We made it

Well we finally made it to Annapolis last Friday. We found a cool little anchorage called Weems Creek which was away from all the "goings on" at the boat show but within walking distance from a grocery store, laundromat, and a handful of great little restaurants. We spent Saturday with Burt and Nancy Jackson, who live here in Severna Park. Their neighborhood had a great Oktoberfest party complete with bratwurst, home - brewed beer, and an Ohm Pa band! Fun was had by all! Caroline took third place in the pie eating contest!

Monday, Alyson, Caroline and I went to the boatshow to check out all the new gadgets. It was pretty much same as last year. Later that evening we went out to eat for Caroline's Birthday. Burt and his son, Ben, joined us at the Macaronni Grill. Yum Yum!

Today, we moved the boat down to Burt and Nancy's neighborhood to a little cove called Yantz Creek. It's located at 39.04.002N 076.33.923W. Look us up on google earth and you will see the exact cove we are in!

I Didn't Fall Overboard!

Yes, I am on the boat with my family! I have been very busy and haven't had made time to write until now. The planning for this trip took some time to work out. If you have ever planned to leave on a vacation for a week and gone through all the preparations, you know just a taste of what I have been up to these last couple of months. We had to plan for being way for ten months . . .taxes, absentee voting, Dr. and Dentist visits for all, establishing automatic bill payments, working with the pharmacy and BCBS to get our meds in advance, finding a house sitter and the list goes on.

So our first day out, I was exhausted and I must admit, I had a tug of sadness as we left our home port. It was not a sadness for the material things left behind but for my family and friends. Along, with my melancholy came excitement that the day had finally arrived. We were on our way on a journey of a lifetime! I prayed for safe travel, for happiness for my family and for our eyes to be opened to all of the new things God wanted us to experience. Oh, and I prayed to see Dolphins on the first day.

The ride down the ICW to Wrightsville Beach was a couple of hours but as we left the inlet, the sun broke through the haze. It was a gorgeous day! I felt true joy as I sat on the trampolines with Caroline watching the boats go by.

The seas were calm and I felt no fear being out in the ocean. I took my turn at the helm and off the Starboard side came our first of many Dolphins we would see that day. Caroline and I were like little kids with such excitement to see them. There were other sightings that day of large schools of fish, sharks (2 of them feeding on said fish), Jellyfish as big as Caroline's head (as she said). At one point, a beautiful little brown and yellow bird flew as hard as she could to catch up with us so she could rest a while. Coco did try to chase her off one time and in doing so almost went overboard.

Speaking of Coco, she is doing well so far. She has found her favorite warm, sunny spots and loves to sit in my lap while I'm at the helm. She is still apprehensive about doing her business on the AstroTurf but is doing much better.

Oh, Lew and Caroline caught their first (of many, I hope) fish today. It was small and Lew decided to throw it back. Truth be told, I don't think he wanted to clean it.

We anchored off of Beaufort that night. We had dinner, watched a movie and went to bed early. This was a great day!

The next two days traveling down the ICW were pretty uneventful. The second night we anchored off of Belhaven and third night we docked at Alligator River Marina. In our travel books, it claimed to have ultra modern facilities. Caroline said they were "ultra ancient." It was really windy that night so I knew the next day would be rough. It was. We cruised across the Alligator River and into the Albemarle Sound straight into the wind and waves. I was like riding a bucking bronco. School was called on account of rough seas. It calmed down later but it was tough getting Caroline back on task. We finally docked at the Coinjock Marina. A nice marina with good seafood. Now, I have asked several people if they have ever heard of Coinjock, NC. No person has at this point. All I know, is we are in the Outer Banks.

We leave early tomorrow so we can make to Norfolk so I better get to bed! Love you and goodnight!






http://picasaweb.google.com/lewisnance/ClosingInOnAnnapolis#

Closing in on Annapolis

We have had a great few days making our way north toward Annapolis.

We began Saturday morning leaving Carolina Beach. We motored up the ICW to Wrightsville Beach and went outside, straight to Beaufort. It was a gloriously clear day with smooth water. Although we had the engine running the entire time, we did get to put up the sails for the last 4 hours. We saw tons of wildlife. Pods of dolphin frolicking all around, bait balls being hemmed at the surface, a brief glimpse of a sea turtle, two sharks and Caroline caught her first fish by trolling are just a sampling of our encounters. We got in to Beaufort that night and anchored out in Town Creek just to the north of the drawbridge.

With an early start on the day, we had a pretty uneventful motor to Bellhaven. That evening, Alyson cooked an awesome dinner - sesame chicken with a wasabi salad. I awoke early the next morning and I couldn't see a thing! OH NO, I'M BLIND!!! NO, Wait, I can see the boat. I just can't see anything beyond the boat. As we slept, a thick fog had rolled in, enveloping our peaceful little anchorage. So, plan #2 went into effect. Sleep a little longer and hope the fog burns off soon. The weather radio said the fog would be gone by 8:30, but we still could only see about 100 yards. But, within 30 minutes , the fog began to dissipate and we could get underway. We made Alligator creek Marina that night and had one of their "world renowned" cheeseburgers. I must admit they were pretty darn good!

This morning, we were the only ones choosing to head north against the wind. Forecasts had the wind at 25 knots gusting to 30. I believe it was every bit of that. Our first leg we went straight across the Albemarle. I was rough!!! I began to wonder if I had made the wrong decision to go that morning. We had to fight to get off the windward shore. Once we had made it about 1/3 of the way across, the waves began to mellow but the breeze remained stiff. Did I mention it was unseasonable cool? I nearly froze at the helm. To make matters worse, the sun seemed to hide behind thick white clouds until we had nearly made our stopping point. At 1:30 we pulled up to the docks at Coinjock Marina.

We are currently 50 miles south of Norfolk and just below the NC / VA border. Tomorrow we hope to make Norfolk and visit with Chip, my brother.

Making Progress

Well we have certianly been busy these last few weeks. Caroline has learned to throw the cast net, ride in the dingy and climb the mast. The following link shows some pics of the highlights. Alyson took the picture from way up the mast looking straight down at the boat. You will know it when you see it!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lewisnance/MakingProgress#

If all goes as planned, we'll head back toward Beaufort on Saturday morning. I doubt if we'll hardly stop since we are running pretty tight for making Annapolis for the Sailboat Show. I expect to spend a good 5 days getting there. Updates to this blog may be light since we'll be concentrating on making miles and not finding an internet connection. Winds should shift to the east by Monday so we can do some sailing. Unfortunately, Saturday and Sunday promise to be motor days, or rather, motor daze.

Home Sweet Home

We left Beaufort early Wednesday morning, crossing through the drawbridge at the nine o'clock opening. With winds from the north at 15 to 20kts, we set the main with a tripple reef and unfurled the jib. Aly Cat made good way for most of the morning. Under sail, our best speed was around 9 kts. Later in the day, the wind eased and we opted for motor sailing as we surfed down following swells. Top speed as we surfed with engine and sail was just over 12 kts. We averaged closer to 7.5 or 8. By late afternoon, Wrightsville Beach appeared through the haze. As the sun set in the west, we entered the jetty at Masonboro Inlet. We had made it! Back in familiar waters and just a few miles from our homeport.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lewisnance/BeaufortNCToWrightsvilleBeach#

Wet Again!!!

Well, we are back in the water and ready for the final leg to Carolina Beach. Tomorrow Shields Harper and his son Alan will join me for the brief run to CB. We plan to go straight from the Beaufort inlet to Wrightsville Beach Inlet. It promises to be a great downwind sail with moderate wind.

Incidentally, Alan Harper just spent the summer working for Sail Caribbean as a Catamaran Skipper. I hope he can give me some tips.


"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain

latest update

Alyson and I spent Sunday attending to various items, loading new cockpit cushions, and unloading/throwing away items on board that we won't need.  We filled several 55 gallon drums with the stuff we threw away.  I also got a chance to inspect the dingy.  Even though it has several slow leaks, I feel confident I can get all of them patched.  We are quickly approaching our departure and all is progressing well.  We should have all repairs completed by the end of the week and be able to relaunch her by early next week.  The time table will mostly depend on tropical activity heading this way as to when we'll put her back in the water.