Waiting for the weather

Bouncy anchorage overnight in Bohemia River, what with wind shifting and strong current but quietened down in the early hours for a short lie in for the crew. Timed our departure mid-morning to get the strong current going with us west to east through the C&D Canal. Meeting the tidal flow in the huge Delaware River at the east end of the Canal is always a challenge. Having already decided not to try to sail the 50nm to Cape May against the current, we revved up and turned in through the turbulence to anchor in the shelter of Reedy Island, between it and the west bank of the main river. This short passage - only about 20nm - allowed relaxation. Just as well, since the ensuing night was even more bouncy than the previous one, wind shifts and strong tidal flow again responsible.

At 05:45 on Saturday 5 May, Follyfin headed out into the Delaware River, taking full advantage of the strong current and favourable NE/NW wind to sail SE down river until it died at 14:00. No matter, the lion’s share of the trip to our destination - Cape May - was done. Unlike our passage to this Harbour last year, we arrived in daytime and good weather. Knowing we would need to wait for adverse weather to pass through before continuing north, decided not to go into the crowded anchorage most transient vessels use, at the eastern end of the harbour, but instead we chose to go through the opening Two Mile bridge and motor 2nm east up river into ‘Wildwood’ to anchor in Sunset Lake. Although the entrance is quite shallow (not a problem for Follyfin’s lifting keel), there is a perfectly sheltered deeper pool in the SW corner of this small lake. Here we dropped anchor and are prepared to wait for southerly winds again for our 200nm passage up to Long Island.

Sunset Lake proved to be somewhat of a misnomer at first, since Sunday brought heavy rain, dense fog and overcast skies as well as much cooler temperatures. We were glad not to be going out anywhere. Monday saw an improvement in the weather but wind still NE, no good for us. And by Monday evening the reason for the name was clear.

Provisions will be needed before setting off, so Tuesday 8 May Follyfin will take a berth at Utsch’s Marina at the west end of the Harbour. All being well we will embark on our next passage North sometime on Wednesday 9 May afternoon.

On our way - bye bye Baltimore

Slipped the lines from Tidewater at 08:00 and passed under the Francis Scott Key bridge just over an hour later. FSK was the chap who composed the words for the Star Spangled Banner whilst languishing as a prisoner of the British in 1812. 

Water was flat calm, no wind so motoring. But once under the bridge and out into the Chesapeake Bay, a lovely F4 SW wind came up - perfect for us in every way. Under full sail we sailed a broad reach/downwind north-east towards the very tip of the Bay, having to gybe occasionally to avoid big ships or channel markers. Picked spot to overnight just short of the entrance to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Dropped the hook at 16:10 just inside the mouth of the Bohemia River, about 5nm south of the west end of the canal, ready to transit it tomorrow. Lovely day, full sun and blue sky. A quiet evening and a chance to rest up after quite a strenuous day (not being used to this sailing business after such a long break!).

Launched!

So we’re finally back in the water, yesterday May 1st. Celebrated with G & Ts at sundown.

After good night’s sleep, an early start today saw the main sail ‘bent’ on and hoisted, all reefing lines put in and checked before breakfast. Mind you, that operation did take the best part of 2.5 hours. Now only two spinnaker lines left to rig, and Skipper to ascend the mast to check all the blocks running smoothly at the top. Then we should be ready for the off early tomorrow, fingers crossed!

Once more unto the Boat, dear Friends

Returned to the good ship Follyfin on Wednesday 18 April 2018. But the journey from Jersey City, where we had been visiting Warren and family, was not without its drama....the Bolt bus turned up at the pick-up point in New York 15 minutes after scheduled departure time, where we had arrived 20 minutes early as instructed. Warren had escorted us to this point, carrying my rucksack which was such a relief but had to leave for work before the bus arrived. On the bus out of the cold at last, about halfway to Baltimore the bus broke down and came to a halt on the hard shoulder near the centre of Highway I95 - one of the busiest in the country. We sat there, with traffic whizzing by, for just over an hour before a tow was arranged. Once towed off the highway, another hour elapsed before a new bus arrived to carry us all onto Baltimore.

But I digress. For this first blog post of the season, I will document the various operations which must be executed whilst ‘fitting out’ - a nautical expression - the boat after 9 months on the hard over winter. Below is a daily log of our activities, mainly to help us remember exactly what’s involved for next year, memory not being what it used to be... So despite the occasional anecdote, this may not interest the majority of readers; you have been warned!

Day 1 (Wednesday): arrival at Tidewater 16:30, just 30 mins before the office closed. Boat cold but not damp, thanks to special gel with tee tree oil...but chaos reigned in the cabin.

Out to dinner at Rye Street Tavern next door - a huge venture which includes a whisky distillery, all the brainchild of Kevin (Under Armour millionaire). Bed quite cold!

Day 2 (Thursday): first sorted out some of the cabin chaos. About 11:30 borrowed courtesy car to drive to Harris Teeter, the nearest supermarket for provisions. Found they had a lunch deal on offer: $9.99 for a huge slice of roast beef, generous helping of rosemary roast potatoes plus mixed veg, horseradish and gravy. We bought one and shared it....plenty for two normal appetites. After lunch on board, stowed provisions and more stuff. Skipper then concentrated on draining the water tank which had had anti-freeze put in it over winter to prevent freezing. After 3 rinses decided to half-fill and use water just for washing despite it being slightly pink. After this he tackled the much hated job of replacing the impeller into its position in the engine: ‘not enough room for this!’; ‘silly system’; ‘why don’t they make it easier to fit?’ and similar comments. After a couple of hours he managed to get it back into position. Late dinner followed....

Day 3 (Friday): Skipper climbed mast without safety line 🤦🏼‍♀️ in order to reinstate the topping lift. Also replaced anemometer and tested anchor and tri lights at the top. Climbed mast 3 times and was pretty exhausted. Someone told the management that he had been up and was told afterwards that climbing mast whilst on the hard is forbidden! After lunch, First Mate set about cleaning gulleys which were caked with seeds and general dust, whilst Skipper set about removing the jib self-tacking rail (STR); it has been leaking at starboard end as Northshore failed to insert a metal plate under the extreme starboard pair of bolts. It was a very tough job since it had been glued down onto the deck. It needed to be put under tension using the topping lift to help it remain elevated whilst he chipped away at the rest of the glue. He eventually triumphed just before darkness fell. However, as the end stops had been removed, when the rail finally came free the traveller flew off the end and scattered all the ball bearings which it contained all over the deck and the ground. Disaster!

Day 4 (Saturday): beautiful sunny day. This was lucky since we both spent considerable time off and on during the day looking for the missing ball bearings in the gravel below. Imagine searching for a brown pea in a mass of multicoloured stones of varying shapes and sizes, some larger, some smaller and some the same size as a pea. Not counting the 15 found on deck, we did manage to recover a further 40 during several searching sessions over 2 days. Pressure climbed 20 mb overnight. Skipper worked on the bottom of the boat, going over quite a few patches, which had already been rubbed down to the fibreglass layer by the staff here (unusually, the preparation and painting of the hull bottom for anti fouling is included in our winter storage fee) with anti foul primer paint. We decided not to get the yard to apply bottom paint but instead to put that labour cost towards polishing the hull. Once the primer was dry, First Mate washed the whole topside with special deck cleaner. Came up like new and soon dried in the sun. But it is back-breaking work.

Day 5 (Sunday): another glorious day. Must make the most of this dry spell to get the deck sealed again. Skipper touched up the anti foul paint on the bottom on places where the primer was applied yesterday. FM cleaned up the deck under where the STR had been, removing all glue and mastic with chisel. Meanwhile, Skipper cleaned the actual rail and its 12 bolts. Then he attempted to restore Duogen to its position outside pushpit on stern rail but the essential ‘horseshoe’ part to which it attaches could not be found! The business part of it was instead slung into position and held with a rope. Spent much time searching and worrying about where the horseshoe part is hidden! Once this done, life raft could be hoisted out of cabin using the topping lift (see above) and restored to the pushpit. Several lines were then rigged. This involves tying the actual line (=rope) to the end of the mousing line which was secured at the point the line emerged from the mast or boom when it was removed, and pulling it through with the mousing line attached to the other end of the channel belonging to that particular line.  Other outdoor equipment (danbuoy, man overboard rescue sling, life ring) brought up from below and restored to positions on deck.

Day 6 (Monday): the forecast is for this to be the last dry day before the next low pressure system arrives from the south. Early start to ensure we get outdoor jobs finished before the rain comes later tonight. Jeff, the service manager came over to test the fibreglass under the STR.

Day 7 (Tuesday): Skipper tightened all the nuts protruding into the cabin roof from the STR. This was difficult because of confined space in which to operate spanners etc. Next problem to solve is the refilling of gas bottles, required for our cooker. In Europe the connectors between the bottles and the refill tanks are standard but not so in US. An unexpected bonus to the gas refill problem is that Skipper, in his search for all the bits and pieces connected with gas, found the missing horseshoe piece needed for the correct assembly of the Duogen! Borrowed car to go in search of solution to refill calor gas bottles. After visiting 3 different places, realised it was a wild goose chase. Headed to Harris Teeter for provisioning then back to Follyfin in time for afternoon visit from engineer Paul who had worked on our engine but failed to ensure reverse gear worked and failed to align ropecutter correctly on prop...he seems rather glib! He will return tomorrow with tools to fix the problem. 

Day 8 (Wednesday): At last found a solution to the gas connector problem! The Custom Coach Company in the outskirts of Baltimore, together with Flowline near it, can between them supply the parts to make up a suitable connector! One part will have to be ordered but should be here by Friday. Also visited the US Customs and Border Agency office in downtown Baltimore to renew our Cruising licence. But after going through rigorous security checks were informed that they don’t do Cruising licences there any more... this function has now moved to the international airport (of all places!) located about 12 miles south-west. These shenanigans took all morning and early afternoon. Late lunch back on the boat. Reinstating the Duogen took the rest of the day since the first attempt to slot it onto its spindle failed - a bush inside the tube was misaligned and required ‘treatment’ from the Skipper  involving a 3 metre 2x4 piece of wood and a hammer. Celebrations in order when the tube eventually spotted neatly into place and marked the end of a long day’s work.

Day 9 (Thursday): Blue sky and sunshine bode well for today’s activities. Just the Hydrovane to reinstate and then Follyfin will be ready for launch...apart from having the hull rubbed down and polished. This job historically has been one for FM but the last occasion was in Trinidad when the heat was overpowering and Caribbean Flu had reared its ugly head, neither circumstance being conducive to FM rolling up her sleeves to polish the hull. So she chickened out and paid for it to be done. That was lovely! So lovely, decided to repeat the exercise this year in Baltimore. Job was ordered on Monday but the company which provides this service is very busy and won’t be able to come to us until early next week, so launch will have to wait until then.

Day 10 (Friday): Raining so perfect for concluding several ‘open’ projects: renewal of Cruising licence -took 45 minutes walking through BWI airport before we found the insignificant door to US Customs and Border Agency -, refilling of gas bottles and refilling portable diesel and petrol canisters. Relief! 

Over the weekend, while we wait for our polishers to appear, we will complete rigging the boat, checking skin fittings, other little jobs only the Skipper knows about and getting the mainsail back in place on the boom. The next post should be sent when we are back on the water. Until then... 

The Naked Yacht

WARNING: this post contains material that may damage your health! Well, not really, but it does contains a fair amount of technical detail on the procedure for putting Follyfin to bed for several months. Ergo, it may not interest many of our readers!

Most of this post was compiled whilst still in the USA. Just didn't get round to completing it until now, 3 weeks after arriving home! So it is in effect the closing post to our 7th season of sailing aboard our own boat. This was the 7th time we prepared her for the winter break, so it is timely to record the winterising/decommissioning procedures more or less as they happen... Skip to EPILOGUE if irrelevant to you, dear and faithful reader.

DAY 1, whilst still at anchor in Swan Creek

Skipper: Service the engine. Involves changing the oil, and oil and fuel filters. Renewal of fan belt. Extraction of cooling water impeller. Clean out air intake chamber. General clean up of oil leaks from recently repaired gearbox (!)

First Mate: being on hand to help Skipper at a moment's notice with any task requiring an extra pair of hands BUT make sure not to get in the way! Provision of copious cups of tea, drinks of water, beer, whisky, wine, as necessary and of course food to fuel the worker(s), meals etc. 

Other tasks:  General tidy up in and on chart table; cupboard clear out; write blog post. Enjoy swim and sundowners as this is the penultimate day at 'sea'.

DAY 2, still at anchor in Swan Creek

Skipper: Dismantled blue water equipment on stern of yacht, i.e. battery charging - wind and water - generator (Duogen) and wind-steering system (Hydrovane).

First Mate: As above for day 1 AND continue sorting out paper work and throwing away a lot of it...otherwise much the same as day 1.

DAY 3, berthed alongside floating pontoon in Tidewater Yacht Services marina, Baltimore, having motored the 16nm from Swan Creek that morning.

Skipper and First Mate (combined effort): Whole afternoon spent removing the two sails, the jib and the mainsail. Each one has to have its battens removed before it can be taken down, lifted ashore and folded (quite complicated to get it right) and inserted into bag. Lift bags back onto boat and stow below.

First Mate: As for day 1

DAY 4, berthed alongside at Tidewater

Skipper: remove all running rigging - reefing lines and sheets - and any other lines, e.g. Jack stays, preventer lines and associated speed rings, lazy jacks, traveller, kicker. Replace all rigging lines with mousing lines. Coil and label all lines as they come off, then stow in forecabin locker.

First Mate:  As for day 1; plus clean and wash dinghy, inside and out, fold and put into bag.

Together: using main halyard, lift life raft off the stern and stow below. Almost ready for haul out.

DAY 5, berthed alongside at Tidewater

Skipper and First Mate: climb up 65ft mast (him) whilst being belayed from below (her) in order to remove anemometer. Repair TV aerial whilst aloft. Bind in halyards to mast to prevent them escaping and flapping in wind.

Skipper: bring remainder of Duogen in-board so it no longer sticks out from stern. Flush outboard engine with fresh water. Pour spare diesel from emergency cans into main tank.

First Mate: As for day 1; plus clean big white ball fender; take inventory of stores to be left on board. Refreshments supplied on demand.

DAY 6, admin day. 

Together: Borrowed courtesy car from boatyard. Once we had fathomed how to operate this so-called 'smart' BMW, visited West Marine chandlers for antifreeze, US Customs & Border Agency to cancel our Cruising Permit, and finally the laundromat for two large loads of washing.

Skipper in p.m., drained all the sinks, heads and showers and poured antifreeze through. Later, Reed the Rigger visited Follyfin to diagnose the suspicious noise heard in the saloon under the mast when sailing close-hauled. He reckons that the mount on top of the pole that supports the mast at deck level has become bent, thus allowing the mast to move slightly when the sails are in use. Remedy is to jack up the supporting pole from the bottom and slip an extra sliver of stainless steel under the existing rigid stainless steel plate that sits under the mast on the sole of the boat. Sounds like £££ but it has to be done to be safe in the future.

First Mate: as for day 1.

DAY 7, Follyfin hauled out of water at 08:00. After thorough pressure wash of the hull, she was moved into her winter storage position. By 11:00 she was settled onto her supports.

Skipper and First Mate: remove Bimini, fold and stow. Remove spray hood, fold and stow. Main halyard and topping lift brought down and replaced with mousing lines. The boom, normally held in position by the topping lift, is safely lowered to rest on the side of the cockpit, and the kicking strap (aka the Vang) normally connected to the boom similarly lowered to rest on the coachhouse roof.

Skipper: finish winterising the engine, antifreeze to replace cooling water.

First Mate: wash anchor, anchor chain and rode, store it on pallet on ground beneath bow of boat. Place covers on winches, helms and table. Supply succour to Skipper as above.

DAY 8: last day in USA. Morning spent packing and generally tidying up. 

Skipper ticking off last items on extensive checklist; it has >30 items. 

First Mate: empty fridge, dispose of surplus perishables and bottled water. At 16:00 contacted Uber for ride to airport for 19:00 flight. Phew - its over!

EPILOGUE

So that's it from the Skipper and me for several months. We are not looking forward to the wet and cold of a UK winter, having spent the last two in or near the Tropics. But we are really enjoying being back on land, especially not having to worry about weather and, for me, loving having a proper cooker on which to produce meals, not to mention unlimited water on tap and showers whenever we want them! So it only remains for us to thank you all for reading this blog recording our adventures aboard Follyfin - until next Spring when Follyfin will once again be afloat!

Our home in winter...fresh snow, pretty but cold!

The C and D Canal

Backtracking a little, our east-west, early morning passage through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on Sunday 16 July was memorable. Follyfin and her crew had a tough time the previous day, criss-crossing 50nm up the Delaware river as we tacked north-west up from the ocean. As usual we had a head wind! But having rested peacefully at anchor overnight behind Reedy Island, just 5nm south of the eastern entrance to the canal, the 06:00 start was well rewarded.

Reedy Point Bridge, looking east 07:00 EST, Sunday 16 July 2017

This canal was first proposed back in the 17th century by Dutch mapmaker, Augustine Herrman. Benjamin Franklin approved it about 100 years later but the construction did not begin until the early 19th century. It took 2,600 men with only shovels and picks, digging by hand - can you believe it? - 5-7 years (sources differ) to build, originally 66ft wide and 10ft deep. The canal finally opened in 1829. It provides a 14-mile shortcut between the Delaware River and the Chesapeake Bay, cutting 300 miles off the maritime route between Baltimore and Philadelphia. Of course, much of the 'know-how' came from the UK where canal-building had been established for a few decades before that. It is now the most heavily used canal in the USA and the third busiest in the world. Luckily we did not encounter any of the commercial behemoths which are known to frequent this canal, thanks to (ahem) good planning: our west-east transit took place on Independence Day national holiday, and the east-west transit was early on a Sunday morning.

We reached the last bridge at the western end of the canal an hour and three quarters later. It was a beautiful day...

Chesapeake City Bridge, looking west 08:45 EST, Sunday 16 July 2017

But all these early starts had taken it's toll...

Of course there was no wind so we were motoring as we headed on out into northern Chesapeake Bay. A good opportunity to get quite close to some ospreys sitting on nests (before they got frightened and flew off) on channel markers, which seem to be their favourite places for raising their families. Herons also find them convenient resting places to dry their wings.

We reached our chosen anchorage spot, Worton Creek on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay, by mid afternoon. Being Sunday there were many small boats anchored in this beauty spot; unbuilt up, clean, sheltered and quite shallow, this is a lovely place to spend a quiet afternoon sunbathing and swimming - even though the water is murky green, a far cry from the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas, BVI and Caribbean. However, by evening Follyfin found herself all alone for the night, with just ospreys, bald eagles and southern crested eagles (thanks for ID, Kevin) for company.

Great place for sundowners!

Monday morning was spent pottering and watching all these magnificent birds but perforce, by 11:30 reality had intervened. Badly in need of provisions, we motored on south (into wind of course!) about 10nm to Rockhall, a lovely little bayside resort much frequented by the boating fraternity around these parts. With one small grocery store and an excellent coffee shop, aptly named Java Rock, it fitted our requirements perfectly. We moved from there on Tuesday, about 2nm around the corner to find a quiet anchorage where we could spend three days beginning to decommission Follyfin before putting her to bed for 9 months in Baltimore. So now we are at anchor up Swan Creek, thankfully with a paddle, until tomorrow, Friday 21st July.

Fish, fish fish!

After a long fish famine, caught a nice one this morning as we sailed south from Atlantic City...just a nice size for two. Not sure what species it is, but it looks like good eating [tough luck Smitch!]. To record the conditions: clear blue sky, sunshine, SW4 wind, mainly south swell, time 08:25, sailing close-hauled, course over the ground 165deg true at speed ~5kt, approx. position 39# 12'N 74# 20'W. Hoping for a repeat.

Well, just one hour after I penned that last paragraph, we did catch another fish! Same species but slightly smaller [missed out again Smitch!]... 

Decided to cook both for supper after anchoring inside Cape May Harbour. Delicious!

P.S. This post is being uploaded from Rockhall in the northern Chesapeake Bay, about 12nm from Baltimore where we will leaving Follyfin next week to fly home. Looking forward to getting back to normal land-living again!