In any case, here is the float plan. I’ve got a pdf file as well.
Gotta run. Still lots of work to do…
Sailing to Martha’s Vineyard: Float Plan
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Category Archives: Cruising
Preppin’ for the Vineyard
In the extremely short time of one week from today, I will, in theory, be setting off on a trip to Martha’s Vineyard. The route will take me from Middle River on the Chesapeake, up through the C&D canal, down the Delaware River and Delaware Bay, through the the Cape May canal to Cape May, and finally direct offshore from Cape May, NJ to Martha’s Vineyard. Theoretically. If I can get everything together in time. Fingers crossed.
The issue is that Godot (my Seafarer 24) is in need of some work. I’ve been feverishly working on getting my projects done in my frustratingly limited amount of free time. I’m getting close. LED nav lights are installed. My bow pulpit has been repaired. My mainsail is ready to be picked up. My replacement cockpit seat hatches are half built, and will hopefully be finished in a few easy evenings of work. My new anchor roller with my new Claw anchor is installed. My replacement fore-hatch is in need of paint; but otherwise pretty much ready to be bolted on. My replacement hatch-boards are done well enough. The projects should pretty much all be adequately ready to go by next Friday, mostly just needing paint to be finished. I can wait on the paint until I get back, I think.
Unfortunately, I still have one MAJOR problem. The stupid outboard motor won’t start. I hate motors. Hate them. But they are a necessary evil for getting in/out of marinas, and through various harbor entrances. I suppose I might be able to deal without having a motor for those times, although as a single hander now-a-days, it does make things rather tricky. But the one thing I absolutely can not do without a motor is transit the C&D canal. It simply isn’t permitted. To go around Delmarva the long way is simply not practical with the amount of vacation time I have. The motor is make or break.
I’m working Saturday; but I have Sunday and Monday off. Sunday is motor day. Here’s hoping I can figure out what the stupid beast is up to.
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Chesapeake Sailing, Sept 2011
I just made it back from a nice little hike out on a nice little trail in Atlanta. Gotta get my training in where I can, after all. In any case, I was on the trail so naturally I was thinking about…sailing. Funny the way the mind works. It did occur to me that I never wrote up my two week little cruise from last September. Well, it’s too late now for any hope of an accurate write up; but I can throw some pictures up from the trip. The whole album is here, including a lot of so so photos, a bunch of which are geotagged if you are interested in checking them out on a map. The chronological order seemed to get screwed up. Below is a nice little selection…
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My homebuilt Apple Pie Dinghy tows well |
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Penny The Cat Enjoying the evening after a long day’s sail |
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Tied up in Annapolis |
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Penny The Cat trying to find anyplace she can to grab a nap |
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The dinghy tows well |
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Debris from Hurricane Irene |
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Sailing Wing and Wing with my boat hook rigged up as a |
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The Oxford Inn’s Pope’s Mobile |
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Anchored in Spa Creek Annapolis |
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Nicole keeping fit by hula hooping on a Bristol 27. Travis |
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Ego Alley early morning |
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The bridge I had to negotiate to get to my anchorage on |
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You try telling a cat to not be wandering the deck while |
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There was a fair amount of shipping |
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Ashley aboard the Flicka “Sweet Pea” |
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Flicka “Sweet Pea” |
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At anchor in Dunn Cove |
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Oxford |
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Georgetown, Bahamas to Annapolis
It’s official. I’m going sailing! I received an invite a few days ago to crew on a sailboat returning from the Bahamas to Annapolis in late December/January. This is an opportunity that just can NOT be turned down. Didn’t I say I was going to take opportunities and do things for me? I did. And I am.
The airline ticket is purchased, and I will be heading down on December 28th. The pain of being economical is that it will be a long day. Four flights. Happily, only one long layover (5hrs, 15mins). Still, I will need to be at the airport at four AM. This is after getting home from work around one or two AM. I think I’ll skip the nap as I might not wake up! I’ll be arriving in George Town (GGT) at 5:20pm, and hoping, seriously, that the boat will be there to meet me (I’m getting tired just thinking of the flight). No complaints, though. The pain of getting there is a small price to pay.
I guess I’m going to have a day or two in the Bahamas to get myself sorted out and maybe do the tourist thing a bit. Then, it is out to sea! The Skipper (Dave) expects it to be five to seven days of offshore sailing to get to Norfolk, VA, followed I guess by a day or two up the Chesapeake to get to Annapolis (I’m not sure how hard he is planning on pushing). I’ve taken off December 28th through January 15th just in case. Hopefully I won’t use all that vacation time; but if I do I can think of worse ways to spend it.
In any case, this trip will present a couple of challenges I suppose:
First, it is going to be my first long offshore sail. I’ve been out of sight of land once or twice; but not very far out of sight, and not for very long. The ocean behaves different out there, I’m told. Even though I usually don’t get seasick, I’m thinking that maybe I should take some Dramamine (or whatever the newest miracle sea sickness drug is) just in case. I hope there are some clear skies, as I’m really looking forward to star gazing far from the glow of city lights.
Second, it is going to be in January. If you haven’t checked a calendar lately I suppose you might not realize that January is winter. Winter equals cold. Well, maybe not in the Bahamas; but certainly as we get further north it will tend to get colder and colder. And while many think of Maryland as being “The South”, I’d like to point out that it isn’t the deep south, and it does get cold here. It snows, even. Brrrrrrr.
Still, I can’t wait. The countdown clock is ticking!!
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