Pirate for a day

I got up this morning and it was very hot with no wind and I decided I could not sail so I went to Beaufort North Carolina to participate in the pirate invasion.  It is a family fun day with pirate reenactors where you can participate. 

A lot of local people come by boat.

 

It was a fun day for everyone and I had a great time.

Friday

We all got up early this morning and Jeff and Rich took off in the rental car at 6:15 to head back home in Boston. Sue and I headed back to Oriental and coffee at the Bean where we met our good friends.  During the day Jeff sent several text to inform me of their position on the drive home. I received the final text at about quarter of 12 that Jeff had arrived home safely after dropping Rich home safely. It is said that if you arrive home with the same number of people you left with and they are still friends you had a great sail. This was a great adventure and a great sail. I would like to thank my friends Rich and Jeff for all there help in making this a safe passage. While thanking people I have to thank my wife Sue for all of her support and encouragement.

Day Twelve - Thursday, August 8

It was quite a trip we stayed up late last night and this morning we all slept in. Sue had cinnamon buns and cereal for breakfast while I made the crew real brewed coffee. This was a treat as both of the crew love that morning cup of coffee. In the morning Rich worked on a job estimate while Jeff helped Susan with her computers. Then I took them on a tour of Fairfield Harbour in Susan's golf cart. Later in the afternoon we toured downtown New Bern where Jeff has wanted to move for years. We visited Mitchell's hardware which is a unique store that has forgot that the 21st-century has happened. We were all impressed with the variety and depth of their stock,  they have everything you could possibly want in a hardware store. We visited one of the old churches in new Bern center and viewed some magnificent hand-painted windows in the church from the 1800s.

 Later in the afternoon two of Jeff's Masonic friends drove two hours from Raleigh to join us for dinner. During the course of dinner conversation we learned just how small a world it is. One of Jeff's friends is in charge of the entire state of North Carolina State Parks which is my educational background. All of Cachalot's crew along to the United States Sail and Power Squadron and Jeff's other friend, a woodworker, makes presentation ship's wheels for the past national commanders of USPS. We had a great meal at Capt. Raddy's restaurant and really enjoyed the conversation with Jeff's friends.

Day Eleven - Wednesday, August 7 -Arrival

We got up around 7:30 AM and went to "The Bean" in Oriental for coffee and breakfast.  They have some very tasty blueberry muffins.  We hung out at "The Bean" for a little while.  Mass joined us for breakfast and reported his house batteries were still charged, but his starting battery was dead.  It will not hold a charge.  However, he was able to start his engine with his house batteries and the engine is running.  We finished our breakfast and headed to the boats.  Rich went with Mass for the trip to New Bern.  We helped Mass maneuver around the other boat on the dock and the Ed and I untied Cachalot and followed Mass out of the harbor.

We motored all the way to New Bern because of the lack of wind.  We did see a schooner out for a cruise with their sails up, but they were running their engine to keep the sails full.

 Ed had the dream of sailing Cachalot home, but in August, there is very little wind in North Carolina.  

We turned into Northwest Creek and then made the right into the Fairfield Harbor channel.  The channel is lined with homes with their boats tied up right outside their doors.

We arrived at Ed's dock at about 1:30 PM and Sue was waving us into the dock.  Ed maneuvered Cachalot between the pilings and gently brought her starboard side against Cachalot's new home.

Ed and the crew walked up from the channel and into Ed and Sue's house where Ed, Rich and Jeff crashed for an afternoon nap.

A next door neighbor, Illes, stopped by to congratulate Ed and crew on our arrival and she brought a bottle of champagne as a gift.

That evening Mass and his wife, Nancy, came for a celebratory dinner.  Ed cooked steaks on the grill and we toasted with the champagne that Illes had brought earlier.  

It was a nice ending to our journey to bring Cachalot to her new sailing waters.

Lat/Lon = N 35 4.3 W 076 57.8

Home

We made it!!!  Cachalot and crew arrived at our new home around 1300.  Sue greeted us at the dock and a celebration dinner is planned for tonight. 

Cachalot and Ishmael at rest on the dock in Fairfield Harbour NC

Oriental

Our editor hard at work on the blog

Day Ten - Tuesday, August 6

This was a short day.  Broad Creek to Oriental is only 11.6 nautical miles.  No wind and bright sun made for a hot day.  

Ed called his friend Mass who had sailed from New Bern to Oriental to meet us.  Mass had  tied up at the town dock and was holding a spot for us along the dock.

We motored out of the River Dunes Marina Channel at 10:30 AM and out into the Nuese River.  The river is very wide in this area and almost looks like an open sound.  We arrived at the town dock in Oriental, NC, at 1:30 PM, and Mass helped us tie up.  

Mass' batteries on his boat were dead and he was concerned that he might not be able to start his engine in the morning.  He had contacted TowBoat/US for a jump start in the morning if needed.

After getting settled we went across the street to "The Bean".  This a popular coffee house in Oriental.  We had some snacks and coffee for lunch.

When we came out of The Bean and returned to the dock a sailboat was approaching to tie up.  It was a Catalina 30 with 2 families aboard.  The owner had just bought the boat and was taking his wife and 2 kids and his brother and his wife and kids for a sail.  They were stopping for lunch in Oriental.  His name was Paul and he was an EMT and worked at the Tri-Country fire department.  He was an ex-marine and had been stationed at Camp Lajuene, NC.  He was born and raised in Allentown, PA.  He wanted to get a job in Pennsylvania, but the competition was to difficult.  So, when he got a job offer from her he took it because he was familiar with the area.  I told him that I had a Catalina 30 and he asked me to help him understand how his head (toilet) worked because he had heard that his boat could sink if the head was not set the right way.  I told him about how to open and close the seacocks for the head and also some precautions about the sink in the galley.  I also reset his main sheet which had been run through the wrong blocks.  Paul thanked us and wished us a safe journey to New Bern.  They went across the street to get their kids some ice cream at "The Bean" and then motored away from the dock to head home.

After they left another boat pulled in to the town dock.  We helped them dock and tie up their boat.  They had come from Elizabeth City and had followed the same route we had come.  They had problems with their fuel pump and needed a new one.  When we leave in the morning we will move them further onto the dock so they can fix their boat.

They had a Honda generator on board and volunteered to connect it to Mass' boat to power his battery charger.

We went out to dinner at "M & M's", a nice restaurant in Oriental, while the generator charged Mass' batteries.

We will get an early start for New Bern tomorrow so that we can arrive by early afternoon.

Lat/Lon = N W

Day Nine - Monday, August 5

We all slept late this morning.  We got up around 7:30 AM and walked to the Gingerbread Sweet Shop and Cafe in beautiful downtown Belhaven.  It was like walking into the 1950's.  Even the front door opened inward.  The decor was typical diner of that era and we sat at the counter on stools.  The waitress took our orders and we enjoyed a full breakfast and several cups of coffee.  

The cafe was decorated with Coke and soda fountain memorabilia that brought back a lot of memories.

We walked back toward the boat and stopped at a restaurant that was under construction.  The place was gorgeous!  Exotic woods and nautical models and an elaborate slate fireplace.  We talked with the foreman who told us all about the project.  he has been working on it for a year and a half .  Later he introduced us to the owner who is hoping to open before the snowbirds head for Florida.  Ed is going to drive to Belhaven for the grand opening.

Brice from the anchored sailboat stopped by to wish us a safe journey and we wished him a safe trip to Savannah, GA.

We untied the lines and headed out of the harbor.

As we cleared the breakwater we pulled out the jib and put up the main.  We sailed for almost an hour and a half in a stiff breeze at about 4 knots.  Then, the wind died and we had to motor again.

We entered the Goose Creek Canal and headed for the docks at R.E. Mayo Shrimp  Company about 3/4 of the way down the canal where we planned to stop.

As we arrived at R.E. Mayo there were nine dolphins swimming in the canal.  The dolphins probably know that the fish pier throws their scraps in the canal.

We tied up to the dock and asked for the men's room.  The woman inside pointed to the door and said we would find them out front.  

This was the men's room and ...

This, the ladies room...

We decided not to stay at R.E. Mayo for the night.  

We headed down the canal and out into Pamlico Sound.  After several miles we turned at a buoy into the Neuse River on our way to Broad Creek and the River Dunes Marina.  New Bern is right on the Nuese River only 35 away.

Rich got very excited when the dock-master at River Dunes said on the radio that the docks were floating docks with cleats instead of pilings.  We have not seen any docks with cleats since we left Annapolis.  The marinas down here use pilings for tie up only with little platforms to get off and on.

River Dunes is a palatial and elegant marina with some very large and impressive yachts on the docks. The boat next to Cachalot is a 63' two masted schooner named "Sheba Moon".  she is magnificent.

The homes  along the channel are large and luxurious.  When we checked in they gave pass cards to the pool and exercise center with showers.  They have free WiFi and in the morning they will loan us a van to drive into town for breakfast.  All this for $1.50 per foot per night.  We paid $37.50 for a nice stay at a really nice marina instead of a free night at R.E. Mayo on the canal.

Lat/Lon = N 35 05.0 W 076 36.0

Day Eight - Sunday, August 4

Another uneventful day, but we made a lot of progress toward New Bern.  We left the Alligator River Marina at 7 AM and traveled over 53 miles to the Belhaven City Dock.  

Traveling the Alligator River Canal was a different experience than the Dismal Swamp.  The Alligator River Canal is wider and has low banks with decayed cyprus tree stumps along the shore and cyprus swamps beyond. 

We actually saw more boats on this leg of the journey than we have seen on other legs of our trip.  We passed eight boats traveling the Canal in the opposite direction.  

We saw a bald eagle sitting in a cyprus tee on the canal's edge surveying the traffic and waiting to swoop down on an unsuspecting fish.  

During our trip through the canal we hit a submerged cyprus stump which scared the daylights out of us.  There two hard thumps to the hull.  The first one bounced the boat up and the second hit the keel and caused the boat to swing off course.  We were told that it is not unusual for the stumps on the bottom to get disturbed by larger boats and float off the bottom of the canal hitting the hulls and keels of other  boats.  

We arrived at the city dock in Belhaven at 4:05 PM after running aground on a sand bar in the inner harbor.  Jeff was driving, so Rich and Ed went to the bow and we were able to shake the boat loose from the bottom.

We drove over to the Belhaven Marina to ask where the town dock was and a man on the dock pointed us to the dock.  A woman on the dock knew where we were going and started waving to ust.  When we arrived st the dock the woman took our lines and helped tie up.  She was down at the dock walking her dog.  We all patted the cute little dog and thanked her for her help.

After we tied up at the dock a fishing boat pulled in behind us with four men on it.  They had been out all day fishing for tarpon.  We asked them where the closest gas station was and they said several miles away.  One of the men named Freeman said he would drive Ed to get gas.  These are really nice people here in North Carolina.  

Rich and Jeff took a walk around town to see what was open and found only one convenience  store open  Most of the stores here are closed on Sundays.

A young couple with their daughter drove over to the dock in a golf cart to ask if we needed a ride to the grocery store to buy provisions.  They were also cruisers and have been living and cruising on their Hunter 34 for the past 2 years.  Their daughter, Olivia, was cute and precocious.  They were from Wilmington, NC, and moved onto their boat and have enjoyed every minute of their cruising adventure.  They were staying here in Belhaven to make repairs to their boat after taking a knock down in a tornado on the Potomac River near Washington, DC.  It was a terrible storm.  

They are now shopping for a bigger cruising boat to live aboard.  They'd like to find a Tayana 37 because it is a solid blue water cruising boat.  They said that they would try cruising for one year and if they still liked each other after the year they would keep cruising.  They have just finished their second year.

After they left another golf cart came up to the boat with Ron and his wife, Heiki, who live in Belhaven.  Ron was raised in Belhaven and spent 20 years in the Army, 3rd Artillery Division, and returned because he loved the town.

After Ron and Heiki left a pick up truck pulled up with a fellow named Tommy Foster who chatted a while and wished us a save journey.

Earlier, when we came into the harbor we saw a boat anchored out in the shallow bay away from the docks.  After a while we saw the skipper coming into the dock in his inflatable with what we thought was a wheel chair.  Rich went over to the floating dock to talk with him and help him tie up.  Rich found out his name was Brice and he was on a Tartan 37 from Los Angeles.  He is sailing to Savannah, GA.  The "wheel chair" was really a collapsable bicycle that he unfolded and tied a straw basket on the back.  Brice has been here several times and knows the town  He took off on his bike to the farmer's market to buy provisions.

Ed opened a couple of cans of beef stew and sliced the fresh baked bread he had bought at the farmer's market in Elizabeth City.  We enjoyed a hearty dinner at the dock.

Lat/Lon = N 35 32.2 W 076 37.3

Day Seven - Saturday, August 3

Today was a fairly uneventful day.  We got up around 7:30 AM and Ed took the gas tank to the gas station to fill it.  Rich asked a young man on the docks where he could find a coffee shop and the young man volunteered to walk with him to the shop about three blocks away.  We are finding that people are like that here.  When they returned with coffee and pastries for breakfast we sat and chatted with the young man, Alan.  He was a Marine who had injured his back in Afghanistan and here for treatment.  He had just received his clearance to go back on active duty and would going to California next week for reassignment.  He seemed like a nice young man.  He had helped us dock last night and spends a lot of time at the waterfront.  

Ed went over to a farmer's market to buy some provisions and came back with some fresh peaches, melons and a bag of home grown pecans.

We bid Alan farewell.  Waved good bye to Ray and his wife and wished them a safe journey back Australia and headed out to sea.  

As we motored down the channel toward  Albermarle Sound we were able to pull out the jib to stabilize the boat, but (again) there was not enough wind to sail, so we continued to motor.  As we turned the corner further down the channel we saw thunder clouds approaching from the Southwest. We decided not put up the main due to the pending storms and continued to motor towards the Alligator River across the Sound.  We could see lightning and heard thunder ahead, but did not get any closer than about a mile from the lightning.  After the storm passed there was moderate rain for about an hour which flattened the seas and made the motoring very smooth.  We motored through the narrows at the entrance to the Alligator River and then pulled into the Alligator River Marina at about 3:30 PM.  The Marina is just before a swing bridge that we will have to  pass through tomorrow.

We decided to take rest of the day off from traveling and take showers and do some laundry.  We have been pushing fairly hard to make time in the small boat.  This afternoon will give us some rest time.  

After dinner we went over to the club house to enjoy the air conditioning.  Rich laid down on the couch towatch TV and Ed and Jeff played cribbage.  Jeff won 2 out of 3.

Tomorrow will be a long day going through the Alligator River Canal to the city of Belhaven, NC, which will be about a 53 mile journey.

No pictures today.

Lat/Lon = N 35 54.3    W 076 1.5

Day Six - Friday, August 2

The day started with us getting up and walking over to the lock operators office for coffee.  Robert Peek brewed a great pot of coffee and also gave us some breakfast bars to eat.  We had some more interesting conversation with Robert about the history of the Great Dismal.  

He serenaded us with a conch shell blowing tune which he is well known for.  He collects conch shells from those traveling through the locks.   

We then started the engine and slipped our lines to begin our trek through the Great Dismal Swamp Canal.  

Motoring through the canal was an unbelievable experience.  The canal is as straight as an arrow and the water is maintained at a constant depth.  So, it is very smooth to navigate.  We were able to motor at about 6 knots and make good time.

Due to the overhanging trees which arch over the canal we needed to keep a constant watch at the mast to avoid hitting the tree limbs.  

About an hour into our trip we saw a Great Blue Heron standing majestically at the side of the canal.  Shortly after that we crossed the border between Virginia and North Carolina.  

We kept a look out for the one other boat that was on the canal heading our way.  At about 12:20 PM a trawler by the name "Lady Bug" passed us heading North.  We waved to all on board and wished them a safe trip and they wished the same to us.

We arrived at the Great Dismal Swamp Welcome Center at 1:30 PM and spent some time in the air conditioned lounge while Rich used his computer on their free WiFi.  He is working on a proposal for his business as we sail.

We left the Welcome Center leaving enough time to get to the South Mill Lock at the southern end of the canal for the 3:30 PM opening.  We found that descending in a lock is much simpler and easier then rising in a lock.  The gates opened and off we went on our trip to Elizabeth City, NC, about 18 miles away.

We arrived at Elizabeth City around 7:15 PM and pulled into a slip on the town pier that provides up to 48 hours of free docking.

The boat next to us was named "Faith" and we greeted the woman sitting in the cockpit.  It was a Gulfstar 48 and she told us she and her husband were on their way back to Tasmania, Australia, by way of Brazil.  

Shortly after, her husband, Ray, came over to us and told us about his boat and past journeys on the boat and the trip they were taking from Annapolis, MD, to Florida, the Caribbean, Northern Brazil , then through the Magellan Straits to the Southern Ocean, and through the South Pacific back to Australia.  His wife is an ordained minister and many of her congregation are in Brazil and South America.  

He told us that they had sailed from Annapolis the Cape Charles and then came to Elizabeth City "going around the outside."  Meaning that they didn't come through the canals.  We told him that we had planned to go to Cape Charles, but decided to save a day by not going there.    We said that we were one day ahead of schedule.  Ray said that they were 3 months behind schedule.  Time did not seem to bother him.  He didn't wear a watch. 

As we were standing near the front of Cachalot chatting a couple came up to us and started talking about sailing and asked about Cachalot.  He is a retired fire fighter and has always wanted a sailboat like Ed's.  We chatted about the positives and negatives of boat ownership.  I think we convinced them to start shopping for a boat.  

We walked into town to listen to a concert that was going on at the town common.  It was a USO Tribute to the men and women of the Coast Guard.  Elizabeth City has the largest Coast Guard station in the US.

After walking around the concert we went to a restaurant and had a nice dinner. Rich and I were able to have a glass of scotch to enjoy before dinner and toast Ed with his iced tea on today's journey. 

We are sitting aboard Cachalot tied to pilings at the town dock enjoying the evening breeze.  This has been a very full and event filled day.

Tomorrow we leave for Albemarle Sound and the entrance to the Alligator River Canal.

Lat/Lon = N 37 17.9 W 076 13.0

Day Five Pictures

Norfolk Naval Ship Yard

An aircraft carrier on floating dry dock.  Unbelieveable!

Rich holding the stern tight in the lock.

Water rushing into the lock as we rise.

Cachalot tied up on the Dismal Swamp Canal.

Day Five - Thursday, August 1

Left Belle Isle Marina about 7:30 AM in order to make the opening of the draw bridge over the Elizabeth River at 2:30 PM.  Arrived at Hampton Roads at 11 AM after another hard motoring with the wind on our nose and very rough seas

We motored into Norfolk, VA, harbor and past mile after mile of Navy vessels being repaired or refitted.  It was impressive to see all the aircraft carriers and other ships and support vessels docked there.  

We continued to motor down the Elizabeth River toward the Dismal Swamp Canal.  

We called the Gilmerton Bridge on our VHF radio and the operator told us he would be opening it in six minutes.  As we turned the bend toward the bridge we were facing a large tanker being pushed by a tugboat and we stayed away from him as best we could.  

When we arrived at the bridge we called the operator and told him we needed the bridge to be raised to at least 42 feet to clear the top of the mast.  The operator opened the bridge to 70 feet and gave us the "go" sign and off we went toward the next bridge.

We arrived at the Route 64 bridge (which had a clearance of 65') and turned a sharp right into Deep Creek toward the Dismal Swamp locks.  We called the lock operator to see if we could make the 3:30 lock opening.  He said he would wait for us.

We arrived at the lock early and had to tie up to some pilings to wait for the lock gates to open.  We motored into the lock and tied up to the starboard side.  

The lock operator coached us through the routine of keeping the boat under control while the water was raising us 12 feet to the height of the canal.  

The operator told to wait for at least ten minutes after the other lock gates opened to allow the duckweed to pass by the boat in the lock.  There is chance that the duckweed can get sucked into the cooling system of the engine and cause it to over heat.  

While we were waiting for the duckweed to float past, the lock operator, Robert Peek, gave us a great presentation on the history of the canal and answered our questions.  The canal was originally on property owned by George Washington and he had the idea of the canal.  It was dug by hand and was a commercial venture and was not taken over by the government until 1929.  Alexander Hamilton was the first president of the Dismal Swamp Canal Corporation.  It is now a part of the Great Dismal Swamp National Historic Registry and run by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Robert has been the lock operator at the Deep Creek Lock for 17 years and he is the junior man on the canal.  

Ed told Robert that he was moving to New Bern, NC, from Boston and Robert asked him, "What is the difference between a 'Yankee' and a 'Damn Yankee'?"  Then he said, " 'Yankees' go home!"

We decided not to try to get through the canal until tomorrow and tied up at the docks just inside the locks where we will spend the night.  The docks were built by a previous dock operator as a memorial to his wife.  They are called the Elizabeth docks.

Lat/Lon = N 36 44.7 W 076 20.4

Day Four - Wednesday, July 31

On Tuesday night we changed our plans from sailing to Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore to go to the Back River in Hampton, VA, on the Western Shore.  This change will save us a full day on our trip.  At 7:30 AM we undid our lines and left The Narrows Marina on Gwynn Island. We also decided not to try to take a short-cut through the "hole in the wall" because of what a fisherman told us about getting through the hole.  Instead we took the long way and drove the boat around Gwynn Island and out into the bay.  

As has been usual on this trip so far the winds have been blowing from the place we are going, so we spent another day motoring toward Norfolk, VA..  

About mid-way between Gwynn Island and the Back River we were escorted for a while by a school of dolphins diving and playing alongside the boat.  

At about 3:30 PM we arrived at the Belle Isle Marina on othe Back River in Hampton.  It was a long motor with choppy seas and we were beat.  

We were met by the owner of the marina, Marty, a pilot for U.S. Airways, who greeted us with a complimentary coca-cola and interesting conversation.  Marty flies A330 Airbus out of Philadelphia to Europe several times a month.  He has owned the marina for 23 years and (we think) he really enjoys running it.  

Ed's mother, Bea, and her husband, John, who live in Williamsburg, VA, came to the marina and took us out for dinner to a restaurant on the waterfront in Hampton called the Surfside Restaurant.  We enjoyed meeting them and had a very nice evening.

We are planning to get up early tomorrow to get through Norfolk and down the Elizabeth River to reach the locks at the top of the Dismal Swamp Canal by late afternoon.  We are concerned about the timing of the bridges that need to open on the river.  If time permits will try to get to the Dismal Swamp Welcome Center about halfway down the canal.  If not, we will anchor near the entrance over night.

Lat/Lat = N 37 06.0 W 76 17.2

Day Three - Tuesday, July 30

Another windless day!  We motored out from Tangier Island and pulled out the genoa, but there was not enough wind to keep it full, so we set a course for Gwynn Island, VA, and set the motor for 4+ knots.  Very few ships or boats on the water.  Saw a few container ships and barges going up the bay.  Few, if any, pleasure boats. 

We arrived at The Narrows Marina around 5:30 PM and tied up.  Had another great dinner at the Sea Breeze Restaurant.  After dinner we asked the marina owner when his gas dock was open in the morning and he told us that he didn't sell gasoline, only diesel fuel.  He then said we could use his truck to drive our portable gas cans to a gas station on the other side of the bridge.  Rich took the truck and tanks to get the gas for our trip tomorrow.

Tomorrow we are leaving early to catch high tide so we ca get through a channel called, "the hole in the wall".  This is a very shallow and narrow channel out to the Bay that will save us perhaps 4 or 5 hours on our way to Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore.

Lat/Lon = N 37 29.8 W 076 19.8

Day Two continued

No posts from Tangier Island because phone service was spotty or non- existent.  Arrived at Parks Marina on Tangier Island about 7 PM and was greeted by Milton Parks on his motor bike.  Milton greeted us by welcoming the "three old men on a sailboat".  He said that Ed was "quite a man" due to his size.  He also said that he could tell Jeff was a level guy because his bubble was in the middle.  It was Milton's Birthday.  He was 82 years old today and we wished him many more.  

We ate dinner at Lorraine's Restaurant since it was the only place open after 5 PM on the island.  This has been a Maryland crab cake feast every night so far.  Food was very good.  

We slept late because of the rough two days we had had and then took a leisurely stroll to the Chesapeake House for an all you can eat family style breakfast: bacon, eggs, home fries, and freshly baked buttered bread.  What a meal.  After making some small repairs to the boat we again wished Milton a Happy Birthday.  To which he replied, "How do you spell seventy years old?"  He said,  "G-O-N-E".  He was a hot ticket!

We shoved off around 11 AM for Gwynn Island, VA.

Day Two - Monday, July 29

Motored away from Solomon's Island Yacht Club at 9:45 AM after having breakfast, getting gasoline and ice.  The wind was coming from the North North West so we were able to sail for most of the morning. We raised only the mainsail with 2 reefs and were able to keep 5 knots of speed.  We had following seas so at times the dinghy would surf right up to the stern of the boat and a few times it actually hit the back of the boat.  We used a long dock line as a new painter for the dinghy to let it drop back farther and keep her from hitting us.  By noon the winds had subsided enough for Ed to go forward (with his harness on) and shake out the reef in the main.  We  then set the genoa for a wing-and-wing sail.  The winds decreased to less than 3 knots, so we started the motor at 1:45 to keep our speed up.  We expect to arrive at Park's Marina on Tangier Island around 7 pm tonight.  It is a legend that if you get mud between your toes, you will return to Tangier Island someday.  We will take our shoes off when we get there and try it.

Lat/Lon = N 37 49.8 W 75 59.9 

Cast off at 8:00 this morning

Day One - Sunday, July 28

We arrived at Solomon's Island Yacht Club at 8 PM after a long day (12 hours) of motoring from Annapolis.   The wind was dead ahead of the entire day.  The waves were very rough to motor through and the ride was very uncomfortable.  Then thunderstorms and heavy rain began as we came into the islands.  We are wet, but without injury or any disagreements.

We are off to a local restaurant for dinner and will sleep well tonight.

Lat/Lon = N 38 19.2 W 076 27.3

We all got up fairly early this morning had a breakfast sandwich at the local café and started to work on the boat.  We got a lot done, the projects are just too numerous to mention all of them with a lot of little details included.  Jeff and I manufactured a new bow for the dodger and got the dodger installed, it will be great with the southern sun.  A couple of the big projects we got done are: Jeff tuned the rig and Rich installed the new chart plotter and entered the course for tomorrow.  We start sailing for new Bern in the a.m.  Rain is predicted however we will sail anyway and it will be great.   I have looked forward and dreamed about this for years.  I have my friends and my wife Sue to thank for being able to make the dream come true.

The Adventure started today Jay the driver who delivered Cachalot and his dog, Bella, dropped me off at Bert Jabin's early this morning.  They launched the boat right away and I spent the day getting the boat ready for our sailing trip. Rich and Jeff arrived late this afternoon and promptly got to work helping me, it was great to have the help. Tonight we all went out to dinner and a good part of the town the restaurant was im llost power but we had a great dinner anyway.  One of the bows for the dodger was lost in shipping so tomorrow Jeff and I will try to make a replacement out of PVC.  Rich is going to wire in a new chart plotter that he bought for me and brought with him.

Cachalot looks real small in this big lift that they used to put her in the water

The Adventure started today Jay the driver who delivered cachalot and his dog, Bella, dropped me off at Bert Jabin's early this morning.  They launched the boat right away and I spent the day getting the boat ready for our sailing trip. Rich and Jeff arrived late this afternoon and promptly got to work helping me, it was great to have the help. Tonight we all went out to dinner and a good part of the town the restaurant was im llost power but we had a great dinner anyway.  One of the bows for the dodger was lost in shipping so tomorrow Jeff and I will try to make a replacement out of PVC.  Rich is going to wire in a new chart plotter that he bought cor me and brought with him.

Cachalot looks real small in this big lift that they used to put her in the water

We are on our way

Just got an Email from Ed at 10:06 AM on Thursday, July 25, that the truck has picked up Cachalot and they are on the road to Annapolis.  They expect to arrive around 5pm tonight.  The boat yard will not be able to launch and rig Cachalot until tomorrow morning.  Rich and I will drive a rental car to Annapolis tomorrow to meet with Ed and get underway on Sunday morning.

Today was sure frustrating day Wayne, the man who is transporting the boat, was supposed to pick me up at "noontime or shortly thereafter".  Peter Mchenry and I went to the yacht club real early with all of the stuff for the trip including all the provisions with ice and everything else to loaded up the boat and we had it all ready to ship by 11:30.  Wayne never showed up.  When I called to ask about an ETA he told me the bearings on one of his axles broke on the way to pick up Cachalot.  He said he would try to get the parts and repair the trailer and call me when he could know for certain the time he could pick up the boat.  I spent the day on the phone and Internet on my iPhone trying to arrange a back up plan.  At the end of the day I had made no progress and was very frustrated.  About 8:30 tonight he called and they had the parts for the trailer was planning to repair the trailer on Wednesday and pick me up at 10 o'clock Thursday morning.  With this new pickup time I will be arriving with the boat in Annapolis at around 6:30 or 7 o'clock at night.  I will have to call Bert Jaben Yacht yard tomorrow and tell them of my new arrival time.  Jeff and Rich are planning to leave very early Friday morning and driving to Annapolis and meet me Friday night.  If all goes well we will plan on starting our sailing trip early Sunday morning.  I hope with this disastrous start the rest of the trip goes smoothly.  

Tomorrow I plan to work on the house to get it ready for closing and maybe I will not have to make a trip up from NC just to work on the house for closeing.

I would like to take the time to acknowledge and thank all of our friends and neighbors who havr helped Susan and I close up this house and helped me plan and execute all of the work necessary to make this great adventure and dream come true.  Our friends have really outdone themselves and are to numerous to name without taking the chance of missing somebody so thank you one and all.  We are greatly indebted to you and will miss you and Needham as we start the next chapter of our life.

Monday night and I finished cleaning the boat inside and started to stow things.  I just got back from the grocery store.  I do not know where I will put all of these grocerys I do know we will eat well on this trip. Wayne called today and he will pick up Cachalot around noon or shortly thereafter and so the adventure begins

It's Monday morning sitting on the front porch waiting for the fire inspector to come certify the house so we can pass papers.  It was quite a marathon weekend Rich came on Saturday and we replumbed the entire holding tank system so we would comply with the rules were we will be cruising. Peter Mchenry came to help us as well we installed the outboard engine I picked up Saturday, it's all bolted in the well.  Sunday Jeff came to help with the projects and Peter came back to help again.  Jeff finished the rewiring of the cabin lights and install a new red light for night vision in the main cabin. Peter and I installed the traveler in the cockpit and did many other small projects both days. installing the traveler was no easy feat as I had to crawl headfirst into both quarter berth and one of the lockers to reach the bolts inside the boat. At the end of the day Peter and I sat down with my check list and went over it.  The only two large items on the checklist are cleaning the entire inside of the boat and painting the outdrive of the engine. As with any boat there are lots of little projects.  I hope to today after I clean the boat if I have time I can get to some of them, others we will do along the way.

Well it is Saturday morning the second day of getting the boat ready for the trip. Yesterday I replaced the electric bilge pump. I added 30 feet of chain to the anchor rode for increased safety for anchoring when we anchor out. One of the biggest projects I did was when they built the boat Bristol did not use the same color wire for the positive and negative wires on all the cabin lights, and when I connected the batteries the LEDs did not work on all lights so I had to redo the wiring on many the lights.  Today I am picking up the engine and installing it with Rich Terry and Peter.  We are also putting in the manual bilge pump and doing several other small projects. Rich is dropping off his gear for the trip on the boat so that it gets shipped with the boat.  Tommrow Jeff Gardner is coming down to help get the boat ready and dropping off his gear.

Well Susan and Fran will be happy.  I have received my new inflatable PFD "suspenders" from Defender Industries.  I bought the Mustang Survival MIT100 PFD only style since I already have a safety harness and tether.  This is the automatic inflatable style.  So, if I fall in the water it will automatically inflate in 4 seconds without me doing anything.  It also has a floatation rating that should keep my head above water for a long time.
Susan, kept insisting that, "the boys must wear their 'suspenders' at all times while on deck."  Susan is a Past Commodore of the Great Blue Hill Power and Sail Squadron and she knows boating safety.
Rich and I will be meeting Ed at the boat this weekend for final preparations before the boat hits the road for Annapolis, MD, where she will be rigged and launched for the trip to New Bern, NC.  We will bring our basic gear that we will need for the sailing trip so it can travel to Annapolis on the boat.
Rich and I will drive to Annapolis in a rental car and then return from North Carolina in another rental car.  A long drive, but the adventure in the middle should be great.  I have not been on a long sailing adventure since my return from St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands via Bermuda.  I am really looking forward to it.

Monday July 15th and I leave in two days to work on Cachalot and get her ready for the trip south.  The house down here in New Bern is getting put together.  We are better than 1/2 unpacked and running out of room to put stuff.  When I get back from my great adventure with my friends Jeff and Rich on Cachalot I have lots of projects to keep me busy.  I am looking at putting upper kitchen cabinets along the walls of the garage.
First to have an adventure.  I have been making lots of calls to finalize plans for moving the boat and emails to the crew about planning the provisioning for the trip.  Northeast rigging has put all the new rigging on the boat ready to ship with the mast on deck.  I have made arrangements with the sail maker to have the sails ready to pickup this week.  I talked to the mechanic about the engine and he is running it up to be ready for the trip.  I have done just about all I can from down here and can not wait to get to the boat to finish preparations.

Well we have arrived.  Now comes the job of unpacking and the adventure of bringing Cachalot down to the back yard.

T

Well the adventure starts.  The house is totally empty and clean. Last night we went to our last fireworks in my hometown.  Today we are going out to breakfast with friends and then watch the parade.  It is time for Sue and I to start the next chapter in our lives.  Friday morning we leave very early on a plane to our new home.  I come back on the 18th to pick up Cachalot and start my sailing adventure.  

Sitting in the cockpit of Cachalot on my iPhone, this technology is hard to get used to.  Northeast rigging has put the mast

on deck.  I will have to tie it down better for transportation.   The house is almost empty but there are a million details to do before we fly out on Friday.  There is a nice breeze here at Savin Hill YC, I will miss sailing around the harbor islands.

Well I did it!!  I retired today.  That compleats my dream of "quit work - go sailing". It has been quite a week.  Earlier this week Sue and I packed the truck taking all our things and sent it on it's way to New Bern .  Now to clean the house and get it ready for the new owners.  I will start to pack the boat and finish my projects for our trip this summer.  This is the first blog that has been written on my smart phone.  I hope that it is OK.

Well it has been a very busy time lately.  We had graduation at the school where I work and then converted the school to it's summer mode of a day camp.  I have also been busy packing the house where Sue and I have lived for the last 40 years.  I retire this Friday and we move to New Bern NC the following Friday.  Home life has been very hectic and there has not been much extra time to write.
As I said before Mike finished redoing the bottom and I have been doing small things on the boat.  Two weeks ago the crew, Jeff, Rich and I had a meeting at Savin Hill Yacht Club  so that they could review the work that I have been doing and having done on Cachalot.  I think that I passed inspection!  I was told that throw-able PFD's are a necessary comfort device so I will be adding those items to the growing list of things to be purchased.  That week Northeast Rigging came and struck the mast.  They took all the standing rigging and are replacing it.  On inspection of the running rigging they found that most of it was OK as I have been replacing that by bits and pieces.  I have finished the arrangement for the boat to be shipped to Maryland.  Rich and Jeff have been looking into how to meet me in Annapolis, they will probably rent a car and drive down and fly from New Bern to Boston.
This past week the trailer arrive for me to pack. I have packed about 99% of the belongings that we are taking to New Bern.  So I guess that this move is going forward.  The house is sold and all of our stuff is packed.  After Friday I will have a little more time so I hope that I will be able to make posts more often.
Ed

It has been a busy week and weekend.  Mike has finished the bottom this week.  He found and repaired 5 very small blisters and one spot that the owner ( me ) did a poor job filling where there was a through hull transducer.

This weekend I had two very energetic young helpers.  We finished installing all new LED lighting in the cabin and also a inverter so that Rich can use his computer on board and we can charge cell phones.  Also we installed a red and white LED light in the cockpit.  Eric and I also installed a deck fitting for the holding tank pump out in the fore deck.  While we worked below deck Alyssa was hard at work topsides with Awlgrip products.  She washed the decks and cabin topsides, then washed the whole hull.  She finished with the Alwgrip sealer and polish on the sides.  I know I will have to wash her after transport but this will give me a good start.  I was a great day and we all got a start on our summer tans as well as getting a lot done.

Well Mike came today and started the refit of Cachalot's bottom.  He soda blasted the entire bottom and found several very small blisters and one spot that needs fairing.  I patched a spot where there was a through hull fitting for the depth sounder.  When he blasted off all the paint the patch needs some cosmetic work.  He will do that tomorrow and put on the first coat of barrier paint.  Thursday will be 3 more coats and the bottom paint will go on Friday.
Here are a few pictures of the work in progress.