Posted By: grandmaR
Grandma's Old Lighthousing trips - Chesapeake - 08/14/10 07:45 PM
We've traveled down the ICW on our boat (a CSY44) and we've also traveled down the east coast from the Chesapeake on land. In the beginning, I didn't have a digital camera and took most of the photos with a point and shoot film camera. I got a digital in 2000 but didn't really trust it and was afraid to use it if the weather was at all wet.
We bought our boat in 1998, and during 1999 and the summer of 2000, we traveled just in the Chesapeake.
I'm recreating those old trips with an emphasis on lighthouses
August 15th Start of 2000 cruise up the Chesapeake
Slept on the boat to get an early start because we want to get to Oxford by the 17th. Bob rushed me off after I cut the lawn and I left my boat keys. He left the bag of non-perishables (equal, salad dressing etc). Oh well. We ran the a/c refrigeration, and were hooked to shore power all night.
Before I left, I set up Pocketmail to forward from mindspring and aol, and I downloaded messages using my own phone without a problem. At the marina, the ATT phone is always on the edge (extended area), and I can't use it anyway because it is digital. I took my old Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) car phone, and can connect with that. However, even it was having trouble down in Smith Creek at the marina.
Bob said it would be better at night, so I got up about 1 am and sat out on a bench in front of the bathrooms (because dialing the phone is noisy and I can't figure out how to quiet it) and managed to get a complete download. The problem it was having was that there was an indigestible number of long spam messages from somewhere, plus people replying angrily (reply all) to the spam, which also went to everyone on the list. Sent a block filter to pocketmail.
August 16th, 2000
This morning we got fuel (8 gals) to top off the tanks, and a bag of ice. We put up the main and staysail before we were out of Smith Creek, as he is wont to do, but this time it made sense.
Sailed out to the bay in 15 knots. Rounded Pt Lookout and it dropped to 6. The autopilot handles it wonderfully tho and I can look around and even take pictures without being white-knuckle-focused on the wind direction. Also we can both concentrate on swatting flies. He discovered that the wind vane switch was labeled wrong, and it had been turned off all this time.
Bob built a nice box for the computer, but the power outlet that he put in didn't work. Discovered extra screws packed in the socket which made a short. Worked fine after that. With the autopilot on, he can leave me on 'watch' and work on stuff and he doesn't have to yell at me for not paying attention to my steering. I will say, if we'd had an autopilot at the beginning, I never would have learned to steer even as well as I now can.
The Navy was using the target off Pt No Pt (or as a British gent who called the CG called it "Your No Point Point, or Point Pointless or whatever it is"). He wanted to know if his course was OK, but since he was talking to the Balto. CG, they didn't have a clue.
As we passed Point No Point, the wind picked up and we were 'racing' another sailboat. He had a big headsail (unlike our little Yankee jib) and was really heeled over.
I tried to see how far we were heeled by looking over the side to see how much of the bottom paint showed, but couldn't do it - Bob said I would fall in.
As we approached the targets, we called the range boat, and asked if we were OK, and we were. The other boat dropped behind us after the radio exchange Saw a couple of helicopters there - usually we see jets.
Thro binoculars, saw them put 3 men on the Point No Point lighthouse from a little boat maybe 20 feet long. The men looked like dollhouse figures on an out of scale boat - they looked much too big for the boat. They were about 1/2 to 1/3rd as tall as the boat was long. There were four on the bow, and one would leapt for the ladder and then a second one and you could see them attain the platform level, and then after another approach, a third one was on the ladder. The 4th one didn't go. Too far away for pictures unfortunately.
When we got to Cedar Pt. the wind changed. Note to self: Avoid Cedar Pt. The wind either drops to nothing, shifts 180 deg or increases drastically, or all of the above. When you listen to NOAA weather (or look at the Weather Channel), Cedar Pt is often opposite everyone else. I used to think maybe they read the vane wrong, but no - it really is different right there.
Wind picked up to 20 knots on the nose gusting to 28, and it got very noisy (Bob has the solar panels rigged to run fans in the cabin if the batteries are full, and they were, so we had the wind vane going crazy and the fans in the cabin whirring their little blades off.) Furled the sails and motored. Went past Little Cove Point and anchored inside (south) of Cove Pt. close to shore.
Discovered why no one anchors here. Very rolly - up to 20 deg roll (15 deg one way and 5 deg the other) from the wakes of passing barges and freighters. However it got quieter and we were well protected from the North wind.
Total time underway 8 hours. Total engine use time 3.5 hours
Leaving anchorage August 17th
Something banged about 7 and woke me - it was Bob. Had a nice shower, and Bob cooked bacon and eggs. He said the turkey bacon doesn't have enough fat to cook on the stove - only good in the microwave. Called our son Rob (today is his day off) to tell him where we were and that we wouldn't be home, and then put the phone on charge. Cleaned up the boat, pulled the anchor and got underway about 9.
Wind from the north as predicted about 12-13 knots. Sailed a bit after we got well north of the lighthouse, but soon the wind was on the nose so we pulled the sails in an motored. Successfully uploaded and downloaded mail. At noon we were 3 miles off the Lower Choptank after about 10 miles travel, mostly by motor.
Got to the Choptank about 1. Bob fixed the plastic piece in the headsail furler, and we had fried chicken for lunch. Were at Benoni Point at 3:30.
We were meeting another CSY owner (Ernie) in Oxford. Just before we got there, a motor boat buzzed us and we stopped - turned out to be a former CSY owner that I'd corresponded with by e-mail.
We also saw a CSY anchored off the town south of Town Creek and north of the ferry dock. We don't have a hailer, so we yelled and Bob blasted with the air horn. Talked to the owner for a bit. Then heard Ernie on the radio as he was coming out of Cambridge. Tried to find the place he usually anchors in Town Creek, but there were 2 boats there already.
Went back out near the ferry dock and anchored. It took Bob two tries to get the anchor set. From anchor to anchor was 29.3 miles in a little less than 7 hours.
Ernie came and rafted with us on our anchor (50 lb Max anchor with 125 feet of 5/16ths chain). Ernie called the restaurant he was going to take us to (Latitude 38) and then we each took our own dink and tied to the other side of the ferry dock. The restaurant sent someone to pick us up and take us to dinner.
This is a very fancy restaurant with fancy dishes and fancy prices. I took part of my steak home with me Alice had quail, and Bob had a scallops. Afterwards, we went back to our boats and had a nice chat.
Friday August 18th
Bob shut the windmill off last night because he was afraid it would wake Ernie and Alice. I got up about 6:15 and put the side curtains on the bimini down because it was raining and we shut some hatches.
Ernie came over to our boat, and then I went over to his to show him how to use electronic charting software, but it is different from mine. I think he got cold feet and decided to figure it out himself after I said that I found out how to do it myself by "keep on trying until it either worked or broke".
Leaving Oxford
Bob was concerned that we were dragging, because we had 2 heavy boats on one anchor. I thought that "Another Day" a motor boat that was anchored near us was dragging. We were in the same relation to the little orange and white buoy near the ferry dock that we had been. Bob and Ernie said he couldn't be dragging toward his anchor. Bob took in 50 feet of chain.
Eventually the guy on Another Day came out and looked at his anchor, but he didn't do anything about it. Bob and Ernie eventually admitted that I was right and he was dragging, but since we wanted to get to the South River that afternoon, and Another Day was getting too close for comfort, we unrafted about 9:50 and Ernie sped off. The anchor was up by 10:15.
Ernie called on the radio to tell us that they had dredged Knapps Narrows and it was 10-12 feet on the Bay side. Since he draws 6'6" (18" more than we do), and he could do it, I'm sure we could too.
We bought our boat in 1998, and during 1999 and the summer of 2000, we traveled just in the Chesapeake.
I'm recreating those old trips with an emphasis on lighthouses
August 15th Start of 2000 cruise up the Chesapeake
Slept on the boat to get an early start because we want to get to Oxford by the 17th. Bob rushed me off after I cut the lawn and I left my boat keys. He left the bag of non-perishables (equal, salad dressing etc). Oh well. We ran the a/c refrigeration, and were hooked to shore power all night.
Before I left, I set up Pocketmail to forward from mindspring and aol, and I downloaded messages using my own phone without a problem. At the marina, the ATT phone is always on the edge (extended area), and I can't use it anyway because it is digital. I took my old Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) car phone, and can connect with that. However, even it was having trouble down in Smith Creek at the marina.
Bob said it would be better at night, so I got up about 1 am and sat out on a bench in front of the bathrooms (because dialing the phone is noisy and I can't figure out how to quiet it) and managed to get a complete download. The problem it was having was that there was an indigestible number of long spam messages from somewhere, plus people replying angrily (reply all) to the spam, which also went to everyone on the list. Sent a block filter to pocketmail.
August 16th, 2000
This morning we got fuel (8 gals) to top off the tanks, and a bag of ice. We put up the main and staysail before we were out of Smith Creek, as he is wont to do, but this time it made sense.
Sailed out to the bay in 15 knots. Rounded Pt Lookout and it dropped to 6. The autopilot handles it wonderfully tho and I can look around and even take pictures without being white-knuckle-focused on the wind direction. Also we can both concentrate on swatting flies. He discovered that the wind vane switch was labeled wrong, and it had been turned off all this time.
Bob built a nice box for the computer, but the power outlet that he put in didn't work. Discovered extra screws packed in the socket which made a short. Worked fine after that. With the autopilot on, he can leave me on 'watch' and work on stuff and he doesn't have to yell at me for not paying attention to my steering. I will say, if we'd had an autopilot at the beginning, I never would have learned to steer even as well as I now can.
The Navy was using the target off Pt No Pt (or as a British gent who called the CG called it "Your No Point Point, or Point Pointless or whatever it is"). He wanted to know if his course was OK, but since he was talking to the Balto. CG, they didn't have a clue.
As we passed Point No Point, the wind picked up and we were 'racing' another sailboat. He had a big headsail (unlike our little Yankee jib) and was really heeled over.
I tried to see how far we were heeled by looking over the side to see how much of the bottom paint showed, but couldn't do it - Bob said I would fall in.
As we approached the targets, we called the range boat, and asked if we were OK, and we were. The other boat dropped behind us after the radio exchange Saw a couple of helicopters there - usually we see jets.
Thro binoculars, saw them put 3 men on the Point No Point lighthouse from a little boat maybe 20 feet long. The men looked like dollhouse figures on an out of scale boat - they looked much too big for the boat. They were about 1/2 to 1/3rd as tall as the boat was long. There were four on the bow, and one would leapt for the ladder and then a second one and you could see them attain the platform level, and then after another approach, a third one was on the ladder. The 4th one didn't go. Too far away for pictures unfortunately.
When we got to Cedar Pt. the wind changed. Note to self: Avoid Cedar Pt. The wind either drops to nothing, shifts 180 deg or increases drastically, or all of the above. When you listen to NOAA weather (or look at the Weather Channel), Cedar Pt is often opposite everyone else. I used to think maybe they read the vane wrong, but no - it really is different right there.
Wind picked up to 20 knots on the nose gusting to 28, and it got very noisy (Bob has the solar panels rigged to run fans in the cabin if the batteries are full, and they were, so we had the wind vane going crazy and the fans in the cabin whirring their little blades off.) Furled the sails and motored. Went past Little Cove Point and anchored inside (south) of Cove Pt. close to shore.
Discovered why no one anchors here. Very rolly - up to 20 deg roll (15 deg one way and 5 deg the other) from the wakes of passing barges and freighters. However it got quieter and we were well protected from the North wind.
Total time underway 8 hours. Total engine use time 3.5 hours
Leaving anchorage August 17th
Something banged about 7 and woke me - it was Bob. Had a nice shower, and Bob cooked bacon and eggs. He said the turkey bacon doesn't have enough fat to cook on the stove - only good in the microwave. Called our son Rob (today is his day off) to tell him where we were and that we wouldn't be home, and then put the phone on charge. Cleaned up the boat, pulled the anchor and got underway about 9.
Wind from the north as predicted about 12-13 knots. Sailed a bit after we got well north of the lighthouse, but soon the wind was on the nose so we pulled the sails in an motored. Successfully uploaded and downloaded mail. At noon we were 3 miles off the Lower Choptank after about 10 miles travel, mostly by motor.
Got to the Choptank about 1. Bob fixed the plastic piece in the headsail furler, and we had fried chicken for lunch. Were at Benoni Point at 3:30.
We were meeting another CSY owner (Ernie) in Oxford. Just before we got there, a motor boat buzzed us and we stopped - turned out to be a former CSY owner that I'd corresponded with by e-mail.
We also saw a CSY anchored off the town south of Town Creek and north of the ferry dock. We don't have a hailer, so we yelled and Bob blasted with the air horn. Talked to the owner for a bit. Then heard Ernie on the radio as he was coming out of Cambridge. Tried to find the place he usually anchors in Town Creek, but there were 2 boats there already.
Went back out near the ferry dock and anchored. It took Bob two tries to get the anchor set. From anchor to anchor was 29.3 miles in a little less than 7 hours.
Ernie came and rafted with us on our anchor (50 lb Max anchor with 125 feet of 5/16ths chain). Ernie called the restaurant he was going to take us to (Latitude 38) and then we each took our own dink and tied to the other side of the ferry dock. The restaurant sent someone to pick us up and take us to dinner.
This is a very fancy restaurant with fancy dishes and fancy prices. I took part of my steak home with me Alice had quail, and Bob had a scallops. Afterwards, we went back to our boats and had a nice chat.
Friday August 18th
Bob shut the windmill off last night because he was afraid it would wake Ernie and Alice. I got up about 6:15 and put the side curtains on the bimini down because it was raining and we shut some hatches.
Ernie came over to our boat, and then I went over to his to show him how to use electronic charting software, but it is different from mine. I think he got cold feet and decided to figure it out himself after I said that I found out how to do it myself by "keep on trying until it either worked or broke".
Leaving Oxford
Bob was concerned that we were dragging, because we had 2 heavy boats on one anchor. I thought that "Another Day" a motor boat that was anchored near us was dragging. We were in the same relation to the little orange and white buoy near the ferry dock that we had been. Bob and Ernie said he couldn't be dragging toward his anchor. Bob took in 50 feet of chain.
Eventually the guy on Another Day came out and looked at his anchor, but he didn't do anything about it. Bob and Ernie eventually admitted that I was right and he was dragging, but since we wanted to get to the South River that afternoon, and Another Day was getting too close for comfort, we unrafted about 9:50 and Ernie sped off. The anchor was up by 10:15.
Ernie called on the radio to tell us that they had dredged Knapps Narrows and it was 10-12 feet on the Bay side. Since he draws 6'6" (18" more than we do), and he could do it, I'm sure we could too.