HD goes Home to Naples

HD arrived in Naples 12/10 after another overnight sail. This one was all good-in fact it was perfect! Left Marathon in the Keys at noon timing the tides high enough to get out of the harbor to clear the shoals and then low enough to clear another "65 foot"bridge as we entered into the Gulf. Fortunately, HD had no more instruments left atop her mast to clip off so all went well. The winds were moderate so we sailed the whole 100+NM on a beautiful moonlit night. We arrived Naples Harbor around 6AM and because of the "beautiful  moon" we had to wait until the tide came back in so we could have enough water to get to the City Dock. Anchored outside the entrance, napped and made a successful entry a few hours later.

HD was all alone for at a mooring for four nights while the crew packed up our shore side condo belongings so we could close on the sale by the 21st. The Captain worked day and night packing all our "stuff" while the first mate did "Christmas" shopping, ran errands and went dumpster diving for boxes.  What alot of work-no more homes to move out of anymore-we're officially "homeless", but happy!. 

Sunday night, the crew was fortunate enough to catch the last showing of the "Living Christmas Tree" production at the first mate's church in her home town, a family Christmas tradition.

Put us right into the spirit.  Beautiful...

The crew took a break from packing the fifth night and moved HD to the dock so she could have her auto helm installed correctly (which will eliminate the annoying noise it made) and to host our friends Mary and Al for a Christmas/birthday dinner.  Lovely...

After leaving some treasures on HD rescued from being boxed and stored away, we were back to the moving business later that night. Tara joined us from Boca on Thursday, and was a big help to the first mate, especially when it was "cleaning time" at the end! The condo was ready for the movers to do their thing on the 16th and all fit including the Harley into yet another storage unit.

Happily, the crew is back home with HD after a full week of work, scheduled doctor visits for the first mate and 4 trips to the chiropractor for the captain.  The crew, including Tara, celebrated with dinner and coffee aboard, complete with our official HD mobile Christmas tree and decorations.

Tomorrow HD (decorated in her Christmas trim) heads to her last scheduled stop of 2011; St. Pete to be with family for Christmas...

With love, in the true Spirit of Christmas...

Blessings to you all!

Thanksgiving... then Florida

Having sold our condo and the need to vacate by 12/21, HD is on a B-line for Florida. However we took an unusual extended stay of two nights to enjoy the treasures of Charleston. Biked, ate well, shopped and met some new friends.

Then on to Beaufort, SC (pronounced "bew fort" not to be confused with its's name sake in NC pronounced "bow fort"), our venue for Thanksgiving and it was wonderful. Not only did the first mate cook up what was agreed to be the best feast all had had, we were blessed with our new friend Steve Craddock joining us to share it with. Menu consisted of a 9 lb bird sized to fit in the oven, sausage stuffing, sweet potato casserole complete with baby marshmallows, green bean casserole (of course)g, gravy and  homemade whole cranberry sauce.  Of course, followed by homemade pumpkin pie.

So the crew, along with our Thanksgiving dinner guest,  A Question of Balance who was "rafted up" beside us for the night, prepared for our first overnight passage into the Atlantic to bypass the rest of SC and all of Georgia. Seems that the Georgian ICW is in need of refurbishing and they don't have the money to do it. 

Up early and anchor up by 7 AM and on to the local marina for water fill up. Sounds easy, however there is a strong current in the Beaufort River, but the crew was able to have a perfect docking. Not to be confused with the undocking. Steve also was filling up and he lent a hand getting off with the current pushing HD towards the dock and forward. Wedged between two large motor cruisers, HD was full throttle to counter the current missed side swiping the one in front by inches. OK enough excitement for the day. But no, the highway bridge which was in site of our debacle was not showing the 65 feet they are supposed to be in the ICW, it was 62'. The current was ebbing (going out) so we drifted on the river waiting for more airspace. Two hours later while the first mate was in the shower, HD drifted right into and speared an ICW marker with its' bow anchor!  The loud bang brought the crew to attention and after 30 minutes of figuring out exactly what happened it was determined that only the sign suffered damage.

Given the law of "threes", that bad things happen in triplets, the crew headed for the bridge confident of successfully passing under it with out issue which is exactly what happened.
Ten miles down the river to the Atlantic Ocean and we were off on our adventure. Luckily we teamed up with two other sailboats making he same run and were in radio contact all night until the next afternoon when we all moored in St Augustine.
The night had no moon and 15-25 knot winds  from the north west which allowed HD to sail all night. Since we were sailing down wind the crew took down the main sail while still light and ran under the reacher at 6 to 8 kts of boat speed. The Captain was on top of the dodger furling the main when the block holding the boom in place parted and took him for a ride to the rails. As he was passing the lifelines, now with half body hanging out over the waves, he was able to catch with the top of his Top-siders and safely return to the deck. Whew! Thank you, God!  HD had a new main sheet system installed while the crew was on holiday and the riggers didn't tighten the shackle holding the new block to the boom and it came undone!  So now the crew is in the Atlantic, with 20kt winds, 6 foot seas and an out of control boom swinging back and forth. Remaining as cool as possible under the circumstances, the crew discussed their options and  rigged a harness from the safety of the cockpit and secured the boom from swinging. The Captain has now checked that all shackles are tightened and have a restraining tie in place.

 

The crew took shifts and sailed through the night at great speeds in large waves that luckily we couldn't see because of the blackness. When dawn came we were in sight of both the entrance to the St. John's River inlet in FLORIDA and the 8 foot waves that kept us company during the night.
Back in the IC, St. Augustine was another 30 miles with favorable current so HD continued south. Five miles on and another "65' foot highway bridge was reading 63.25. Bolstered by successfully negotiating several bridges in the 63 to 64 foot range, HD snugged up to her and tested the height. The first girder looked good  just bending the VHF antenna, so HD proceeded only to snap her anemometer off on the last one. The good news is we now know that 63.5 feet is the minimum clearance and the anemometer gets fixed tomorrow in West Palm Beach where we now sit.

                                         "Wow", says the first mate..."It's good to be home!" 



          Our Florida friends welcomed us!

           

Daughter, Tara, picking her up for their flight tonite to Atlanta to look at Mercer University for her interview for Pharmacy school.

The crew asks all readers  to keep our Grandbaby, Sophia, in your prayers for the next several months as she gets used to her new hip brace...looks REALLY uncomfortable, but preventative measure for proper hip growth. She's a real "trooper" and is already learning to cope with her new get-up!  Prayers for Mom and Dad too! 



And so it goes...

It has been a while...remember last blog when we mentioned our new grandbaby met us at the London airport? Well....we just happen to have a few more pictures of the little darlin' from that reunion-just in case you missed the others...what a proud Gigi!

Left Norfolk on 11/25 a full week after returning from holiday as our European friends would say. Seems that the entire crew caught colds from our stay abroad and didn't feel up to the daily rigors of sailing. Also seems our cockpit enclosure was incomplete and the delay was necessary anyway.  Here's a shot of a Carolina ICW sunset through our side "windows".

The entire cockpit is now enclosed with Strataglass (vinyl windows) and sunbrella like fabric. This keeps wind and waves off the crew while sailing. There are screens to replace the strata glass when the wind is welcomed in to cool the crew; think Bahamas.  HD is seen traveling south with the other snow birds dressed in short sleeves while some are all wintered up in their ski wear.  Sweet!

Here's a shot of what it was like for a few days, even indoors!  Brrrr

The electric furler units for both of the head sails were complete and working very nicely. This was by far the hardest job on board to manually reef the jibs. When the wind was strong it the entire strength of both crew to get them hauled in. Now, one person presses a button mounted on the steering pedestal to unfurl and furl. Did we say this is very nice?  Not to be out done by the delivery of our new latex mattress that was purchased at the Annapolis Boat Show and made while the crew was away. What a difference-the crews getting much more quality rest these days. As you can see, the Captain is very pleased with his new toys.

Started the ICW at mile mark 0 in Norfolk then thru the Dismal Swamp for two days. On to various ports in NC including Elizabeth City with their free town docks, Moorehead City with a restaurant's free dock and 4 or 5 anchorages in between. It was smooth sailing at Mile marker 329 in NC, the first mate at the helm while the Captain napped, when suddenly at 329.5 a sandbar right in the middle of the channel  brought HD to her knees from 6 kts to a dead stop!
The steering wheel implanted itself into the first mate's sternum with surprising force although going so slow!  Needless to say, the Captain woke up and came to the rescue, getting us off the sandbar and back into action-Shallotte Inlet, NC...make a note for next spring!  Lesson learned...a trip to the ER the next day proved no broken bones-good news!  The colors on the ICW this time of year are really beautiful and make it all worthwhile.

At Southport were greeted by friends Joe Hauer and Barbara with true southern hospitality, including a nice four wheel drive jeep to use while we were there!  Thanks, Joe!  We had a beautiful dinner at one  of  Southport's finest restaraunts, with the camera on the table and forgot to get a pic for the blog!  Darn it!  Wonderful visit and happy to see Joe looking so well and happy with Barbara.

Sold the Florida condo while in Southport so now we're officially "homeless". Yeah!  We'll  get rid of the Hyundai and then we'll be officially boat people, with only bikes and a Harley and some stored furniture for when we find a home...somewhere in our travels...who knows??  Anywhere but Terre Haute and here---Poor guy!!!

Our trip south now has an additional deadline of being out of the condo by 12/21. So we plan to arrive in Bonita Springs on 12/13 to pack and move "our stuff" into yet another storage unit in Bonita.
In between, the first mate will accompany Tara to Atlanta to size up Mercer University as a candidate for Tara to earn her Pharmacy doctorate. Here she is busy studying by the pool  in West Palm!!

On December 21 we will leave Bonita Springs behind and sail up to St. Pete to join the family for Christmas. Then off to the Bahamas for a couple of months of rest. Who would have thought that retirement would be so BUSY!

Have a lovely Thanksgiving everyone!  We'll be enjoying turkey day most likely on  Hilton Head Island, SC, cooking a full size turkey in our galley and hopefully inviting some other homeless folks aboard, since we'll be missing family for the first time in a looooonng time!  Love you all and God Bless!  We all have alot to be grateful for, don't we!
Pete and Cindy

Norfolk, London, Amalfi Coast, Paris & Back to Norfolk

Since heading south from the Annapolis boat show a full month ago, here's what HD has been up to:

Visited St. Michael's, Solomons Islands and Tangiers Island for one night each on the way to Deltaville Virginia to meet up with the Ensleins. Couldn't do any of these stops justice so we will put them all on the schedule for the spring. Tangier Is. has been a crabbing and oystering life for the residents for hundreds of years. John Smith, of Pocahontas fame, originally surveyed this along with most of the Chesapeake Bay.

                                            Pete gets the scoop from Mr. Parks, the steely-eyed,
                                            crusty nearly 90-year-old owner of Parks Marina
                                            in Tangiers Island-a very "different" place in VA!

                                           Lots and lots of rain and high tides , flooded out
                                            parts of Tangiers Island

 Don't know how this pic slipped in here, but you can never have too many Cameo's, even if they're just pics!
                                           Having fun with Tyler and Camille in Annapolis!
                                                                                    

Had a spirited sail with Dean & Allison then dinner with them and Jerry and Dorothy on board HD. Good to catch up with old friends.

HD then sailed to Cobbs Marina in Norfolk where she would rest while the crew visited the newest member of the family, Sophia Gabrielle Stuyck, in London.
What a joy to see Chrissy and Jamie with their new treasure!  She's really something special!

 These proud grandparents were present as Sophia joined us for her first high tea at Windsor Castle. (Actually just outside the castle at the tilted house as we had misplaced our invitations).

The crew then was off to the Italy's Amalfi coast; Sorrento, Island of Capri and Positano. All beautiful and great food.

 Visited the Blue Grotto on Capri which was Tiburis, the roman emperor's private swimming hole 2,000 years ago after he was exiled to the Island.

More good food including a 10 course tasting menu at the #1 restaurant in Paris, Le Cinq. The fourth desert was a bit much but the squid ink dipped leeks which accompanied the scallops was a nice touch.

Experienced an overnight train from Napoli to Paris with four new friends in a 6 bed compartment. Sounds bad and it was, however a couple of sleeping pills and morning arrived with us in Paris and a nice hotel in St Germain across the street from Notre Dame. (below)

Fortunately our flight home was through London Heathrow with a three hour layover,so Sophia's mother brought her out for a play date. She had changed already... grew eyelashes, and was much calmer than the week before.

Back in Norfolk the crew was anxious to see HD and her modifications. Not the least of which is the new latex mattress ordered at the boat show which was delivered while we were gone. NICE!

A new bimini and enclosure of the cockpit with both windows and screens to keep the crew out of the rain and bugs. HD had waited for this until the crew had some experience on what to have done and all are glad the way it has turned out.
A pair of electric furlers for the two jibs was installed which eliminates for hardest task on board; hand furling the head sails in a strong wind. After all this is supposed to be fun.
A new water purifier was installed to be able to drink the water out of the tanks rather than lugging cases of bottled water to the boat. Sorry PPD.
Lastly, the folks at Tartan installed the last of the fixes; a new main sheet system that will not tangle and gives some leverage for sail handling.
The crew is anxious to try all these tomorrow on our first sail in a month. Although the bed and water filter already have been nice additions. Who would have thought that sailing would take this much effort?  And this is retirement?? More soon....

Cindy's mom, Sophia arrives and south to Annapolis

On Sunday, October 2, 2011 our newest crew member (and first grandbaby!), Sophia Gabrielle Stuyck, arrived via C section in London. She and her proud parents, Chrissy and Jaime Stuyck,  are all doing well.  Thank you, God!  We were fortunate to be able to hear via telephone the quite assertive wail of Sophia less than  two hours after  birth. The crew is anxiously awaiting our in person introduction in two weeks. The now new "Mum" was already sailing at two weeks old and it is hoped Sophia will take to the water like her Mum. More pictures on the next blog!!
Back to sailing....After quite a thorough cleaning (mostly the ship) HD and crew greeted Mary Span, Cin's Mom, at the White Plains airport and stole her back to HD once again, now docked in Essex, CT. The next two days itinerary was a result of a comment made by Mary in a phone conversation a month prior that she had always wanted to visit Cape Cod. The first mate arranged a land excursion for the two girls to a B & B in Chatham on the Cape, as a surprise early 80th Birthday present for Mom!  The Mom/Daughter trip was a blast...both were surprised that Cape Cod was not a single town, but rather a collection of little villages!  So they "cruised the Cape" by car from Chatham to "Ptown" and stopped for our very first ever HUGE Lobster Roll at a hole in the wall spot on the water near Dennis-AWESOME! 
HD was repositioned to  Guilford, CT for a day sail to Norwalk for the early morning flight for Mary back to St. Pete. Sailing through light fog HD and crew successfully arrived once again to Norwalk Cove Marina (HD had spent a week there in the parking lot back when "Irene" passed through). All enjoyed  Jonathan and family's visit for dinner and the catered food extravaganza he whipped up for us. Frizze' lettuce?  Delish as always.
At 6 the next morning the crew piled into Jonathan's loaner car and deposited Mary back at the White Plains' airport for a thorough scanning.
At noon HD sailed to Manhasset Harbor, home to Port Washington, where the captain had purchased a Rhodes 19 thirty years ago and sailed back to Greenwich, Connecticut with Jonathan and their father as captain.  This was the first of a week of rarely leaving the ship while in transit to Annapolis for the Sailboat show.
One night in Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island and a rendezvous with Greg (who brought mail and boat parts; thanks!) at John's Pizza on Bleeker in the West village.
The next three nights the crew never left the boat while navigating what is called "The North Atlantic" on the charts. Anchored one night each in Shark River, Atlantic City and Cape May, NJ.
Transited the Delaware Bay and the C& D Canal in one day before reaching the Chesapeake.
The seven hour, 50 NM sail down the Bay to Annapolis was in favorable winds and tides resulting in  record sailing performance by HD.
So, here the crew sits; anchored in the South Harbor of Annapolis in view of the biggest sailboat show in North America. Two years ago at this show the crew together picked out the Tartan 4300 as the boat of choice and test sailed one a month later on a return visit to the Chesapeake. Last year after delivery of HD to Michigan, the new sailors procured all the toys at this show.
The goal was to sail to the  show this year on the way south and the crew is blessed and grateful to have been able to do so, with all the gifts we've been given. It has had a profound impact today as we read last week of the passing of Steve Jobs at the early age of 56. Today is a gift we have been given to do with as our free will allows. We pray that we use this day as He would have us.
God bless.