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PORT WASHINGTON – (USUALLY) A FAVORITE STOP

The marina in Staten Island provided a good port for a couple of nights.  It’s not fancy, but the local boat owners there are so darn nice!  And they’re very patriotic!  There were American flags flying everywhere.  It seems to me that Staten Island gets a bit of a bum rap.  It is the “forgotten borough” of New York, but it actually has a lot to offer; and this view off our stern might make you think you were in England or Ireland, not 10 miles from Manhattan!

We’ve made the trek through New York Harbor and the East River countless times (actually 36 for John) and it’s always fun and exciting, watching out for water taxis, ferries, and moving barges.  This year it was a little different, even eery.  We saw only a handful of traffic, and when we got up near LaGuardia airport, over a period of 30 minutes, not one single plane passed overhead.  Normally they’d be coming in/out every 30 seconds or so.

Port Washington on the north shore of Long Island has always been one of our favorite stops.  If you’ve read my previous blogs you’ll know why…….there’s a huge grocery store AND a HomeGoods!  Seems like a shopper’s paradise if you’ve been out on the water for a few weeks.  Plus it provides a good opportunity to pick up things we may have forgotten or, of course, things we don’t even need!!  (If you’re a HomeGoods lover, you know what I mean! Wink wink!) But as you can probably guess, there was no visit to HomeGoods this trip.  Sigh.  And to make it worse, we discovered during a walk that there is now a TJMaxx!  Sigh.  It just about killed me to see these stores dark and shuttered, especially since retail was just opening up in my home state just prior to our departure.  Sigh.

Ok, so back to the boating part of this entry!  The wind was picking up as we entered the mooring field of Manhasset Bay at Port Washington.  John and I have a tried and true system for picking up a mooring ball pennant.  He is at the bridge and I am positioned in the stern at the lowest part of the boat.  I grab the line with my boat hook, walk it forward, pulling it up as I go, loop it on the forward cleat, and done……..all accomplished with no yelling!!  This time the First Mate wasn’t feeling up for that technique, so we decided to put our Yacht Controller to work.  This enabled the Captain to assist.  A Yacht Controller is a wireless, remote control to assist in operating the boat.  It allows the operator to move about anywhere on the boat enabling him/her to control the bow and stern thrusters as well as putting the engines in/out of gear (forward or reverse).  We accomplished our mission with a high five, and again, no yelling was necessary!

The following morning we spent time prepping the boat because we had visitors coming!  Bob Loudon (whom many of you have met), our General Manager, had been talking with a couple interested in purchasing a Krogen Express.  They drove over from Connecticut and we had a good time sharing the attributes of the boat.  I think people appreciate the fact that John and I do extensive cruising and are intimately knowledgeable about the boat and the crusing life.

After our visitors bid us adieu we set out to find some Asian takeout for lunch, discovered a great place, and then found a park bench nearby in which to enjoy it.  Even with plastic forks and styrofoam containers, it tasted really good!

The next day brought the real excitement……..a trip to the huge Stop and Shop grocery store.  (There’s even a very nice dinghy dock directly across the street from it (see picture) which makes it super easy for transporting the bags from the store.)  At home, going to the grocery is, for most, a dull and dreaded necessity.  On the boat, it is something you look forward to.  Even in the midst of a pandemic and the bother of having to wear masks and follow arrows in the aisles, filling up your boat pantry and fridge is a big deal.  When you’re done, you have such a sense of accomplishment, the feeling that all is well in your world, and it’s now safe to progress with the trip.

Dropping the line to the mooring ball, we said goodbye to Port Washington and continued east along the north shore of Long Island.

Greetings Friends and Fans!

Some of you may be reading our blog for the first time.  Welcome!  Others may have read it previously.  If you’re in the latter category we 1) appreciate your loyalty, as it’s been too long since we made any entries; and 2) apologize now for any repeats in tales/stories about previously covered topics!

This year our cruising will be a little different than in the past.  In addition to doing the fall boat shows (Newport, Baltimore, Annapolis) we’ll be heading up to Maine for two months!  This will be brand new cruising territory for us and we are excited to share it with all of you as we go.

On May 20 we left the ideal climate of Florida, land of optional masks, for cloudy, cool, mask-required Maryland.  But “Daystar” awaited us which was great!  Our mini-van was absolutely packed to the gills with supplies. It took nine dock carts full to empty it!  Once settled in, we felt more relaxed to spend a couple of evenings with our good friends from Vero Beach who summer in Easton.

We departed from Oxford on Monday morning.  (At least I think it was Monday!  Some of you may already grasp the fact then when you’re boating, you hardly know what day it is much less the date!  So don’t take my reference to days or dates too seriously!)  Our first destination was Chesapeake City along the C&D Canal on the border of Delaware and Maryland.  (See the blog entry dated September 12, 2012 for information about and the history of the C&D Canal.)  A relatively quiet little town, it was party-central on Memorial Day!  It was a lovely day and folks were ready to escape from their lockdowns.  We anchored near the boat ramp (not by choice, for sure!) and spent a greater part of the evening totally entertained as day-boats were loaded on to trailers.

When we awoke at 5:30 the next morning for our 15-mile trek up the canal, we were greeted by the thickest fog we’d ever experienced.  Fortunately no one else was out, plus we had our trusty Mr. Radar to guide us. We made it through just fine.  The fog had dispersed a bit for the trip across the Delaware Bay and the waters were calm there.  We reached Cape May by early afternoon.

John and I consider ourselves clam chowder aficionados!  We absolutely love the clam chowder at The Lobster House in Cape May.  It’s a 2-minute walk from the marina where we were docked, so we treated ourselves to two quarts of chowder plus some swordfish for dinner.  Yum!

Next up:  the Jersey coast.  For those of you who have followed this blog, you may remember that we label the Jersey coast “the bane of Betsie’s existence” because it’s a long (12+ hours) and boring trip.  In the past, we did it all at once, sometimes during the day, sometimes in the night.  In recent years, we broke up the 12-hour trip and stopped at Atlantic City or Barnegat Bay.  But this time, we decided to once again just go for it and get it done.  And ya know, it wasn’t that bad!  Still long, still boring, but not bad.  We ran at 9-9.5 most of the day, 15+ for two hours.  The fog followed us the entire day. We couldn’t see land (even tho we were running less than a mile from the shore) and didn’t see but one boat the entire day.  All eyes were on the radar, once again.

As we approached Lower New York Bay, this is “the view” we had!  This is what it looks like on a clear day!

We arrived at the marina on Staten Island, sprayed off the boat, walked the girls, heated up the chowder, and then had a really good night’s sleep!

The minute we get off the boat at Block Island, our dog M.E., makes a beeline for the cows. She absolutely loves them!  She practically drags me down the gravel road to the stone wall, behind which they abide. Then in her Jack Russell fashions, leaps up so she can say hello.

We enjoyed anchoring out there for one night, with a trip into the village for an after-dinner walk up to Lookout Hill for an incredible view of the harbor.

Thursday morning prior to Labor Day weekend, we took the one hour trip across Vineyard Sound to a wonderful anchorage, Lake Tashmoo, on Martha’s Vineyard.  It’s one of our favorite anchorages due to it’s excellent wind protection and good holding (with the right anchor).  Since we’ve been there many times, we knew we had to get there early, before all the weekend boaters arrived.  We were glad we did because, by Saturday morning the place was packed!  While it was a little cozy, we enjoyed getting acquainted with some of our neighbors, especially those with dogs.  There are always dog-boating tales to tell!

By the way, we were the best looking boat there.  When you decide to purchase your Krogen Express, be forewarned.  People stare.  They walk by on the dock and stare.  They stare from their boats.  They circle us in their dinghy.  On occasion  they even stop and engage us in conversation. “Wow, that’s a good lookin’ boat”, they’ll say.  Or, “what is that?”  Or “I just read about this boat in the September issue of PassageMaker magazine”. Sometimes we feel like we’re on display at the zoo! Going into the heavily populated mooring field at Great Salt Pond on Block Island, a couple were relaxing on their aft deck when suddenly they both sat up and stared as we passed by. Children not familiar with boats, especially, are fascinated that “there’s a boat on a boat!!”. They’re talking about the tender, of course.

We last left you in Cape May, and for us that seems like ages!  The main reason we don’t update more is the internet; and quite frankly, I just get lazy!! What a blessing and a curse the internet is! We love it and depend on it; yet while cruising we don’t often have it, or it’s variable and spotty.  And when we do have it, it’s often at a location where we’ve had a long day on the water, get settled in for the night (either anchoring, at a mooring, or a dock), eat dinner, watch a little tv or read, and go to bed!  So writing up an entry for the blog gets put on the back burner. But today I feel that we owe our readers an updated entry.  So here it goes………..

The Jersey coast proved to be a fine cruise.  The water was great….from a light chop to almost smooth.  Now that’s the kind of day I like to have while cruising in the Atlantic Ocean!  And was it ever a clear day!  We could see the skyline of New York City from the farthest distance we’d ever experienced…….over 10 miles south of Sandy Hook, New Jersey.  It was incredible!  Even though we have cruised through New York more than two dozen times, it is still an amazing experience.

We have arrived in Cape May, on the southern tip of New Jersey!  This will be our jumping off point for the commencement of our trip along the Jersey coast starting tomorrow.  The New Jersey ICW has continuous shoaling challenges with depths of only 3′ in some areas making it prohibitive for many boats to use it.  So a boat with any keel at all must cruise on “the outside”, that is, in the Atlantic Ocean.

When cruising in economy mode, this 120 +/- mile trip is one l-o-n-g (10-11 hours) day.  A few times we’ve done it at night.  But the last couple of years we’ve broken up into two days, stopping in Atlantic City.  It makes it so much more enjoyable, especially with two dogs on board.

Prior to reaching Cape May, we took a few days “off the water”, and had some work done on the boat at one of our favorite yards, Washburns in Solomons, Maryland.  Those of us who have been there numerous times don’t really give it much thought, but the site of the yard was the nation’s first naval amphibious training base, training some 68,000 sailors, marines, and coast guardsmen and soldiers between 1942 and 1945. Seventy years later the buildings remain and are still actively used by the yard personnel.

Heading north through the northern Chesapeake Bay we then entered the mouth of the C&D Canal, docking at Chesapeake City.  (See my entry dated September 12, 2012 for information about and history of the C&D Canal.)

No sooner were we were tied up at a dock positioned right on the Canal, a  RORO vessel rolled past!  A RORO (“roll on, roll off”) is designed to transport wheeled cargo, such as automobiles, trucks, and railroad cars that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle.  If you have ever seen one of these ships in open water, you know how big they are.  But when one is in a narrow Canal and right in front of you, they are positively massive.

And then, we witnessed the pilot exchange!   I provided the pictures, but I give Wikipedia the credit for explaining how it works:

“Today’s canal is a modern sea-level, electronically controlled commercial waterway, carrying 40 percent of all ship traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore.

Navigating oceangoing vessels requires extensive maritime skills, with strong currents or bad weather conditions adding to the risks. A United States Coast Guard certified pilot is required for vessels engaged in foreign trade transiting the canal, the Delaware River and Bay, and Chesapeake Bay. Many shipping firms use pilots from the Delaware River and Bay or Maryland pilots’ associations.

Typically a Delaware River and Bay pilot boards a ship as it passes Lewes, Delaware, entering the Delaware Bay, and guides the vessel up the bay and into the canal to Chesapeake City. A Maryland pilot then takes over and continues the ship’s transit into the Chesapeake Bay to Baltimore or Annapolis, Maryland. The procedure is reversed for eastbound ships. At Chesapeake City a “changing of the pilots” takes place, while the pilot launch maneuvers alongside a vessel as it continues its journey without stopping. The pilots use the ship’s gangway, Jacob’s ladder, or port entrance to climb aboard or leave the vessel.”

As we’ve progressed north, cooler temps and lower humidity have welcomed us.  What an awesome greeting! We are most appreciative!

As we’ve passed – and stayed the night in – these little North Carolina towns along the ICW, I’m reminded of one of the major benefits of cruising.  We see things that you just can’t see traveling in a car…. acres and acres of green sea grasses, miles of undeveloped forest and marshes.  There are also many small, sleepy towns and villages that depend upon boating visitors.  Last night we were in Belhaven, North Carolina.  Tonight it’s Coinjock.  In fact, the ship’s store at the marina has tshirts for sale that say “JustwherethehellisCoinjock?” !!

Have you ever heard of Belhaven or Coinjock?  In fact, I challenge you to find them on a map in less than 2 minutes!  But be sure you have a detailed map because they are tiny. However, cruisers are very familiar with them, and visit them often on their boat trips up and down the ICW.   In our years of boating, we have stayed in both of these spots numerous times.

Today John spent some time polishing stainless.  While this is not exactly his favorite task, we do strive to keep the boat in tip top shape.  But most of the time he is the eagle-eye captain at the helm, sometimes with a 4-legged crew member in his lap!

We also did some sit-ups on the bow. “How does that work?” you ask.  Well, we tied a line to each of the forward cleats to secure our ankles and put a towel under the line so we wouldn’t get rope burn. Looks and sounds wierd, but it works!  And on the boat, you have to get creative about exercise.  In fact, I recall once cruising along the East River through New York City and seeing a woman on a sailboat using a stationary bike!

Zoey and M.E. enjoy the sites from the side deck

Since the completion of boat show season, John and I have been busy hanging out with our Krogen Express family.  It’s one of our favorite things to do!  As you read in the previous posting, we had a wonderful Thai dinner in Vero Beach with Karen, Skip, Robert, and Jill.  Shortly thereafter, we returned to our home in Hilton Head, South Carolina only be blessed with the arrival our Dutch owners, Hans and Thea aboard “Scylla” (pronounced Silla).  They had with them their friends from Holland whom we have met many times before.  They are such a happy group, probably because they love being aboard such a beautiful boat!

They came to our house for dinner, but first
Thea requested a little computer help
from John!

Then we sat down for a lasagna dinner
followed by fruit pie (Hans’ favorite!)

Hans and Thea are in the center of the pic (dressed in gray…..although their dispositions are far from gray!!)

They departed the next morning in an effort to
reach Florida and warmer temps.  We were
just sorry that they couldn’t have stayed longer
in Hilton Head.

Only 4 days later we met up with David (“Electra”) whose boat had been stored over the summer at a marina in nearby Savannah, Georgia (about 45 minute drive from Hilton Head).  We went to a fabulous and famous restaurant there called “The Old Pink House”.  Wow!  What a meal.  Definitely a notch (or two or three) up from my lasagna!

While we were eating, a woman approached our table and said to John, “Excuse me, but you look so familiar, and when I overheard you talking about boats I realized I’d probably met you at a boat show.”  (John has become a celebrity!  Who knew!)  An engaging conversation ensued, and sure enough we’d met her and her husband at several shows most recently at Newport. (We call those folks “boat show junkies” which she readily claimed herself to be!) She will see us at Ft. Lauderdale TrawlerFest at the end of January.

David will be heading out to the Bahamas in a few days for some sun and fun.  Happy cruising!!

We have completed our fall 2012 boat show season, and are happy to report that it was a safe, harmonious, and productive one!  We were spared any nor’easters while aboard “JOY”, and made it through T/S Sandy during the Ft. Lauderdale show.

I left off on the blog at the end of September, having just completed the run from Cape May to Baltimore.  By the way, if your travels ever find you in that neighborhood, be sure to stop.  There are lots of great marinas in Baltimore Harbor, with most accessible to restaurants, grocery stores, and the waterfront scene.  There’s a wonderful walking/running path along the harbor which is nice way to stretch your legs and get some exercise.  (Always check www.activecaptain.com for more information about marinas.  We can’t say enough about that site.  It’s our cruising Bible!)

John and I got the boat set up in our slip for TrawlerFest and Bob arrived the next day.  The dogs and I drove to Hilton Head for a few days of land/home time.  I do love being on the boat, but home time is always appreciated!  Upon my return to Maryland, John and I took the boat to the dock of some dear friends, Cathie and Pete Trogden.  They own Weems and Plath, the nautical instruments company headquartered in Eastport.  (Thanks for having us!) Being with friends along the way  makes boating such fun.

Then it was on the Annapolis boat show. Like the Newport show, most of the docks are temporary, put into place as the boats come in.  But unlike the Newport show, the ABS requires that all boats depart on Sunday night following the show.  We’ve never understood that, making it mandatory for the boats to depart into the darkness of the Chesapeake; but we don’t have much choice.  It is what it is!  So Bob and John drove the boat to Solomons Maryland where she would stay temporarily.  I met them in the car.  In the morning we unloaded everything we would need for our next gig, Ft. Lauderdale, (and then some) into our van and headed out.

Fast forward 3 days (with a quick stop at home) and we were “on the road again” to Lauderdale.  As I mentioned earlier, T/S Sandy descended on us bringing huge winds and rain.  As a result the crowds at the show the first two days were down which was disappointing, but the storm moved on and the sun returned, as did the show attendees.

We are now in recovery mode, having completed 4 shows in 6 weeks covering nearly 3000 miles in both boat and car.  We have also completed the orientation for our newest owners whose boat, “EASY WATER” from Fairbanks, Alaska, was featured in the Ft. Lauderdale show.  Last night we had dinner with them along with other members of our Krogen Express family, Jill and Robert (you remember them, from our ads!!)

Our dogs love Robert and Jill (fortunately the feeling is mutual), so M.E. wasn’t shy about cosying up to Jill on our porch after dinner!

Here’s a picture of “EASY WATER” the next morning, passing by our place on the Indian River in Vero Beach.  (I just have one of those “sure shot” cameras (in this case it wasn’t such a sure shot) so I apologize for the blurry pics. But you get the idea!)  They were honking their horn and everyone was waving!  Great fun.  It gives us such pleasure to have these types of experiences!

The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (C&D Canal) is a 14 mile long, 450 foot wide and 40 foot deep ship canal that cuts across the states of Maryland and Delaware, in the United States. It connects the waters of the Delaware River with those of the Chesapeake Bay (the mouth of the Susquehanna River) and the Port of Baltimore. Construction began in the early 1820s with some 2,600 men digging and hauling dirt from the ditch. Laborers toiled with pick and shovel at the immense construction task, working for an average daily wage of 75 cents. The swampy marshlands along the canal’s planned route proved a great impediment to progress as workers continuously battled slides along the soft slopes of the “ditch” being cut. It was 1829 before the C&D Canal Company could, at last, announce the waterway “open for business”. The near-$2.5 million construction cost made it one of the most expensive canal projects of its time. 
In 1919 the canal was purchased by the federal government for $2.5 million and designated the “Intra-coastal Waterway Delaware River to Chesapeake Bay, Delaware and Maryland”. Included were six bridges plus a railroad span owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad. They were replaced during the 1920s by four vertical lift spans and a new railroad bridge.
Responsibility for operating, maintaining and improving the waterway was assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District. By 1927 the eastern entrance at Delaware City had been relocated several miles south at Reedy Point, Delaware. All locks (except the one at Delaware City) were removed and the waterway was converted to a sea-level operation at 12 feet (3.7 m) deep and 90 feet (27 m) wide. These improvements cost $10 million. Two stone jetties at the new eastern entrance were completed in 1926.
The “new” canal opened in May 1927 with great celebration, yet plans already were underway for further expansion as the sizes of ships and amounts of cargo continued to increase. The Philadelphia District took over operation of the canal in 1933. Between 1935 and 1938 the channel was again improved — deepened to 27 feet (8.2 m) and widened to 250 feet (76 m) at a cost of nearly $13 million