Roy wanted to go for a bike ride today, so he took his bike over to Manhattan on the ferry and rode all the way up to 181st Street. He picked a dandy day to go for a ride; the worst thunderstorm of the season hit around one o'clock. Rain came down in a deluge, the wind blew about 55 MPH, lightning flashed, and thunder boomed. Roy ducked into a Burger King and stayed there a couple of hours.
I had gone to the shopping mall in the morning and bought a few things. When I got back, I took a shower and washed my hair. I'd just gotten back to the boat and started eating lunch when the storm hit. Was I lucky! I'd already closed the hatches and some of the portholes, so it didn't take long to shut everything up tight.
While the storm raged, I plotted two possible courses to Fairhaven, one inside the Sound and one out. Wrote down the waypoints to enter into the GPS, but by then the rain had quit, so I did the laundry. When that was done and the clothes put away, I entered the waypoints and the routes. Had just finished all that when Roy returned.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
June 28, 1994 - New York
Pleasantly cool today. Or perhaps I should say pleasantly warm. Anyway, it was comfortable.
Went over to Madison Square Garden and stood in line for tickets for the Behind-the-Scenes Tour, but it turned out they weren't having any tours today, because Barbra Streisand is appearing.
We rode the subway up to 168th Street, where Roy lived as a boy, and walked around the neighborhood, but he didn't recognize much. He couldn't remember the addresses of the apartment houses where he lived, but he thought he recognized the buildings. All the streetcars are gone, which makes the streets look very different. It's a predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhood now.
We ate lunch at a crowded, noisy McDonald's. (Manhattan seems to have a McDonald's on nearly every corner.) Then we rode the bus a few blocks to where I used to live. There it was--605 West 137th Street, looking almost exactly the way it did when I was six years old. I was very pleased to see that the building was still in such good condition; I had been afraid it would be a rundown dump by now. The elevator attendant is gone, but the old elevator is still there. I even recognized the old tile floor!
We strolled down to Riverside Drive, where Daddy used to take me for walks. Actually, I rode my tricycle and he walked. They've put in a lot of fill, so the Hudson is much farther from the Drive now. They've even built a nice park and playground on the roof of a large building overlooking the river.
Saw an ad for a newspaper that proclaimed, "Truth, Justice, and the Comics."
We took the subway to the United Nations Plaza and went on the guided tour. We even went in the General Assembly room, but the assembly wasn't in session.
For several years, I've been wondering what happened to my former sister-in-law, Billie Jean Tulchin. The last Christmas card I sent her was returned, marked "Moved--No Forwarding Address". The lower level of the UN building had public telephones and, more importantly, telephone directories. Most public phones no longer have directories. Several Tulchins were listed, so I phoned one at random and by luck got Billie's daughter, Jamie (212)490-5717. She seemed pleased to hear from me, even though there hadn't been any contact between us for twenty years or more. She told me Billie died six years ago and Jessie Rae died two years ago. Jessie's daughter, Becky, is a computer consultant in San Diego and is about to get married, which is good news, because when Jessie was alive, she wouldn't let Becky marry or even date. Jamie runs a talent agency. Her sister Beth now calls herself Ava and has her own television production company. Ava no longer plays the harp professionally. Their father, Hal Tulchin, is still working as a TV producer. It was interesting finding out about that branch of the family. Jamie gave me Ava's phone number, but I didn't get around to calling her.
We still had a few hours of daylight left, so we decided to ride the Staten Island Ferry. Neither of us had been on it before. The ride cost a nickel when we were kids. We were amazed to discover it's now only fifty cents round trip! The ride took about half an hour. Had a great view of the harbor. When we got to Staten Island, we decided to go for a bus ride. Rode for twenty miles or more, all the way to the southern tip of the island. We were way out in the country, with dense woods around us. Sure didn't look like New York City. We got off the bus at the end of the line in the little village of Tottenville. Bought ice cream bars so we'd have change for the ride back. Buses in New York City don't accept dollar bills, which is strange. We rode a different bus back, so we could see some different scenery. It was dark by the time we got to the ferry terminal and nearly eleven when we finally reached the boat.
Went over to Madison Square Garden and stood in line for tickets for the Behind-the-Scenes Tour, but it turned out they weren't having any tours today, because Barbra Streisand is appearing.
We rode the subway up to 168th Street, where Roy lived as a boy, and walked around the neighborhood, but he didn't recognize much. He couldn't remember the addresses of the apartment houses where he lived, but he thought he recognized the buildings. All the streetcars are gone, which makes the streets look very different. It's a predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhood now.
We ate lunch at a crowded, noisy McDonald's. (Manhattan seems to have a McDonald's on nearly every corner.) Then we rode the bus a few blocks to where I used to live. There it was--605 West 137th Street, looking almost exactly the way it did when I was six years old. I was very pleased to see that the building was still in such good condition; I had been afraid it would be a rundown dump by now. The elevator attendant is gone, but the old elevator is still there. I even recognized the old tile floor!
We strolled down to Riverside Drive, where Daddy used to take me for walks. Actually, I rode my tricycle and he walked. They've put in a lot of fill, so the Hudson is much farther from the Drive now. They've even built a nice park and playground on the roof of a large building overlooking the river.
Saw an ad for a newspaper that proclaimed, "Truth, Justice, and the Comics."
We took the subway to the United Nations Plaza and went on the guided tour. We even went in the General Assembly room, but the assembly wasn't in session.
For several years, I've been wondering what happened to my former sister-in-law, Billie Jean Tulchin. The last Christmas card I sent her was returned, marked "Moved--No Forwarding Address". The lower level of the UN building had public telephones and, more importantly, telephone directories. Most public phones no longer have directories. Several Tulchins were listed, so I phoned one at random and by luck got Billie's daughter, Jamie (212)490-5717. She seemed pleased to hear from me, even though there hadn't been any contact between us for twenty years or more. She told me Billie died six years ago and Jessie Rae died two years ago. Jessie's daughter, Becky, is a computer consultant in San Diego and is about to get married, which is good news, because when Jessie was alive, she wouldn't let Becky marry or even date. Jamie runs a talent agency. Her sister Beth now calls herself Ava and has her own television production company. Ava no longer plays the harp professionally. Their father, Hal Tulchin, is still working as a TV producer. It was interesting finding out about that branch of the family. Jamie gave me Ava's phone number, but I didn't get around to calling her.
We still had a few hours of daylight left, so we decided to ride the Staten Island Ferry. Neither of us had been on it before. The ride cost a nickel when we were kids. We were amazed to discover it's now only fifty cents round trip! The ride took about half an hour. Had a great view of the harbor. When we got to Staten Island, we decided to go for a bus ride. Rode for twenty miles or more, all the way to the southern tip of the island. We were way out in the country, with dense woods around us. Sure didn't look like New York City. We got off the bus at the end of the line in the little village of Tottenville. Bought ice cream bars so we'd have change for the ride back. Buses in New York City don't accept dollar bills, which is strange. We rode a different bus back, so we could see some different scenery. It was dark by the time we got to the ferry terminal and nearly eleven when we finally reached the boat.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 27, 1994 - New York
The box of charts arrived! The way we found out about it was rather odd. We had gone over to Manhattan and were walking along 34th Street, trying to find the marine supply store we went to last year. We saw a camera shop and went in to buy a roll of film. Roy, as usual, asked about a wide-angle lens for his camera. He's been trying for years to find one at a decent price. To his amazement, this store had one for only $49! He wanted to be sure it would fit his camera, so he went back to the marina to get his camera. When he got there, the dockmaster told him a box had arrived for him. If Roy hadn't gone back for his camera, we wouldn't have known about the box until tomorrow morning. It was certainly nice of Steve to mail it so promptly. Now we have all the charts we need for heading north.
We returned to Manhattan, ate lunch at McDonald's, and visited the Intrepid Air-Sea-Space Museum. Went on a guided tour of a submarine and the lightship Nantucket. While we were visiting the flagship Edson, a thunderstorm hit. Lucky we were inside. The rain poured for several minutes but soon passed by. Then we went over to the huge aircraft carrier Intrepid and spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around it.
We returned to Manhattan, ate lunch at McDonald's, and visited the Intrepid Air-Sea-Space Museum. Went on a guided tour of a submarine and the lightship Nantucket. While we were visiting the flagship Edson, a thunderstorm hit. Lucky we were inside. The rain poured for several minutes but soon passed by. Then we went over to the huge aircraft carrier Intrepid and spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around it.
Sunday, June 26, 1994 - New York
Lovely, clear, sunny day. Delightful breeze. Perfect temperature. We took the subway to the World Trade Center. Walked two blocks to the Hudson River and strolled along the Esplanade. This entire area is new. It's made of fill from the excavation for the World Trade Center a few years ago. They've made a lovely park for several blocks along the river. There are places that are still under development, but we were able to follow the river almost all the way to the Battery.
The Battery is the extreme southern tip of Manhattan Island. A fort was built here in 1812. Actually, the fort was way out in the water when it was built, but excavation fill soon made it part of the land. When it was no longer needed as a fort, it became a lavish entertainment center and later an immigrant processing station until 1890, when it was superseded by Ellis Island. When Roy and I were children, the circular brick building was being used as an aquarium. We both remember going there. My Great Uncle Jim sometimes took me to the aquarium when I was 4 or 5 years old. I still remember being fascinated by the colorful fish. He always bought me a nickel bag of peanuts and gave me a penny for the organ-grinder's monkey. I loved watching the monkey and feeling his little hand snatch the penny out of my hand. Then he'd tip his hat to say thank you. It's a shame there are no more organ grinders and their monkeys around to entertain the children.
The fish have long since been moved to new quarters, but the round, roofless, circular structure still stands as an historical monument. Now it houses an exhibit, a bookstore, and the ticket booth for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. To our surprise, the ticket was only $5 for both places. The ferry takes you first to the Statue of Liberty, where you can stay as long as you like. Then another ferry takes you to Ellis Island, and when you're through there, a third ferry takes you back to the Battery. There is no additional charge; $5 does it all!
There were hundreds and hundreds of people standing in line for the eleven o'clock ferry. We didn't think we had a chance of getting on, but we not only got on, we got good seats and hundreds more got on after us!
The Statue of Liberty was somewhat disappointing, because there was a three-hour wait to get inside, and we didn't want to wait that long, so we just wandered around outside. I don't remember a wait like that twelve years ago, when Barbra and I where there; it seems to me we just went in without any wait.
Roy and I ate lunch outdoors, overlooking New York Harbor and Verrazano Narrows. This time when he cut a Milky Way in half, he gave me an entire half! We walked back to check the line again, but it was just as long, so we took the ferry to Ellis Island.
I was amazed at the changes since the last time I was there. They have done an excellent job of restoring it. Before, it was all dirty and rundown and falling apart. The building is really nice now and has lots of exhibits. We spent the entire afternoon looking at them. Also saw an interesting movie on the early days of Ellis Island, when so many millions from Europe were processed there on their way to a new life in the United States.
We were on the very last boat to leave the island. Bought a few groceries on the way back and reached the marina around eight. Roy made a few more unsuccessful attempts to phone his son Steve. We can't go farther north until we get our other carton of charts.
The Battery is the extreme southern tip of Manhattan Island. A fort was built here in 1812. Actually, the fort was way out in the water when it was built, but excavation fill soon made it part of the land. When it was no longer needed as a fort, it became a lavish entertainment center and later an immigrant processing station until 1890, when it was superseded by Ellis Island. When Roy and I were children, the circular brick building was being used as an aquarium. We both remember going there. My Great Uncle Jim sometimes took me to the aquarium when I was 4 or 5 years old. I still remember being fascinated by the colorful fish. He always bought me a nickel bag of peanuts and gave me a penny for the organ-grinder's monkey. I loved watching the monkey and feeling his little hand snatch the penny out of my hand. Then he'd tip his hat to say thank you. It's a shame there are no more organ grinders and their monkeys around to entertain the children.
The fish have long since been moved to new quarters, but the round, roofless, circular structure still stands as an historical monument. Now it houses an exhibit, a bookstore, and the ticket booth for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. To our surprise, the ticket was only $5 for both places. The ferry takes you first to the Statue of Liberty, where you can stay as long as you like. Then another ferry takes you to Ellis Island, and when you're through there, a third ferry takes you back to the Battery. There is no additional charge; $5 does it all!
There were hundreds and hundreds of people standing in line for the eleven o'clock ferry. We didn't think we had a chance of getting on, but we not only got on, we got good seats and hundreds more got on after us!
The Statue of Liberty was somewhat disappointing, because there was a three-hour wait to get inside, and we didn't want to wait that long, so we just wandered around outside. I don't remember a wait like that twelve years ago, when Barbra and I where there; it seems to me we just went in without any wait.
Roy and I ate lunch outdoors, overlooking New York Harbor and Verrazano Narrows. This time when he cut a Milky Way in half, he gave me an entire half! We walked back to check the line again, but it was just as long, so we took the ferry to Ellis Island.
I was amazed at the changes since the last time I was there. They have done an excellent job of restoring it. Before, it was all dirty and rundown and falling apart. The building is really nice now and has lots of exhibits. We spent the entire afternoon looking at them. Also saw an interesting movie on the early days of Ellis Island, when so many millions from Europe were processed there on their way to a new life in the United States.
We were on the very last boat to leave the island. Bought a few groceries on the way back and reached the marina around eight. Roy made a few more unsuccessful attempts to phone his son Steve. We can't go farther north until we get our other carton of charts.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 1994 - New York
Today we went to the Museum of Natural History. What an incredible place! We only saw a tiny fraction of it, yet we saw exhibit after exhibit, all of them fascinating. We could easily spend the entire week in this one museum. The exhibits are so lifelike, it's astonishing. We looked at Birds of the Pacific, North American Mammals, Eskimos, and Human Evolution. Went on a very interesting guided tour about insects. Saw the Naturemax movie, "To the Limit". There were breathtaking shots of an expert skier zooming down a mountain at 60 MPH and of a mountain climber on Half Dome. There were also amazing scenes of the inside of the human body, especially the circulatory system and the respiratory system.
We ate lunch downstairs in the Diner Saurus. It was expensive and not very good. After we'd eaten, Roy pulled a Milky Way out of his backpack and cut it in half. I was delighted, thinking he was going to give me half for dessert. All of a sudden, the half I thought he was going to give me disappeared back into his pack. I was thunder-
struck. Immobile, I stared speechlessly at the spot where the candy had been. Roy thought I'd had a stroke! Then I started laughing. I laughed so hard, I almost couldn't stop. It turned out he was saving that half for later in the afternoon. He divided the half that was still on the table between him and me.
We ate lunch downstairs in the Diner Saurus. It was expensive and not very good. After we'd eaten, Roy pulled a Milky Way out of his backpack and cut it in half. I was delighted, thinking he was going to give me half for dessert. All of a sudden, the half I thought he was going to give me disappeared back into his pack. I was thunder-
struck. Immobile, I stared speechlessly at the spot where the candy had been. Roy thought I'd had a stroke! Then I started laughing. I laughed so hard, I almost couldn't stop. It turned out he was saving that half for later in the afternoon. He divided the half that was still on the table between him and me.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Friday, June 24, 1994 - New York
Our first fun day in New York City! The subway to Manhattan is just half a block from the marina, so it didn't take us long to get to the World Trade Center. We crossed the street to St. Paul's Chapel, which is the only Colonial building remaining in Manhattan and also the oldest continually used building. George Washington had a pew there when New York City was the capital of the United States.
We walked a few blocks to the South Street Seaport Museum, which consists of a number of old buildings and ships. Roy especially wanted to visit the four-masted bark, which resembles the model his father made. This ship was built in Germany in 1911. It's 370 feet long and 29 feet wide. For nearly twenty years, it sailed between Germany and Chile, carrying manufactured products to Chile and bringing back nitrate for fertilizers. In 1931, it was sold to England, where it was used as a training school. The museum bought it in 1975, restored it to nearly its original condition, and is now maintaining it. We spent a couple of hours visiting it and then went on a "private" tour of the historic district. (We were the only ones who showed up.) Many of the buildings date from the early 1800's. Ate a quick lunch at a 20th century Wendy's. Then we returned to the bark to watch an amazing movie that was shot in 1929, showing the ship rounding the Horn. The waves were washing over the decks and the wind was blowing 100 knots. The photographer had lashed himself to the main mast to take the pictures. It's amazing that any ship and any humans could survive such a pounding.
Went on another "private" tour, this one of the lightship Ambrose and also of the bark "Peking". Watched a couple of jugglers and then strolled over to the Brooklyn Bridge, which was just a few blocks away. A pedestrian/bicycle lane goes across it, above the vehicle traffic, so we walked to the center and back. The Brooklyn Bridge was an amazing engineering feat for its time. It was built between 1869 and 1883. Many people died or were injured during its construction, including the original engineer and his son. The cables consist of 19 strands of 268 wires. There are 14,000 miles of cables supporting the roadway and two gigantic stone towers. We sailed under it last summer and again last winter. Now we've walked on top of it.
After some confusion as to which train to take, we finally made our way back to the boat, just ahead of the rain that had been threatening all day.
We walked a few blocks to the South Street Seaport Museum, which consists of a number of old buildings and ships. Roy especially wanted to visit the four-masted bark, which resembles the model his father made. This ship was built in Germany in 1911. It's 370 feet long and 29 feet wide. For nearly twenty years, it sailed between Germany and Chile, carrying manufactured products to Chile and bringing back nitrate for fertilizers. In 1931, it was sold to England, where it was used as a training school. The museum bought it in 1975, restored it to nearly its original condition, and is now maintaining it. We spent a couple of hours visiting it and then went on a "private" tour of the historic district. (We were the only ones who showed up.) Many of the buildings date from the early 1800's. Ate a quick lunch at a 20th century Wendy's. Then we returned to the bark to watch an amazing movie that was shot in 1929, showing the ship rounding the Horn. The waves were washing over the decks and the wind was blowing 100 knots. The photographer had lashed himself to the main mast to take the pictures. It's amazing that any ship and any humans could survive such a pounding.
Went on another "private" tour, this one of the lightship Ambrose and also of the bark "Peking". Watched a couple of jugglers and then strolled over to the Brooklyn Bridge, which was just a few blocks away. A pedestrian/bicycle lane goes across it, above the vehicle traffic, so we walked to the center and back. The Brooklyn Bridge was an amazing engineering feat for its time. It was built between 1869 and 1883. Many people died or were injured during its construction, including the original engineer and his son. The cables consist of 19 strands of 268 wires. There are 14,000 miles of cables supporting the roadway and two gigantic stone towers. We sailed under it last summer and again last winter. Now we've walked on top of it.
After some confusion as to which train to take, we finally made our way back to the boat, just ahead of the rain that had been threatening all day.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 1994 - New York
Paddled over to Newport Marina. What a difference from Liberty Harbor! It's a dollar a foot more on a weekly basis, but it's well worth the extra $39. This is a first-class marina in a good neighbor-
hood. The subway to Manhattan is next door, and there's a big shopping plaza across the street. We arranged to bring the boat in this afternoon. Then we spent the rest of the morning paddling. Paddled around Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
At one o'clock, we brought the boat to Newport Marina. The dockmaster helped us tie up, which made it very easy. After we were settled, we ate lunch and then took refreshing showers.
Walked around the neighborhood. There are all kinds of stores nearby. Bought a few groceries and then went to Sears and bought some water filters. After supper, we strolled around some more in the cool of evening. Tomorrow, we'll go to Manhattan.
hood. The subway to Manhattan is next door, and there's a big shopping plaza across the street. We arranged to bring the boat in this afternoon. Then we spent the rest of the morning paddling. Paddled around Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
At one o'clock, we brought the boat to Newport Marina. The dockmaster helped us tie up, which made it very easy. After we were settled, we ate lunch and then took refreshing showers.
Walked around the neighborhood. There are all kinds of stores nearby. Bought a few groceries and then went to Sears and bought some water filters. After supper, we strolled around some more in the cool of evening. Tomorrow, we'll go to Manhattan.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 1994 - New York
We were afraid we'd have a problem getting away, because the wind was blowing us towards other boats. Fortunately, the current was going in the opposite direction, so it offset the wind, and we got out fairly easily.
What a glorious day! Clear, sunny, good breeze. We were able to sail most of the morning with main, headsail, and staysail. It felt so good, slicing through the water. But around noon, the wind died and shifted, so we had to use the engine.
Entered New York's vast harbor around three. We were planning on going to Liberty Harbor Marina. We'd read about it last time we were here, but hadn't gone there. The rates are the cheapest in the area, and it's in a convenient location on the Jersey shore, close to a ferry to Manhattan. We found the channel that led to it, but didn't know the depth, so we anchored nearby and paddled in. The marina has floating docks and excellent protection but other than that it isn't impressive. In fact, it's rather crummy and ugly. The rates are $1.25 a foot by the day or $6.00 a foot by the week. They also charge $5 a day for electricity. The water's plenty deep--thirty feet--and there's plenty of room to turn around. There are some brand new docks, including a long side tie, that would be easy to tie to, but they're so new they don't have electricity yet.
One of the guys I talked with thought I wanted a slip for my Royak! He asked me if I needed an electrical hookup. I said we would when we brought the boat in. He said, "Oh, I thought that was the boat."
Later, back on the Jofian, Roy talked with a man from a nearby sailing school who told him about another marina not far from here. It's nicer, but probably more expensive. We'll check it out in the morning.
This is a wonderfully scenic location. We look right across the river at the Manhattan skyline. What a fabulous sight at night, with so many lights lit and the full moon shining!
What a glorious day! Clear, sunny, good breeze. We were able to sail most of the morning with main, headsail, and staysail. It felt so good, slicing through the water. But around noon, the wind died and shifted, so we had to use the engine.
Entered New York's vast harbor around three. We were planning on going to Liberty Harbor Marina. We'd read about it last time we were here, but hadn't gone there. The rates are the cheapest in the area, and it's in a convenient location on the Jersey shore, close to a ferry to Manhattan. We found the channel that led to it, but didn't know the depth, so we anchored nearby and paddled in. The marina has floating docks and excellent protection but other than that it isn't impressive. In fact, it's rather crummy and ugly. The rates are $1.25 a foot by the day or $6.00 a foot by the week. They also charge $5 a day for electricity. The water's plenty deep--thirty feet--and there's plenty of room to turn around. There are some brand new docks, including a long side tie, that would be easy to tie to, but they're so new they don't have electricity yet.
One of the guys I talked with thought I wanted a slip for my Royak! He asked me if I needed an electrical hookup. I said we would when we brought the boat in. He said, "Oh, I thought that was the boat."
Later, back on the Jofian, Roy talked with a man from a nearby sailing school who told him about another marina not far from here. It's nicer, but probably more expensive. We'll check it out in the morning.
This is a wonderfully scenic location. We look right across the river at the Manhattan skyline. What a fabulous sight at night, with so many lights lit and the full moon shining!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 1994 - Manasquan Inlet
Filled the tank with diesel and took off. It was overcast and remarkably cool. Motored up the coast towards Sandy Hook. By late afternoon, the wind had picked up against us, so we decided to duck into Manasquan Inlet. It was easy to get into, but there was no good place to anchor and no marina, so we rafted to a fishing boat. A few minutes later, another sailboat rafted to us. The couple on it were very nice. They had been living on their boat for thirteen years, cruising up and down the coast from Maine to Florida and back with the seasons.
The wharf belonged to a seafood restaurant that charged $20 for its use, but if you ate in the restaurant, the $20 applied to the meal, so of course we ate in the restaurant. The scallops were delicious.
After supper, we walked around a little bit. This town is obviously a summer resort. Not a fancy one, but pleasant enough.
The wharf belonged to a seafood restaurant that charged $20 for its use, but if you ate in the restaurant, the $20 applied to the meal, so of course we ate in the restaurant. The scallops were delicious.
After supper, we walked around a little bit. This town is obviously a summer resort. Not a fancy one, but pleasant enough.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Monday, June 20, 1994 - Atlantic City, NJ
Went up to the office to pay for last night. The rate here is $1.25 a foot, but they gave us coupons for a free breakfast, so that made it effectively $1 a foot. The breakfast wasn't as good as we remembered it, though.
We had hoped to leave here today, but the wind's blowing 15-20 knots out of the northeast, which would be dead against us, so we decided to wait until tomorrow, when the wind will be 10 knots out of the southwest.
When we were here last winter, we missed seeing the boardwalk, so we walked over there today and were really impressed. It's seven miles long! We walked two or three miles on the boardwalk and then went down to the beach and walked another mile or two. I took off my sandals and waded at the water's edge. Roy had his shoes and socks on, but the waves kept chasing him, so he finally took them off and waded, too. It was an absolutely perfect day. The temperature was in the high 70's or low 80's, and there was a nice breeze to cool things off. The air was very clear, so we could see for miles. We walked past the glitzy casinos and hotels of Atlantic City to the adjacent residential community of Ventnor City.
The boardwalk was first constructed in 1870. I think it was the world's first boardwalk. In 1944, it was half destroyed by a hurricane. Of course, they have to constantly repair it and replace planks.
There were a great many people on the beach and on the boardwalk, but not many in swimming. The water temperature was 60 degrees! I was surprised by the number of lifeguards. There were lifeguard stations every thousand or so feet, and most of the stations had two lifeguards.
Returned to the marina around six and ate supper on the boat. The marina offers free cable TV, so Roy went up to the little store and bought a cable, but when he plugged it in, nothing happened. We didn't know if the problem was in the cable, the television set, or the remote control. After a good deal of experimenting, Roy found that the problem was in the outlet. He tried four different outlets and none of them worked; then he took it over to another outlet and lo! beautiful pictures.
We had hoped to leave here today, but the wind's blowing 15-20 knots out of the northeast, which would be dead against us, so we decided to wait until tomorrow, when the wind will be 10 knots out of the southwest.
When we were here last winter, we missed seeing the boardwalk, so we walked over there today and were really impressed. It's seven miles long! We walked two or three miles on the boardwalk and then went down to the beach and walked another mile or two. I took off my sandals and waded at the water's edge. Roy had his shoes and socks on, but the waves kept chasing him, so he finally took them off and waded, too. It was an absolutely perfect day. The temperature was in the high 70's or low 80's, and there was a nice breeze to cool things off. The air was very clear, so we could see for miles. We walked past the glitzy casinos and hotels of Atlantic City to the adjacent residential community of Ventnor City.
The boardwalk was first constructed in 1870. I think it was the world's first boardwalk. In 1944, it was half destroyed by a hurricane. Of course, they have to constantly repair it and replace planks.
There were a great many people on the beach and on the boardwalk, but not many in swimming. The water temperature was 60 degrees! I was surprised by the number of lifeguards. There were lifeguard stations every thousand or so feet, and most of the stations had two lifeguards.
Returned to the marina around six and ate supper on the boat. The marina offers free cable TV, so Roy went up to the little store and bought a cable, but when he plugged it in, nothing happened. We didn't know if the problem was in the cable, the television set, or the remote control. After a good deal of experimenting, Roy found that the problem was in the outlet. He tried four different outlets and none of them worked; then he took it over to another outlet and lo! beautiful pictures.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 1994 - Atlantic City, NJ
Motorsailed all night and all day. So far the temporary repairs Roy made to the boat are holding up just fine. We're not taking on any water other than the normal amount.
In the late afternoon, we heard dangerous thunderstorm warnings on the VHF radio. The storms were heading southeast towards Atlantic City. We don't mind rain or even thunder and lightning, but when they said the wind might gust to 55 miles an hour, we decided we better head in another direction, so we turned around. We could see the rain on radar, and we soon realized the storm was heading in the same direction we were and at a faster speed, so we turned around again and headed to where the storm wasn't. Soon the sky began clearing ahead of us, and we could see the dark clouds behind us.
We knew it would be dark by the time we got to Atlantic City, so we decided to go to Great Egg Inlet, but on our way there, we saw the skyscrapers of Atlantic City in the distance and realized we were actually closer to Atlantic City than to Great Egg Inlet, so we went to Atlantic City. Entered the channel just as dark was closing in. We were feeling our way along slowly and carefully, trying to find the marina, when all of a sudden I saw a large fishing boat bearing down on us! Its bow was headed right for us and wasn't very far away. I stumbled all over my tongue telling Roy, but he got the message and changed course in time to miss it.
We finally saw the marina and even a vacant end tie. With the aid of the searchlight, we sidled up to it and docked with no problem. By then, it was nearly ten o'clock. We walked up to the Royal Buffet for supper, but it was closed by the time we got there, so we returned to the boat and ate a can of stew with fruit cocktail for dessert.
Hundreds of birds circle over the casino in the beams of light. It's a fascinating sight. They almost look like fast-moving stars or large ashes rising from a chimney.
In the late afternoon, we heard dangerous thunderstorm warnings on the VHF radio. The storms were heading southeast towards Atlantic City. We don't mind rain or even thunder and lightning, but when they said the wind might gust to 55 miles an hour, we decided we better head in another direction, so we turned around. We could see the rain on radar, and we soon realized the storm was heading in the same direction we were and at a faster speed, so we turned around again and headed to where the storm wasn't. Soon the sky began clearing ahead of us, and we could see the dark clouds behind us.
We knew it would be dark by the time we got to Atlantic City, so we decided to go to Great Egg Inlet, but on our way there, we saw the skyscrapers of Atlantic City in the distance and realized we were actually closer to Atlantic City than to Great Egg Inlet, so we went to Atlantic City. Entered the channel just as dark was closing in. We were feeling our way along slowly and carefully, trying to find the marina, when all of a sudden I saw a large fishing boat bearing down on us! Its bow was headed right for us and wasn't very far away. I stumbled all over my tongue telling Roy, but he got the message and changed course in time to miss it.
We finally saw the marina and even a vacant end tie. With the aid of the searchlight, we sidled up to it and docked with no problem. By then, it was nearly ten o'clock. We walked up to the Royal Buffet for supper, but it was closed by the time we got there, so we returned to the boat and ate a can of stew with fruit cocktail for dessert.
Hundreds of birds circle over the casino in the beams of light. It's a fascinating sight. They almost look like fast-moving stars or large ashes rising from a chimney.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 1994 - Atlantic City, NJ
There's a nice laundry here at the marina, so I gathered up our few dirty clothes and washed them. Phoned the post office to see if the rest of the mail had come in. It hadn't, so I called the post office in Charleston. The mail is there, but they haven't received the change-of-address card I mailed in Beaufort a couple of weeks ago!
She was very nice and said she'd hold the mail until she got a card. I immediately sent her one to forward the mail to Fairhaven.
That done, we took off for Atlantic City and points north. We're going out in the ocean instead of up the Bay.
She was very nice and said she'd hold the mail until she got a card. I immediately sent her one to forward the mail to Fairhaven.
That done, we took off for Atlantic City and points north. We're going out in the ocean instead of up the Bay.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Friday, June 17, 1994 - Little Creek, VA
Well, here we are in Little Creek again, right back where we started from, except this time we didn't go to Cobb's; we tied up in the first marina we came to. It would be too embarrassing seeing the people at Cobb's.
Our docking was also embarrassing, but no one was looking. The wind blew us away from the dock and almost into another boat, but we finally managed to get straightened out and secured.
As soon as we had registered, I phoned the post office. Hooray! The box of charts has arrived. We hopped on the first bus and went over and got it. Also picked up some groceries at Farm Fresh.
Roy carried the heavy carton back to the boat, while I went to the bank and closed our account. Then we went to Stacey's Buffet for lupper.
Our docking was also embarrassing, but no one was looking. The wind blew us away from the dock and almost into another boat, but we finally managed to get straightened out and secured.
As soon as we had registered, I phoned the post office. Hooray! The box of charts has arrived. We hopped on the first bus and went over and got it. Also picked up some groceries at Farm Fresh.
Roy carried the heavy carton back to the boat, while I went to the bank and closed our account. Then we went to Stacey's Buffet for lupper.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 1994 - Newport News, VA
The pigeons were still looking in the window when I got up at five, but they left before Roy got up two hours later. Sure glad of that. They left mementos of their visit that Roy had the fun of cleaning up.
We wanted to go back to the National Park today (where we went on Monday). From the ferry dock to the National Park Visitor Center is a two or three mile walk in the hot sun, so we decided to paddle over instead of taking the ferry. The river's about a mile and a half across here, so it didn't take long. However, there's no beach to pull up on, so we pulled up on the slanted cement wall that was built 90 years ago to prevent further erosion.
We walked around, looking at the remains of foundations and listening to the tapes. Then we joined a group that was listening to a woman who was dressed like a servant of 1621. She did a terrific impersonation and was very amusing.
At 12:30, we went on a tour led by a guy who was dressed like a man of 1907. We felt sorry for him, wearing wool trousers, wool vest, a heavy wool coat, and a felt hat. The day was overcast and somewhat cooler than yesterday but still plenty hot and humid.
When we returned to the boat around 3:45, the pigeons had returned! I couldn't believe it. I was afraid they were homing pigeons and would follow us wherever we went. Roy reached the boat about five minutes before I did. He was on the deck, trying to chase them away. They'd fly up in the air, circle around, and come back down on the boat. It was hilarious. After 15 or 20 minutes, they finally left. We pulled up the anchor and took off. We could picture the pigeons, flying around in circles where the boat had been, crying, "Our beautiful new home has disappeared! Where, oh, where has it gone? What shall we do?"
We motored down the river for three hours and dropped anchor just north of Newport News. Would you believe, two more birds landed on the TV antenna! What is this? Why has our boat suddenly become a magnet for birds and insects? Fortunately, these two didn't hang around long.
We wanted to go back to the National Park today (where we went on Monday). From the ferry dock to the National Park Visitor Center is a two or three mile walk in the hot sun, so we decided to paddle over instead of taking the ferry. The river's about a mile and a half across here, so it didn't take long. However, there's no beach to pull up on, so we pulled up on the slanted cement wall that was built 90 years ago to prevent further erosion.
We walked around, looking at the remains of foundations and listening to the tapes. Then we joined a group that was listening to a woman who was dressed like a servant of 1621. She did a terrific impersonation and was very amusing.
At 12:30, we went on a tour led by a guy who was dressed like a man of 1907. We felt sorry for him, wearing wool trousers, wool vest, a heavy wool coat, and a felt hat. The day was overcast and somewhat cooler than yesterday but still plenty hot and humid.
When we returned to the boat around 3:45, the pigeons had returned! I couldn't believe it. I was afraid they were homing pigeons and would follow us wherever we went. Roy reached the boat about five minutes before I did. He was on the deck, trying to chase them away. They'd fly up in the air, circle around, and come back down on the boat. It was hilarious. After 15 or 20 minutes, they finally left. We pulled up the anchor and took off. We could picture the pigeons, flying around in circles where the boat had been, crying, "Our beautiful new home has disappeared! Where, oh, where has it gone? What shall we do?"
We motored down the river for three hours and dropped anchor just north of Newport News. Would you believe, two more birds landed on the TV antenna! What is this? Why has our boat suddenly become a magnet for birds and insects? Fortunately, these two didn't hang around long.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 1994 - Jamestown, VA
As usual, we were late getting started, but this time, we went directly into the museum instead of stopping for something to eat. Wandered around the replica of the fort, which was quite interesting. Watched a blacksmith making nails. Then we went down to the boats. They are full-sized replicas of the three boats that brought the first colonists over in 1607: the Susan Constance (which we saw a few months ago at Waterside), the Godspeed, and the Discovery. The Discovery is only 39 feet long yet carried 21 people. And we thought we were crowded with 5!
The boats are manned by men in the costumes of the period. We went on board the Susan Constance and heard an interesting presentation on the navigation instruments that were used then. Saw a replica of a real log (the kind you throw in the water behind the boat and count the number of knots in the line over a thirty-second period), an old compass with 32 points, and a traverse board, which was used to record direction and speed, so the navigator could calculate the ship's position by dead reckoning. Neither Roy nor I had ever heard of a traverse board before.
The guy who gave the presentation was very friendly and talkative. His name was Homer. After talking a while, he realized we were from the boat that was anchored right in front of his house! Roy invited him over in the evening, and he was eager to accept.
By then we were hungry, so we went to the cafe and ate Powhatan stew, a loblolly cookie, and vanilla ice cream. Then we returned to the fort and Indian village and looked around some more. Joined up with a ranger-led tour for a while. Then we went to the theater to watch a movie on the founding of Jamestown. It was much, much better than the one we saw at the National Park.
After the movie, we returned to the fort and the Indian village, but soon it was closing time, so we had to leave. Strolled over to the yacht basin so Roy could see it. Then we took the ferry back to Scotland.
During the day, it had been miserably hot, but the evening breeze was delightful. Went for a little swim off the boat. Then we relaxed on the deck, enjoying. Various people came by in their motorboats to look at Jofian, and pretty soon Homer arrived. Two remarkably tame pigeons alighted on the rigging and made themselves at home. They weren't the least bit afraid of us; in fact, they let Roy pet them. One of them tried to come into the main cabin through an open porthole, but Roy pushed him out and closed the porthole.
We invited Homer onto the boat. He sat in the main cabin and told us lots of interesting things about the boats. In 1985, the Godspeed sailed from England to Jamestown, trying to replicate the original course. There were 14 crew on board, instead of the 71 that sailed in 1607. They had refrigeration, radios, etc., but no engine. By the time they reached the Caribbean, the crew was ready to mutiny, and many of them left. The boat sat in Puerto Rico for a couple of months and then set out for Jamestown with a new crew. Off Cape Hatteras, the Graveyard of the Atlantic, a storm came up and nearly blew them aground, but a Coast Guard boat towed them to safety. When the Godspeed finally reached the James River, the wind was unfavorable, so they were towed back to Jamestown. Makes you really admire the skill of old-time sailors.
It was nearly ten by the time Homer left, and we hadn't had supper, so we just ate a can of stew. The pigeons were still on the boat. I hate to think what the new carpet's going to look like.
The boats are manned by men in the costumes of the period. We went on board the Susan Constance and heard an interesting presentation on the navigation instruments that were used then. Saw a replica of a real log (the kind you throw in the water behind the boat and count the number of knots in the line over a thirty-second period), an old compass with 32 points, and a traverse board, which was used to record direction and speed, so the navigator could calculate the ship's position by dead reckoning. Neither Roy nor I had ever heard of a traverse board before.
The guy who gave the presentation was very friendly and talkative. His name was Homer. After talking a while, he realized we were from the boat that was anchored right in front of his house! Roy invited him over in the evening, and he was eager to accept.
By then we were hungry, so we went to the cafe and ate Powhatan stew, a loblolly cookie, and vanilla ice cream. Then we returned to the fort and Indian village and looked around some more. Joined up with a ranger-led tour for a while. Then we went to the theater to watch a movie on the founding of Jamestown. It was much, much better than the one we saw at the National Park.
After the movie, we returned to the fort and the Indian village, but soon it was closing time, so we had to leave. Strolled over to the yacht basin so Roy could see it. Then we took the ferry back to Scotland.
During the day, it had been miserably hot, but the evening breeze was delightful. Went for a little swim off the boat. Then we relaxed on the deck, enjoying. Various people came by in their motorboats to look at Jofian, and pretty soon Homer arrived. Two remarkably tame pigeons alighted on the rigging and made themselves at home. They weren't the least bit afraid of us; in fact, they let Roy pet them. One of them tried to come into the main cabin through an open porthole, but Roy pushed him out and closed the porthole.
We invited Homer onto the boat. He sat in the main cabin and told us lots of interesting things about the boats. In 1985, the Godspeed sailed from England to Jamestown, trying to replicate the original course. There were 14 crew on board, instead of the 71 that sailed in 1607. They had refrigeration, radios, etc., but no engine. By the time they reached the Caribbean, the crew was ready to mutiny, and many of them left. The boat sat in Puerto Rico for a couple of months and then set out for Jamestown with a new crew. Off Cape Hatteras, the Graveyard of the Atlantic, a storm came up and nearly blew them aground, but a Coast Guard boat towed them to safety. When the Godspeed finally reached the James River, the wind was unfavorable, so they were towed back to Jamestown. Makes you really admire the skill of old-time sailors.
It was nearly ten by the time Homer left, and we hadn't had supper, so we just ate a can of stew. The pigeons were still on the boat. I hate to think what the new carpet's going to look like.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 1994 - Jamestown, VA
First thing we did this morning was move the boat, as Roy wanted to do yesterday. Anchored just off the little community of Scotland, across the river from Jamestown. A ferry goes back and forth between Scotland and Jamestown 24 hours a day, so it's very convenient. The fare for pedestrians is only 25 cents!
Had a fun trip across. Walked up to the cafe we ate in yesterday. The temperature was in the 90's, so we were glad to get into the air-
conditioned building, and we lingered over lunch. By the time we got to the ticket desk to go into the museum and fort, it was three o'clock, and the woman at the desk advised us we wouldn't have time to see much, because they close at five. I had thought this was a national park, like the one on the other side of the bridge, so we'd be able to get in free on my Golden Age pass, but it turned out this is run by the Commonwealth of Virginia and costs $6.75 apiece. We decided to wait until tomorrow and get here earlier.
We needed chicken for supper. There weren't any grocery stores nearby, but someone told us there was a 7-11 half a mile down the road, so I set out for it while Roy rested in the shade. I walked half a mile, and then another half mile, and then another half mile. I was about to turn around, when I saw a little nursery on the other side of the road, so I crossed over and asked the clerk if there was a grocery store nearby. She told me, "There's a 7-11 right over here on the corner. If you spit, you'd hit it, it's that close." She must have had a fantastic spitter; I not only couldn't hit it spitting, it was all I could do to walk to it. It must have been at least another quarter mile, and I was hot and thirsty. Seemed as if I was halfway to Williamsburg by then.
Finally got to the 7-11, but they didn't have anything edible--
just lunchmeat and bacon and hot dogs. Bought an ice cream bar to slake my thirst and started back. Of course, the chocolate melted all over my hand, so when I got back to the Jamestown Cafe area, I went in the restroom and washed my hands.
I'd noticed a sign that said "Jamestown Yacht Basin Entrance", so out of curiosity, I walked over there. It was 99.9% power boats, with one tiny little sailboat. I went in the office and asked how deep the water was. The man looked out the window and said, "Right now, about six feet." I asked how deep it was at its lowest, and he said, "Three and a half feet." That ended that conversation in a hurry.
Went back to where I'd left Roy, but he was nowhere to be seen. There was a little campground store where I was able to buy a quart of milk at an outrageous price. Then I started strolling towards the ferry dock, looking under the shade trees for Roy. He had said he'd meet me between there and the ferry, but I got all the way to the gate without seeing him. Two guys were sitting in a golf cart taking tickets, so I described Roy to one of them, and he said Roy had gone over on the ferry an hour ago! I was dumbfounded. The only thing for me to do was to take the next ferry. On the way, we passed the ferry going in the opposite direction. I had a hunch Roy might be on it, but it was too far away to recognize anyone.
Sure enough, when I got back to the Royaks, Roy wasn't there. I knew he had to come back to his Royak eventually, so I sat on the beach and waited. When the next ferry came in, I walked over to the dock. There came Roy. He had been on the ferry that passed me. He had ridden over and back for fun and the cool breeze. What better way to pass the time for a quarter?
We returned to the boat and ate sardines for supper.
Had a fun trip across. Walked up to the cafe we ate in yesterday. The temperature was in the 90's, so we were glad to get into the air-
conditioned building, and we lingered over lunch. By the time we got to the ticket desk to go into the museum and fort, it was three o'clock, and the woman at the desk advised us we wouldn't have time to see much, because they close at five. I had thought this was a national park, like the one on the other side of the bridge, so we'd be able to get in free on my Golden Age pass, but it turned out this is run by the Commonwealth of Virginia and costs $6.75 apiece. We decided to wait until tomorrow and get here earlier.
We needed chicken for supper. There weren't any grocery stores nearby, but someone told us there was a 7-11 half a mile down the road, so I set out for it while Roy rested in the shade. I walked half a mile, and then another half mile, and then another half mile. I was about to turn around, when I saw a little nursery on the other side of the road, so I crossed over and asked the clerk if there was a grocery store nearby. She told me, "There's a 7-11 right over here on the corner. If you spit, you'd hit it, it's that close." She must have had a fantastic spitter; I not only couldn't hit it spitting, it was all I could do to walk to it. It must have been at least another quarter mile, and I was hot and thirsty. Seemed as if I was halfway to Williamsburg by then.
Finally got to the 7-11, but they didn't have anything edible--
just lunchmeat and bacon and hot dogs. Bought an ice cream bar to slake my thirst and started back. Of course, the chocolate melted all over my hand, so when I got back to the Jamestown Cafe area, I went in the restroom and washed my hands.
I'd noticed a sign that said "Jamestown Yacht Basin Entrance", so out of curiosity, I walked over there. It was 99.9% power boats, with one tiny little sailboat. I went in the office and asked how deep the water was. The man looked out the window and said, "Right now, about six feet." I asked how deep it was at its lowest, and he said, "Three and a half feet." That ended that conversation in a hurry.
Went back to where I'd left Roy, but he was nowhere to be seen. There was a little campground store where I was able to buy a quart of milk at an outrageous price. Then I started strolling towards the ferry dock, looking under the shade trees for Roy. He had said he'd meet me between there and the ferry, but I got all the way to the gate without seeing him. Two guys were sitting in a golf cart taking tickets, so I described Roy to one of them, and he said Roy had gone over on the ferry an hour ago! I was dumbfounded. The only thing for me to do was to take the next ferry. On the way, we passed the ferry going in the opposite direction. I had a hunch Roy might be on it, but it was too far away to recognize anyone.
Sure enough, when I got back to the Royaks, Roy wasn't there. I knew he had to come back to his Royak eventually, so I sat on the beach and waited. When the next ferry came in, I walked over to the dock. There came Roy. He had been on the ferry that passed me. He had ridden over and back for fun and the cool breeze. What better way to pass the time for a quarter?
We returned to the boat and ate sardines for supper.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Monday, June 13, 1994 - Jamestown, VA
What a lovely day! Blue sky, sunshine, and Royaks to paddle. Roy wanted to take the boat closer to Jamestown, but I wanted to paddle, so we did. Took us three hours to reach the Visitor Center for the Jamestown National Park. Pulled our Royaks up on the bank and walked to the Center.
Watched a 15-minute movie and then walked around with an historian who was a real character. He was dressed in the clothing of 1607 and pretended he was a captain of those days. He was very convincing and amusing.
By then, it was nearly two o'clock and we were hungry. There was nothing to eat at the Visitor Center, but the guy at the information desk said there was a restaurant just outside the gate where the replica of the Jamestown Fort is, so we walked over there. Had a reasonably good lunch and some ice cream.
On the way back, we stopped at the Glass House, where the first attempts at introducing glass-blowing in the new world had been made.
There were some glass-blowers there, blowing glass the old-fashioned way. We watched them for a while and then returned to our Royaks.
It was nearly five o'clock when we left, so we had to hurry to reach the boat before dark. Unfortunately, I have a penchant for shortcuts, so when I saw a creek, I went up it, thinking it would take me through to the river. Roy was so far ahead of me, I couldn't tell him what I was doing. He waited for me, and when I didn't arrive, he paddled back looking for me. He spent a lot of time trying to find me before he finally gave up and went back to the boat.
I went two or three miles up the creek but realized it was going in the wrong direction, so I turned around and returned to the river.
By then it was nearly seven and the wind was blowing against me about 15 knots. I saw Roy in the distance but didn't have a chance of catching up with him. As soon as I rounded the point, I saw Jofian's mast far in the distance, so I made a bee-line for it. By the time I reached the boat, the sun had set and the masthead light had come on. Roy was upset and angry, because he hadn't known what had happened to me. He had already started cooking supper and was debating whether he should call the Coast Guard or the local sheriff or what. Anyway, we ate the delicious supper he fixed and collapsed into bed a little after eleven.
Watched a 15-minute movie and then walked around with an historian who was a real character. He was dressed in the clothing of 1607 and pretended he was a captain of those days. He was very convincing and amusing.
By then, it was nearly two o'clock and we were hungry. There was nothing to eat at the Visitor Center, but the guy at the information desk said there was a restaurant just outside the gate where the replica of the Jamestown Fort is, so we walked over there. Had a reasonably good lunch and some ice cream.
On the way back, we stopped at the Glass House, where the first attempts at introducing glass-blowing in the new world had been made.
There were some glass-blowers there, blowing glass the old-fashioned way. We watched them for a while and then returned to our Royaks.
It was nearly five o'clock when we left, so we had to hurry to reach the boat before dark. Unfortunately, I have a penchant for shortcuts, so when I saw a creek, I went up it, thinking it would take me through to the river. Roy was so far ahead of me, I couldn't tell him what I was doing. He waited for me, and when I didn't arrive, he paddled back looking for me. He spent a lot of time trying to find me before he finally gave up and went back to the boat.
I went two or three miles up the creek but realized it was going in the wrong direction, so I turned around and returned to the river.
By then it was nearly seven and the wind was blowing against me about 15 knots. I saw Roy in the distance but didn't have a chance of catching up with him. As soon as I rounded the point, I saw Jofian's mast far in the distance, so I made a bee-line for it. By the time I reached the boat, the sun had set and the masthead light had come on. Roy was upset and angry, because he hadn't known what had happened to me. He had already started cooking supper and was debating whether he should call the Coast Guard or the local sheriff or what. Anyway, we ate the delicious supper he fixed and collapsed into bed a little after eleven.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 1994 - Jamestown, VA
Got off to a late start. I went to Farm Fresh and bought a few more groceries. Roy went over to talk with a 72-year-old skipper he met last night. By the time we left the dock, it was nearly eleven.
Went across to the fuel dock and filled the tank. Used their hose to wash some of the remaining insect corpses off the boat.
We had thought we'd make the 11:30 bridge opening, but it turned out the bridge didn't open until 12:00. Roy took a fast shower while we waited.
When we reached the lock, we did a really miserable job of tying to the wall. I was busy attaching the boards, so I wasn't ready with the lines. Threw the bow line to the lock attendant at the last minute, and he fastened it around a bollard before we got the stern line to another attendant, so the stern swung out into the channel. It was quite a struggle, but we finally got tied to the wall.
The rest of our trip was uneventful, except for a mistake I made in the Norfolk Channel, when I turned at buoy 12 thinking it was 10. Fortunately, there was plenty of water, so nothing drastic happened.
We went up the James River and dropped anchor in twelve feet of water not far from Jamestown Island.
Went across to the fuel dock and filled the tank. Used their hose to wash some of the remaining insect corpses off the boat.
We had thought we'd make the 11:30 bridge opening, but it turned out the bridge didn't open until 12:00. Roy took a fast shower while we waited.
When we reached the lock, we did a really miserable job of tying to the wall. I was busy attaching the boards, so I wasn't ready with the lines. Threw the bow line to the lock attendant at the last minute, and he fastened it around a bollard before we got the stern line to another attendant, so the stern swung out into the channel. It was quite a struggle, but we finally got tied to the wall.
The rest of our trip was uneventful, except for a mistake I made in the Norfolk Channel, when I turned at buoy 12 thinking it was 10. Fortunately, there was plenty of water, so nothing drastic happened.
We went up the James River and dropped anchor in twelve feet of water not far from Jamestown Island.
Saturday, June 11, 1994 - Great Bridge, VA
Phoned the Oceanside Post Office right after breakfast. To my surprise, they were open, but they didn't have any mail for either Holt or Grabenauer. Later, Roy phoned Steve and found out he mailed the carton third class last Monday, so it might be a while before it gets here. The mail from Charleston should have arrived, however.
Walked over to the beautiful Farm Fresh that we went to last summer. It's still the most attractive super market I've ever been to. Bought a few groceries and took them back to the boat.
A light rain last night washed most of the bugs off the wind generator, the Royaks, the sails, and the rigging. I stripped the bed, shook out the blanket, and gathered up the sheets, pillow cases, and the rest of the dirty clothes. Roy trundled them over to the laundromat in the blue wagon. Then he left, and I did the laundry and brought the stuff back. The boat's starting to look halfway decent again. When we get to a marina, we'll hose the entire outside and vacuum the entire inside. Thank goodness those miserable six-legged monsters are gone.
After lunch, Roy fixed the generator and did a few other things he'd been wanting to do, and I updated the log and worked on my programs. Tomorrow, we'll probably take the boat to Jamestown.
Walked over to the beautiful Farm Fresh that we went to last summer. It's still the most attractive super market I've ever been to. Bought a few groceries and took them back to the boat.
A light rain last night washed most of the bugs off the wind generator, the Royaks, the sails, and the rigging. I stripped the bed, shook out the blanket, and gathered up the sheets, pillow cases, and the rest of the dirty clothes. Roy trundled them over to the laundromat in the blue wagon. Then he left, and I did the laundry and brought the stuff back. The boat's starting to look halfway decent again. When we get to a marina, we'll hose the entire outside and vacuum the entire inside. Thank goodness those miserable six-legged monsters are gone.
After lunch, Roy fixed the generator and did a few other things he'd been wanting to do, and I updated the log and worked on my programs. Tomorrow, we'll probably take the boat to Jamestown.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Friday, June 10, 1994 - Great Bridge, VA
Woke up at 3:30 and couldn't get back to sleep, so I got up at the first light of dawn. Started to go up to the cockpit to look around, but even without my glasses I could see thousands of bugs all over the windows, so I scooted back to the main cabin and closed the doors.
When Roy got up, he was horrified. He hadn't turned on the light when he went to bed, so he hadn't seen the bugs, and I guess he thought I was exaggerating. When he saw them this morning, he got out of the aft cabin in a hurry.
Practically every square inch of the outside of the boat was covered with the ugly creatures. They were all over the sails, all over the rigging, all over the new wind generator, all over the windows, all over everything. There must have been hundreds of thousands of them. Fortunately, they weren't aggressive bugs. In fact, they were very lethargic. They just sat there and looked gross.
We had hoped they would all blow off when we started moving, but they seemed to be glued on. I kept wishing my son Bill were here; he's a professional exterminator; he'd have zapped them in a hurry.
Fortunately, their lifespan was limited. Thousands of them died along the way. The ones that didn't die naturally, received some help from the flyswatter and a can of Black Flag. But there were still thousands left alive. As we approached Great Bridge, I made two attempts to get the lines and fenders out of the lazarette, but so many of the miserable beasts flew up in my face that I had to retreat to the cockpit. I managed to get the bow and center lines ready, but poor Roy had to get the stern line and the stuff from the lazarette.
We reached Great Bridge around 2:30 and tied up, as usual, to the free dock. I phoned TRT to find out what time the bus ran to Norfolk and also phoned the post office to find out what time they closed. The post office stays open until six, and the bus runs every hour, so we hurriedly got ready and rode to downtown Norfolk. Got to the Post Office around five, but there wasn't any mail for us, which was disappointing. Apparently, I used the wrong zip code, but it was the one that was in the zip code directory for General Delivery in Norfolk. The number was 23503, but should have been 23501. 23503 is way out in the Ocean View area, not far from Cobb's. I'll phone there tomorrow and see if they're open.
Rode the same bus back to Great Bridge and ate a buffet supper at the Golden Corral. It was quite good and abundant.
Roy hosed the deck and windows as much as he could with the chain-
washer hose. The boat's a complete mess. Most of the bugs are dead, but their cadavers are all over the place.
There were still too many insects and corpses in the aft cabin for my taste, so I slept in the main cabin again. Roy slept in the aft cabin again.
When Roy got up, he was horrified. He hadn't turned on the light when he went to bed, so he hadn't seen the bugs, and I guess he thought I was exaggerating. When he saw them this morning, he got out of the aft cabin in a hurry.
Practically every square inch of the outside of the boat was covered with the ugly creatures. They were all over the sails, all over the rigging, all over the new wind generator, all over the windows, all over everything. There must have been hundreds of thousands of them. Fortunately, they weren't aggressive bugs. In fact, they were very lethargic. They just sat there and looked gross.
We had hoped they would all blow off when we started moving, but they seemed to be glued on. I kept wishing my son Bill were here; he's a professional exterminator; he'd have zapped them in a hurry.
Fortunately, their lifespan was limited. Thousands of them died along the way. The ones that didn't die naturally, received some help from the flyswatter and a can of Black Flag. But there were still thousands left alive. As we approached Great Bridge, I made two attempts to get the lines and fenders out of the lazarette, but so many of the miserable beasts flew up in my face that I had to retreat to the cockpit. I managed to get the bow and center lines ready, but poor Roy had to get the stern line and the stuff from the lazarette.
We reached Great Bridge around 2:30 and tied up, as usual, to the free dock. I phoned TRT to find out what time the bus ran to Norfolk and also phoned the post office to find out what time they closed. The post office stays open until six, and the bus runs every hour, so we hurriedly got ready and rode to downtown Norfolk. Got to the Post Office around five, but there wasn't any mail for us, which was disappointing. Apparently, I used the wrong zip code, but it was the one that was in the zip code directory for General Delivery in Norfolk. The number was 23503, but should have been 23501. 23503 is way out in the Ocean View area, not far from Cobb's. I'll phone there tomorrow and see if they're open.
Rode the same bus back to Great Bridge and ate a buffet supper at the Golden Corral. It was quite good and abundant.
Roy hosed the deck and windows as much as he could with the chain-
washer hose. The boat's a complete mess. Most of the bugs are dead, but their cadavers are all over the place.
There were still too many insects and corpses in the aft cabin for my taste, so I slept in the main cabin again. Roy slept in the aft cabin again.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 1994 - North Landing River, VA
Calm, muggy day. Kept motoring north. Our speedlog, which hadn't worked for a long time, started working again.
So far this trip, we've really lucked out on the bridges. We reach them just as they're about to open.
We're really making tracks this time. Our first trip up the ICW from Morehead City to Norfolk took six days. Coming back down took four. This time it looks as if we'll do it in three days.
We reached the edge of Albemarle Sound in the late afternoon. The wind had died down quite a bit, and we were zooming, so we decided to go ahead and cross it. It's fifteen miles wide and usually takes three hours to cross, but this time we practically flew across in a little over two hours.
Reached the other side just fine, but the channel into the river was hard to see. Apparently, one of the buoys was missing. I was at the wheel on a course of twenty degrees. Roy told me to go to fifteen, so I did. In a few minutes, the depth dropped to less than six feet, so I pulled back on the throttle. Rather than argue with Roy, I gave him the wheel, so he was at the helm when we went aground. A passing sailboat offered to help, but there really wasn't anything he could do. Roy kept gunning the engine, and after ten or fifteen minutes, we floated free.
Pulled into an anchorage near the mouth of the North Landing River. Remembering our experience of last night, we closed the portholes and zipped the curtains. It's a good thing we did; we were soon invaded by tens of thousands of miserable flying bugs. We had forgotten to close the porthole in the aft head (bathroom). When I went down to the aft cabin to go to bed, I nearly fainted. The whole cabin was full of bugs! Through some miracle, they didn't get into the main cabin, so I slept in there, but Roy bravely (?) went to bed in the aft cabin. I hope he survives.
So far this trip, we've really lucked out on the bridges. We reach them just as they're about to open.
We're really making tracks this time. Our first trip up the ICW from Morehead City to Norfolk took six days. Coming back down took four. This time it looks as if we'll do it in three days.
We reached the edge of Albemarle Sound in the late afternoon. The wind had died down quite a bit, and we were zooming, so we decided to go ahead and cross it. It's fifteen miles wide and usually takes three hours to cross, but this time we practically flew across in a little over two hours.
Reached the other side just fine, but the channel into the river was hard to see. Apparently, one of the buoys was missing. I was at the wheel on a course of twenty degrees. Roy told me to go to fifteen, so I did. In a few minutes, the depth dropped to less than six feet, so I pulled back on the throttle. Rather than argue with Roy, I gave him the wheel, so he was at the helm when we went aground. A passing sailboat offered to help, but there really wasn't anything he could do. Roy kept gunning the engine, and after ten or fifteen minutes, we floated free.
Pulled into an anchorage near the mouth of the North Landing River. Remembering our experience of last night, we closed the portholes and zipped the curtains. It's a good thing we did; we were soon invaded by tens of thousands of miserable flying bugs. We had forgotten to close the porthole in the aft head (bathroom). When I went down to the aft cabin to go to bed, I nearly fainted. The whole cabin was full of bugs! Through some miracle, they didn't get into the main cabin, so I slept in there, but Roy bravely (?) went to bed in the aft cabin. I hope he survives.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 1994 - Pungo River
Left around 7 a.m. Roy thought we'd have a problem getting away from the dock, but the wind wasn't blowing very hard, so we got away easy as pie.
Around 2 p.m., just as we were reaching the far side of the Pamlico River, a sudden thunderstorm hit us, so we ducked out of the channel and dropped anchor. The storm didn't last long. In a couple of hours we were on our way again.
Anchored for the night in the Pungo River. Lots of flying insects.
Around 2 p.m., just as we were reaching the far side of the Pamlico River, a sudden thunderstorm hit us, so we ducked out of the channel and dropped anchor. The storm didn't last long. In a couple of hours we were on our way again.
Anchored for the night in the Pungo River. Lots of flying insects.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 1994 - Beaufort, NC
This is our last day in Beaufort. Tomorrow, we head back up the ICW to Norfolk, where we hope there's mail waiting for us. Roy kind of wanted to go out around Cape Hatteras, but I talked him into the ICW. I'm in no mood for the Graveyard of the Atlantic.
Roy cleaned up the spare starter, which had gotten soaked in salt water following the grounding. I borrowed the museum car and went to the grocery store. After lunch, we attended a rather disappointing slide show at the museum on the Pea Island Life-Saving Station.
Tried to enter the waypoints and routes for our trip to Norfolk, but I kept making mistakes and finally gave up.
We're hoping this wind will die down or change direction. It's blowing us into the dock.
Roy cleaned up the spare starter, which had gotten soaked in salt water following the grounding. I borrowed the museum car and went to the grocery store. After lunch, we attended a rather disappointing slide show at the museum on the Pea Island Life-Saving Station.
Tried to enter the waypoints and routes for our trip to Norfolk, but I kept making mistakes and finally gave up.
We're hoping this wind will die down or change direction. It's blowing us into the dock.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Monday, June 6, 1994 - Beaufort, NC
Hooked up the computer and printer and cranked out a bunch of letters and stuff. After lunch, we went on a fun bus ride through historic Beaufort. Our seats were right in front on the top deck of an old London double-decker bus. Interesting tour.
Found out that the putrid fish is called Menhaden. It's a small fish that abounds in these waters. They catch them by the thousands. Fortunately, they're not usually eaten by humans; they're made into catfood, fertilizer, etc. Apparently, the people who live here are used to the stench. They don't seem to mind it.
When we got back to the boat, we went paddling. Paddled over to a deserted island where there was an old brick chimney, but we couldn't get close to the chimney. The wind came up, and it looked as if it was going to storm, so we paddled back to the boat. Got there around five o'clock.
Found out that the putrid fish is called Menhaden. It's a small fish that abounds in these waters. They catch them by the thousands. Fortunately, they're not usually eaten by humans; they're made into catfood, fertilizer, etc. Apparently, the people who live here are used to the stench. They don't seem to mind it.
When we got back to the boat, we went paddling. Paddled over to a deserted island where there was an old brick chimney, but we couldn't get close to the chimney. The wind came up, and it looked as if it was going to storm, so we paddled back to the boat. Got there around five o'clock.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 1994 - Beaufort, NC
Roy applied the final coat of paint to the deck this morning. It looks beautiful now.
Sort of hot and humid today, so I didn't go paddling. I'm getting back to the programming I was doing before the crew arrived.
In the afternoon, we borrowed the car from the museum, drove to the super market, and bought some groceries. That's sure a wonderful service they offer.
For a long time, I've been trying to find a book that explains the five-digit weather codes transmitted on RTTY. Today, I found it in the museum's library! Maybe now I can figure out some of that stuff.
Sort of hot and humid today, so I didn't go paddling. I'm getting back to the programming I was doing before the crew arrived.
In the afternoon, we borrowed the car from the museum, drove to the super market, and bought some groceries. That's sure a wonderful service they offer.
For a long time, I've been trying to find a book that explains the five-digit weather codes transmitted on RTTY. Today, I found it in the museum's library! Maybe now I can figure out some of that stuff.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 1994 - Beaufort, NC
What a perfect day! Calm, clear, sunny, warm without being too hot, pleasant breeze. Ideal day for Royaking, so that's what I did. Roy had some things he wanted to do on the boat, so he didn't go with me.
Carrot Island turned out to be a lot larger in real life than it looks on the chart. I didn't start out with the intention of paddling completely around it, but that's what I ended up doing. I paddled around to the far side and along the beach. It's amazing how much open beach there is in this part of the world. Families can have an entire area all to themselves. Carrot Island is an estuarine reserve, so there aren't any buildings or roads, but people are welcome to go there, as long as they don't build fires or camp overnight. There are a dozen or so wild horses on the island, grazing peacefully.
There were several shoals, but I had no problem getting over them in my Royak. Twenty or thirty people were on the shoals, apparently gathering clams or something.
I went by the place we'd walked to the other day and then came to the passage I'd discovered. My plan was to go through it to Beaufort Inlet (Taylor Creek) and return to the boat in time for lunch, but the tide was too low, so I had to keep going. Found another inlet and entered it, thinking it might go through, but it didn't. Paddled up a bunch of creeks that wound around all over the place but eventually ran out of water. Returned to open water and debated whether to return the way I came or try to round the far end of the island. Kept going and found another inlet, which I explored with similar results, but eventually I emerged at the tip of the island. The wind was blowing pretty strong against me out there, and the waves were about a foot high, but I saw channel markers and boats emerging from what I assumed was Beaufort Inlet, so I paddle over there and soon was in the sheltered water of the Inlet. By then, the tide was coming in and the wind was blowing in the right direction for returning to the boat, so I didn't have to do anything but kick back, relax, steer, and dodge speeding power boats.
Passed the world's stinkiest fishing boat. You can't begin to imagine how awful that thing stank. Much worse than a garbage dump. A manure pile is fragrant by comparison. I don't see how anyone can stand to work on it. You'd think the authorities would make them clean it up. No one would ever want to eat fish again after smelling that thing. I was downwind of it for what seemed like hours. Thought I'd never get back to fresh, clean air.
Stopped at the southwest end of Carrot Island and walked around for a few minutes. Got back to the boat around five.
Carrot Island turned out to be a lot larger in real life than it looks on the chart. I didn't start out with the intention of paddling completely around it, but that's what I ended up doing. I paddled around to the far side and along the beach. It's amazing how much open beach there is in this part of the world. Families can have an entire area all to themselves. Carrot Island is an estuarine reserve, so there aren't any buildings or roads, but people are welcome to go there, as long as they don't build fires or camp overnight. There are a dozen or so wild horses on the island, grazing peacefully.
There were several shoals, but I had no problem getting over them in my Royak. Twenty or thirty people were on the shoals, apparently gathering clams or something.
I went by the place we'd walked to the other day and then came to the passage I'd discovered. My plan was to go through it to Beaufort Inlet (Taylor Creek) and return to the boat in time for lunch, but the tide was too low, so I had to keep going. Found another inlet and entered it, thinking it might go through, but it didn't. Paddled up a bunch of creeks that wound around all over the place but eventually ran out of water. Returned to open water and debated whether to return the way I came or try to round the far end of the island. Kept going and found another inlet, which I explored with similar results, but eventually I emerged at the tip of the island. The wind was blowing pretty strong against me out there, and the waves were about a foot high, but I saw channel markers and boats emerging from what I assumed was Beaufort Inlet, so I paddle over there and soon was in the sheltered water of the Inlet. By then, the tide was coming in and the wind was blowing in the right direction for returning to the boat, so I didn't have to do anything but kick back, relax, steer, and dodge speeding power boats.
Passed the world's stinkiest fishing boat. You can't begin to imagine how awful that thing stank. Much worse than a garbage dump. A manure pile is fragrant by comparison. I don't see how anyone can stand to work on it. You'd think the authorities would make them clean it up. No one would ever want to eat fish again after smelling that thing. I was downwind of it for what seemed like hours. Thought I'd never get back to fresh, clean air.
Stopped at the southwest end of Carrot Island and walked around for a few minutes. Got back to the boat around five.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Friday, June 3, 1994 - Beaufort, NC
Thunderstorm last night. Poured for a while, but I didn't bother to hook up the hose to the tank, as the tank was nearly full.
Finally managed to get something intelligible on RTTY. It was coming from Halifax, Nova Scotia! There was a lot of noise, but there were enough real words so now I know the software works correctly. The key is good reception. Probably out at sea, where we don't have so much interference, it would come in fine.
Phoned the post office in Charleston again. The mail still isn't there, but they said they'd forward it if I sent a change-of-address card, so I did. We're having it forwarded to Norfolk instead of here. That way, we don't have to wait here for the mail; we can pick it up on our way north. When we hauled out at Core Creek, they made Roy remove the headstay and jibstay. He'd never done that before, so he had a hard time getting them back on, but today he completed the job, and they're better than ever.
In the afternoon, we walked over to Hardee's for strawberry shakes. Yum! Spoiled our appetites for supper, though. Just had a bowl of soup for supper.
We sure needed this R and R. We feel so much better. We have our home back again, we have our lives back again, we feel relaxed and happy again, we're gathering up our marbles that were scattered all over the yard and putting them back where they belong. Now when we look at the chart that we had out that fateful night, we're astonished that we didn't see the point of land sticking out there. How we could we have not seen it? It's so obvious. Both Roy and I had that chart right in front of us, yet neither of us saw Lookout Point. Just shows what haste, stress, and pressure do to people.
The guy who owns this dock said we could rent it by the week for $90, with the $40 we've already paid applying towards it, so Roy paid him another $50 and now we're all set until next Wednesday. This is a lovely place. Plenty of water to explore by Royak, so we're going to kick back, relax, and enjoy.
Finally managed to get something intelligible on RTTY. It was coming from Halifax, Nova Scotia! There was a lot of noise, but there were enough real words so now I know the software works correctly. The key is good reception. Probably out at sea, where we don't have so much interference, it would come in fine.
Phoned the post office in Charleston again. The mail still isn't there, but they said they'd forward it if I sent a change-of-address card, so I did. We're having it forwarded to Norfolk instead of here. That way, we don't have to wait here for the mail; we can pick it up on our way north. When we hauled out at Core Creek, they made Roy remove the headstay and jibstay. He'd never done that before, so he had a hard time getting them back on, but today he completed the job, and they're better than ever.
In the afternoon, we walked over to Hardee's for strawberry shakes. Yum! Spoiled our appetites for supper, though. Just had a bowl of soup for supper.
We sure needed this R and R. We feel so much better. We have our home back again, we have our lives back again, we feel relaxed and happy again, we're gathering up our marbles that were scattered all over the yard and putting them back where they belong. Now when we look at the chart that we had out that fateful night, we're astonished that we didn't see the point of land sticking out there. How we could we have not seen it? It's so obvious. Both Roy and I had that chart right in front of us, yet neither of us saw Lookout Point. Just shows what haste, stress, and pressure do to people.
The guy who owns this dock said we could rent it by the week for $90, with the $40 we've already paid applying towards it, so Roy paid him another $50 and now we're all set until next Wednesday. This is a lovely place. Plenty of water to explore by Royak, so we're going to kick back, relax, and enjoy.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 1994 - Beaufort, NC
What a fun day! Finally, we're out from under all pressure. We can relax and enjoy. I'm so glad Roy is finally able to have some fun. He's been working so hard for so long.
We strolled along the waterfront and found a fairly large marina. There was a 92' yacht tied up there--the Diablesse on her way to Australia. What a boat! The winches alone cost thousands of dollars each. But I wouldn't swap the Jofian for her.
After four or five wrong numbers, I finally reached the main Post Office in Charleston. Wanted to find out if our mail had arrived. It hadn't. We asked at the Beaufort Post Office about getting our mail sent up here from Charleston so we don't have to go down there. We're now in the hurricane season, so we want to head north, not south. The postal clerk thought it could be done, but we'd have to make the arrangements through the Charleston Post Office.
Phoned Kathy in the evening. She said she'd mailed the mail yesterday. That's too bad. If she hadn't mailed it, I'd have asked her to hold it.
There is a really terrific maritime museum here. It's completely free, yet it's better than most of the museums that charge admission. We spent a couple of hours wandering around it and didn't begin to see everything. Then we found out they even have a free loan car for boaters to use for two hours at a time! Roy wanted to get a panel volt/ammeter for monitoring the new windvane, so we borrowed the car and went to Radio Shack in Morehead City. To our surprise, they didn't have one. The clerk suggested Outer Banks Marine Supply in Atlantic Beach. We were right next to Shoney's, so we ate lunch, and then drove to Atlantic Beach. The clerk at Outer Banks didn't even understand what Roy was talking about. We stopped at a dive shop on the way back, but they didn't have one either. They suggested Napa Auto Parts. It was time to take the car back, so we'll try there tomorrow.
After returning the car, we got our good old Royaks out for the first time in many, many months and went paddling. Paddled over to a deserted island and walked around. Saw a herd of wild horses. Roy walked over to them, but I walked to the other side of the island. The water was remarkably warm, but we didn't swim; we didn't want to be out of sight of the Royaks for too long. When we got back to the Royaks, Roy paddled to an anchored boat and talked with the people on it. I paddled along the edge of the island until I found a passage through to the other side. Explored it and then returned to the boat. Roy had gotten back moments before I did.
We strolled along the waterfront and found a fairly large marina. There was a 92' yacht tied up there--the Diablesse on her way to Australia. What a boat! The winches alone cost thousands of dollars each. But I wouldn't swap the Jofian for her.
After four or five wrong numbers, I finally reached the main Post Office in Charleston. Wanted to find out if our mail had arrived. It hadn't. We asked at the Beaufort Post Office about getting our mail sent up here from Charleston so we don't have to go down there. We're now in the hurricane season, so we want to head north, not south. The postal clerk thought it could be done, but we'd have to make the arrangements through the Charleston Post Office.
Phoned Kathy in the evening. She said she'd mailed the mail yesterday. That's too bad. If she hadn't mailed it, I'd have asked her to hold it.
There is a really terrific maritime museum here. It's completely free, yet it's better than most of the museums that charge admission. We spent a couple of hours wandering around it and didn't begin to see everything. Then we found out they even have a free loan car for boaters to use for two hours at a time! Roy wanted to get a panel volt/ammeter for monitoring the new windvane, so we borrowed the car and went to Radio Shack in Morehead City. To our surprise, they didn't have one. The clerk suggested Outer Banks Marine Supply in Atlantic Beach. We were right next to Shoney's, so we ate lunch, and then drove to Atlantic Beach. The clerk at Outer Banks didn't even understand what Roy was talking about. We stopped at a dive shop on the way back, but they didn't have one either. They suggested Napa Auto Parts. It was time to take the car back, so we'll try there tomorrow.
After returning the car, we got our good old Royaks out for the first time in many, many months and went paddling. Paddled over to a deserted island and walked around. Saw a herd of wild horses. Roy walked over to them, but I walked to the other side of the island. The water was remarkably warm, but we didn't swim; we didn't want to be out of sight of the Royaks for too long. When we got back to the Royaks, Roy paddled to an anchored boat and talked with the people on it. I paddled along the edge of the island until I found a passage through to the other side. Explored it and then returned to the boat. Roy had gotten back moments before I did.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 1994 - Beaufort, NC
We both overslept this morning. Didn't get up until 8:30. Just had time to drink some orange juice and eat a bowl of cereal before the Travellift arrived. This was the first time in ages that I've been around for a haulout or in. At Cobb's, I was gone both times. When we hauled out here at Bock's, I was fast asleep, and Roy wouldn't let them wake me up, even though it was against the rules to have anyone on the boat. But this morning, I was up and about and able to do a little something to help with the process.
When we got back in the water, we tied to the dock in three feet of mud. Roy spent several hours putting the headstay back in place and getting the radar reflector out of the way of the wind generator blades. A single-hander came in on a sailboat and threw a line to one of the workers. Trouble was, he forgot to attach the other end of the line to his boat! I've heard of people doing stuff like that, but this was the first time I'd seen it. Anyway, he finally got in.
Very windy, but we zoomed down the ICW to Beaufort in two hours. To my secret glee, Roy went aground! It was soft mud, and he got off right away, but it goes to show, even the best can go aground.
We were going to anchor in the Beaufort Inlet, but it was too crowded, so we tied to the restaurant dock. The restaurant was closed, but a man came down and collected $20.
It's nice to be able to step off the boat and walk around town any time we want to.
The slight oozing of water into the center compartments has stopped. Everything looks nice and dry now.
When we got back in the water, we tied to the dock in three feet of mud. Roy spent several hours putting the headstay back in place and getting the radar reflector out of the way of the wind generator blades. A single-hander came in on a sailboat and threw a line to one of the workers. Trouble was, he forgot to attach the other end of the line to his boat! I've heard of people doing stuff like that, but this was the first time I'd seen it. Anyway, he finally got in.
Very windy, but we zoomed down the ICW to Beaufort in two hours. To my secret glee, Roy went aground! It was soft mud, and he got off right away, but it goes to show, even the best can go aground.
We were going to anchor in the Beaufort Inlet, but it was too crowded, so we tied to the restaurant dock. The restaurant was closed, but a man came down and collected $20.
It's nice to be able to step off the boat and walk around town any time we want to.
The slight oozing of water into the center compartments has stopped. Everything looks nice and dry now.
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