May 8-14, 2019 Great Kills Yacht Club, Staten Island, NYC; the 9/11 Memorial and Museum; the “Hop On-Hop Off” Bus Tour of Manhattan, NYC.

We love John Calascibetta, Harbor Host of the Great Kills Yacht Club. When we arrived from our anchorage at Sandy Hook, NJ, he opened up our world by having an MTA (Metro Transit Authority) card available for us to purchase. Our cruising neighbors Mark and Karen on Captain’s Choice recommended the Express Bus easily accessed at the top of Hillside Terrace. The very next day we were on that bus headed for Manhattan, NYC.

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum was on the top of our list. We spent most of that day at Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center Towers disaster. It’s hard to believe that nearly 18 years has passed since that terrible tragedy unfolded. Standing at the disappearing pools surrounded by the names of all those whose lives were lost that day and in the days that followed was a very sobering experience. The museum brought the details of that never-to-be-imagined attack on our country back into focus. Words cannot explain the vivid sense of disbelief, terror and sadness that we felt all over again as the events unfolded around us. Since September 11, 2001, we have not been able to look at our world in the same way.

 When we have the opportunity to do so, we try to walk our 10,000 steps. Downtown Great Kills is about ten blocks from the Yacht Club. We discovered Frank & Sal’s Italian Market three years ago when we were in the midst of the Great Loop. It was a fun place to shop in back then, and it hasn’t lost its appeal over time. The deli case is fascinating to peer into with its numerous store- made delectables. Since none of the offerings are labeled, we had to ask the other patrons what they were choosing!

 By May 11, with the weather chilly but dry, we used our MTA card to ride the train that took us to the Staten Island Ferry. We waved as we passed the Statue of Liberty before we were delivered to Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan.

We wanted to get the lay of the land of the Big Apple’s iconic downtown so we took a two-hour double-decker bus tour. We sat on the top level, an open compartment, and saw skyscrapers up close and personal. From our vantage point, we had a once-in-a-lifetime view of all those converging streets and avenues filled with the hustle and bustle of city life. Wearing ear-buds, we listened to a delightful story of New York City’s special places and notable citizenry. Kudos to the tour director who, along with his stories, pointed out amazing details throughout our experience. Wally was ready to rent an apartment in Greenwich Village for a month to get a better idea of what it would really be like to live in America’s greatest city. I guess I’d be willing to give it a try.
 Gannets… yes, they are our new birds for this post. We found them in the ocean about 2-3 miles off the New Jersey coast. As the Golden Guide to Field Identification of Birds of North America states, “Feeds by diving from 50’ or more into the water and swimming underwater for short distances.” Gannets are found in the guide book grouped with Tropicbirds, Pelicans, Frigatebirds, Boobies, Cormorants and Anhinga. I first noticed these birds in loose gatherings. They were much whiter and larger than the other seabirds that were near them. The Gannet’s butterscotch-colored head caught my attention while Wally noticed them diving from on high. The black wing tips made them really striking in flight. Exciting stuff, eh?

May 6 & 7, 2019 Making a Run “On the Outside” along the Jersey Shore; Cape May to Atlantic City/ Atlantic City to Sandy Hook

Right from the get-go, we found ourselves climbing up the big swells and sliding down the back-sides. At the same time, two foot chop from the NE smacked us steadily on our starboard beam… causing our trawler to roll from side to side. It wasn’t long before a queasy feeling began to grow in me. While I was below getting some ginger snaps and candied ginger to settle my stomach, I made a half-hearted attempt to straighten out the rearranged furniture. That trip below clinched it. Without a horizon to focus on, I lost my equilibrium and continued to fade away. The ginger remedy was too little, too late. I was down for the count. Luckily, Wally didn’t succumb to the unpleasant sensation of seasickness and remained steady at the helm for six hours… while I sat slumped on the settee. The next day’s travel was to be nearly twice the distance (96 miles) and twice the time on task (12 hours). I was determined to beat the nasty, unsettled feeling of the day before. As soon as I arose at 5 am, I took a motion sickness relief tablet. Wally and I both had a bowl of hot cereal and prepared a care package of apples, tangerines, pb&j roll-ups, ginger snaps, candied ginger, hot coffee and bottled water to get us through the long day up in the pilot house. We pulled anchor at 5:30 and joined a number of off-shore fishing boats and pleasure craft about our size getting a head start on the day. The swells were still at it, but the chop was swinging around to the S, smacking us on the stern. Wally complained of feeling chilled and headed below for a comforter. Without the horizon to focus on, he must have lost his equilibrium like I had the day before. By 9 am he was tucked away on the pilot house settee, looking mighty green. I offered him the motion sickness tablet cure, but he opted for the ginger-fix instead. Several hours past and he showed little signs of improving. By early afternoon, Wally was ready to try the motion sickness relief meds; I gave him two tablets… the “treatment of symptoms” dosage directed on the package. Back under the comforter he went. Thank heavens I had regained my sea legs in time for this voyage, because by this time I had been at the helm for nine hours. As we prepared to make the turn into the Sandy Hook anchorage later that afternoon, Wally seemed somewhat recovered and took over the steering. The meds had worked… and just in time. We were both treated to a spectacular sight. A pair of whales, yes whales, came out of the water, breaching just off our bow. It was truly a moment for the memory book and a first for us… what a treat! When we departed Cape May two days before, Blue Haven was still in her slip. By the time we were turning into the Atlantic City anchorage, she was pulling in behind us. Allen and Lila said they left their slip about an hour after we did. Their trawler’s extra 1 mph speed allowed them to catch up to us in 6 hrs. On Day 2, we rounded the point to see Blue Haven sitting calmly on anchor. Allen and Lila had passed us at mid-day, still going about 1 mph faster than we could go. Again they made up their one hour later departure time in 6 hours. That’s life. It was sure nice to have new friends waving as we dropped our anchor beside them.

May 4, 5 2019 Chesapeake City, MD through the Corps of Engineers’ Chesapeake & Delaware (C & D) Canal to the Delaware Bay Ships Channel to Cape May, NJ.

We are well-known for being early risers, but our 5:30 departure from Shaefer’s Canal House & Marina in Chesapeake City, MD was one of our earliest ever. We were taking advantage of an outgoing tide… that was going to become incoming by 8:30. The 14-mile long C&D Canal, connecting Chesapeake Bay to Delaware Bay, funnels a lot of water into its narrow man-made cut. Wally and I were seeing Summertime’s typical 8 mph cruising speed move up and up until she was racing along at 10 and even 11 mph. We felt like we were squirting through that canal like a peeled grape! By the time we entered the Delaware River flowing down from Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE, we still had residual tidal flow carrying us out toward the Atlantic Ocean. The fog and the haze kept our visibility down to about 1 1/2 miles. Our chart depicted the Delaware shoreline to our starboard and the New Jersey shoreline to our port, but we only got glimpses of the Jersey side now and again. Instead of running with the “Big Boys” in the 55’ deep ships channel, we ran in the 25’ deep water just left of the channel. We kept track of the lists of nearby boat/ship traffic on our AIS (Automated Information System) readout, but most of the ships and tugs and tows were on anchor awaiting a call to enter a port for loading or unloading. Thank heavens for our auto pilot and the great course Wally had set up for it. We stayed vigilant to take over the wheel if obstacles appeared in our path, but we didn’t have to actually steer Summertime for most of the day. When, at mid-morning, we called Cape May’s Canyon Club Resort Marina to reserve a slip for two nights, the Dock Master ruefully reported that he was currently so fogged in that he couldn’t even see the slips from his office window. By the time we arrived at 2:30 pm, the sun was breaking through. Our nine-hour trip had been trouble-free… and the sun was a welcome sight.
Day Two in Cape May dawned cold and rainy. By 11am we had made our “Two Weeks On Chesapeake Bay” blog post and were ready to stretch our legs and go out exploring. The entire seaside town is a National Historic Landmark City. Being the only takers for the Welcome to Cape May Trolley Tour, we enjoyed all the personalized attention we received from the husband and wife team who shared the stories of their hometown.



Gold Loopers Allen and Lila on Blue Haven had invited us to join them for a drink and route planning later that afternoon. They had been our neighbors back in Portsmouth, VA, but we only got to acknowledge that their Looper status matched ours. We are both about to begin a trek on “the outside” up the Jersey shore to NYC… no ICW for protection. It’s 130 miles and will take two days travel time. Weather conditions play a big part in “go or no go” decisions, so we’ll be comparing notes. What are the strongest predictors saying today… about tomorrow and the next day? Enquiring minds want (and need) to know!

April 12- May 2, 2019 PORTSMOUTH/ NORFOLK, VA TO ANNAPOLIS, MD… WESTERN SHORE OF CHESAPEAKE BAY

Portsmouth, VA’s Olde Town Historic District has been our homeport for two weeks. Olde Town is a laid-back historical venue within an easy walk of the Tidewater Yacht Marina. Three hundred years of American history can be viewed within its single square mile of antique homes.

The Naval Shipyard Museum… the oldest in the country… and its lightship Portsmouth were well worth the visit.
Across the Elizabeth River is bustling Norfolk. A short ferry ride ($1.00 each way for Seniors) delivered us to the Waterside Marina/ Dining Complex. One of the highlights of our first week was the Norfolk Naval Base Cruise. Along with about 100 other tourists of all ages, we listened and took note as the tour boat captain gave a well-delivered 2-hour talk along the Norfolk waterfront. We never knew there were so many military ships for so many different purposes!
We have been meeting friendly folks, both sailors and motor cruisers, making short stays at Tidewater Yacht Marina as they move north. The marina live-aboard community has been very friendly to us short-timers, also. A few cruising folks are spending longer periods of time in Portsmouth, working on boat jobs as they await non-boat trips away to spend time with family…especially grandchildren. With Summertime double-lined to the dock and neighbors Bob and Pat keeping an eye on her safety, Wally and I moved up the Delmarva (Delaware-Maryland-Virginia) Peninsula by rental car. We stayed overnight in Easton, MD and explored Cambridge, Oxford and St. Micheals on the Choptank River and it’s estuaries.

 We had missed seeing this area of the Eastern Shore of Maryland three years ago when we were on The Great Loop. We appreciated the loving care that each community continues to put into the restoration and upkeep of their historic landmarks. After reading James A. Michener’s Chesapeake in preparation for this leg of the trip, it was important for us to walk where he walked while he wrote about the watermen of recent years and their forbearers’ times of so long ago.

We left the bucolic scenery of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, to find ourselves white-knuckled on the New Jersey Turnpike, the George Washington Bridge, and the expressway through Bronx and Yonkers. We never get used to New York City traffic… and we never want to! We caught our breath by staying overnight in the Meridan/ East Hampton, CT area. The next day we visited with long-time RVing friends Joanna and David and their two labs. The pizza and brownies that came fresh out of their oven was tantalizing; our conversation was delightfully reminiscent. Ahh! Our road trip north was due to end in Longmeadow, MA where a surprise 100th Birthday party was in the works for Dad’s sister Venessa. We were about to join 60+ invitees to celebrate a century of a life well-lived. Friends from her church, the community Senior Center, Venessa’s alma mater Bay Path University and her neighbors… along with family from Myrtle Beach, SC and Springfield, ME and we rovers from the waterway would make up the gathering. Venessa was truly surprised and she loved being honored with a grand celebration.


The next day we traveled back to Summertime in 11 hours. We had one more day with the rental car so we took advantage of our wheels and made a big provisioning run. We expected that it would be at least 6 days before we would be near a grocery store as we made the run up the western shore of Chesapeake Bay. We plan to make 60 miles a day as long as the weather allows… got to move when the winds are light and the seas are smooth. With 8 mph being our top speed, each day of travel will take about 8 hours. Our red Mazda 5 Mini-Minivan is now making it’s way north. Fort Myers’ friends Barb and Dave found her to be the perfect transportation to get to their PDQ Miss My Money stored for the winter in the Erie Canal town of Brewerton, NY. They are looking forward to being in Brunswick, GA for the International MTOA Rendezvous and then moving on to Norfolk, VA for the Annual Spring AGLCA Rendezvous a week later. We have noticed that we are rather alone out here on the waterway; many of the cruisers moving north have stopped to participate in these momentous gatherings. We look forward to being reunited with our sweet car in Upstate NY. Thank-you Barb and Dave! Dozier’s Regatta Point Marina in Deltaville, VA and Zahniser’s Yachting Center in Solomans, MD were our first two overnight stops. To accomplish this distance, we cruised past the mouths of many rivers… the James, York, Severn, Mobjack, Rappahannock, Potomac and Patuxent. Note: The Potomac River serves as the boundary between Virginia and Maryland. Twelve miles across at its mouth and 102 miles long, it invites a cruise from Chesapeake Bay to Washington, D.C.
On Day 3, with the wind shifting from SW to W to N, we followed a course closer to shore than we had originally planned. After three hours, the 2-foot waves of 7 am had simmered down to ripples… just the way we like it! Along the way we skirted several restricted security and safety zones, zig-zagged through strings of crab trap marker buoys, threaded our way around small fishing boats and stayed clear of a car-carrying ship. All in all, it was a relaxing day. Our intention was to steam past Annapolis, go under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and tuck into the crook of an arm of Gibson Island. By 4 pm we had worked our plan. Our anchor was set.

 What’s that? The local weather service reports that severe thunderstorms are headed our way! The green, yellow and red depiction of the upcoming wind and rain moves us to “batten down the hatches”. Our sunny world suddenly becomes like twilight… dusky and still… the birds begin their night-time calls. Thunder-bumpers roll and flashes of lightning crease the sky. When the wind-driven rain reaches us, Summertime is pushed and pulled against her anchor line, circling in our pond-like anchorage. Wally and I are in the pilothouse following the storm’s progress on the iPhone. We notice that there is a break in the red mass…the most violent part of the storm…. and that break seems to be working its way toward the blue dot that represents US. The rain is being driven in under the pilothouse doors, the wind is in access of 30 mph, but the worst is sliding by to our south and east. After 45 minutes, the rain ends, the sky clears and we take a deep breath of relief. We feel like we have been guided to this very spot for safe keeping. Thank-you Lord!