Voyage 2020: Chapter 2

19 Apr 2020, Pondering our Past while in COVID-19 Times, 38 46.494 N/ 076 33.792 W

We have been self quarantined for 7 weeks while preparing for our voyage North. Obviously we will have to change our plans. Meanwhile, we work on little plans, big plans, and multi-year plans while we work on the boat. There is plenty of time for reminiscing on our sailing past. Let's spend some words and go back to the 1970's.

Bob started his sailing experience on a one design Mobjack as ballast. The sailing experience was one I'll never forget: sailing is wonderful, racing not so much. In 1977, we bought a 20' sailboat after trying out some smaller ones. Our pride became the SV Coriolis. We had less than two days of experience between the two of us, but our broker, Tom, was a great teacher. We sailed her for five years with our largest passage from Washington DC to the Chesapeake (Tangiers Island). Good times were had except when we got caught in a near gale in the Middle Potomac. We knew we would need a bigger boat but we would have to wait. So we said good-bye to Coriolis in 1982.

Years later (1995), we rekindled our love for sailing and cruising. The ''ocean' was no longer a dirty word. We found the Baltic Sea yacht, SV Jule III (Laurin 38). Mercy, she was big! We were scared but she was ours. One weekend, we sailed to Oxford where an older gentleman helped us tie up. We chatted, talked about our boats, and then said good night. His boat was a beautiful wooden yawl similar to the picture to the left. That night he and his wife were with friends on his boat. When they all left, it was clear that the wife was in ill health. The next day, as they we about ready to head South, I asked him how far they we were going to go. With sadness in his face, he said "we will go until it's time to go back". We believe that she was in her end game of life. After they left, Ann and I said "that will be us one day".

Once Jule tamed us, we worked on a long range plan or 'bucket list'. It was consistent with our company (Advanced Research Corporation), family, and our improving sailing skills. The first item on the list was a circumnavigation of the Delmarva Peninsula, a trip of nearly 500 miles. It was our first coastal ocean cruise which started with our going aground just shy of leaving the Bay. Docking in Ocean City was a terror with its 3-4 kt current. We managed it with lots of help from the dock manager. Fifteen minutes after the tie-up, we noticed a sailboat anchor in the channel. At slack water, he weighed anchor and calmly went to his slip. Good idea! We got stuck in fog at the Harbor of Refuge in Cape Henlopen. That forced us to transit the C&D Canal at night; Thankfully, the rest of the trip was great but uneventful. Highlights included first grounding, first ocean, first big current maneuvering, first fog, first night transit, and our first canal. Not bad.

Second on the list was the Dry Tortugas, the end of the Key West archipelago. It was in 2000 when we left the Annapolis area and entered the ICW at MM 0. We sailed the ICW, did overnight coastal hops, the dreaded Georgia ICW stretch, and a really nasty overnight stretch from St. Augustine to Canaveral Inlet where the light and variable forecast turned to winds gusting to 30 over shallow water. We made it and stayed at Cape Marina for our Christmas break. It took us 2 months to leave. The Christmas winds were building and we didn't want to do the ICW any further as we planned a non-stop transit from Canaveral to Rodriquez Key. We followed Hawk Channel to Key West where we stayed for two weeks. Wonderful. The next stop was Garden Key where Fort Jefferson stands guard. Our two week stay was our initiation to the cruiser's world. We decided to add a stop to the plan; the Bahamas. We only planned a side trip to Gun Cay, Grand Bahamas and then back to Florida. A strong 10 day Norther kept us at Settlement Point for over 12 days. Two boats decided to brave it but a very angry Gulf Stream sent them back to us. Twelve boats left with us on the 12th day with only a gentle 7 ft. swell on the beam. Nice sailing. We experienced our first heavy weather, first long weather delays, and first passage to the Keys and first taste of the Bahamas.

High on the 'List' was a long distance voyage to Sint Maarten. for Jule III. We started analyzing weather patterns for the month of November a year before our intended 2010 departure. If we left too early, a late hurricane or tropical depression might cause dangerous conditions. If we left too late, early winter storms may overtake us before we arrive at St. Maarten. As November neared, we started monitoring the GRIBs (low bandwidth) digital weather that we can receive on the high seas. We found a longer term weather window starting on 22 November that had possibilities. Unlike previous windows, 22 Nov looked better as we approached the date. Final provisioning was completed and float plan filed as we departed Carolina Beach heading for Simpson Bay in Sint Maarten. The Gulf Stream days were flat calm but by the 4th day, the winds were filling from the NE (as predicted); then building and veering to ENE@15-25 kts from day 7-10. Seas were building to 10-15 ft with a descent period. We shook both reefs out on day 10 and set anchor in Simpson Bay on the 5 December 2010. We were beside ourselves. The island was beautiful. Home was on Jule III in Simpson Bay Lagoon. We visited St. Barths, and St. Kitts, but we always returned Home. We made many local friends and cruiser friends while at Home. The way back to the States was downhill, slow, and relaxing. We spent a month in the BVI; a month in the USVI; ten days in Culebra; a week in Puerto Rico; 10 days in Luperon; an overnight in Mayaguana, then through the rest of the Archipelago, and on to Vero. A trip of a lifetime. Check Voyage 2010 for the Log of 2010.

Our last bucket list items were Maine and Canada. We had trips to Maine and Nova Scotia in 2014 and 2016. Both trips had the port of entry of Shelbourne. From Shelbourne, we traveled up to Lunenburg. Our last trip to Shelbourne was interesting in that we were less than 4 hours out from Portland when a thick fog covered the rest of our trip or at least most of it. During the transit, we saw our one and only fog bow. It was very calming; not sure why. The fog was lifting just as we approached McNutt Island at the mouth of Shelbourne Harbour. The bad news was that is was nightime. Fortunately, we had been in the Harbour in 2014 so we thought we could navigate the 20 miles up to the town. Luck would have it that we didn't hit anything. Shelbourne was a pleasant town as were the people throughout the province. when we left Nova Scotia, we headed for Maine. The lobster floats were overwhelming with a big O! We probably entered the Mount Desert area from the wrong direction but we nearly had a coronary. Adding fog to the traps was a sight to see. Fortunately, we never ate a 'warp' so things eventually calmed down. We are striving for a last trip to the Bay of Fundy. We were to be on our way now but COVID 19 had other ideas. We will see...we will see.

30 Apr 2020, Waiting on Weather and Coronaviris, 38 46.524 N/ 076 33.774 W

We have been in self imposed Covid-19 quarantine for almost a month until a virtual lock down was imposed on Maryland on 1 April. So much fun. We managed to get a visit from Chris and his family before the lock down. After that, we performed boat projects, watched TV, and dreamed of voyages to Canada (and Green Turtle Cay). We couldn't go to church but did manage to watch it on TV. At times it was difficult to exercise as the many folks around did not practice 'social distancing' nor face masks.

The weather was bad; it was cold (diesel heater for over a week), docks almost flooded twice, high winds much of the time. Yuck! Spring was trying pop out, but only begrudgingly. After a month and a half, we decided on a new plan. Instead of Canada, we would go to Elizabeth City and visit friends. We would sail down, spend a week and then sail back. Not as grand as Canada but a good plan nevertheless. So we provisioned and provisioned until there was a weather window. Wish us luck.