Oct 16-21

Our transit from Bohemia Bay to Annapolis was mostly a smooth motor and motor-sail.

We initially anchored in Spa Creek, right beside the Naval Academy. Moorings cost $25 per night. In many respects, the location could not be better. Your are right in the center of the tourist area of town. The second day we were there, however, they removed the dingy dock that was closest to us in order to do some major renovations to the waterfront. We wanted to visit with some friends (Recess and Joanne-Marie) who were anchored in nearby Weems Creek, so after 3 days, we moved.

One of the photos shows one of our neighbours in Spa Creek, the Winning Drive. Rumour had it that this is one of Greg Norman’s (the shark) boats, although far from his largest. The boat went to the gas dock next door one day. It took at least 4 hours to fill up! No wonder marina owners have little use for us sailboaters.

While we were in Spa Creek, I was able to fibreglass the decks where they had been damaged near Sandy Hook, strengthening them considerably in the process. I also chose to leave a bridle from the mast-head to the tail end of the davits permanently in place, removing much of the torsional load from the base of the davits and from the deck. When reparing the fibreglass, I noted that the aluminum davits had also started to crack at the base. I guess that the moral is not to leave the dingy on davits when in open waters, but always to hoist it onto deck. With a small and slippery dingy like the Walker Bay, this is not difficult, and we have room on the afterdeck, so it would be stupid to do otherwise.

When we were at Weems Creek, we proved that sometimes, it pays to be the poor neighbour. Our friends on Joanne-Marie had grown greatly frustrated with their Merc 3.5 and their Merc 9.9. The decided to buy a new Merc 6 (getting a good deal at Annapolis West Marine by combining their purchase with a purchase of 2 refrigerators by Recess). They gave us their old motors. We would use the little one on our new dingy and use the other on our Sirius 21, the Bud, back at home.

Now I am sorry we did not buy an inflatable, but how could we forsee that someone would give us an outboard motor: one of which needed only the starter cord to be replaced to become functional and the other of which probably needs the starter recoil mecnanism to be cleaned and lubricated.

The insult to injury was that within a day, our friends new motor quit working while their cast-off was now working fine. Actually, the dingy outboard motors on both Recess and Joanne-Marie quit working, so I think they may have jointly bought a bad batch of gas somewhere.

Oct 15

Skipper Bob (the now deceased guru of the intercoastal waterway) recommends that you leave Cape May 2 hours after low tide in order to ride the tidal current all the way up the Delaware River to the Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal and that this will also allow you to ride the current through the canal.

The group with whom we had dinner insisted that we should leave only 1 hour after low tide. They were so insistent that we decided to go along even though this meant leaving at 6:00 AM.

What we found out at that ungodly hour was that there are two routes one can take from Cape May. The shorter route involves using the Cape May Canal which has bridges only 55’ high (not a problem for us). The longer route involves leaving Cape May by the Atlantic Ocean inlet and then going around the cape. This longer route adds at least 5 miles and almost an hour to your trip. We took the short route. They all took the long route. Had we left the anchorage an hour later (Skipper Bob’s recommendation), we would have had an even start.

As it worked out, it worked out! The fastest of the other boats (the Great Catsby) caught us about 5 miles from the entrance of the C&D canal. The next fastest, Calypso, also a Manta 42, caught us more or less at the entrance. The tidal current in the canal was almost nil. While this is not as good as a following current for mileage, it is good from the perspective of meeting large barges in a narrow canal in that they will have a relatively easy time controlling their load.

The Great Catsby was just far enough in the lead that they could scout out a relatively deep water (6 or 7 feet deep) passage across the sand bar guarding the entrance to the bay and was anchored when we arrived.

The monos that were travelling with passed up and down the sand bar guarding the entrance but elected to anchor in the mouth of the bay rather than take the risk of crossing. They reminded me of dogs lining up outside a glass patio door wanting in because they can smell the preparation of food, but not being allowed. They looked very sad.

The crews of the monos joined us by dingy, however, and a great party was held by all.

The pictures show some of the variety of craft encountered while transitting the canal. This was on top of the large number of power boats, often moving at high speed. I believe there had been a powerboat show in Annapolis the week before and many of these boats were demonstrators being returned either to their place of manufacture or to a dealer.

Oct 14

We had a delightful sail from Atlantic City to Cape May. The wind was from the West to Northwest, putting us on a reach to a close reach all day. There are few places to anchor at Cape May, although for a boat as shallow draft as our catamaran, this would really not have been a problem.

Our friends from Barnegat Inlet went to a marina but invited us to join them for dinner. We never made it.

Bev radioed the Great Catsby that had passed us on our eventful run between Sandy Hook and Barnegat Inlet to let them know that we had photos of them. They invited us over for drinks and that turned into dinner. It is extremely handy to be married to someone with as much charm as my wife.

As it turned out, the Great Catsby seems to make it a habit of taking in apparently homeless, lost or single sailors.

The boat, a Manta 42 was an incredible marvel. It is to the Stray Cat as the Millenium Falcon (a new one, that is, where everything works - not the one in Star Wars) is to a 50s Volkswagen. I guess sailing technology has evolved in a serious manner in the last 35 years and the Great Catsby is certainly a demonstration of what can be done today.

Not only were they wonderful hosts, but they offered lots of advice which seems to be turning out to be good.

Oct 13

We had a delightful, if somewhat cool sail and motor-sail from Barnegat to Atlantic City.

The above pictures show Bev keeping the dogs company. the wreck at the mouth of Barnegat, the Coast Guard, who have a station right there where the boat capsized, a daytime photo of Atlantic City as well as a night time photo from our anchorage.

The anchorage we chose was one recommended by skipperbob just to the North of the marina. There was a 3 plus knot current running in the river. As we approached the narrow entrance (maybe 50 or 60 feet wide), we were pointing about 60 degrees off our course, crabbing like crazy and doing about 6 knots. I was afraid that if the transition from current to no current was too fast, we would shoot straight into the shore before we could turn. Fortunately, the transition was fast, but not that fast.

Bev would have loved to take in the night life, but there was nowhere to leave the dingy where it would be protected and the tidal currents were too strong to cross without and inflatable with a strong outboard.

We did manage to find a phone with cheap time, however. $30 buys you the phone and $15 buys you 260 minutes within the States and 2/3 of that time to Canada. You can buy more time when you need it at the same rate. Compared to what Bell Canada offers, what a deal!!

Oct 10 to 12

The next few days were spent cleaning up the carnage, traveling to Toms River to buy a new dingy (a Walker Bay 8) and staging ourselves to move on to Atlantic City and then to Cape May.

It was an opportunity to make new friends.

Disaster almost struk again. Poor Tuk was on the way to the bow to do his business and was litterally blown overboard. Fortunately, he was able to swim to the boat and I was able to grab him out of the water. He looked pretty sad as he dried out and was afraid to go out of the cockpit for a number of days.

The wind was a steady 30mph that day with several gusts into the mid-fortys. I measured one gust at 50 mph. This was a good day to stay on a free mooring ball at Barnegat Inlet.

One of the photos above shows the waves forming in the anchorage. It also shows a 75 foot fishing boat that did not make the entrance to Barnegat on the day that we were leaving to buy a new dingy. You think you have problems, then you see others with real problems and you don't feel so bad about your own.

Oct 9

On Tuesday, Oct 9, we left Sandy Hook for Barnegat Inlet. The forecast was for 5 to 10 from the North West. This would be a light wind for us and because it would be blowing offshore, no waves as long as we stayed close to shore. It was forecast to move to the North East and to rise to about 15 knots in the mid-afternoon. The run to Barnegat was about 55 nautical miles, so, with any luck, we would almost be there by the time the wind finished clocking around.





The wind remained very calm until about 2 hours into our trip, it switched to the North East and started to blow hard. This was not the type of wind that builds over time. It was like a light switch being turned on.





We kept the main up, hoisted our small jib and our staysail. We hit 9.2 knots, then 9.5 knots, then 9.7!! Wow!!





Then disaster struck. Our dingy, the 'S ASS started to be draged through the waves sideways while still in the davits. The force must have been tremendous. The mounding bolts for the davits did not pull out, but the deck collapsed under on of them, failing in compression. A later examination showed that the metal at the root of the davits had also started to crack.





As soon as the dingy started hitting the waves, I dropped the main in order to slow us a little. I then ran spare halyards to the tail end of the davits in order to support the weight of the dingy.





This worked for a while then the 'S ASS decided that it had had enough and decided to make a run for it. The lines hoisting the dingy chafed through at the after end, and its tail dropped, taking on water in the process. I pulled the 'S ASS along side to bail it with a bucket, but its painter (tied around a life line stantion) chafed through. The 'S ASS must have thought it was free from this madness, but we would not let it go that easily.





We circled around and just as we were about to come along side, the either we or the 'S ASS lurched sideways, rusulting in it being rammed. This broke out all the seats and associated flotation. We could not see the 'S ASS in the ocean. Neither could we see it under the boat. I could only see a mass of tiny bubbles.





We put our motor in gear and the 'S ASS tried for its revenge. Using the rub rail flotation for buoyancy, it surfaced right under the engine, bending the propellor and wrapping a line around it. I raised the motor, unwrapped the line from the prop and shackled the 'S ASS on with its stainless steel painter.





We started the engine, put it into gear and, after about 2 minutes, it died.





So we towed the 'S ASS under sail. Its stern drain plug was out, it was taking water, but we were moving fast enough that it was staying at least reasonably dry. The 'S ASS was not finished with its escape, however, because about 30 minutes later, we noticed that although the cable was still shackled to the Stray Cat at one end and was still connected to the towing eye of the 'S ASS at the other, the towing eye was no longer connected to the 'S ASS and our dingy was no longer there!!



When we finally made it to Barnegat Inlet, we had to sail in, electing to do slowly under small jib alone as we did not know the inlet and the buoys were not included on our chart as they are moved frequently. Beverley did a great job. I was seldom so happy to be out of the wind and waves.

The images above show me early in the battle, a Manta 42 coming by at about 13.5 knots and the calm anchorage at Barnegat Inlet, when we finally made it there. We later met and became friends with the owners of the Manta. They said they measured 30 knots on the annemometer while our trials and tribulations were going on.

Oct 8

On Monday the 8th, we left NY,NY for Sandy Hook, or more properly the Highlands, just east of the foot of Sandy Hook. This was meant to stage us for a passage to Barnegat Inlet the next day.

As may be seen the skyline is pretty impressive, and how could I pass through without taking pictures of the pretty lady. Oh, of course, you also have to take pictures of the Statue of Liberty.

We did have a couple of minor events. The first was when wandering into a shipping channel while under sail. Some of these guys move fast and it is not always easy to guess exactly where they are going to go as they manoeuver. The second (that could have turned into a major event) was when we inadvertently wandered into a restricted zone. We were excorted out by a police boat. Fortunately they did not have guns drawn. We were later told at the Highlands Marina while gassing up, that sometimes they are nice and just escort you out, and sometimes they just give you a $5,000.00 fine!!! The latter definately would not have helped our cruising finances.

At the end of the day, we were rewarded by a beautiful and calm sunset. Little did we know what was in store for us the next day.

Oct 6&7

New York, New York

You know, I like people and I like wine. I like to sip wine, but I would not like to take a bath in it. New York is full of energy and wonderful people, but for me, it was too much.

Beverley's youngest daughter, Brooke came to visit us. I think the visit was a success. They went shopping while I cleaned and fixed the boat. We both got done what we wanted.

We stayed at the anchorage at the 79th street marina. It was pretty rolly, but well situated near the center of Manhattan with easy subway access. Initially, we had a long trip through the anchorage to the dingy dock (just visible in the distance), but we moved on the second day as mooring balls became available.

Amongst places we visited were central park and ground zero where the Towers once stood. There is not a lot to see, but the site is pretty sobering nevertheless.

Hudson River (cont)

As we headed down the Hudson, some of the houses became a bit more serious. Some became ridiculous. The competing traffic started to demand more respect also.

As we approached New York City, Beverley seemed to get more into the enjoyment of the trip. New York and the visit from her daughter were looming closer.

Hudson River

We had originally meant to spend more time in Waterford. New York beconned, however, as Brooke, Beverley's youngest daughter was going to join us there. The weather was still holding so, after grocery shopping with our new friends, we headed to Castleford where we could pick up a mooring ball for $5.00.

Once we arrived, we helped raise the mast on the Nordhaven and everyone helped raise the mast on the Stray Cat. All went smoothly - especially the mast on the Stray Cat.

It felt great to be a sail boat once again!!!

Of course, this meant that the rest of the trip down the Hudson would be windless but one must make sacrifices from time to time.

We gassed up and left early for Newburg where the Torches restaurent and marina offers free dockage to anyone buying dinner. Again, excellent company was enjoyed by all.

In the morning, we left for New York. Although we were sad to leave our friends behind, we were looking forward to a few days on our own.

Waterford - Junction of Erie Canal and Hudson River

Waterford is a great spot to stop for anyone repeating this trek. Several others obviously felt the same way.

We joined several others for dinner at a Celtic Pub. Judi & Bill and Susan from the Nordhaven had been joined by Lee & Joanne and Herb and Ellie on an Island Trader 40 or 42. We were all in luck as they had a jam session going as evening entertainment.


As one of the musicians remarked, it was a damn shame that we were all so obviously depressed!!!

I guess everyone need to vent a little steam.

Oswego and Erie Canals

After fixing the steering, we got going again on the 29th. It did not take long, however, until the gremlins visited us again.

When starting the motor (a 2000 Yamaha 25 HP 4 stroke), it made terrible noises, and then ran normally. I am not sure if you are supposed to do this, but we ran the motor the rest of the day without stopping it in the locks.

We made it as far as Brewerton, where the Erie Canal meets Lake Oneda. I was hoping to find a Yamaha dealer. The problem turned out to be a spring in the bendix gear which was been chewed by the pinion gear and the flywheel and was preventing them from engaging properly. I cleaned out the pieces of the very light but broken spring and the starter seems to work perfectly, gravity performing the same function as the spring is supposed to fulfill. I would still like to replace the spring, however, as I do not believe that Yamaha would put it there if it was not necessary, at least for some applications.

I could not find a Yamaha dealer within reasonable range and the most likely source of parts was closed (Sunday). The only grocery store we could find in Brewerton turned out to be a gas station convenience store - not the place for major provisioning.

As a result, we set out across Lake Oneda to Sylvain Shores, where we had been assured that we would find everything we needed. All I will say is that the person we talked to must have very modest needs.

We did, however, fall into the wake of a Nordhaven 48 that was traveling only very slightly faster than us. This was critical and convenient to us. Of the 26 or so locks that we traversed on the Erie, about half would operate only on the hour for boats headed East. In many cases, we could not quite travel the required distance in the alloted time period. By feeding the ponies (WFO), we could arrive soon enough after the Nordhaven (who could cover the distance) that the locks would still be receptive to us. Unfortunately, that meant that our gas consumption probably increased by at least 50% (6.5 to 7 nm/usg down to around 5 nm/usg). Now when I complain of this to our powerboat friends, they seem to have little sympathy, but my sailing and Greenhouse Gas conscious friends may appreciate.

Of course, the best part of this relationship was the companionship and the tips we received from our new friends who had done this trip several times before.

While Beverley found the locks to be a bit of a bore, some of the scenery, and especially early morning, to be beautiful. Many of the towns have free docks and often that includes free power. They really try hard to make you feel welcome and to want to stop for a visit.

I really felt that it would be good to take more time for this trip. We were conscious, however, that the weather would not remain the same forever, and it would be good to reach the Hudson River, to turn the corner and to make some distance South before it got too cool.

Into the US

Up to this point, we had been blessed with beautiful weather. On the 27th, however, we woke to heavy rain. As we made our run to Cape Vincent, the weather broke and the skies started to clear.

Clearing in was relatively uneventful. I had been forwarned that we would need a US Customs decal and I had it. When you buy it over the internet, you have a choice of delivery methods: first class mail or UPS. They warn you that mail can take up to 6 weeks but that UPS would take only 4 business days. Figuring that we would need both the 07 and 08 decals, I ordered the 07 one with UPS delivery (as we had only about a week before our departure) and let the 08 one be delivered by mail. They both arrived on the same day: 3 business days after I ordered them.

We were originally going to spend the day in Cape Vincent, provisioning at our leisure, but the day promised to be calm and the forecast for the next few promised strong winds, so we elected to head across Lake Ontario to Oswego where we would enter the Oswego Canal. Leaving Cape Vincent at about 1:00 PM, we arrived at Oswego none to early, at 7:00 PM, and just as things were getting dark.

We did our shopping in the moring of the 28th and then, in the afternoon, set out to traverse a few locks, into the land of the Oswego Canal and free docks. Unfortunately, just in front of a dam with water flowing over the top, our steering failed. Out went the anchor double quick. Luckily, the wind was blowing us away from the dam. After an unsuccessful attempt to repair the steering with hardware on board, we used to motor to steer us into the dock at the next lock station. Our fold up bicycles proved to be very handy, enabling me to return to a hardware store I had visited earlier in the day. Some turning blocks in the steering system were held in place by #10 SS wood screws. One of these had sheared and then another pulled out of the wook. I replaced the screws with 1/4 inch through bolts. That should hold much better.

I guess all is well that ends well, but that certainly gave us both a scare. Better that it failed in a canal than on Lake Ontario or on the Atlantic Ocean. Fortunately, there are no other pieces of the steering system that are fastened to wood. Not too far in the future, I think I will replace the wood with something that cannot rot and will not weaken with age as, even with the through bolts, I will always be suspicious of this part of our steering system.

Rideau Continued

The Rideau System is something that every boater should do at least once. It is steeped in history. The locks and their operation have been kept much as they have been for 175 years. The canal has now been accepted as a world heritage site.

After transiting 3 locks, we were fortunate to meet our good friends Bob and Arlene for lunch at the Opinicon at Chaffey's Locks. The food was truly excellent and the price was excellent. Unfortunately, they do not serve liquor, wine or beer. Also, be forwarned that they accept only cash or cheques.

That evening, after clearing the 4 locks at Jones Falls, we anchored in Morton bay where we took a shot at moon shots. In the fall, the locks only operate for 6 hours per day, so we had to rush if we were to make progress.

On the 26th, we managed to clear the last lock at Kingston. We still had Canadian beef on board which we could not take through US Customs, so we anchored overnight at Brakey Bay on the Canadian side of Wolfe Island while we consumed the last of the potentially offending substances.