Two SLOW Hours and an Engine Repair! (Day 012)

West River, Galesville, MD Anchorage MM 59.6 to Mill Creek Solomon Island, MD Anchorage MM 97.5

Distance = 48.0

Time = 8:45

Average Speed = 5.5 mph

SUNSHINE under sail

Weather and Comments: What a mixed weather bag! Depending on the time of day, it was at times cloudy, partly sunny, and overcast with rain showers. We were able to motor sail with the both the Mainsail and Jib for two hours as the wind was out of the east. At around 1000 hours, it clocked to the south and was on our nose for the rest of the day. We rolled up the jib but kept the main up, hoping to get some lift. When the sail started to slat, we lowered it.

M/V Reflection

At 1300 hours, we motored into an area that provided 2’ chop that became progressively worse until we made the Pawtuxet River. Dark clouds and rain descended upon us and the going dropped to 4 mph. As conditions worsened, the chop increased to three feet. Our speed dropped to 3.5 mph and eventually we were lucky to sustain 2.5 mph. We were taking water over the bow and at some point, the starboard side lazy jack lines chaffed and separated. We’ll need to have someone go ½ the way up the mast to replace it.

Once in the Pawtuxet River, conditions improved dramatically! We had to slow down to the 6 mph speed limit in Mill Creek. We anchored a good distance up the creek in the company of Tally Ho and Reflection.

USCG Pautuxet River Channel mark Maintenance Detail

After setting the anchor, my task was to change the spark plugs and fuel filter in the port engine. We have been having some trouble with the engine for a couple or three days. It won’t idle and runs rough at lower rpms. I suppose there is the possibility that one or both of the new plugs (60 hours) is defective.

In no time I was able to fire up the port engine. It did not stall out. Success? We hope so, but even though it idled at 1000 rpms, it felt as though it “wanted” to stall. We’re keeping our fingers crossed!

That’s our SUNSHINE Story for today!

SUNSHINE under sail

Hitting the "8's" (Day 011)

Swan Creek Anchorage, Rock Haul, MD to Anchorage in Galesville, MD off the West River

Distance = 28.7 miles
Time = 4:35
Average Speed = 6.3 mph

A Different perspective of the The Chesapeake Bay Bridge

Weather: Mostly sunny! (Yeah!!) True wind strength north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was 15 knots, gusting to 20. 3’ chop on the bay. South of the Bay Bridge, the wind moderated to 10 knots and there was a slight chop on the bay.

Comment: After firing up and raising the anchor (Anna Marie loves the new windlass), we motored out of Swan Creek into the Bay. The port engine is (and has been for about 10 hours) running rough and it won’t idle at all. We’ll have to do some work on it soon.

Thomas Point Light

Today was a very good sailing day! With the motors off and the rags up, SUNSHINE loped along at between 8 and 9 mph for three hours, reaching 9.5 mph on several occasions. We sailed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, saluted Annapolis off to our starboard side, and took a few photos of Thomas Point Light.

M/V Reflection

As we reached Thomas Point, one of our favorite lighthouses, M/V Reflection hailed us on the radio. It was great to hear them on the radio again! Both Reflection and SV Tally Ho will be joining us at anchor on the West River, in Galesville, MD. We have been looking forward to seeing, partying and traveling with them again. Joining us for will be the former owners of our SUNSHINE, Chester and Jeannie. They motor over on their boat, Sea Paws II, from their dock near here to raft with us for a few hours. We are rally looking forward to seeing them and hearing about their sailing adventures.

S/V Tally Ho

We set the anchor at 1316, cleaned ship a bit, and welcomed M/V Reflection to raft with us for a few hours. We shared stories of our summers. They have sold or rented their houses and most of their possessions that are not on Reflection. You may recall that they are now full time cruisers! We wish them well.

SUNSHINE offered to host the first potluck dinner/cocktail party of our trip south. We had a great meal and great conversation. Shortly after dinner, SP II arrived to raft with us for a few hours. Chester graciously gave Ray and Andrew a tour. They couldn’t get over the size of it!

After Pat, Ray, Vanessa and Andrew bid good evening, we were able to catch up with Chester and Jeannie. They are ticking off their list of projects aboard SP II. One recently accomplished task was to replace the flooring. They did a great job. It looks terrific!

After all the company left, Anna Marie and I attended to a few chores, watched two or three episodes of Cheers, and hit the sack!

That's today's SUNSHINE Story!

Rock Haul, MD (Day 010)

Swan Creek, Rock Haul, Md to Chesapeake Bay Mile Mark 38.5
Distance = 45.9 miles

Time = 7:40

Average Speed = 6.0

These are two of the vessels in the anchorage at Engineer's Cove, Chesapeake City, MD

Weather: Today’s color is SILVER! Where yesterday was a dull gray, today is very silver. From 1000 to 1400 hours, the sun kept trying to poke through the clouds and fog, causing a silvery look to the sky and bay water. The fog even gave a silver coat to the trees and land.

On the day, we saw a few peeks of the sun, we had several rain showers, and we were under one very big, dark cloud (which turned everything gray) for almost an hour. It provided our heaviest shower of the day. The wind was consistently out of the southwest and the force varied from 7 to 14 knots. The temperature ranged from the low to high 70s.

Comment: Where yesterday was predominantly gray, today was predominantly silver, thanks to a light cloud cover and fog. I offered the lyrics for "Even a Gray Day" by Tom Paxton yesterday. I'm sure you can offer you own "Silver" lyrics.

Our exciting news is that we have made arrangements to meet with some of last year’s Flock tomorrow on the West River. Both “Reflection” and “Tally Ho,” currently berthed at the Anchorage Marina in Baltimore, will begin heading south tomorrow. We have also made arrangements to meet with Chester and Jeanie, the folks from whom we purchased SUNSHINE. They’ll be aboard Sea Paws II and will raft up with us. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone.

After traveling 45 miles, we stopped for fuel at Haven Harbor in Rock Haul and then anchored a short distance away in Swan Creek. Our friends John and Honey have their boat, “Hielan Las” berthed in a marina on this creek. John just recently retired (for the second time) and they expect to begin their trip south next week. Since we have a one week commitment back home in the middle of October, I expect that we’ll see John and Honey on the waterway in a few weeks.

That’s the SUNSHINE story for today!

Chesapeake City, MD (Day 009)

From Cape May, NJ to Chesapeake City, MD

Distance = 72.4 Miles
Time = 14:05
Average Speed = 5.1 mph

Weather: Mostly cloudy, overcast in showers, few spots of sun between showers; temp range mid 60s to high 70s; wind out of the E @ 10 knots diminishing to 0 in the canal.

Comment: Consider these song lyrics:
Even a Gray Day
By Tom Paxton

Even a gray day,
With a cold wind,
Train late again
Even a gray day,
Is a good day now!

Today was gray! The sky was gray, the water was gray, and the clouds were gray. We were covered in a blanket of gray for most of the day. We can’t say whether or not the train was late, but the boat was certainly late. Blue sky and sun hid most of the day, but we did catch a glimpse of them once or twice.

While motor-sailing in the Delaware Bay and river, the current allowed us to maintain a decent speed for the first thirty miles. The last thirty were a different story. The foul current started to really slow us down as we approached Ship John Shoal Light. It got progressively worse as we made our way to the C&D Canal.

There was very little traffic on the Delaware today. We saw a couple of tugs and barges and one ship, and about five pleasure boats.

We entered the canal and quickly found a 2.5 knot foul current. Our speed dropped to 4mph and then to 3 mph. It was slow going. The slow speed, gray, very gray, day and long hours, made the trip nothing more than tolerable. It wasn’t one of our most enjoyable days afloat. It doesn’t make the top 500! Of course, we’ve had worse, much worse, so we’re grateful to finally be able to stop and relax. Tomorrow will probably be another gray day, but it will be much shorter and there will be things ashore and afloat to look at.

This night in the canal was very dark, due to the low, heavy cloud cover. The canal sides are well lit. It takes some concentration to pick out the lights of oncoming traffic. We were able to stay well clear of the two tugs/barges that passed us in addition to a few power boats without too much difficulty.

We anchored in Engineers Cove at Chesapeake City at 2020 hours, after an elapsed time of 14.1 hours on the water. We attended to chores, skipped dinner and hit the sack by 2130 hours.

We’ll be back at it tomorrow!

That’s our SUNSHINE Story for today!

Max Wind 42.7 Knots! (Day 008)

SUNSHINE rests comfortably in her slip after a bouncy night.

Weather: The winds diminished to around 20 knots (gusts to 25) in the wee hours of the morning and by late afternoon, settled in at 10 – 15 knots with occasional gusts to 20. The day was overcast with light rain in the morning. The afternoon was a bit warmer and the sun poked through the clouds for a few minutes. We weathered the “blow” with some moderate rocking in our slip. Sometime during the evening, our wind gauge max out at 42.7 knots! The forecast was right on! (click here for the lower Delaware Bay forecast: http://forecast.weather.gov/shmrn.php?mz=anz431

Small craft advisories have been extended into Sunday afternoon. None-the-less, we expect to leave here tomorrow. The forecast is for east winds at 10 knots with some rain and a chance of thunderstorms. The seas in the lower Delaware Bay are predicted to be in the 3 to 5 foot range. They’ll flatten out a bit when we get to the upper bay and river.

Comment: Even though we were safe and comfortable aboard, SUNSHINE bounced to the 35 knot wind. We hit the sack last evening reveling in the notion that the wind would drop to the 15 to 20 knot range as we slept. Indeed it did. At 35 knots, the wind howls through the rigging. It is noisy and sounds much worse that it really is. It was also nice to stop bouncing! Yesterday afternoon, we turned on our wind instrument to see sustained winds of 35 knots with higher gusts. This morning, we check to find that the max wind it recorded was 42.7 knots! Now that's howling!

The Emlen Physick Estate

On the day, we walked into town to do some shopping. Our route took us passed the Emlen Physick Estate, a Victorian mansion restored to its original splendor. The Estate offers year-round tours and unique living history programs. This year's theme explores the contrast between the lives of servants and those they served. The Carriage House Tearoom and Cafe is on premises. Here one can dine in the original horse stalls of the Estate's Carriage House or outdoors beneath the gaily striped tent overlooking the gardens.

The Olde Firehouse Museum

We also paused at the Olde Firehouse Museum complete with an antique fire truck and the uniforms of the day.

Back at the marina, we met the crew of M/V Christine. We shared the anchorage in Brigantine with them. M/V Christine is a very shippy looking Pilgrim 40 trawler. They may be heading out tomorrow at first light. If so, we’ll probably see them along the way.

Anna Marie made an outstanding Jambalaya for dinner tonight. We always have good meals aboard, but this was special, complete with sausage, shrimp and clams. Delicious!

That's today's SUNSHINE Story!

It's Blowin' Like Stink! (Day 007)

Weather: It’s howling outside! We’re experiencing every bit of the forecast – 30 – 35 knots wind, gusting to 45 knots; a gray, overcast, damp and generally miserable looking day; rain (in the PM); Temp in the low 60’s – just what you expect in a Nor’Easter.

Comment: We are securely tied to a floating dock and reasonably well protected in the marina. Only a few hundred yards from us, on the other side of the bulkhead, one can see two foot chop and foamy seas in the harbor. I expect the boats in the anchorage are bouncing around a bit.

It is raining, heavy at times, and we are experiencing a bit of movement from the wind generated waves that are in the marina.

It is damp and cool, so we have the electric heater set up outside in the bubble. It is a cozy 68 degrees out there. We are alternating between time in the salon and time in the bubble, working on the computers, playing games and reading. Anna Marie walked the dock before it started raining. I haven’t been off the boat at all! Most likely neither of us will get off in the heavy rain.

You can check out the latest forecast for the lower Delaware Bay by clicking the following link: http://forecast.weather.gov/shmrn.php?mz=anz431

Gale Warning! (Day 006)

Weather: This is what you will see if you visit the NOAA Weather site for the lower Delaware Bay (underlined and in a bold red font):

Hazardous weather condition(s):

Coastal Flood Watch

Hazardous Weather Outlook

High Surf Advisory

Wind Advisory

Gale warnings have been posted for 0600 this morning until Thursday evening! Besides having wind, it’s been partly cloudy all day. The temperature range went from a low in the low 60s to a high in the low 70s.

Comment: Despite the wind, one of the sailboats in the marina went out for another day sail in the ocean! They went out late yesterday too, and returned after dark. These folks are from up river in Delanco. They don’t get much wind up there, so they sailed to Cape May in search of wind and to sail in the ocean. They’re in luck! We have both an ocean and lots of wind!!

Anna Marie and I are into more mundane things. We took two walks (morning and afternoon) read, and attended to a chore or two.

This evening, we’ll watch the TV and perhaps chat with fellow cruisers.

Utsch's Marina to... Utsch's Marina? (Day 005)

Utsch's Marina to Utsch's Marina

Distance = 11.1 miles
Elapsed Time = 2.3 hours
Average Speed = 4.8 mph

Whitecaps in Cape May Harbor!


Weather: Cool – low 60’s to mid to high 60’s; the wind started at 10 knots but within a couple of hours built to 15 to 20 with gusts to 25 out of the north, clocking to NE where it stayed for the rest of the day. NOTE: Small craft warnings are posted until Thurday evening, and the northeast winds are predicted to blow at 15 t0 20 knots until Saturday evening. We may be in Cape May for a few days!

Comment: We were up at 0730 and guess what, even though a small craft advisory was posted, we were experiencing north wind of 10 knots or less. Could the forecast be as wrong as it was on the day we made the run in the ocean? Naw… could it??

At 0900, we decided to stick our beaks into the Delaware Bay to see! We slipped our lines and motored off. North Star, another sailboat in Utsch’s Marina followed suit. The sky was partly sunny, but we had periods of cloudy skies as we motored in the Cape May Canal. As we neared the ferry terminal, we watched as a tell tale puff of smoke alerted us to the fact that a ferry was backing out of its slip. Once completing its turn, it motored off toward Lewes, Delaware. We hoped that Brother Bob and his friends were aboard this run as the bay was much calmer now that the Coast Guard was predicting. We expected that passengers on later boats would have a more “exciting” passage!

While in mid channel, we ran aground in what felt like soft ooze. This is the second time during the trip that we have contacted bottom. (ED: During our last trip, we touched bottom one time during the entire trip!) We worked our way off without too much trouble and immediately called S/V North Star to alert them to the shallow spot in mid-channel. They asked for suggestions and we offered that we found 15 feet near the sterns of the ferries. They made it through without any problem.

Once out in the bay, we found marginally tolerable conditions. We continued on as the wind and seas built. Our journey didn’t last as I decided to turn around after seeing the we were taking water over the bows on three of every five waves. We reasoned that the boat could handle the conditions, but the ride would not be particularly comfortable. We could take it too, but didn’t need too. We expected to be in worsening conditions for the next 8 to 10 hours. It took all of two minutes to make the decision to turn around.

We were back in our slip at Utsch’s Marina by 1120 hours. Anna Marie was most happy… I was too; after all, we’re cruising!

While walking the docks, we ran into crew on a boat from our old home marina, Mariner's Marina in Barnegat. They are on a delivery trip aboard a friends boat bound for Great Oaks Harbor YC on the northern Chesapeake. We shared stories about the marina and some of the sailors we met there.

M/V Honga is docked here as well. We last spoke to the crew of this vessel at Dowery Creek Marina last spring. We had been sharing the waterway with them for several days. They were traveling with M/V Transition and for several days, we would hear them hail each other over the VHF radio.

They have completed the Great Loop and spent the summer visiting some of the great places they missed. They expect to be in Marathon by early January.

Lay Day - Utsch's Marina, Cape May, NJ (Day 004)

Weather: Partly cloudy; temp mid 60 to low 70; wind out of the NE building to 15 to 20 knots; small craft warnings posted for tomorrow

Comment: We attended a remembrance dinner Anna Marie's brother Bob's spouse, Polly. It was great to see Bob, we don’t get to see him nearly enough. We had a very nice time catching up with other family members in attendance. The evening flew by and we arrived back on board by 2200 hours.

Before departing tomorrow, we need to keep an eye on the weather. It looks like a Nor’ Easter has arrived. If so, we may be holed up in Cape May for a few days until the wind blows out. We’ll be checking the computer and the weather radio for the latest forecasts.

Motor Sailing in the Atlantic! (Day 003)

Brigantine, NJ to Cape May, NJ

Distance = 44.5 miles

Elapsed Time = 7:50

Average Speed = 5.7 mph

Weather: When we awoke, our decks were awash with dew. The evening temp was in the high fifties and it maxed out to 77 degrees in the bubble. We spent much of the day with the windows open. Small craft warnings were posted until 1800 hours with a forecast of 15 knots out of the north and three to five foot seas. We never saw double digits on the wind meter and the swells might have been three feet with an occasional five footer. At times the sea was virtually flat. Most of the day was partly sunny.

Using the new wash down pump

Comment: 0740 It’s anchor up time! And what a treat we had!! I was at the helm, inching the boat forward as Anna Marie was at the starboard bow to unfasten the bridle. Once removed, I continued to inch the vessel forward while pushing the button to raise the anchor. When I met some resistance, I goosed the engines to break the anchor out of the mud. Once free, I continued to slowly raise the anchor while Anna Marie squirted the mud off the chain using the new pressure pump hose. Neat! So far so good with these new pieces of equipment.


Absecon Light and Construction on New Casion/Hotel (click photo to enlarge)

Once again, we are in the Atlantic Ocean. This time, small craft warnings are posted, but we left the anchorage in flat calm conditions and, after negotiating Absecon Inlet, we found no discernable reason for the small craft warnings. We continued on to Cape May. We were able to motor sail for an hour and twenty-five minutes before the wind back to the south west and was on our nose.

We observed the M/V Christine and two unknown sailboats already anchored near the Coast Guard Station. We continued past and made the turn to starboard to enter Utsch’s Marina. We took on fuel before making our way to our assigned slip.


Nestled in at Utsch's Marina, Cae May, NJ

We have a family function to attend tomorrow evening in Stone Harbor, so we will be at Utsch’s for two nights.

After securing the boat and our equipment, we walked to the mall in downtown Cape May and stroll the promenade before returning to SUNSHINE for dinner and some evening entertainment.

Thank You, Bill and Nancy! (Day 002)

Ship Bottom, NJ to Brigantine, NJ Anchorage

Distance = 31.1 miles
Elapsed Time = 5.5 hours

Average speed = 5.7 mph

Weather: Overcast until we reached the anchorage then mostly sunny. Winds 15 knots gust to 20, supposed to be 5 – 9 ft. seas in the ocean

Star Rider in the Anchorage

Comment: After one more van load of supplies and cruising equipment, we bid farewell to hosts Bill and Nacncy and thanked them for their hospitality! We then bid adieu to daughter Sandi, boarded SUNSHINE, and pulled away from the dock at 0830. Given the five to nine foot seas out in the Atlantic, we chose to follow the inside route to the protected anchorage in Brigantine. We had an uneventful trip down the NJ Waterway. We passed a dredge working in the channel near the Brigantine Wildlife Refuge. The channel is narrow, but we followed the instructions from the dredge operator and passed by close to our port side.

S/V County Cork & M/V Christine in the Anchorage

We pulled into the anchorage at 1400 hours. M/V Christine, out of Toledo, Ohio and the S/V County Cork had already taken up residence in the anchorage. We were later joined by a Gemini “Star Rider” and S/V Overboard, a smaller sailboat probably in for the weekend.

This was our first opportunity to use the windlass and it worked flawlessly and easily. Anna Marie’s only involvement was to lift the chain to allow the anchor to roll off the anchor roller.

Sunset from the Anchorage - S/V Overboard in the foreground

We enjoyed a pleasant evening on the hook and marveled at the light show from Harrah’s. The new tower provides a computerized light show that is remarkable. The wind dropped to near calm, providing a quiet evening.

It is our first overnight of this cruise and we are already into cruising mode… we hit the sack at 2130 hours. While at home, we don’t go to bed until midnight and most times near to 0100.

Margaritaville Casino/Hotel on the left and Harrah's Lightshow Tower on the right (click photo to enarge)

Underway! (Day 001)

We're underway, Barnegat Bay is just ahead!

Weather: The temperature was cool 58 – 72 degrees. Winds were out of the north at 5 knots. The sky was overcast and we had a brief drizzle just before tying up at Cooper’s Dock in Ship Bottom.

Comment: We're off! It was 1030 hours, just about 1 1/2 hours after final preparations and loading cruising amenities. It was great to be back on the water. SUNSHINE has been on the hard since the middle of May and was splashed just yesterday.

As we pulled out of the marina, we noticed how quietly the motors were running. There was no vibration. The new shift cables have made shifting a one finger affair. Much improved compared to the old cables. The motors behaved nicely and we toasted our friends at South Harbor for the work they performed to make it so.

Once out in the bay, we unrolled the jib and shut off the motors. We slowly sailed south, making about 3 mph in the 5 knot (or less) northerly breeze.

By Surf City, the wind had clocked enough that it was difficult to keep the jib full. We rolled in, started the motors. We were traveling at about 5.3 mph while turning 3100 rpm’s.

We were concerned about shallows spots on the way to Cooper’s Dock, but we saw nothing less than 5 feet. We were surprised to see depths of 25 feet as we made our way through what we thought would be very shallow water.

We arrived at the dock at 0330. After giving tours of the boat to our hosts, we made our way back home. We still have a few more items to load, not the least of which are two new to us folding bicycles.

We will be back aboard on Thursday evening or early Friday morning after attending to some previously scheduled business.

Tomorrow Is the Day!

We visited "SUNSHINE" to do final preparations for tomorrow's launch. We cleaned and washed the deck. We'll give the smooth surfaces a coat of wax later this week or perhaps while underway as we begin our next voyage.

In days past, we completed the installation of the new VHF radio and have wired it to the GPS to make the DSC function operative. We have also connected it to an external speaker so we now have a hailer. We're not sure what we'll do with a hailer, but the radio has the function so now, it's operative.

We installed the dodger which has been cleaned and waterproofed. We'll do the bimini and side curtains after she is launched.

The tramps have been reinstalled after restitching by Skip Moorhouse. Skip also put new zippers on the sail cover, so it and the mainsail are back in place.

Finally, we have inflated the dinghy and attached it to the new davit/solar panel arch.

I'll do some last minute items tomorrow while Anna Marie and Mom tend to some chores.

Launch is scheduled for 1400 hours. Derek, from South Harbor Marine (Mac's Dock), the company that serviced the engines, will be there to make final adjustments to the new shift cables. The boat should be in great shape and ready for our departure.