Martha's Vineyard to Plymouth, MA - 9/1/02 thru 9/3/02
It's time to go. The winds were still 20-25 knots, but at least they were from the right direction and they were forecasted to drop in the afternoon.  So we pulled up anchor and we're headed for Provincetown, MA to do some whale watching.  Our first task was to time going thru Woods Hole.   Woods Hole is a cut thru the southern end of Cape Cod and an island.  It separates two large bodies of water and as a result of this and tidal changes, lots of current flows thru.  So you need to time things correctly in order to ensure a safe passage.  In fact we just read about a boat that thought he was on the right course, but didn't realize the current had pushed him out of the channel and he ran onto the rocks.   So one must stay alert while transiting.   We made it thru safely and had a great sail on Buzzard's Bay enroute to the Cape Cod Canal.   Arrived at the Canal with the current still in our favor so we motored thru at a fast pace.  All was well until we came to the end of the canal.  The winds were still 20 plus and because they were coming right down the canal, and opposing the current, the waves at the end were very steep.  So Early Out took quite a beating for about 200 yards until we could get out of the canal.  I cringed every time we'd "crash" on a wave and the whole boat would shutter and come to a complete stop.  I was very happy to get out of there.  The wind direction didn't change, as was predicted, so if we continued to head towards Provincetown, we'd have to beat into it.  So what the heck, we consulted the cruising guide and decided to head to Plymouth, MA instead, a nice beam reach.  We had a wonderful sail there.  Good decision on our part.

We arrived in Plymouth late in the afternoon, so we decided to anchor out behind Clark Island, where the Pilgrims once anchored the Mayflower, then go into the town of Plymouth in the morning since we would have to pay for a mooring there.  Unfortunately on our sail over, George (our wind generator) became ill.  He started squeaking very badly so we shut him off.  Guess all that exercise he got in Martha's Vineyard wore him out.  We anchored, took him down and put him on the surgical table for a closer examination.  After several minutes of consulting the surgical manual and poking and prodding, it appeared that one of the magnets in the unit was loose.  Whew, nothing too serious.  After a few days, hopefully he'll be up and working again as we really miss him.

While in Plymouth we were able to hook up with some cruising friends.  The fun started over breakfast with John & Gayle from Southpaws.  Since they had a car, they kindly offered to take us around.  So we went to the hardware store,  West Marine and grocery which is where we stocked up on lots of heavy things.  That was so kind of them.   The next day we had lunch with Bob & Joanne from Alize.  It was a great afternoon of sharing stories and laughs.

In between visiting with friends, we checked out several of the historical sites and museums.  Of course, we had to see Plymouth Rock which is believed to the be landing place of the Pilgrims.   And the Mayflower II which is a replica of the ship that carried Pilgrims to the New World.  We visited several museums.  The wax museum was well done and gave you a good overview of what the Pilgrims journey from England to landing at Plymouth was like.  The Pilgrim Hall museum is the Nation's oldest museum with the most complete collection of authentic Pilgrim possessions.   We also visited Coles Hill which is the place secret night burials of those who died during the settlement's first bitter winter took place.  Corn was planted over their unmarked graves so that the Native Americans would not know how many had perished.

Plymouth Rock

Mayflower II - replica of the original

Scene from the Wax Museum

Brewster Gardens
The brook you see in the above picture is where the Indians caught herring which they taught the Pilgrims to place in each hill of corn for fertilizer.  The Pilgrims produced an abundant crop which resulted in the Thanksgiving celebration of 1622 from which our national holiday has developed.  The reeds which grew here were used by the Pilgrims for thatching their first buildings.

Facilities we found in Plymouth:
* Moorings available thru the Plymouth Yacht Club - $40/night - includes launch service.  Hail them on VHF 8.
* Lots of history here.  Some excellent museums to check out as well as the Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock.
* Library - off South Street
* Grocery - big Save-a-Lot grocery in the area, but not within walking distance.
* Laundry - one machine available at the yacht club.  Otherwise Laundromat about 3 blocks from the club.  $2/load
* Dingy dock - one by the club; another one by the Mayflower.
* Restaurants - many within walking distance
 

Plymouth, MA to Provincetown, MA - 9/4/02 thru 9/6/02
We left Plymouth in the afternoon after enjoying a real shower ashore at the yacht club.  Winds started out pretty light,  so we got out the spinnaker and managed to make good time.  We kept our eyes open for whale spouts, but unfortunately didn't see any.  We did see several large schools of tuna feeding.  In fact we got so engrossed in watching them that we forgot our fishing lure wasn't in the water yet.  Boy we missed that one!  Arrived and anchored in time to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

We were planning on doing some whale watching, but since the winds were high, we decided to finish fixing George instead.  He went from the surgical table to the beach as a good painting was required before he went back on the pole.  We put him back up in the 20 knot winds and he start working like a charm.  Way to go George!  Nice to have you back.
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Tomorrow is forecasted to be a beautiful, sunny day with lighter winds so we'll go out and hopefully see some whales.  Well, we did go out, but unfortunately didn't spot any whales.  We did notice that the whale boats were going around the Cape into deeper water, so apparently the whales moved.  It was too far for us to go and be able to get back in time to meet up with Bob & Joanne from Alize in P-town, so we headed back for the anchorage.  A couple miles from the entrance we spotted Alize - what good timing.  We followed them into the anchorage, got settled, then we all went into town to stretch our legs and checkout the sites.

That evening the four of us enjoyed another fun cocktail hour.  Then Joanne treated us to an awesome dinner.  It was delicious - what a special treat.  We had such a great time and luckily nothing got buzzed....as it did at our last get together with them.  :-)
 

Provincetown, MA - Cutty Hunk, MA - Wickford, RI - 9/7/02 thru 9/9/02
We needed to get an early start if we were going to make it all the way to Newport - at least that's what we planned.   Unfortunately the morning did not bring good things for Fred as he was feeling the affects of too much tequila.  Ouch!  But we managed to get underway.  No wind so we motored to the Cape Cod Canal.  Timed the entrance perfectly as the tide was just starting to change in our favor.  After making it thru the Canal, the winds picked up, Fred was feeling slightly better, so we decided to get in some sailing.  Since we had to beat into it, we didn't make as good of time as we hoped.  So we stopped in Cutty Hunk for the evening and will start out early tomorrow for Rhode Island.

We're heading to Rhode Island today to check out marinas up Naraganset Bay to leave Early Out in next year.  There's some tax advantages to leaving her in RI which makes the area attractive.  Our first stop was Wickford, RI.  We anchored for the evening and went ashore in the morning to checkout the three marinas there.  We really liked the one - Wickford Marina.  It had the facilities you'd want, was very clean, well protected and only 15-20 minutes from the airport so we put our name on a waiting list there.  Then we were off to Greenwich Bay - just up the Naraganset from Wickford.  The bay is home to many marinas.  To save ourselves time, we decided to anchor in the middle of the bay and dingy in.  There was a wide variety of marinas.  Some provided more facilities and were cleaner than others - but those were also more pricey.  In any case, we put our name on more waiting lists and we'll wait and see.  At least we were able to see them in person and know more what to expect.  We returned to Wickford to anchor for the evening.  Anchored next to us was a beautiful 64 ft. trawler - Bali Moto that looked brand neww.  We ended up joining them on their boat for a beer.  Their from Michigan and previously owned a sailboat.   We had lots of fun getting to know them.  Their very nice people and their boat is gorgeous!

Wickford, RI to Block Island - waiting out Hurricane Gustov before heading south - 9/10/02 thru 9/12/02
We plan to head south to the Chesapeake with John & Gayle from Southpaws and Norm & Judy from Integrity so we've been keeping in contact with them as to specific plans.  Now to complicate things is the tropical storm we've been watching has been named an official hurricane - Gustov and is about 290 miles south of us with sustained winds of 75 mph.   The strong cold front is supposed to push it further NE and out to sea so it should miss this area, but one never knows.  We all talked about the best place to ride it out and decided on Block Island.  Although its a big harbor, its well protected from all sides.  So we left Wickford in the morning, motored down the Naraganset Bay into Buzzards Bay.  Put out the sails and enjoyed a close hauled sail over to Block Island.  At least that was until the thick fog bank rolled in.  Before you knew it, we had less than 50 yd. visibility.  Fred was down below closely watching the radar while I was doing my best not to hit any lobster pots, let alone boats.  Unfortunately after we made it thru one fog bank, another was close behind it.  So our peaceful sail was not so peaceful.  At least since we were under sail so you could hear engines from power boats better.  After a close encounter with a "Fast Ferry", we made it safely to Block, topped off our diesel and grabbed a mooring.  We decided to get a mooring vs. anchoring as their moorings are weighted down with 500 lb. anchors.  And we needed something secure to ride out Hurricane Gustov.  Shortly after we arrived Southpaws & Integrity as well.  We had everyone over to our boat for cocktails that evening and had a great time.  Our face muscles hurt from laughing so much.

Enjoying a walk ashore before the storm hit - Integrity, Southpaws, Early Out

Morning came and we were all busy preparing our boats for the high winds expected later this afternoon.  It still looks like Gustov is going to stay east of us, but we'll definitely feel his affects as their forecasting winds out of the NW to be 35-40 and gusty.   We wanted to reduce windage as much as possible so we took down most of our canvas and anything else that we could.  Then we worked to secure everything, tied a safety line to the mooring in case the pennant broke, put safely lines around the genoa so it wouldn't unroll, secured the lazy jacks to prevent chafe on the sail.  Also put chafe material on all lines - especially the mooring.

4 ft. waves in the anchorage from Hurricane Gustov

One of the band of clouds from Hurricane Gustov going over us as the sun was setting

The front passed thru and the strongest wind we saw was 50 mph in gusts.  We were glad we prepared the boat as well as we did.  Unfortunately a large 42 ft. power boat broke off its mooring and  hit one of our friends boat several times before passing by them and bouncing off several other boats.  Not a good thing, but at least it didn't cause too much damage.  The next day brought better weather and we all cleaned up the boats because they had a layer of crusty salt from all the spray.  A good rain to help wash things off would have been nice.
 

Trip South - Block Island, RI; Port Jefferson, NY;  Port Washington, NY; Offshore down coast of NJ, around Cape May, up the Delaware Bay to Chesapeake City in the C&D Canal - 9/13/02 thru 9/18/02
We planned to head directly from Block Island down the coast to Cape May, but unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating as south winds, some strong, were predicted for several days.  We all got together (Southpaws, Integrity and us) for a planning session trying to figure out what the weather and seas were going to do.  The decision was made to go down Long Island Sound and thru NY instead of having to deal with the winds head on.  The hope is that by the time we're thru NY north winds will be back.   The trip thru Long Island Sound was a mixture of good and bad.  The first day was bad as the winds ended up being higher than predicted and the waves were opposing the current.  So we pounded into steep, close together waves for several hours.  No one was very happy.  Our remaining sails were much better.

The first stop on Long Island after our long day of pounding was Port Jefferson. We have stopped here several times but never had a chance to spend time in the town. Well is was not to be any different this time as we decided given the weather forecast to take off first thing in the morning and head for Port Washington to position us better for going through Hells Gate in New York's East River, a really bad spot for current.  After arriving in Port Washington the weather forecast changed again so we ended up staying 3 nights.

As it turns out Port Washington is quite a nice port and has free moorings, if you can get them. There is a grocery, West Marine and lots of places to eat within reasonable walking distance from the dinghy dock. We ended up stopping at a pizza place that sold it by the slice along with calzones and other goodies. We all had a great lunch we won't soon forget!

In the morning we were to start our 36 hour trip south.  We left just before day break. We had heard on the radio the day before that the passage on the western side of Roosevelt Island would be closed from 9AM to 5PM because the United Nations building was right there.  They were having discussions about Iraq. This would not normally be a big deal except for on the eastern side of the island there is a bridge that's only 40 ft. high off the water. Our mast is 58 ft. off the water.  The decision was made to leave extra early and fortunately we snuck through just 15 minutes before they closed it down, whew!

It really was a very sunny and pleasant day, thank goodness. I would hate to do this trip on the East River in bad weather. We were a little surprised to find that there's a rush hour on NY waterways to go along with the traffic jams we could see crossing all the bridges. Ferries were going everywhere and they only knew one speed....fast.  The hairiest part was at the southern end of Manhattan where the ferry terminal was. These 150 foot plus boats whiz in and out like nothing.  When you're in a little sailboat that only goes 7 mph, it is hard to stay out of the way of these guys and you don't always get the warm fuzzy feeling they really notice that you're there or care for that matter.

After making past the Verinzano Bridge between Brooklyn and Staten Island we proceeded out to open water and a days worth of sailing down the New Jersey coast. We start off with light winds and from behind us, but not enough to sail and make decent time. Unfortunately the flies found us for the first time. Out of nowhere, all of sudden we have a couple dozen biting flies. After an aggressive campaign, we got most of them and only left a few blood stains on the boat.

Later in the afternoon the wind picked up from a broad reach, just enough to try the spinnaker. After we put it up and were very happy to turn off the engine and we had a great sail along the Jersey coast that afternoon. We sailed so fast the flies couldn't catch us. Once the sun started to set so did the wind. We were still traveling with Southpaws and Integrity so we all adjusted our speed so that we would be near each other during the night. This helps those on watch during the dark hours to keep track of barge and freighter traffic. Three sets of eyes is always better than one.

After an uneventful night, we timed our entrance into Delaware Bay so the it was just starting to get light. We cut the corner to save almost an hour of sailing time. To do this we had to rely on some charts that we knew were not totally accurate. But with some margin for error built into our course, we made it through with no problem.

The trip up the bay started very enjoyably as the win cooperated and we sailed on a close reach for most of the morning. Unfortunately the the wind gave out which also seemed to coincide with the flies coming out again. This time they were with us for the rest of the day, yuk. We both got really good at using the fleeger patcher (German for fly swatter, sorry about the spelling mom). Sometime we would get mad and go on a rampage hitting everything that moved. Other times we would just wait for them to come to us. All in all I think the crew of Early Out came out on top with only a few blood stains to show for the mighty battle.

We hit the C&D Canal that connects the Delaware Bay/River to the Chesapeake Bay, at about 4:00 PM. Since the navigation is straight forward, and our anchorage in Chesapeake City was only a little over an hour away, we both took showers while still underway. After a long sail it sure felt good to take a hot shower and know we would sleep well tonight at anchor.

The entrance to the anchorage at Chesapeake City is a little tricky since the guide books all say to enter the right side of the channel. The fact of the matter is that if you follow their advice you will most certainly run aground. Fortunately we were traveling with some folks who had done that last year. So we learned from their mistake and stayed far left and had no problem.

Chesapeake City is a small but quaint community. A few little shops and restaurants. The Tap Room is known as one of best places to get a crab dinner. So the whole group gathered there for a feast. About half the crowd got crabs (1/2 dozen per person). The other half ate a more civilized meal and watch in amazement as the crabbers dismantled their meal.

The group just before the crabs came / Southpaws, Early Out, Persephone, Integrity

The mess that was left behind

One day, Judy's brother and wife came to visit by car. This was a great opportunity for the girls to go grocery shopping and the guys to catch up on some projects. Fred decided to re-wire our single sideband antenna cable with GTO cable to replace the coax. Apparently coax retricts the signal both receiving and sending. The next day we were talking to our friends on Dark and Stormy in Jacksonville, FLh. Norm, who has a great radio, said he could not heard Dark and Stormy and we could. Fred was excited about the improvement in our SSB performance which we rely on heavily when we're offshore and now we rely on it for our email.
 

Chesapeake City to Worten Creek - 9/21/02
We pulled out of Chesapeake City on a nice sunny day and headed for Worton Creek. We motored the first few miles until the canal gave way to the widening Chesapeake Bay. It was nice to be back in the bay but it wasn't too long until we saw our first group of pots, yuk. The wind was on the nose again from the south but the bay was relatively flat, so we had a nice closed hauled sail up the bay with Southpaws close behind and closing. They're a little faster up wind than we are but we had  a big enough lead before we started sailing that we beat them to the anchorage, but not by much. There was plenty of room and several of Norm and Judy's friends from Baltimore (Kocamo & Carolina) were there to greet us.

After Southpaws arrived, John decided to take a look at his bottom and new prop. What he found was murky water and a nettle waiting to sting him all along his side, ouch.  We all got together on Kocamo, a 36 ft. PDQ catamaran, for a cocktail party. After a few cocktails, John said the stings were all healed.

The next day Fred went ahead and dove on our bottom to scrub a months worth of scum off.  With news from John's experience, he went in with a wet suit that fully covered him from head to toe. The only thing exposed was his chin. With the very murky water of the Chesapeake the nettles are not visible until you are about a foot away. After several close calls with the sting monsters he was glad he spent the extra time getting covered in neoprene.
 

The Trio Breaks Up and Early Out goes to Gibson Island - 9/22/02
After a long journey together,  Integrity broke off from Southpaws and Early Out to visit friends in Baltimore for a week. It was sad to break up, but is was a very successful journey. One we won't soon forget.  Persephone lead the way to the Magothy River where we would eventually pick up Debbie's dad on Gibson Island. After another upwind sail where Southpaws really showed why Sabres have such a great reputation as a great sailing boat, we ended up in one of our favorite anchorages just off Gibson Island. It is very well protected with a nature preserve on one side and a horse farm on the other with a large white house with pillars up on the hill.  Very sarene and peaceful.

The next day Southpaws and Persephone headed to Annapolis while we stayed to await the arrival of Debbie's Dad. Again, a sad parting of ways, but we had lots to look forward to and prepare for with company coming.  We really like traveling with other boats but it seems like there's always something to do when your with other people which leaves no time for projects, cleaning and maintenance.
 

A visit from Debbie's Dad - Gibson Island, Up the Chester River to Lankford/Davis Creek, Sail to Swan Creek near Rock Hall, then returning to Gibson Island - 9/23/02 - 9/27/02>
I've been looking forward to Dad's visit for sometime now.  Hard to believe the time is finally here.  A friend is letting him leave his car at their house on Gibson Island which will work out terrific.  Dad made good time driving from Cincinnati and arrived mid-afternoon on the 23rd.  He called us on the cell phone upon his arrival, walked down the hill and Fred picked him up in the dingy and brought him back to the boat.  After getting dad settled in and showing him where everything thing was we enjoyed some appetizers and cocktails while catching up on what's been going on.  It was so nice to see him.   We then had to make plans as to where we were going.  Dad wanted something peaceful - nothing crowed with a bunch of people. So we decided to head up the Chester River.   Before we got underway we decided to try our hand at catching crabs since we'd watched folks catch some the day before.  Unfortunately we didn't have a net on board to use, but that didn't stop our engineers.  I found a net bag and with the help of a coat hanger, dad made it into a net and used our boat hook as the pole.  I sacrificed a chicken breast for bait and before long dad had caught a crab.  yea!  Unfortunately we only caught one before we had to leave.  But we plan to try our hand at more once anchored in the Chester River.  Dad soon had a name for his crab - Charlie.  Since we were hoping to get more Charlies later in the day, we kept Charlie with us and he got to do something crabs don't get to do very often - go sailing.   We kept Charlie in a bucket and he was rather fiesty.  Sometimes he hardly moved... that was until you got our nose closer... then watch him come to life!

Dad showing off his invention - a homemade net

Debbie & Dad - sailing up the Chester River

We had an awesome day of sailing.  With the wind direction we were able to sail from Gibson Island most of the way up the Chester.  Anchored in Lankford - Davis Creek.  It was exactly what dad wanted - peaceful.  We did venture ashore to stretch our legs and do a little exploring.  There's a marina with a small marine store, but that's about it.  Otherwise you'll see lots of houses, farms, etc.   Back on the boat we cherished the quiet anchorage while enjoying a fun cocktail hour.  We also tried our hand at catching more crabs, but unfortunately didn't have much luck.  By this time we had all become quite close to Charlie (especially dad).  Since we hadn't caught any additional crabs though, we decided to set Charlie free.  Dad did the honors, but I thought I saw a small tear in his eyes and Charlie swam away.  :-)  Don't worry Charlie, we'll be back next year for you!  It was a terrific day - that was until about mid-night.  Everyone was awaken to the sound of buzzing mosquitos that apparently found their way into the cabin while we were enjoying our cocktails.  They waited til we went to sleep, then they decided to come out in full force.  They were fast, bloody mosquitos.  Before I knew it, dad was armed with his trusty led flashlight in one hand and a pot holder in the other while Fred was armed with a magazine.  I was on clean up committee...trying to clean up the blood left behind.  The massacre went one for some time as there seemed to be hundreds of mosquitos.  And the minute you thought there wasn't anymore, you heard that terrible buzz in your ear.  Finally we called victory over the mosquitos, re-claimed our cabin and celebrated our victory with a beer.

The next morning we decided to head over to Swan Creek by Rock Hall.  We had another terrific day of sailing.  Infact Dad steered most of the way.  As we turned the corner and headed towards Rock Hall we thought we'd end up tacking several times before arriving, but with Dad's expertise steering, we didn't have to tack at all.  He claims beginners luck....??  I think he was born to sail!

Dad enjoying his upwind sail

After another great day of sailing we arrived, anchored in Swan Creek, got the dingy together and went into town.  Had a nice several mile walk to town where you'll find several novelty shops, a grocery, West Marine and a very cute ice cream parlor.  Dad treated us all to some delicious ice cream..yum, yum...thanks!  Then Fred and I went to the grocery for a few items (one being crab bait) while dad headed over to West Marine.   He ended up buying a crab net for us to try.   Back to the boat for another fun cocktail hour and hopefully no mosquitos tonight as we've learned our lesson and put the screen in the compaignway.

Dad & Fred off to catch some crabs with the fancy crab net dad bought for us

We didn't have any luck catching Charlie's over at Rock Hall and rain was predicted so we pulled up anchor and headed back to Gibson Island.  Enjoyed yet another terrific sail.  And this time, our fishing lines came thru - we caught a blue fish, then shortly afterwards, another one.  Unfortunately the second one got away before we could get him in the boat.

Dad with the bluefish
 

We arrived back at Gibson Island just before the heavy rain came down.   After anchoring, dad gave me a refresher lesson on how to clean fish.  I think I did pretty good - but then its always easier when someone is there to help.   We'll see once I'm on my own again.  Dad left me with a very nice fillet knife which definitely made things easier - thanks dad!   Now I have to catch more fish to try it out again.  Was trying to figure out how to feed everyone on one fish.  Dad came up with the idea of fish chowder.  So with everyone's input, I came up with some pretty good fish chowder for dinner.   In the morning we all tried our hands at catching crabs.   This time we had some luck.  It was lots of fun.  Unfortunately though it was time for dad to head back to Cincinnati.  He left the crabs with us to enjoy for dinner and we took him back in the dingy.  We no more than arrived and anchored the dingy and Paul showed up in a golf cart and offered to carry dad's luggage back to his car.  That was sure nice of him.  Paul invited us all in to share a beer with him.  But shortly thereafter, dad had to head out.  It was so great having him, but very sad seeing him go.   We did enjoy the crabs that evening for dinner.
Dad and Debbie showing off some of the crabs
 

Max and Roberta come to Gibson Island
We were very fortunate to work out back to back visits with Debbie's dad and Max and Roberta at the same location. Is was a short visit highlighted by a wonderful dinner at Paul and Mary Ellen's house on Gibson Island, a trip to church (in a car) and a nice sail on the Chesapeake. We were also fortunate to watch the sunset from the Paul and Mary Ellen's place prior to dinner. What a beautiful home and location overlooking the Magothy.  It was great to see Max, Roberta, Paul and Mary Ellen again!
 

Max and Roberta having a nice sail on Early Out near Gibson Island

Max's brother Paul enjoying a sail on the Chesapeake