Trip 2003

Southbound Down The Intercoastal Waterway

This details Leo's and Mona's cruise aboard Snug as they leave the New York canal system and head south along the ICW.

CLICK HERE to see the prior part of their trip southbound through the New York canals.

 

links:

NOTE: At this point in the cruise, Skipper Bob and Elaine Reib continue to take Snug south while Leo and Mona finish up their work in Des Moines, Iowa.

9-8-03

We departed early from NY City and made Manasquan about 1130.  Trip was a little rough with 10-15 NE almost off our beam.  However, we pushed on because the rest of the week they are forecasting small craft warning along the NJ coastline because of the interaction of Fabian departing the area and the tropical storm moving up the coast from Florida.  We are tied up at Winter Yacht Basin in Mantilokin, NJ near Brick, NJ.  We will leave Snug here for 3 days while we return to Windsor to resolve a personal problem.  Expect to be back on Snug headed south on Friday Sept 12.  Changed the oil at 8100.3 hours, switched house battery set.  All is going great on Snug.

9-13-03

Returned to the boat last night in the middle of the rain from Tropical Storm Hermi.  Forecast for today was for 20-25 NE with rain and thunderstorms.  However when the sky looked OK at 10 am we took off anyway.  We had a great day and the winds continued to drop from 20 NE to 10 SE by the time we reached Atlantic City.  It never did rain and we had sun about half the day.  Snug continues to run great.  We hope to be in Cape May tomorrow night.  We have our eye on Hurricane Isabelle and will plan our trip down the Chesapeake Bay accordingly.
 

9-14-03

Departed at 0700 in fog.  Had fog with limited visibility until 11am.  Made Cape May without a problem.  Forecast was for wind and rain, but did not see either.  Now we want to make the Chesapeake Bay tomorrow.  Today is Sunday. Weather forecast for Thursday is “possible hurricane”.  We will see as time gets closer.  Then we will decide where to hide Snug. Snug is still running perfect. 


 

9-15-03

We departed to a forecast of 10S and never saw anything but 10NE until we reached the C&D Canal.  Then a storm front moved through and dumped most of the water in the world on us. The weather station says we got 6 inches of rain.  I believe it. We tied up at the marina in Chesapeake City in the rain and will stay here tonight.  Tomorrow is forecast for clear and NW winds 10-15.  We will use the opportunity to move south to Baltimore.  I have a friend in a hurricane hole near Baltimore that has asked me to bring Snug in there and tie her up.  We will sit in Baltimore until we see what Isabel does.  If she decides to come up the coast we won’t be able to move for 5-6 days. (Wed to Sun). The timing is terrible.  I have to leave Snug Sept 23 to 28 to speak at the Trawler Fest in Solomons.  I had hoped to have Snug in Norfolk before I went to the Trawler Fest.  Unless Isabelle veers out to sea this won’t happen.  There is still a chance I can get her to Norfolk by the 1st of October after the Trawler Fest.

9-16-03

Departed Chesapeake City at 0645 and made good time to Baltimore.  We are tied up in a very protected cove off the Stony Creek near the mouth of the Patapsco River just outside Baltimore.  We are tied between two sets of docks with lines in all directions.  We removed the chairs from the top deck and stored them in the pilothouse.  We closed up the pilothouse and are now patiently waiting for Isabelle to do her thing.  We don’t expect to be able to move before Sept 20.  We have decided to remain on the boat to tend the lines during the blow.  We will let you know how it goes.  Snug is still running great.
 

9-17-03

The day before Isabelle!!! We continue to prepare for the worst.  We think we are as ready as we can get.  I went to fill one of the propane tanks that was empty. It turned out to be an older version that is no longer refillable in the US.  I bought an exchange tank full and now you have two legal tanks on the boat.  One of the knobs in the shower crumbled when we tried to turn on the hot water.  Old age I guess.  I located an Ace Hardware Store and replaced both knobs in the shower.  I am in the process of getting some tubing to replace the fuel tank sight tube.  It was real easy to remove without spilling a drop of fuel.  I removed the top end.  Opened the valve at the bottom.  Blew into the tube to force the fuel back into the tank.  Closed the lower valve.  Put a paper towel under the bottom and removed it. Only had a couple of drops hit the towel.  Now I have as long as I want to find a tube since fuel can’t get out of the tank with the valve closed. (Except at the top where there is no valve to close) With the tank at ½ or less (and that is the part I am worried about) Without a sight tube I don’t really know how much fuel we have on board and I don’t want to start down the bay without being sure I have enough fuel so I won’t run out part way down.  I should locate tubing today and have it fixed by tomorrow.  I am also in the process of coming up with parts to replace the windshield wiper in the center of the pilothouse window.  The blade is in such bad shape that it is nearly impossible to see out when there is any rain. I hope to have that fixed by tomorrow as well.  Getting/modifying the parts is the problem.  Other than that all is quiet while we wait for the storm.  All the boat owners in this little cove plan a “pot luck” dinner tomorrow night in the storm. We all want to be here to make sure the boats ride out the weather all right.  We are bringing a large bottle of champagne and a German Chocolate Cake.

9-20-03

The weather forecast for today was great.  5 knots or less, variable.  But then there is a fly in my ointment.  I was up Stony Creek and there was a 17” bascule bridge at the entrance.  When I got ready to leave at 630 am I discovered that the bridge would not open.  It had to be inspected after the hurricane to see if it was damaged before they would let it open.  Maybe next week!!!  So I took down the mast, crossed my fingers and inched up to the bridge.  My concern was how much space was under the bridge.  Under normal circumstances there would be 17”.  However, we had seen a 8’ surge in Stony Creek (at that point there was only 9’ under the bridge) and it had not completely left at that point.  I knew the water was above normal high, but how much and how much space did I have?  There was no height board on the bridge to guide me or give me any idea of the current height under the bridge.  I don’t know how high Snug is now.  But with the dish removed off Fellow Me TV I cleared the bridge by 2”.  I took off down the bay under ideal conditions.  I had a picture perfect day for a trawler on the Chesapeake Bay with no winds over 5 knots and variable directions from time to time.  Much of the time the bay was like a sheet of glass.  Under way I put the mast back up and stowed all the many anchor lines we had out to tie up Snug during Hurricane Isabelle.  Snug continues to run great, using no oil and no water.  There was a lot of debris on the bay from the hurricane and I weaved in and out of this stuff passing docks, lawn chairs, railroad ties, tires, trees, etc.  I tied up a Calvert Marina in Solomon’s about 1530.  Tomorrow the weather forecast is for another perfect day. I hope to make Deltaville tomorrow without a problem.  That puts me only one day from Norfolk.  The word is that the ICW is closed.  I suspect it is the bridges and locks. There are all kinds of electric problems at this point and I don’t know when they will be solved. I will leave Snug at the Navy Base in Norfolk and drive back to Solomon’s for the Trawler Fest.  Hopefully, when the Trawler Fest is over on 28 Sep the ICW will be open again.


9-21-03

Departed Solomons at 0630 and made good time with calm seas and light wind.  Snug runs great and I arrive at Deltaville at 1430.  There I receive a shock. Deltaville Marina was all but destroyed.  There were no docks left and no room at the inn.  Worse still when I checked with several other marinas in the area the story was the same.  The marinas were badly damaged and would accept no transients and did not have fuel.  Fortunately, we were able to tie up a friends dock in Deltaville to spend the night. He had no electricity-it had been out for 4 days. We took our car to Norfolk to insure that there were docks available there.  The good news is that the navy marina in Norfolk was virtually unscathed.  We had a home.
On our drive back to Deltaville we marveled at all the downed power lines and uprooted trees.  It will be quite a while before electricity is restored to all the homes and businesses in the area.  While we couldn’t see them, I am sure many of the marinas have also been damaged. Oh well, tomorrow I take Snug to Norfolk.  The weather forecast for tomorrow is good.
 

9-22-03

Left Deltaville at 0630 to freshening wind.  Winds picked up to SE 20-15 all day.  It was not too bad except that is right up the mouth of the bay and on our port bow.  We rolled pretty good, much of the time.  However, the weather for tomorrow is worse with 15-20 and rain. So I went today.  Glad I did.  We are tied up at the end of the T Pier at the Norfolk Naval Station.  With all the damage in the surrounding area, this very protected basin suffered almost no damage. We will leave Snug there from 22 Sep to 29 Sep while we attend the Trawler Fest, and then go home to close out our books for the month and quarter.  Uncle Sam wants his money.  We return here 29 Sep and start south again with Snug.  She continues to run good and has no problems.
September 30, 2003.  Snug is on the move again.  She continues to perform flawlessly.  I replaced the defective bilge pump.  I had hoped this would cut down on the number of times the bilge pumps while running.  It didn’t. I suspect some of it is because the siphon now dumps into the bilge instead of overboard.  Repairing the siphon vent will reduce the number of times you pump while underway.  We stopped in Coinjock.  Weather was good with 10-15 from the North (up our stern).  Tomorrow calls for 5-10 N and we will cross Albemarle if this forecast holds.  I am excited.  I switched my cell phone to Verizon.  Now a cable hooked up to my laptop allows me to send Email anywhere anytime.  Better yet, after 9pm and before 6 am and on weekends it does not count against my minutes.  This has taken a lot of pressure off men, and allows me to keep my business in tack better.

10-1-03

Up and on the road at 0700.  We had one of our best crossings of the Albemarle Sound.  Winds 5-10 from the North (up our stern) We made good time and had an almost uneventful trip to Belhaven and Dowry Creek Marina.  Part way here the port foot of the dinghy davit pulled out of the base and nearly dropped the dinghy in the water astern.  The port foot is badly bent from some previous encounter with a piling and needs to be removed and straightened. Also the hauling line of the dinghy needs to be moved out about 5 inches towards the stern to accommodate the wider dinghy.  It will take about a day to correct the problems, but I have to have the time and access to some hardware.  If we get a day we can’t move because of weather, I will try to fix the dinghy and davits.  At the present I have the whole contraption roped in place to hold everything until the time when it can be properly repaired.


 

10-2-03

Morehead City, NC!!!! Yea!!! Since we picked up Snug in Ottawa we have crossed Lake Champlain, the Atlantic Ocean between NYC and Manasquan, NJ, Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound.  No more large bodies of water between here and Savannah.  Now, unless there is real bad weather or a mechanical breakdown, we can keep moving.  Savannah is still doable by Oct 9.  Snug continues to run great.  No problems. No fluids have had to be added.  We have burned just over 200 gallons of diesel on this load.  We will have to take on fuel tomorrow at New River Marina near Little River, SC.  Then we will have enough fuel to reach Savannah and Florida for that matter.

    10-3-03

    Had a great dinner at the Sanitary Restaurant last night and settled in for a very quiet night.  The dock was perfect and there were no other boats.  Today all hell will break loose as their NC Seafood Festival begins with a large carnival set up downtown and all kinds of booths with great cooked seafood.  We have enjoyed it in the past, but this year left early on “Friday morning headed south.  The festival is always the first weekend in October and Morehead City goes all out.  The 20-25 knots promised did not materialize (why am I not surprised).  We had 10-15 all day out of the north, butr since the waterway goes west in this area, it was absolutely no problem.  We stopped at our favorite fuel stop, New River Marina, and picked up 213 gallons at $0.969 per gallon.  Should have filled the bilge.  We stopped around 6 pm at Harbor Village marina near Wrightsville Beach.  Snug continues to run well.  She does pump the bilge excessively and I suspect you have a leak as well as the siphon break dripping into the bilge.  No major problem.  The dinghy is still hanging catiwampus, but I won’t take a day to fix it unless we can’t move.  So far the weather is good and we are making good time. Savannah looks very doable. The weather for tomorrow is good and we expect to leave early.

    10-4-03

    Bad day at Black Rock.  All has gone so well to this point, I guess I was expecting the whole trip to go as well.  This morning when we tried to start the engine the glow plugs would not heat up.  I knew at once that the glow plug relay was bad.  I was able to get the engine started with some effort but knew this could not be repeated.  So I called you and told you to order the glow plug relay. I had my mind made up that I could work around the relay problem.  I knew that with a switch and about 3’ of wire I could wire up a switch to bypass the relay manually each time we started the engine and we would be able to get on to Savannah with my jury rig.  The fickle finger of fate must have heard Elaine and I discussing what we were going to do when we got to Myrtle Beach and decided to intercede.  While coming down the Cape Fear River the alternator voltage dropped to 12 (residual battery voltage) indicating the alternator had stopped putting out voltage. Also the battery warning light came on telling me the same thing.  While I was trying to analyze this in my mind, the temperature gauge began to climb and I knew I had a problem.  Probably with the fan (though there is no fan) belt since it drives both the alternator and circulating pump. I shut the engine down and headed for shallow water outside the deep Cape Fear River Channel.  Once outside I dropped the hook in 20’ and went below to see what happened. When I opened the floorboard the rising steam told me we were overheating.  A quick check and I discovered the circulating pump pulley lying on the floor of the bilge.  Elaine and I are both disappointed that we did not make it to Savannah as we wanted to deliver Snug to you two there and spend a night with Don and Julie. Oh well, the best laid plans to not always work out. At least she is further south than you left her, below all large bodies of water and well on her way to Florida.

links

9-28-03

Good News!! Mona is home from the hospital and doing well. If it wasn't for Lupus we probably would be home free.  Nelson Bailey our friend from Alaska and Green Turtle has agreed to accompany us from Savannah to West Palm Beach.  We feel more safe with his many mechanical and boating skills.

10-19-03

We are in Federnina Beach, FL tomorrow in Comanche Cove Marina, St Augustine, FL.  We hope to meet Mindi Zeke and Deb for dinner at 6pm tomorrow nite. Mona is going to Uncle's memorial Nov 8 and will not make the Gulf Stream crossing with me. She will fly to Marsh Harbour. She hasn't healed sufficiently to make the crossing.



 

links:

10-28-03

We remain in North Palm Beach. It is hot we have the AC on. Don and Julie are visiting friends. Don and I are taking Snug to Marsh Harbour soon as everyone gets in place and the weather is right. Raggedy Dick and Ann are at Cat Cay and return Thurs. We will be all in place Friday then the wait for weather. The women are flying to Marsh Harbour.  Mona flies first to DC with Mindi to attend the Memorial for their uncle Lewis. In the meantime we are "fixing up" Snug.

11-4-03

We decided to not bite the bullet.  So we will be here in Palm Beach for at least 5 more days.  The wind and waves was just too much. Mona will leave Thurs for DC and her uncle's memorial. Commode Don and Raggedy Dick will remain in place and join me when the weather improves.

11-15-03

I am disappointed. I wanted very much to leave tonight but the gulf stream is still too high. Unfortunately it isn't any  better for the next several days. To minimize our disappointment to tell each other this isn't too bad of a duty here in  southern Florida.

11-24-03

Finally after a month of waiting tonight looks good for the crossing. We plan to reach West End, Grand Bahamas between 1-3 pm. I will notify Alice and she will email you all.

11-29-03

This has not been a normal start to the cruising season. First Snug broke down and had to be towed to a slip. I contacted Nelson Bailey of Green Turtle and Anchorage, Alaska a seasoned sailor to join me aboard Snug. He drove from Lake Worth, FL to Southport, NC. I flew from Des Moines to Southport on Oct 10. Nelson installed the new fresh water circulating pump and we proceeded south on the ICW. Mona was unable to crew due to her recent surgery to have a cyst removed from her spine. We stopped for the night in Mrytle Beach, SC, McClellanville, SC and Skidaway Island near Savannah, GA where Mona joined us, St Simon, GA, Ferdandina Beach, FL and St Augustine, FL where Mindi, Mona's sister and their cousin and men folks joined us for dinner. We stopped in Dayton Beach and had dinner with Dick and Ann Cunneen. We continued to Merritt Island, Ft Pierce arriving in N Palm Beach on Oct 24. We joined aprx 50 members of the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club for a cocktail party.  We missed an opening to cross the gulf stream while waiting for a friend to buddy boat with us. Finally on November 25 we had the right conditions and had a pleasant crossing to West End, Grand Bahamas buddy boating with Slack Outfit a Canadian couple. We continued the next day to Great Sale Cay and anchored for the night. We had cocktails aboard M/V John Doe and continued the next day to Green Turtle Cay where we had a turkey dinner for $28 a piece. Again the sea conditions were ideal. The next morning we continued to Marsh Harbour and encountered a rain squall. The rain cleaned most of the salt spray off the boat and we arrived at Marsh Harbour Marina at 1215pm in time for a Kalik beer and hamburger. We were able to reinstall the phone in an hour and today was able to reestablish internet connections and got the TV connection.Tomorrow we start our Sunday brunch program. We will be here until Jan 1 when we start our cruises aboard a 700 ft ship.

12-7-03

We took the ferry to Hopetown and had our usual Sunday Champagne Brunch. This is one of the reasons we came to Marsh Harbour for one month. The other reasons are our friends who will baby sit Snug this fall. The wind was a little stronger NW 20-25 today then we prefer to cruise on Snug. The weather hasn't been great but at least it is warm. We repaired the fresh water pump. We had a bolt that was rusting and was leaking.

12-16-03

Mona received good news and bad news from her spine surgeon.  He said she could go on the cruises and that there was no need for further treatment in Des Moines or elsewhere.  The bad news was her condition was permanent and would not improve in the future. She has been in increasing pain from her back down her leg to the top of her ankle for the past week. He said he could fuse her vertebra and remove the deteriorating disc but that with the progress of the Lupus another disc and vertebra would need surgery in the future. He said she will have to live with the pain for the rest of her life. When it is intolerable go to the emergency room in the meantime take the pain pills. So we will be here until Jan 1 when we fly to Ft Lauderdale to board the first cruise ship.

CLICK HERE to return home.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1