Eastern Shore

We are really enjoying Maryland’s eastern shore. This is very rural with quiet anchorages. The shoreline is tree-lined, with areas of bluffs and others of grassy marsh leading up to the water’s edge and supporting much wildlife. Just beyond the shoreline, it opens into farm fields. Last evening, we passed close by an osprey perched on a pole while returning to Ariel. We are now anchored in Swan Creek near Rock Hall. This is appropriately named, as we passed a swan on entering the creek.

One of the hardest adjustments for us is getting accustomed to the shallow depths here on the bay. At times, we only have 2 – 4 feet under the keel. This is very unsettling as the margin for error is very slim.

Learning The Bay

Our plan for Saturday was to spend a quiet day at anchor, but that was not to be, at least for the morning. After the front passed, the typical winds picked up. We found our nice, snug overnight anchorage was not so reliable after all. We slowly plowed through the mud and moved off position and closer to shore. We re-anchored two more times with no success. The 55# Delta was completely buried, and even with a 10:1 scope, it would very slowly plow through the mud. We did some research and found there are conditions like this on the bay. It was just our luck to find such a spot the first night. We then thought we would anchor up a small creek, but the entry was very narrow, and we ran aground. It is just mud, so it was not a problem, and we were able to back off and be on our way. This was enough to nix the creek idea. We then selected a spot across the river from our original location and found very good holding. The afternoon and evening were much more relaxing. Our voltage regulator has been dead since Old Lyme. We have been running the generator to power the battery charger to meet our electrical demands until we can get a replacement. While powering off the mud bar, we revved the engine higher than we normally operate it, and the voltage regulator is now working normally again.

The next day, Sunday, we decided to move Ariel further up the Sassafras River to be closer to Georgetown. We only went two miles, but it brought Georgetown into sight and made for a much shorter dinghy ride to town. We enjoyed lunch at the Harbor Café at the Sassafras Harbor Marina. The food was excellent and the portions generous. After lunch, we continued on another 1 ½ miles to Gelena to buy groceries. We are definitely getting our exercise.

NJ Coast, Delaware Bay, C&D Canal

There are many challenges facing us, and some are more difficult than others. One that we had thought about and discussed a lot was our overnight passage along the New Jersey coast. We had never done an overnight trip before, so this was new territory for us. While anchored in Atlantic Highlands, we met Christian and Mary from I Wanda. They have been cruising since 1993, including three years in the Mediterranean. They have a wealth of knowledge and advised staying only about 1–2 miles off the coast. We adjusted our planned course to be two miles off. We waited until 1:30 pm to depart so we could be sure to arrive at Cape May in daylight. We stood two-hour watches right from the start and powered under sail until sunset. We shortened sail at sunset and motored through the night. It was an uneventful night, and we had two other sailboats within one to two miles, as displayed on the radar all night. The skies were clear, so millions of stars were visible. The casinos in Atlantic City are lit all night, so the city is visible for miles before and after passing. We dropped anchor in Cape May just off the Coast Guard training facility at 8:00 am.  We took showers and had short naps, and then shortly after lunch, picked up Doug and Sharon on About Time to go into the town of Cape May. We had seen their boat at all our anchorages beginning in Port Jefferson, and they were one of the two other boats traveling with us through the night. They are from Toronto, Ontario, and just spent the summer in Maine. After a visit to town, we compared plans for the next day over cocktails on their boat. We agreed to anchor up at 4:30 am to get out to the mouth of Delaware Bay at the right time to catch a favorable current all the way up the bay and through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (C&D). We are too tall to use the Cape May canal, so we had to go around the outside. There are shoals, so picking the right course is very important. We decided on the Cape May Channel, which is a middle course. Adding to the challenge was doing this at night, but with the chart plotter, we easily picked our way through. Our trip up the bay was very fast with both wind and current favorable. We had decided to anchor in the Sassafras River, again based on a recommendation from both I Wanda and About Time.  We anchored in a beautiful spot for a very peaceful night, with some much-needed rest.

Darkness is falling as we travel down the coast.

Sharing space with the big boys on Delaware Bay

Entering the C&D canal

9/11

Last night, as the high-pressure system moved in, the skies cleared and the visibility improved dramatically. For the first time, we could see the lights from the Varrazano Narrows Bridge and the New York skyline. Our special treat was to see the light from the World Trade Center site, sharp and narrow, shining straight up into space. The weather is favorable, so we are off later today (9/12) for our overnight passage along the N.J. coast

NYC From The Water

We made our trip down the East River on Monday, September 10, just a day before the 9/11 anniversary. Most of the day, we were traveling in fog and relying quite heavily on radar, but as we passed Manhattan and then the Statue of Liberty, the skies were clear. We ran very close to the shore, and it was unbelievable, taking in the sights and sounds of the city, getting into another work week. Today we are tucked in at Atlantic Highlands at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, with on-and-off showers. The weather looks very good to leave tomorrow for Cape May.

 

Visit To The Big Apple

While waiting for Hurricane Gabrielle to definitely move away, we decided to visit New York City. It was an easy trip, beginning with a water taxi to the town dock, then a short walk to the Long Island Railroad station, and finally a short ride and inexpensive trip to Penn Station. We had a great day in the city. The weather was nice, so everyone was out and about enjoying the weekend. From our vantage point at Top of the Rock, in addition to these great views of Central Park and the Empire State Building, we were able to view our planned trip through Throgs Neck, Hell Gate, the East Side, and out past the Statue of Liberty.

We Passed Inspection

Today was supposed to be a short routine run from Port Jefferson to Port Washington. There has been very little traffic on the sound during the week. Imagine our surprise as we saw the U.S. Coast Guard speeding toward us. It was hard to believe, but since there were no other boats, we decided we were probably their target. They boarded us for a safety inspection. We actually welcomed the inspection; they were cordial, and we had no violations. Later, as we approached Manhasset Bay, we could see the New York City skyline, and what a sight. We picked up a Port of Washington town mooring, which is free for the first two nights. We will stay the weekend and make our plans for the coming week.

We Are Off

We are on our way. We had planned a Labor Day departure, but on Sunday, our work was done, the weather was perfect, and we just couldn’t resist another great sailing day on Narragansett Bay. We anchored that evening at Dutch Harbor. On Monday, we continued on to Block Island, which was our planned original first stop. We always enjoy Block and have not been there this summer yet. It was quite breezy, so we did not go ashore. Our first new stop was Old Lyme, which is on the Connecticut River. It was a quiet anchorage just past the I95 Bridge. We picked up a few groceries in town, which was a very short walk. We are now in Port Jefferson on Long Island. We are staying here an extra day before going on. We will need to slow our pace between now and the middle of next week, as the weather early next week is not favorable for our trip down the New Jersey coast.

Retired

Norm’s colleagues at Bayer and Deloitte made his last week very special. Linda and Norm drove to Pittsburgh as he needed to return company equipment and deliver their car to their daughter in Ohio for storage. Wednesday was his last full non-travel day. They arranged an office farewell gathering. Norm is happy to acknowledge the work of Bonnie Crawford, Lou Vitolo, Jean Sponseller, and Shelly Dulesky in putting this together and getting the word out. It was quite a day with absolutely everyone wearing badges with Norm’s mug shot taped on. Everyone was Norm for the day. Norm arrived to be greeted with Norm face cutouts held up in front of everyone, and of course, the "Cheers" greeting of “NORM”. We had good fun with the usual complement of gag gifts. Norm was so happy to see everyone, including former colleagues he had not seen in a very long time. They had managed to sneak Linda in, and she was also hiding behind a Norm face. Norm so much appreciates that they included Linda. The day was capped off with dinner at Monterrey Fish Grotto on Mount Washington overlooking the city of Pittsburgh. This was a smaller group hosted by George Bartha. The food was good, the wine was good, and the conversation was great. We all had a great time. Norm’s manager, Jim Bertino, was out of town for training and could not attend, but Jim had set the wheels in motion for a great last week for him, and he very much appreciates that. Throughout the week, he received well-wishes from throughout the company.

View from the top

Norm made his third trip up the mast this summer to replace the mount for the TV antenna. He designed and built this new mount as the original was obstructing the anchor light as viewed from the rear. This was to be a simple task, but one of the screws was frozen in place. He finally took a saw up and cut the screw head off.  He spent nearly an hour doing this, as every task is much more difficult suspended in a climbing harness. As he has mentioned before, he uses an ascender, which is typically used in caving, where the need is to climb back out after descending. This has worked really well as he uses his own power to ascend. He is also attached to a spare halyard, which Linda keeps tight using a winch. When he is done, he detaches the ascender and gets a free ride down as Linda lowers him. Note the tight spacing between boats. This really sharpens the skills when returning to the slip. Norm drops the main sail, which is visible on the deck, when going aloft. He actually attaches to the main sail halyard for the climb.

Away from our slip - finally

We finally got Ariel away from our slip. We really expected to spend many of our weekends this summer away from the slip, but that part of our planning did not go at all like we expected. It was a short trip to Dutch Harbor in Jamestown, RI, for just one night at anchor. It was peaceful and provided for some much-needed relaxation. We started the water maker for the first time, but had to shut it down immediately. It seems Norm missed installing one short but critical connection. We ventured into Jamestown to visit a dive shop. We found the dive shop, and Norm placed an order for a wetsuit. After it comes in, he will test it in their on-site pool and also add a weight belt to the order.

After returning to our slip, Norm corrected the missing connection on the water maker, and we decided to test it there because the water looked very clear. This time we did much better. He had to tighten a couple of clamps, but after that, we let it run for two hours, which topped off the water tank. Next weekend, we plan to anchor again and run it for several hours, as the tank will be near empty by then.

Norm finally ascended the mast again this week to replace the broken VHF antenna. That change went amazingly well. We are in really good shape to leave at this point, other than stocking food provisions. At this point, we are targeting Labor Day to set off on our adventure. We assume everyone else will be returning from Block Island that day, so the crowd will have dissipated. Of course, the weather will be the dictating factor in the final decision.

Visting family and friends

The pace is pretty quick right now. We are trying to maximize our time with family this summer, so we were off again. We had a flight to Cleveland on Saturday and spent Saturday night with Scott and Pamela. Scott surprised me with four new baseball hats with the IP star embroidery. We have adopted this as Ariel's logo. Norm was planning to ask him to have some more made, but he beat him to the punch. Sunday, we drove to Grand Rapids to visit Dan, Lesli, and Thomas. Linda spent the week, and on Monday morning, Norm drove to Mishawaka, Indiana, for project work. Mishawaka is just outside of South Bend and only a two-hour drive south from Grand Rapids. At first, Thomas was afraid of us, as he hadn't seen us since Christmas, but he warmed up very quickly. We had expected this reaction since it was the same at Christmas. Norm returned to Grand Rapids on Thursday afternoon and worked remotely from there on Friday. Both Dan and Lesli work, so Linda and Norm got to babysit. It was a delight to spend time with Thomas. He will be three in October, and he is very curious, bright, and, of course, energetic. On Saturday, we were on our way back to Ohio early for a planned lunch with our friends John and Linda Piper. John and Linda just finished almost two years of cruising. Over the years, we all exchanged ideas as we planned the live-aboard cruising life. They just bought a condominium back in Ohio, where they started. It is hard to believe they are moving back on land, and we haven’t even left yet. They made two trips south, spending much of the first winter in Charleston, SC, and the second in Florida, most of it in Fort Myers. Later in the day, we stopped to visit Kim, Jason, Michael, and Evelyn in Avon Lake. We couldn’t stay long because we were supposed to be dog-sitting for Scott and Pamela, and we were running late. We will be back in Ohio in two weeks, so we didn’t feel too bad. Sunday morning, we visited briefly with Scott and Pamela, but they were exhausted after returning late from a wedding reception the night before. A little before lunch, we were off to the airport, and arrived back on Ariel at about 8:00 pm after checking on the house on the way. While we enjoyed the week, we were also glad to be home again, although only for three nights this time before we are off again.

Its's a lifestyle

We're surprised by the reaction we get when people first learn about our plans. Understandably, people who have not had exposure to the live-aboard cruising lifestyle have no basis for forming a picture of what this really means. In fairness, like anything else, there is a wide range of options.

For us, this is our home, and we wanted the conveniences to which we have grown accustomed. Our last boat, by comparison, was more akin to camping, which was acceptable for weekends and the one or two-week vacation cruises. We decided to outfit Ariel as comfortably as we could. We decided that if something was a minor irritant at the marina or at a weekend anchorage, it would become a major annoyance when living aboard full-time.

We have heat and air-conditioning that function exactly like those in any home. We set the thermostat or program it and forget about it. We have both hot and cold pressure water, with a double-bowl sink in the galley. Okay, the sinks are much smaller than those found in most homes. We do not have an automatic dishwasher. We do have a three-burner propane stove with a thermostat-controlled oven, which bakes very well. Rounding out the galley are a freezer and a refrigerator.

We have a single head (toilet) and a spacious shower. The head area includes a full-length mirror. Our berth is about queen-sized and extremely comfortable. The guest berth is full-sized.

We have comfortable dining in both the main cabin and the cockpit. We also have a gas grill we can use off the stern rail.

Yes, of course, there are trade-offs compared to living in a house. One is that while we have adequate storage, things are often not at our fingertips. It usually requires removing a cushion to gain access and may require some digging around. It is also important to put things away immediately. Our space is very limited, so it can become cluttered very quickly. If something is left out, it will invariably be in the way of accessing the next needed item. Everything must be secured before we get underway, so it is just easier to keep things that way as much as possible.

We do not have a clothes washer and dryer. Just think about how much space, water, and power these would consume. The other big adjustment from life on land is that we do not have a car. Shopping has to be well-planned, as everything needs to be schlepped back to the boat by whatever means are available.

Overall, we believe Ariel is very comfortable. We have spent enough time on boats that we know how to respect each other's space. It is not hard to find a quiet place to read, work on the computer, or just take in the natural surroundings. We split the workload pretty evenly, so we both have comparable amounts of leisure time. It helps that we have many common interests and have long enjoyed doing things together.

The real reward is that no matter where we travel, we have our home with us

New Memorial Day Plans

We are changing plans again. We had planned to get away Memorial Day weekend to anchor at Dutch Harbor near Jamestown, RI, but changes to work travel requirements prodded us to rethink this. Norm was already scheduled to be in Pittsburgh the week before the holiday weekend, and now he also needed to be there the week after. We will use this as an opportunity to visit family, by driving to Pittsburgh, spending the holiday weekend at Norm’s mother's, on the way, and then visiting our children and their families in Ohio at the end of the following week.

We took delivery of the dinghy and outboard and have already registered them. The 15 hp outboard is a handful at 113 lbs. We are adding a lifting crane, as using a spare halyard has not worked well for us.  Trying to handle it as we did with our 5-hp Mercury will not work without someone getting hurt or losing the motor. We also had our holding tank system inspected. This is a new requirement in Rhode Island. Linda made good progress scraping the old finish off the teak after we picked up some new blades.

We Are Launched

Last week, Ariel was launched, right on schedule. We spent the weekend and Monday aboard. When getting ready to clean the deck, we discovered a bird's nest built between the anchor rollers. We waited to see if the parents were around, but it soon became apparent that they did not follow Ariel's travels from the boatyard to our slip. If they had been around, we would have left the nest in place, but without the parents, Norm removed the nest and got on with cleaning the winter grime from the deck. Saturday was very nice, so we got a good start getting the boat ready. We were able to get the dodger and bimini on and finish cleaning the cabin areas. We are still moving things around, trying to find the best storage arrangements.

We stayed on Monday to test our internet connections and Norm’s ability to work from the boat. The marina has a wireless system (for a fee), which we subscribed to. Bottom line, he was able to work quite well from the boat. The wireless connection is actually faster than the DSL service we have at home.  We subscribed to a second service for our personal laptop and used Skype for business calls. The work area in the guest cabin is comfortable, quiet, and Norm was not distracted. Linda spent much of the day scraping the finish off the teak caprail.

Getting Ready for Launch

The weather has been horrible for working on the boat. The priority is getting the bottom paint on so Ariel will be ready to launch. Bottom paint has a high copper content and includes biocides that resist marine growth. We use an ablative paint which slowly wears away. Since we will not have the boat hauled again until 2008, we want to give extra special attention to getting the bottom right. We haven't been able to work outside, so Norm decided to proceed with the watermaker installation.

It took three weekends, but the watermaker installation is now complete. It will be quite a while before we can test it. Until we are ready to run it on a routine basis, it cannot be started. This system has several components that can be installed in separate locations. The final design is not much like Norm’s original plan, but his original plan was done away from the boat, and his memory of the dimensions of some spaces was a bit off. He is pleased with the result; it is very efficient, with all components installed close to one another and very close to the electrical and water connections. The only concern he has is that the module is mounted upside down on a shelf, so it is hanging. This was to keep as much usable space as possible. The concern is that, if necessary, repairs will be very difficult, and anything stored in this area will need to be protected against potential water leaks. Routine maintenance, such as filter changes, should be fairly easy.

We are also busy taking things to the boat. With the house sale closing date set, we have to make the final decisions soon as to what stays and what goes. We're in good shape with the final choices around clothing and kitchen items. We have had some strange dishes lately as Linda is cleaning out the cupboards.

Getting the Covers off Ariel

We expect to sign the Purchase and Sale Agreement on our home on Monday, April 2, so we are really feeling the urgency to get Ariel ready to launch. We are both anxious to get the preparation work behind us and have our new home ready when we close. To that end, this past weekend, we removed the winter cover protecting Ariel. We were pretty efficient, as this was the fifth winter we have used this cover. The day was perfect with temperatures in the 50s and a clear blue sky.

Each year at the end of May, Defender Marine, a discount marine store, holds a four-day warehouse sale that extends online. They already have good prices, with no sales tax and reasonable shipping, so the sale is really nice. Norm has the patience each year to compile his list and wait for the sale. This year, we ordered all of the electronic charts to cover from New England to the Bahamas. These are on tiny cards that slip into our chartplotter at the helm, or into a card reader attached to the laptop. We can do our route planning on the laptop and then transfer the cards, both the chart and a user card with our route plans, to the chartplotter. We also ordered paper chart kits and guides for the same areas. These provide a broader view and, most importantly, backups to the electronic version.

We also purchased bottom paint and updated signal flares. These have expiration dates, so they need to be replaced periodically. As soon as we get another nice weekend, we will apply the bottom paint, and then we will be ready for launch.

Selling Our Home

This adventure is really getting exciting now. Our home is now listed, and the open house is scheduled for this Sunday.  This is one part of preparing we have limited control over, especially the timing, but we'll go with the flow.

Refrigerator / Freezer Upgrade

The box for the refrigerator and freezer compartments is very large, and the back wall is inaccessible without climbing into the box itself. During commissioning, we added a Frigoboat keel-cooled system, and we have been extremely happy with it. This system circulates the refrigerant to a heat exchanger plate attached to the hull and in contact with seawater. There are no fans with this system, so it is very quiet, and the heat does not build up in the compartment where the compressor is mounted.

Our goal has been to keep the freezer side of the split box at about 0 degrees and the refrigerator side at about 40 degrees. The evaporator plate is mounted in the freezer compartment. The refrigerator side is cooled entirely by spillover from the freezer side. We concluded after operating for a couple of seasons that the box insulation was insufficient, requiring the compressor to run more often. Many other Island Packet owners have experienced the same in many different models. It is my understanding that the manufacturing process on newer models has been changed to minimize the incidence of voids in the insulation. We found a site that sells components for refrigeration systems, including box construction materials. Since the box was oversized, we decided we could add insulation to the interior without a significant loss of space. We also did not want to remove or alter the countertop in any way. This meant working within the box, which would prove very challenging. We ordered 1-inch-thick vacuum panels, which were custom-made to our specifications. The box is an irregular shape, so all panels have some angles. They also had to be sized to fit through the access opening. The vacuum panels must be handled carefully and well-protected, as any puncture will greatly reduce their effectiveness. The panels have an R-value = 28. To protect the panels and provide a new interior surface, we ordered sheets of protruded fiberglass. We then cut pieces to form a new interior. Construction then involved gluing the vacuum panels in place using insulation foam, and then gluing the fiberglass sheet over the panels, and finally using an epoxy putty to seal all joints. The insulated divider between the freezer and refrigerator compartments was removed, cut down on each side to the new dimensions, and then refitted. While it was out, we added an electric spillover fan, which is controlled by its own thermostat.

One last upgrade was to add an electronic module to control the compressor. The objective is to run the compressor at the slowest possible speed. It is more efficient to run it slower for longer periods of time. Depending on the demands, this module adjusts the compressor speed to achieve this objective as much as possible. It also has a manual override that can be used to cool faster, such as when restocking.

After one season with the upgrade, we are very happy with the result. We probably did not need the spillover fan, and subsequently, we added a butterfly value to adjust (slow down) the air flow. Once cooled down, we usually close the butterfly valve almost completely.

Survival

Our first and most important step toward survival is preparation, planning, and giving full consideration to the weather and conditions. That aside, there are always the unknown factors or circumstances. For this, we have our survival equipment and plans. These we view much like insurance. We need it, but we hope we never have to use it. Also, like insurance, this equipment provides peace of mind to have it available.

EPIRB – this device is registered with the FCC. If we activate it, it will send a signal that reports our position from an internal GPS and identifies us as the sender. In all likelihood, either our son Daniel or our daughter Pamela will be contacted, as they are registered as our contacts. Once they confirm we are, in fact, at sea, a search team will be deployed to our reported location. Given the swiftness of the potential recovery by activating the EPIRB, we consider this a very important piece of equipment.

Life Raft – We have a Winslow 4-person model 40SLO, which weighs about 41 pounds. We had it vacuum-packed so it can last for 3 years before inspection and repacking, rather than the normal annual inspection. Some supplies packed inside the raft are dated and are then replaced during inspection.

Ditch Bag – this bag is stowed just under the companionway so that it can be easily grabbed from the cockpit, but it is actually stored inside the cabin. The bag includes essentials for survival and recovery. It includes the EPIRB, distress signals, the first-aid kit, additional food and water, and important papers, among other items. A handheld GPS and VHF radio are nearby and would be put in the bag if possible.

There are a couple of ways to stow a life raft. Some are stowed in a canister mounted on the deck or the stern rail. We seriously considered mounting a canister on the cabin roof, but in the end rejected the idea. The canister benefits from not consuming valuable storage space, but it must be securely attached to reduce the risk of being washed overboard, and it subjects the raft to more of the weather, such as the hot sun. We decided on the other available option: stowing it in a protected space, which in our case is a cockpit locker. This has the advantage of protecting the raft from the elements and also being readily available from the cockpit. The major disadvantage is giving up prime storage space. As a compromise, we constructed a shelf for the life raft, which is hinged to fold up out of the way when working in the locker and also is on a slide so the life raft can be moved directly under the locker lid, ready to be lifted and deployed.