I'm pretty tired tonight. Got up early and out on the water before day break so I would make all the bridges south of Norfolk. Seas were a bit bigger than forecasted this morning. They were about 3 to 4 feet with some big rollers out there. Boat did fine, but it was more work than yesterday. Came off the ocean about 12:30 into the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
The Navy had a huge aircraft carrier in port today and the security zone was huge. I had to about drive the boat to Ohio to get around. The Coast Guard was not messing around either. There were multiple announcements on the VHF and when I got a little too close they had a small inflatable after me in a skinny minute. I quickly altered course to go further out and they called off the full assault.
Other than that, it was a great day. Sunny and almost hot around 80. I made all the bridges and pulled into Coinjock at 4:30 with plenty of fuel this time. I really got lucky yesterday. Lesson learned; on any delivery always top off the fuel before you leave no matter what the gauge says!
Will have one more long day tomorrow. Will go ahead and finish the trip by completing about 235 miles down to Wrightsville Beach. Hopefully the weather continues to be good and I will try and run down Pamlico Sound to save a few miles. Then I will just have to slog it out with the multitudes of sailboats and trawlers (snow birds) all moving south now on the ICW. A cold beer tomorrow night is going to taste really good!
Friday, October 10, 2014
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Great Start to the Trip
What a great start to this trip. I got off the dock just before 7:00am. There was just enough light to get underway. The boat cruised at 2650 rpm's which was 81% load and throttle and she did between 23 and 24 mph all day. It was a bit sloppy coming out of New York Harbor this morning. I had a rising tide against a northwest wind which created a bit of sloppy confused seas for about 45 minutes from the Verrazano Bridge out to the point of Sandy Hook, NJ. After that, things smoothed out and I had a great ride south.
I had originally thought I would call it a day in Cape May, but the seas were too good and it was too early for me to quit. So about 11:00 once I came around Barnegate Light Sea Buoy, I set a new waypoint for Ocean City, MD. It was about 110 more miles and I went back and forth with this decision for over an hour. The biggest question was if I had enough fuel to make the trip. Unfortunately, there was really no bail out stop if the fuel ran low. I had to make Ocean City or else. Compounding the decision was the fuel itself. These is no "manual" fuel gage; only the smartcraft. So I had to take it at face value that the fuel was full when I left New Rochelle. The boat holds 185 gallons and I was burning 16 gallons an hour. I figured that I "should" be able to go 230 miles and still have a 10% reserve. I calculated the trip at 210 miles, so thought I was fine.
So on I went. Boat was running great and the seas were a calm 2 feet. I set the autopilot and let it do its thing. I came into the inlet at Ocean City at about 3:45. The smartcraft said I still had 45 gallon as I came in the inlet. Once I came off of plane, the smartcraft said I had only 25 gallons left. So not too bad. That is until I got to the fuel dock. No issues; I tied up and cut the motor off and started to fuel. The tank finally spit a little fuel out of the vent after I put 176.1 gallons in! Remember the tanks holds 185. I had 8.9 gallons left in the tank. Whew! That was close!
All's well that ends well. A close call for sure, but no harm; no foul. Seas are expected to be good again tomorrow so I will run down the VA/MD shore and come in the mouth of the Chesapeake at Cape Charles and then try to run on the ICW down to Coinjock. A lot of things have to go right tomorrow, but I think it is "doable". If all of this comes together, I will end up doing this trip in only 3 days instead of 4. It should be another fun day if the weather holds out. Saturday is not looking so good, so hence the retreat back to the ICW as getting caught out with rough seas and a single engine around Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout (the Graveyard of the Atlantic) is not a good idea.
Just a few pictures from early today as most of the day was off-shore.
Tied up at Sunset Marina in Ocean City, MD
I had originally thought I would call it a day in Cape May, but the seas were too good and it was too early for me to quit. So about 11:00 once I came around Barnegate Light Sea Buoy, I set a new waypoint for Ocean City, MD. It was about 110 more miles and I went back and forth with this decision for over an hour. The biggest question was if I had enough fuel to make the trip. Unfortunately, there was really no bail out stop if the fuel ran low. I had to make Ocean City or else. Compounding the decision was the fuel itself. These is no "manual" fuel gage; only the smartcraft. So I had to take it at face value that the fuel was full when I left New Rochelle. The boat holds 185 gallons and I was burning 16 gallons an hour. I figured that I "should" be able to go 230 miles and still have a 10% reserve. I calculated the trip at 210 miles, so thought I was fine.
So on I went. Boat was running great and the seas were a calm 2 feet. I set the autopilot and let it do its thing. I came into the inlet at Ocean City at about 3:45. The smartcraft said I still had 45 gallon as I came in the inlet. Once I came off of plane, the smartcraft said I had only 25 gallons left. So not too bad. That is until I got to the fuel dock. No issues; I tied up and cut the motor off and started to fuel. The tank finally spit a little fuel out of the vent after I put 176.1 gallons in! Remember the tanks holds 185. I had 8.9 gallons left in the tank. Whew! That was close!
All's well that ends well. A close call for sure, but no harm; no foul. Seas are expected to be good again tomorrow so I will run down the VA/MD shore and come in the mouth of the Chesapeake at Cape Charles and then try to run on the ICW down to Coinjock. A lot of things have to go right tomorrow, but I think it is "doable". If all of this comes together, I will end up doing this trip in only 3 days instead of 4. It should be another fun day if the weather holds out. Saturday is not looking so good, so hence the retreat back to the ICW as getting caught out with rough seas and a single engine around Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout (the Graveyard of the Atlantic) is not a good idea.
Just a few pictures from early today as most of the day was off-shore.
Tied up at Sunset Marina in Ocean City, MD
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Blue October - 33 foot Back Cove
The start of another trip...
Today I jumped aboard "Blue October", a 2007 33-foot Back Cove powered by a single 425hp Cummins diesel. She is a beautiful boat that needs just a bit of TLC. I flew in today from NC to the Castaway Yacht Club in New Rochelle, NY on Long Island Sound. I will get an early start tomorrow morning as the boat will go all the way down to Wilmington, NC; a trip of approximately 750 miles. Tomorrow I expect to run the boat to Cape May, NJ. The seas off-shore have been a bit rough over the last 3 days and we actually delayed the trip due to poor sea conditions. However, I think tomorrow is going to be a good day to run down the Jersey Shore with seas expected to be 2 to 3 feet with winds out of the west.
I spent a good bit of my time today going over the boat. I had a bit of an issue with the chartplotter. I couldn't get a GPS fix. After an hour of messing with every setting and trying to get it obtain a fix with no luck, it was time to dive behind the console. I checked connections, traced wires, etc. Finally found a 10amp fuse that was blown. I was able to replace the fuse and now she is working like a champ. Sometimes it is the little victories that can mean the most. I will sleep much better tonight with the chartplotter working like it is supposed to.
Today I jumped aboard "Blue October", a 2007 33-foot Back Cove powered by a single 425hp Cummins diesel. She is a beautiful boat that needs just a bit of TLC. I flew in today from NC to the Castaway Yacht Club in New Rochelle, NY on Long Island Sound. I will get an early start tomorrow morning as the boat will go all the way down to Wilmington, NC; a trip of approximately 750 miles. Tomorrow I expect to run the boat to Cape May, NJ. The seas off-shore have been a bit rough over the last 3 days and we actually delayed the trip due to poor sea conditions. However, I think tomorrow is going to be a good day to run down the Jersey Shore with seas expected to be 2 to 3 feet with winds out of the west.
I spent a good bit of my time today going over the boat. I had a bit of an issue with the chartplotter. I couldn't get a GPS fix. After an hour of messing with every setting and trying to get it obtain a fix with no luck, it was time to dive behind the console. I checked connections, traced wires, etc. Finally found a 10amp fuse that was blown. I was able to replace the fuse and now she is working like a champ. Sometimes it is the little victories that can mean the most. I will sleep much better tonight with the chartplotter working like it is supposed to.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
We Arrive in Buffalo
This will be my final update on this trip.
Sorry no post yesterday. We got in pretty late and didn't have cell service or internet connection. We did make it through the Welland Canal on Monday without issue. It was a long day, as it normally is. We started off at 6:30 and got tossed around as we made the 3 mile run from the marina to the entrance to the canal. After getting to the first lock at 7:00, we had to wait until 10:00 to start our passage through. We traveled all day with the 140-foot Canadian Coast Guard Research Vessel "Limnos".
The passage through the canal was fine, but it was long. We got to the final lock and thought we were home free, but we ended up having to wait 4 hours to let other commercial vessels heading onto Lake Ontario go by. We finish the last lock around 6:00pm and headed to the marina. The wind was blowing pretty hard and there were no dockhands around since the marina was closed. We made the best of it and got her tied up. The restaurant on site was closed and we didn't feel like trying to walk into town, so we ordered some pizza and had it delivered to the boat. By 9:30 my head was on the pillow and the lights were out.
After a good nights rest we left out of Port Colborne this morning at 7:00. What a beautiful morning it was. Bright sunshine, 15kts of winds out of the west and the seas running 2 to 3 feet on the stern. We set the throttles at 950 rpm and cruised the 22 miles from Sugarloaf Marina to the Erie Basin Marina in downtown Buffalo, NY. We pulled up to the fuel dock at 9:15 and spent the next 2 hours topping off the 4 fuel tanks. She was very thirsty!!
What an exceptional trip! We covered 821 miles since leaving Annapolis, MD last Sunday. We averaged 10.5mph and used 2,231 gallons of fuel. We had no weather delays and no mechanical issues during the entire trip. The big Detroit Diesels purred right along the entire voyage. I know Geoff & Celeste Smith got a great boat that will provide them with many years of enjoyment. Thanks to everyone who has followed along and provided encouragement along the way. It is appreciated!
A few final pictures from the last two days:
Entering lock 1 on the Welland Canal on Monday.
We locked through the Welland all day with the 140-foot Canadian Coast Guard Research Vessel named Limnos
Entering lock 4; note the large cargo vessel rising up ahead in lock 6 and one coming down on the other side.
Double lock wall. It makes our boat look like a rubber ducky in a bath tub.
M/V Limnos got tossed around in Lock 7. It actually hit the opposite wall pretty hard.
A large ship coming through the Welland Canal. We had to pull off to the side to let him get by.
The skyline of Buffalo coming across Lake Erie.
All tied up at Erie Basin.
Sorry no post yesterday. We got in pretty late and didn't have cell service or internet connection. We did make it through the Welland Canal on Monday without issue. It was a long day, as it normally is. We started off at 6:30 and got tossed around as we made the 3 mile run from the marina to the entrance to the canal. After getting to the first lock at 7:00, we had to wait until 10:00 to start our passage through. We traveled all day with the 140-foot Canadian Coast Guard Research Vessel "Limnos".
The passage through the canal was fine, but it was long. We got to the final lock and thought we were home free, but we ended up having to wait 4 hours to let other commercial vessels heading onto Lake Ontario go by. We finish the last lock around 6:00pm and headed to the marina. The wind was blowing pretty hard and there were no dockhands around since the marina was closed. We made the best of it and got her tied up. The restaurant on site was closed and we didn't feel like trying to walk into town, so we ordered some pizza and had it delivered to the boat. By 9:30 my head was on the pillow and the lights were out.
After a good nights rest we left out of Port Colborne this morning at 7:00. What a beautiful morning it was. Bright sunshine, 15kts of winds out of the west and the seas running 2 to 3 feet on the stern. We set the throttles at 950 rpm and cruised the 22 miles from Sugarloaf Marina to the Erie Basin Marina in downtown Buffalo, NY. We pulled up to the fuel dock at 9:15 and spent the next 2 hours topping off the 4 fuel tanks. She was very thirsty!!
What an exceptional trip! We covered 821 miles since leaving Annapolis, MD last Sunday. We averaged 10.5mph and used 2,231 gallons of fuel. We had no weather delays and no mechanical issues during the entire trip. The big Detroit Diesels purred right along the entire voyage. I know Geoff & Celeste Smith got a great boat that will provide them with many years of enjoyment. Thanks to everyone who has followed along and provided encouragement along the way. It is appreciated!
A few final pictures from the last two days:
Entering lock 1 on the Welland Canal on Monday.
We locked through the Welland all day with the 140-foot Canadian Coast Guard Research Vessel named Limnos
Entering lock 4; note the large cargo vessel rising up ahead in lock 6 and one coming down on the other side.
Double lock wall. It makes our boat look like a rubber ducky in a bath tub.
M/V Limnos got tossed around in Lock 7. It actually hit the opposite wall pretty hard.
A large ship coming through the Welland Canal. We had to pull off to the side to let him get by.
The skyline of Buffalo coming across Lake Erie.
All tied up at Erie Basin.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Finished the Erie Canal; Crossed Lake Ontario
Just a quick update...
We pulled out of Brewerton, NY on Sunday morning at 6:30 and finished the Oswego Canal just before 11:00am. We got out onto Lake Ontario and it was as forecasted; 3 to 5 feet, but it was supposed to subside to 1 to 3 feet later in the day. By about 4:00pm the seas laid down a bit and we had a pretty good ride all the way to Port Dalhousie, Ontario. We covered 177 miles in 12 hours. The reason for the long day was the forecast for Lake Ontario on Monday. They were calling for building seas 3 to 5 with winds 20kts.
Good thing we covered the lake yesterday. We got up this morning and I checked the forecast; small craft advisory with seas 4 to 7 feet. We pulled out of Port Dalhousie to make the 3 mile run over to the Welland Canal. We got the crap kicked out of us this morning. There is no boat that likes 7 foot seas. Anything that was on the counter was on the floor very quickly.
We picked up our third deckhand at 7:00am to transit the canal. Unfortunately, we have a large cargo ship in front of us and are tied up on the wall waiting until around 10:00 to begin our passage. We don't expect to complete the canal until around 6:30pm tonight if everything goes perfectly. So we will tie up at Sugarloaf Marina in Port Colborne, Ontario for the night and make the short trip across Lake Erie in the morning to Buffalo.
I'll try and update again tonight with a few pictures of the canal.
We pulled out of Brewerton, NY on Sunday morning at 6:30 and finished the Oswego Canal just before 11:00am. We got out onto Lake Ontario and it was as forecasted; 3 to 5 feet, but it was supposed to subside to 1 to 3 feet later in the day. By about 4:00pm the seas laid down a bit and we had a pretty good ride all the way to Port Dalhousie, Ontario. We covered 177 miles in 12 hours. The reason for the long day was the forecast for Lake Ontario on Monday. They were calling for building seas 3 to 5 with winds 20kts.
Good thing we covered the lake yesterday. We got up this morning and I checked the forecast; small craft advisory with seas 4 to 7 feet. We pulled out of Port Dalhousie to make the 3 mile run over to the Welland Canal. We got the crap kicked out of us this morning. There is no boat that likes 7 foot seas. Anything that was on the counter was on the floor very quickly.
We picked up our third deckhand at 7:00am to transit the canal. Unfortunately, we have a large cargo ship in front of us and are tied up on the wall waiting until around 10:00 to begin our passage. We don't expect to complete the canal until around 6:30pm tonight if everything goes perfectly. So we will tie up at Sugarloaf Marina in Port Colborne, Ontario for the night and make the short trip across Lake Erie in the morning to Buffalo.
I'll try and update again tonight with a few pictures of the canal.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Autumn on the Erie Canal
Sorry I didn't post yesterday. The internet was painfully slow in St Johnsville and I didn't want to deal with it. Yesterday we traveled 70 miles and went through 14 locks. Waterford to St Johnsville is a nice run on the Mohawk river, but the best of the Erie Canal was coming today.
We had another terrific day on the water. We left out of St Johnsville this morning at 7:00am and covered 7 locks and 82 miles. We had a speed restriction of 10mph all day on the canal except for Lake Oneida where we were able to get up on plane.
We are in Brewerton, NY, just outside of Syracuse. The leaves are just starting to change and with a good strong wind today, we had lots of leaves blowing off the trees as we traveled through the canal. I needed a rake to clean the boat tonight instead of buck of soap and a deck brush.
We expect to make at least Oswego tomorrow, but more likely we will get out onto Lake Ontario and try to go all the way to Rochester, NY. That will leave us a shorter day on Monday. The boat continues to run great and we have had no issues (knock on wood).
Here are a few pictures from today.
Inside lock 16 this morning.
A train going by as we pass through Utica, NY
A beautiful autumn day on the Erie Canal
We had another terrific day on the water. We left out of St Johnsville this morning at 7:00am and covered 7 locks and 82 miles. We had a speed restriction of 10mph all day on the canal except for Lake Oneida where we were able to get up on plane.
We are in Brewerton, NY, just outside of Syracuse. The leaves are just starting to change and with a good strong wind today, we had lots of leaves blowing off the trees as we traveled through the canal. I needed a rake to clean the boat tonight instead of buck of soap and a deck brush.
We expect to make at least Oswego tomorrow, but more likely we will get out onto Lake Ontario and try to go all the way to Rochester, NY. That will leave us a shorter day on Monday. The boat continues to run great and we have had no issues (knock on wood).
Here are a few pictures from today.
Inside lock 16 this morning.
A train going by as we pass through Utica, NY
A beautiful autumn day on the Erie Canal
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Radar Down
As anticipated, we had a very late start today. It is a good thing too, because we had so much fog this morning we could not have left early anyway. We couldn’t see out more than 25 yards.
The great folks at Coeyman’s Landing Marina were able to remove all the items from the radar arch (radar, 2 GPS and a TV antenna) just after lunch time. After a pump out and paying the bill, we got back on the water and underway around 1:45 this afternoon.
We traveled up to Troy, NY where we went through our first lock. We said good-bye to the saltwater and tide at this point and traveled 2 miles to the entrance to the Erie Barge Canal.
We tied up tonight at the Waterford Visitors Center where we put a 65 foot boat in a space for a 60 footer. No problems, but it was a tight squeeze. It was the last available space so we didn’t have much choice.
We will get an early start tomorrow and begin our journey through the “Flight of Five”. The Flight of Five is a series of 5 locks that must be completed all at once. It takes you from Waterford up 150 feet onto the Mohawk River.
More to come…
This red marker was about 10 yards from our boat.
A nice summer cottage backing up to the Hudson River.
The famous "split" between the Erie and Champlain Canals.
It was a tight fit.
We only have inches between our bow and the boat in front of us.
There is at least 6 feet of our boat hanging off the back of the dock. I'm just glad we fit.
The great folks at Coeyman’s Landing Marina were able to remove all the items from the radar arch (radar, 2 GPS and a TV antenna) just after lunch time. After a pump out and paying the bill, we got back on the water and underway around 1:45 this afternoon.
We traveled up to Troy, NY where we went through our first lock. We said good-bye to the saltwater and tide at this point and traveled 2 miles to the entrance to the Erie Barge Canal.
We tied up tonight at the Waterford Visitors Center where we put a 65 foot boat in a space for a 60 footer. No problems, but it was a tight squeeze. It was the last available space so we didn’t have much choice.
We will get an early start tomorrow and begin our journey through the “Flight of Five”. The Flight of Five is a series of 5 locks that must be completed all at once. It takes you from Waterford up 150 feet onto the Mohawk River.
More to come…
This red marker was about 10 yards from our boat.
A nice summer cottage backing up to the Hudson River.
The famous "split" between the Erie and Champlain Canals.
It was a tight fit.
We only have inches between our bow and the boat in front of us.
There is at least 6 feet of our boat hanging off the back of the dock. I'm just glad we fit.
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