Further Adventures on Antares - Return to Vermont

Our last update had us in Solomons, MD waiting for a cold front to get past us before heading north.  We spent an extra day during which it rained most of the time and was cold and windy.  A good choice.  It also let us get a few items we forgot the previous day when the wind and rain let up late in the afternoon.

5/4/2004 From Solomons, MD
When we got underway in the morning, it was still windy  and cold, but at least the sun was out.  We set sail in the Patuxent River and had a nice sail to Drum Point at the mouth of the river, and off the Calvert Cliffs before the wind died back, leaving us trying to sail with more waves than wind.  After debating where to stop for the night, Choptank River on the eastern shore or Annapolis on the western side,  we  tucked into Harness Creek, a small creek off the South River which is one river south of Annapolis dodging crab pots on the way in.  The anchorage is part of a state park and was a quiet and deserted for being so  close Annapolis.
Harness Creek
Harness Creek anchorage at sunset

5/5/2004
We continued  heading north, mostly motor sailing since the wind had gone back to the south and wasn't quite strong enough to keep us moving.  Wanting to make use of the currents in the C & D Canal to give us a boost toward the Delaware Bay we hoped to find an anchorage either in Chesapeake City again, off Reedy Island in the Delaware, or somewhere on the northern part of the bay.  The dark skies to our west and severe weather warnings in our immediate area made the Bohemia River, the last of the rivers on the eastern side of the Chesapeake, seem like a wise choice.  So we joined the other boats already at anchor and settled in for the duration.  The sky was quite dramatic, black clouds and with lightening and rain, but the worst of it slid past, first to the southwest, and then the second cell to the north of us.  We would have gotten soaked if we'd pressed on to Chesapeake City.  It is much more pleasant to sit under the dodger and bimini watching the storms than it is to be out in it trying to edge into a tight basin and set the hook.  Once the storms past it was a peaceful, pastoral anchorage, and a nice last night on the Chesapeake.  A lot of the Chesapeake shoreline is being developed with huge homes.
Storm approaching Bohemia River
Storm approaching Bohemia River anchorage

Pastorial
Older farm by the Bohemia River

5/6/2004 Through the C&D canal and down Delaware Bay
Sunrise
Sunrise
We were up a 6 AM to get an early start to catch the ebb tide to carry us into the Delaware River.  The GPS touched 8.7 a couple of times as we went through the canal, the 2 knot plus current can be a major boost or a major drag depending on your timing.  We knew it would switch soon after we entered the Delaware River, but we hoped to get past the narrow upper section before it would turn against us. We spent most of the day motor sailing, getting a boost from the sails to help speed our transit of the bay.  I don't know anyone who loves doing the Delaware Bay section, but it does help to keep out of the big ship channel and take the short cut over the flats.
Oyster Dredge
Oyster dredge working the Delaware Bay flats

Since our antennas on top of the mast have touched the bridges on the Cape May Canal  we were concerned about the abnormally high and low tides associated with spring tides (NOAA weather referred to them as astronomically high and low tides) and wanted to plan our transit through the canal with the low tide.  We sure timed that right!  It looked like someone had tipped the canal one way or the other and all the water had run out!  Two of the boats that had been anchored with us in the Bohemia River and were ahead of us going down the bay were slowly going past the Cape May Lewes ferry dock when we caught up with them. They were worried about the depth of the canal and chose to follow us up the canal.  There must have been a fishing tournament in progress too, and our trip up the canal was a rocky, rolly event with fishing boats speeding past.  The sport fishermen seem to have no concept of what "no wake" means.  We tried to make sure none were around when we went under the bridges.  At least clearance wasn't an issue this time.
Cape May Canal
Cape May Canal at low water with speeding fisherman

We had debated topping off the fuel tank and heading offshore for New York since another cold front with northerly winds was due to pass through the area within 24 hours.  There was a wait at the fuel dock,  with several boats vying for the same fuel hose.  When we finally got out of the marina Leonard opted to anchor for the night.  The frontal  movement seemed to be happening faster than expected and neither of us wanted a repeat of last year's bashing and rain off the New Jersey shore.  It was getting too late to make it to a better anchorage beyond a bridge, so we tried poking our way off the marked channel toward some sailboats on moorings but with only found very shallow water and that didn't seem to be a good choice.  By this time the tide was rising and we didn't want to go aground in the wee hours of the morning.  We finally joined the other cruisers off the Coast Guard station without as much room or water as we'd have liked, so we set both anchors and hoped for the best.

5/7/2004
We awoke in the morning when the wind switched and the GPS anchor alarm went off..  Leonard thought we were aground, or had been aground briefly.  At any rate we were not looking at a good situation if the wind started to blow harder.  Somewhat bleary eyed, we managed to get the anchors retrieved, washed down and stowed, but it was not quite the usual orderly procedure.  With the anchors up, we decided to go offshore to pump out our holding tank.  There was no way we could sit out a few days if we didn't,  (we were not able to pump out at the the marina and contrary to the ad in the cruising guide) so 3 miles offshore we go.  I had requested to spend time in Cape May since we had to wait for the front to pass and we'd planned to go through the bridge off the harbor to a more peaceful anchorage behind the barrier islands.  But once we were past the tidal rips I knew we weren't likely to go back in, and we didn't.  Leonard wanted to take advantage of the day and  wind which had switched back to the southeast and push on to Atlantic City.  This would only be a day sail and break up the distance to New York.

Harrah's by Day
Anchorage off Harrah's Casino in Atlantic City

We arrived at the Atlantic City breakwater by early afternoon, an advantage of getting an early start, and, after checking out the fancy state marina that charges $4 a foot, anchored off the bridge by Harrah's Casino with the other cruisers.  Our plan was to have a quiet afternoon and then dinghy ashore to see the sights on Friday.  Leonard sat in the cockpit reading and watching the river traffic while I set about baking cinnamon raisin rolls for breakfast and making dinner.  In the middle of dinner Leonard realized the anchor rode had wrapped around the keel with the current change.  It had blown in the mid 20s earlier and he'd let out more line and hadn't taken note of the wind lightening up a bit, so there was enough line out  for the current to carry the line under the keel and then get caught.  Once this happens, the boat is held sideways to the current and it is very difficult to free the line.

I need to back up about 6 or 7 weeks here because when he wrote the note at the time, he neglected to mention that the windlass went to Davy Jones' locker back in Key West.  After dismantling it enough to find that the parts that should allow it to disassemble are corroded to the point that not even banging with a wood block and hammer freed them up.  So he reassembled everything and decided he would be the "windlass" on Antares until we got home to fix it.  We weren't anxious to create a hole in the foredeck trying to replace it, possibly creating leaks over our dry bunk.

Back to Atlantic City.  The currents in the river run up to 2 knots which creates some major problems when you have your anchor line caught on the keel..  It took a good hour of work which included setting a second anchor to hold us in place and take the strain off the CQR, motoring around in circles one way and then the other, and a few choice words to get the CQR line free of the wing keel..  In this kind of situation our usual anchoring hand signals which normally work quite well with a bare minimum of " verbal conversation" between foredeck and wheel just weren't sufficient.  We needed a whole new vocabulary, and no time to develop it and work out the kinks.   Once the line was free, both anchors were well set and hard to retrieve.  The windlass would have made the situation less tense, and much easier on Leonard's back.  I think it will get fixed.

After finally with both anchors on deck, it was getting dark and we moved toward slightly deeper water  to reset the CQR on reduced scope so the chain would hold the anchor line away from the keel.  When this whole mess started I was just about ready to bake the rolls, but I didn't want to add to the problem with an open flame below.  The slightly over proofed rolls turned out fine given the circumstances.  Friday was not one of our better anchoring days. 

After cleaning up (the shower onboard is great) we finished dinner and watched the changing light show on the Harrah's building.  It is a series of neon lights that have been programed to display a myriad of colors and sequences - I think it must go 30 - 45 minutes before the patterns repeat.  Then we were treated to a fireworks display in town.  With the anchor rode shortened and the winds calmer, the night was much more restful than the day.
Harrah's by night
The light show at night

5/8/2004  Touring Atlantic City
We launched the dinghy in the morning to check out the advertised dinghy dock in the Gardiner's basin.  After winding our way to the very end and not finding it, we were directed to a public dock by the entrance.  We walked into town on the boardwalk and checked out the beach which was in the process of getting more sand added for the summer.  The city has made dunes and planted them with sea oats in an attempt to stabilize the beach area.  We haven't stopped at Atlantic City by boat since we stopped there in 1978 while bringing Gulf Wind from Alabama.  What had looked like a bombed out city then (except for the casinos) is in the process of becoming a series of new, and from the looks of them, upper income homes.  There are only a  few of the old buildings left standing, one that looks to be a "projects" type building  from the late 60's still looks to be occupied and is on the board walk.  The guides still warn not to leave the general tourist areas, especially after dark.  The casinos appear to have an unlimited source of people willing to come leave their money at the games.  Since we'd left our stash of laundry money on the boat we just watched.
Atlantic City and Gardiner's Basin
Gardner's Basin with more Casinos in the background

5/9/2004
On Mother's Day we went over to the beach on the other side of the entrance channel for a long  walk and then back to the little museum by the dinghy dock in Atlantic City.  We planned to leave in the evening to make the off shore jump to New York, timed to arrive to catch the current up the Hudson.  This would give me the best of both worlds - time on the beach  and a Mother's Day sail. During our walk on the beach, visibility was such that the city disappeared in the haze. When we returned to the boat, all that remained were a few wisps of fog.  We didn't give this much thought as the weather forecast had not mentioned any fog.
Fog in Atlantic City
Fog off the ocean

It was quite a bash getting out to the sea buoy with the wind against the tide augmented by shoals just off the channel, but things quieted down once we got past the shoals and headed north.  We even got in some good sailing.  The New Jersey shore, like the Delaware Bay, seems to  be just one of those places you have to get past to get to the good parts.  Past the entrance, we were able to start sailing with the southeast wind and it appeared the forecast showers would miss us to our south and it would be an easy trip.

However, about 10 p.m. Leonard  called me to come help keep watch as we were in heavy fog and the radar was giving multiple returns for traffic around us.  The two of us kept our eyes glued to the radar screen keeping track of boats.  Looking outside was an exercise in futility as we could barely see the bow.  We also listened to the boats talking on the radio around us.  Another sail boat we'd seen briefly was contacting everyone on the radio.  Eventually we picked our way through the boats and the traffic thinned out allowing Leonard to go off watch.  Around 3 in the morning the fog finally thinned and I was able to pick out shore lights. Earlier I had passed within a 10th of a mile of a buoy - it gave a nice radar return - but I couldn't see the light reflection in the fog.  We spent most of the night motor sailing, trying to keep our speed up to catch the currents off Sandy Hook.
Sunrise at Sea
Sunrise off the Jersey coast

5/10/2004  New York City and the Hudson River
We sailed under the Verrazano Bridge shortly after 10 in the morning.  The day was sunny and pleasant, but a bit hazier than when we went south in the fall.  The Queen Mary 2 was berthed at the cruise docks.  It is quite a sight to see, very big.  There was a smaller cruise ship berthed next to her which only emphasized her size. 
Queen Mary 2
Queen Mary 2 at the NYC cruise docks

Fire Boat
NYC fire boat and the Empire State building

We reentered the official "inland lakes and waters" territory after passing under the George Washington Bridge at 1 p.m.  Since we still had a boost from the current, we pushed on to Nyack where we picked up a mooring at the Nyack Boat Club.  They had just opened for the season, so the moorings were in, but only a few boats and people around.  Those that were were very helpful - pointing out a transient mooring that would work for us, making sure we would be able to get back into the club grounds since no one was on duty yet, and then Jack, one of the members, offered us a ride to the grocery store on the outskirts of town.  He gave us a quick tour of the town on the way pointing out a couple of good places to eat. After hiking back from the store, we were glad to have a recommendation for a good pub for dinner.  The night was punctuated with a hefty thunderstorm, so it was nice to be on a mooring and not to worry about the anchor dragging.  It had been a rather long day.

5/11/2004
Castle
Pollepel Island Castle Ruins
In the morning  we proceeded up the Hudson, past West Point, Storm Mountain, the castle on  Pollepel Island, and all the towns.  It really is a beautiful area, especially from the water.  Since we had scheduled our mast stepping for either Wednesday or Thursday, we decided to explore a different anchorage at Saugerties.  The schooner "Mystic Whaler" from Mystic, CT, was tied up on a dock as we went up the creek.  We found a delightful anchorage past the marinas off a rock ledge, and had no worries about the forecast thunderstorms for the night.
Mystic Whaler
The schooner Mystic Whaler in Saugerties

Saugerties Anchorage
The Saugerties anchorage

5/12/2004
Wednesday morning, we headed for Catskill and, by 10 AM, were on the dock starting all the work involved in getting the mast stepped.  We found 2 of the 3 cradle frames we'd left there in October.  It's an honor system and I knew we needed a bigger permanent marker when we marked them.  We managed to make a new bow support for the mast and were ready to go at 4 p.m..  The day which had been very warm was ended with another thunderstorm around 6, so we were glad that the mast stepping had been put off to the next morning.  We cleaned up and walked into town for dinner.

5/13/2004
The morning was dripping with fog, thick enough so we couldn't see across the creek.  The calm air made stepping the mast easy, and in less than an hour we were tying  things down on the deck, getting the boat fueled up and in ship shape for the run through the locks.  Once again it was a very hot day.  Albany matched a heat record of 86, which of course meant more thunder showers in the offing for the evening.  We almost made it into the Troy lock before it started to shower, with just a sprinkling on us.  Watching the sky we decided to pass Waterford and tie up on the lock wall at Lock 1 for the night so we could get an early start through the locks in the morning.  We had just managed to get all the spring lines tied up on the east wall when a guard  walked down to tell us we couldn't tie up on that side.  I was much less than happy - this lock wall is shoulder high for me and I wasn't looking forward to trying to get a line ashore again, and the clouds looked like they would open up momentarily.  Off we went, at least the guy came over to catch our bow line.  After turning, backing and filling we finally managed to get tied up on the west side and below before the rains came.

5/14/2004
We started locking through shortly after 7 a.m.  Since we were the only boat things went quickly, with the only real wait at Lock 5, where a 15 minute delay was more like 30, and we were joined by a multi-hulled Canadian boat.  They stopped at Ft. Edwards just before Lock 7, so we continued on our way alone and cleared Lock 11 before the 5 p.m. closing time, which allowed us to reach Whitehall for the night.  The lockmaster at Lock 11 warned us there was a strong current at Lock 12 since they were lowering the water level by allowing more water over the flood gate.  The bulk of the rain had fallen north of us when we spent the night at Lock 1.  The water was really silted up and looked like coffee with lots of cream in it.  There was a fair amount of debris too. We had the entire wall south of Lock 12 to ourselves.
High point on the canal
Champlain Canal high point - the land falls away on this side

Whitehall Dock
On the free dock wall in Whitehall, NY

We decided to go for a walk through town after dinner and check things out.  While we were eating we were approached by 3 men who looked like boaters.  One of them had just bought a power boat in Addison, VT and they were heading to Mystic CT.  We spent some time talking boats - they had all been sailors first - and answered their questions about the locks.  This was their first experience in doing the canal.  Leonard sold them our copy of Skipper Bob's Canal  book which they were glad to have.  We spent the proceeds on ice cream in town, so it was a good deal all around.

5/15/2004
This morning after a brief delay at Lock 12, the lockmaster was cutting the grass and didn't hear our radio call, we did the last lock of the trip and headed up Lake Champlain toward home.  We will end this voyage with a night in Converse Bay before going home to face the long grass, untilled garden, stacks of mail, and all the chores we left undone.  If it's waited this long, another night won't make a difference.
Narrows of Dresden
Narrows of Dresden on Lake Champlain

Crown Point
Historical re-enactment at Crown Point Fort

Converse Bay
The New York shore from Converse Bay

This year the weather has been much warmer than last spring.  All those fleece cloths are still in the drawer, mostly unneeded.  We have been in shorts since arriving in Catskill, and glad we bought a plastic tarp which has done double duty as sun and rain shield.  We are thankful the weather has been kind to us - we haven't done a lot of pounding to windward, have done some really nice sailing, seen some beautiful places, found snug harbors to wait out weather changes, and the rain almost always waited until we were tucked in for the night.  I guess cruising doesn't get much better than this.

Lynnea