving to Annapolis the next day. But it was only 12:30 and we knew we only had 48 more miles to go to Annapolis. We were comfortable to move on. It is amazing the difference between the two bays. Obviously the Delaware is far more commercial as it services Philadelphia and Wilmington, two major cities. The upper Chesapeake is fed from the Susquehanna River which starts up in Cooperstown New York and enters the Chesapeake at Havre de Grace. There isn't as much major commercial traffic until you get closer to the rivers that feed Baltimore and Annapolis.... or there wasn't much traffic that day at least. We never encountered any commercial traffic coming through the canal. We had it all to ourselves. Anyway, the Chesapeake had houses along the shore with lots of inlets and little rivers. There were sailboats out and pleasure crafts. There was more to look at. It really is lovely until we passed Swan Pt. About ten miles north of the Bay Bridge,as we came from around a point of land, the wind hit us. It was no longer the 10-15 kt gust we had experienced. This was more like 20-25kts. About 8 miles north of the bridge, the waves increased to 5+ feet which isn't a problem except for the intervals between waves were very short because of the shallowness of the bay. Our clue that we were going to be in trouble should have been when we passed a dinghy floating in the water with it's blue canvas still on it. "Oh Look Nip, someone lost there dinghy." It had blown off someone's boat. And then we were in it. By the time we rode one wave down the next wave was on us before our bow could come up sending water up over our bow and against the windshield and isenglass. I put down the chart and Nip handled the navigation from the GPS. There was no reading of bouys! I even calmly asked Nip if it was time for the life jackets. He just smiled. Please know.... we were fine. It wasn't scary, it was just uncomfortable and really slow going. We could have always turned around and put the seas at our stern and run like little school girls. We started traversing the waves rather than taking than straight on. We were still making headway, but slower. Just then a Hinkley 55 foot Talaria with a fly bridge came up from behind us and passed us. Perfect! Nip tucked right in behind him and the world was a different place. Once under the bridge, it calmed a little more. But it was interesting to see boats of varying sizes all running for the safety of Annapolis. This was not forcast and you could see that we were not the only ones taken by surprise. We pulled into our marina, the Chesapeake Harbor Marina and saw the Hinckley already tied up and getting washed down. We thanked the captain for paving the way for us. One of the passengers said that he had had a few fillings shake loose. The weather report for the next day was supposed to be more of the same with rougher seas. The people on the Hinckley showered packed up and flew off to where ever. They weren't going on. We decided that we would stay in Annapolis and explore.  While we washed down the entire boat with fresh water and repacked everything that had gone flying down below, a woman named Kim who worked on some of the boats in the marina doing bright work came by wanting to know where in Maine we were from. She was from Maine as well. When we told her where we were heading, her response? "Are you trailering it from here?" Ah Yes! Another "on THAT boat" moment. The wind howled that night but we were snug and protected in our little slip.

Saturday, October 3rd:

It was a gorgeous day. We had slept late. We walked around the marina and explored down to the beach. The sun was shining. The wind was quiet and the bay was flat calm! Are you kidding me? Even the guy at the marina said, "This wasn't in the forecast."We had already made plans to go into the town and we decided to stick with it. Annapolis is a quaint and historic town. It is the home of the Naval Academy and they were hosting the Navy-Air Force game that day. The place was hopping. We had soft shell crabs at Buddy's Crab House and walked the historic area called "the barracks" which has nothing to do with the military. We found a house where people dressed in the period and talked about life back in the beginning of the town. We walked through the Naval Academy.

But the highlight was sitting at the end of a watered cul de sac watching the boats come in an turn around without hitting anyone or each other. It's called Ego Alley and it was total entertainment. We watched a guy in a 50 foot Chris Craft launch misjudge his turn and sideswipe a 65 foot Viking sport fishing boat that had the misfortune to be tied up right at the end. I am sure he was from out of town and had no idea why he had the good fortune of finding this perfect place to tie up. I am sure when he came back to his boat and saw what was going on right around him, he would have died. It was so much fun. Boats of every size were strutting their stuff and making the 360 degree turn in very tight quarters some more successfully than others. Thus the name of Ego Alley. Unfortuntely "Bruised Ego" Alley for some. The day was spectacular and there were boats everywhere. That night we walked to the beach and sat out on a pier. The moon was full, the wind puffed lightly, the water was like glass and boats were still coming and going. It was breathtaking! So much for the 30kt gusts and the 5+ foot seas.

Sunday, October 4th:

It was another gorgeous day, but windy. It didn't matter; it was time for us to head home. We packed up and headed off sad to be leaving our Rum Drop.

The 5th Leg: The Hateful Chesapeake to Beautiful Spring Island,SC

Thursday, October 15th:
Nip and I drive to Newark Airport, park and take the monorail to the train station. He hops a train for Baltimore and I hop the train for Manhattan. Barb, our lovely cab driver that we met in Annapolis last trip, picks him up at BWI station and takes him to the boat. I take the subway to the studio. Our plan is to meet the next day when I take the 2:00PM train to Baltimore after work. It's raining and there is talk of a double Nor'easter coming up the coast. We think it will hit on Friday, be clear on Saturday, giving us a chance to run to Norfolk and be in the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway) before the next one hits on Sunday.   

Friday, October 16th:

Barb drops me at the boat around 5:00PM in the pouring rain. God bless Nip! He has already stowed away all the frozen food and groceries I ladened him with. He filled the boat with gas, water and oil which required him to untie and travel in this horrible weather to another marina and then come back. Thank you, Captain! We decide to eat at Sam's, the restaurant in the marina and go to bed early excited for our next adventure.

Saturday, October 17th: That's me in the morning happy with a cup of coffee before we head out to Norfolk. Nip is donned in foul weather gear preparing for our departure.We have decided to take it easy and work our way slowly. If we decide to stop for the night then we will. We have plenty of time... or so we think.

We set off around 10:00AM. It is still spitting and COLD! There was a lot of condensation on the isenglass (The plastic-like enclosure that encloses the main sitting area and helm) We put on our foul-weather gear over many layers of clothes and head out. It's very damp and spitting. As we head out of the marina, there are sailboats going out for a race. (I swear they are nuts) and the chop doesn't seem too bad. We follow as close as we dare to remain in the lee of the land. The Chesapeake has many shoals (shallow waters) and we don't want to hit them. Staying in the channel puts us in deeper water, but more exposed to the wind which was blowing from the NNE at 15-20kts with gusts up to 25kts. The waves start to increase in size from 3-4 to 4-5 feet just before the mouth of the Potomac. But theses waves are weird. They are only about 100 feet wide and range about 3 seconds apart. Their height varies. Nip found that as they got bigger he was able to start navigating around them. It was hard to see the bouys and after three hours of this, I said, "Okay, we have reached Smith Point,"  which was our halfway mark. We decided to take a breather and work our way over to the western shore and find a nice cozy marina. We headed up the Great Wilmico River into a town called Reedville. There we found a great little place called the Fairpoint Marina at $1.00 a foot. It had a restaurant called The Cull Ring Dockside Bar and Grill.

As we were tying up, Nip steps off the boat and loses his shoe. He did retrieve it, but it was cold and wet! The little side creek that we were on was blissfully calm. There is a fish processing plant here that takes fish and makes by-products like Omega pills and whatnot. This is the view from our stern toward the plant.We loaded up with gas, plugged in and when asked about the cable TV, Mary Rittenhouse, the owner, pointed to the TV over the bar and said "Here you go!!" And there we went. Watched some football and ate some of the most delicious baked oysters, soft shell crabs, fried onion rings and a big ole juicy burger for me all with a glass of wine while watching college football. Pretty civilized! We fell into bed early and decided that we would make another attempt the next day if the weather stayed the same and didn't get worse. It blew so hard that night it whistled. We turned on the heat watched a DVD and fell fast asleep.

Sunday, October18th:  It was time to try it again. The little cove we were on was flat calm. It looked windy when we saw the tops of the masts nearby, but the wind had shifted out of the NNW and we were sure that we could find a leaward run. A man loading his sailboat nearby said that he and his wife had gone home and were planning to start again on Monday afternoon after the storm had passed. So we waved "Good-bye" and off we went. We got about one mile outside of the safety of the harbor and turned around and came back. The sea was running with us, but the waves were bigger than the day before, and we knew we had to cross the 3 mile entrance to the Rappahanock River where the wind would have a chance to really build the waves. Coming back inside took us a little longer and I was thrilled to be back!!! We retied up behind the research vessel "Chinook" and headed into the Cull Ring. Our day was spent watching football, having some wine, napping, walking and then back to the Cull Ring for evening football and a cocktail. It was all you can eat crab day! It was a very relaxing time and we caught up on some much needed sleep and ate ourselves silly. By evening's end which was early for us, the gang at the restaurant were our long lost friends. So here's a shout out to Mary Rittenhouse, Lotoya Jackson (for real!) Eayolanda Basker, Judy and Rick and Brenda Lee Jackson owner of the Historical Lancaster Tavern. And to the town undertaker who preferred to be called, "the post terminally ill facilitator" or something like that. I rember his jokes better.

The girls and me.                                                                                                  Nip with Mary

Monday, October 19th:

We were ready to go. I was a little reluctant as the wind was still howling. The two research vessels were trying to head out as well. Chinook went out to take a look. He radioed back that he was returning. The seas were still too rough. Upon his return, the captain filled us in. It was too rough for him to do his work, but for us to head to Norfolk, he thought we could make it.... in THAT boat! Now there's a vote of confidence. At least the sun was shining. We donned our foul weather gear and off we went. We stayed in close as we could to shore and it wasn't bad. We were running point to point and making some good headway. This was definitely better than Saturday or Sunday, but still quite rough. The wind was dying down. It was only 10-15kts. Hey, that's an improvement. Just as we were crossing the Rappahanock, a 6 plus footer loomed up in front of us just as we were recovering from a previous wave and bam! a huge amount of water came flying over the bow and crashed through the isenglass. Thankfully the below hatch was closed. Charts were wet, clothes were wet since I had my gear open for ventilation. You are only as strong as your weakest link  and the stitching on the isenglass was blown out. It took out our front windshield and two side panels. I tried to put it back into place, but the wind was too strong. I tried to roll the glass up so that it would get the least resistence, but the glass was so cold it wouldn't roll tightly and my hands were too small. So I took the wheel while Nip struggled with the glass. We still had two more miles across the river and then a huge bay called Mobjack Bay to cross where we knew it would be just as bad if not worse. Let's make this long, tedious, horrible crossing of the Bay that shall remain nameless short and say that we limped into Norfolk around 1:00PM.

As soon as we crossed the break water the waves died down to 1-2ft and the wind calmed to 5-10kts. We tied up at the Tidewater Marina on the Portsmouth side and called a canvas company to come and stitch up the isenglass. We had managed to lose our bow thruster as well, but that was a luxury we could do without. Angel from Canvas and More by: Little Bay drove over, picked up the panels and by the time that we had finished washing down the boat, gassing up, making lunch and washing and drying all the towels and outerclothes, they were back with our glass and we were ready to rock. We pulled out of the marina into the flat calm ICW at Mile Marker 0 and headed for the Great Lock and the Great Lock Bridge. They only open on the hour and we didn't care if we made it. We were just so happy to have everything repaired and clean and DRY! And the temperature was now a wonderful 62.  We passed the active battleships and the forgotten ones. There they were row after row. Amazing!

On the way down the Elizabeth River which is part of the ICW, there is a fork. You can head west and south on the Dismal Swamp route or you can continue on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River. We chose the Southern Branch. But on our way we passed a lovely 48 foot flybridge with an Ocean Reef Burgee. We waved and talked briefly sharing that we were also headed to Ocean Reef. Basically their response was..."In THAT boat?" We lost them at the next bridge which they had to wait to have open. We lowered the outriggers and slipped right under. Buh BYE, Mr OR! We happened upon the Great Bridge lock at 4:45PM. We called to the lock on the radio and they told us to pull right in behind the tug on the south side. As soon as we tied up, Cue the Lock Gates. We were in the lock with a large tug with no burden and to the north side were three small tugs pushing and pulling a long barge with dredging pipes. This is a sight we would see often in the Great Ditch (ICW).

The evening sun was coming through the trees giving the water a wonderful orange glow. It was our prize after a long and arduous day. It was just beautiful. We pulled into the Atlantic Yacht Basin right after the locks and happily hunkered down for the night. Our stern faced the locks and for as long as the locks operated while we were awake we didn't see Mr.OR.

Tuesday, October 20th:

MM 12: The seasmoke was spectacular in the dawn. We woke up to dew on the boat and the dock was slippery with frost. We layered up and included the foul weather gear for retaining body warmth. We headed out to experience the most beautiful part of the trip. The ICW through VA, NC and SC has to be some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. All we could do was drink it in as we pushed hard for the next two days. Since we lost two days on the bay that shall remain nameless, we had to put in long days to make it to Beaufort,SC by Thursday. At least we knew the weather would be good and the seas would be relatively calm. We only had Albemarle Sound to worry about. So down the Virginia cut we went. At the Centerville Swing Bridge we ran into Mr. OR again. That's where we waited about 20 minutes for the bridge to open. There was no sliding under this time. Four or five boats patiently waited. We faced the boat into the rising sun while we waited and melted the dew on the isenglass. Right at 8:30AM, the bridge swung open and we waved good-bye and sped on. This is where we passed places with names like Pungo Ferry and Coinjock. And suddenly, we were in North Carolina. Albemarle Sound was flat calm and the scenery was spectacular.

We went across the Albemarle Sound into the Alligator River down the Pungo Canal and stopped in BellHaven for gas at MM:136. (Mile Markers are how the ICW is measured. Norfolk is MM:0) All along the way the scenery ranges from desolate to incredibly developed. Down the Neuse River into Adams Creek and finally stopping in Morehead City/ Beaufort, NC at the Morehead City Yatch Basin. As we turned into our marina, we saw Mr OR behind us heading off to the Beaufort side. I guess we'll see him in the morning.  We were at MM:236.5    We had traveled 222.5 miles that day. Not bad!     

                                           (Above is a pic of our gas stop. It's a typical little filling spot on the ICW. )

Wednesday, October 21st:

MM:236.5

In the morning there was more dew and condensation. I had to keep the foul-weather gear over the charts so as it melted it wouldn't rain down and drench the charts. We had to decide whether we stayed on the ICW or go "outside" to make up time. "Outside" means going out into the ocean. I was so happy zipping through the canals and slipping past the marsh grasses, I couldn't bear the idea of three hours of ocean travel with barely anything to look at. So we decided to stay inside. I am so glad we did. Camp Lejeune is the marine base in the area. It goes from MM:235 to MM:246. There are warnings that the Marines can close down the ICW without any forwarning for artillery practice and/or amphibious landings. Artillery practice could close the ICW for a few hours; the landings could close for a day or more. What? So we kept going and breathed a sigh of relief when we came across the warning sign and it wasn't flashing. So down the New River we went. We happened along the artillery portion as turned over burned out tanks lined the south side of the canal. A car, a truck and a few other randomly strewn targets. Suddenly Nip calls out, "What the Hell is that?" It was the weirdest thing. It looked at first like a big black bear splashing around. No it was bigger. It looked like Captain Nemo's the Nautilus with a jet wake behind it. It was crossing the river right in front of us. As it started to come out on the north bank we realized that it was a tank! These were the marines doing their amphibious landings! Just as we got close, another one plopped into the water. It was so cool. We slipped between them and continued down the river. I didn't want to take a picture of a military maneuver. Now I am sorry I didn't. We stopped for gas once we were out of the river and could hear the artillery fire starting. I think we might have timed that just perfectly. Ah Yes! After our experience on the Bay that shall remain nameless, we were being rewarded with another round of : CUE THE MARINES, CUE THE SHRIMP BOATS, CUE THE DOLPHINS. Did I forget to mention our constant companions along the way, pods of Bottlenose Dolphin.

We passed Mr OR only one more time. He was coming in from the ocean to gas up as we were passing the inlet to continue on the ICW. We never saw him again. Maybe next leg.We continued on past Cape Fear and Bald Head Island with it's enormous dunes.Through Snow's Cut and eventually into Little River MM: 343. All along the way there are interesting bridges, some of them opening only on the hour, some open when you signal. We only had to pay attention to a few as we could slip under the rest. Sailboats had to pay attention to every single one. Yikes!

The final stretch of water for us that day was the Pine Island Cut. This is a stretch where there are a lot of developments. Of course it parallels the Myrtle Beach coastline and therefor is very desireable... or it would be in a better economy , I suppose. There are a lot of fancy marinas that offer golf and restaurants and other neat amenities. But also along this stretch, the shores of this rather narrow cut is rocky. There are some outcroppings of rocks that one must keep in mind while navigating. Apparently, some people didn't, or the recent nor'easter did a number because we passed a stretch where boats were washed up, hung up and otherwise abandonned in this stretch.

It was getting late and we needed gas. After calling ahead, we decided to pull into the Marina at Grand Dunes. MM:357.We loaded up watered up, showered and had a lovely dinner with cocktails. It was a long day. We had traveled only 121 miles in 9 hours. We had another 200 mile day in front of us.

This is a picture of our butler preparing cocktails in Myrtle Beach.

Thursday, October 22nd: (Happy Birthday to Jay Hynes!!) We got up at 6:00AM and waited until we saw some light in the sky. We wanted an early start. When we pulled out of the marina we had our running lights on and a spotlight to guide us. This day was a magical day. I can't begin to describe the beauty that we saw. We cruised towards Charleston passing the Isle of Palms which had been totally destroyed by Hugo. It's been rebuilt in a big way. Across the ICW is Goat Island which was inhabited by a hermit, his wife and their herd of goats until 1961 when they died. Today there are a few summer cottages on the island. It's still only accesible by boat. The ICW empties out into Charleston Harbor. We shot across the shipping lanes below the Battery Park area where the beautiful mansions are and slipped back into the ICW deciding to get gas further on.

We had been to Charleston by land once, it was equally as beautiful by sea.  But nothing compared to what we were about to see. The Lowlands of South Carolina are the most magnifcent vistas. There are endless rivers winding through marsh grass some with a purple flowering grass. These rivers empty into bigger rivers. Or if you head up the rivers wind down to creeks suppoting birds and turtles and fish of remarkable beauty. We stopped for gas at a small place on Mosquito Creek called B&B Seafood. A shrimper was tied at the dock, some work being done. We pulled in behind it. It was a sort of do-it-yourself place. Nip pumped the gas, and I went up to mark the number of gallons as we were filling all three tanks and needed to know how much went into each tank to calculate the correct ounces of additives. I turned around to signal to Nip and I felt myself gasp. Nip was sitting on the side of the boat while filling the tank, his shirt off taking in the sun which was reflecting off of the perfectly flat water. The marsh grass was blowing gently in the almost imperceptible breeze as two dolphin broke the surface of the perfectly calm water off of our bow and swam out the creek toward the white shrimp boat waiting patiently in the distance it's rigging high in the cloudless azure blue sky. I didn't have my camera, but I will always see that picture when I think of this trip. We crossed the Stono River, the North Edisto, the South Edisto and finally made out way down the Beaufort River to Beaufort, SC. At Port Royal we headed up the Chechesse River into the Colleton River where our friends the Crossmans were waiting for us on Charlie Menker's dock at Spring Island. (Thank you, Charlie!). The big surprise was Aunt Nina Jennings being there to greet us. We had been at her dock in Maine just two months ago telling her of our trip and there she was on another dock in South Carolina watching us again arrive on our boat. What a perfect greeting! It was a little after 4:00 PM. We had been traveling for 8 hours and had done 200 miles.

Billy and Ali Crossman took such good care of us. Back at their beautiful house we did our laundry, stowed our food, showered and were treated to the most incredible dinner of steamed oysters in a shallot, vinegar wine sauce, pulled Boston Butt, roasted potatoes, green beans and a dessert that truly knocked our socks off. (The bourbon sauce on the chocolate souffle might have had something to do with that) But the highlight was having their daughter,Padget and her friends there. We went to bed clean, full, happy and tired! The next morning we were off to Charleston Airport for our flight back home. Thank you, Crossmans! You are the best! We will  see you next week!

Rum Drop in Spring Island, SC

                                                                                                                         MM:556