Georgetown, MD

We had a spectacular sail down the Sassafras River to Georgetown yesterday. We sailed slowly at about 4 knots, meandering along the river for about 2 hours. It was sunny and quiet, and we all really enjoyed watching the shoreline go by. Beautiful houses, not overbuilt like many mansions we've seen along the way. All artfully set along the river, with paths cut thru the trees to private beaches. The wildlife is abundant, with herons, pelicans, ducks, geese, and apparently crabs, which we've yet to see. We secured a mooring for the night, cheap, buy two, get one free! (thanks to the Ordways for the insider info!) The marina is huge, with restaurant, pool, paddle boats, kayaks,bikes, ice-cream shop, ship store, small grocery. We slept well, and now are working on school. I did math and ELA, and John is now working a Social Studies (Free Enterprise!). Yesterday, Liza and I did a great Science project. The fruit flies were driving us crazy, so we looked them up online to find out why they like our fruit. Then we constructed a trap, out of vinegar, sugar, water, and a little soap detergent. Now we have a bowl full of dead flies, gross, but Liza is so proud of the project! After school we have promised we'll go paddle-boating and also ride bikes into town to get a few groceries and crabbing supplies.

Sunset over the Sassafrass River in Georgetown, MD

Big Day! Great to be in the Chesapeake!

Huge Day! Left Cape May at 0600 at the advice of Cambia. Great call on their part.

We made it out the inlet, up the whole Delaware and across the C&D Canal today. Weather was overcast as we left, and lasted about 6 hours until fog rolled in. After about an hour, a rain storm came through, cleared out the fog, and we had a spectacularly sunny end to our trip. We had a rainbow behind us and flocks of Canadian geese migrating to each side. We anchored in Bohemian Bay next to Cambia at about 5:30 p.m.

Paul K gave us some of his spags sauce when we left the Highlands and we had an awesome dinner this eve. Thanks again Paul. The kids are huge fans!

I'm hitting the hay.

Cool lighthouse in the Delaware River.

A nuclear power plant serves as a useful landmark on the NJ side. The cooling tower shown here, above Tyler's head, can be seen for miles.

This is the Reedy Point Bridge at the entry to the C&D canal. All bridges in the canal are supposedly 132 feet minimum, but we question this every time we see a bridge. We even called the Ordways to verify this one!

Cape May, NJ

We arrived in Cape May on Sunday, after a 9 hour motor sail from Barnegat. We were in thick fog for quite a bit of it, which is exhausting, staring at the radar, and navigating. We have great equipment though, so were always able to spot other boats. We also discovered that buoys will not report their intentions in the fog (haha). We pulled into Cape May Inlet at about 4:30, in a massive current. We watched a big tugboat in front of us get swept across the channel. We made it thru and were very glad to drop anchor. We went into Cape May for dinner and early to bed. Today we woke up to more fog, so decided to stay here at least another day. We've been working on installing a water filter into the dingy gas line, as we seem to have a recurring problem of water in the gas. The Ordways are here, and very nicely took John to shore to the hardware store to get the parts we need. Hopefully we will resolve this today. The dingy is sort of important...

Made it down to Barnegat, NJ

We're safely on the hook inside the harbor. The SeaTow folks came out and gave us an escort all the way to the anchorage, after I called to ask the condition of the inlet. Super nice folks. That inlet looks like it could be quite a challenge in bigger seas. We had 4 feet or so, no big deal. We're hoping to head out on the tide at about 0730.

Atlantic Highlands, NJ

We have now been in Atlantic Highlands, NJ for 4 days. The wind has not cooperated and we've been waiting in the harbor. It actually has been pretty great, and we haven't minded much. Atlantic Highlands is a beautiful area, and we've seen quite a lot of it and the surrounding area because our friend Paul Kinsella has been driving us around. Paul took us to some WWII gun armaments that were quite impressive, and preserved very well. The kids were very interested and climbed all over the canons. We drove up to Mount Mitchill for an incredible view of Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook, and NYC. Its the highest point on the Eastern seaboard up to Cadillac Mountain in Maine within 25 miles of the coast. Besides site-seeing we've been to some great restaurants, the favorite of the kids being Barnacle Bill's, where they encourage shelling peanuts and dropping them on the floor! In addition to that greatness, the restaurant is on a river, and there were 2 swans in residence! Swans are quickly becoming a favorite on this trip. It rained all day yesterday and Paul and his wife Leslie, invited us to sleepover at their house. They cooked us a fabulous meal, with equally fabulous wine. They both have been so generous to us during our stay in NJ, and we really appreciate it.

Another great part of being in Atlantic Highlands is anchoring next to Jan and Dick Ordway. The Ordways were both music teachers, Jan was my first violin teacher in second grade, and Dick was my high school music teacher and conductor. They have been cruising now for 14 years, so have been a great resource for us. They're cruising on a big catamaran, with their dog Skipper, both of which the kids have loved seeing. We've had a great time seeing them everyday, and hope to see them again on our trip. Our plan is to leave here tomorrow, or Monday, and head for Barnegat Harbor.

Sailing through Hell Gate

After much calculation of tides and currents, we finally decided to go thru NYC on Tuesday afternoon. One of the big issues we are having is that the UN Convention is this week, so half of the East River around Roosevelt Island is closed. This means that you have to go down the narrow side that has a low bridge. The bridge will lift when needed, but this added quite a bit of stress. The East River has a strong current and we were very worried that the bridge wouldn't open in time and we would be stuck in the current. When it came down to it, the trip was easy, and we had a great time seeing NYC from the water. The amount of security on the water was amazing, Coast Guard boats fully armed. We finally pulled into Atlantic Highlands in the evening, in the dark. This was my first time navigating in the dark. I didn't mind travelling in the dark, but coming into the harbor was a bit nerve-wracking.

Whitestone Bridge

First view of the Statue of Liberty

On our way to Statue of Liberty

NYC - Times Square & Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Yesterday afternoon we arrived in Port Washington, NY, after another long motor sail. John was very nice and drove the whole way, while I rested, read my book, and watched the shore go by. Port Washington is a beautiful harbor, with many massive homes along the shore. Unbelievable that some of them are private homes, they look like castles. Our friends, Chris and Nancy Borduas, and 3 kids, met us in the harbor and came aboard for cocktails, before taking us out to a delicious BBQ restaurant in town. They have let us borrow their car for the few days we are here, which is so appreciated. Thank you again so much, if you are reading this C & N!

Today we drove into Manhattan, and walked thru Times Square on the way to the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum. We were all in awe of Times Square. Its one thing to see it on your TV, but being there is pretty amazing. There are screens absolutely everywhere, as wide and as tall as you can see. I learned a quick lesson in not speaking to people selling things on the street, as I found myself out 2 dollars, and the owner of a rap CD...he said he was a struggling musician, so what else could I do? We took a quick trip into the Toys R Us in Times Square, which was pretty incredible. There's a Ferris wheel inside the store! The kids could have spent the day there, but eventually we did get them to leave, and headed to the museum. After a few wrong turns, we finally arrived, and were definitely glad we made the choice to visit. They have 30 restored air craft, all on the deck of the aircraft carrier Intrepid. All had a full write up of its history, purpose, and stats. There was a Concorde in their fleet as well, which I was very interested to see. After touring the Intrepid itself, we went aboard the submarine USS Growler, a sub from the cold war era. It was incredible to see the conditions that our military lived under to protect our country. Up to 3 months, in very small conditions, with no fresh air, or privacy.

Gina, Steve, and Gianna, John's cousins, met us back in the harbor and treated us to dinner out at an Italian restaurant. Thank you!! We brought them back for a quick tour of Zusammen, before they had to go back to Merrick.

Tomorrow we're heading back to the city to go to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Can't wait!

A SWAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by Eliza

We found a gigantic swan swimming towards the boat. It came about 6 inches close to the boat.After we fed him , he didn't stop following us!he followed us to the dock !!!!!!!!!! When we were in bed, robert asked me, "i wonder what  Kevin(what we named him) is doing."

Mount Sinai Harbor, NY

We left Greenport early today, 7:30 a.m. bound for Mount Sinai. Beautiful morning as we left, sunny, slight breeze. We pulled out the jib and motor sailed until we rounded Orient Point and then were dead into the wind. We rolled the jib and motored for 6 1/2 hours down to Mount Sinai. It was a Long Island Sound right now is full of logs, tree stumps, and miscellaneous floating hazards, and both of us were on watch the entire 6 1/2 hours. It was a very long day. When we pulled into Mount Sinai Harbor, the kids and Michelle were waiting on the dock, waving like crazy. Very nice welcome after such a day on the water. Now we're at Cousin Michelle's house and will be sleeping in real beds tonight! Elsa is here, which is so great, but honestly, she really doesn't seem that affected by our presence. We definitely did not get the over-excited reception that the kids got. Its a good thing really, as it means she's totally settled here, and isn't pining for us! Tomorrow we're going apple picking, as Michelle was horrified to hear I have never taken my kids to do this. Should be fun!

Greenport - Day 6 & 7

Courtesy of the Claudio family, we have spent two great days tied up to the dock at Claudio's Marina in Greenport. This marina is the oldest family operated marina in the US, dating back to 1870. There's even a secret door under the dock for rum smuggling! Michelle, John's cousin came to visit and pick up the kids. The kids are spending the night with Michelle's family and Elsa in Miller Place. I checked in tonight and apparently Elsa was so excited to see the kids that Michelle thought she was going to have a heart attack. I definitely was a little worried that she wouldn't remember us, so I like to hear this. Since John and I were alone tonight, we went to 'Happy Hour' at Claudio's bar. We met a very interesting fellow, Dave Willinger, a fellow German, and writer, at the bar and spent a couple of hours discussing everything from Hemingway to Beethoven to gun control. Tomorrow we head to Mount Sinai or Port Jefferey, and will spend a couple of nights at cousin Michelle's.

John at Claudio's Crabby Jerry's

Arriving at Greenport - by Liza

We arrived at Greenport, NY . The bumpers are so squeaky!! Then MOM had the clever idea of putting our covered fenders between the boat and the bumpers. Its much better now. Dad taught us Science class today until he decided to call Grammy and that was the end of class.

Claudios! Day 5

A huge thanks to Chris and Tony for awesome hospitality in Greenport!

Fischer's Island - Day 4

We spent a long day on the water, travelling to Fischer's Island. School officially started on Zusammen! Tyler's teacher has sent a detailed outline of what she is teaching the class for the week, so I intend to follow it pretty closely. Both kids seemed eager to begin school work, and as long as we took breaks every hour, stayed very focused. We spent about 3 hours on work, covering Social Studies, ELA, Math, and Music. All was review, so no challenges yet. I was very pleased that the kids remembered all their music! We've been off for the month of August, so I didn't know what to expect. Fischer's Island is beautiful. We only went to shore to get gas and water, but its a lovely, quiet community. I have visited several times before in my college days, when my good friend Mary Cairns was at her house there. Such great times we had! Tomorrow we are going to Claudio's Marina in Greenport. The marina is owned by Chris Claudio's father, and he has arranged for us to tie-up on the dock for a couple of nights. It will be great to have access to shore without using the dinghy or launch service. Thanks for much to Chris for arranging.

Cuttyhunk and Newport (Day 2 and 3)

We spent a great Saturday at the beach with the Marstons. The waves were crashing and the men and Tyler and Emma all were out surfing. In the evening we were joined by the Fairfax's and all went ashore to the Scott compound. We had a great time touring their picturesque property, enjoying cocktails and watching the sunset. Thanks so much to Ted, Jane, and Duncan! By the way Ted, the corn was the best ever, thanks! On Sunday we had a nice sail to Newport, and tied up at third beach. The Williams were in town so stopped by for a farewell bottle of champagne at the Marstons. Great to see the Williams again before we head out. We're hoping to catch up with them in Annapolis. Molly arranged a babysitter for the evening, much appreciated, as it's probably the last night in a year that we'll be out with only adults. We had a fantastic meal at Zelda's, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that chicken fried lobster is not a mix of both chicken and lobster! John loved his meal (the lobster) and my scallops were also delicious. Monday morning Bob took us back to Zusammen (twice) and we headed south.

Day 1

Yesterday around 3 PM we hoisted the large Ensign from our backstay and NBYC burgee after saying goodbye to the Davenports and Karen who both came down the dock for a visit bearing gifts. Great pals old and new! As we pulled off the dock and passed nun 12 we bade goodbye to the club on the radio and were sent off by the launch drivers David and Tapley. We both commented on the sad and excited feelings we were having as we raised sail and headed South. All of our chips are in the pot at this point!
We closed out our mailbox, made a last run to the bank, collected the cushions, picked up the life raft and dropped off the truck. Our whole life is packed up in Zusammen for the next year. Feels great and a little scary.
A light wind sail down to Cuttyhunk and an exciting surf session catching the last of Hurricane Katia capped off the day. Ted and Bill Shea made the ride down to ride a few waves and came along side with a send off gift and a recommendation that it was "just for medicinal purposes". Hope to see those guys South at some point.
Beautiful sunrise and FAC conditions. I am going to go for a paddle before the crew gets up. Bob and Molly should be in the harbor here in the next few hours.

We leave tomorrow!

Tomorrow is departure day! Small hop to Cuttyhunk, but we'll be on our way by tomorrow afternoon. Last tasks are to close my South Dartmouth P.O. Box, and drop off the Tahoe.

We spent all day yesterday in Marshfield. We met with both the kids contact teachers, and Mrs. Scollins, principal at MES. The school has been so supportive, I really feel lucky to be connected to such a great group of teachers. Tyler will take a math assessment test tomorrow that his classmates are also taking. Guess that means school is open on Zusammen! He's quite happy about it and wants to begin at 7:30 a.m.. Don't think my coffee will have percolated by then, so that won't be happening!!

We visited the dentist and pediatrician yesterday as well. We have cancelled dental insurance, and discovered yesterday that it really DOES make sense to carry insurance. Even though the kids only had cleanings and sealants, the bill was staggering. Oh well...the price of a beautiful smile, well worth it.

Last night we had a fantastic dinner party at the Strenge's house in Marshfield. The Meade's and the Henning's (missed Fred) were also there and we had a great time.

Today we did errands, got the kids new foulie jackets, groceries, West Marine stuff. Hopefully we have everything covered for a few days anyway! We went to the Hausladen's for dinner tonight, which was great. A very nice way to spend out last evening.

Last trip to Storage!

Last swap out of gear. We're off soon!

Labor Day Weekend Shakedown

We caught up with the Marston and Marshall families in Cuttyhunk on Friday Afternoon and all shared the Scott's mooring. Ted, Jane and TJ all came out for a sundowner.
We left Cutty the next morning bound for Kettle Cove with Wahine sailing alongside. Liza and Maddie were on Wahine and Tyler and Emma on Zusammen. The breeze was up around 25 and we had a sleigh ride East running over 8 knts regularly. We swung through Kettle and the wind Wes too West for a comfortable stay, so we kept rolling East to Cutty. Somewhere along the way, as Liza and Maddie were laying on the foredeck chatting away, a big 'Dancer passed Bob and the bow of Wahine buried on the second wave. The girls were covered, Bob thought they would go over and then when the deck cleared and the girls looked back at the cockpit with shocked faces, Bob starts laughing and the Girls start belly laughing as well. Wish we had a picture.

More significant challenges struck with the refit work over the weekend.  The new holding tank pump leaked in the sail locker on Sunday.  The whale pump screws were driven in and all missed their pre-drilled holes and the gasket leaked waste on the spinnaker ad into the locker.  A nasty mess we are hoping is remedied on Tuesday AM.

The truck was sold this evening to Doug C.  and we had a great final dinner at the club with the Woodcock family.  We're closing in on the final days before departure.  It's been great to have such enthusiastic support from the club and the members.