Monthly Archives: June 2021

Great times at Great Kills!

Posted on June 7, 2021 | Comments Off

Great Kills Yacht Club (GKYC) – Staten Island, NY – Friday, 6/4

Today we had lots of work to do but before getting started, Denise went for a short walk around the neighborhood. The road which GKYC is located on is about a half mile long and houses 2 other yacht clubs and a marina, along with some homes and town homes. Here are a few pictures from her walk:

We spent the majority of the day working, planning our future stops, and talking with some of the GKYC members, many are in awe of our boat and come by to complement us. Although it was mostly partly cloudy most of the day, it did not rain. However, around 3:30 pm a large Florida-like thunderstorm blew through the area, but only lasted about 30 minutes. The good news was it washed a lot of the salt off of the boat, and some dirt with it.

Having eaten on board the last two nights, we decided to go out for dinner. There are several choices in the area, but we stuck with our “usual” spot at Cole’s Dockside. We usually take advantage of their fixed price menu option as it is always a good value. However, they have now changed their offering time and we were not able to take advantage of it as we arrived too late. This was disappointing as it is usually a good value, and although our food was good, we thought it was not as memorable.

We walked back to the boat after dinner and were amazed at how calm and peaceful it was.

Great Kills Yacht Club – Staten Island, NY – Saturday, 6/5

As usual, Denise was up with the Canadian geese, ducks and other waterfowl squawking since before sunrise. She was able to get in a run this morning; the first one in a week. It was tough because of the hills, and the lack of running in the last few days, but at this point all she is interested in is maintaining some level of fitness. Venturing to a new area to run, she discovered two small parks tucked in between a few neighborhoods and adjacent to the GK harbor.

After breakfast we met up with some other loopers Louis & Jody (“Wanderer”), and Pat & Marcia (“Boyle-in-Water-IV”) and walked to “Frank & Sal’s”. This is a favorite ‘must-see’ Italian market with great meats, cheeses, fresh deli salads, bakery and prepared meals. It is not big, but was enough good things to temp us to put in our basket, including some deli meat, Italian cookies, and crab-stuffed salmon for dinner onboard tonight.

Since we finally had favorable albeit warm weather, we took advantage and stayed around the yacht club to clean and polish items on the boat. Mark scrubbed the outside while Denise did major chrome and stainless steel polishing. We socialized with some of the other locals and got visited by Pat & Marcia (“Boyle-in-Water-IV”) who were exploring the harbor in their dinghy.

During the day our new friends on “Wanderer” left and other Looper boats came in, including one in a slip next to us. Jon and DeeDee (“War Eagle”) pulled in and after a quick tie-up, we introduced ourselves. Here we discovered they were from Orlando, now living in Winter Garden but formerly from Audubon Park. After more discussion we learned Jon was born and raised in Miami and DeeDee was a 1990 graduate of Bishop Moore High School; Denise’s alma mater. What a small world it truly is. We left them to settle their boat and did not see them again until much later in the day, and then only briefly. We never got the chance to connect with them much, but hope to see them further up the Hudson River.

That evening we cooked dinner on board (the salmon was delicious) and then walked the docks, talking with a few of the locals on the dock next to ours. It is always through the locals that we get great ideas of things to do and see in the area, so we always try to engage such folks along the way.

In the evening we first attempted to stream a movie (“The Age of Adeline” – very intriguing) with GKYC’s Wi-Fi, but had to eventually switch to our own hotpot. One of our disappointments in this visit is that they still have not upgraded their WI-FI, and it has gotten even worse than it was on our last visit. John C has told us they now are working on the infrastructure of the club and it will be better shortly. We are hoping that it will be improved should we return in the fall. The cell coverage is also spotty, but we have been able to make it work when needed and then use it for WI-FI. But this consumes much of our available bandwidth, and it is a frustrating first-world problem.

Great Kills Yacht Club – Staten Island, NY – Sunday, 6/6

Today was a very hot day and one full of activity and fun.

We started by walking a mile to the Church of St. Clair for 8:30 am mass. This is a lovely parish in a small but upscale neighborhood, so the walk was pleasant among the tree-lined streets.

After mass we continued walking up the street to the little ‘downtown’ area of Great Kills, and to the train station. Our intent was to take the train all the way to the Staten Island (SI) Ferry. However, they were doing scheduled maintenance which we didn’t know about, so we were only able to take it half way. Then they had a “courtesy bus” that took us the rest of the way. This added more time to our trip, but it was still early enough in the day that it was not an issue. The bus dropped us off at the SI Ferry terminal.

But before catching the ferry, we walked to the Staten Island September 11 Memorial, located along the waterfront near the terminal. Here there is a sculpture and parkland that pays tribute to those SI residences who lost their lives on 9-11, as well as the victims of the first World Trade Center bombings in 1993. Part of the memorial also includes a section of the first responders involved in the recovery efforts on 9-11, many of whom became ill from the effects and have subsequently died. It has two “wings” to represent postcards and with the right angle you can see the Manhattan skyline between them. You can learn more about this memorial here.

After the memorial, we walked back to the ferry terminal and caught the 11:30 am ferry to Manhattan. It was a nice day to be on the water, and we were not really interested in going into Manhattan, we just wanted to stay on the ferry and ride it back to SI. However, due to security reasons we were forced to get off.

Since we were in Manhattan we figured we would get some lunch before heading back to Staten Island. We really didn’t want to venture too far into the city, (it was already approaching 90°) so we stayed close to the financial district. Unfortunately, since it was Sunday few things were open. However, we managed to find a small sandwich shop and took our lunch to a nearby park to eat it. Called the “Queen Elizabeth II September 11^th Garden”, this particular park provided a perfect respite from this hot and noisy day. It is true that NYC is the city that does not sleep and on this Sunday, there were several construction and road utility works underway right nearby.

After lunch we turned down Wall Street and took it to the water, figuring a walk along the East River may be cooler than along city sidewalks. This was partially true, but eventually we had to move out into the sun. The pathway was crowded but we didn’t have to take it too far before we ended back at the ferry terminal. We only had a short wait for the next ferry, and grabbed spots on the East River side for our return trip. The ferry was crowded and we welcomed a spot near the window where we could watch the boats out on the water. We even got to see quite a display of sailboats enjoying beautiful conditions.

Once back on Staten Island we had to reverse the bus-to-train excursion. It seemed to take much longer than in the morning, but it was probably because we were hot and tired. Once we finally got back to the GK station we stopped at the Top Tomato grocery store to pick up a few items. This is a local chain and has some pretty good produce prices, as well as a seafood and meat counter.

Finally, we arrived back at the boat, stowed our purchases and fixed an ice cold drink. We had walked the equivalent of 6 miles today and that was over 10,000 steps.

We went over to visit Marcia & Pat (“Boyle-in-Water-IV”) on their boat to discuss departure plans for tomorrow. They are also leaving and we wanted to coordinate for picture taking of our mutual boats in front of the Statue of Liberty. We were excited as we have not had an opportunity like this in all the times we have been through NY Harbor on our Island Office.

In the evening, we prepared and ate dinner on the boat, and spent time talking to family members on the phone. Once again we had a fun time at Great Kills Yacht Club, but we would be leaving tomorrow for our adventure up the Hudson River.

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Posted in Maine 2021

Breaking records!

Posted on June 4, 2021 | Comments Off

Great Kills Yacht Club – Staten Island, NY – Wednesday, 6/2

Today was a very very long day, but one full of great accomplishment by the crew of Island Office. We woke up early and left the dock at Rock Hall Landing Marina at 6:00 am as planned. It was an overcast sky and was expected to stay that way all day, but little wind was forecasted so we felt good about our plans.

As mentioned in the last post, our goal was to go as far as possible today, with a realistic goal of getting to Atlantic City or even Manasquan, NJ by the end of the day. But we were going to take it one step at a time, and the first step was to get off the Chesapeake Bay. We spent 2 hours cruising along, passing a few racing sailboats headed in the opposite direction (was there a regatta in Annapolis this weekend?), and actually being passed by a few sport-fishing boats. And with little wind, it was very calm on the water. We also passed by some nice homes, and some mobile homes that have one the best sunset views on the Chessy.

Around 8:00 am we entered the Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) canal and noticed a few sights along the way:

This narrow canal is pretty much a straight shot, with a few curves and very tall bridges that cross this 12-mile waterway. There are some beautiful houses on both sides and you pass by Chesapeake City on the eastern (southern) side of the waterway. One of the first “landmarks” spotted just before coming to Chesapeake City is Dann Marine, a barge, tow and marine company that actually has a fascinating history that started in Central Florida, of all places. You can read all about it here.

Along the canal we spotted a few people walking, jogging or bicycling on the pathways that line the canal. But perhaps the most interesting thing we spotted was a lawn being mowed by remote control.

By 9:30 we were exiting the C&D Canal and headed out onto the Delaware River. There were some small waves coming from the southeast and hitting just right of our bow, so it was a little bouncy, but very tolerable. The best part was there was an outgoing tide and we picked up an additional 1.5 knots of speed that we rode all the way to the Cape May (CM) Canal. Along the way we passed several Looper boats that had left either Delaware City or Chesapeake City earlier in the day, and we had been following on our Nebo and Facebook apps. About half way down the Delaware is the Ship John (“Jack”) Lighthouse; a great aid to measuring progress on this large body of water.

And at 11:30 we entered the Cape May Canal and we were delighted that we had put one large body of water behind us today without incident.

Before continuing on we had to stop for fuel and filled up at the cheapest place we know of in New Jersey: “Miss Chris Marina” up the Spicer Creek Canal. This is in a shallow creek just before the NJ 109 Bridge that crosses over the CM Canal, and before coming into Cape May Harbor and the Atlantic ICW. We turned up the creek and negotiated around a bunch of kayakers before pulling in for the fueling. It seemed like it took forever, but finally we had filled up our fuel tanks and were back on our way.

We entered the Cape May Harbor and cruised through the channel that runs in front of the US Coast Guard station.

It was 12:30 when we exited the inlet and headed out into the Atlantic Ocean. This is the worst part of the entire trip for Denise, and gives her much anxiety. This is because she is susceptible to seasickness, there are few “bail out spots” on the NJ shore, and the ICW along this stretch is too shallow for us to navigate. And eventually, all boats must go into the Atlantic at Manasquan, so there is no getting around it.

Looking at the time and finding very favorable sea conditions, we started thinking about going all the way to Staten Island in NY. From past experience we knew it was 2 hours to Great Kills Yacht Club (GKYC) in Staten Island from Manasquan, and we had time and daylight working to our advantage. The only unknown was would the wind still stay calm and the waves stay relatively flat.

It was a little rolly at first because we were on a NE heading and the waves were slightly abreast of the boat. We passed Atlantic City (our first bail out stop) at 2: 20 pm and were still ok, so we decided to continue on with the day. Up until now we had hardly seen any other boats, passing only one cruiser and a few sport fishing boats.

We had identified Barnegat Inlet as a possible bailout, if needed, but the seas were still tolerable and we still had little wind. About 10 miles after Atlantic City the coast turns inward and we turned to a more northerly course. Then the ride got a lot smoother and more comfortable, and we decided to push on to GKYC. We had already been in communication with John C (Harbor Host at GKYC) and knew he had a slip open for us, a day earlier than originally planned.

We continued on past Barnegat Inlet and eventually Manasquan Inlet seeing a few dolphin, fishing boats, whale watching boats, a few cruising boats, and even getting buzzed by a few A10 airplanes that looked like drones. The sun was getting lower in the sky (and now making it tough to get pictures of the shoreline). However, we could easily pick out the buildings as we passed Asbury Park, Sea Bright, and eventually we could see the lighthouse at Sandy Hook.

Usually from around Manasquan we can start to see the NYC skyline, but it was so overcast and hazy we were at Asbury Park before Mark saw the outline of the buildings. As we rounded Sandy Hook and entered into the Raritan Bay, we could see the fog covering the tall buildings in the city and the famous Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

On our way across this bay we passed fellow Looper boat “Selah Way”, whom we had been in contact with all day via our Looper FB page.

We entered the Great Kills channel and eventually the harbor to find things not much different than they were 2 years ago. Having a preassigned slip, we knew where to go, and at 6:30 pm Captain Mark successfully steered our boat into its home for the next several days.

We settled the boat and poured ourselves a much-deserved drink. We had traveled 219 nautical miles in 12.5 hours; this was our longest single-day distance cruising ever! We were happy to have this part of our trip behind us.

Our arrival prompted people on the dock, and Dave and Amy (“Selah Way”) pulled in shortly behind us. Eventually all the Loopers (“Uncorked”, “River Ranger”, “Agape”, “Conflict of Interest”) who were here came out and we had a very impromptu “Docktails”, along with John C and GKYC member Jimmy, whom we knew from previous visits.

Finally around 7:45 we broke up the party and headed back to the boat. We were hungry and desperately wanted showers. It had been a good day and we felt a great sense of accomplishment, but we were thoroughly exhausted, and after a quick bite to eat we went to bed right away.

Great Kills Yacht Club – Staten Island, NY – Thursday, 6/3

Today was a day of recovery, rest, and work. We woke to the pitter patter of rain; it had started in the early morning hours. This was just one more factor that de-motivated Denise, and she bailed on her planned run, betting up for a badly needed cup of coffee instead. Mark slept in later than usual, but he deserved it as he drove most of the way yesterday.

The weather forecast called for rain and windy weather, so we hunkered down and kept close to the boat. We did work for clients and the business, and Denise published the last blog, and cataloged pictures. We both talked with several family members and a few of the local club members who were out on the docks.

Around noon we watched “Uncorked” leave and saw another boat “Boyle-n-Water IV” come into their spot. Perfect timing as the rain had subsided and now it was just overcast. Another Looper boat came into the slot next to us, but their power requirements were bigger than the yacht club could handle and they ended up moving to the marina next door (Mansion Marina).

In the late afternoon we went for a walk up to the clubhouse and ran into some of the other Loopers. They were all headed up to the bar and we agreed to join them. Some of the folks left soon after the first drink, but Pat & Marcia (“Boyle-n-Water IV”), whom we had originally met in Norfolk, and Doug & Vickie (“Conflict of Interest”) stayed for a while. We spent time talking about our mutual cruising adventures and getting to know each other a little bit. This yacht club has the friendliest members and this is why we come here. There was one in particular who bought us all a round of drinks; not that they are expensive here. We think they live vicariously through all us Loopers and go out of their way to make us feel welcome. This is why it is our 5^th visit and will most likely stay here on our way home.

We didn’t stay long at the bar, but headed back to the boat to get dinner and finish up posting the last blog update. It had been a low-key day, but one of fun, new friendships and rekindling of old familiar faces.

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Posted in Maine 2021

Re-Planning our way north!

Posted on June 3, 2021 | Comments Off

Rock Hall, MD – Tuesday, 6/1

Today was a good day for making progress up the Chesapeake Bay. We left Wormley Creek Marina at 7:00 am saying goodbye to the nice folks in the marina, the USCG Training Center Yorktown, and the Coleman (Yorktown) bridge which had become our “front room” view for the last 11 days. We had a plan to get to Herrington Harbour in Maryland; just south of Annapolis. This would be about 100 miles and a good day on the water. The main reason for stopping here was fuel prices, but also because ever since we stopped here in 2019, we have wanted to stay and enjoy this resort.

We exited the marina channel and headed out onto the York River. There was a little wind, but it was a nice morning and we cruised along fine. Within 30 minutes we were out on the Chesapeake Bay, heading north under pretty good conditions. The wind was from behind and that made the slight wave action tolerable; if it had been blowing more it would have been quite uncomfortable because we had the current against us. This slowed us down by about a knot or two, but we were still going fast by most cruiser’s standards.

We ran along the western shore where we could see many houses and beach areas, passing the Rappahannock River. To the east, all we could initially see was water, but eventually the small islands marking this part of the Bay came into view. There were many sailboats out on the water and a few cruisers making their way north. We also passed a large southbound motor yacht that was cruising very fast, and when he passed he threw a big wake. Not quite like the container ship on the Cape Fear River last month, but it still rocked the boat a bit.

Eventually we came to the Potomac River marked by the Smith Point Lighthouse. Here its 8-mile wide mouth feeds into the Chesapeake and stirs the water, creating waves that flow with the current. Things were a little bit bumpy for a while, but still tolerable. After we crossed it and passed by Point Lookout, the boat settled down and the ride got more comfortable. It wasn’t long thereafter that we passed by a restricted zone; part of the bombing targets used by the military from NAS PAX. This is the Naval Air Station located at the entrance point of the Patuxent River; the river that would have taken us to Solomons, MD, where we intended to stay last weekend.

Just north of the Pax River and Solomons were the high cliffs of Drum Point, followed by the Cove Point Lighthouse, and the Cove Point LNG Facility; all of these have become landmarks for us over the last 6 years.

We continued north until we came to Herring Bay, and turned into the channel for the Herrington Harbour Marina and resort. We had reservations for the evening here, and they had already charged us for the night. However, it was only 12:30 and we really wanted to get further today if at all possible. So, once we took on fuel and added water to our tanks, Mark successfully negotiated with the dockmaster and they gave us a full refund. Had this been a weekend, they would not have done this and we were then free to continue on our travels.

By 1:00 pm we left Herrington Harbour and set our sights on two possible stops: Rock Hall (just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the Eastern shore) about 1.5 hours away; or Chesapeake City on the C&D Canal, about another 3 hours away. A complicating factor was Mark had to be on a 4:00 conference call with a client and we would ideally like to be stationary for it. Certainly there were several anchorages that were available, but we needed to have a good cell or Wi-Fi signal for Mark to make his call. We discussed our options and decided that based on time and how long it would take us to get into a location and settle the boat, the safest and known Wi-Fi option was Rock Hall. Denise called to make sure they could take us for the night, and we made our way there.

Continuing on we passed by the most famous lighthouse on the Chesapeake, the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. This is just south of Annapolis and is a good landmark.

East and north of Annapolis, we came into a very busy area where all large traffic (barges, freighters, container ships, etc.) have to pass underneath the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. This is always congested because it is the gateway into Baltimore and two major shipping channels converge. It was even more congested as there were several ships at anchor that we had to negotiate around, all the while dodging the numerous sailboats from Annapolis. Captain Mark comes closer to some of these vessels than Denise would like, but he does try to take the most efficient route around them all.

Once we got through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge we continued on towards the town of Rock Hall, located on the eastern shore, north of Kent Island. There is a huge shoal that extends out from the natural curve of the coastline, but is well marked and has a jetty that keeps things calm once inside the breakwater.

We entered the harbor at Rock Hall and made our way along the channel until we came to Rock Hall Landing Marina, where they put us on an end-tie for the night. It was 2:45 and that gave us time to settle the boat, check in at the marina office, and give Mark prep time for his call. We had traveled 133 miles in good, but not perfect conditions.

Mark finished his call and we had a chance to work on a few other items, including a check on the weather forecast and an itinerary for tomorrow. We are hoping to be able to make it to Atlantic City, and possibly Manasquan by the end of the day. This would make for a long day, but with sunset not until almost 9:00 pm, we felt confident it could be done.

We had a couple of drinks and were too tired to cook on board, so we walked to the only open restaurant near the marina, Waterman’s Crab House. The other restaurant in the harbor (Harbor Shack) is only open Thursday through Sunday, which is probably why we have never eaten there. After dinner we readied the boat for an early departure in the morning so we could be off the docks as fast as possible. Then we turned in for the night.

Rock Hall Landing & Waterman’s Crab House

We like Rock Hall and have spent time here in the past. It has great roads for Denise to get a run in, a nice supermarket and other things to offer. But this visit did not allow for any of this and would only be a quick overnight stay in order to take maximum advantage of the favorable weather tomorrow. Due to its location, we may very well end up staying here on our return trip in the fall. Here are a couple other pictures of the marina:

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Posted in Maine 2021

Tagged Herrington Harbour, Rock Hall

Socializing in Seaford!

Posted on June 1, 2021 | Comments Off

Wormley Creek Marina – Thursday, 5/26 through Sunday, 5/30

From Wednesday evening until Sunday afternoon, we spent some good quality time with our family in Seaford, VA. We attended a baseball game for a grandnephew (Colton), cooked a few meals together, went over to Shannon’s (niece) one night, and played cards just the four of us. Denise got in a few runs in the neighborhood around J&C’s house, seeing deer, bunnies, turtles, and even horses.

We went back to the boat a few times to check on things, and also for John to assist Mark in a minor repair on our galley hatch gasket; using a 3M product, of course! (For those that don’t know, Denise’s brother John is retired from 3M). During this time, we noticed the fireboat was done being painted and was now back in the water.

We also went to check out another potential marina (Mills Marina) that is actually closer to J&C’s and once again attended Joan of Arc Catholic Church for mass on Sunday.

Throughout the weekend we were also watching the forecasts for our planned departure. We still looked good for leaving on Tuesday and made arrangements for Tuesday and Wednesday nights at Herrington Harbor, MD and Delaware City, DE, respectively. We changed our stops along the Chesapeake in order to make some progress north, still looking to be at the Looper Pig Roast on 6/13 in NY, if at all possible.

On Saturday and Sunday the rains came, and brought with it at times some fierce wind. When it shifted out of the north it brought cold weather (55° at 8:00 am) and water from the York River up into the marina; once again the docks were covered. This was how it was when we arrived back at the boat on Sunday afternoon.

Finally, on Sunday afternoon we said good-bye to Cathy, and John took us back to our boat. We had things to do and wanted to make sure they had time to enjoy the rest of their holiday weekend without us in the way. We are so grateful for their warm hospitality and for sharing their home with us. We had fun and hope to get to see them again in October on our way home.

Once back on the boat we settled into putting things away and identified a few things to get done before our early Tuesday am departure. The rain had stopped (finally), but it was still overcast and very windy. And the boat was cold, which means we turned off the AC and turned on the heat.

When we returned to the marina we also noticed that the fireboat was now back on the hard. We are not sure of the reason for this and it was supposed to be ready for Memorial Day. However, no one was around to ask and it sat there for the rest of the weekend.

In the evening, Denise got the last blog update published and Mark reviewed the weather and tide forecasts. He planted the seed for adjustments to our itinerary from Wed. on, and confirmed we are good to leave on Tuesday as planned. We also spent time talking to both our family members and friends, some of whom we are especially thankful for as they are making this trip possible for us, by covering for things on the home front.

Wormley Creek Marina – Monday, 5/31 – Memorial Day!

During the night the clouds disappeared, and we woke up to a cool and breezy morning, with temperature at 50°. We welcome the sun and the cool (not cold) weather. The wind was still blowing, reminding us that there was a reason we did not plan to leave until tomorrow.

After breakfast we looked at the updated forecasts for the coming days. We now have a window of opportunity to get very far north by Thursday morning, and possibly to Staten Island, NY by Thursday night. But then we will have to sit for a few days as the next weather front comes through. Of course this could also change, so we can’t commit to anything right now except leaving tomorrow morning.

The rest of the morning Denise worked on prepping some food for the week, and Mark handled a few financial items for the business, as well as us personally. We also did a few minor boat chores and talked with some of the locals in the marina.

At noon we heard a cannon blast and looked towards the USGC Training Center Yorktown. Sure enough, they were commemorating Memorial Day and made 21 cannon blasts for fallen soldiers. It was pretty cool to see this from afar.

In the afternoon some of the sailboats in the marina headed out onto the York River. There was no organized event, just some great sailing weather and we could see them go up and down the river. While the wind had died down (as forecasted), it was still blowing enough for them to go have a great day on the water. We hung out around the boat, reading, writing most of this blog, and just relaxing. Coming up, we will have a few long days on the water and wanted to take advantage of a lazy and relaxing afternoon.

We have enjoyed our time at this marina, and will write a positive review when we get the chance. We may even stay here again on our return trip south.