Getting Back into the 'Swing of Things' at Home

Well, we've been home a week and we're still trying to get back into the swing of things.

Chuck got a haircut after much teasing about how long it got. I wanted to snap a photo, but he slicked it back before I got a chance!

We heard from Bob on S/V Illusion on Tuesday who was in Atlantic City for a few days. We picked him and his friend, Tom, up and took them to Harrah's to see the casino. They dropped in a few quarters and Tom won $25.

Then we went to the Hi-Point Tavern near our house for a wonderful dinner. Chuck took them to the supermarket to pick up a few things, then took them back to A.C.

We finished unloading the boat mid-week and Chuck is working on getting the brown mustache off the hull. We found the water line! It was missing the entire trip, we were so loaded down. LOL.

Meanwhile, we filled the hot tub yesterday and I'm busy cleaning out drawers and closets. If we could live on a boat for 7.5 months, we certainly don't need all the stuff we've got!

It was not a nice weather weekend, so I didn't feel bad not going to the boat.

Hopefully, it will be nice next weekend and we can spend time with our friends at Viking!

We're Home! Well, at Viking Anyway

We left Utsch's Marina at 6 a.m. Winds were 16-18 knots. SOG was 6.2 knots and SOW was 7.1. We motorsailed with a reefed main and full jib at 000 rpms. It was bright and sunny this morning.

Highs were supposed to be in the 70s, but it was cool on the water!

We had to reef the jib. There was too much wind. It was coming from the NW over our beam.

We saw Wildwood off our port side. Winds were 22-23 knots with higher gusts. Seas were 2-3 ft. and there were white caps. SOG was 7. SOW was 7.7.

The kids kept texting us for an ETA. At 9:05 a.m. we were 17 miles from the Atlantic City Inlet and could see the skyline. We were six hours away from our dock. So close, yet so far!

At noon, we went under the Brigantine Bridge.

When we entered Great Bay, the winds were 26 knots! We pulled in both sails. We saw white caps in the bay and it was too much.

Joe, Eva and J.J. met us in their boat and followed us in. Nick was playing with his cousins at the campground. At 2:30 p.m, Ryan called and asked us to switch to VHF 72. One of our dockmates, Faye, wanted to tell us that the kids were patiently waiting for us at the dock and wanted to know how close we were.

We got to the dock around 3 p.m.  All three kids (Sandi, Joe and Ryan), our daughters-in-law (Eva and Catherine), grandsons Jesse and Jeremy, Ryan and Catherine's friends Greg and Lucy, and lots of dockmates were anxiously awaiting our arrival. Sandi was so glad to see us. She grabbed her dad and cried, then grabbed me and cried some more.

It's good to be home. This was such an adventure and we had a blast. I'm ready to do it again, but it will have to be in a couple of years. Maybe on a bigger boat. And next time, we'll have to fly home for the holidays. Chuck won't be away from the kids at Christmas again, he says.

We're exhausted and staying at the dock tonight. Tomorrow, we'll start packing things up and give this poor boat a break. It's loaded down! Then we'll take the trip home in Chuck's truck that Ryan drove to the marina today.

Thanks to all who have supported us on our awesome seven-and-a-half month adventure. We appreciate it more than we can say. We've met so many wonderful people and saw some beautiful sights!

We're in Cape May; Tomorrow: Home Sweet Home

Last night we had a wonderful dinner with our friends, Betty and Fred Luderitz.


We left Chesapeake City's free dock at 5:45 a.m., motoring through the C & D Canal at 2900 rpms. SOG was 8.8 knots and SOW was 6.5 knots.

We were heading for the Delaware River and Bay and praying it would be a calm day. We started out in long sleeves, a nice change from four layers we wore the last few days at the start of the day! Chuck boosted up the rpms and we hit 10 knots.

At 7:15 a.m., we entered the Delaware River and the coats went on. It was colder in the bigger body of water. By 7:30, we were pulling out the main for better steering and a little speed. It stops the boat from pounding so much, creating a smoother ride. We were "bouncing" through the waves.

At 8 a.m., we pulled the main mostly in and let out the full jib sail for speed. We kept a little of the main sail out for steering.

We passed the Salem Nuclear Power Plant. There was a U.S. Coast Guard boat guarding the power plant. Jazzy was on my lap under two blankets. We were "hobby horsing."  SOW was now 6.8-7 k and SOG was was 5.7-6 knots. Winds were 8-9 knots and wave height was just one foot. The winds were from SSW and the tide was coming in. It was looking to be a smooth ride.

We passed lots of big ships, but stayed out of the main channel. Here's a photo of Bum's Rest passing the ship.

After the tide change, there was no wind, just two knots. Sails were just swaying in the wind, so we pulled them in. Woo-hoo. Our prayers were answered. It was a nice, calm day on the Delaware!

At noon, we saw 9 knots of wind, so the sails came back out. It got hazy and we took a different heading than Bum's Rest, so we couldn't see them.

At 2:40 p.m., we were a few minutes from the ferry terminal and heard Bum's Rest on the radio and five minutes later, we were right behind them.

We pulled into Utsch's fuel dock at 3:30 p.m.  This is a really nice marina and they give you a bottle of Cape May wine and a goodie bag of local items. It's a nice touch.

Patti's parents were here waiting for them to arrive. Jazzy was so excited to see Sailor's mom-mom and pop-pop. Then Ryan and Catherine arrived to go to the Lobster House with us for dinner. She was going crazy jumping around. It's like she senses that we are almost home.

Tomorrow we'll be back at our home dock...Viking Yachting Center...home sweet home! All three of our kids and some of the grandkids will be there to greet us. We've sure missed them!

Thanks to all who have faithfully followed our blog. I hope you have enjoyed it. We'll blog our other travels. We hope to take a few small trips this summer/fall.

Feel free to e-mail me:  kathymcgowan1@comcast.net.

Birthday Wishes to Mom, Lynn and RJ! Chesapeake City Tonight

Happy Birthday to my mom, Florence Bradley; my niece, Lynn Leite McKenzie; and RJ Amato!

As soon as the coffee was done percolating on the stovetop, we pulled the mooring lines and were on our way from Annapolis to Chesapeake City, Del.

Winds were North 13 knots when we left. SOG was 6 knots and SOW was 6.3 at 3000 rpms. We went under the William P. Lane Jr. Memorial Bridges...really neat.

It's so cold and damp today. It's overcast and dreary. We pulled out the main sail and increased SOG to 6.4 and SOW to 7 knots.

Wayne called to say they saw Steve Pressman on his blue hull powerboat and he was heading our way. He and Amy used to be at Viking on "A" dock with us. We saw a boat that we thought was him in a distance, but weren't sure and didn't know his new boat name to hail him.

Winds decreased to only 6 knots when the tide and our direction changed. So the sails were put away and we were motoring the rest of the way.

We arrived at the Chesapeake City Free Dock around 3:45 p.m., where we joined Bum's Rest.

Our friends, Fred and Betty Luderitz, from Newark, Del., live about 20 minutes from here. They are meeting us for dinner. We're taking them out because we missed Fred's 80th birthday party while we were gone.

Only two more travel days to home port. Tomorrow we'll brave the Delaware River and Bay to Cape May, NJ!


More photos of the area:

Took A Mooring in Back Creek, Annapolis; Tomorrow: Chesapeake City, Del.

Wed., May 12:  It was overcast when we left around 6 a.m. with Bum's Rest this morning. We were heading to Annapolis. They were heading to Rock Hall.

I made breakfast while we were underway, but it got rough quickly. Aside from the crossing to/from the Bahamas, the passages from Virginia to home port are the roughest, I think. I don't want this trip to end, but if it has to, I just want to get on with it. I don't like being on the water when it's cold...thermal underwear and pea coats and all.

We've been fortunate, as far as weather is concerned. We've had very little rain this trip. Although we were "tucking in" out of the wind alot, especially in the Bahamas, at least we weren't wet!

The morning started out with windswept white caps. The tide was going out in the Chesapeake, while winds were at a right angle to the waves. Occasionally, we got splashed with a wave hitting the port side. Winds were 22-23 knots from the Southeast, gusting to 27, so we were heeling over quite a bit. When the wind increased, our speed was cut down. Seas were 2-3 ft. and choppy.

Chuck forgot to put his clip on his hat and lost his new Beaufort, NC, hat.

By 8:30 a.m., the sun was out and the seas calmed down. By late morning, the wind changed direction and was coming from the Northeast at only 8 knots. Now we were looking for wind. It went from one extreme to the other and we had 18 miles to go.

It was getting hazy. I went downstairs while it was calm and took and shower and washed my hair. It was getting warmer, so I put on cropped jeans and a l/s shirt. That didn't last long! It got cooler again and I dug out a sweatshirt.

We went past the Thomas Point Shoal bell, a lighthouse.

At 2 p.m., we stopped to top off the fuel at Annapolis Landing Marina. Then we took a mooring ball in Back Creek. It's right off Severn House where our friend, Ron Pence, lives. We're going out to dinner with him tonight.

This is where Ron lives. His boat is also a 323 and is at the far right.

We put the motor on the dinghy and took Jazzy to shore for a nice, long walk.

This is the pet-friendly apartment complex where I walk Jazzy when we're in Annapolis.

Tomorrow we hope to meet with our friends, Betty and Fred Luderitz, in Chesapeake City. They live in Newark, Del. We missed Fred's 80th birthday party while we were away.

Solomons Island, Md. Tonight; Tomorrow: Annapolis!

We pulled out of Deltaville Marina at 6:50 a.m. I had to put thermal underwear on under my shirt. Damn, it's cold! We wore our pea coats and gloves today.

The sun was very bright and glaring, which caused a problem for some boaters leaving the channel this morning. Frank from S/V Kyria said the sun was in his eyes and he missed the marker and went aground. All the sailboats leaving had to go around him as he was taking his anchor line by dinghy to pull himself into the channel. What a way to start the day!

                          Below, Wayne looking at the grounded boat.

We motorsailed with the full jib out. SOG was 6.5-7 knots. SOW was 7.2 knots. Winds were 18-20 knots from the Southeast. The Chesapeake Bay was 1-2 seas and choppy, coming over our starboard beam. It wasn't long before seas were 3-5 ft. Two waves came quick, one right after the other and as they hit Sheet Music and I swear there was a 6 ft. wave!

Even Jazzy, who hates it outside when we're underway, jumped on the bottom step to come outside! I took half a Dramamine first thing this morning and gave her the other half, since she was sick yesterday. She laid on my lap under the blanket most of the day.

When it started with light rain, since the waves were calmer, Jazzy and I went downstairs and took a nap. We pulled up to the fuel dock at 3:30 p.m. and into our slip at 4:15 p.m. We have electric here, so the heat is on to help dry out the boat. Tomorrow we'll probably be on a mooring ball, so I'm enjoying the heat while we have it.

Patti cooked tonight: steak with mushrooms and onions, baked red potatoes, peas and salad.

Tonight, the four sailboats that traveled together: Bum's Rest, Sheet Music, Mystic Rose (FL), Illusion (IL). We say goodbye to our new friends tomorrow, as we're leaving earlier than they are. Hopefully, we'll see Bob on Illusion in Atlantic City. We'll take him to Shop-Rite to provision his boat and maybe have a drink or two. Mystic Rose is staying in Maryland.

Tomorrow, Sheet Music is going to Annapolis to visit our friend, Ron Pence. Bum's Rest is going to Rock Hall to visit friends.

May 9: Happy Mother's Day! Fun Day in Norfolk with Friends

Sunday, May 9:  Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, especially my mom, Florence Bradley, and Chuck's mom, Patricia McGowan. We love you both!

We had a fun day in Norfolk. Hey, if you have to be stuck somewhere, Norfolk is a good place to be. There's lots of places to see and lots of great restaurants.

We spent a good part of the day at Nauticus, the Naval Museum. Part of the museum is the U.S.S. Wisconsin. The inside of the ship is closed off due to asbestos and other contaminants that haven't been removed yet. Their literature says it is sealed off to keep the humidity level up for preservation.

Chuck looking a one of the many models in the museum. Notice the long hair...it's been months since he had a haircut.











The view, below, was taken from the U.S.S. Wisconsin.

Chuck on the U.S.S. Wisconsin.

We were done touring around 4 p.m. and walked a few blocks to Jack Quinn's Irish Tavern. We had an early dinner and drinks. An Irish band was playing on the second level and the band members were wearing kilts, as were the bartenders and waitresses. The band member on the left is a physics professor at a local liberal arts college.

Dinner was delicious. We walked to the supermarket on the way back and picked up a few things we couldn't carry back the other day. I took Jazzy for a good walk when we got back.

From left, Janet and Darrell from S/V Mystic Rose (FL), me, Chuck, Wayne, Patti and Bob from S/V Illusion (Illinois).

Tomorrow we hope to go to Deltaville. I think we have five more travel days to get home, but with the weather, it may take us longer to get there.