A Day at Silver Lake!

What can we say? We (the children, Anna Marie and I) enjoyed another fantastic day with Ed and Sara. We arrived at about 1330 and the kids immediately took to the lake and the paddle boat. The motor boat was put to use shortly after our arrival.

While the kids enjoyed the water, the adults enjoy the breeze on the dock. The temperature was in the seventies, maybe it reached 80, but the humidity was low and the breeze was refreshing. It even provided the a hint of a chill.

Before we knew it, it was time to eat. Dennis and Loraine joined the party as Ed and Sara served pizza, salad and chips with brownies and ice cream for desert. Before long, it was time to leave, but the girls were still swimming and boating. Madi taught  Claire how to drive the motor boat. 

We finally said our goodbye's just before 2100 hours. Everybody had a great time and the kids are looking forward to being invited back!

Boys having fun in the motorboat.

Girls having fun in the pedal boat.

Girls having fun in the motor boat.

A Weekend Cruise to Atlantic City!

Friday, August 8, 2014 - The Nomad Cruises to Atlantic City! 

Atlantic City comes into view

After our routine visits to the dermatologist, we packed M/V Sunshine and headed to Gardner’s Basin. We motored out of West Creek at about 1000 hours. Our route took us across the shallows toward Haven Beach and then south past Beach Haven, Holgate and Little Egg Inlet. We rounded the point and passed by the Old Coast Guard Station (now a marine research facility run by Rutgers), past Fish Island, then Tow Island and into Great Bay.

Tied up in Gardner's Basin

The light west wind brought green head flies, but they really became pesky when we turned down the slough that brought us into the heart of the Forsythe Brigantine Wildlife Refuge. They would stay with us until we went under the Brigantine/Atlantic City Bridge. By the time we headed into Clam Creek and arrived at Gardner’s Basin, the green heads were gone. 

We met Dockmaster Roy, at a “T” head. After a short discussion, he directed us to our slip and helped us tie up. He is a gregarious gentleman who reminds us of Miles, the Dockmaster at Osprey Marina in South Carolina. Both could vie for best Dockmaster on the East Coast!  He walked with us to the Atlantic City Aquarium, about 200’ from the dockmaster’s office, to pay for our two night stay. During the weekend, he would routinely check to make sure we were comfortable and having a good time. He also provided historical information about the area.

  

Aunt Shelley's Ice Cream Truck

We also  reconnected with Paul (S/V Journey) who we met someplace (Vero Beach or Marathon) in Florida several years ago. Paul keeps his boat in Gardner's Basin.

Fish Heads and Scales are more or less permanent trucks set up to provide refreshment at Gardner’s Basin, and the bar, also operated by the owners of the Scales food truck, is a twenty foot shipping container that has cut outs on the sides. Aunt Shelley’s Ice Cream Truck, on the other hand, is mobile and uses the basin as one of her daily stops.  

New Jersey's Tall Ship - A J Meerwald

NJ's Official Tall Ship, the A J Meerwald, an oyster schooner from the Delaware Bay,  is berthed in the basin for a few days. We took the opportunity to snap a few pictures. After checking out the Meerwald, the restaurants and crafters cottages at the basin, we walked to the Jitney stop adjacent to the basin’s parking lot. The fare is $2.25 per person. I asked the driver about the senior rate. The senior rate is $0.75, only if you have a pre purchased ticket. He told us where we could buy the tickets and we bought a book of 10 tickets for $7.50.

We walked the boards a bit and found a bench where we took a break to people watch. Eventually we worked our way to “Relish,” a restaurant in the Revel Hotel and Casino. Our target was their $5.99 shrimp basket and we were not disappointed. The meal consisted of ten good sized fried shrimp and a small helping of fries. We finished the meal with a Portifelo Ice Cream desert. 

After another walk on the famous boardwalk, we found a Jitney stop and headed back to Gardner’s basin and a relaxing night aboard M/V Sunshine.  

Great view of our boat and the city

Saturday, August 9, 2014 - Doing AC! 

View from the Aquarium observatory 

After waking at 0600, we started the day at Gilchrist’s for a tasty breakfast (two eggs and toast for $2.95).  Another walk around the basin was in order before returning to the boat to relax (read nap) for a couple of hours. 

At 1000 hours we walked to the Atlantic City Aquarium. Admission is included with the slip rental. The aquarium is small, but there are nice displays and an interesting fish-feeding show in the main tank. We spent almost two hours looking at all of the tanks and displays and then headed to the Back Bay Tavern (also on the basin’s premises). Prices were reasonable. Anna Marie enjoyed a grilled polish kielbasa and fried onion sandwich ($8.95) and I had a very nice seafood salad ($12.95). 

After still more relaxing aboard the boat, we took the Jitney to Cesear’s. No, we didn’t go in, we walked across the boardwalk to the Pier One Shops where we stopped in  the Apple store. We wanted to find out why the Apple TV doesn’t work with the iMac. Their conclusion is that my iMac is too old and doesn’t have the mirroring function. 

Onward and upward! We stopped on the second floor to enjoy the view from window front adirondack chairs and a Snapple. It was a very pleasant respite as we watched the tide roll in.

Dinner, we decided, would be at the Relish (in the Revel) again. Anna Maried had the Shrimp basket and I had a house salad. By now we were pretty tired, so we walked around the casino and then made our way to the Jitney stop. In ten minutes, we were back aboard.

Sunday, August 10, 2014 - Heading Home! 

The tide in West Creek dictated our departure time. It is difficult to negotiate the creek and enter our slip at dead low tide. To be safe, we wanted to be at our dock at 1300 hours.

The Coast Guard blows reveille at 0730. It was our signal to get up and go to Gilchrist’s again. We enjoyed the same delicious eggs and toast. At 0830, we had the electric chord stowed, the lines cast off, and we slowly pulled out of our slip.

The "A" Cats

We were greeted with a favorable current as we headed toward the back bays behind the city. A few green heads paid us a visit. A few were able to dig their mandibles into our flesh. The Evinrude was humming at 3500 rpm and we were moving at around 9 mph. About one half hour into our return trip, the “low oil” alarm sounded. We cleared the channel and threw the mud hook overboard. A quick check of the oil reservoir showed that it was indeed low. We added a little more than two quarts of XD 50 oil and were back underway in ten minutes.

Surprisingly, the boat traffic was very light. there were quite a few boats out, but they were drift fishing. On the entire trip home, we were only rocked a few times and none were bone rattling. The Nimble handles the light chop caused by wind that was less than ten knots, very well. Rather than follow our track all the way back home, we took the channel that leads from Little Egg inlet to Tuckerton Creek. We took on 21 gallons of fuel (after an estimated 20 hours motoring time since the last fill) at Shelter Cove Marina. 

M Scows 

As we traversed Little Egg Harbor Bay, we gazed at the Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club sailboat races. In addition to M Scows and Marshall Cat Boats, we were  thrilled to see the familiar “V” upon the sail of the “A” Cat “Vapor.” Five of the classic boats made the trip to Little Egg Harbor to race. They are majestic as they work their way around the course.

At about 1300 hours, we pulled into our slip at the town dock. The boat get a nice fresh water wash, we off loaded our gear and were home by 1400 hours, after a very nice cruise. We are becoming very comfortable with the Nimble and learning about her unique idiosyncrasies each time we take her out.

DON'T TEACH YOUR TRASH TO SWIM!

M/V Sunshine Launch and First Weekend Cruise Reports!

Friday, July 11, 2014 - SPLASH!

SUNSHINE is floating! I had every intention of photographing the launch but when we reached the ramp, several squadrons of green head flies began a coordinated arial assault. Thousands made it through our meager defenses. Between our launching tasks and swatting flies, there was no time to take pictures. Once in the water, the Evinrude E-Tec started right up. By the time we reached Little Egg Harbor Bay (a couple of minutes) there were hundreds of dead green heads littering the sole. We motored about for a bit before heading to our slip.

Sunset during our first weekend cruise aboard the newly renamed M/V Sunshine.

We’ve been experiencing very low tides for the past few days. At dead low, there are only a few inches of water in our slip. We arrived at our slip in the West Creek Town Dock at 1400 hours. Dead low tide is 1630 hours.We made it into the slip, but the bow was in the mud and we were about six feet from the bulkhead. We tied up and got off. There were only a few green head flies around, nothing like Parkertown! 

Josh and Rose seemed to enjoy the boat ride. The highlight for them was getting splashed on occasion. 

After the children went home, we gathered our supplies while waiting for the water to come back. Dead low was at 1630 hours. At 1930 hours we returned to M/V SUNSHINE to set out on a weekend cruise. The forecast predicted daytime temps in the low 80s with nighttime temps from 60 to 65 degrees F.  Winds were forecast to be light all weekend.

We motored out Westecunk Creek in near calm conditions. The first order of business was to find a fuel dock, but we were closing in on 2000  hours and most of the fuel docks we know would be closed. Many LBI marinas had severe damage from Superstorm Sandy and while many have rebuilt, quite a few no longer pump fuel. We decided to look for fuel in the morning. On this night, we enjoyed a twilight cruise on Little Egg Harbor Bay. Having no idea what Sandy did to the bottom, we stayed in the marked channel to Beach Haven. The hook was dropped in 4 1/2 feet of water on the leeward side of Mordecai Island.  

Such was the start of our first cruise aboard M/V SUNSHINE.

Saturday, July 12, 2014 - Our Return to Barnegat Bay!

Calm anchorage - Mordecai Is.

I consider Barnegat Bay to be my home waters. It is the bay on which I learned to sail.  As we made our way up the NJICW, passing the towns of Long Beach Island on our starboard side, we  noticed that most of the homes seem to have recovered from the hurricane. 

We passed under Route 72 between LBI and Cedar Bonet Island. The fixed bridge ledger board showed sixteen and 1/2 feet of clearance. We passed under with ease. We left the channel to fuel up at the Surf City Marina, where we took on 17 gallons of fuel. We remembered to put fuel stabilizer in the tank, something we don't have to do in Florida because most of the marinas sell gas that does not have alcohol in it. Not true in NJ.

Passing from Manahawkin Bay to Barnegat Bay, most boats stick to the channel. 

The big motor boats proceed with impunity, giving no courtesy to smaller craft. We were rocked several times. Our experiences on the ICW are totally different. Most vessels make radio contact and offer a slow pass. Not in NJ!

The flags mark the location of the Hot Dog Boat
at Tice's Shoal

By early afternoon, we had the anchor down in Tice's Shoal, a very  popular daytime anchorage.even though the anchorage is exposed to all but east wind, hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes show up here, with their inflatable toys for a fun day on the water. There are always interesting things to see with lots of entertainment. Today was no exception. A most pleasant afternoon was spent aboard. By early evening, the wind had clocked to the southeast and we were no longer in the lee of the island. By dinner time, the wind strengthened as it continued to clock southwest. The anchorage was getting lumpy so we raised the anchor and set a course for a small cove on the other side of the bay. 

About an hour later, the anchor was down and dinner was on the grill. As we enjoyed our meal, a passerby recognized the boat's design and commented favorably on it's "classic lines." That's funny because someone   at the Tice's Shoal anchorage waded up to us to tell us he and his friends had been admiring our boat. These folks were not familiar with Nimble or Ted Brewer. We certainly stood out in a sea of white plastic vessels.   

Our neighbors at Tice's Shoal

Dinner preparation underway.

Anchorage mate at Berkley Island Park

Sunset from the Anchorage at Berkley Island.

Moonrise at Berkley Island.

Sunday, July 13, 2014 - The Trip Home!

At about 0200 hours, the wind, which had built to about 18 knots, finally subsided. It wasn't completely calm, but our "hunting" slowed considerably. The protected anchorage off Berkley Island County Park was relatively calm. The forecast for today has changed considerably since Friday evening. We're expecting scattered afternoon thunder showers and SSW wind in the 15 - 17 knot range with gusts to 20. We'll be underway at 0600 to take advantage of the predicted lighter winds. We expect the trip back to West Creek will take 4 hours. 

So we retrieved the anchor at 0455 and were underway at 0500. As we rounded the point, we were greeted by south wind blowing at 8 to 12 knots. We plowed into the one foot chop with speeds approaching 7 mph. The morning was cool, so we motored into the wind with the hatch boards in and the window door closed. 

Our progress was so good that we made it home in only three hours. We tied up, off loaded our gear and left M/V SUNSHINE at peace in her slip until the next time!

All systems on the boat performed flawlessly (after I repaired a short in the GPS antenna cable).

Returning home to Westecunk Creek.

SPLASH!

SUNSHINE is floating! I had every intention of photographing the launch but when we reached the ramp, several squadrons of green head flies began a coordinated arial assault. Thousands made it through our meager defenses. Between our launching tasks and swatting flies, there was no time to take pictures. Once in the water, the Evinrude E-Tec started right up. By the time we reached Little Egg Harbor Bay (a couple of minutes) there were hundreds of dead green heads littering the sole. We motored about for a bit before heading to our slip.

We’ve been experiencing very low tides for the past few days. At dead low, there are only a few inches of water in our slip. We arrived at our slip in the West Creek Town Dock at 1400 hours. Dead low tide is 1630 hours.We made it into the slip, but the bow was in the mud and we were about six feet from the bulkhead. We tied up and got off. There were only a few green head flies around, nothing like Parkertown! 

Josh and Rose seemed to enjoy the boat ride. The highlight for them was getting splashed on occasion.

Here are a few interior shots of the salon area:

Lights reinstalled, book shelf and pictures are hung.

Cushions and throw pillows are aboard.

Fans installed.

Getting Close!

We are finally putting her back together. Here are a few pictures of what we've been doing since the last post:

BEFORE: Helm Station

AFTER - Helm Station

AFTER: Seven coats of varnish

BEFORE: Galley

AFTER: Galley (notice the countertop and the water pump)

BEFORE: Anchor platform

AFTER: Anchor platform

BEFORE: Chart table

AFTER: Chart Table

What's Happening?

This problem was found under the anchor platform. 

Good question! We continue to work on the boat. By now, we thought it would have been in the water, but each minor project seems to turn into a time consuming affair. Take the bow pulpit for instance. In an effort to spruce it up and give it more life, I thought it should be varnished. All of the hardware had to be removed, including the grill receiver, anchor lock, cleats, Sampson post and bow roller. To repair a stress crack in the gelcoat, I needed to remove the whole anchor platform. Two of the bolts were seized and the heads broke off. When I finally got the assemble off, I found major delamination. In addition to the stress crack, I now have to repair the area under the platform.

Repair of a "minor" stress crack turned into this.

I found another problem while attempting to repair a stress crack in the radius where the cabin house meets the deck. While grinding fiberglass to address the stress crack, water started pouring out. I continued to grind away until all the water was released. The small six inch crack turned into an eighteen inch area that will need new glass and gelcoat. 

Anna Marie apparently wasn't impressed with the ceiling (after I spent thirty hours sanding and polishing it) so she painted it. Actually, she misunderstood my request to do two little touch up spots while she had the paint open for the project she was doing. The paint job didn't turn out well, probably because she applied the paint to the freshly waxed ceiling. She removed some of the paint, but I couldn't devote another thirty hours to sanding the rest of the paint off so we repainted but this time the ceiling was properly prepared. It looks much better and after the third coat.

Small stress crack under repair.

The head interior is finished and the Airhead composting toilet is installed. I used the old holding tank pump out deck fitting for the vent. I just need to finish the custom made cap to keep water out. The vent fan will be powered by a reacharable 12 volt motorcycle battery. It won't draw power from the house battery and I can hook up a solar charger to it when it needs to be charged.

In the meantime, all of the exterior handrails, hatch boards and navigation light boxes have been sanded and have had seven coats of varnish. They look great. The trim and doors are all that's left. It should take a day to sand and three or four days to apply seven coats of varnish.

I also removed the starboard picture window and I have to take out the port window again. It seems that one corner still had a leak. I'm not sure if my caulk job is the culprit. The gaskets are pretty we'll deteriorated and may be causing the problem. We are going to take the windows to a glass plans to have the gaskets replaced.

Airhead vent

I'll need a couple sunny, light wind days to do the fiberglass work. Then we should be pretty  close to a launch date. Of course I still have to finish oiling the interior paneling, reinstall light fixtures, install the new fans, but that should take too long.






Finally, there is some sad news to report. The Mallard eggs were expected to hatch sometime on Memorial Day weekend. Early Saturday morning, just before sunrise, the hen flew away, presumably to feed. While she was gone, crows swooped down and devoured the eggs before we could do anything about it. The hen returned shortly to discover her eggs smashed. She hung around for several hours but our activities (cleaning the deck and furniture) convinced her to nest elsewhere.

The teak box covering the Airhead vent needs a teak cap.

Hopefully she'll have better luck with her new nest.

Wax On... Wax Off!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I celebrated by finishing the compounding and polishing of the hull. Tomorrow, I'll apply a coat of wax and the hull project will be finished, except for a couple of spots that will be filled with gel coat. 

By the way, I finished the ceiling last week. I'll post a photo when I remember to take the camera aboard.

The Mallard continues to nest in the flower pot. The kids check on her every few hours to see how she's doing. When she flys off to get food, they go out to count her eggs. She's still sitting on eight eggs.

My boat refit activities aren't bothering the Mallard. Recently, I've been sanding, waxing and polishing the hull. I'm below the deck so she hardly knows I'm there. I try to limit the munger of times I get on board and I'm very quiet when I open the door. Sometimes, she doesn't even know I'm there. At other times, she ignores me. She rarely looks in my direction as I climb aboard.