Approaching Winter

Silence has been down-rigged for the winter. Antifreeze has been run
through her systems, and her sails have been flaked and stowed. Now we
begin the wait for spring.

Schooner Race Day

We cancelled our planned outing to see the Schooner Race today. It's
raining, 48 degrees, and blowing 20 knots at Thomas Point. It's a good
day to go to the office and stay dry and warm...

More Pictures

For still more pictures, check out Frank's website:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chesbay1ah/collections/

Home Sweet Home

We arrived in Annapolis and came through on the 2:00 bridge opening. It feels great to be home. We are going to get the boat squared away, have a drink, and then go home to take a really long shower.

Cocktail hour

Suzan and I will be having cocktails at the dock this afternoon, around 5:00. We still have some vodka, but we have drunk all of the rum. Anyone reading this is welcome to join us. We will post a more precise time when we gat close...

Homeward Bound

This morning we are motoring south, headed to Annapolis. We have light winds and flat seas.

When you go away for this long it's like having a second life. For a month we have made a life onboard Silence. We are looking forward to getting back to our first life, but we will miss this one. You only get to live one life at a time, unfortunately.

Today's Thundestorm

As we approached the top of the Delaware Bay, where the channel narrows, we saw the black storm clouds of an approaching thunderstorm. We quickly struck sail, and prepared for the storm. We have been sailing in company with S/V Kathryn, and we watched them strike sail
as well. Coming up the channel was a large freighter.

The storm came on strong from the beginning, with 20 knots of breeze, and driving rain. We were positioned outside the channel where the freighter loitered.. on our starboard side we were hemmed in by the shore. The winds climbed quickly through the 20s, then through the 30s, and the boat becamed difficult to manage. Visibility was almost zero and none of the other boats in the area were visible. The winds continued to increase, hitting 48 knots, and the bow was being blown off, towards the rocks waiting onshore. We throttled up to point the bow up into the wind, but we had to be careful not to enter the channel where the invisible freighter was waiting. All the while we hoped that the freighter wouldn't drift down on us in the extreme wind. We were able to stay on station, but just barely.

The winds stayed in the high 30s for half an hour, which is a long time when you are blind and just trying to hang on, and you don't know where the other boats are.

Eventually, the winds tapered off, and the rain stopped. Silence was OK, but we couldn't see S/V Kathyn anywhere. We motored ahead slowly, watching astern with binoculars for any sign of them beyond the bend of the river. We eventually spotted them underway in the distance.

We turned into the C and D Canal, with no wind and flat waters, a welcome sight. Now we are anchored in the Bohemia River, happy to be almost home.

Safe and Sound

We just arrived in the Bohemia River, near the top of the Chesapeake.
We had a wild thundestorm this afternoon, but Silence and crew
weathered it well. More later...

Delaware Bay

We are currently sailing along on a broad reach, up the Delaware Bay.
The winds are 15-20, so we have reefed the main. We expect more wind,
and some rain, but for now the conditions are pleasant, and we are
making good time. Our boatspeed is around 7 knots.

Weather from Cape May

We have nice weather here this morning, but we expect rain and more
wind this afternoon. We will be getting out shortly and will get as
far up the Delaware as we can before the weather hits. There is no
place to stop before the canal, so we will just have to live with
getting wet.

Thunderstorm

It's just after 3:00 A.M and we had a thundestorm pass over us. Winds
in the low 20s, then some brief heavy rain. Lots of lightning. The
boat did fine riding to its anchor. John's boat is anchored nearby.

Cape May

We arrived in Cape May about a half hour ago. We ae anchoring for the
night, next to the Coast Guard station.
We had an easy day of motoring, sailing, and then motoring again. We
saw hundreds od dolphins feeding just north of Cape May.

Sailing

We have a weather window, so we headed out from Atlantic City at 11:30
this morning. The wind is about 10 knots and there is some swell left
over from yesterday. We an into John, from Sarles Marina, on his Swan
in Atlantic City. He is heading down to Cape May also today. He was
out yesterday and he said it was a rough ride.

We are currently sailing SW at about 7 knots, on starboad tack. Let's
hope the weather holds up.

A Break?

We may have a beak in the weather today. The winds are light in the
habor this morning, but it's still blowing 10-15 outside. The built up
waves will be our main concern.

Holed up in Atlantic City

The petrels and the gulls are hunkered down on the dock a few slips
away. The wind in the marina is gusting to 25 knots, and we are
praising our decision to stay put. Did I mention that there is a
severe thunderstorm watch in effect this evening? Crap, crap, and more
crap! Looking at the forecast leads me to the unhappy conclusion that
we may not be able to leave here before Saturday.

Today we took a walk down the boardwalk, and walked though the Tump
Taj Mahal. The boardwalk is a seedy remembrance of years gone by, a
faded pleasure best from a distance. The casinos here are only
reminiscent of Las Vegas and we are not gamblers (though as sailors I
suppose we do enjoy games of chance).

We can't complain too much, we are safe and dry, and we find ourselves
with some quality time to read and sip wine. We will get home
eventually.

Atlantic City, Baby

This is my third time visiting Atlantic City. Each time that I I have
been here I have been a refugee from bad weather. By the looks of the
forecast, we may be spending a couple of days here. Yesterday we made
good progress down the coast, despite three factors against us: the
swell, the wind, and a 1.5 knot current. After sundown, the winds
picked up to 20 knots and the seas began to build. Atlantic City was
just 10 miles away at that point, so we made the easy call to come in
out of the weather.

There is a cold front approaching so we expect more bad weather in the
next couple of days. It looks like it will be Saturday or Sunday
before we see Annapolis. We look forward to being home again, but the
Atlantic is going to control the timing of our homecoming.

Today we will see what Atlantic City has going for it. Suzan just said
that tonight is Country Night at the dock bar. Maybe we should leave
today afterall.

Atlantic City

We just arrived in Atlantic City. The weather went bad, so we decided
to tuck in for the night. All is well with the crew and boat. More
tomorrow...

Little Egg

We are about 10 miles north of Little Egg Inlet, running 2.5 miles off
the beach. We should spot Atlantic City by 10:00 PM. We are stll
motoring into about 13 knots of breeze and moderate swell.

Motoring South

The winds are light from the south, so we are motoring right into
them. We have a small swell, perhaps 3 feet. We are making about 6
knots through the water, however we have a 1 knot current against us.
At this speed we will make Cape May in 18 hours. We are about 2 miles
off the beach, so our cell phones are working for now.

Leaving Sandy Hook

The weather looks good for our run to Cape May, so we are underway at
7:00 AM. We will post again when we arrive in Cape May.

Communications

After we leave Sandy Hook we will likely be out of touch for a few
days. Don't worry if you don't hear from us for 2 days or so.

Sandy Hook

We just arrived in Sandy Hook after a scenic day motoring down the
East River. At the bottom of Manhattan we had a thunder squall, with
25 knots, rain and lightning. Visibility was limited and there were
ferrys going in all directions. After the rain, we saw the Statue of
Liberty under clearing skies. The rest of our trip was easy, and our
anchorage behind a breakwater is idylic. The winds are 5 knots, and we
have the promise of a beautiful sunset.

Tomorrow if the weather is good, we will strike out for the Atlantic
and Cape May, a hundred miles down the coast.

New Yok City

Today we will leave Manhasset around 11:00 AM to catch the tide
through Hell Gate. This leg will take us down the East River, past
Manhattan. But first, we have some grocery shopping to do onshore.

Our next stop will be Sandy Hook, NJ.

Arrived Manhasset

We arrived in Manhasset a little while ago. We went to the fuel dock
and have taken a mooring for the night. Our sail today only lasted
about an hour, but we hit speeds up to 8.5 knots before the wind died.
We motored the rest of the distance.

We caught our first glimpse of Manahattan from the Sound, the Empire
State Building clearly visible in the distant haze.

Sailing!

Now we are sailing along at 6.5 knots. Aaah.

Leaving Port Jeff

We are leaving Port Jeff as I write this, motoring out of the harbor.
The ferry is comong out behind us. Winds are light, but there are some
scattered thunderstorms about. Next stop is Manhasset.

Trip to Port Jeff

There was not much wind today so we motored the 40 some miles to Port
Jeff. The autopilot is acting up, resetting itself at random times, so
paying attention to that gave me something to do.

We chose Port Jeff as a convenient halfway port down Long Island
Sound, but now that we are here it looks like a nicer place than we
expected. We are waiting for a thunderstorm on our mooring, but after
that passes, we will go ashore and check out the town.

Port Jeff

We just arrived in Port Jefferson and have taken a mooring for the evening.

Departure from Three Mile Harbor

We departed from Three Mile Harbor at 6:00 AM. Winds are calm and it
is a quiet dawn. We are motoring noth to go through Plum Gut, then we
will head southwest down the Sound to Port Jefferson.

Tides

It was still very windy this morning when it was time to catch the
tide, so we decided to stay one more day and catch tomorrow's tide
first thing in the morning. Now the winds have dropped and the
violence of last night has turned into a peaceful place to rest up for
another day.

Sleepless

It turns out that 60 feet of anchor chain in 10 foot deep water is not
adequate for holding in 35 knot winds. Ask me how I know this?
Normally a 6-to-1 ratio for anchor scope is comfortable, especially
when the rode is chain. Last night, however, the winds built in the
harbor to 25-30 with gusts to 35 with torrential rain, and this was
sustained from midnight to 5:00 AM this morning. Around 3:00 we
noticed that we were dragging anchor and getting dangerously close to
a moored boat. We tried just motoring forward slowly to take the
strain off the anchor, but as we slacked the load, the wind would push
the bow off the wind and we would take the gusts sideways, just
aggravating the problem due to the extra windage.

So, we decided to re-anchor in the deep darkness and screeching
breeze. It was a challenge to communicate from the bow to the cockpit
in these conditions, but we got the anchor up and then motored away
from danger to a new location. We used the flashlight to avoid running
into other boats which were unlit, and dropped our anchor in an open
area. This time we put out over 100 feet and that has held since.

The winds are now down to 15 knots and the sky is clearing with some
low scudding clouds moving rapidly south. We will try to catch up on
sleep this morning, and make a decision about a late morning
departure, if the winds die off as predicted. The forecast for today
is for 5-10 knots from the SW.

Rain

We finished up our laundry at Cynthia and Clyde's house, and went
shopping in East Hampton. We had hamburgers at Bay Burgers near Sag
Harbor for lunch. The rain began during lunch, so we returned to the
boat while it was still light and stowed the dinghy in preparatipon
for a departure tomorrow.. It's coming down harder now, and the winds
have picked up to 14+ knots in the harbor. When this passes we plan to
head out... Hopefully tomorrow.

Fog

A thick fog has settled into the harbor this moning. It made
navigation in the dinghy a little bit of a challenge as I came out to
the boat in order to run the refrigeration. This is one of our boat
chores that has to be done several times a day: start the generator,
and turn on the fridge until the temperature looks good. Our fridge is
powered by AC, if we had a DC powered unit we could leave the boat
unattended for longer periods and still keep our food. This will be
near the top of our list for future upgades.

We plan to be back on the boat this afternoon to make preparations for
departure tomorrow. Next port: either New Haven or Port Jefferson,
both on Long Island Sound.

Weather

It looks like the weather will be deteriorating tomorrow afternoon,
with strong winds, rain and perhaps a thunderstorm. We plan to lay
over here one more day, and depart Friday morning when this system
moves past us.

We had a nice lunch today at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor. Lunch
consisted of shrimp, mussels, raw oysters and clams, plus a little
sushi thrown for good measure. We drove around looking around at all
the high end real estate this afternoon. This place is a sort of
fantasy: a creation of small town main streets with designer labels
and perfectly manicured lawns. The average car is a BMW, a Mercedes,
or a Lexus.

Tonight we are grilling out with Cynthia and Clyde. We will sleep
ashore this evening, the first time for me in 20 days.

East Hampton

We plan to be tourists today, checking out East Hampton. We got a tip
from our friends Joanie and Peter that the Harbor Bistro is a good
place for a meal. We will try it out today if we have a chance.

We have had some trouble starting the outboad on the dinghy on this
trip. This was a little distressing for me since I spent a couple of
weekends over the winter rebuilding the carburetor. But it seems to be
running better now. Maybe it just needed some time to get into the
summer routine.

Trip to Three Mile Harbor

We began the day in Block under grey skies with occasional rain. We
slipped our mooring at 6:30 and made our way out of the salt pond. The
winds were from the NE, so we needed to sail a course almost directly
downwind. We set just the jib and made good speed with a 15 knot
breeze behind us. The seas were a little rolly due to a mild swell.
The tide was favorable, giving us a one knot push most of the morning.
The breeze held up and we made around 6.5 knots all the way to
Gardiner's Island. There we gybed over to port and headed due south.
We expected the wind to die down and the waves to flatten in the lee
of Gardiner's, but in fact the winds built, the waves got bigger, and
we received a downpour that reduced our visibility to a quarter mile.
When we were 2 miles from the entrance to Three Mile Harbor the winds
hit 25 knots, so we decided to take in the jib entirely. In the action
of taking in the sail, the lazy sheet got away from us, and in all the
flogging it tangled with the working sheet. Fortunately, we were still
able to get the sail furled. We made the harbor entrance a half hour
later, and found a very peaceful anchorage. I untangled the jib sheets
and everything is well with the boat and crew.

The next problem we faced was to find a place to land the dinghy.
There is no public dock here, and the local marina wanted $125/night
to tie up the little boat! This really is the Hamptons, and they don't
want to encourage people like us to come here. We called on our
friends Cynthia and Clyde to see if they had any local connections,
and it turns out that Cynthia had a friend with a boat and they called
their marina (which is just a bit further into the harbor) and they
gave permission for us to tie up there. We had a nice dinner with our
friends, and now I am back on the boat, running the generator, while
Suzan stays on shore for the night. We plan to organize tomorrow so
that I won't have to come back to the boat so late, and then we can
both stay on shore..

Three Mile Harbor

We arrived in Three Mile Harbor around 1:00 PM. We are anchored and
looking for a place to bring the dinghy ashore. More later...

Return to Block Island

We just arrived at our mooring in Block Island after refueling at the
dock. We can be found at The Oar later this afternoon.

Tomorrow morning we leave early to make the distance to Three Mile
Harbor on Long Island. We will be visiting with our friends Clyde and
Cynthia for a couple of days.

Whales

Danielle asked about pictures of the whales. Jim is posting some pix
amd maybe a video on his site: http://jimgannon.com/blog

Life at 6 knots

We are about 12 miles NE of Block Island this morning, motoring along
at 6 knots. There is almost no wind today, so things are a little
dull. We expect to have cocktails at The Oar this evening...

To Cutty Hunk

Today's trip was really three different experiences. In Cape Cod Bay
we began with a steady west breeze and we were able to sail directly
towards the canal at 6.5 knots. Before we got to the canal, the breeze
faded and we motored.

We arrived at the canal a bit early due to sailing so fast, and so we
entered knowing that we would be riding the maximum current going with
us. This sounds like a good thing, but the fast current creates
standing waves and amplifies boat wakes, which made for a very ugly
ride. At one point the waves dropped our boatspeed to zero, which is
very dangerous because we lost steerage way. It was dicey for a few
minutes, but we got going again anf popped out the canal after about
an hour run.

In Buzzards Bay, the winds piped up to 15 to 20 knots, right on our
nose from the SW. We motored sailed the 20 or so miles to Cutty Hunk
and arrived safely in the late afternoon.

Tomorrow we plan to return to Block Island for an overnight stay
before we enter Long Island Sound.

--
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Cutty Hunk

We just arrived at Cutty Hunk. All is well, more later...

Goodbye to Povincetown

Today we biked over to the atlantic side of the Cape. We stuck our
toes in frigid water and enjoyed the view. After lunch Jim jumped on
the ferry back to Boston. Tonight we checked out a drag show, which
turned to be a lot of fun. The show was by an impersonator singing
songs by various divas. His/her range was quite impressive.

Tomorrow we will depart by 7:00 AM to catch a favorable tide, heading
south and west, destination Cutty Hunk.

Racing

There was an overnight sailboat race from Boston to Provincetown last
night. Some of the boats were already in when I looked around the
harbor this morning. A number of the later boats are just arriving.
There are spinakers flying as they pass the finish line off the
lighthouse at the point.

It is cloudy here this morning and we had some rain last night. It
should clear later today, and then the winds will pick up. We should
have gentler weather tomorrow as we leave for Cutty Hunk, the
southernmost island of the Elizabeth Islands.

Today we say farewell to Jim as he leaves for Boston on the ferry and
then to a train which will take him back to Baltimore.

Pix

Don't forget to check for new pictures on Jim's blog: http://jimgannon.com/blog

Whales

We bid farewell to our crewmates, Judy and Frank, this morning. This
afternoon we went on a whalewatching cruise. This turned out to be a
spectacular experience. We saw dozens of whales, coming close to the
boat, snorting, flicking their flukes as they dove. We saw multiple
breeches in the distance as a bunch of males competed for the highest
jump. Near the end of the cruise, we observed the hunpbacks feeding
behavior, where they make bubbles with their fluke to drive the small
fish to the surface, then they plow through with their mouths open,
straining the sea water with their baleen. This was a very rewading
day!

Fog

There is fog in the harbor this morning. I can see past the
breakwater, but no further. There are cormorants lined up on the
rocks, squawking away.

P-Town

Provincetown is a bit edgier than any of the places that we have
stopped so far. It has an artsy, funky flavor very unlike the the rest
of New England. The gay community here brings with it an "anything
goes" attitude that is apparent in how expressive the art is.

Frank and Judy will be departing on the ferry for Boston tomorrow. Jim
will leave us on Saturday. On Sunday, early, Suzan and I will begin to
make our way south and west, towards Long Island Sound.

Provincetown

We made Provincetown this afternoon after an uneventful passage
through Wood's Hole and the Cape Cod Canal. The tide in the canal gave
us a 4 knot push, so we made 10 knots over the ground.

After clearing the canal we were able to sail on a beam reach, then on
a broad reach to Provincetown. We plan to stay here for a few days.
These are our last days with our crew, who will depart for home this
weekend.

Cape Cod

I am now looking at the chart for Cape Cod Bay, which covers our
northernmost destination for this trip. We will transit Woods Hole
tomorrow morning at about 9:30 and then turn north to the Cape Cod
Canal. Then on to Provincetown, about 50 miles total. Tides are
important for this leg, so will be paying close attention to the tide
tables. I am at the nav station, sipping a Dark and Stormy as I
contemplate our day tomorrow.

Laundry

Today is laundry day. We are in Oak Bluffs at the Washashore
laundrymat. Fortunately, there is a bar across the street.

Biking

The boys toured on bikes, while the girls went shopping. We had a fine
lunch at Zephrus, sitting next to the street. The weather is good, 70s
and no humidity, with a steady breeze.

Tomorrow's plan is to do laundry and the take the boat to the fuel
dock for water. We had a near disaster with the holding tank this
morning. It was filled to the top so we called in the mobile pumpout
boat. Empty holding tanks are a very good thing.

Maintenance

We noticed that the engine is overheating when we idle, but not when
running at cruising speed. This happened about 5 years ago and that
time it was caused by some kruft in the heat exchanger. I opened up
the exchanger end caps this morning and found some grit and some
calcification, so its all cleaned up now. We will monitor the engine
closely to make sure we have cured the problem.

Vineyard Haven

We decided early to make a run at Vineyard Haven, so we departed
Newport at 9:00 AM under gray skies with modest winds around 7 knots.
We sailed downwind in lumpy, rolly seas, but made progress. At first
we weren't making our course, but the wind shifted to the left and we
began to be able to sail directly to the mouth of Vineyard Sound. When
we arrived at the Sound, the wind obligingly shifted left again,
allowing us a beam reach up the sound and to Vineyard Haven. Near the
end the wind picked up to 15-18 knots and we saw boatspeeds as high as
8.5! We are moored now, preparing for dinner aboard.

Martha's Vineyard

We just arrive in Martha's Vineyard. Had an excellent sail, all the
way from Newport. More later...

Cutty Hunk

Since we don't plan to leave Newport until this afternoon, and
Martha's Vineyard is about 45 miles away, we are looking at stopping
at Cutty Hunk for the night. I'm not sure of cell service there, so
there's no guarantee that I will be able to post from there. Cutty
Hunk is the first island in the Elizabeth chain that separates
Buzzards Bay from Vineyard Sound. We were there once, 11 years ago,
and it is a small, quiet place.

Touring Newport

We went the Newport museum today, and then took a walking tour of some
of the residential areas. There many grand houses and then, of course,
there are the palatial mansions along the cliffs.

Later, we joined up with Frank's friend at the Newport Yacht Club for
cocktails. We then went to a seafood place in Middletown, just to our
north. We had excellent lobster, the first of this trip. We hope to
eat a few more of these tasty crustaceans before our trip is done.

We plan to have breakfast at the yacht club in the morning, and then
head out for Martha's Vineyard.

Newport Boats

We had a pleasant walk through town today and have returned to the
boat for dinner. In the harbor there are more, bigger, nicer boats
than anywhere else on the east coast. I have heard that Lauderdale
rivals this place, but I haven't seen that yet...

Just a few minutes ago the private sailing yacht of Jim Clark, of
Netscape fame, went by in the channel. "Athena" is 155 feet, with 3
masts, and unbelievable woodwork apparent everywhere. It must be good
to be a captain of industry.

There are hundreds of lesser, but extraordinary yachts here. There is
a very fine Little Harbor here, about 65 feet. My boat lust is at full
throttle now.

I just feel lucky to be in the scene.

Newport

We just arrived in Newport, and were shown to our mooring by the
dockmistress. Frank has connections up here, so we got the royal
treatment.

We plan to go ashore after lunch aboard.

Leaving Block Island

This morning we are preparing to leave Block Island. We will stow the
dinghy, go to the fuel dock, and then head out for Newport. We expect
5-10 knots from the NE this morning, then 10 knots from the SE.

Bicycling

Today we rented bikes and toured the island. Lots of quaint buildings.
We had an excellent lunch at Harry's Place.

Tomorrow we plan to sail over to Newport. Frank has a contact who is
going to hook us up with a mooring.

Storm story

This is a blog so things get posted backwards. Scroll down to "Details
of Tuesday Blow" and work you way back throught the 4 parts of this
story...

Tuesday Blow (part 4)

The thunderstorm came in fast with lots of lightning, breeze and rain.
Torrential rain! This only lasted a short while, and we could see the
storm cell's progress on our radar. The winds abated some, then
resumed, but the worst waves became rarer. We continued pressing along
on ourcourse, rolling constantly. By dawn the conditions were very
manageable, though still rolling. The waves became gradually smaller
and we had a beautiful day by the time we sighted Montauk and then
Block Island. We were tired but happy when we pulled into Block and
took a mooring.

--
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Tuesday Blow (part 3)

During the night the weather service issued severe thunderstorm
warnings for the NYC and LI area. We could see the dark clouds and
lightning on our port side. The storms eventually closed with us and
brought heavy rain and winds from a new direction. We struck all sails
just before the storm and rode it out just motoring at slow speed. The
seas became confused as the wind shift started to effect them. After
the storm the winds moderated somewhat, and became hopeful that things
would settle down. We were down to about 30+ miles off the LI beach.

The big waves became fewer and were able to steer closer to our
course, but we had to watch for the big waves and steer down when they
came, every minute or so. This required very active steering, with one
crew facing aft to call waves for the helmsperson. This went on for
hours!

Another thunderstorm came a few hours before dawn as we continued to
motor on our course. We were about 10 miles south of LI. (To ne
continued)

--
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Tuesday Blow (continued)

All afternoon Tuesday the winds continued to build from the SE. We
reefed in sequence, first the main then the jib. We took the main in
entirely a little later, and made the jib smaller still. We were still
making 6 to 7 knots with minimal sail area. The winds built to 20+
knots, not usually a problem, but the waves built to 6 feet or so and
became steeper. The waves began to roll us when we steered our course
to Block, so we frequently had to bear off, steering due north to keep
our footing. Later there were so many waves like this that we could
only steer north.

During the late hours of Tuesday we began to talk about what to do
about the lee shore of Long Island. The forecast had been upgraded to
10-15 from the south. Conditions steadily worsened on Wednesday
morning, and we turned the engine on at low RPMs to hellp make the
steering more respomsive. The following seas kept trying to turn the
boat sideways to the waves, causing some ugly rolls. The distance to
LI was decreasing all the time and we were locked on our course due
north. The tough thing about LI as a lee shore is that it is over a
hundred miles long with no harbors. If we didint find a solution soon
we would be sailing right up the beach.

Sleep isn't easy on a boat sailing in these conditions, but we all
managed to get an hour or so here and there. Imagine sleeping on a
roller coaster, the flesh of your body constantly shifting against
your bones as the boat lurches through the night. (To be continued)

Details of the Tuesday Blow

For those who might be interested I will give some recollections of
the blow that we experienced on Tuesday. The forecast on Monday as we
rounded Cape May was for light winds for 4-d days. We thought that we
might end up motoring all the way due to the light winds.

We set sail in a light breeze and were making 3 to 4 knots. Later the
winds filled in and we were making a solid 5 to 6 knots of boatspeed,
beam reaching in a mild swell. All through Monday night we could see
the lights of the cities of NJ as we made our way up the coast. With a
full moon and clear skies this was great sailing. Atlantic City was
beautiful in the early hours of Tuesday, with a slight haze to diffuse
it's hard edges.

Dawn on Tuesday and we were all feeling great about our sail and our
progress. The winds were steady and we were making 6-7 knots. We
checked the forecast from NOAA and the predictions were for 5-10 from
the south. By noon we were seeing 15 or so knots and were touching 8
knots of boatspeed. We started talking about plans to reef.
(To be continued)

Arrival in Block Island

We have arrived! We are on a mooring in the harbor. Time to get
cleaned up and eat a late breakfast.

Block Island

Block is in sight, we should be in the harbor in an hour or so. We
have light winds from the north, cool temps (the water temp is only 63
degrees here), and sunny skies.

Passing Montauk

This morning we are passing Montauk, at the easternmost. End of Long
Island. Winds are light and we are motoring towards Block Island. It
is a beautiful morning in contrast to the last 24 hours. We went
through very rough seas and two big thunderstorms. All is well with
the crew and the boat.

Long Island

We are off Long Island, about ten miles offshore, and 25 mules west of
Montauk. We have had a rouygh ride for the last 12 hours, 20+ knots of
wind and large following seas. We had some concerns of being trapped
with a lee shore, and unable to steer away. The seas have subsided
somewhat and we are making our course for Block Island. We should make
landfall in the late morning. All is well with the crew, though it has
been a hard day and night's work.

Sweet Sailing

Silence is currently sailing along at 7.2 knots on a beam reach. We
are pointed directly to our destination. This is very sweet sailing.
Dinner is coming up from the galley, calzone tonight.

Sailing

We are now sailing off Cape May in a light SE breeze, making 3.5
knots. Very pleasant conditions, though we hope for more breeze to
carry us north.

Passing Cape May

We are passing Cape May and heading out to sea. We expect light winds
for the next day or so, so this might be a slow passage. Next contact
will be from Block Island.

Delaware Bay (middle)

The winds are light, from the north today, so we are motorsailing.

Jim's Blog

If you want pictures, check out Jim's Blog: http://jimgannon.com/blog

Delaware Bay

We were up at 5:30 this morning and just cleared the C and D canal. We
are now heading south, down the Delaware Bay. The weather looks fine
for the next few days, so we will not stop in Cape May. Tonight we
head out into the Atlantic. Our first stop will be Block Island in
about 3 days. This might be our last communique for a while. Everyone
is healthy and in good spirits.

Aground!

We ran aground in Chesapeake City at the entrance to Engineer's Cove.
We were able to back off, but there were already two other boats
aground by the time we left. We stayed flexible and we specialized in
recovery (thanks Raul) and we headed to the marina at Summit North. We
will head out into the Delaware Bay tomorrow early.

Sassafras

We are just passing the Sassafras River, in the upper Bay.

Annapolis

Silence departed Annapolis right on time. We went through the bridge
at Spa Creek at 8:00 AM. Our friends Valerie and Raul took pictures of
us from the bridge, and wished us farewell. We are motoring north at 5
knots, against the tide. Next stop is Chesapeake City, tonight.

Ready

We loaded all of the food on today, and the freezer is fuller than it has ever been. No worries about getting hungry on this trip. Suzan brought two bags of shoes onboard, which I will tease her about for the duration of the trip... We plan to leave in the morning at 8:00 AM.

Ship Shape

I scrubbed the decks this afternoon, and Frank came by and helped me stow the dinghy on deck. I changed the fuel filter for the main engine and we also loaded a bunch more food on board. The boat is getting steadily heavier, and judging by the waterline we are just about ready to go. Tomorrow we will load our clothes on, and the food that needs to be refrigerated. If we get all of our work done, we might even be able to watch the fireworks!

Weather for Sunday

Right now the forecast for Sunday indicates that we will have light winds, sunshine, and 85 degrees. The first two days of our trip are most likely going to consist of motoring up the Chesapeake, then down the Delaware Bay. The Delaware can be hideous if there is wind against the tide, so I don't mind having a couple of no-wind days.

Water and Stove

On Saturday we took the boat out for a sunset sail with my coworkers,
Ellen, Danielle, and Josh. We had a short sail, then went over to
Cantler's for some crabs. Josh suffered rope burn during our sail, but
it turns out that a cold beer in the hand is a good treatment!

Suzan cleaned the oven yesterday, while I took on 150 gallons of
filtered water. This week we will load on provisions and clothes for
the trip.

Nearly Ready

After replacing batteries in our personal strobes we have completed
our boat checklist. We just need to work on provisioning and doing
some cleaning to prepare for our guest crew. Two weeks to go...

MOB Pole

Will and I installed the new MOB Pole on Monday evening.

Liferaft

Over the weekend Jim helped me get the liferaft onboard and into its
cradle. We also brought a spare genoa onboard, and set up the dinghy.
We ran the outboard for an hour around the creek to make sure that it
is running reliably.

To Do List

The to do list is getting shorter each weekend. This weekend we bent
on the high cut jib (good in waves and higher wind ranges), rigged the
inner forestay, and repaired the mainsail furler electronics. I also
built a new emergency tiller to replace the rusted out one that came
with the boat. Phew, that was a big weekend!

Hatch Gasket

Another little issue popped up over the weekend when I was laying in my bunk. We had a rain shower in the morning and I was awakened by drops of water hitting my forehead (after I had closed the hatch). Our hatches are made by Bomar, so I looked them up on the web, and I was able to order new gasket material. Hopefully, replacing this gasket will cure the leak.

In Mast Furler Problem

A few weeks ago we noticed that our electric furler for the main sail was only working in one direction. Last weekend I checked the control switch, which turns out to be working fine. Next I checked the control box to see if I could hear the solenoids clicking. I only hear the click when we actuate the system in one direction. Next, I opened up the control box, and traced the problem to a potted board which accepts the signal from the switch, performs load limiting, and sends the signal to the solenoids. This system is about 25 years old, from Hood which is no longer in the furler business. Getting a part is pretty unlikely, so I am looking into a way to just drive the solenoid directly from the switch. The only issue is that we have to be careful to avoid overloading the system, because there won't be any protection.

Dinghy Lift

This week I replaced the dinghy lift lines. The old ones were at least 11 years old, so it was time! Tomorrow we are taking the liferaft off the deck to be serviced by USA Services. The plan for the weekend is to attend to some odds and ends: replace fuel filters, purge the side tanks of antifreeze and run some water through. (We only de-winterize one of the three tanks for cruising around the Bay, but with a full crew we will want as much water aboard as possible. It's nice to take a shower once in a while...) We also hope to sail with our out-of-town company... which will be a good time to try out the new autopilot.

Pilgrimage

This summer we are planning a trip up to Cape Cod, on a quest to watch whales in their summer range. We are busy preparing Silence for the trip. Lot's of maintenance, checking safety gear, and spring cleaning...

Start your engines...

We went over last weekend and turned over the engine and generator and
all is running fine. Now it's time to get the boat ready!

The Season is Close

Yesterday we saw boats racing in the harbor, near AYC.

GFCI

When I went over to the boat on Sunday to check on things, I found
that the de-icer was not running, and there was some ice around the
boat. I checked the electrical panel, the breaker was still on, then
checked the outlet where it is plugged in and found that the the GFCI
mechanism had popped. I reset it and plugged it in again, and it
popped immediately. Out on deck, I pulled the de-icer out of the water
and found the problem: the cord had gotten into the fan blades and
been cut. Drat!

Luckily, there is a guy local to Annapolis that services Kasco
de-icers, so I called, and he was actually working in his shop on a
Sunday. I took the rig over to him to drop off, expecting that it
would be a week or so before I could get it back. When I arrived he
checked it out, and determined that everything was OK (sometimes after
cutting a cord, water can wick down into the de-icer housing, ruining
the unit), and he replaced the cord on the spot. I made a quick trip
back to the boat and re-installed the de-icer, turned it on, and all
is well again.

Checking...

I went over to the marina to check on the boat tonight. The de-icer has done it's job, and all is clear. It was warm today, but we return to cold weather tomorrow, according to the weather man. The slip next to me was empty for the last couple of months, but they have put a Bay workboat in there now. He's a little bit big for that slip, and sitting close to us. I adjusted our fenders to help keep us apart if it gets windy.

Ice

We had some very cold weather over the weekend, so I went over to the
boat on Monday to put the de-icer in the water. There was skim ice on
the creek as I flipped the switch to keep the water moving around the
boat.