tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32016833606276295952024-03-06T03:28:50.570-05:00Summertime's JourneySummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-8960204193750418352018-09-11T21:45:00.000-04:002018-09-11T21:45:33.023-04:00HURRICANE FLORENCE UPDATE 11Sep018We got onto the C& D Canal on 7Sep. We spent the weekend hunkered down, anchored in the basin at Chesapeake City riding out the winds and rains of tropical depression Gordon as it went across the NE. On Monday we moved down the bay getting as far as Rock Hall. The weather forecast was not good, so we planned to go to Rock Hall with Worton Creek as an alternate bailout location if the bay was too rough when we got to the open areas. It was not that bad, so we made Rock Hall easy. Probably could have gone farther. We tried to find a place to put SummerTime on the hard in the Hampton Roads area, but struck out. Tuesday morninng we got up to dense fog. So much for getting to the Severn River by Wednesday evening as a possible place to take SummerTime out of the water on Thursday. We checked locally, and took SummerTime from Rock Hall to Lippincott Marina in Grasonville, MD. All of 14 miles. SummerTime will sit on the hill here until the Atlantic settles down with hurricane breeding. We are going to SE Virginia.<br />
Our relatives in coastal NC need prayers, as will everyone in that area. We do not think Barbara's brother will leave Carolina Beach. But a cat 4 classification on Florence may change his mind. Barbara's older sister will stay in her house as it is high. My younger sister & her husband are going farther inland to stay with friends in their brick house. My other sister is struggling. She is just getting back in her trailer after Irene flooded it in 2011.<br />
At any rate, Barbara and I are safe. We will start our blog back up after we resume our journey, most likely early October.<br />
RodneySummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-32846286127563826492018-09-08T21:39:00.001-04:002018-09-08T21:39:53.504-04:00Little Triangle Loop, Week #10, 25-31Aug018, NYC AND CONNECTICUTT We are not in much of a hurry to get out of this marina this morning. It is low tide when I get up, and I well remember the problems we had getting in to Cornetta's Marina and Restaurant in Piermont. We are ready and get underway about 10. The tide is about 3/4 way up now. We back out of the slip easily versus the dragging we did going in this past Friday. I had watched other boats going out this morning, and change my route out to parallel the pier, and stay closer than what the charts would imply you should do. The water appears to be 1-2' deeper this way, even given the tide difference. After we clear the end of the dike or "Pier", we slowly pick up to cruising speed. We come to one of New Jersey's State Marinas and I call them on the radio. They do not answer until I get in front of the opening of their bulkhead. The attendant states their depth is only about 2' at the service dock. We proceed farther down the river. We are in front of the NJ Palisades in this section of the Hudson River, but NY City can be seen in the curve beyond them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NEW JERSEY PALISADES</td></tr>
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Most of the traffic this morning is fisherman and high speed boats headed, I presume, to the city. About 10 miles past the first New Jersey marina, we come to the second one, Edgewood, and they can take us in. We get a pump out and then top the fuel tank off. An hour later we are headed up what is called the "East River" through New York City. The current is falling out of the river and I have to run at 85% power to make 5-7kt, or about half the normal speeds for this given rpm. If we had thought the traffic around the Statue of Liberty was bad, this is twice as bad.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TRAFFIC IN EAST RIVER</td></tr>
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There are more water taxis with more docks to pull up to, the same big sight seeing boats, dinner cruises, and of course the pleasure craft transiting through. We pass one sail boat, and I am thinking that he is going full power to make 1-2 knots against this current. This "River" has a reputation, and passing through it is recommended only on slack tides. It even has an area where the Harlem River breaks off, where the reputation is bad enough that the name is "Hell Gate" for this curvy intersection. It takes over an hour and a half to get to Rikers Island where the current has decreased to about half what it was. The current has not really slowed, the river is just twice as wide here to pass the same volume of water. In another 30 minutes we have passed La Guardia Airport, and are at Worlds Fair Marina. There are actually two docking areas here, and they put transient boaters in the first one which is being rehabilitated. The dock master comes from the other location and gets us checked in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwP-ibToRYLADPK6-sva8xTFkXp6UZ7LbpFOKUM-fIsXbed9G71I58pvJ6mp28R_cFYFXqH2AYmto0fffhRsnTZalEXgkaQG4A2uO0h-4tEPm-YCJfu4Pp77BKzbwawZLsHFxt9DHrlA/s1600/DSC_0436+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwP-ibToRYLADPK6-sva8xTFkXp6UZ7LbpFOKUM-fIsXbed9G71I58pvJ6mp28R_cFYFXqH2AYmto0fffhRsnTZalEXgkaQG4A2uO0h-4tEPm-YCJfu4Pp77BKzbwawZLsHFxt9DHrlA/s640/DSC_0436+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CITIFIELD BEYOND THE MARINA</td></tr>
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We are across the Interstate from CITIField where the Mets play. We need to do laundry, so I go to the site of the other marina to check out the laundry. It is 3/4 mile away, with one washer and one dryer. The only consolation is that they are free. Back at the boat, I get our collapsible wagon out, as we decide to postpone dinner and get laundry done first. We do the most critical things, underwear, shorts for me, lightweight shirts for both of us. It is well after dark when we get back to SummerTime. Barbara fixes a quick dinner, and we both retire. The clean clothes can wait to be put away.<br />
This Sunday we will not get to a church. I had "Googled" "churches near me", and the closest one was nearly a mile away. Walking that will mean more like a mile and a quarter at least. I have learned that "Googles" first distance measurement is "as the crow flies". When you actually ask for the directions, then you learn that there a few twists and turns in the route, making it longer than the search stated. About 12:30 we head over to CITIField to see the NY Mets play the Washington Nationals. We are in our seats well before the 1:10 game start, even though the walk off of the pier is 1/4 mile. Lunch is a ball park hot dog, "Nathans" in this case. The first 6 innings are slow, and then the Nationals, who have been dominated by the Mets up to this moment, wake up. At the end of 9 innings, the Nationals win 15 to 0. We retired to SummerTime to rest for Monday's journey. We have decided we have some time before we have to be back in Hampton. We are going to go into Long Island Sound and do some touring.<br />
Monday morning we secure everything and head out from Worlds Fair Marina. We follow a tug out of the channel thinking that he will guide us through the rocky areas on the charts. This plan works to just before the last bridge before the sound. The tug is pushing an empty barge, and moves out of the main channel over to an anchorage to tie this barge to another empty one that is staged in the anchorage.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzT00V5Vd_AyQTkkx4m88fsh40qYKnDvDMBcYFUnW7lpJ6q-qR_PEsigKLW73mvJpmmEhCGFhc-Sw4Ovqhyx81-XzKQjOcqBZkfZStFVI1k4xvV7WHOaki-5h5Racvwi0RbFRyC3cFy58/s1600/DSC_0012+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzT00V5Vd_AyQTkkx4m88fsh40qYKnDvDMBcYFUnW7lpJ6q-qR_PEsigKLW73mvJpmmEhCGFhc-Sw4Ovqhyx81-XzKQjOcqBZkfZStFVI1k4xvV7WHOaki-5h5Racvwi0RbFRyC3cFy58/s640/DSC_0012+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PARKING ONE BARGE TO ANOTHER, 2 CREW IS READY ON DECK OF BARGE W/ TUG</td></tr>
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So much for that plan, as the rocky area is just ahead at the beginning of the sound. We proceed on into the sound with the route I had input into the chart plotter earlier in the morning. We are headed to Norwalk, CT. There is an old town shopping area there as well as an aquarium. There is little wind on the sound, so our ride is smooth. There is no commercial traffic, but a lot of fast pleasure craft and sail boats. There is also a lot of fishermen on the sound trying to catch fish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKwJFRca-QYCBC8ZEK5uv6rg73t1XVCQE2UX40cXwrm6f46pMxgJLJx6Rc81rm7g15z4nglI4HYqWqcniW95JnGw7MOqwIS7etZWrtLDes2FGfu1i5qI5gnsknwUhHcOUFHGanugEOjE/s1600/DSC_0042+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKwJFRca-QYCBC8ZEK5uv6rg73t1XVCQE2UX40cXwrm6f46pMxgJLJx6Rc81rm7g15z4nglI4HYqWqcniW95JnGw7MOqwIS7etZWrtLDes2FGfu1i5qI5gnsknwUhHcOUFHGanugEOjE/s400/DSC_0042+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DIFFERENT BOATS FOR FISHING IN LI SOUND</td></tr>
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We are pretty close to being in the middle of Long Island Sound so there is not a lot sightseeing. You can see both sides, as the sound is narrow in this lower part, but not see the shores good enough to sight see. As we near Norwalk, we start to see some big boats commercial fishing. There are a number of islands off of Norwalk, and the first one has a lighthouse on it. It is easy to tell you have come to the right spot with landmarks like that to navigate to. We follow the channel on up to Norwalk Cove Marina, just inside and off of the mouth of the river. The dock hand meets us and helps us tie up in our assigned slip. It is warm and we visit the marina store as we wait for SummerTime to cool. After dinner, Barbara does the laundry she could not do with the 1 machine restriction at Worlds Fair Marina.<br />
Tuesday we take advantage of the Marina's shuttle to the business district of South Norwalk (SoNo). The driver drops us at the Post Office, we mail our documents, and then walk the street back to the aquarium. It is a nice aquarium, geared mainly on local salt water life. They do have some harbor seals swimming in a pool, as they are a native species here in the winter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRKY38SNc8_NV00URsTAPVY97dVFDSEDvfpW-YEQlVoWA8KhVpkkcEXsmhRENyAzYESNDu689ZOxmz5LrdS791SdwS1zDOy1y4BcdJ_L1TpUVd30NkEhiBS7O56L1D1-llG-gPNrGdDY/s1600/P8281427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRKY38SNc8_NV00URsTAPVY97dVFDSEDvfpW-YEQlVoWA8KhVpkkcEXsmhRENyAzYESNDu689ZOxmz5LrdS791SdwS1zDOy1y4BcdJ_L1TpUVd30NkEhiBS7O56L1D1-llG-gPNrGdDY/s400/P8281427.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HARBOR SEALS IN AQUARIUM POOL</td></tr>
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I am disappointed to read the seals are only here from September to March. The guide book stated you could see them around the Sheffield Islands so I was planning to see them going out by the Islands leaving Norwalk. This aquarium also has a lot of jellyfish, and many species. I learn more about different species of jellyfish, and their lives, than I ever thought was possible. I thought they were a colony of one cell animals that sting people. They do not have a brain, but they do understand their environment and how to work together to survive in it. The Norwalk aquarium has been studying jellyfish since before the turn of the century, and they actually breed and sell jellys to other aquariums. We leave the aquarium to go get lunch at a Mexican Restaurant across the street. The menu is not the typical taco and burrito fare, and the unique dishes are very tasty. We hurry back to the Aquarium as it has an Imax theatre and entry to one show was part of our admission. We watch a documentary on "Great White Sharks". Why not, we are closer to Amityville than we have ever been before. After the film, we go to the downtown area to check out the shops. We walk on two streets, but do not see anything that interests us. We go to C-town grocery and pick up some items for the coming week. We call the marina for our return shuttle ride.<br />
On Wednesday morning we have to make a decision. I originally wished to go at least to Mystic Seaport, another day and a half at SummerTime's cruise speed. Thursday is the last day weather wise in the coming week to make the trip from NY harbor to Manasquan, NJ. This stretch has to be done in the Atlantic Ocean, there are no sheltered passages. The forecast is for this coming Friday to the Tuesday after Labor Day to be high winds and some rainy days. If we proceed to Mystic, and the weather stays bad, we could be stuck in Long Island Sound area until another weather window opens up. If we leave today (Wednesday) we can get to Sandy Hook, and be ready to do the Atlantic travel on Thursday in relatively calm conditions. We decide to turn back towards the good weather crossing. We will have to see Mystic by car on another day. We depart Norwalk Cove Marina, and go out between some of the Sheffield Islands. We pass by commercial fishing boats dredging for oysters. Oysters are one of the resources that made Norwalk prominent along the Connecticut coast. This boat has what looks like a small mountain of oysters on the fore deck.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87aaKWd7RrE_uTLOClsXZQ07JhQrWA7qLd1ua4xV-ABRTuwOUc524U_UWIebHeEnGFNh4SnGnjT5ifHAhbruJtMTXjcZc3h7rDQwCgEzSFbbbm4PLQe_a1Pby0hv66-qRrHsmdzxnSzc/s1600/DSC_0088+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87aaKWd7RrE_uTLOClsXZQ07JhQrWA7qLd1ua4xV-ABRTuwOUc524U_UWIebHeEnGFNh4SnGnjT5ifHAhbruJtMTXjcZc3h7rDQwCgEzSFbbbm4PLQe_a1Pby0hv66-qRrHsmdzxnSzc/s400/DSC_0088+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OYSTERS BEING DREDGED FROM THEIR GARDENS</td></tr>
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When I ate oysters a lot, I do not think I could have eaten as many in a lifetime as i see on the deck of that one boat. After getting outside the islands, we head SummerTime towards the East River entrance off Long Island Sound. We meet a ship, which surprises me to some extinct. It is a small freighter, probably carrying freight to some smaller New England port from NYC.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3fK6GarDwHL-1eN__R8j_c_BENc2YC7-faaTED54iRtd4-90NJ7L35sMXbJnT8fM61YN9dlf6IiyhJaO9bG9TulWw6j9VpNPdDCoMaD9lytMril7F3Fxww5S_6UflUeDQbaK-KAEOvI/s1600/DSC_0108+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3fK6GarDwHL-1eN__R8j_c_BENc2YC7-faaTED54iRtd4-90NJ7L35sMXbJnT8fM61YN9dlf6IiyhJaO9bG9TulWw6j9VpNPdDCoMaD9lytMril7F3Fxww5S_6UflUeDQbaK-KAEOvI/s400/DSC_0108+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SMALL FREIGHTER ON LONG ISLAND SOUND</td></tr>
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I should not be surprised, as the LI Sound is suited for vessels like this to travel in. We get to the East River, pass by La Guardia Airport, and the tide is falling. Today we will be traveling with this strong, swift current. There is a lot less traffic today on this route through the City. The water taxis are all still rushing around, but a lot of the excursion and personal boats are gone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ykfMV5SI1os0l-WYhBqLGNi9dn2sIk7TJgs0vz_FNWF6R-UoFFFKElCvCKnxATnddVlsutYUeclyY8L5Y1-vyR3APbNDdbnxJ2WU2-0xLA8UJRdpe3CmmS2VnSstWz1tte5NqGvWbFc/s1600/DSC_0301+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ykfMV5SI1os0l-WYhBqLGNi9dn2sIk7TJgs0vz_FNWF6R-UoFFFKElCvCKnxATnddVlsutYUeclyY8L5Y1-vyR3APbNDdbnxJ2WU2-0xLA8UJRdpe3CmmS2VnSstWz1tte5NqGvWbFc/s400/DSC_0301+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WATER TAXIS</td></tr>
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We hit NY Harbor much quicker than leaving it this past Saturday. As we turn south down the Hudson, a car transport ship pulls away from the dock in NJ. They are easily recognized as they have tall slab sides, and a heavy ramp folded flat against the stern of the ship. It is headed to the open ocean for a crossing. They sit high out of the water all the time, so you do not know if they are empty or loaded. When you see one of these car transporters coming into this country, you know they are most likely loaded. When they are leaving, you do not know if they are empty, as there are some vehicles shipped from the US to other countries.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2ksGsDkicKT_ePJeQrOuTlx1P2qEq4-qVAKZ6QEg-TPG5OjTs2VjcNshZS20HsA9wBOkhpW4v1L9PEDhsjb-qFZZLkLc4HOesVoU27pBDY5OtXrkPiFqs62_p3XacH3IbD7wdVPgdSs/s1600/DSC_0201+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2ksGsDkicKT_ePJeQrOuTlx1P2qEq4-qVAKZ6QEg-TPG5OjTs2VjcNshZS20HsA9wBOkhpW4v1L9PEDhsjb-qFZZLkLc4HOesVoU27pBDY5OtXrkPiFqs62_p3XacH3IbD7wdVPgdSs/s400/DSC_0201+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CAR CARRIER PASSING OUT TO SEA UNDER VERRAZANO NARROWS BRIDGE</td></tr>
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After this transporter gets under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, he picks up speed. We continue on to the south to Raritan Bay at Sandy Hook. We are plotted into the marina at Atlantic Highlands, NJ. We are careful on entry as the US Navy has a pier extending way out into the bay. We take care not to encroach on their space. Atlantic Highlands told us when we made reservations we would be at a fixed dock. It did not prepare us for what we got. The pier itself is substantial, but the height is way more than we have had in past partially due to the 6' tide range. Also, a lot of piers after Hurricane Sandy were rebuilt higher. Sandy came in on high tides, and the storm surge caused a lot of damage due to boats being above the piers they were moored to. At any rate, there is a ladder there that we use to get off and on SummerTime's deck.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0d4POhAkzwL_h1_p9iEPJvy671DB1ZbL-NeypROHIQRvNStA6J-LUq65Etnc496mL2FgK0iuh0dYPQAHnOChsJF9ghpmtfxxs0tMKth3ZdINXc0m6rBwFWsle-e9A1LD-ESZd2JZWLmg/s1600/20180829_170113_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0d4POhAkzwL_h1_p9iEPJvy671DB1ZbL-NeypROHIQRvNStA6J-LUq65Etnc496mL2FgK0iuh0dYPQAHnOChsJF9ghpmtfxxs0tMKth3ZdINXc0m6rBwFWsle-e9A1LD-ESZd2JZWLmg/s400/20180829_170113_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HIGH FIXED DOCKS AT ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS MARINA</td></tr>
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We eat on board, though there is a nice little developed downtown area by the waterfront. After dinner we walk along the wide walkway to the downtown area. There is a new creamery with reviews boasting good their ice cream is. It is bout a 1/2 mile walk, but worth it. I get a mocha with chocolate bits in it on a waffle cone. I do not think the flavor I get is any better than Stewart's Brew Ha Ha, but their homemade waffle cone is very tasty. We walk back to SummerTime on the other side of the street to check out the other restaurants and antique/art/gift/souvenir shops that seem to be in all these little town waterfronts.<br />
Thursday morning the weather is nice as forecast. We get away from Atlantic Highlands and go the short route to the point at Sandy Hook. We pass by the CG station where there small boats are, and there is one of the bigger 80' boats anchored just a short distance from the station. On the point of land that separates Raritan Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. There are boats next to the breakers on this point fishing as well as people up on the beach casting into the surf.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTjTyT32fk_yN2GB2N5GhHxDjCyIGunSScYsdwBgcGFUgw4s-volz7JlUWD8tf5-UyIVmETO4KdR3PzDyPMyO-IKKuP07Pl8mlBfmD45KfK9X2Nh5fMSo_6nVCqJ_QXalNCGpcWg14pE/s1600/DSC_0269+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTjTyT32fk_yN2GB2N5GhHxDjCyIGunSScYsdwBgcGFUgw4s-volz7JlUWD8tf5-UyIVmETO4KdR3PzDyPMyO-IKKuP07Pl8mlBfmD45KfK9X2Nh5fMSo_6nVCqJ_QXalNCGpcWg14pE/s400/DSC_0269+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FISHERMAN & BOATS ON SANDY HOOK</td></tr>
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After we clear the point, I put SummerTime on the initial heading parallel to the beach to get us back to our re-entry point at Manasquan Inlet, NJ. We ride along about 2-3 miles off shore, enough to be in good water depths, but still able to sight see what is on the shore. Off the beaches between Sea Bright and Belmar, NJ, I see a sight I have never seen from one our own boats in all of my years of boating. The small bait fish are all balled up in several groups. At one of the farther groups I see what I am pretty sure is a whale feeding on them. I yell for Barbara to get the camera. She does, and manages to get several pictures as it surfaces while feeding and breathing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhlXENPPligUSGXVAGbN3z64-V4IBM4Z8brLjB__shmNP3M0I_kQddcKYWY0lnXUFE08ENWzKFSI5oggmHJevF5buFdZnr7iGU0bzirCMqDG7piB51HUjYVIHn_l-Mgip-iZsFYeIUVM/s1600/DSC_0296+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhlXENPPligUSGXVAGbN3z64-V4IBM4Z8brLjB__shmNP3M0I_kQddcKYWY0lnXUFE08ENWzKFSI5oggmHJevF5buFdZnr7iGU0bzirCMqDG7piB51HUjYVIHn_l-Mgip-iZsFYeIUVM/s640/DSC_0296+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHALE FEEDING OFF NJ COAST (bottom left in photo)</td></tr>
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We do not try to get too close as Federal laws regulate how close one can get to marine mammals, in particular whales. We discuss this sighting, and think it may be either a minke or finback. We saw both on a whale watching trip in Nova Scotia several years prior. We learned on the Nova Scotia trip that photographing whales is very hard. They disappear, you do not know where they are going to come up, when they do surface it is only for seconds, and they are gone again to come up who knows where. The best way to capture one in pictures is to use video. We can not do that today as I did not clear the card on the camera with the video feature. The rest of the outside passage to Manasquan Inlet is kind of anti-climatic. We enter the inlet with several fishing boats and one crew vessel from an offshore dredge. One boat is in a hurry and passes several boats moving slowly in the confined channel of the inlet. When we get the approximately 1 mile in, this bigger boat is waiting like everyone else, but in the middle of the channel. Even the crew boat captain is unsure of how to approach him. While everyone is milling about trying to see what this big boat is going to do next, the railroad bridge closes to boat traffic. This is a tough inlet to be coming in on a boat. There is a railroad bridge which serves the NYC-NJ commuter trains so that the bridge closes to boat traffic every so often. There is a warning siren, and down it goes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8xhrUzLmuQ1bOhphPTJLrEObIuyWuJTw8Wx6vLtJOCzSFFMIwIIPihSVDdWZTV9-SRjhdD9_q0A6J-7Ia08bIheQEMulF2UeJU1aLdsYnqEpzpUPsAQEUSoKgMsTQEUL5NDynU_Ubts/s1600/DSC_0343+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8xhrUzLmuQ1bOhphPTJLrEObIuyWuJTw8Wx6vLtJOCzSFFMIwIIPihSVDdWZTV9-SRjhdD9_q0A6J-7Ia08bIheQEMulF2UeJU1aLdsYnqEpzpUPsAQEUSoKgMsTQEUL5NDynU_Ubts/s400/DSC_0343+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">COMMUTER TRAIN NJ to NY CITY, DRAWBRIDGE BEYOND</td></tr>
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It is scheduled train service, so boats that transit the inlet daily can make their transits around the train schedules. About a quarter mile after the R/R bridge is a highway bridge which has to be opened for any traffic taller than 30', which is all sail boats and fisherman with tuna towers. We go down the Pleasant Point Canal into Barnegat Bay. We go slow in Barnegat Bay as it is shallow but even at our slow speed we get to the Toms River Marina well before the closing time. We stop in at the main dock at Lighthouse Point marina for a slip assignment, and then move to the dock they have assigned us to. This is a nice marina with plenty of resident boaters. It reminds me of Brands Marina where we kept SummerTime for 3 years while living in Ohio. We are told that there are restaurants close by, and "Google Maps" shows that there are. One of the regular boaters here comes over as we walk off SummerTime. He introduces himself as Luis, and notes that our boat is from Carolina Beach near where his "new to him" boat came from. He also inquires if we are doing "The Great Loop" as he has another boating friend interested in it. We converse a few minutes, then we walk to Rocco's pizza for dinner, and end up getting a box to bring part of our pizza back to the boat. We also walk to "Sundaes" two doors down and get an ice cream. They have no inside eating area, so we sit outside on a bench and hurry our eating so we can consume our ice cream before it melts.<br />
Friday finds us doing small things on the boat. I try to arrange a car rental so we can go visit our niece who lives a little over an hour away in western NJ. I have no luck, and am surprised that the rental car companies locally have no vehicles available. We call our niece and cancel our planned Saturday trip to her home. This also throws a kink in our plans to provision SummerTime. Barbara and I check "Google Maps" for groceries or Convenience stores nearby. There are no grocery stores, but there are other sources for small grocery items nearby. We walk out to Dicky's Dogs for lunch, which is only 450ft away walking per Google. This confirms what I have always thought, that the original directions you get from "Google" are "as the crow flies". We can not walk across the canal to get to Dicky's, so we walk the 1/4 mile around by land. From there we walk on to the other business area farther down the street. There is a Rite-Aid here where we can buy milk and bread. Also there is "Two Sisters" ice cream parlor just past the Rite-Aid. They make their on ice creams, and buy their sherbets and ices. Barbara gets peach ice cream, which totally surprises me. She always gets the strongest chocolate flavor available. But the one sister running the place says it is their last fresh peaches, and it will be the last batch of peach they make for the year. Barbara is persuaded. I sample the cherries in chocolate ice cream, but the chocolate is too strong, overpowering the cherries. I get a chocolate covered cherries in vanilla dipped into a waffle cone. We get our few grocery items at the Rite Aid and walk back to SummerTime. For the rest of the day we pretty much spend our time in the AC of the boat.SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-83966868163691746122018-09-02T22:29:00.001-04:002018-09-02T22:29:08.809-04:00Little Triangle Loop, Week #9, 18-24Aug018, SLOW TOURING ON THE HUDSON We spend Saturday trying to do some chores. It has showered some when we get up, and is going to shower more. We move SummerTime over to the fuel dock and get the holding tank pumped out. The water tank is near empty, the boat lists to starboard, so the pump out connection on the bottom starboard end of the holding tank is the low point of the tank. Then we fill the water tank so that the boat lists to the port (left). This puts the fuel tank vent on the high side (starboard now) of the boat, and we are able to fill the fuel tank. We just get the fuel tank filled when the bottom falls out of the sky. We wait for about 30 minutes before we can move SummerTime back to her slip. In the late afternoon the sky finally starts to clear. I re-organize our charts and guide books. Putting the ones not needed any longer back in their storage area, and getting back out the ones for the Hudson River and south. On Sunday we get up and use the courtesy car to go to church, sort of. We are getting dressed when Jim of Ping (arrived at Shady Harbor on Friday) arrives knocking on our hull. He asks if he can drop us and pick us up from church with the courtesy car. They wish to use the courtesy car in the same time. I think that this is a good option for all, so I agree. We meet Jim by the courtesy car at the appointed time, and he drives us to The New Baltimore Reformed Church. It is the same church we attended 5 weeks earlier, and the pastor and congregation remember us. Jim is there to pick us up promptly when church is over. We get back to SummerTime and prepare to leave to Saugerties, NY.<br />
The guides only have two marinas for Saugerties. We have not been able to get in touch with one for a slip reservation, but decide to leave anyway. We can always find a cove to anchor in. Part way down the River to Saugerties, one of the marinas finally returns our phone call. We make arrangements for a slip for two nights, though the marina operator warns us that a lot of debris is coming down the Saugerties River from the recent rains.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtIA7RA7322Nx6UlkoifEBw8WDEN-V1DAZK2iGaZ9xfAEUgMit9kfdK14_nBugVxObVX1CtBtwTHmhwaRo3LxCxnp7FVfQwK5z572mg0qA3zzWBwt_fzOkpxXhaIf1PGCHEUURpNBU80/s1600/DSC_0076+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtIA7RA7322Nx6UlkoifEBw8WDEN-V1DAZK2iGaZ9xfAEUgMit9kfdK14_nBugVxObVX1CtBtwTHmhwaRo3LxCxnp7FVfQwK5z572mg0qA3zzWBwt_fzOkpxXhaIf1PGCHEUURpNBU80/s400/DSC_0076+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LOG WASHED DOWNSTREAM FROM MOUNTAIN RAINS</td></tr>
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We are aware of the debris he is talking about as we have seen several trees and branches coming down the Hudson in the short time we have been on it. After about 3 hours we have the Saugerties Light in sight. It is privately owned, has been restored, and is currently operating as a Bed & Breakfast, so it looks very good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsu3JBhTtab_tZFNIFjdPEkjlFQwVQwe_2v2WJYckathZvNTk6Y6ZnSGDAhNuUd3ozCwJwbTG_OrGprf_KMp8CCe2oCO0uuMZeCA1nNd4KEhDOmaeaOacWIWQJZ1hO1-fMhHnQZ9K7XA/s1600/DSC_0113+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsu3JBhTtab_tZFNIFjdPEkjlFQwVQwe_2v2WJYckathZvNTk6Y6ZnSGDAhNuUd3ozCwJwbTG_OrGprf_KMp8CCe2oCO0uuMZeCA1nNd4KEhDOmaeaOacWIWQJZ1hO1-fMhHnQZ9K7XA/s400/DSC_0113+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SAUGERTIES LIGHT</td></tr>
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Our dock at Saugerties Marina requires careful tie-ing of our lines as the river current is swift. The marina owner is very good and offers to drive us downtown to "Miss Lucy's Kitchen". It has good reviews in the guide books, and we wish to try it out. It is one of the reasons we chose Saugerties to stop at going back down the Hudson. The food and service at Miss Lucy's does not disappoint us. The food is labeled Comfort in the guide, but it is done as "New Eclectic" and very tasteful. The restaurant is an old building in downtown. Saugerties has one of the first registered "National Historic Business Districts". <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKs0sMCmdhGsOZbXI6Efh27pGqfCnGz8aw2Pz9BGtjK31-xB6oY969g3jdzUxhpF890UxCydL2hszc-odn8DmUNTDWysaAG8rEcJ4nazkEqtJendkMK-dLL7vnpPtbPE46f1g53sZ7WH0/s1600/P8201160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKs0sMCmdhGsOZbXI6Efh27pGqfCnGz8aw2Pz9BGtjK31-xB6oY969g3jdzUxhpF890UxCydL2hszc-odn8DmUNTDWysaAG8rEcJ4nazkEqtJendkMK-dLL7vnpPtbPE46f1g53sZ7WH0/s640/P8201160.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HISTORIC DESIGNATION</td></tr>
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Also there is a number of art sculptures decorated and on display in the business district. They are similar sailing boats that businesses have artfully decorated and placed in front of their establishment. We catch a taxi back to SummerTime. Stagecoach Taxi only charges $5.00 for local rides.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VILLAGE ART</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ONE OF MANY HISTORIC BUILDINGS</td></tr>
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On Monday, we call Stagecoach and get a taxi ride back to the heart of the village. We saw a number of interesting shops while in the village for dinner on Sunday night and wish to go back and visit some of them. We have lunch at Dallas's Hot Wieners. Their hot dogs are very good, and inexpensive. My father would have loved their dogs, as the rolls are steamed, his preference. They also make their own meat chili to go on them, very tasty. There are a number of specialty stores and antique stores we browse through. One book store has a very quaint coffee shop in one corner, with a very mixed selection of books. The "Second Best Ice Cream Shop" in NY is here, but we do not get any ice cream here on this day. They are only open Wednesday through Sunday. We do get a cone at another ice cream shop nearby. There are 3 ice cream shops in the same block. On our walk out of town we stop at Krause's Chocolates. Krause's is our other reason for visiting Saugerties. They have been hand dipping chocolates since 1929. We have some gifts for others and chocolates for us. We have a light dinner back on SummerTime and discuss plans for the week.<br />
On Tuesday we leave Saugerties headed for Poughkeepsie, New York. We made a reservation on Monday for a Wednesday lunch at "The Culinary Institute of America". The ride down the Hudson to Poughkeepsie is almost as impressive as going down Lake Champlain. The Catskills come almost down to the river's edge at some points. There are a number of interesting little towns along the way, but we pass through them all, albeit at a slower pace than in the past.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsxKfGsCtOL0OlonE-4ohAXwOtSZEMSNPnTiWPz1O8luQTC1DzJdylMg7dwdPXHDbaUZtLrMja-vdqpWtDp_wIWGGNssr-aeNfWtAsAAf-9qZGBKlkuZOQvLtxst03Xt4hdmyRPjNqSk/s1600/DSC_0084+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsxKfGsCtOL0OlonE-4ohAXwOtSZEMSNPnTiWPz1O8luQTC1DzJdylMg7dwdPXHDbaUZtLrMja-vdqpWtDp_wIWGGNssr-aeNfWtAsAAf-9qZGBKlkuZOQvLtxst03Xt4hdmyRPjNqSk/s400/DSC_0084+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC PASSING BY ONE OF MANY RIVER LIGHTHOUSES<br /></td></tr>
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We get to Poughkeepsie in the middle of the afternoon. We are met right before the River Pedestrian Crossover bridge by a NY State EnCon boat. They ask to board and do a safety inspection. We oblige, and after Barbara gives the officer about a 5 min tour of what he wishes to check, we are released to continue on our way. In 5 more minutes we are at our dock at Shadows Marina in the river. I opt for the a space on the inside of the dock, hopefully to reduce the waking that I know will occur on the outside of the dock. This is a relatively new, nice, floating dock utilizing sliding adjustable cleats and plastic lumber. After being secured to the dock, I am amazed at how easily the dock sections rock. Wood and concrete capped floating docks are apparently heavier an less subject to floating on waves than these plastic boards. On Wednesday, Enterprise shows up at the marina to pick us up for our rental car. We have rented a car to get to the sites in Hyde Park that we came to neighboring Poughkeepsie for. We go to the Vanderbilt National Historic site for our first stop on Wednesday. This is one of the mansions built in the early 1900s, well before the Great Depression, that exudes the wealth of some, and the craftsmanship they could hire to build a palatial residence.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPFlh-pzDa81nX1bLKjBHVVnmXQHMQAzZ-vzs3w5zqbcLITh8QS5YNqSJHdm4HMCMTPWYIDAeaFmnNYOjMeN6pNLyIai10Cf65SNrSHr9rg3IwKI6AIcPhqHbMSwJ659pwXIVOnV4iHU/s1600/P8221217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPFlh-pzDa81nX1bLKjBHVVnmXQHMQAzZ-vzs3w5zqbcLITh8QS5YNqSJHdm4HMCMTPWYIDAeaFmnNYOjMeN6pNLyIai10Cf65SNrSHr9rg3IwKI6AIcPhqHbMSwJ659pwXIVOnV4iHU/s400/P8221217.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NORTH AND WEST (RIVER) SIDES OF VANDERBILT HOUSE</td></tr>
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In this case, it was a summer home for the Vanderbilts. Mrs. Vanderbilts niece inherited the home, and donated it to the National Park Service in the 1930s at the request of her neighbor. We leave here to make our lunch appointment at the Culinary Institute.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JHDR-28DgJeC2T5sVcKYe-HvaS5N8h5QdIDy56cOhmEqvuoeizZ0jQ5IvaN3Al7sRfn7X8mwCRpfvCHTG8AZzSp6zb-IZCh1ebak7K48JwxqfK8xJamgr50khcmGScFy_pLAO0xP1u8/s1600/P8221230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JHDR-28DgJeC2T5sVcKYe-HvaS5N8h5QdIDy56cOhmEqvuoeizZ0jQ5IvaN3Al7sRfn7X8mwCRpfvCHTG8AZzSp6zb-IZCh1ebak7K48JwxqfK8xJamgr50khcmGScFy_pLAO0xP1u8/s400/P8221230.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CULINARY INSTITUTE ENTRY</td></tr>
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They have 5 dining facilities at the CIA, and we are at the "American Bounty Restaurant". The students are the servers as well s the cooks. They rotate their job positions every few weeks so that they get experience in all aspects of a restaurant. The service today is very good considering students are just coming back from summer break and starting new class assignments. We are the first customers for our waiter, and nervousness shows. We have a five course meal: appetizers, soup, salad, entree, and of course dessert. While it was billed as lunch time by the Institute when I made reservations, the menu items, and portions are all normal sizes. Everything is excellent as you would expect it to be.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ap_IpMPs41UtLaYNXLRFbAf9R1HiRTgE3vGFjon4UF9gbuyf78z9q-zijvxFr-5GlOJfKtO_ZIUfy7ZW0llbloj93_9DpTMhLMIJ_EQ7MtKbt0AqzS4Qh92bNHicHxLFcVgVaAg-lYs/s1600/P8221232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ap_IpMPs41UtLaYNXLRFbAf9R1HiRTgE3vGFjon4UF9gbuyf78z9q-zijvxFr-5GlOJfKtO_ZIUfy7ZW0llbloj93_9DpTMhLMIJ_EQ7MtKbt0AqzS4Qh92bNHicHxLFcVgVaAg-lYs/s400/P8221232.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VIEW TO KITCHEN</td></tr>
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Our table even is in front of the window into the kitchen. After lunch we head for our next destination, the FDR Library and House.<br />
We have used our NPS Senior Cards now twice today for admission. A good deal when you are old enough to buy one, as every park is free. We get processed just in time to start on the next guided tour. The Ranger starts with a talk in the main lobby of the Welcome Center, and we move out from there to the Library, a separate tour.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnPQHhX0eRvY4zT2n4-IlDUM-Gbys8eMxf3FKyJyXDuy2BhKtvNFWoZzRAz9EDL6pXHy4uubD_SvxSCTaq7WlZeTVXT_WNWmW00fv_NsVb8EdUbUAHXcc7o4dxoA0ulpmzFyQr8Hzx2w/s1600/P8221237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnPQHhX0eRvY4zT2n4-IlDUM-Gbys8eMxf3FKyJyXDuy2BhKtvNFWoZzRAz9EDL6pXHy4uubD_SvxSCTaq7WlZeTVXT_WNWmW00fv_NsVb8EdUbUAHXcc7o4dxoA0ulpmzFyQr8Hzx2w/s400/P8221237.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FDR LIBRARY</td></tr>
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We go by the house gardens, and on and into the house. The tour guide explains that everything is as it was when FDR passed away while President of the US. He had already donated this house and grounds to the NPS before he passed. He also had talked his neighbor into donating the Vanderbilt house when the niece could not sell it. The FDR house is impressive for its special furnishings to accommodate FDR, and all the visitors. We leave out the front door on the upper floor, and the view of the Hudson River Valley explains why Franklin D Roosevelt liked this place more than the Whitehouse.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIIsAeN50TTZDUct3rJNorK3Ddt3KILoFMb2NcE9YHYdrcwzlvdchOyx-wkwOGCUBNEQfCYlWEm1PVZAzpK35egsYJVh6tjcFJLO4PtgPdr56eBJEfRkHSZZrT5kQhOvoPFu6skbArwo/s1600/P8221266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIIsAeN50TTZDUct3rJNorK3Ddt3KILoFMb2NcE9YHYdrcwzlvdchOyx-wkwOGCUBNEQfCYlWEm1PVZAzpK35egsYJVh6tjcFJLO4PtgPdr56eBJEfRkHSZZrT5kQhOvoPFu6skbArwo/s640/P8221266.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CATSKILL VALLEY VIEW FROM FDR HOUSE FRONT</td></tr>
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We tour through the gardens and head back to SummerTime. After dinner we go to a grocery store with the rental car and do minor re-provisioning. We stop at a Dairy Queen on the way back to SummerTime for a Blizzard. We both had voted on this option as we had not had a Blizzard since leaving Hampton in June. I text my daughter that "I am slumming" eating at a Dairy Queen. Not true, but after all the other special creameries we have experienced, it seems that way. We get up Thursday, and decide to keep the rental car another day. We are near Rhinebeck, NY where the Rhinebeck Aerodrome which I have wanted to visit since the 80s is located. We drive out to the Aerodrome to see the plane collection.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9yDMD1ZQNqE_6r19SfsOTkl9aYb2KU1r_7iHkqvLnf4viQ-xNfxnBZXTP10xvr_duVQ5Lp4wfVWDg8JZlEB7UJ0PM5tAyMVOW6ivaxZJ6fHAkWod1JGdRvyt9CnWcsZEmYtRHhnuqYo/s1600/P8231345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9yDMD1ZQNqE_6r19SfsOTkl9aYb2KU1r_7iHkqvLnf4viQ-xNfxnBZXTP10xvr_duVQ5Lp4wfVWDg8JZlEB7UJ0PM5tAyMVOW6ivaxZJ6fHAkWod1JGdRvyt9CnWcsZEmYtRHhnuqYo/s400/P8231345.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RHINEBECK AERODROME WELCOME SIGN</td></tr>
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All of the planes are pre- WWII. In fact, a good number are pre WW-I when aviation was in its infancy. Most are fabric and wood and in very good shape considering construction materials and age.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekQ98ytl2g7zQYGF5O8XMGR1v1nMmB7u-k5Oml_l3Na-1mADyl-YWyIdd6eobMLfkoxhWfdvZ8GiC3tGUSLh3n0W9zzMQZZOcDFznNAugOUL4T9YV2gCF2gkhXwNL4zNg701EdYxEMQw/s1600/P8231291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekQ98ytl2g7zQYGF5O8XMGR1v1nMmB7u-k5Oml_l3Na-1mADyl-YWyIdd6eobMLfkoxhWfdvZ8GiC3tGUSLh3n0W9zzMQZZOcDFznNAugOUL4T9YV2gCF2gkhXwNL4zNg701EdYxEMQw/s640/P8231291.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VERY EARLY PLANE</td></tr>
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There is also the fact that they are all stored in period hangers with no environmental control. There are also cars and motorcycles from the same periods exhibited with the planes. There are engines for planes from the period displayed around the buildings, and one can not help but wonder how some of these engines stayed running long enough to get a plane across the country. There is one main building with a gift shop which is kind of modern. There are three quonset hut style hangers with planes of the same vintage decade in each hanger. Across the parking area and county road is an airfield with more hangers and planes. This area is used on weekends for vintage air craft flying and mock dog fights between the WW-I era planes. We take a tour of this field and the planes also. We take a different route back to SummerTime as the route we came over on in the morning was the road the county fair entrance was on. The Duchess County Fair was in progress and there were delays in transiting the area due to fair attendee traffic. We got back on SummerTime late afternoon.<br />
Friday morning I awoke to noise outside our port hull. When I looked out from behind the curtain, I could see a white steel hull with depth marks on it. I got Barbara up and told her I thought a research vessel must have come to the dock. When we later opened the curtains, we could see an 80' USCG patrol boat, the "SHRIKE" on the other side of the pier. I finished getting ready, returned the rental car to Enterprise, and they brought me back to SummerTime. When I get back there are two more USCG boats at the dock, and the USCG Auxiliary has a tent set up at the end of the dock. The USCG and the NY State Department of Environment and Conservation are doing a local water safety program. There are now dignitaries on the dock, and they are boarding the "SHRIKE".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ka3YaKTq3nDrIq40M8p487nawinB3cJp5X6y20MN3WojCbi7YWJNM_0j_nhcHAw0PRDvLr_i7TMIjDnlhiFKfPu2MCA4Vem9grqz5QsHSEPI8GCQ81hoxSvf75P3WljyXeRa1RUNf9A/s1600/P8241380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ka3YaKTq3nDrIq40M8p487nawinB3cJp5X6y20MN3WojCbi7YWJNM_0j_nhcHAw0PRDvLr_i7TMIjDnlhiFKfPu2MCA4Vem9grqz5QsHSEPI8GCQ81hoxSvf75P3WljyXeRa1RUNf9A/s400/P8241380.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SHRIKE WITH LOCAL DIGNITARIES</td></tr>
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The "SHRIKE" pulls away with its passengers, and we ourselves complete getting ready to leave. There are still Coast Guardsman on the dock, including one press officer with a camera. I make sure to make a good departure from the tight area I am in. There is no wind this morning, and the current is near slack, so it is easy to look good backing away from the dock.<br />
We head down river to find a dock. Not long after we get away, the dockmaster at Tarrytown texts us that he is not able to provide dock space for us this night. I call another marina farther south and get a slip arranged. This changes our plans to stay a day in Tarrytown and tour. Cornetta's Restaurant and Marina in Piermont has space for us.This area is supposed to have a shopping area also, so maybe it is not too bad that we are not going to Tarrytown. We continue down the river. Everything looks different to us. We have been North on the Hudson twice, but never south. When we get to West Point, we are looking at it from a whole different perspective. We see some things we have not seen before. A cut set of stone steps leading to the river in one place. A hill with what looks to be an informal amphi-theatre in front of a small band shell.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhck2tz69Usdh1rQBXqtzL6-Wh2XIkFfW0eR8UAPt1Zc0uS0ckpWxN_3r-XMUhvv9ztXAqBBQDg65E3czTgmQEcJwUcteuqxXX00jlGCu6ScZ1xGr30eiWJKqo4MQIYJlV7jPSxrFIV3zY/s1600/DSC_0198+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhck2tz69Usdh1rQBXqtzL6-Wh2XIkFfW0eR8UAPt1Zc0uS0ckpWxN_3r-XMUhvv9ztXAqBBQDg65E3czTgmQEcJwUcteuqxXX00jlGCu6ScZ1xGr30eiWJKqo4MQIYJlV7jPSxrFIV3zY/s400/DSC_0198+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WEST POINT GROUNDS</td></tr>
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It is still an impressive place to look at even from the opposite direction. We pass by Peekskill where we driving in the rain only a month ago. It looks much better in sunlight. As we pass under the Tappan Zee Bridge, we can see that the cranes have removed more of the old bridge structure in the month since we have passed. From here we can see the peninsula that is Piermont jutting out into the Hudson. This is a shallow bay on the charts and we slow down to creep in as there is no marked channel. I show 4-5' of water, and though the bottom of our keel is about 3', the prop still stirs the mud when we are in the 4' areas. There is no marking on the marina walls, so we go to the wrong marina first. We turn around, stirring mud with our prop wash. At Cornettas, just south of the Tappan Zee Marina we pulled up to, it is even shallower. The person on the phone tells me to stay out at the last piers, and just pick "an empty slip" and be able to to tell the number to the barkeeper where I check in. Here in this channel the keel actually seems to be touching. Backing and turning takes a lot of effort. We get tied up, and I go in to register. The dining area off of the bar is very nice, with white table cloths on the tables. After cleaning up, Barbara and I come back to Cornettas Restaurant for dinner.<br />
This has been a good week that we have traveled down the Hudson. We have taken time to see some of the sites on the River, and we did the river in 5 days instead of 2. Along the way we ate at some restaurants with impressive foods. From hot dog restaurant, to diner, to white table cloths, we have sampled some prime eating spots in the Hudson Valley.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAXRoIt2bScDYuPCQ6YWY-NnA2-vvab4bR4lm2ueQY5nX_bZDkF5KyYucwb09Do2RvHwWdVRqI_391-GrhymWbZ-rvkTy6ju7pMcwCKNQINjsKepbAHDDL8puUEckGqmcj7Pt8rJfEI0/s1600/P8231379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAXRoIt2bScDYuPCQ6YWY-NnA2-vvab4bR4lm2ueQY5nX_bZDkF5KyYucwb09Do2RvHwWdVRqI_391-GrhymWbZ-rvkTy6ju7pMcwCKNQINjsKepbAHDDL8puUEckGqmcj7Pt8rJfEI0/s640/P8231379.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HYDE PARK DINER WHERE WE HAD LUNCH</td></tr>
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SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-51392607831595035632018-08-31T16:27:00.001-04:002018-08-31T16:27:50.486-04:00Little Triangle Loop, Week #8, 11-17Aug018, LAKE CHAMPLAIN & CANAL Burlington is the largest city in Vermont. It is also very beautiful, sitting between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain, with the taller Adirondacks of New York across the Lake to look at. I eat a bowl of cereal on Saturday morning, and strike out to hopefully get a haircut. I also take checks to the mail drop box to pay bills our daughter had scanned to us. Sometimes we are lucky, and there is a post office near the waterfront. Other times we have the marina take the envelopes from us in their outgoing mail. Today it is a drop box we spotted last evening on the way back from City Market. Back at SummerTime I get Barbara to get her shoes on. Burlington has a Saturday farmers market we are going to go to. We miss the bus, so we walk the .4 miles up the hill to the City square. This is the biggest of the different farmers markets we have been at.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4xAPdqGqQ00FYk4Y0ZNTfUQRHJsemTEFOgZxFoRguYAJpsCjMoI1ovLZrf31sWynh1Ex-Ex1n1RbCmWMWxdARwodr_U2EmlBsBJzFxsGqfqG0KkTwxxrLMO_EASGqoFYM2dFOTZ_grY/s1600/20180811_114054_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4xAPdqGqQ00FYk4Y0ZNTfUQRHJsemTEFOgZxFoRguYAJpsCjMoI1ovLZrf31sWynh1Ex-Ex1n1RbCmWMWxdARwodr_U2EmlBsBJzFxsGqfqG0KkTwxxrLMO_EASGqoFYM2dFOTZ_grY/s400/20180811_114054_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SATURDAY FARMERS MARKET IN BURLINGTON, VT</td></tr>
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It also has the most attendance of local farmers with local produce of any place we have seen. Besides the local produce, there is fresh baked bread, honey, jellies, milk, cheese, fresh meat, herbs, flower bouquets, and distilled spirits. The last surprises me, as I would have expected that booze could not be sold out in the open city square. That is one of the good parts about this country, every county, city, or village and each state is different. We get an "All Day" sandwich from one of the farm vendors for lunch. It is a whole fried egg, a big sausage patty (this is a pork farmer), onion sauce, cheese spread, on a special baked bun. I get two lemonades from a different vendor to chase the sandwiches with. We sit in front of the wading pool and watch the little children play in it while their moms watch. We buy some produce and head back to SummerTime to get ready to meet our friends here as planned months ago. We are going on the Green Mountain Dinner Train this evening.<span id="goog_1290105305"></span><br />
Tim and Sue show up at SummerTime about 4:30, and after a few minutes of greetings and salutations, we walk over to the Rail Depot. We are seated at a table in a dining car almost as soon as we get there for our approximate 34 mi. trip to Middlebury, VT. The day is sunny, and though riding backwards, I am still enjoying the views of the lake and mountains out the window. Our orders are taken, and our meal served as advertised while we ride along admiring the scenery.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZicAP6RfFF8XserARsoT_GzLg5dILcXX48k1HJ-Uqze4VAglkdgqzjkD7fSl4d0FDTPG2f1WVkxzgEPsbD27Zm1LGWngGUy-D5SQl_kWALO6QMBNwrGfoXcUs55Zg_ihmdWHkzJLdmss/s1600/P8110978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZicAP6RfFF8XserARsoT_GzLg5dILcXX48k1HJ-Uqze4VAglkdgqzjkD7fSl4d0FDTPG2f1WVkxzgEPsbD27Zm1LGWngGUy-D5SQl_kWALO6QMBNwrGfoXcUs55Zg_ihmdWHkzJLdmss/s400/P8110978.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VIEW FROM TRAIN WINDOW</td></tr>
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It does not seem like a long time, and we are at Middlebury on a siding. The engine changes ends on the line of cars, and pulls us back downhill to Burlington. It is a delightful trip with excellent food and great company of old friends. Even though it has been 3 hours since leaving the station, it seems like just a few minutes. We say goodbye until Sunday when we will meet again.<br />
Barbara bakes biscuits again this Sunday, and we have eggs and bacon with them. We are now eating the Strawberry-Rhubarb jam we bought at the Cheese Festival in Little Falls. I am also eating the honey we bought there with butter and biscuits. We get ready and timing is such that we catch the shuttle bus up the hill to go to church. We only have to walk about an half block from the bus stop to the First Baptist Church. After church we walk back to SummerTime. We have only been on board a few minutes when Tim and Sue call on their way to pick us up to go to the Shelburne Museum. This is a museum of 39 buildings on 45 acres. It is a vast collection of "Americana" collected by Electra Havemeyer Webb. One of the first buildings we visited had a collection of sleighs and carriages. I had never seem so many sleighs, mostly horse drawn, in one place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKN7tboQE_NfRmVhka9aNz9nv2tJYiBj8xL4tqrbvMHMcIlJ7PAnvPjKDhWpKkFMXGEPNe3v0Bxbx7bqx_MYzVLUvi0qQzN2Kwr6PTTri8SxOQyDKL3QoCBrDd4O5J3gK95VSVoenmK3Y/s1600/P8120987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKN7tboQE_NfRmVhka9aNz9nv2tJYiBj8xL4tqrbvMHMcIlJ7PAnvPjKDhWpKkFMXGEPNe3v0Bxbx7bqx_MYzVLUvi0qQzN2Kwr6PTTri8SxOQyDKL3QoCBrDd4O5J3gK95VSVoenmK3Y/s400/P8120987.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SLEIGH & CARRIAGE COLLECTION AT SHELBURNE MUSEUM</td></tr>
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The carriage collection was nearly as impressive. Another building had a collection of hand made quilts, hats, and even "Samplers" that Mrs. Webb had collected. One of the last buildings we visited on the way out was a collection of Vermont made firearms, mostly long guns. In fact a number of them were specialized target rifles. There was also a collection of stuffed trophy animals in an Adirondack Hunting Lodge relocated to the grounds as an exhibit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkiY_ozpMZd-_MC8QtG79jXKovLWWXQbGf-dc9XP0WfpXdWl1bRNLF46NSh-1fPiadzxQisBM2xVIn2fwrl_AYZOizDX034DiKMGxzfQ4vNbjSZdyGTOUctG97LJ-YzmJtXcA4ZlkIRY/s1600/P8121026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkiY_ozpMZd-_MC8QtG79jXKovLWWXQbGf-dc9XP0WfpXdWl1bRNLF46NSh-1fPiadzxQisBM2xVIn2fwrl_AYZOizDX034DiKMGxzfQ4vNbjSZdyGTOUctG97LJ-YzmJtXcA4ZlkIRY/s400/P8121026.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TROPHY COLLECTION</td></tr>
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Some of these trophies Mrs. Webb had shot herself, at least one being a Kodiak Brown Bear. Some of the buildings were moved to the museum grounds from other areas as they were significant items in the development of America. Perhaps the biggest item on display, was the 220' steamship "TICONDEROGA" which was moved from the Lake up to its resting place on the museum grounds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xLvWFXT3WcLI5PJenAtZ25ODUsMSW5iF9ncJffQfeG-BDdq587YeRKwmqiGICfWNN6GAlxbIb2ebdfFESwJu3BSCUFLm0mfp8YLAd1wyFAJCn0CRhMG1RirdgbhcKOrNnldoJ3ZwYxg/s1600/P8121020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xLvWFXT3WcLI5PJenAtZ25ODUsMSW5iF9ncJffQfeG-BDdq587YeRKwmqiGICfWNN6GAlxbIb2ebdfFESwJu3BSCUFLm0mfp8YLAd1wyFAJCn0CRhMG1RirdgbhcKOrNnldoJ3ZwYxg/s200/P8121020.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> "TICONDEROGA" FINAL DOCK</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5L8F7KuNN0Y4bP5lWVOZllUJrDlWOGhNilWKqU1kGledCoqRYcqn4XLRcECyqpexIEfBbLVcQV0ZjYa_hV9CeCXHdUQ0fYLWL2HI4GS3g0d-MpQXOZ5-Ujq2Ld0keiFOFLzysavmnaQA/s1600/P8121010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5L8F7KuNN0Y4bP5lWVOZllUJrDlWOGhNilWKqU1kGledCoqRYcqn4XLRcECyqpexIEfBbLVcQV0ZjYa_hV9CeCXHdUQ0fYLWL2HI4GS3g0d-MpQXOZ5-Ujq2Ld0keiFOFLzysavmnaQA/s200/P8121010.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TICONDEROGA DINING AREA</td></tr>
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The inside is as it would have been when hauling passengers from its initial launch in 1906. And there was a Merry-go-round that rides could still be had on. It was an impressive place. We did not see it all. Just highlights that each of us thought would be interesting. Afterwards we went back to Burlington, and had dinner at a Pizza Pub on Church Street. And of course we had an ice cream at Ben and Jerry's flagship store on Church Street. Their factory is only about 30 miles from Burlington.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSUPq936N9xYdIXzgggTA4udqeG0v73HnxjjuLyXMoyLKCEZBjbwmctEygEIZCsVCYOuqAF5Z5o9tIHy1mZTi968E0ypjC3wiy8JfYww3RJ1WzC4PZr71n_DIAgMBACkJsi1netODsHM/s1600/P8121037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSUPq936N9xYdIXzgggTA4udqeG0v73HnxjjuLyXMoyLKCEZBjbwmctEygEIZCsVCYOuqAF5Z5o9tIHy1mZTi968E0ypjC3wiy8JfYww3RJ1WzC4PZr71n_DIAgMBACkJsi1netODsHM/s400/P8121037.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BURLINGTON MARINA PAY SHOWERS, A FIRST</td></tr>
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Monday saw Barbara and I prepare SummerTime for the trip down Lake Champlain. Burlington is almost at the halfway point on the long skinny lake. It was another mild weather day as we traveled south. We were surrounded by mountains on both sides of the lake. We also crossed deeper water down through these parts, some places showing well over 300' on SummerTime's chart plotter/depth gauge. About halfway towards the south end of the lake we passed by the "Basin". Floating in its was a replica of Benedict Arnold's gun boat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCNCJbXDTddhwqyVAFEqu9Be6qcM6JaEV1sdL2BULyiVInIuv2Nzrhrv9tyzA2IQLhRpzKpFtIQcpJrLMVG7Py2HHzGzDseVwFyyFCbt0ezpB-6OTYDeY-jlULNsykX82BgdjgLlHHtM/s1600/DSC_0662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCNCJbXDTddhwqyVAFEqu9Be6qcM6JaEV1sdL2BULyiVInIuv2Nzrhrv9tyzA2IQLhRpzKpFtIQcpJrLMVG7Py2HHzGzDseVwFyyFCbt0ezpB-6OTYDeY-jlULNsykX82BgdjgLlHHtM/s400/DSC_0662.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BENEDICT ARNOLD'S GUN BOAT</td></tr>
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We detoured off our straight route, and motored into the "Basin" to get a good photo and look at the gunboat. When we got a little farther south, to the point where the lake really narrows, we pass by Crown Point. There are British and French forts here from colonial times. There is also a large monument to Champlain himself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOc8jJe4CtOm2w4tjY4l8rcy-VEAbenN43LF6vjRbxgf11hh-SvynXLOCaEzpCBrwyJmm8qFZu-OfhraUT3UprrC8I8isuETHy9NupsgaS0tsGM837cqCHt3EvIPDmBzC7rmlD4d3Bxs/s1600/DSC_0684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOc8jJe4CtOm2w4tjY4l8rcy-VEAbenN43LF6vjRbxgf11hh-SvynXLOCaEzpCBrwyJmm8qFZu-OfhraUT3UprrC8I8isuETHy9NupsgaS0tsGM837cqCHt3EvIPDmBzC7rmlD4d3Bxs/s400/DSC_0684.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CROWN POINT MEMORIAL</td></tr>
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From this point on, the Lake is narrow, more like a wide river than a lake. About 48 miles after leaving Burlington, we come to Fort Ticonderoga. The south side is listed to be a good anchorage as long as there are not strong winds from the south. The winds today are light and from an easterly direction.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1G7kEsHKbKhYw2HuHl05igLcKlW4E3sWSM46mBkeWRhlxxH2gfovSPoivYOU9zmESUwMqmq-9n_avHP8PD-uzdP5L2FK2iXB-HCOpzuZo84DfiBGzdaupAWwcAEaRNPGhtnHq2Suw_Ho/s1600/DSC_0718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1G7kEsHKbKhYw2HuHl05igLcKlW4E3sWSM46mBkeWRhlxxH2gfovSPoivYOU9zmESUwMqmq-9n_avHP8PD-uzdP5L2FK2iXB-HCOpzuZo84DfiBGzdaupAWwcAEaRNPGhtnHq2Suw_Ho/s640/DSC_0718.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FORT TICONDEROGA'S SOUTH SIDE</td></tr>
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We anchor under the guns of the Fort's south side.I set up both GPS/chartplotters as anchor alarms. Set up like this, the units will wake you if the boat moves more than a pre-determined distance. There are rain showers forecast for early morning, and a wind shift when the rain comes. It is not too hot, and we cook a simple meal in the microwave so we do not use the generator. We both retire early. The rain comes in the early morning, and the winds shift. The lower helm GPS wakes me with a "beeping" to let me know the boat has moved more than the distance input for the alarm. This distance is based on anchor rode put out and the depth of the water among a few other things. I look at the plot on the screen, and we have moved, but are still in deep water, and no closer to a shore line. We moved closer to the lake channel. I take a spotlight and try to verify our new position to see if we are truly in a safe location. In the rain, I am not able to see shore that well, but lights from the houses in the distance are still close to where they should be. I go back to bed and the rain hitting on the fiberglass roof over my head puts me back to sleep.<br />
We awake, and I make a cup of instant coffee using the microwave. In fact there is enough energy in the batteries after a night on the anchor to heat 3 cups of water. I am a little amazed as the microwave is a big energy user, and running off batteries through the inverter it takes a lot of amps out of the batteries. There were a lot of weeds in the shallow water behind where we anchored last evening. When we go to pull anchor, I am sure the rode is going to be wrapped in them since we did swing during the night. We did not have many weeds, but we did snag someone's lost fishing lure and about 20' of monofilament line. And there is mud on the anchor and chain part of the rode. A good sign as it means the bottom was soft enough to let the anchor set, and hard enough to keep it from pulling out. Barbara gets us moving down the lake as I rinse the mud off the anchor and chain using buckets of water. Once moving, she calls Whitehall Marina and gets us docking space for the evening. About halfway to Whitehall, or 2 hours in, while still riding on the border of NY and Vermont, we see three strange pieces of equipment in the lake ahead of us. As we get closer we see that they are maneuvering in weed beds in the shallows to the side of the lake. As we pass by, we see that what looks like a tractor at a distance, is actually a barge with a sickle type cutter head that can be lowered under the water to cut the weeds. There is a conveyor chain to take the cut weeds to a hopper area at the aft end of the barge. And to make it look more like a tractor, there are paddle wheels stuck out each side providing propulsion.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYtclQsT9LHQ9aoI0-ya41gRuL-dizePBw3EhH1gCyO90P3CBVSOT3bIqRFGhXvIKwzsK4ZdS4irSG1kATFZSPV_t1bPQkF1c60CHjbf4A4og2FrQBFQx6-xuT7xo1Dm-Gsniy3OnbM4/s1600/DSC_0786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYtclQsT9LHQ9aoI0-ya41gRuL-dizePBw3EhH1gCyO90P3CBVSOT3bIqRFGhXvIKwzsK4ZdS4irSG1kATFZSPV_t1bPQkF1c60CHjbf4A4og2FrQBFQx6-xuT7xo1Dm-Gsniy3OnbM4/s400/DSC_0786.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VERMONT WEED HARVESTERS</td></tr>
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One of the units down the lake for about a mile, and watch as it turns up into what looks to be a dumping area for the cut weeds. Another thing has occurred on our trip this morning. AMTRAK is again running along the banks beside us as we travel south.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyV7pCrGTbhXRX8b8qyCVEOILzhHLQwYawEE-WhHS53ASFWUymqFWPgYDsFILE6z4guNLiA3inDKmBAQGr_XMU-jA9GMxyCz8KrrlmcaAPu2N_HUvOwL0Dw1qOxDKCZEjZQuFP_7FiZns/s1600/DSC_0704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyV7pCrGTbhXRX8b8qyCVEOILzhHLQwYawEE-WhHS53ASFWUymqFWPgYDsFILE6z4guNLiA3inDKmBAQGr_XMU-jA9GMxyCz8KrrlmcaAPu2N_HUvOwL0Dw1qOxDKCZEjZQuFP_7FiZns/s400/DSC_0704.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AMTRAK PASSING PAPER MILL</td></tr>
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And there is the occasional freight train. We get to Whitehall shortly after lunch. Whitehall touts itself "as the birthplace of the US Navy". There is a small museum here, and after lunch we head up to the museum.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gong9wspD012wIkF2SPhcTkvxEmIWWp8yo5ikl7YqGMQPx0uyRkN7WdzhXC9Rau9855VJYtNCcorNeNmSRFb6d-VW0D0DNuu1XfkUezeqfhfuRDgJ-USa4rMzO0oxoQMl0jRg1HqJvs/s1600/P8141066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gong9wspD012wIkF2SPhcTkvxEmIWWp8yo5ikl7YqGMQPx0uyRkN7WdzhXC9Rau9855VJYtNCcorNeNmSRFb6d-VW0D0DNuu1XfkUezeqfhfuRDgJ-USa4rMzO0oxoQMl0jRg1HqJvs/s640/P8141066.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHITEHALL MUSEUM PLAQUE</td></tr>
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It has a pretty good section on the role the town's sawmills played in the construction of a fleet of boats for the colonists to challenge the British on Lake Champlain. This fleet, including Arnold's gunboat, fought the British fleet by Valcour Island. While the US fleet was defeated, it significantly slowed the advance of the previously unchallenged British fleet. There are models and artifacts documenting this part of our history. The best artifact is in a shed along the canal to the south of the museum. This shed covers the remains of the hull of the "TICONDEROGA" raised from the depths of Lake Champlain in 1959.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZ48NiEqBZIIObLbjw8DUp9Cv1MKgph7JepCo3X1GqDyv5_gY73qPI7m6j5KfBhqWMGGyGBWYvCgvbOy94zBKrlsA9V4FR2CUfoI0E6RDBCZVY1Ufcekw3tm5hdCIrR3hyphenhyphen2ppXl1QVGQ/s1600/P8141082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZ48NiEqBZIIObLbjw8DUp9Cv1MKgph7JepCo3X1GqDyv5_gY73qPI7m6j5KfBhqWMGGyGBWYvCgvbOy94zBKrlsA9V4FR2CUfoI0E6RDBCZVY1Ufcekw3tm5hdCIrR3hyphenhyphen2ppXl1QVGQ/s400/P8141082.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">REMAINS OF TICONDEROGA HULL</td></tr>
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This ship helped protect the new nation from the British fleet on Lake Champlain during the War of 1812. The museum is housed in the terminal station for the last and northern most lock on the Champlain canal. The State of NY gave the building to the town for its bicentennial celebration as long as it ran a museum. The towns people brought all kinds of things out of their basements for museum displays. There were old typewriters, sewing machines (non Singer), furniture, kitchen appliances, and mostly you name it. As we left the museum, we walked along the lock wall where we met the owners of "Ping", a former looper boat from Oxford, MD. There are thunderstorms in the area again, and after a few minutes of chatting, we head back to SummerTime. We freshen up and go up the ramp from the docks to the main Marina Building. The restaurant located in there is supposed to have very good food. We are not disappointed, as the red sauce on my spaghetti is as good as any I have ever tasted. Barbara's shrimp in an Alfredo sauce was also great according to her. It rained hard while we were eating, and quit long enough for us to get to SummerTime without getting wet.<br />
On Wednesday morning we dress and head back into the small town area to eat breakfast at "Historic Grounds". We meet and sit with Margy and Jim from Ping there. We talk about cruising and the amazing breakfast we are having. I have two blueberry pancakes the size of a dinner plate. They are excellent. Barbara ordered one scrambled egg, and it is the size of a 3 egg omelet at most other places. The owner asks us about our meals and we tell him that they are excellent. We have eaten at two restaurants in this small town and were blown away by the quantity, quality, and taste of the food. We head back to SummerTime and ready to leave. We have to lower her mast (3 pins and it lifts off its base and lays to the side) as there are some bridges along this route that are 17', a little shorter than our mast height of 18'. The Canadian couple on the boat beside us help us get away. They are headed all the way to New York City form LaChene, suburb of Montreal we learn. They are awaiting a part to repair their boat. We back out, and I call the operator at Lock #12 for an opening and lift. In 10 minutes, we are on our way up 35'. We head out at only 8mph as this is a dug or constructed canal and has a speed limit of 10mph. Most of the ride is through farm country or forests.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxmGjYsXpJUAvCZdXxwhr8_Rv-idcNyQiOf39aIUM6PUOMrcYcdYPfBz2kscVOK_kPC4vIlWmRkn6uTRb2JBe3TTvsD68SALL_ohSwpQiidkiDxBPPa1eUXzXP17QA0iWpyumfPkofnw/s1600/DSC_0877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxmGjYsXpJUAvCZdXxwhr8_Rv-idcNyQiOf39aIUM6PUOMrcYcdYPfBz2kscVOK_kPC4vIlWmRkn6uTRb2JBe3TTvsD68SALL_ohSwpQiidkiDxBPPa1eUXzXP17QA0iWpyumfPkofnw/s400/DSC_0877.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WILDLIFE ALONG THE CHAMPLAIN CANAL</td></tr>
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There is almost no industry that we can see along here. We do pass what appears to be one loading area for a quarry with a barge at it. As we approach Lock #8, we are hailed by a tug leaving it. The "Edna A" is pushing a barge north, and asks us to hold in a cove so she can pass in the middle. There is no cove, just a slight widening that I ease over in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyEpRsM3FOJexN_i7eaaQazwQNh1KNAQYAeEVPoY5tGSkQi2f4hGroJmEFCOaAj_wldHnP9ZXKGZ1pjbgl-wfZaMZnvz4iZv8cem6dJflkcyMob9g-OpGIFiMhUqD2aJNZeytebYHRyM/s1600/DSC_0916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyEpRsM3FOJexN_i7eaaQazwQNh1KNAQYAeEVPoY5tGSkQi2f4hGroJmEFCOaAj_wldHnP9ZXKGZ1pjbgl-wfZaMZnvz4iZv8cem6dJflkcyMob9g-OpGIFiMhUqD2aJNZeytebYHRyM/s400/DSC_0916.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MEETING A TOW (TUG & BARGE) ON AN ANCIENT CANAL</td></tr>
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I maneuver as close to the edge as I dare, to about a 5' depth 20' from the shore, and we pass by the "Edna A" with plenty of room to spare. We enter Lock #8, and we are now being lowered to a new elevation. We proceed on to Lock #7, and at Fort Edward, we are lowered to the level of the Hudson River coming out of the Adirondacks to the west. At the end of the lock walls, we make a 180 degree turn back along side the lock and travel about 2 miles to the town dock. There is a protected area to tie-up with free power available. As Barbara prepares dinner, I walk to the nearby convenience store and buy milk, bread, and a couple other grocery items for the boat. After dinner, we walk the other direction to a "Stewarts Shop" where we get an ice cream cone each. I am beginning to like this little chain of "Stewart Shops" convenience stores in Central New York. We walk back to SummerTime in the dark, except for the park we are tied up in, which is lit pretty good.<br />
We have a lot of locks to do today, so we try to get going early. We get away from the Fort Edward town dock at 8:16. About an half mile from the town dock, an eagle flies from the edge of the river out in front of us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUlk-FA06FR_7uVUSbRabu_0Lys3_5v_-YXS-LSFLLCKzKCiqLar6sxWlPR0Yfjy6OiDg_2Pi5MSGO5un_xVV-bia4nWeQ6ogOcB4fE6U6nZ_8x6PdjMbnDLsjU2c_HokgKUBM2Jzy2s/s1600/DSC_0925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUlk-FA06FR_7uVUSbRabu_0Lys3_5v_-YXS-LSFLLCKzKCiqLar6sxWlPR0Yfjy6OiDg_2Pi5MSGO5un_xVV-bia4nWeQ6ogOcB4fE6U6nZ_8x6PdjMbnDLsjU2c_HokgKUBM2Jzy2s/s400/DSC_0925.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">URBAN EAGLE</td></tr>
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It is only about 300yd from the nearest back yard. I am not sure it is the closest we have been to one, but it is the closest we have seen one to residences. It is a nice, surprising sight first thing in the morning. I barely have time to grab one of the two cameras we keep on the fly bridge when traveling. And there is the camera on my phone also. We continue on, and in a few minutes we are going back south along the outside of lock #7. Now that this is a river route, and not just a man made canal, NY raises the speed limit. We go back to cruising at 1800rpm, which is about 8.9mph in still wind and current conditions. We get to lock #6 fairly quickly, the lock is open and waiting on us so we go straight in. Locks 5 & 4 are pretty much the same. The scenery along the river is farmland and private residences. We do pass one island in the river that has an airfield on it. The other side of the island is a section of the river used for seaplanes. The wind is up when we get to Lock #3. It is in a direction that is moving us around in the lock. Barbara's 11,000 pounds of boat on the end of a short rope is working both of us as I sometimes have to loose my end so she can pull her end of the boat in. It is a good thing there are no other boats in this lock with us. Somewhere between locks #2 & #3 the Perkins passes the 3000hr mark. It had about 1665 hours showing when we bought Summertime in April of 2013. We also pass by Saratoga Battlefield, now a National Park.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipr542890HGK5tqV5dxIvDvcIHhIRoNAJdjW8ZJkYWuMGBzEPUIJrqdWl6LSR8Zw1WMlGWBeAq7eV3zGWzWFgDVFWBGaQLn12ppK66bJym9o6oq0O4pmvjvTGBD-34vD7mXt0HZ_f8Ibo/s1600/DSC_0965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipr542890HGK5tqV5dxIvDvcIHhIRoNAJdjW8ZJkYWuMGBzEPUIJrqdWl6LSR8Zw1WMlGWBeAq7eV3zGWzWFgDVFWBGaQLn12ppK66bJym9o6oq0O4pmvjvTGBD-34vD7mXt0HZ_f8Ibo/s640/DSC_0965.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SARATOGA NATIONAL PARK WITH CANNON ON HILL</td></tr>
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The cleared hills, some narrow roads, and two cannons perched up on a hill are the clues to us this a Historic Park. At lock #1, we are requested to hold short of the lock. There is a tug with barge in the lock they are raising up to go north. After the tug comes out, we motor into the lock. We are followed by about a 40ft houseboat headed south like us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tAJNWkAY0KCgpilQtNkPQWG6D_lGe0we7tcyv6niNxzuPo5XqiSsilz1M5K1cHIv6jUH97N-QgkQB7FXG7ioFc6Xdnc2WG956TMRhyPIFoU1ylN41PYHtvioilZliIf0cvjT9Zbt1bs/s1600/DSC_0009+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tAJNWkAY0KCgpilQtNkPQWG6D_lGe0we7tcyv6niNxzuPo5XqiSsilz1M5K1cHIv6jUH97N-QgkQB7FXG7ioFc6Xdnc2WG956TMRhyPIFoU1ylN41PYHtvioilZliIf0cvjT9Zbt1bs/s400/DSC_0009+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BACK AT WATERFORD, NY WHERE CANALS SPLIT</td></tr>
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They followed us down river to Troy Lock, or The Federal Lock, as it is known by some. It is the only lock on the Hudson and Erie Systems that is not operated by the State of NY. We have to wait here to get locked down also. While waiting I call Shady Harbor Marina in New Baltimore, about 25 miles south of Troy Lock, to reserve a slip. We know we can not stay at Waterford as there is a big dragon boat race being staged from the Waterford docks this weekend. Shady Harbor confirms they can have a slip for us, and Troy Lock opens the gates for us to enter. When we exit Troy Lock, I let the house boat named: "Watta Life" by. They have concerns about speed enforcements in a construction zone by the Troy town docks. They are re-building the town docks, and I do see one barge worker motioning a north bound boat to slow down. "Watta Life" pulls over to the Yacht Club in Albany to fuel. A lot of boats stop at the Albany Yacht Club as they have the cheapest fuel in the area. We pass by them and speed up on our way south. We got to Shady Harbor about 5pm. They assigned us a slip on one of their piers we had not been at before. The Canadians from White Hall show up in their express cruiser about 5:30, and they are put in the slip next to us. They got their new electrical parts installed late Wednesday, and have come from White Hall in one day. I am amazed as it means that they have done 12 locks in one day, while traveling about 88 miles. Barbara and I shower aboard, and go up to the restaurant: Boathouse Grille to eat. They have a very good and varied menu. And their chefs are excellent in their craft.<br />
On Friday we borrow the courtesy car from the marina and go do grocery shopping. It is the first full grocery store we have been in since Vallleyfield, Quebec. And it is the first time we have had a car where we could really load up to haul stuff since Winter Harbor in Brewerton, NY on 18 July. When we passed Waterford on Thursday, we closed the sides on our triangle. We are now back on a return trip to our starting point in Virginia. We hurried up the Hudson both of our previous trips. We have no schedule as of this date, so we are going to take time and see some of the sights on the Hudson on our way back down it.SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-59147579574262665522018-08-23T21:53:00.002-04:002018-08-23T21:53:17.123-04:00Little Triangle Loop, Week #7, 4-10August018 - NEW CULTURE Saturday we are up making plans to go museum hopping in Old Montreal. There are a number of museums available within walking distance of the docks. We are trying to pick ones near the Old Town Harbor that we can easily walk to, and that appeal to us. Even as we leave to go to the first museum at opening, the docks are already milling with families taking advantage of the entertainment venues.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwuVpnTESk-8K_xv_GORBjmAJNzi_hihO81ES6Ga1Vougqzy68GJ4iewK-gx9NDtup8TdQ1lr8N1LM_HSvn_E9fWjMCy8zL8i3SGZ0Oc5TFhQ_Rpw4Yo-S_L0pPAYF2T789BcJ2Fxdlc/s1600/DSC_0140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwuVpnTESk-8K_xv_GORBjmAJNzi_hihO81ES6Ga1Vougqzy68GJ4iewK-gx9NDtup8TdQ1lr8N1LM_HSvn_E9fWjMCy8zL8i3SGZ0Oc5TFhQ_Rpw4Yo-S_L0pPAYF2T789BcJ2Fxdlc/s200/DSC_0140.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FAMILIES ON THE WHARF @ MORNING</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2BxrqPw2RWzaTXdcZKTJ97u9JfmBWaKCDumcA39RGLzxrY4SH8EuCtgg6rlaCAVCIk6r9MOythPZOuYdCaWjVWyQlrk6udL30wdQkj2M25Hnd5dZVbWgu9MHd_vTnI6LDNQi9fYWJpw/s1600/DSC_0145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2BxrqPw2RWzaTXdcZKTJ97u9JfmBWaKCDumcA39RGLzxrY4SH8EuCtgg6rlaCAVCIk6r9MOythPZOuYdCaWjVWyQlrk6udL30wdQkj2M25Hnd5dZVbWgu9MHd_vTnI6LDNQi9fYWJpw/s200/DSC_0145.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FERRIS WHEEL</td></tr>
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There is a huge ferris wheel, but what gets my attention is a an adult/larger children venue of ropes, swings, and ladders. It looks like a simpler version of the "American Ninja Warrior" TV series.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sEs00JLqrPculb6onWcaSMFEvcfUbHXj2x1NqWCjNMbrA3oojhTB9ccs05dmo1yn33PSKfAQI-7xKb6PIye9on3xlV5ZHjuSyheNhSDVvMo-zpAAylY_mOp90DaDeZwowDwbBlvGdng/s1600/20180804_111628_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sEs00JLqrPculb6onWcaSMFEvcfUbHXj2x1NqWCjNMbrA3oojhTB9ccs05dmo1yn33PSKfAQI-7xKb6PIye9on3xlV5ZHjuSyheNhSDVvMo-zpAAylY_mOp90DaDeZwowDwbBlvGdng/s640/20180804_111628_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ADULT ROPE CHALLENGES</td></tr>
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We eventually get to the Marguerite-Bourgeoys Museum and Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel. This "Sailors Church" was founded in 1655 by Marguerite Bourgeoys. We got there in time for the guide tour under the current church's foundations where an archaeological dig was done in the 2000s. There is also an adjacent crypt, which is nothing like I envisioned from the Indiana Jones movies. One of the main parts of this museum is a room full of miniature dioramas portraying the different parts of Marguerite's life from a little girl until on her death bed. Very detailed displays done in miniature. I also go up to the walkway between the steeples and get a great view of the harbor.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjC1Bh0Fu10UMdbqWt9j9k8HC5CuGnj9CwmYI3fS7l4SLhEKPsdCQDJD3VKnqJCYRBE7hKB7YanuQ_cQFV4ygOExRP74NXpHmgw9j_UTti3LOCF93DEgZfgn_Nk2sBr2kZa6RYSEt3jZE/s1600/DSC_0169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjC1Bh0Fu10UMdbqWt9j9k8HC5CuGnj9CwmYI3fS7l4SLhEKPsdCQDJD3VKnqJCYRBE7hKB7YanuQ_cQFV4ygOExRP74NXpHmgw9j_UTti3LOCF93DEgZfgn_Nk2sBr2kZa6RYSEt3jZE/s200/DSC_0169.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CRUISE SHIP BEYOND OLD PORT</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxE0kgnCVYGybMkgb4Krn2OClm32U73-JxJfvHEe-kxsc6W3q36ITq3V3B-EyrdnR-JKBFOTdZ9uezAY2wz5nrK_G6PWiVckCcfhUuWU6Vz_sQZ9DJP-MKapuTLml9sTu_-_ddPnnQ5g/s1600/DSC_0219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxE0kgnCVYGybMkgb4Krn2OClm32U73-JxJfvHEe-kxsc6W3q36ITq3V3B-EyrdnR-JKBFOTdZ9uezAY2wz5nrK_G6PWiVckCcfhUuWU6Vz_sQZ9DJP-MKapuTLml9sTu_-_ddPnnQ5g/s200/DSC_0219.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BOATS IN OLD PORT</td></tr>
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From this museum and Chapel tour we go to lunch up on Place Jacques-Cartier at a sidewalk cafe. The Place Jacques-Cartier ( a boulevard) is a pedestrian walkway filled with people, entertainers, and shops and restaurants down each side.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQJ9ROII_bF1lPgnmUWIY0PROb5xqUZOv_0POHxAAKqRsYZtLzrqeDm0S8XN4mngU0rNq9NJb0WL-BX2dGuu5XwYKsECZuzjoGHVM1_DpxB3NzRzx33hxXvBE4D1-KLcjRJbSSB4gTvg/s1600/DSC_0192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQJ9ROII_bF1lPgnmUWIY0PROb5xqUZOv_0POHxAAKqRsYZtLzrqeDm0S8XN4mngU0rNq9NJb0WL-BX2dGuu5XwYKsECZuzjoGHVM1_DpxB3NzRzx33hxXvBE4D1-KLcjRJbSSB4gTvg/s400/DSC_0192.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PLACE JACQUES-CARTIER </td></tr>
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After lunch we go to the Chateau-Ramezay Historic Site and Museum of Montreal. This was originally built in very early 1700s as a Governor of Montreal's house when the French were in control of Canada. It was build quite opulent, with the builder boasting it was better than the territorial governor's residence. It is now a museum which tells the history of Montreal. It has a lovely colonial garden of flowers and vegetables in back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCn5LFtWXrmvvj5qFAsu0nQn3ANz6oPb8i74uQ26ZzchZBD3fmoxdpfWl3LbXPDXhUF2RxYQQo0uapzzDa1-xC6L3fFLT5mDsT8crcqjph0SIDvjoum9mChsWlgUv9_8Xu1ijm8Ky9q4/s1600/DSC_0209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCn5LFtWXrmvvj5qFAsu0nQn3ANz6oPb8i74uQ26ZzchZBD3fmoxdpfWl3LbXPDXhUF2RxYQQo0uapzzDa1-xC6L3fFLT5mDsT8crcqjph0SIDvjoum9mChsWlgUv9_8Xu1ijm8Ky9q4/s400/DSC_0209.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RAMEZAY GARDEN</td></tr>
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Between the two museums our legs are worn out. We go back to SummerTime and rest up before going out to dinner. We go to a French restaurant on Rue Saint-Paul Est where I get a steak and Barbara gets her lamb. She is fond of lamb, but seldom has it in US as good lamb in grocery stores and restaurants is hard to find. I ask for a Molsens to drink, and find that the restaurant does not carry Molsens. It seems remarkable as we passed their primary brewery on our way up the river, not much more than a mile from where we sit. it was a nice evening and day.<br />
We did not go to a church this Sunday. There is not a Protestant church near within walking distance. The main Notre Dame Basilica is farther than we can walk also. On Google Maps, where I normally find the closest church to the boat, it appears there are no churches with Sunday services closer than a mile to SummerTime. We have our normal Sunday breakfast of biscuits, eggs, and bacon late. We decide we will walk out later to get an ice cream for lunch and walk on Rue Saint-Paul where we were not at on Saturday. It is also closed to vehicular traffic during day and evening hours in the shops and restaurants district. We get our ice cream at one of several creameries along Rue de La Commune Est. We walk to the south end of the tourist area, and go up one block to walk north on Rue Saint-Paul. This end of Saint-Paul is art, fashion, and souvenir shops.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnYy30monis9JxOmL8y35_vbVNRb0bcKpfmXlIHGu6QkA8aqHYK_jkow_U2zFZ81Sb3I_saAcTRSjxFZrNYQAKNspLNKFTlu-BuNlZdi6jhb-WlsNtRH9FIf3_fnmrKsVIzG0M1OMGl0/s1600/P8050862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnYy30monis9JxOmL8y35_vbVNRb0bcKpfmXlIHGu6QkA8aqHYK_jkow_U2zFZ81Sb3I_saAcTRSjxFZrNYQAKNspLNKFTlu-BuNlZdi6jhb-WlsNtRH9FIf3_fnmrKsVIzG0M1OMGl0/s400/P8050862.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RUE SAINT-PAUL EST SHOPS</td></tr>
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We go in several Art shops and buy a few souvenirs in one of the souvenir shops. Barbara sees a piece of metal sculpture that is a "Fish" in an art shop, and would like to buy it, but reasons herself out of it as there is not room on the boat to carry it back. When we get back to Jacques-Cartier, it is nearly time for dinner. We go to the sidewalk cafe there and order salads and a pizza. Still no Molsen, so I get an Italian brew. The medium pizza turns out to be a mistake for two. After the salads it is too large for us to eat, and we have to ask for a box to take it out with. Crepes are a specialty in this part of town, and we have no room left for the dessert crepes. We go back to SummerTime and retire as it is nearly dark when we get back.<br />
Monday finds us moving to the main dock by the office before leaving. We need a pump out, and they are thorough on how they perform one. It is also the most expensive ever, at $25 before the exchange rate. We are under way headed downstream quickly (still traveling north) on the St. Lawrence River to Sorel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4S6qLoS3mLnl3lDhf5_s6mxNr_6EWquWavH-Nc6PdlPcFIb0KXfZtV7jysAEj3QuFZfegZN1IMryBhecrahbajle12VMXKidU4NgNwLzunLhcs9KjvK1o8DtfJemxNuG-uLq_jOunJw/s1600/P8060871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4S6qLoS3mLnl3lDhf5_s6mxNr_6EWquWavH-Nc6PdlPcFIb0KXfZtV7jysAEj3QuFZfegZN1IMryBhecrahbajle12VMXKidU4NgNwLzunLhcs9KjvK1o8DtfJemxNuG-uLq_jOunJw/s400/P8060871.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ST LAWRENCE RIVER CURRENT</td></tr>
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We pass numerous ships of various kinds loading and unloading as we pass out of Montreal. At one spot, two are side by side in the wide river, transferring a load between them. We see a tug pulling up to one ship and another tug en route to obviously un-berth this ship. It is a fairly easy trip down river. There is a lot of industry along the river, and a number of small towns also near the industry. We also see people recreating on the river, some swimming off their boats. It is hot and I think that they might be smart in what they are doing. We get to Sorel late afternoon and see that there is a number of ships in the anchorage there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsM4hQkUwDyV9tF7Tx0jZw2v84meeG1nFS-EeEmgomrL6urkcOJfkvV9Gy_A0AdPas8b0vdq2eLS7o8U_fHZ__L67SrOXemH55qhg9sNtRT6RGJChAR0T0m9JHu7SeVgsEN4u58oTfnZk/s1600/DSC_0270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsM4hQkUwDyV9tF7Tx0jZw2v84meeG1nFS-EeEmgomrL6urkcOJfkvV9Gy_A0AdPas8b0vdq2eLS7o8U_fHZ__L67SrOXemH55qhg9sNtRT6RGJChAR0T0m9JHu7SeVgsEN4u58oTfnZk/s640/DSC_0270.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SHIPS IN DESIGNATED ANCHORAGE ON THE SEAWAY</td></tr>
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Sorel is an industrial town, and has several industries where it sits at the intersection of the Richelieu River with the St Lawrence Seaway. The ships are waiting in the anchorage for their chance to take on or discharge freight. As we head into the Province run marina, we are nearly run over by a wildlife sightseeing boat. Another person with the title of captain who is not so professional. He is obviously rushing to get his paying customers to dock, but he is not thinking totally about their safety by passing me in such a confined spot. We take our slip that is assigned to us. We are in the marina harbor mouth again, on the outside of the dock. I check in at the harbor office. The English here is not as good as at most of Montreal or Valleyfield. I talk to a couple of local persons, one who recognizes our AGLCA looper burgee on the bow, and quizzes me on our trip before I go back to SummerTime. As I am boarding SummerTime, the ship being un-berthed back in Montreal passes by. The ships move pretty fast when they are not in vicinity of locks on rivers. We stay aboard tonight. There are no attractions close by in this little industrial town that we want to venture out to. They have a small bio or Eco-sphere we can see near the ferry dock, but we are not interested this evening.<br />
It is overcast when we get up on Tuesday morning, and starts to drizzle as I return from taking the trash up to a shore receptacle. We do this nearly every day so there is nothing aboard to attract insects or other vermin. There is a neighbor on the dock with small children, and after talking to him about the Great Loop, he helps us get off.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SGPugNjI5i1IWeY5LRAPsieURuDQQpPhe-0oaeOmhmdv8A7OSKPtRN2mR2QiRmJ_7ISc7i7HQdaZgmuUq7Z3JwO7qs_meCHDBHtYWWnvvhYckjwSupWc71XV3YPrvOPqcZEbVgsaPLc/s1600/P8070897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SGPugNjI5i1IWeY5LRAPsieURuDQQpPhe-0oaeOmhmdv8A7OSKPtRN2mR2QiRmJ_7ISc7i7HQdaZgmuUq7Z3JwO7qs_meCHDBHtYWWnvvhYckjwSupWc71XV3YPrvOPqcZEbVgsaPLc/s400/P8070897.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SHIP LOADING GRAIN ON RICHELIEU RIVER IN SOREL</td></tr>
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After we pass the industrial part of Sorel, we come to the waterfront homes along the Richelieu River. They are like the waterfront homes on any other river front. Some are weekend fish camps with a dock, and others are very nice luxury homes with landscaped yards, a dock, and a nice boat at the dock. We are about 2 hours to get to the St. Ours Lock. It is part of Canada's heritage lock systems. The park like setting around it is very nice. Inside the lock there is a floating dock to tie to.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKCDPZ3D-jnWGJFRuvpCeKmxOTlgBcGChiFyUxnv4CHx-vN4QAWYuboZDik2Mh8GJa1q0bfjZ-5JKQTEQbrNtsLXhPFGfnYc9fot7Ah_XsquXyYfV8S-Shxt9CKejZ9Js9_VLtMouQac/s1600/P8070926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKCDPZ3D-jnWGJFRuvpCeKmxOTlgBcGChiFyUxnv4CHx-vN4QAWYuboZDik2Mh8GJa1q0bfjZ-5JKQTEQbrNtsLXhPFGfnYc9fot7Ah_XsquXyYfV8S-Shxt9CKejZ9Js9_VLtMouQac/s400/P8070926.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">INSIDE THE SAINT OURS LOCK</td></tr>
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This is a first for us to have a dock in a lock. It is a "fee to use" lock, and the Parks Canada person takes our credit card with a portable card reader as the lock level is being raised. I get a printed receipt from the same portable reader. This has been the norm in Canada. Waiters come to your table with these portable credit card readers, your authorization and approval occurs on the spot, and you get a printed receipt of the transaction. Your credit card never leaves your sight. We continue on the Richelieu River after leaving the lock. I call ahead to make a dock reservation now that I know we will not be delayed by locks or other man made items. Quebec is supposed to be bi-lingual, and most persons there are, but sometimes the English is not so good. The lady who answers the phone tells me to hold when I ask about dockage for the evening, and passes me on to her manager. I apparently started to speak too fast, though being from the south I never think that I speak fast, and the man tells me "his English is not too good, slow down, or he will start speaking French". I slow down my speech and get the reservation made. The rest of our journey today will be on the Richelieu, which we are now traveling south on is more of a recreational river. There are a few small towns along the river, but mostly it is lined with houses. There is little industry. There are a few marinas, or bait stores along the shore, and that is pretty much it for commercial and industrial sightings. The church steeples in these little towns are architectural masterpieces. Each one looks like it was constructed to be more elaborate than the next closest one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjH74vp9wx3-TCzdspTnvd7k5XYNnaIcDV6surv3t9OSaZ68AyzQbL1Dcp_AYwfnjJ6Z5mWLn96b1B1uRw7cD86D8MPDMjAaW_LvmyAI7bBIh3LK8EIGatyF3VyHqaYfZZSWBcwAefl9w/s1600/DSC_0356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjH74vp9wx3-TCzdspTnvd7k5XYNnaIcDV6surv3t9OSaZ68AyzQbL1Dcp_AYwfnjJ6Z5mWLn96b1B1uRw7cD86D8MPDMjAaW_LvmyAI7bBIh3LK8EIGatyF3VyHqaYfZZSWBcwAefl9w/s200/DSC_0356.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EAST SIDE STEEPLE, ST. HILAIRE</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRmMQi_yZMen4vbZjSARXahItnz4fuaQEr6R0LB3wa7Ov19pnXDRGIMTn07PV56J_NBHmAroCeaQH_3NHAdl2_pmdF104D3sojN0f_yOKW9G8Wf03U1NHzzY5YjmlowR2ARG3cfz9Oe8/s1600/DSC_0359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRmMQi_yZMen4vbZjSARXahItnz4fuaQEr6R0LB3wa7Ov19pnXDRGIMTn07PV56J_NBHmAroCeaQH_3NHAdl2_pmdF104D3sojN0f_yOKW9G8Wf03U1NHzzY5YjmlowR2ARG3cfz9Oe8/s200/DSC_0359.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WEST SIDE STEEPLE, POINT BELOEIL</td></tr>
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<br />
This seemed to start as we came down the St. Lawrence after Montreal. I am thinking that in the late 1800s or early 1900s when this area was developed, that there was a small carpentry company selling elaborate steeples to churches. Later in the afternoon, as we near the Chambly Basin (a shallow lake) we pass a base for seaplanes. There is a ramp down to the rivers edge, and a number of planes on wheeled (amphibious) floats are parked up on the grass. They are various size planes, even a DeHaviland Beaver in one spot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MEheukHiJ6u6i6f7AeOGddGX76hSpM-4Z5maT9H0wEIzUmWGocspGKvXAd4sNAGHXiHOB6cwxi7MmprCxJu24xTW0t393FS1QIvQuT2lrHW7AC6KGWCwlcs3Ha-rbZ5UwVWqJ64pT8s/s1600/DSC_0387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MEheukHiJ6u6i6f7AeOGddGX76hSpM-4Z5maT9H0wEIzUmWGocspGKvXAd4sNAGHXiHOB6cwxi7MmprCxJu24xTW0t393FS1QIvQuT2lrHW7AC6KGWCwlcs3Ha-rbZ5UwVWqJ64pT8s/s400/DSC_0387.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SEA PLANES WAITING FOR FLYING</td></tr>
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We cross the Chambly Basin and go straight to Chambly Marina. We take a slip for the evening. We head to a French restaurant for dinner, but despite what "Google Maps" says about being open, the place is closed for the day. We backtrack to the other side of the town to a Portuguese restaurant. We have a good meal, most of their entrees are seafood (several mussel and octopus dishes) and pass on dessert there. We passed two ice cream parlors on the way to the restaurant. We stop at one on the way back to SummerTime and get a cone each. It is good ice cream, but not in the top five. We retire early back on SummerTime, Wednesday will be a long day and start early.<br />
As we are preparing to get underway on Wednesday morning, another boat pulls into the marina and takes on gas. They get out a few minutes in front of us and around the sea wall to wait in line for the locks to open. We are behind them by a few minutes, rounding the sea wall to the lock waiting point at 9a.m., when the locks are supposed to open. The lock master comes down the dock and tells the waiting boats what order to go in, and collects the prepaid tickets. We are told there is not room for us on this lock up, but they will get us on the next one. Five boats enter the lock, 2 wide, and we and a large pontoon boat wait our turn for the lock. There are three locks together here. When the first 5 boats leave the first lock, two boats waiting in the Chambly canal on the other side come down. We are now directed to enter the lock along with the pontoon boat. These are antique, or "Heritage" locks. They have wooden gates, that are operated by manual cranks. The valves to let water in and out of the locks are simple slide gates on the lock doors that also are operated with a hand crank.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Qa5AJ2aoCWFbI_gKkHl3TtCoGH2VYZFiGS2jKgCFrbZJzd-Gf3xoAM7siMyyCn_h0E6BUF05kEV1DZ8yMRpevDKe6KUDUSs0BG3Myy8z2HVtO3ttqQgox-YP994_wdExbWbTWPKn3tg/s1600/DSC_0415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Qa5AJ2aoCWFbI_gKkHl3TtCoGH2VYZFiGS2jKgCFrbZJzd-Gf3xoAM7siMyyCn_h0E6BUF05kEV1DZ8yMRpevDKe6KUDUSs0BG3Myy8z2HVtO3ttqQgox-YP994_wdExbWbTWPKn3tg/s400/DSC_0415.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WOODEN "HERITAGE" LOCK GATES</td></tr>
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Most all the persons operating these locks appear to be college students on their summer jobs with Parks Canada. We will traverse 9 locks today in about 10 miles. The first three locks are together, or flight locks, where you go directly from one to the next on your way up or down in elevation. There are 5 persons taking turns on these gates, 8 for the three locks. And there is a swing bridge on the canal side of lock #3, the only thing with electrical power other than the signal locks. Just before 11 we are out of the first three locks. It is not too far, and we encounter locks 4, 5 & 6. They are farther apart, and have a crew of 2-3 for each lock. Lock 4 is the smallest of the ones we will go through today. There is not room for the10' beam of the pontoon boat, and SummerTime's 12' beam to be side by side with fenders. We are end to end on opposite sides of the lock. Both boats nearly fill this small lock. We also have a couple of low bridges on the Chambly canal. The operators speed from one bridge to the next to have them open in time for us. The bridges are narrow. At the first bridge, boats wait to the side on the opposite side of the bridge until we pass, then they go through the bridge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkc84m36-49GIvz9gsqd6LBmQEEnhf_FvL9lA1eFPq6TBfuUusGZHvfKi1n0-OVuCuONXvzZt2NBuzZ6xk0pINLp_o0KJzbOsTf8Jnw_F_oRdcUjUlKxUpHwPInrEdu-sFXA5QyqftR8/s1600/DSC_0476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkc84m36-49GIvz9gsqd6LBmQEEnhf_FvL9lA1eFPq6TBfuUusGZHvfKi1n0-OVuCuONXvzZt2NBuzZ6xk0pINLp_o0KJzbOsTf8Jnw_F_oRdcUjUlKxUpHwPInrEdu-sFXA5QyqftR8/s400/DSC_0476.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ROOM FOR 1 AT BRIDGE</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At bridge 10, we have to wait for the boats coming north. We also waited at one lock for the north bound boats, and as they got nearly to the lock, we pulled out to the starboard (right) side in a basin area, and let the incoming boats pass into the lock. When the last of the boats was by, we proceeded on our way south with the pontoon boat behind us. This is all very tedious, requiring good timing on some lock people's part, and taking the better part of a day. We clear the last of the Chambly locks and bridges about 3:30. We have made arrangements with a marina at Rouses Point in NY on Lake Champlain for a slip for tonight.<br />
Before we can get to our marina, just over the US/Canada border we have to clear US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). We had tried to use the new "ROAM" app for customs while in the canal waiting on one of the bridges. It would not work without a "wifi" connection, so we called the 800 number to check in for boaters. The agent on the other end was very pleasant, but told us we could not check in via phone more than an hour before arrival. He suggested Rouses Point CBP when we crossed the border. As we traveled into Lake Champlain from the Chambly Canal/ Richelieu River, I pondered what to do about checking in. It was clear the convenience of the "ROAM" app was not going to work. Checking in by phone takes a good signal, that did not work at Bainsville, Ontario. I decide to pull to the docks of CBP. They have a small office trailer on the point under the Highway 2 bridge which is easy to see when we cross the border a mile and a half from their position. They have alternating flashing red and blue lights. It is obvious, even from a distance, that there is some kind of law enforcement ahead. We tie-up and I go to get interviewed. They can see Barbara on the boat deck securing lines, and tell me she needs to come up also. They take our passports, and provide a stamped document to say we have re-entered the US. The whole thing took less time than our doing the "ROAM" app leaving Morrisburg, Ontario, or the call ins we have previously done coming back into the US. The office and docks on the little peninsula is what made it easy.<br />
I had called Barcomb's Marina about 1/2 hour before getting to customs, explaining we could not be there by 5-5:30 per my original plans. The dockmaster gave me instructions for tie-ing up when we arrived. A little after 6 we left CBP, and were at the dock by 6:15. The border, CBP, and the marina were all that close. We tied up, Barbara fixed a simple meal for the evening, and we took a well deserved rest. We had not done that many miles today, but we did 9 locks and 3 bridges. A big day for the two of us.<br />
We decide to stay and extra night when I check in on Thursday morning. We need to do laundry and buy some groceries to put aboard. Barcomb's has a courtesy car and I borrow the keys as there is not a laundry at the marina. The marina people give us directions to the laundromat in town. They also give us directions to a grocery store, and tell us of a deli near the laundromat. We leave the laundromat, and stop at the Dollar General we had passed. Barbara buys the staples she can from them, but no milk, and we go back to the marina to return the car. We have now had the two extremes in marina courtesy cars. The 1993 Oldsmobile in Smithville coming down the Tenn-Tom, and now this one. It was a nearly new KIA Sedona van with only 3400 miles. We eat at the bar/grill above the marina store/office. It is windy out, and we are glad we took a day to do chores. We are not to be in Burlington until Friday, and this marina is .75/ft less per night than Burlington.<br />
Friday we get up and make ready to leave. We go over to the "Service Docks" (4 finger piers) and take on fuel. This is the first time we have fueled since Crysler Marine Park in Morrisburg, ON. It takes 83.4 gallons for 36 hour of running time covering 241mi, and 1-1/2hr of generator time. Traveling downriver on the St Lawrence was a big help, and we only had 2 times for about 3 hours where we ran at 85-90% power. We went upriver on the Richelieu, but its current is nothing compared to the 2-3mph of the St. Lawrence. This was better than I had hoped for when we topped off the tank at Crysler Marine Park. We have been 1185 miles since leaving Hampton, VA on 23 June. We have burned 562 gallons of fuel in those miles.<br />
We head south on Lake Champlain to Burlington, VT. The lake has some shallow spots in this north end, and we follow the zig-zag route of the buoys. Lake Champlain is relatively calm as the winds are light. We meet a lot of power boats going north. I am assuming it is Canadians headed home after vacation. They will spend the same 5-1/2hr on the Chambly Canal that we did. Besides the locks and bridges, there is a 6mph speed limit on the canal proper. We also are seeing a number of sail boats on Lake Champlain as we get farther south where the lake is wider. They are trying to sail, but the wind is a little light for good sailing. But the wind is just about right for a good power boat cruise. There is not a lot of development on this upper part of Lake Champlain. And the views are gorgeous with mountains on both sides. We get to Burlington about 4:30 after about 41 miles.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">APPROACH TO BURLINGTON HARBOR</td></tr>
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There is a lot of traffic as we approach the harbor. There are tour boats, ferries, and then the fishing and cruising boats. After securing everything and checking in, Barbara and I take the free shuttle bus into town to find the grocery store. We get the milk we have been out of and walk back to SummerTime for the evening.<br />
It is good to get here on the day we had scheduled to arrive. We hurried some times to beat weather, or make up lost time for whatever reason. And there were times when we stopped to smell the roses. It has been a very good trip so far.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SUNSET OVER NY MOUNTAINS SEEN FROM BURLINGTON HARBOR</td></tr>
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<br />SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-25577314039083040672018-08-12T22:06:00.001-04:002018-08-12T22:06:59.623-04:00Little Triangle Loop, Week #6, 28July to 3Aug018, CROSSING THE BORDER Saturday morning I get up and hike to the other Village of Waddington park with docks. I put a check for dockage (honor system) in the box at the park. In the afternoon, Barbara and I hike into town about 2 blocks from the water to get an AT&T signal. We do not want to be in the hassle of disputing a bill for international roaming later. We use the laptop and download bills from the few creditors we have so we can mail payment to them. Then we mosey back to SummerTime. We ran the generator some in the morning for making coffee. We run it again in the afternoon so we can cook and put some charge into the batteries. A sailboat pulls up behind us in the afternoon, so I warned him before we run the generator.<br />
On Sunday morning I run the generator again for heating coffe and putting more charge into the batteries. The Village has a new bath house to go with their new pavilion. We go over and use the showers to get ready to go to church. We, as always, go to the closest protestant church since we are most always walking. It is an old Presbyterian Church, the second oldest church in the village. It burnt in the early 1900s, and was rebuilt. It still looks old architecturally inside. It has high arched ceilings with curved wooden beams supporting the roof. There is also a magnificent old pipe organ in the sancturary. They volunteer that is from the early 1900s donated by one of the Vanderbilts. Their organist plays it very well. After church we go to a restaurant for brunch. Not something we normally do on Sunday, but this restaurant is special. It is "Artworks Creperie", and they do a brunch featuring crepes of various types.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_aHm06CabEURDLfTDbLNjv65Rfg1zejsn7Qg6o143IPeWchKv7OUFVhrSCmSTSwx1mydxYwT7zBW4QdX48jF-qvZSk4xrtVQRYUyec7l9WayS9wD5nDPcoQzLy6dEqarZJDLCj8BHto/s1600/20180729_103757_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_aHm06CabEURDLfTDbLNjv65Rfg1zejsn7Qg6o143IPeWchKv7OUFVhrSCmSTSwx1mydxYwT7zBW4QdX48jF-qvZSk4xrtVQRYUyec7l9WayS9wD5nDPcoQzLy6dEqarZJDLCj8BHto/s640/20180729_103757_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SMALL PLACE, BUT THEIR TASTE IS LARGE</td></tr>
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They have a pretty sizable clientele for such a small town, and I am hoping that this is a sign their food is good. We are both amazed at the excellent crepes we have off this brunch bar. After stuffing ourselves, we go back aboard SummerTime and ready to depart Waddington.<br />
We depart Waddington in NY, and go to Crysler Park Marina, all of 8 miles, in Morrisburg, Ontario. We call Canada Customs from the shore phone, and get our reporting in number to display. We fuel SummerTime as there are not too many places that have diesel on the Seaway. I had planned to stop in Ogdensburg, NY, but as their docks are out we are buying fuel in Ontario. It is expensive due to Canadian taxes, but I only have to buy 56 gallons to top the tank off. I will not have to buy diesel again until we get back into the States. SummerTime's berth is like most transient berths. It is by the channel entrance so every boat coming in rocks us. I am glad the winds are not directly out of the east as we have almost no protection sitting in the mouth of the harbor where we are. Wayne and Ruth, two gold loopers from Crysler Marina see our gold "AGLCA" burgee and kayak over to introduce themselves. They are the local AGLCA harbor host and quite friendly and knowledgeable. Wayne points out that the "Crysler War of 1812 Battlefield" nearby is where 4000 US patriots were defeated by 800 Brits and Indians.<br />
On Monday we go to the marina office for the free shuttle ride to Canada's Upper Village. Eric tells us that the village will not open for another half hour, so we have him drop us at the 1812 Battlefield.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">COMEMORATIVE PLAQUE TO BOTH ARMIES BY FRIENDLY NEIGHBOR</td></tr>
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Kind of reminds me of Gettysburg. Cannons on top of a hill, and infantry trying to charge across open ground to take them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CANNON VIEW OF 1812 BATTLEFIELD</td></tr>
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We spend a few minutes on top of the mound, and then go to the "Village". It is an 1860s period village that is comprised of buildings from that period. The buildings came from the area that was to be flooded when the St. Lawrence Seaway was constructed in the late 1950s. There are people dressed in period clothes doing interpretations and demonstrations. One of the first things we visit is a wool mill, where machines driven by a water wheel card, spin, and weave wool into fabrics.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SYSTEM OF SHAFTS AND PULLEYS DRIVING LOOMS</td></tr>
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The next building is a grain mill. Here we see the water wheel, as they have it pulled out as it has failed. They had a replacement wheel running the mill. We witnessed flour being ground. The small pond feeds a saw mill also. This is also powered by a vertically mounted water wheel that spins as water falls from the pond over it. It is powering a vertical saw blade that is sawing slab boards off of a log. Not the "buzz saw" of song and cartoon fame.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SAW BLADE STARTING ON A SLAB CUT</td></tr>
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I have seen one other sawmill like this, in historic Mackinac Michigan. That sawmill was powered by the conventional wheel we see on postcards. We continue to tour the village. We go through some of the old houses with their period furniture. We have a lunch at the Hotel that is similar to the lunch we would have bought there in the 1860s. The cheese on our sandwiches actually came from the village cheese shop. We go in there to see cheese being made, but there is not much too see. Some tubs with milk in them that is going to take several days to ferment so cheese can be made. It is a long day for Barbara and I, and we are worn out when we get back to SummerTime.<br />
Wednesday morning we get up and head to Robert Moses State Park Marina on the St. Lawrence Seaway near Massena, NY. We contact US Customs and Border Protection using their new "ROAM" app for smart phones. We do a video interview and are cleared back into the US. It is another long run of 15 miles to get there in the mid afternoon. The park is on an island, and not near anything. We use the genset to cook and then shut it off as there is no power at the transient docks. We spend a quiet evening on the boat. We crank the genset Thursday morning long enough to make coffee and toast for breakfast. Thursday morning we move to the service dock and get our holding tank pumped out. We can not put water in our water tank as their hose is not long enough to reach down the dock to SummerTime. We leave the state marina and head for the Eisenhower Lock, the first of the two American locks in the Seaway. I call via radio just before arriving about 9:30 and am told it will be about a 3hr wait to get locked down. There are several ships on the AIS going up and down river.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SHIPS SWAPPING PLACES AT EISENHOWER LOCK</td></tr>
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As we wait more ships appear on the AIS screen. Also there are more pleasure boats accumulating in the anchorage. After 8 ships, we are all told to make our way into the lock.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PLEASURE CRAFT ENTERING LOCK</td></tr>
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There are 15 of us, and they raft us side by side, 3 boats wide. We are not against the wall, the bigger boats are there. We leave the Eisenhower lock and go about 6 miles to the Snell lock.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PC MEETING A SHIP BETWEEN LOCKS</td></tr>
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We tie up in the lock in the same order we were in at the Eishenhower lock. It is after 3:30 when we get out of the Snell lock. I know we will not make Valleyfield's marina before dark. I consult the charts and settle for the Creg Quay marina near Bainsville, ON. We run hard trying to get there before closing at 5, but in the end I call on the phone and they give us a slip assignment. Phone service here is spotty, and it takes 4 attempts to clear through with Canadian Customs. There is a restaurant here, but it is not open. We eat on SummerTime. On Thursday morning we get up and fill SummerTime's water tank. We then depart for Valleyfield after I am sure we will have a dock to tie to in Valleyfield.<br />
We did not change countries today, like yesterday. We did however, change cultures. We went from speaking English in Bainsville, Ontario where Creg Quay is located, to speaking French in Salaberry de Valleyfield, Quebec. Valleyfield Municipal Marina is a large nice marina, and near downtown. We walk the half mile to the local grocery store, a Metro Mart, and buy needed groceries. We have not been within walking distance of a grocery store since leaving Brewerton, NY. We were out of several items: milk, bread, and most important for me: coffee. We have 4 big bags to walk back to the boat with. It is a nice little town, and the old Beauharnois Canal is used as a gathering place for boats to socialize with each other. The foot bridge over the canal from the mainland to an island park actually has a swing section which we witness open to let bigger boats into the cruising/socializing area.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PC PASSING THROUGH PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE TO SOCIAL AREA</td></tr>
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After dinner, Barbara goes and does our basic laundry. We also use their showers which are in a separate building.<br />
We are up early on Friday morning. We have to make a bridge opening on the Beauharois Canal. The first opening for pleasure boats is at 9, and it opens only on the hour after that. We do not wish to miss that first opening as the two bridge tenders have reputations for being non cooperative with small boats. We make it to the staging area for the bridge at quarter to the hour.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagCrK5wl0GoJ6uremLXrZfNMf_GE2A93pdiJxs0dGIsHANcE8NJ-EtjH-vfio3nDND46NVH7l5ED144JG3mi6fUEoFBcXQJnVx8VJLm462ynoFugdCLUjEVwWNM2O2GPFw9MRvqQIemk/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagCrK5wl0GoJ6uremLXrZfNMf_GE2A93pdiJxs0dGIsHANcE8NJ-EtjH-vfio3nDND46NVH7l5ED144JG3mi6fUEoFBcXQJnVx8VJLm462ynoFugdCLUjEVwWNM2O2GPFw9MRvqQIemk/s400/DSC_0004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WAITING FOR 9am BRIDGE OPENING</td></tr>
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There are other boats waiting there. And other "go-fast" boats come rushing up as we wait. When the bridge opens, there are 7 power boats and two sailboats that rush through. Then we wait at the second bridge, mostly for the slower sailboat I think so the operator only has to open once. After that we cruise at a sedate pace the 6 miles to the Beauharnois locks. I stop and purchase a ticket good for 2 locks this time. We lock through with the other boats and enter Lac de St Louis, which is really just a wide part of the St. Lawrence River. We have lunch while going across this lake. At the NE corner we come to the Sud Rive Canal. In it we meet a ship traveling south.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SHIP COMING OUT OF "SUD" CANAL</td></tr>
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As we are just entering the canal, I pull over into a wide area by a marina, and wait for the ship to pass. In the canal we meet two more ships headed south. We get to the Cote lock and are whisked through, 3 of us. We are the wall boat this time, and all three of us are put in one spot. At the next lock, the St Lambert, we have to wait. The lock has a RR & car bridge at the south gates. I think we are waiting because it is rush hour. After about 45 minutes, you can see the superstructure of a ship rise above the lock and the bridges.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ryVsg2JIfiuXi4J3O8cRGG4E12fM2lv-huu2m48pP2VsOgpJCX7snGF7dkJafQ4vu3SE_1DoCdnpyTxARXfY7ljO5uLu_TKjXP9VbzhyphenhyphenMKoVBdqdeYPV82o-EvF-g1mCun8_6jpnCFc/s1600/P8030850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ryVsg2JIfiuXi4J3O8cRGG4E12fM2lv-huu2m48pP2VsOgpJCX7snGF7dkJafQ4vu3SE_1DoCdnpyTxARXfY7ljO5uLu_TKjXP9VbzhyphenhyphenMKoVBdqdeYPV82o-EvF-g1mCun8_6jpnCFc/s640/P8030850.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WIND TURBINE BLADES HEADED TO A WIND POWER FARM</td></tr>
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After it is out, we are cleared to enter. Once in the lock we see that there are bridges at both ends.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnoGOvY_YqZhZ-zvECnGJyqsXez1n4ed3CQdOtmBo_izIsJS4c73jfuRdOCOHM3JUfZ_AGOCFYlUmXbmzjm_BmAXr25NjpPkqM1WWPYdz_amGZ5XPV7zZU85SY5pvUMlW4yueyFtefzo/s1600/DSC_0062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnoGOvY_YqZhZ-zvECnGJyqsXez1n4ed3CQdOtmBo_izIsJS4c73jfuRdOCOHM3JUfZ_AGOCFYlUmXbmzjm_BmAXr25NjpPkqM1WWPYdz_amGZ5XPV7zZU85SY5pvUMlW4yueyFtefzo/s640/DSC_0062.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S BRIDGE UP FOR LOCK ENTRY, N BRIDGE LETTING TRAIN CARS CROSS</td></tr>
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The lock tender explains that they cannot open one bridge set until the other is closed. I am not upset, as I never expected to get past Lac St Louis today due to the reputation of the Beauharnois Canal. We round the tip of the Isle de Notre Dame where the Canadian Grand Prix is held, and turn west to the Old Montreal Port. Our speed changes almost 6 knots from exiting the canal and a bypass to heading up the main part of the river with the rapids the locks were built to navigate around.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQTnnEuDkpmmX7XiuVAok9VCVOUdN25Rpwa8btrS2CX321qTb4fmTzxUGvECbFi0sQvWzmJij1TbjedZxKlFCx7fqOUfyI0CVlZnn6JSfK7oem2niYq00auEHjuRMX3UgwAlJ571RNaw/s1600/DSC_0103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQTnnEuDkpmmX7XiuVAok9VCVOUdN25Rpwa8btrS2CX321qTb4fmTzxUGvECbFi0sQvWzmJij1TbjedZxKlFCx7fqOUfyI0CVlZnn6JSfK7oem2niYq00auEHjuRMX3UgwAlJ571RNaw/s400/DSC_0103.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ST. LAWRENCE RIVER CURRENT BY A BUOY</td></tr>
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I called in the lock to see if there is room for us at the "Vieux Port" Marina. We have reservations there for Saturday and Sunday night, but I never expected to get through all 4 locks and the two bridges in one day. We have an alternate plan to anchor by some islands downstream of the locks if there is no marina space. One of the boats locking through with us showed me a good anchorage in case there is no marina space. They are headed on towards Quebec City. We are in luck and get a slip for the night. We get to the "Old Port Marina", or "Marina Port D' Escale" about 6:25. They help us tie up, the dock girl is very good at this by herself. We are in like a 3 sided concrete bath tub, and the city is right above us, a bee hive of activity even into the dark. We settle in for the night on SummerTime as we were up late on Thursday night, and got an early start this Friday morning. It has been a very rewarding day for travel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtHxRAcz2UPwv_DsExOkGIAU-YnfaRZZ2-02gfyesZg9pm8s9RfaoIAyvfXHxc4HcnthesGR0g-r-ANeDWPoxVr6cpZGci2a7SIOOfDTPKV-AlENQlzpGldRBZSs6hP2ru37_KUJQ2LU/s1600/DSC_0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtHxRAcz2UPwv_DsExOkGIAU-YnfaRZZ2-02gfyesZg9pm8s9RfaoIAyvfXHxc4HcnthesGR0g-r-ANeDWPoxVr6cpZGci2a7SIOOfDTPKV-AlENQlzpGldRBZSs6hP2ru37_KUJQ2LU/s640/DSC_0136.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ENTERING "VIEUX PORT" MARINA MONTREAL</td></tr>
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SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-51948302082826967432018-07-30T20:25:00.000-04:002018-07-30T20:25:57.083-04:00Little Triangle Loop, WEEK #5 21-27 July, 2018 The Coal Dock was such a good restaurant on Friday night, that we decide to try them out for Saturday morning breakfast. They have a bakery with fresh pastries in full display on Friday night. So Saturday we think we will partake of the goods. Instead of getting one of the good looking pastries when we get there, we both get toasts made with their home made breads. French for me and Cinnamon for Barbara. We are back on SummerTime when a lot of "go fast" or quasi ocean racers start to assemble just outside the breakwater of Cape Vincent.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALtCKieyKaprDxQGzHWMbwCT8I8LiaV-CzTPbWjiNQvX0-Xk0eGwbb1_EO4sjsECIpZatR2qDuTa8jF6kgmy2xSKUgTna6Yzfuk921-yHaVrJtnquzsvQVJ0lC6eyBslVCufiitx6XJE/s1600/DSC_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALtCKieyKaprDxQGzHWMbwCT8I8LiaV-CzTPbWjiNQvX0-Xk0eGwbb1_EO4sjsECIpZatR2qDuTa8jF6kgmy2xSKUgTna6Yzfuk921-yHaVrJtnquzsvQVJ0lC6eyBslVCufiitx6XJE/s400/DSC_0024.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BOAT PARADING THROUGH CAPE VINCENT HARBOR & PRESS</td></tr>
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We are about to witness the start of a large poker run for these boats. There is probably an hundred of them, and a press helicopter. After watching their start, we decide to see the historic part of town. We luck out as apparently every Saturday is "Market Day" for Cape Vincent. There are crafts, hand made collectables, and farmers with produce. There is also a block set aside for 3 on 3 basketball tournaments, complete with referrees.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5tn-wHPfaqWVwkKpMT-A8BDgfrKNHvs0pQo1jk0Xn5zRADfIoVSC4qqulVzqgn8Dr3OM8rcR0VvbVlqci-hoc2VFshK2eedXi8CD-WdwpeJ7iBCkoQIEvwk5vhyphenhyphenTMnlctqdz7KhZumo/s1600/DSC_0075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5tn-wHPfaqWVwkKpMT-A8BDgfrKNHvs0pQo1jk0Xn5zRADfIoVSC4qqulVzqgn8Dr3OM8rcR0VvbVlqci-hoc2VFshK2eedXi8CD-WdwpeJ7iBCkoQIEvwk5vhyphenhyphenTMnlctqdz7KhZumo/s400/DSC_0075.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">STREET B'BALL TOURNAMENTS & CRAFT TENTS</td></tr>
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As we leave the area there is a storefront ice cream shop. We get a waffle cone of one large scoop and I am amazed it is only $2.00. For hand dipped, very cheap. We go back down to the old "Roxy Hotel" for dinner. A really nice looking place from late 1800s where we have a very good dinner.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6qD3ZiS-Wj_Iml7Q_K0Ds00CllJdG-61V0q5VQjXNKVXNmnEX1Xlk3DZpCLIwSiAvamGeL9I9J1mau4tSSqaZii5F1ngYgG9-_lqmyK4DD_sjMnlqxEBXn2FIrJRm3r9ChtQt1-_KZU/s1600/DSC_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1075" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6qD3ZiS-Wj_Iml7Q_K0Ds00CllJdG-61V0q5VQjXNKVXNmnEX1Xlk3DZpCLIwSiAvamGeL9I9J1mau4tSSqaZii5F1ngYgG9-_lqmyK4DD_sjMnlqxEBXn2FIrJRm3r9ChtQt1-_KZU/s400/DSC_0069.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ROXY HOTELS INTRICATELY CARVED ENTRY</td></tr>
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Sunday morning we go to early church at the Methodist Church. After church we go back and get SummerTime ready to leave for Clayton, NY. Our neighbors at the dock help us to get away. The winds are really strong, and it takes two pushing hard to get us away from the dock far enough to clear the boat behind us, and not hit the dock area to the far side. At Cape Vincent you have pretty much entered "The Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence Seaway. There are more than a thousand islands here (must have a tree to be an island) in the Seaway. It is a popular vacation area with Canadian and US Citizens. There is the main shipping channel, which is marked with navigation aids. There are other channels among the islands which may or may not be marked. Some require local knowledge to navigate as there are obstructions just under the water. We take an alternate channel route (shallow entrance is marked with 3 small buoys) to Clayton to stay out of the main channel and the rougher water. Even so, we have 2-3' swells for most of the 2 hrs. it takes us to get to the Clayton Harbor Municipal Dock. It also rains on us lightly part of the time along the way. Clayton's harbor is almost empty, but that will change. This is where all the poker run boats headquartered, and only 5 are left when we arrive in the middle of the afternoon. That does change, as later in the evening a group of 8 express cruisers arrives, with the first arrival using his cell phone to stage each boat in so as not to overload the dock personnel. This is a scene we will see each replay each day we are in Clayton. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9x5_il9c-3VEIbrAEvGCjuwyOrP2E9OQuqMbG3xY4L6scgz58uq7R8IlLaBN4K1dMG687oo4_ZTC11gP6ucj7mfLwdmG-v8npL5gEVIYbdWGn43oKLiWK18wdJm3rx-cotzEUDYGPYoA/s1600/DSC_0099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9x5_il9c-3VEIbrAEvGCjuwyOrP2E9OQuqMbG3xY4L6scgz58uq7R8IlLaBN4K1dMG687oo4_ZTC11gP6ucj7mfLwdmG-v8npL5gEVIYbdWGn43oKLiWK18wdJm3rx-cotzEUDYGPYoA/s400/DSC_0099.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SUNSET AND A PASSING THUNDERSTORM</td></tr>
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On Monday we get up and get ready to go do some museums. The first one we go to is the Handweaving Museum. Interesting, but the people using the looms do demonstrations on Wednesday. From there we go to lunch at Koffee Kove on the way to the Antique Boat Museum. Food is very good at Koffee Kove, and my Reuben is served open faced, which is a big mess. At the Antique Boat Museum we take the tour of "La Duchesse", a 104' houseboat commissioned in 1903, and last lived on and owned by the McNally family (atlas fame) before the last share transfers to the museum in 2001. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PAvBXM6Hf8PvpZdIZMtEkjwjjnxgNLOUJiaUDKQ_K0Z8ky2wMIjCBqBgdOnUtzns8Haj_2LGRRjVaOp9Ggif5hM1m_t6jgKUSUxfnh_XGf4yh8ysoFrHAlS74h13qKVhIcZhLSYDUCo/s1600/P7230488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PAvBXM6Hf8PvpZdIZMtEkjwjjnxgNLOUJiaUDKQ_K0Z8ky2wMIjCBqBgdOnUtzns8Haj_2LGRRjVaOp9Ggif5hM1m_t6jgKUSUxfnh_XGf4yh8ysoFrHAlS74h13qKVhIcZhLSYDUCo/s320/P7230488.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La DUCHESSE PASSAGEWAY MAIN DECK</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8BTYHE_QoFo-3GEu9BBNRWzDo69sDxZT0LroNGFMc7Ma425lsoLVocbR8h5j3Xu9OK1C9hBT7Y6XtCKT1Tjz_bI7FduGzpAkHRMWyF7IwqOgIEUV25dXP-9Uy2AJdPIHPZDKwd6CwmQ/s1600/P7230495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8BTYHE_QoFo-3GEu9BBNRWzDo69sDxZT0LroNGFMc7Ma425lsoLVocbR8h5j3Xu9OK1C9hBT7Y6XtCKT1Tjz_bI7FduGzpAkHRMWyF7IwqOgIEUV25dXP-9Uy2AJdPIHPZDKwd6CwmQ/s320/P7230495.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UPPER DECK BREAKFAST ROOM</td></tr>
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A lot of nice boats here, all sizes and propulsion types. And other interesting boating memoralbia resides here also. Barbara sits as her knee is bothering her as I go through the last 2 sheds of boats.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCbfKRftatOBIy8jqjPElIiftpVpplaonvxin2vi6gJFBvz_gUK7SOKKi1tBmU2sGQq7yRpotcyJWy3bzUY0ywhqxx_k6ME-V_n5h2GpSogAXSRF88bElSc1u4NaOonQxEXkBlgDWbow/s1600/P7230510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCbfKRftatOBIy8jqjPElIiftpVpplaonvxin2vi6gJFBvz_gUK7SOKKi1tBmU2sGQq7yRpotcyJWy3bzUY0ywhqxx_k6ME-V_n5h2GpSogAXSRF88bElSc1u4NaOonQxEXkBlgDWbow/s400/P7230510.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BOATS IN MAIN BUILDING</td></tr>
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We have been fortunate to have been dry all day, missing the predicted showers. However, a quarter mile from SummerTime on our walk back, the sprinkling, and then the rain starts. It is still showering off and on when we turn in. On Tuesday we stay aboard and Barbara does laundry at the marina. It is only one washer and dryer and takes a while. I do some minor chores on SummerTime. In the evening, we go into town and visit "The Scoop", an ice cream parlor with "Giffords" ice cream from Maine. At 1/4mi. it is the second closest we have ever been docked to an ice cream parlor. I decide to try a blueberry flavor, remembering how home made blueberry tasted at neighborhood gatherings when I was a teen. I am not disappointed, as the Giffords is very creamy, and the blueberry flavor is just right, not too sweet, not too strong. It rains again as we board SummerTime for the evening.<br />
Wednesday we get up to travel to Alexandria Bay, NY hoping to take in two "castles" when we leave Alexandria Bay. It is only 10 miles, and important as it is 10 miles closer to our appointment in Burlington, Vermont in August. The rain shower comes hard not long after we leave the Clayton dock. I go to the lower helm to navigate. A friend gave us a radar which we completed installation of while in Shady Harbor on this trip. It will be good to be able to navigate at the lower helm and practice with the radar in actual inclement weather. It turns out not to be as easy as it seems. It is only a little over 1-1/2 hours from Clayton to Alexandria Bay. We had lunch in Clayton on SummerTime waiting for the rain showers to subside. They died some, but as said above were hard again when we got to Alexandria Bay. We pass under The Thousand Island Bridge which connects the US and Canada a few miles before getting to Alexandria Bay.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THOUSAND ISLANDS BRIDGE</td></tr>
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We both get wet docking at the City docks. I get off and go to the nearest store to get milk and cereal that we are running out of. It is 1/2 mile to a Family Dollar store where I get cereal and milk. I have to buy "non-fat" milk at the store as that is all that is left in the dairy case. I get back, and Barbara informs me that that is worse than skim milk which I detest and refuse to drink for health professionals. But there is good in the dock we are at.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF3AEQEMKgK_NOPyPJjC54zCv7tCoX-IWaj2gKNQ_MttMq2bIw5Oa_Fo2tgZj2HkeaHJh5Ae4WbF4eFUbA0eIoxDYteA0xYsmAHzvaB-5CvpSMXqaGkslUI6R5mzkAQUGG7c5rP4afvA/s1600/DSC_0244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF3AEQEMKgK_NOPyPJjC54zCv7tCoX-IWaj2gKNQ_MttMq2bIw5Oa_Fo2tgZj2HkeaHJh5Ae4WbF4eFUbA0eIoxDYteA0xYsmAHzvaB-5CvpSMXqaGkslUI6R5mzkAQUGG7c5rP4afvA/s640/DSC_0244.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ALEXANDRIA BAY VILLAGE DOCKS</td></tr>
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We are the closest to an ice cream parlor we have ever been. I thought the one diagonally across the marina docks in Waukegan was close, but Google states this one is 450ft from our dock position. We go get a cone of Perry's after dinner. There is no power on this dock, and because we ran such a short distance, I worry through the night that we will run the house batteries down as they have not been fully charged. I cut the inverter (which provides power to some AC appliances) off to make sure this does not happen. The inverter will go to beeping, annoyingly, and eventually shut off when voltage drops below 11.5 in the system. We get up and I turn the inverter on and all is quiet. Then I start the microwave to heat water for tea for Barbara. Before the water is warm the inverter goes to beeping on low power. I shut it off again, and Barbara drinks water only this morning. I walk up the street and get hot coffee. We leave Alexandria Bay about 9:30, planning to be at Ogdensburg, NY by the end of the day.<br />
A phone call to reserve a dock at Ogdensburg reveals they have no docks for us as theirs were damaged in floods in 2017. The City has not rebuilt them as of this time. So we revise our plans to stop in Morristown, NY. I call and make sure they have dock space for us and we head out. We do a slow pass around Boldt Castle, an endeavour of love.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1VEfUToKqaEnAdeuPEN6tOYcdgJZtqSmQNjk45E_5qBkc7i2GrcSTLg8QRUH5gHabR2N6kXT-mE4R4fWKaE36P09Uf4xJbBKTnKLb-4-J_Sq_iCrk4Cemm0Dv8TXH7EmzrPjbJHvAqc/s1600/DSC_0274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1VEfUToKqaEnAdeuPEN6tOYcdgJZtqSmQNjk45E_5qBkc7i2GrcSTLg8QRUH5gHabR2N6kXT-mE4R4fWKaE36P09Uf4xJbBKTnKLb-4-J_Sq_iCrk4Cemm0Dv8TXH7EmzrPjbJHvAqc/s400/DSC_0274.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BOLDT CASTLE FROM THE SHIP CHANNEL</td></tr>
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Mr. Boldt started building it for his wife in the early 1900s. After she died unexpectedly, he stopped all construction on the "Castle". It is still incomplete, and is a draw to tourists as a Thousand Islands landmark. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BOLDT CASTLE YACHT HOUSE</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKRyEDJNwjNuWDpKBq67Bl41MR57l5ART10YXnbbqCKJaJyKJQlCqZOGi7FA3vDEhOox9noeslIRl3lKCQYZm1TZs41thuBtLc4X-rKVHaUaS9vakDzYxiJMaAlUmattq6icZH_v-NFE/s1600/DSC_0308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKRyEDJNwjNuWDpKBq67Bl41MR57l5ART10YXnbbqCKJaJyKJQlCqZOGi7FA3vDEhOox9noeslIRl3lKCQYZm1TZs41thuBtLc4X-rKVHaUaS9vakDzYxiJMaAlUmattq6icZH_v-NFE/s200/DSC_0308.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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There is a US Customs dock there as tour boats come from both countries to this attraction. From there we head on down river where we are going to visit the "Singer Castle".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SINGER CASTLE on DARK ISLAND</td></tr>
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This magnificent building was completed by Frederick Bourne as a summer retreat and hunting lodge. It has been lived in continuously since 1905. We dock here and take a tour. It is quite nice, with secret passages everywhere for the servants to provide to the guests without being seen.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IMZyJtWrkJSMr4xqIS2vksInCfw4IqbT6Bum8cIy2uXBQXah5qbgsYbHx4wVOuWZqP8OzHVCa2B7x2hQYeG2kCt2v91wOIPxUJnN7QCC_FGVmaWLs8lN-94jt_6gN6-v6U7Kg582Apg/s1600/P7260599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IMZyJtWrkJSMr4xqIS2vksInCfw4IqbT6Bum8cIy2uXBQXah5qbgsYbHx4wVOuWZqP8OzHVCa2B7x2hQYeG2kCt2v91wOIPxUJnN7QCC_FGVmaWLs8lN-94jt_6gN6-v6U7Kg582Apg/s400/P7260599.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ONE OF MANY HIDDEN PASSAGES FOR SERVANTS</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosQZMzZ5aSP0z2fp3LzK9CMk-7xugLEcVgbG2xwF1kLnrowSQ51x2wz1KQi4IOsWPN57uqYG78iBOIk3enG9xwDWvQnAF8FpxfzFnD7VGW38v0y4T9hyphenhyphenzJn45ePCgjmWRmmlqcWvJQIk/s1600/P7260612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosQZMzZ5aSP0z2fp3LzK9CMk-7xugLEcVgbG2xwF1kLnrowSQ51x2wz1KQi4IOsWPN57uqYG78iBOIk3enG9xwDWvQnAF8FpxfzFnD7VGW38v0y4T9hyphenhyphenzJn45ePCgjmWRmmlqcWvJQIk/s400/P7260612.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CASTLE BACK LAWN WITH LAWN TENNIS AREA</td></tr>
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We leave there after having lunch at the dock. We head on to Morristown which we get to by mid afternoon. These docks themselves are not in the best condition. We have called the Marina owner, and he states he will not be there until 5, and tells us to tie up across from another boat. We motor slowly around trying to figure where to tie to. We finally decide to tie behind the Hatteras the River Watch owner wanted us to tie in front of. While waiting for the owner to arrive, we call AT&T as our phones show we are roaming internationally to Rogers in Canada. Our phone plan does not cover international roaming, and spot roaming is very expensive. The AT&T rep removes the charges, and states she will stop our phones from international roaming. We can call and add international calling when we move into Canada per the rep. The marina owner shows a little after 5, and we fill out the papers for our stay. We have power here, which is better than last night. He gives me a ride a mile out of town to a convenience store where I can purchase real milk. When I go to call Barbara about the milk, I discover my phone is set for "Emergency Calls Only". I walk back to SummerTime. Barbara and I go to Ellas Restaurant on the top of the hill in Morristown to eat. It is a great thing, as they are doing a pasta buffet. They cook your pasta as you request it with the ingredients you want. Barbara gets a shrimp in alfredo sauce, and I get a meatball and sweet Italian sausage with marinara sauce. We have a great dinner with a flatbread and cheese appetizer and a piece of carrot cake for dessert. On Friday we get up and decide to move. First we need to contact AT&T as neither of us is able to call out. We can not even call AT&T Mobility service. We get our break when our daughter sends a text, and we use the opening to call AT&T. We spend 2-1/2 hrs with various AT&T people over 2 phone calls before we have service. About noon we head out to Waddington, NY to the town dock.<br />
We get to Waddington about 4 in the afternoon. Before we get there, we have to deal with our first St. Lawrence Seaway Canal. You have to buy a ticket before you can enter the lock. There is a special dock at each lock for pleasure boaters to do this. The winds have picked up, and they are blowing SummerTime bad at the docking location. It takes two attempts for me to get Barbara in a position to catch a cleat on the floating dock. We get the ticket from a dispenser that takes credit cards, and when the two upbound boats lock out, we move into the lock. We hand the lock employee our ticket. It only drops about a foot and the gates open. We spend an hour going from the lock exit to the Waddington town dock. We tie-up on the one floating dock. I see the bottom underneath us, and the though the depth finders are saying we are in deep enough water, it does not look like it. I later stick a boat hook down by the face of the dock, and it is over 5' deep. We walk into town to see what is where. We find a bank, and walk up to the drive through ATM. I am sure that looks weird to whomever witnesses it. When we get back to SummerTime we realize there is some commotion going on in the pavilion just above the docks. The concession stand is open, and we buy dinner, 3 hot dogs and 2 pops from the Knights of Columbus. We then open up our folding chairs sitting in the cockpit of SummerTime. It seems we are in luck as we have a front row seat to the Waddington Summer Concert series in the Pavilion.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8-Pj2JcKf9sRI73ReYNacnhdlsLp9DdB9MYUkpAW5mCsXWUKm5VfC5GX4MllHlYdEPoloX73E8P-MDgNJCKe2_HvdLwida7bmZpO4XD0EwQYXivlEO42TXZsC8i-nd_zNM6kOfA-bkk/s1600/DSC_0409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8-Pj2JcKf9sRI73ReYNacnhdlsLp9DdB9MYUkpAW5mCsXWUKm5VfC5GX4MllHlYdEPoloX73E8P-MDgNJCKe2_HvdLwida7bmZpO4XD0EwQYXivlEO42TXZsC8i-nd_zNM6kOfA-bkk/s640/DSC_0409.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NEW PAVILION at WADDINGTON HOSTING SUMMER CONCERT</td></tr>
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A Celtic band, the Brigadoons, from Cornwall, Ontario is playing. They are very good. I also chat with some local people in a small runabout on the docks behind us. They are asking about our travels, but we talk about way more than looping; farming, industry along the river, kids in college, and NASA in Cleveland. It is a very pleasurable evening, capping off a good week of travel. We have come 87 miles in a week since crossing Lake Ontario. We are well ahead of our 25 miles a day we needed July 5th to get to Burlington by August 10. Some days we do more to make up for the days we do not travel but stop to tour. We are able to stop and smell some roses along the way. There have been some good stops this week to do that.<br />
Next week we will leave the US and venture into Canada. Not sure about being able to post while in Canada. They have communications equal to the US, but do not think I will be willing to pay AT&T for the elevated costs to be a few miles across the US border.<br />
SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-46075771284561625982018-07-23T22:27:00.001-04:002018-07-23T22:27:23.654-04:00Little Triangle Loop, WEEK #4, 14-20 July, 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We get up on Saturday morning and dress in our walking shoes so we can go to the Cheese Festival in Little Falls, NY. The couple on "MIRACLE" behind us get gone before us. We do get a ride from the marina personnel to the Little Falls Farmers Market, which is one block from the middle of the Cheese Festival. There are tents in the middle of Main Street for maybe 5 blocks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjti6r0RKToVJku430g6p2Q357JDgdJGhe7kcMF8wKbvUPvFZFFLtLINlJp6M36s6Pkq8bNxZe-xu3BfV_B3roWfRL8iKiBvYtQ4gmG76Lz1uk-69nAc-iWebwBhrG-ZJ-6lBKtGzzbA-4/s1600/20180714_114443_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjti6r0RKToVJku430g6p2Q357JDgdJGhe7kcMF8wKbvUPvFZFFLtLINlJp6M36s6Pkq8bNxZe-xu3BfV_B3roWfRL8iKiBvYtQ4gmG76Lz1uk-69nAc-iWebwBhrG-ZJ-6lBKtGzzbA-4/s640/20180714_114443_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LITTLE FALLS CHEESE FESTIVAL</td></tr>
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There are all kinds of cheeses: goat, sheep, and cow for tasting and buying. The brochure we saw stated that there would be 72 vendors, and there probably are. We buy two kinds of cheeses and some local honey. We get hot dogs for lunch from a street vendor. And we go to the farmers market which apparently goes on every Saturday in Little Falls. We buy some fresh produce to carry back to SummerTime. We also go to the local Price Chopper grocery store and buy some needed items. On our way back to SummerTime there is a small local meat market that we stop at. We buy some meats there for the coming week. We hike back across the bridge to the City Docks. I realize on this walk over the bridge that the canal is above the Mohawk River, the town, train tracks, and a major highway. In the evening we go back to dinner in town with the couple off "MIRACLE" at the Copper Moose. We find out that Tab writes articles for boating magazines among other writing and photographic journalism activities. Tab provides a lot of useful info on place we are yet to get to in our travels.<br />
On Sunday morning we get up and walk back into town to The Baptist Church. The marina is short handed and can not provide a driver to get us to the church. It is an old church, and the sanctuary is laid out opposite of most churches. The pews go across the long dimension of the building instead of the short dimension. I am trying to analyze this to see if you can get more people in a given area that way. After church we get back on SummerTime and prepare to leave Little Falls. I am hoping that we can get at least to Utica. At lock 18 we have to wait for two east bound boats to get to the lock. The second one is a tour boat, which partially explains why we have to wait. Commercial vessels get first priority. The other reason is the chamber was already full from the last operation. They would have had to empty the lock to lower it to our level for us to enter which is a waste of the water. It has been dry in central NY for several weeks, and the Canal System is working at saving water. The tour boat only goes a short ways, turns around, and comes back into the lock. Another vessel calls on channel 13, the NY lock and bridge channel and asks for a lock through also. When this boat comes in, we see that it is a "Looper" boat also. After the lock, I let the other two boats pass by so that Barbara can go down and fix lunch. This section of the canal has a 10mph speed limit, so we will all get to the next lock at the same time. It is only "GOOD LIFE" the other looper boat and us at Lock #19. The tour boat operates from a dock about 5 miles before Utica and fell out of line several miles before lock #19. At lock 19, there is a malfunction. After the gates are shut, the automatic valves do not function to let water into the lock to raise the boats. The lock operator eventually opens a valve by hand. We are in this lock over 45 minutes when a normal lock time on these small locks is about 15 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WAITING FOR LOCK #19 to FILL</td></tr>
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We chat with the couple on "GOOD LIFE" while waiting. They were hoping to get to Rome which is beyond lock #20. The operator tells them they will not have time to make the lock as we exit. I try to call the marina at Utica. I just get a voice recording saying they are closed on Sunday. When we get to the marina, it is a dock run by a local restaurant. The restaurant is closed. We pull up behind "SCOOCHI", a smaller day cruiser that had been on the docks at Little Falls. We know from previous chats with this couple that they are going into The Finger Lakes after taking their little cruiser off the trailer at Waterford. We learned on our trip through here 5 years ago that a lot of people just cruise between festivals on the NY State Canals System. "GOOD LIFE" pulls up to the higher wall by the restaurant. The restaurant looks nice so we are a little disappointed that they are not open.<br />
We get up on Monday morning and prepare to leave Utica. I start making phone calls to Brewerton marinas to see if there is a marina there that can change the oil and filter on the Perkins, and haul and clean the running gear of SummerTime. I only get voice mails. It is only a short ways to lock #20. We pass through Rome and try to see the stores that were supposed to be within walking distance of the docks. The thruway is between the canal and any docking, and I do not see how we could have easily gotten to them. I am glad we did our provision re-stocking in Little Falls. Lock #21 is the last lock on this segment that is raising us. I am talking to one of the marinas that called back when we hear a "thud". Barbara asks what is that, and I can only say we must have hit something. I have been intently watching the waters ahead of us as there was a lot of limbs and other stuff floating in the canal after lock #19 on Sunday. I now look behind to see if I missed something, but see nothing. Lock #22 is just before Oneida Lake.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgune9S6zRPmR5rYOCOzdR94YpuIB0MeWHkWBt9Xe8AeuLb4W-7SIuduUHBROJRNWJTsxDCW1fNs7CQrlI8e8A6TvN9ffNkR5tKpXWtj4Qzm-lDJ5gLvlOBK-8dSkCP0RlmW_yYYGpmRyo/s1600/P7160854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgune9S6zRPmR5rYOCOzdR94YpuIB0MeWHkWBt9Xe8AeuLb4W-7SIuduUHBROJRNWJTsxDCW1fNs7CQrlI8e8A6TvN9ffNkR5tKpXWtj4Qzm-lDJ5gLvlOBK-8dSkCP0RlmW_yYYGpmRyo/s400/P7160854.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LOCK #22 SIGN, SIMILAR AT ALL LOCKS</td></tr>
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It lowers us 25' down to the Lake Oneida level. We get to Sylvan Beach, a resort community on Lake Oneida, and the Lake is smooth in front of us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QnEyFTai4wDJUrTGUfqh8QWYEV07-BOz4orjUzvuPWkRWFU5P4gDzg5A8XJPf8-XkXQV6T2e2MwHzuC7BP9ERWscdPLkuPFw-vIFOQv-FqLcqY6zlrrpl_Q3ei8hyphenhyphenl_PY4Eeq1je068/s1600/DSC_0855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QnEyFTai4wDJUrTGUfqh8QWYEV07-BOz4orjUzvuPWkRWFU5P4gDzg5A8XJPf8-XkXQV6T2e2MwHzuC7BP9ERWscdPLkuPFw-vIFOQv-FqLcqY6zlrrpl_Q3ei8hyphenhyphenl_PY4Eeq1je068/s400/DSC_0855.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SYLVAN BEACH RESORT BEFORE ONEIDA LAKE</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DHIV_o3NXqGqg6UE8Ks1SLb9QnnKSLKthlqKFSR5tb2xT18PlonqYIqR7EZIn0QwtYKyQF9UkeQSyp9i8A8GZE4FxP4U-ImofPgWnEYVwp_WFcEXa8W4kuj6IVKbyGGD-v_H-y3MVbo/s1600/DSC_0864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DHIV_o3NXqGqg6UE8Ks1SLb9QnnKSLKthlqKFSR5tb2xT18PlonqYIqR7EZIn0QwtYKyQF9UkeQSyp9i8A8GZE4FxP4U-ImofPgWnEYVwp_WFcEXa8W4kuj6IVKbyGGD-v_H-y3MVbo/s400/DSC_0864.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FISHERMAN ON A CALM ONEIDA LAKE</td></tr>
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The sky is clear. A far cry from 5 years ago when we crossed the lake in the remnants of hurricane Andrea. It was not too rough in 2013, but the rains exposed every leak in the decks and cabin that were not found in a hull survey on a sunny day. We get across the lake, 24 miles, and enter the canal again at Brewerton. We call our chosen marina on our radio and get our slip assignment. On Tuesday morning Winter Harbor Marina will pull SummerTime and do the requested work.<br />
Barbara and I are eating breakfast on Tuesday morning when the marina calls us wanting to come and do the oil change. We have to ask them to wait a few minutes. They apparently start work earlier, at 7am, than the other two marinas I had contacted. After the oil change, the boat is moved to the travel lift well. They lift SummerTime clear of the well, and move her to the wash down pad. I now can see the result of the "thud" we heard before lock #21. One of our prop blades has a 90deg bend in in it. Like what happened on the Tenn-Tom water way while doing the loop. this bend is bigger, and fortunately still out at the tip. After a short consultation, Winter Harbor personnel pull the prop to send to the prop shop. They say it will be back for installation on noon Thursday. This kills our plans for crossing Lake Ontario on Thursday when the weather (winds) is to be the nicest for crossing.<br />
On Wednesday we employ the Marina to replace the hoses from the engine to the hot water heater. They send Joe over after lunch, and we get both hoses removed, and new ones pulled in behind the batteries and the nest of wires there going to the rest of the boat. It was a problem found when the manicooler was re-installed, and on my list of things to do. After that job is finished, Barbara and I borrow one of Winter Harbor's courtesy cars and run errands. On Thursday, I am working in the bilge when one of the dock boys comes down wanting to know if they can move SummerTime. It is not even 11, and our prop is back. We borrow the courtesy car and go our for a quick lunch while the prop is installed. When we get back the prop is on, and we wait for the marina personnel to come back from lunch. They put SummerTime in the water, and I back her down to the fuel dock area. We fill the water tank, get showers ashore, and then fuel SummerTime. Running easy on the canal our fuel burn has been 72 gallons for 32hr, and we have covered 144miles. Most of this was at 10mph. It also includes a lot of time idling in locks, maybe 4-5hr. We pull away from Winter Harbor at a few minutes before 3 headed for the Oswego Canal. At Lock #23, our last lock on the Erie Canal, the lockmaster asks us where we are headed. We tell him Phoenix, and Oswego Lock #1. He tells us that the Oswego locks are open until 10pm. We start looking at the Canal guide and discussing options for Friday. We figure if we can get halfway down the Oswego Canal, we can make it across Lake Ontario on Friday before the weather turns nasty.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3LNupwf_HdfIuEv0e7qg8UIcesLSF9B4saum68WS5gJRLbFgGlo0HCQ_qUnGpRJiTbiXTmHjXPZI7T4xQgRcVTyulB_e_84HInG9hgvvKtu1LTdTgma143AVp66DXXV9xsjGzU2vbiu0/s1600/P7190880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3LNupwf_HdfIuEv0e7qg8UIcesLSF9B4saum68WS5gJRLbFgGlo0HCQ_qUnGpRJiTbiXTmHjXPZI7T4xQgRcVTyulB_e_84HInG9hgvvKtu1LTdTgma143AVp66DXXV9xsjGzU2vbiu0/s400/P7190880.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ENTERPRISE AT OSWEGO LOCK #1<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUcN-i2BbCyAHJpC1hhSXxqd_9V4yJ9T9RD_WNHa9NH5agZB7Qcr7HMwBKt4CaAHexX1rkWhxwdpVRPzJZLPyoe2olpS3MFS0-Bj_U2MRTct_gkWs0jUSlxRT9KNphT21GYPPTpMsK38/s1600/P7190882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUcN-i2BbCyAHJpC1hhSXxqd_9V4yJ9T9RD_WNHa9NH5agZB7Qcr7HMwBKt4CaAHexX1rkWhxwdpVRPzJZLPyoe2olpS3MFS0-Bj_U2MRTct_gkWs0jUSlxRT9KNphT21GYPPTpMsK38/s400/P7190882.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OSWEGO LOCK #1 ALSO COMES WITH A DRAWBRIDGE</td></tr>
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At lock 2 the lockmaster tells us that lock #5 will not be open when we get there. Just locks 1,2, &3 stay open until 10. He is pitching for us to stay in Fulton, but we elect to move on to Lock #5 at Menneto. There is no lock #4 on the Oswego Canal. We get to the free city dock about 7:25 and tie up. There are power pedastals, but the breakers trip when we plug in. We go down to the Stewart Shop store and get Pizza (Barbara) and Dawgs (me) for dinner. And since it is a Stewarts, we know that they will have ice cream for us. We spend a peaceful night on the boat without power.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIL4U4pXaxuuolkkOSO0e5hsIVshTeXInn-bABrQRHwBCp7avPfY4TZmutXkRj7WqqNJ7KXRAcszmE1AhzZKBu2XPIgNMoV09X7DSs2iS1-zv_HIXcRg0_7U7FMN4TfvMU2YiTrmIY6FI/s1600/P7190896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIL4U4pXaxuuolkkOSO0e5hsIVshTeXInn-bABrQRHwBCp7avPfY4TZmutXkRj7WqqNJ7KXRAcszmE1AhzZKBu2XPIgNMoV09X7DSs2iS1-zv_HIXcRg0_7U7FMN4TfvMU2YiTrmIY6FI/s400/P7190896.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">POWER GENERATION AT ONE OF THE OSWEGO LOCK DAMS</td></tr>
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We try to get moving early to guarantee success in crossing Lake Ontario. We call the lock for an opening from the dock, and head straight away to lock #5. It is an easy pass through, and now an hour to lock #6. We have 4 to do today to get down to Lake Ontario level in Oswego. At Lock #6 we have to wait for an upbound, or southbound boat. The chamber is down, and the lockmaster wants to wait until the lower level boat is in before raising the water to our level. Once through Lock #6, locks 7 & 8 come quickly as it is less than a mile from 6 to 8.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtroYFObt_-MIPT-y1kC-IKiwxEgFYE-mtrkh0Clii-LrnF6BgbMJaLNVTRTF7lEepk8glvebn-Q4cmlt6K1u9oUazicfEE3zW7FJaZTz2tEiBeJ5RkX0YFRfvlCa1x9CdJkfLdzNaZM/s1600/P7200936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtroYFObt_-MIPT-y1kC-IKiwxEgFYE-mtrkh0Clii-LrnF6BgbMJaLNVTRTF7lEepk8glvebn-Q4cmlt6K1u9oUazicfEE3zW7FJaZTz2tEiBeJ5RkX0YFRfvlCa1x9CdJkfLdzNaZM/s640/P7200936.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LAKE ONTARIO BEYOND OSWEGO LOCK #8</td></tr>
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After 8, I idle slowly across the Oswego harbor as Barbara goes through the cabin and checks the decks to make sure everything is secure for an open, and possibly rough, water crossing. When she comes up on the flybridge, we head across Lake Ontario on a heading of 17 degrees to pass just west of Galloo Island. NOAA has stated in the marine forecast that the winds will be out of the SE at 10 knots with 1 ft. swells. For the first hour, sheltered by the southern shore, it is pretty much as forecast. As we get into more open waters, the wind speed increases, and the wave size along with it. There is also swells of about 2ft., with a longer period rolling in from the east. The two different swell directions make steering a constant and tiring position. After 2 hours we can easily see Galloo Island.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8Kn-x_1Rf7CLOSx_mU3pPXpDC_6Hmp7SKigQHCukY_TgA5S9CHKpWnKmSYYOi0hWODYjydQuJVBa6cECxaEghh935bQIS8b6eRmdEORkJGNitvr5pJoUsk2rKhbe9dcnGE4EWSjeyo0/s1600/DSC_0908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8Kn-x_1Rf7CLOSx_mU3pPXpDC_6Hmp7SKigQHCukY_TgA5S9CHKpWnKmSYYOi0hWODYjydQuJVBa6cECxaEghh935bQIS8b6eRmdEORkJGNitvr5pJoUsk2rKhbe9dcnGE4EWSjeyo0/s640/DSC_0908.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GALLOO ISLAND, LIGHTHOUSE IS IN CENTER</td></tr>
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We pass it to the west, and the island provides protection from the swells. After we turn to hit the head waters of the St. Lawrence River/Seaway, Barbara goes down to make lunch. It is a little after 12:30, and our progress across the Lake had been much better than I had hoped for. A clean bottom and running gear helps in this. It is not long before we see Tibbetts Point Light.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbk-AsH7M1r79KajuOFkYRt3brgVkMkREEJUsAlR75L3uc3hM2Yk_AaNdBFadssqwH3tot5FMxNEQvTo9t1xw3FINwbNT4qMONIAXd5fUyq0GjbqjeKHo4w3DJ6G7Hcn2wjA3P-yMmMg/s1600/DSC_0939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbk-AsH7M1r79KajuOFkYRt3brgVkMkREEJUsAlR75L3uc3hM2Yk_AaNdBFadssqwH3tot5FMxNEQvTo9t1xw3FINwbNT4qMONIAXd5fUyq0GjbqjeKHo4w3DJ6G7Hcn2wjA3P-yMmMg/s400/DSC_0939.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TIBBETTS POINT LIGHT HOUSE</td></tr>
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A little after that, we arrive inside the breakwall of Cape Vincent. We had called to arrange a slip at Anchor Marina. No one is there, nor does the alternate person answer their phone. We go to the NY Department of Environmental Conservation's Fisheries dock where they allow complimentary docking when space is available. We ease in along side the dock between a sailboat and the mainland wall. We spend the afternoon resting. In the evening we go across the street to the Coal Dock Restaurant. It is one of the nicest places we have eat at this trip. The ambiance is the best. After dinner we go back to SummerTime and retire.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwst_TtCTjSZUP9XO1P-iHli5gZUvN2qs2EHcvXaUIWbkGMQQeWnHX7uDeBoLncUa_KRTzvkfz8-bYa1s4hZ8FdEPXHXXcfDRW8jfzFVLpk0l_NKZFkMtsBL94bv9VWPvQ5G8aBl8ZU8w/s1600/DSC_0957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwst_TtCTjSZUP9XO1P-iHli5gZUvN2qs2EHcvXaUIWbkGMQQeWnHX7uDeBoLncUa_KRTzvkfz8-bYa1s4hZ8FdEPXHXXcfDRW8jfzFVLpk0l_NKZFkMtsBL94bv9VWPvQ5G8aBl8ZU8w/s640/DSC_0957.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NY STATE DEC DOCKS</td></tr>
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<br />SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-77017764934275060012018-07-21T17:45:00.001-04:002018-07-21T17:45:10.055-04:00Little Triangle Loop WEEK #3, 7-13July018 On Saturday morning we get up and do chores for SummerTime. I permanently wire the radar power. I use the DC breaker labeled "SPARE" on the panel. It had always been on, and one fall day in 2017 I turned it off to see what did not work. Nothing seemed to be affected then. Today I wedge myself in under the helm seat and behind the breaker panel door and see the only wire coming from the breaker is the one to the little light that says the breaker is powered. I add the positive wire to give the radar its own breaker, and use the Dymo Labelmaker to make a label to go over the word "SPARE". Barbara does some of the laundry as the laundry facility at Shady Harbor is first class. There is a sink and folding table, and three of each unit. There is a good restaurant here, and in the evening we have dinner there with the "Gold Looper" crew off of "FIRST FORTY". On Sunday we get up and go to the nearest church which is too far to walk. We borrow the courtesy car from the marina to go to "The Reformed Church". Afterwards we find a convenience store in the next town to buy milk for our breakfast. There is not a whole lot in New Baltimore where Shady Harbor Marina is located.<br />
Monday morning I talk to the yard manager about getting SummerTime pulled and the bottom and prop cleaned. They can not do it until mid day Tuesday, so I decide not to do it. We fuel up SummerTime. It takes 150 gallons, the most we have ever put in her tank. She has not been fueled since Atlantic City, exactly 30hr on the clock and 244 miles. We have run almost constantly at the 85-90% power setting. We are running harder than normal to travel at even 10knots, & I think fuel consumption is up, and speed is down for a given rpm, because the prop has some barnacles clinging to it from the sitting in Wormley Creek. The boat is down 20% in speed for a given rpm past 2000rpm. It is not linear, taking more rpm for an incremental increase the faster we try to go. We leave Shady Harbor and head to Waterford, NY. This is the eastern end of the Erie Canal, and where we leave the Hudson River. We tie up at the Waterford Welcome Center Docks. We have been 25 miles today since leaving Shady Harbor. The Welcome Center personnel are most pleasant, and we register and pay $10.00 for electricity for two nights. The docks are free to transients. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikT3jtOfJAR0oe-O5DpOVCf9nAEdme3gwcFdXq9NsXcGRpNuHgQq8IhCVdEPbX6pRwUV3raL4whozn_459x49GI23WMOa2LJaP069fYiFiRnr8LBbw84uORylakHlvc-8XZ8TkiPW7oFQ/s1600/DSC_0710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikT3jtOfJAR0oe-O5DpOVCf9nAEdme3gwcFdXq9NsXcGRpNuHgQq8IhCVdEPbX6pRwUV3raL4whozn_459x49GI23WMOa2LJaP069fYiFiRnr8LBbw84uORylakHlvc-8XZ8TkiPW7oFQ/s400/DSC_0710.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WATERFORD CANAL WELCOME CENTER & DOCKS</td></tr>
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After SummerTime is secure, I walk to the Rite Aid pharmacy to get a renewal on my 90 day prescriptions. Some things have to be verified, as Rite Aid is in the throes of ownership change. The branch I used in Hampton is closed as part of that ownership change. They will call me when the prescription is ready. On Tuesday morning Barbara and I decide to eat breakfast out as a change. We go to Don & Paul's Cafe on Bridge Street. A local place with a regular clientele and inexpensive breakfast menu. I get blueberries over French Toast. As we finish I get the call from the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions. Barbara walks with me down Bridge Street to the drug store, and we take the pedestrian walkway along the canal to get back. In the afternoon, I tackle the job of replacing the seal between the two exhaust elbows and stopping the exhaust leak in the joint. With the new parts we got from TA Diesel, we succeed this time in sealing the joint. We clean up SummerTime and get her ready to leave on Wednesday morning. Boats are only allowed to stay 2 days at the Welcome Center. On Wednesday, we leave with a local boat to head west on the Erie Canal.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9a4zZ30vMWJolsudQBo662xxuodMEHGXTSb8TFt8dLzCfOUCuFi1m_AHGyTa0Vz1QjEuvna10BtfAJ33XQZeH9aVNzTh5US4a1jX1V36yUEQi-AY7v5L6gG9P6y_20lsuHM5hpo3BiZ8/s1600/P7110733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9a4zZ30vMWJolsudQBo662xxuodMEHGXTSb8TFt8dLzCfOUCuFi1m_AHGyTa0Vz1QjEuvna10BtfAJ33XQZeH9aVNzTh5US4a1jX1V36yUEQi-AY7v5L6gG9P6y_20lsuHM5hpo3BiZ8/s400/P7110733.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ENTERING THE ERIE CANAL LOCK SYSTEM</td></tr>
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Though it is about 9:30 when we leave the dock, we have a good day of travel. The first lock is number "E-2". Locks 2-6 all occur in less than 1-1/2 miles, and raise westbound (us today) or lower eastbound vessels 150 ft. The The <u>New York State Cruising Guide</u> states: "These locks provide the highest lift (approximately 150 feet) over the shortest distance of any canal in the world." When you get to the top you are on the Mohawk River. The Mohawk, along with several other rivers, makes up the Erie Canal System that was the historical route to move freight from the Great Lakes to the Hudson River for transport to the Port of New York City. And consumable goods back the other way. The local boat, "GETAWAY", stops after lock 7, as their local port is the Schenectady Yacht Club. We continue on our way, as the day is still early. We have lunch between locks 7 & 8. Lunch on the canal works about the same as our other days. We plan the lunch to occur between locks that are at least about 6 miles, or more than 1/2 hour apart. Barbara goes to the galley and makes sandwiches, fills our water bottles, and brings a lunch of sandwiches, fruit, and/or chips that we eat on the flybridge while continuing to move forward. Today we do good, we get to Amsterdam, NY about 4:45. We are through lock #10, meaning we did 9 locks and 38 miles. We tie up to a dock at a restaurant, in Amsterdan, there is another, older Mainship 34 behind us. It is a Mark I, and looks extremely well with a shiny white hull and bright blue canvas. Barbara and I go to dinner at Rivers Edge Cafe where we overlook the dock while eating great food at a reasonable price.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VIEW FROM RIVERS EDGE CAFE</td></tr>
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Dessert is a warm brownie with two flavors of ice cream on top, great! We later meet the owners of "EVEN TIDE", and chat with them and compare boat mods until near midnight. We turn in knowing that it will be another day of locks when we get going. The first lock, #10, is just about a mile away.<br />
We both get up late and are moving slowly without a really good nights sleep. While our stopover point seemed nice, there were railroad tracks beyond the building we could not see. The trains seemed to run at least every 20 minutes through the night, and sometimes there were two of them. There must have been a few road crossings also, as there was a lot of horn blowing. We talked to the other Mainship owners a few more minutes before leaving the dock at about 10. The ride today is gorgeous. We are at the lower part of the Adirondacks and the canal runs through valleys between hills.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdMDf004TXYNfUtpr7Ob_jdcPI1ncdIMkagJLJNg1DoeoQJsZINp5EVJ7akjsHxePE9K-At5wqYExt4BoeL6MVVD5249_0mV4kSfUS9Jodh5HGR4IAK2XLob42gKZOfo9AQuAX7MD7lw/s1600/P7120782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdMDf004TXYNfUtpr7Ob_jdcPI1ncdIMkagJLJNg1DoeoQJsZINp5EVJ7akjsHxePE9K-At5wqYExt4BoeL6MVVD5249_0mV4kSfUS9Jodh5HGR4IAK2XLob42gKZOfo9AQuAX7MD7lw/s640/P7120782.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VIEW ALONG CANAL BETWEEN AMSTERDAM and ST JOHNSVILLE</td></tr>
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Occasionally we see a mountain peak in the background between hills. Our run is uneventful, we get through locks 10 to 16. We stop in St. Johnsville about 4pm, and tie up alongside the wall in their protected harbor off the canal/Mohawk River. It is much quieter here, though the boat basin of the marina is surrounded by a campground. Most all the other boats in here are pontoon boats. We walk in to town to check it out, and to buy some milk. The grocery store in the guidebook looks more like a neighborhood store from the 50s before there were convenience stores. We proceed one more block to the Stewart's Shops convenience store. We have been told that they have really good ice cream, a leftover from the days when Stewart Shops had their own dairies. We are not disappointed in the ice cream, I get a waffle cone with "Brew Ha Ha" in it, and Barbara gets her favorite flavor: Dark Chocolate. We go back to the boat and spend a peaceful night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVS9xO23i5M-5bUI7006WFZ-LdJJzX-AFSipJ2bjeSYLTBiaZAiZClzP4HIp8pJqekGVSYmyp7hvD4W0FFR3tjm0dtMze1VWh9_kZeWg-dzliaVbIQOa1smXyh9QSEPr81cPy_LexSqo/s1600/20180712_182819_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVS9xO23i5M-5bUI7006WFZ-LdJJzX-AFSipJ2bjeSYLTBiaZAiZClzP4HIp8pJqekGVSYmyp7hvD4W0FFR3tjm0dtMze1VWh9_kZeWg-dzliaVbIQOa1smXyh9QSEPr81cPy_LexSqo/s400/20180712_182819_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ST JOHNSVILLE TRAIN TRACKS AS MOSTLY ALONG THE CANAL</td></tr>
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The same train tracks are near this marina also, but there is no horn blowing as the one road that crosses the tracks is a bridge.<br />
We get up Friday morning and decide to head for Little Falls, two locks and 11 miles. The dock walls at St. Johnsville may have been good for docking barges, but it is a high climb up from SummerTime's side deck to the wall even for me. Nearly impossible for Barbara. She sits on the wall from the side deck, and swings her legs up onto the top of the wall. Besides, we have seen a brochure that says that Little Falls is having a cheese festival on Saturday. We call the Little Falls municipal marina to make sure they have room for us. They state there are no boats there at 10 when I call, but it is a "first come first serve" dock. We go through lock 16 which is a warm up for lock 17. Lock 17 will take us up 40.5ft. in one lift.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19fAr-dxZiW-HPW-XOjv2ENAsv7wr5d7KgTQN4uq1l5TSmRpiEX0gIJN4OzlDuH5ly3qXopw-UTfrFZ5cHP0Z9S3BqfssB9UyXT1Cvzxfy9cLo6ttXJCGEhZffvGhdg7jkxNJTYHR1Qg/s1600/DSC_0759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19fAr-dxZiW-HPW-XOjv2ENAsv7wr5d7KgTQN4uq1l5TSmRpiEX0gIJN4OzlDuH5ly3qXopw-UTfrFZ5cHP0Z9S3BqfssB9UyXT1Cvzxfy9cLo6ttXJCGEhZffvGhdg7jkxNJTYHR1Qg/s400/DSC_0759.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LOCK TRAVELERS ARE ALL KINDS</td></tr>
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It is the highest single lift on the canal. It also is the only lock on the canal without swing gates. Its eastern entry gate is a massive concrete block that raises and lowers vertically like a guillotine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqP2XNlqQua2GAT2v2fa0AS51MEDMdZIu18_NfNC-2Wmk3g7K-xPoOIc03kAvBqUYWTKQ9UGSMjbxeAbsOutnv8vweBPVkQOtot6ufA3vfj_7GgHwfd6bS9-al3_eiEEbCqfdMO-tmGT0/s1600/P7130794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqP2XNlqQua2GAT2v2fa0AS51MEDMdZIu18_NfNC-2Wmk3g7K-xPoOIc03kAvBqUYWTKQ9UGSMjbxeAbsOutnv8vweBPVkQOtot6ufA3vfj_7GgHwfd6bS9-al3_eiEEbCqfdMO-tmGT0/s400/P7130794.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN A 40FT LIFT LOCK</td></tr>
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Leaving the lock we meet a NY State Canal tug pushing a barge around the curve by Little Falls. At this point we are looking down on the town. I am thinking that the tug wants me on the outside of the turn so he does not have to worry about being close to the canal wall, possibly hitting it, and sending torrents of water onto the town. Nothing like that happens of course. And I do not see any repairs in the wall from any previous boats from the past 200 years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Pckt1nJWhkc5U_bzdxdkwma-N7ueD4MU5DPrnFZ3L_q_b7jZ-b6xQDklNuovrXFyA7LWTOrNMK_CE29XaLzYoi2n8TLynerQTV5zrQo85QFYwnjHg2_fMbIOo5HQKkQXBK2wetpxDcU/s1600/P7130799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Pckt1nJWhkc5U_bzdxdkwma-N7ueD4MU5DPrnFZ3L_q_b7jZ-b6xQDklNuovrXFyA7LWTOrNMK_CE29XaLzYoi2n8TLynerQTV5zrQo85QFYwnjHg2_fMbIOo5HQKkQXBK2wetpxDcU/s400/P7130799.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LITTLE FALLS IS BELOW CANAL TO RIGHT</td></tr>
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We get to the Little Falls Municipal dock about 5 minutes after meeting the tug. We are the fouth boat to the docks. The dockmaster helps us get tied up, and we settle in for the rest of the afternoon. We ask about a ride to the Cheese Festival on Saturday as this Municipal Marina does not have a courtesy car, but do give rides to town when they are not busy docking people.<br />
<br />SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-41998637611742671912018-07-18T22:06:00.000-04:002018-07-18T22:06:19.720-04:00JUNE 2017 - JOURNEY to HAMPTON ROADS, VA Area Having completed our loop the end of March, we decide to hang out (live with on land) with Barbara's brother at Carolina Beach. We made two day trips on SummerTime in this period. On the 10th of April, we took Barbara's brother, sister, and nieces to Bald Head Island at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. It is a private island, accessible only by boat or plane. The residents there use golf carts to get around. A private ferry takes over workers and support vehicles for people working on the island. We rent a golf cart there, as it is a big island. We spend a couple of hours driving around the island. We go to the "Old Baldy" lighthouse from 1817 which is privately owned and undergoing restoration.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXUpXLjxtCeaSPgNCO3Ql5ub0NeKb1_5vJZ-xWwm3-4pDEBrTFTbrMtZ5CLa0DQZeX67yf3kEYReoC7ijsZJuh8Ixz7qvOIW5ApqN_hQsgeo1zaR7EKOn2FZcaeNL2LEP4axEOeKAitk/s1600/P4102455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXUpXLjxtCeaSPgNCO3Ql5ub0NeKb1_5vJZ-xWwm3-4pDEBrTFTbrMtZ5CLa0DQZeX67yf3kEYReoC7ijsZJuh8Ixz7qvOIW5ApqN_hQsgeo1zaR7EKOn2FZcaeNL2LEP4axEOeKAitk/s640/P4102455.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OLD BALDY</td></tr>
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We have a painting of this light in our personal possessions. This is the second time for Barbara and I to visit as we came here once when dating as a friend's father was the island caretaker. There are several hundred more houses there now than then in the 70s. In the late 70s when we went to the island, there was one rambling beach house hotel, maybe 50 houses, a golf course, and a runway.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PRESERVED BEACHFRONT & FRYING PAN SHOALS START OFF SHORE</td></tr>
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Today there is a small village with shopping, restaurants, a grill, souvenir shopping, a post office, a church, and marina. We take a second trip in early May to the Carolina Beach boat harbor. It is a couple hour trip to make sure everything works and not too much grows on the bottom. The last two weeks of May we have some work done to the fuel injection system on the Perkins. All the injectors are removed and taken to a shop for cleaning. They also take the injector pump to install a new seal on the throttle shaft which had been the diesel leak so hard to find. When all is returned and re-installed, Mr. Perkins runs better than ever.<br />
The beginning of June, we decide to go to Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Our daughter and son-in-law live there. They have asked us to stay in the area for the upcoming winter as she is expecting. So on 2Jun, we load the boat with our gear, and prepare SummerTime to travel again. We leave CB after church on Sunday morning. The trip north seems to be going good until we get to the drawbridge at Wrightsville Beach. We are early for a bridge that only opens on the hour. We take a side trip up one of the nearby channels to kill nearly an half hour. When we get back to the bridge over the ICW, we are forced to wait longer as there is a small sailboat under the draw with its mast caught in the overhead members. The bridge operator relays over the radio that he cannot open the bridge until the sailboat is clear. It is tense as there are several boats in the queue to go through, and the tide and wind are trying to push everyone to and through the bridge.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BOATS JOCKEYING FOR POSITION AWAITING BRIDGE OPENING</td></tr>
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Eight minutes after the hour the sailboat clears his mast, and the bridge opens. We continue on our way at a 90% engine speed to make the opening of the next bridge. We make this opening and slow to normal cruise speeds until we get to Topsail Island. We find an anchorage in the channel by the south part of the island. The wind is blowing pretty good, but the anchor is holding strong, and we get a good nights rest. While checking the engine the next morning, I discover that we have a couple of fuel seeps from the injector re-install. I call the repair people and we work out a meeting with one of their employees at a Sneads Ferry Marina for Tuesday to repair the minor leaks. We continue N up the ICW towards our rendezvous point with the mechanic. We stop for fuel at a marina before the one we are headed to. We have to anchor out of the ICW as there is a bigger cruiser there who is taking on 1700gal of fuel. They tell us it will be an hour. We wait our turn and take on a measly 48gal to top off our 190gal tank. We continue on to our marina for meeting the mechanic. On Tuesday, Dean shows up at 7:45 and proceeds to repair the two minor leaks. He is quick and we are gone from the Marina at 9:35. We have to wait for the bridge to Onslow Beach to open while transiting the ICW through Camp Lejeune.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ARTILLERY TARGET AREA ONSLOW BEACH</td></tr>
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Another looper bait catches up to us as we wait. We travel slowly together through the base, and we pick up speed and leave the Krogen "Manatee" behind as we round the ICW turn at the White Oak River intersection. We pass the State Port docks at Morehead City and make the turn with the ICW.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PLAY ON THE ICW NEAR TOPSAIL BEACH</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC ON ICW BEFORE NEUSE RIVER</td></tr>
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It has been a lovely morning so far, and we hope the weather holds as we travel the Neuse River portion of the ICW. We have an easy trip down the Neuse, and across the bottom corner of the Pamlico Sound. They are calling for increasing winds, and we pull into a small creek off the ICW and anchor for the night. We are near my sisters but I can not call her as we have no phone service in this areas. The wind does get up in the night and there are light showers. We awake to find that our anchor has dragged about 2 boat lengths with the wind change. We miraculously blew between two crab pots without getting caught in either one. This creek had a soft mud bottom, and it took two attempts to get the anchor to set, so I am not surprised that the wind direction change caused us to drag. Checking the engine before the morning start, I discover that one of our fuel leaks is back. We are in the near middle of nowhere in eastern NC. I wrap the fuel line in an absorbent pig blanket, and we weigh anchor and head for Belhaven, NC. There are several other boats making the crossing of the Pamlico River with us. It is rough and one of the smaller boats tucks in behind us to let us break the waves for him. We decide to stay at the River Forest Manor Marina, a place we have stayed at before. We got there about 1pm. They loaned us a golf cart to go into town to look for parts to repair our leak. We stayed at River Forest an extra day. The weather for Thursday is forecast as small craft warnings. Our next leg is across Albemarle Sound, which has a nasty reputation. We get our fuel leak repaired on the day off. On the 9th, we left River Forest at 7am. There were several other boats going north on the ICW besides us. We made the Alligator River Bridge at 1:10 and proceeded into the Albemarle Sound. The Dismal Swamp Canal is closed due to hurricane damage from 2016, so we go the North River route. It is not as pretty as the Dismal Swamp route, but much quicker. We pass Coinjock where a lot of boats dock for a night to get the renown prime rib. We anchored in Blackwater Creek for the night. The bottom is soft here also, but there is no wind. We got up early on Saturday morning due to wakes rocking us from fisherman hurrying out to their favorite fishing spots. Barbara piloted while I hoisted the anchor. I think all 30' of chain lay in one spot in the mud. It took about 10min to get the anchor in due to having to rinse all the chain off. As we came out of Blackwater Creek, we fell in behind a larger boat that had been in Belhaven with us. We followed them through the canals and creeks and made the bridge openings with them. We did a lock today for the first time in months. There is a lock in Great Bridge, VA to handle the small differences in tide level between the canal and the Ashley River. We saw Chuck and Sue from "Somewhere In Time" on the dock of Atlantic Yacht Basin Marina as we passed heading to the lock. After the lock and bridge opening, we were on the Ashley River and on our way to Hampton Public Piers. We traveled slow through the Naval Base at Norfolk and picked up speed as we headed across the James River. there are always interesting sites as you travel through Norfolk/Portsmouth as there is the big Naval Base there as well as a vibrant Commercial Shipping presence. Today there is the added benefit of a Tall Ship Festival Going on. We got to Hampton Public Piers a little after 1:30pm on June 10, 2017.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsB6G6BjvJX6LYP2CX9d4NR9sVvXUmCxI9SiefX4WTBhmBk19G5DdaBQrIQ-px7nWxiMAr_IsA7ctz8kviI_iHcPSITzJ2yzrQ1nFaKwCpyRmYelb9VPse0HuUXWzoSOG70oDmabP_7M/s1600/DSC_0829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsB6G6BjvJX6LYP2CX9d4NR9sVvXUmCxI9SiefX4WTBhmBk19G5DdaBQrIQ-px7nWxiMAr_IsA7ctz8kviI_iHcPSITzJ2yzrQ1nFaKwCpyRmYelb9VPse0HuUXWzoSOG70oDmabP_7M/s640/DSC_0829.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TALL SHIP FESTIVAL - NORFOLK</td></tr>
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We spend a few days tidying SumerTime up and getting her ready to make a trip with our daughter and her husband. On Friday, they get to SummerTime early, load their gear, and we are off by 8:10 headed to Tangier Island, VA. We go into Salt Ponds Marina on the bay around the point of Fort Monroe. We fuel up where Barbara's brother abraded his forehead when we stopped here 4 years ago taking SummerTime to The Great Lakes. After putting on 81.8 gallons we are off again towards Tangier. It is a nice day and the Chesapeake Bay is fairly slick. We see a number of ships anchored across the bay, staging to go into a port to be unloaded. We are bucking a falling tide initially, so we increase our cruising speed. We also meet and pass some ships. After passing Wolf Trap Light, the tide changes and our speed picks up by .8 knots. We keep heading north up the bay towards Parks Marina on the N end of Tangier Island. Eventually we see the structures on the island appear on the horizon. It is a longer time to make out the land as the Bay is swallowing the island up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TANGIER ISLAND IS LOW</td></tr>
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We get to Parks Marina about 3:45 Friday afternoon, and the octogenarian Mr. Parks assigns us to a dock. He is a colorful character with a reputation up and down the bay.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PART OF FISHING FLEET</td></tr>
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We go to the nearest local restaurant to the docks and order seafood dinners. On Saturday morning, the four of us go on foot to explore the town. Tangier Island is a place that time has nearly forgotten. The only access to the island is by boat or aircraft (they have a small airport with a storied history)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AIRPORT HISTORY for ISLAND</td></tr>
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and there are almost no motor vehicles. the streets are narrow and not wide enough for two cars to meet. Everyone gets around on foot, golf carts, or scooters.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiUL-d9h7Pg62HFZVbbZsLvvTlAbX7Oo8UwSqzOv2TYi8icUItDiGuOhXdXe_2j7_2vdiWcw5QOBsQc2gNJupb4I9rL8xJMLAeXdtFCZ0O7SNsHI05ArkhSDA2gSNnX5WXotS18rh6Bw/s1600/P6172603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiUL-d9h7Pg62HFZVbbZsLvvTlAbX7Oo8UwSqzOv2TYi8icUItDiGuOhXdXe_2j7_2vdiWcw5QOBsQc2gNJupb4I9rL8xJMLAeXdtFCZ0O7SNsHI05ArkhSDA2gSNnX5WXotS18rh6Bw/s400/P6172603.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TRAVEL MEANS ON NARROW STREETS</td></tr>
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We eat lunch at one of the famous bed & breakfast where they serve family style. We tour a lot of gift shops. While the men go out in the bay each day to make the family income fishing, the women on the island cater to tourists to bolster the family income. We take in their history museum.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OF COURSE I FOUND ICE CREAM to EAT at SPANKY'S PLACE</td></tr>
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We go back to SummerTime and rest up before going to another restaurant to eat dinner.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqgMRirj9afH8Tt5i6-_UFnNXybu-4vn6tbA1JJ6_Cqp9KH58FboqR06wNvGRIrwRvmcs5ive-ravSyZMTfYDfW9YlMjROpyrzekkLyHwY-eDvNsOJjrhQ-wj9xn-aEokYy_reK0LeKk/s1600/DSC_0997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqgMRirj9afH8Tt5i6-_UFnNXybu-4vn6tbA1JJ6_Cqp9KH58FboqR06wNvGRIrwRvmcs5ive-ravSyZMTfYDfW9YlMjROpyrzekkLyHwY-eDvNsOJjrhQ-wj9xn-aEokYy_reK0LeKk/s400/DSC_0997.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SUNSET ON TANGIER ISLAND</td></tr>
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Sunday morning we listen to NOAA weather radio and decide to leave early as the winds are going to pick up on the bay. It turns out to be a good decision as the winds do increase and our trip back is mostly in 2' waves, with spray occasionally blow up on the flybridge when there is a bigger wave. We get back to Hampton at about 4:45pm.<br />
We stay at Hampton docks for a few days and leave to re-fuel from our Tangier trip. We go down to a marina in Portsmouth as fuel is cheaper there, and SummerTime needs to be moved once in a while to keep growh off the bottom. We come back and spend one night anchored in the Hampton River near I-64 before we go back to the Hampton Public Piers for a few more days.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SUNSET OVER HAMPTON</td></tr>
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<br />SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-84606000700373334852018-07-14T22:44:00.000-04:002018-07-14T22:44:08.879-04:00Little Triangle Loop Week #2, 30Jun-6Jul 2018 We got back late Monday to Point Pleasant, NJ where SummerTime was waiting for us to board after our road trip to Ohio. We chose to leave SummerTime at Canal Point Marina while we took our road trip as we thought the south end of the Point Pleasant Canal area would be more secure than the north end on the Manesquan River. We knew we needed to be at Manesquan as that is where you go into the Atlantic to get to New York harbor. Canal Point Marina was only ten minutes from the Manesquan River and turned out to be an excellent place to leave SummerTime. The place was very nice. Our dock was next to condominiums on canals that were inhabited by mostly boaters, one who volunteered to watch SummerTime for us. Also the staff at the Marina was very nice and knowledgeable. On Tuesday Barbara did laundry and I did some chores on the boat. Most importantly I bought an alternator belt, and put the one in stores on the engine. The new belt went into the spare parts stores. While in the bilge, I saw that the exhaust elbows off of the turbo were sooted. That could only mean that the joint between the dry ell on the turbo and the wet ell above it was leaking. I pulled the elbows apart, and the seal was distorted. I do not know if it was like that when the manicooler was put back on, or if I did it later when I took the exhaust and upper ell loose when the hot water heater hoses were thought to be leaking. I cleaned up the area and put my one new seal in place. On Wednesday, the 4th, I worked on routing the cable from the radar to its monitor at the lower helm. We did not go to any fireworks shows, but there were plenty of fireworks to be seen from the locals up and down the canal.<br />
Thursday we got up early and went to Walmart to get provisions for the boat. We were back on board by 8:15. I took the rental car back to Hertz, and a Canal Point Marina employee picked me up at Hertz and brought me back to SummerTime. We got underway at 9:50, and were out Manesquan Inlet and in the Atlantic before 10:30. The ocean was much smoother (2-3' seas) this time than when we carried SummerTime north to the Great Lakes just over 5 years ago (4-6' following seas). We ran at 90% until we were at New York Harbor, or 2-1/2 hours after clearing out of the inlet. We slowed to 11kt going under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. It was a lovely day, and we could see the bridge about 12 miles away on the ocean. We could see the City skyline from farther out than that, well before we got to Sandy Hook.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ENTERING NY HARBOR, STATUE OF LIBERTY IS JUST to LEFT of CENTER</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WAITING to GET IN</td></tr>
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New York Harbor is a nightmare of sorts when you are skippering the boat. It has constantly moving traffic. Besides the ships and tugs, there are numerous ferry boats, water taxis, and tour boats running around. None but the Staten Island Ferries seem to have a set route. It requires your head to be on a constant swivel as you go through the harbor.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CONTRAST in SPEEDS</td></tr>
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And I think the only thing slower than SummerTime are the kayakers and sailboats. It is most congested, as would be expected, around the Statue of Liberty. Once we clear the George Washington bridge, the traffic lessens, and the trip becomes a little less tense. We soon pass under the new Tappan Zee bridge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrFV9ckTAilnuLK2OqH5R4e6OYpIDhP65jrXPSFdwpVCeoZCZGY4B8tv1PKnDvVHlwt0DqoPHEf9teI34L1A-OcdW0MRlXQuNonFmbAEzW4Grp14PJ281-DAZfSlK_6aObyKJM0AmGQg/s1600/DSC_0631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrFV9ckTAilnuLK2OqH5R4e6OYpIDhP65jrXPSFdwpVCeoZCZGY4B8tv1PKnDvVHlwt0DqoPHEf9teI34L1A-OcdW0MRlXQuNonFmbAEzW4Grp14PJ281-DAZfSlK_6aObyKJM0AmGQg/s400/DSC_0631.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NEW TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE, REMAINS of OLD BRIDGE in BACKGROUND</td></tr>
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Parts of the old one are still standing, and there are some massive cranes on barges next to the old bridge. It is a good thing we come through this Thursday, as the US Coast Guard makes a radio announcement that the Tappan Zee bridge area will be closed to through traffic in the channel on Friday and Saturday. We get to Half Moon Bay Marina at Croton on the Hudson at 4:50, having covered nearly 87 miles. We had a rising tide and wind behind us to cover those miles in that time. We go into the village of Croton for dinner. It was more than the 3/8 miles that Steve at the marina told us, by a factor of 2. The Colonial Diner made it worth our while as we could not eat all that was served. We had our cake put in a carryout box so we could stop at the village creamery on the way back to the boat. The ice cream there was as good as we were told. They are also a bakery, and we were told the weekends that they make exceptional donuts. We will have to try that another time. It will be hard to beat the baked goods from "Glazed Donuts" in Hampton, VA though.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YACHT OLYMPUS ANCHORED OFF CROTON</td></tr>
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On Friday we try to get off early hoping to catch a little of the rising tide as we head up the Hudson. We are a little later than I had planned due to looking for some charts stowed away somewhere. We find the charts and get underway at 8:50. There are 2 other boats leaving the marina in front of us. We manage to stay in sight of the one, but the front one goes away from both of us. About 1-1/2 hours into the trip we are overtaken from the west by a bad thunderstorm. It is raining hard, and we both go down to the lower helm to navigate. The radar is not working as I had cut the cigarette lighter plug off this morning to wire it permanently. Then the chart searching got me distracted so I did not finish the permanent power supply to the radar. So we slow and motor on at about 6kt in reduced visibility. The boat in front has slowed also. About 11 the rain quits and we pick speed back up. We catch up to the other boat at West Point. They are slowed taking multiple photos of the Institute from their bow. It is an impressive site when seen from the water. The buildings appear to rise from the river to the heights of the hills surrounding them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WEST POINT</td></tr>
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We pass the other boat, and through radio conversations find that they are loopers also. They are only going to Kingston, NY and we are headed to New Baltimore. We have one more light rain shower where I do not have to leave the upper helm to navigate. The front has passed, and the winds have shifted from our port stern quarter to our nose. Now we are now fighting the wind and the falling tide. We pass Hyde Park, another famous place on the Hudson River. We get to Donovan's Shady Harbor Marina in New Baltimore about 5:45, or 15min before closing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_uViTfaFoNfA1_kxJjQkquc1lTG6OTSgWuQxPpL3nrMH1K_p0vaWOxQucx96x03Shbb5hBmB3__lVVTC-hJTGYSzpbNqSxhHWwVyZ6wQd9ivXzokQ0U7zXqEOLZrR12yzGt7QV3R4Vw/s1600/20180706_183746_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_uViTfaFoNfA1_kxJjQkquc1lTG6OTSgWuQxPpL3nrMH1K_p0vaWOxQucx96x03Shbb5hBmB3__lVVTC-hJTGYSzpbNqSxhHWwVyZ6wQd9ivXzokQ0U7zXqEOLZrR12yzGt7QV3R4Vw/s400/20180706_183746_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SHADY HARBOR MARINA</td></tr>
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We get a pump out before moving to our slip space. It is quitting time for the help, so we decide to fuel before we leave. When I check in my exhaust seal and gaskets I had ordered from TAD on Thursday are at the counter. There is another Mainship here, a "400", and they are loopers and come over to introduce themselves. So we meet the crew on "First Forty", the first looper boats we have had contact with since Hampton.SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-58380743399996556332018-07-09T22:01:00.000-04:002018-07-09T22:13:29.434-04:00Little Triangle Loop Week #1, 23-29June2018 It is Saturday, 22 June, the day we had scheduled to leave Hampton, VA for the start of our Summer 2018 trip. We actually were planning to start this trip back in May, but Mr. Perkins decided he needed some major repairs. We discovered on some short day trips back in May that we were losing engine coolant. As there were no external leaks present, I made a best guess that the closed coolant glycol system that operates under pressure was losing to the open raw water system. The raw water system uses a heat exchanger to cool the closed system with water drawn in from the outside source the boat is sitting in. A leak from the pressurized glycol system through the heat exchanger to the raw water system would not be seen as it would go out the exhaust with the raw water. It is not a good thing to happen, but we were in a good place for it to happen. Trans Atlantic Diesels, an old Perkins dealer, is across the York River from Wormley Creek Marina where we keep SummerTime while in the Hampton Roads Area. The mechanics at Wormley pull off the Perkins' Manicooler (Brits name) and I take it over to TAD. They rebuild the Manicooler in 2 weeks, and in mid June the Manicooler is back on the Perkins. After some short runs verify the repair is the cure, we move the boat to Hampton Public Piers dock where we spent a lot of the Summer of 2017. We are near our daughter and her family there if we need help of any kind. So it is Saturday, and we are trying to decide if the Chesapeake Bay is going to be calm enough for us to travel. About 12:50 we get away from the City docks. We are headed to what we plan to be an anchorage in the Great Wicomico River. The Coast Guard is having a busy day on the radio, and one of their watches is for a boat that just happens to be outside the mouth of the Hampton River. We contact the USCG, and report we are standing by with the broken down boat. The couple is worried about Thunderstorms. Barbara pulls up the NOAA radar screen on my phone, and Barbara tells them there are no Thunderstorms in the area to worry about for the next 3 hours. The VA State Water Police arrive after about 10 minutes, and we continue on our way. We round the corner of the Fort Monroe Point and head up the west side of the Bay. The land is sheltering the bay from the westerly winds, and we are having a relatively calm ride. Just prior to Wolf Trap Light, or about 3hr into our 6hr trip towards the Wicomico River, we get hit with sprinkles. The heavy rain follows suit. Barbara and I abandon the flybridge for the lower helm. We stay at the lower helm for about an hour before the rain has subsided enough to go back to running from the flybridge. We slowed down through the heavy part of the rain due to visibility. We abandon plans for Wicomico River and go into Godfrey Bay SW of Deltaville.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SUNSET OVER GODFREY BAY</td></tr>
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This is the same area that the Bay kicked our butt last October. It is calm now, and while most boats are anchored in Fishing Bay, we stay in Godfrey Bay as it offers the most protection from any storms that might appear from the SW, which has been their route all week. We watch several groups of Cow Nose Rays swimming near the boat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmYoBSOZRa7QlNEPWMutAJgtFV1FV7HbSqGG0WblK1PZA2hRSVZlxbhM3nxMtANMXmRkE6SyMWibPLgMLJ8nusqR-DLxVBdYSBuvewTfoBRhiI71P95q6RsrlLQRYx6gueqtoyoKl1Fc/s1600/DSC_0422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmYoBSOZRa7QlNEPWMutAJgtFV1FV7HbSqGG0WblK1PZA2hRSVZlxbhM3nxMtANMXmRkE6SyMWibPLgMLJ8nusqR-DLxVBdYSBuvewTfoBRhiI71P95q6RsrlLQRYx6gueqtoyoKl1Fc/s400/DSC_0422.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">COW NOSE RAY</td></tr>
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It is peaceful, and stays that way through the night.<br />
We wake on Sunday morning and try to get going early. I have it in my mind that we can get to Rock Hall, Md from this spot in one day. Rock Hall has a sheltered harbor, and a good marina to overnight at. We run hard most of the day, the wind is behind us, but we have half our time with the current of a rising tide, and half against the current of the falling tide. About half way through the day, I spot something large floating near the main channel. I go over to check it out, and determine it is the corpse of a large dolphin.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZbwittyUu5n9OjEOAH3-o9hTupjJKNJpbi0j5bbu4GziWal8H0UlzEr3_gD6pqOvoi9BJes6rt5Gqbcg6yW41-4f0LO3WF4QS7MiolD0By3EfkGZdCIJI9LLQWtKFYzNxGU9XCAnTa0/s1600/P6240615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZbwittyUu5n9OjEOAH3-o9hTupjJKNJpbi0j5bbu4GziWal8H0UlzEr3_gD6pqOvoi9BJes6rt5Gqbcg6yW41-4f0LO3WF4QS7MiolD0By3EfkGZdCIJI9LLQWtKFYzNxGU9XCAnTa0/s400/P6240615.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DOLPHIN CORPSE?</td></tr>
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It is hard to identify as Barbara does not wish to get too close, and a good portion of it has been eaten by scavengers. Before we get to the Bay Bridge at Kent Narrows-Annapolis area, we are hit by sprinkles again. This time it does not get to be a hard rain, and we do not have to slow down, or move to the lower helm. It is unbearably hot (90s) today, and because the wind is behind us, there is no cooling breeze up on the fly bridge. Rock Hall is looking too far off. I look in the Guide Books to see what else may be near without taking a long trip up a side river. I find Podickory Yacht and Beach Club right on the Bay just N of the Bay Bridge. We call and make reservations. It is about 2hr closer than Rock Hall, and we get to their docks about 6:30. We tie up and check in. There are two parties going on there, so the place is noisy until about dark, when the parties break up. Barbara and I go to the main building and get a fresh shower, something we have not had for 2 days. The shower feels very good after this hot day on the bay.<br />
We leave Podickory early in the morning. It is a narrow channel from the marina through several hundred yards of 1-2' water. It requires close attention to get out as the wind is blowing a little more than the NOAA marine forecast. NOAA was calling for less than 10kt of wind with seas of 1'. We are in winds greater than 15kt and seas in the 2-3' range. Regardless, we follow the course laid out on the GPS to get us to the East bank of the bay. And there are lots of people out fishing, so it can not be too rough. We are however only able to run about 7kt due to the swells until we get land shelter from the wind generated waves after about 2 hours. We pick up speed and the rest of the trip to our destination of Delaware City Marina is pretty good. We get to the C&D Canal without much trouble. Just before we get to the canal, we are caught by a lot of boats and passed. We pass hardly anyone this day. Most of the boats are express cruisers, or what us trawler people call "go fast" boats. They are all in a hurry. The C&D is better to us this day than it was last September when we went to Philadelphia. The current is with us and we do not have to run hard to get through the canal. We do pass two sail boats in the canal that are flying the flag of Denmark. They are on the AIS, and one of them generally speaks for both. I finally get to pass a boat, actually two. I do this as we leave the "NO WAKE" zone by Chesapeake City. We continue to ease along with the C&D current pushing us. We get to Delaware City Marina on the "old" Chesapeake & Delaware Canal about 4:20. The dockmaster talked us in the last mile as the tide is at full low, and the channel entrance is narrow. The dock boys here do their usual marvelous job of using current and wind to get you secured to a dock. They are some of the most efficient dock personnel I have seen in 5 years of running SummerTime. We pull to the fuel docks first and take on the first fuel since Wormley Creek. It takes 147.9 gallons to fill SummerTime's tank. The second most fuel we have ever put in her. We secure the boat after moving to our dock after fueling. We walk into town (actually down the docks) for dinner. We eat at Lewinsky's on Clinton, a visitor favorite. Our two previous visits here we have hiked to La Matesina, which probably has the best "meat lovers" pizza in the country. We think we will for once get to the Delaware City ice cream parlor after Lewinsky's, but the dessert menu at Lewinsky's is too good. We have a leisurely walk back to SummerTime along Canal St.<br />
We are in a sluggish state when we get up on Tuesday morning. Both of us were up through the early morning with diarrhea. We do get going about 9:40 from the old C&D canal. We are bucking the tide on the Delaware Bay and a light wind. But the bay is being good, and we soldier on. About half way to our destination of Cape May the winds start to pick up. The tide is now behind us, and though bucking the wind, our speed has increased 20% to over 9kt. We are traveling with sail boats and power boats down the Delaware Bay. About 3 hours from the Cape May canal, the winds have kicked up substantially. The tide is with us going out the bay now, but is making some nice waves bucking the wind. About every 8th wave, SummerTime's bow is going in up to the rail.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UP TO THE RAILS</td></tr>
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This goes on for nearly 20 miles until we are in the shelter of Cape May, and the waves subside. We get to Utsch's Marina about 4:20. I spend time rinsing the salt off of SummerTime before going for our own showers. We go to the Lobster House Restaurant for dinner. We both appear to be over our earlier maladies. It was a good meal.<br />
We leave Cape May at a reasonable time, but not one that will help with tides. We do good for a ways, until we pass Hereford Inlet north of Wildwood. Either NJ, or I, has dyslexia on which side red markers are to be on. I run SummerTime aground at slow speed as I slowed for some fisherman near the channel. It is not a hard grounding, and with a little power we go across the sand bar between the two red markers and into the deep channel.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NJ WATERFRONT PROPERTY</td></tr>
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We continue on our way, and the rest of our trip is uneventful until we get to Atlantic City, NJ. There are a number of low bridges crossing the NJ Intracoastal Waterway here. We are approaching the first one too early, and hearing other boats calling for a bridge opening, we realize from the answer of the bridge operator we might as well slow down. We only have to wait about 15min for this bridge to open and we are through. We are not so lucky at the next, or Albany St. bridge. The bridge tender states it is rush hour, and he will not open again until 6pm. It is a couple of minutes to 5. I move away from the bridge, and practice holding position against tides and with a beam wind for 55 minutes. We get through the bridge at 6pm, and proceed to Farley State Marina at the Golden Nugget Casino in Atlantic City. The dock girl is very efficient, almost as efficient as the dock crew at Delaware City. We have a nice evening eating on the boat.<br />
On Thursday morning, I check the engine before starting. The alternator belt feels a little loose, but I do not think it will be a problem. We motor across the harbor to another marina for fuel. After fueling, the alternator belt goes to squealing every time we try to accelerate the engine. I tighten the belt now, leaning over a more than warm engine. It takes three attempts to get the belt tight as there is really nothing to pry against, or way to get a long pry bar for leverage in the tight space. It is after 11 before we get away from the fuel dock. About 5 miles from the fuel dock, and just past a dredging operation, I feel a bite on my leg. It is a green head fly. And there is another bite. I look around, ant the flies are everywhere. There are tens of them landed on the underside of the bimini top. Barbara gets out a flyswatter and begins killing or shooing flies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwqtZNFNiVptY9zmDlXVhOmLiJB2UpeX6iBzcuo4DBiw0bfxlFdysnd-IUp1AbatQRdJCdhxV1I_9k4cBjr0fmLyMIQXPvESx4ZRIiNZk979qAXtkS_anvHrqP35dPtrtsyfGo_JPXvc/s1600/P6280668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwqtZNFNiVptY9zmDlXVhOmLiJB2UpeX6iBzcuo4DBiw0bfxlFdysnd-IUp1AbatQRdJCdhxV1I_9k4cBjr0fmLyMIQXPvESx4ZRIiNZk979qAXtkS_anvHrqP35dPtrtsyfGo_JPXvc/s400/P6280668.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GREEN HEAD FLY INVASION</td></tr>
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This goes on for well over an hour, until we change direction sufficiently to have wind off our side. Then the flies are gone. We proceed North on the NJICW passing through Little Egg Harbor and Barnegat Bays. The water coming in Barnegat Inlet is green as ocean water should be. It is a cool day compared to other days as the wind is blowing. We are headed to Canal Point Marina where we have had a reservation for over 2 weeks. We intend to leave SummerTime there while we take a short trip to Ohio. We get to Canal Point Marina at Point Pleasant, NJ at about 6. We had called and got a slip number as we knew we were not going to make their closing time of 5pm. It is a nice marina with fixed piers surrounded by condos and a canal system. The Pleasant Point Canal is obviously not a "NO WAKE" zone. We are rocked, even though off the canal, every few minutes by a passing boat.<br />
We get up on Friday morning the 29th, and go to the Marina office to check in. The staff offers to carry me to Hertz to pick up a rental car. I pick up the car, and we secure things on SummerTime. We leave Point Pleasant headed for central Ohio just before noon.<br />
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SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-67839143899234367112017-05-18T23:03:00.002-04:002017-05-18T23:03:53.064-04:00WEEK #35, 25-31MAR017, TRAVELING COASTAL SC, FINISHING IN NC On Saturday morning I am up first and decide not to run the generator to make coffee. I use the microwave running on the inverter to heat water for instant coffee. it was a peaceful night considered we were on a river leading to the ocean. I think I expected outbound fishing boats to rock us after daylight, but it did not happen. We get our quick breakfast of cold cereal, and then we prepare the boat to weigh anchor and get under way. We are off anchor by 8:50 and headed into Charleston. As we head up Elliot Cut, I glance back and see a big tour boat gaining on us as we head North up the cut. There is a drawbridge with enough clearance for us, but he has to wait for it to open. My worry of having to be passed in this narrow cut by a large vessel is ended. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TOUR BOAT HEADED FOR CHARLESTON HARBOR</td></tr>
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We pop out of the cut, and into the Ashley River leading into Charleston Harbor. The tour boats are the main movers in Charleston Harbor this morning. As we pass Fort Sumter, a tug is coming in from the ocean towing a barge. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBGSnSbC39RvS5Nb-FoS7S4coCk8q2uENb_52VHPGvCVErh8BnsYo14Ot3q-IqsF3vf07mKgtPYkfZSzONm7oMri2WH8JmLJvxU-boyLz1SIa5b6APNQEnD8zcrd_1YNGT1c_F5UzDjc/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBGSnSbC39RvS5Nb-FoS7S4coCk8q2uENb_52VHPGvCVErh8BnsYo14Ot3q-IqsF3vf07mKgtPYkfZSzONm7oMri2WH8JmLJvxU-boyLz1SIa5b6APNQEnD8zcrd_1YNGT1c_F5UzDjc/s400/DSC_0013.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FORT SUMTER</td></tr>
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On the ICW route, we are not near the navy base as other ports have been. The only naval ships we see are the ships on memorial duty at Patriot Point. The aircraft carrier "Yorktown" is still impressive, even from over a mile away. A couple of turns, and we are in the narrow ICW channel. This channel is pretty open to travel. But near Isle of Palms, I must have missed a "No Wake" sign. I see a jet ski tour operator motioning for me to slow down and not wash his craft sitting on a dock. I slow down, and feel bad as he is going to get some wake anyway. I am just glad I saw him as he signaled me. We are headed to Georgetown, SC, and for half the way we buck tides. We are able to run only 8.3kt at 2240rpm (normal speed @ 1800rpm), but when we hit tides the other way, we are running over 10kt at the same 2240rpm. The only looper we see on the route is "Cway", most of the other boats are small fishing boats and runabouts. We arrived at Harborwalk Marina at Georgetown at about 4:10, a little over 69mi from where we weighed anchor in the Stono River.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrCm7y3dNvKTmKWEdASb2hR36Uf0h7QbfA1U1y2-5p8WrVGDj9e00Ivy6naRpIbSkZVbBrrmNMdZSZUq8hIjkWsOzJDcqpuFwfKpjyPQo6SQJcoR1WbjGDT6Qz-bwRyzWyivM6u3EvO0/s1600/20170327_171717_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrCm7y3dNvKTmKWEdASb2hR36Uf0h7QbfA1U1y2-5p8WrVGDj9e00Ivy6naRpIbSkZVbBrrmNMdZSZUq8hIjkWsOzJDcqpuFwfKpjyPQo6SQJcoR1WbjGDT6Qz-bwRyzWyivM6u3EvO0/s400/20170327_171717_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GEORGETOWN WATERFRONT</td></tr>
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On Sunday morning, we got up and walked to the Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church. It is another old church building with a lovely interior. And it still looks good because it has been well cared for. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dlCYPKaPOp9ziP0hV_QJFWygVoJGQYjEz_i9-8sKXBmFfsvnC5WixgIbEzrrxnY8Pys7NDP7w1ESoTnDL_OZwOldsL3Md13DdKHv9RhCDf7idwlgR-HhDXR9UAKlyOyxvltaiKC6uWw/s1600/20170326_120059_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dlCYPKaPOp9ziP0hV_QJFWygVoJGQYjEz_i9-8sKXBmFfsvnC5WixgIbEzrrxnY8Pys7NDP7w1ESoTnDL_OZwOldsL3Md13DdKHv9RhCDf7idwlgR-HhDXR9UAKlyOyxvltaiKC6uWw/s400/20170326_120059_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PIPES for ORGAN IN DUNCAN CHURCH</td></tr>
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After church we walk back over to the main street to look for a place for lunch. We settle on a "soul food" café called "Aunnys". It lives up to the hype, and we leave stuffed. For a little over $10., you get a meat entrée and three side. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZR9oRKbv3F-kkz6P-ZxYs3gB0sz1EZnGRlBCt4I4pBTyZfd2Gr3rh4IHKot9BKBlA4QvUzJjUAdIuG12Hg3iUCM8GubDHNcnqsg3bUSfFJAMsBPCqNCNDyf313oUP9_No5CnOknzc8Xc/s1600/20170326_131156_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZR9oRKbv3F-kkz6P-ZxYs3gB0sz1EZnGRlBCt4I4pBTyZfd2Gr3rh4IHKot9BKBlA4QvUzJjUAdIuG12Hg3iUCM8GubDHNcnqsg3bUSfFJAMsBPCqNCNDyf313oUP9_No5CnOknzc8Xc/s400/20170326_131156_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AUNNY'S SUNDAY BRUNCH MENU</td></tr>
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And I had peach cobbler for dessert after that big lunch. We spend the rest of the afternoon resting on the boat. On Monday I do miscellaneous chores on SummerTime. I do find the fuel leak I have been looking for. The mist has become an occasional drop where the throttle shaft enters the injector body. I wash the boat, the first time it has had a good soap wash in several months. We are only a few days from finishing the loop, and SummerTime needs to look good. We have dinner in the old town at a very nice Italian restaurant, Alfresco Bistro, that we looked at on the way to church.<br />
On Tuesday morning we get ready to leave. The holding tank gets pumped, and we fill the water tank. We know we probably have at least one night we will spend on anchor. We get away from the marina at 9:30. We run about 1800rpm, and the rising tide helps to push us up the Waccaamaw River at about 9-1/4kt. For the first hour we are mostly looking at saw grass swamp areas, and then the plant life starts to change. The river narrows, and there start to be cypress trees along the banks. Some are quite big. We saw some eagles flying in this area.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05-wVZ8_BxJJGRzRr9htPwJYaNBYeDfoEmXPktcGpoEh5flVWqky85UPln3NkioIDzANdKlgvWDpljNmNlnue1ARBvsjg6BAa7lNPvtKheq0610L54PEmy3Gn12fq-gGxDvBh6SLmcSk/s1600/DSC_0279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05-wVZ8_BxJJGRzRr9htPwJYaNBYeDfoEmXPktcGpoEh5flVWqky85UPln3NkioIDzANdKlgvWDpljNmNlnue1ARBvsjg6BAa7lNPvtKheq0610L54PEmy3Gn12fq-gGxDvBh6SLmcSk/s400/DSC_0279.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EAGLE OVER RIVER JUST NORTH OF GEORGETOWN</td></tr>
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I think now that we may have seen eagles in every state we traveled through except for New Jersey. This part of the Waccamaw has very little development. One side of it is a "National Wildlife Refuge". The river is relatively deep, not too crooked, and there are plenty of large cypress trees lining the edge. About 30 miles north of Georgetown, we stop at Bucksport Marina and RV park and fueled up. They are cheapest in area per "Waterway Guides" fuel listing. We put 92.9 gallons of fuel in the tank to fill up for the first time since Savannah. A few miles after leaving Bucksport we come to the place where the Waccamaw River splits from the dug canal that becomes the ICW. We decide to go up the Waccamaw River for a short ways to check out its reported beauty. A few people have told us it rivals the St. John River in Florida for natural beauty. It is impressive, mostly a large cypress swamp with a river in it. We go about 5 mile up it to marker "4", and start to see signs of civilization. We turn back for about 2mi to anchor near a creek branch. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhna4_QqOvgRfL4qgP5aS-h-V-ZsxFE5fDw1keXMixbuJJUN8cZpjklKWjudYcu-6gqK522FbXnAKwykj7UOKT3-5qoZ4vMck2c4tfTCnG7-9WcmYg1uq9QA9TDRpjDqeJ7MCMlb6vhX7A/s1600/P3282404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhna4_QqOvgRfL4qgP5aS-h-V-ZsxFE5fDw1keXMixbuJJUN8cZpjklKWjudYcu-6gqK522FbXnAKwykj7UOKT3-5qoZ4vMck2c4tfTCnG7-9WcmYg1uq9QA9TDRpjDqeJ7MCMlb6vhX7A/s640/P3282404.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PANORAMA OF OUR ANCHORAGE IN WACCAMAW RIVER BEND</td></tr>
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There are lots of Osprey flying in this area. Turtles and jumping fish are the only other wild life we see on this wild river. We cook on the grill. It is a peaceful night without much wind, but cool enough we do not need a genset and AC, or heat.<br />
We get up on Wednesday morning, and after more microwaved hot water for coffee, we head out the river. There is not as much mud on the anchor as I was expecting, in fact almost none. We follow the river back to where the ditch split from it, and follow the dug ICW north. We pass through Myrtle Beach, which is now putting development on both sides of the ICW. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtW34kEpwZGZQPSTvOyIkUjveSBVUsTzua6UvFGmLuI6lD4Jei58qtEgEwcGXPdovQGQkTURs0a2NgkTSgDdLtSLZtMh_vLzjdosodHjKd-1mEla4zxt2COKZJyjZOan0eti5q9v6nRE/s1600/DSC_0105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtW34kEpwZGZQPSTvOyIkUjveSBVUsTzua6UvFGmLuI6lD4Jei58qtEgEwcGXPdovQGQkTURs0a2NgkTSgDdLtSLZtMh_vLzjdosodHjKd-1mEla4zxt2COKZJyjZOan0eti5q9v6nRE/s400/DSC_0105.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ONE OF MYRTLE BEACHES GOLF COURSES ALONG THE ICW</td></tr>
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We travel at 1500-1800rpm to keep our wake in a more acceptable range in the ditch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCw5fFIKGWlRSoL5ZfxG-n0FSwqf_K_7X9EsGcI0dCzaK46to9Y7uLRt1eATxEZz8TdGVrE9FQVPQz-lq-8iQX-NUKemVBPdxWnHkYD6iYxKqUha18JsuV6Sdtx2WbsYZYC7VEGyA-fyE/s1600/DSC_0270+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCw5fFIKGWlRSoL5ZfxG-n0FSwqf_K_7X9EsGcI0dCzaK46to9Y7uLRt1eATxEZz8TdGVrE9FQVPQz-lq-8iQX-NUKemVBPdxWnHkYD6iYxKqUha18JsuV6Sdtx2WbsYZYC7VEGyA-fyE/s640/DSC_0270+%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TOUR BOAT AT MYRTLE BEACH OUTFITTED FOR YOUNG BUCCANEERS</td></tr>
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A little after 1 we get to Little River. Here we somehow get into a pack of lunatics. It starts with the boat "Capt. Rick" that comes barreling down a marina fairway from the side, and nearly "T-bones" a small skiff traveling south on the ICW. The "Capt Rick" turns north and drives on the left side of the ICW, going slow now, and impervious to any boats headed south bound on the left (inland) side. I am following to the right side of the ICW, and trying to think where, or if to pass him. A high speed, 40+ passenger thrill tour boat and a charter boat come up behind me. A Charter boat is returning from the inlet to the north. The skipper of Capt Rick, in the returning boat's path, steps out of his pilot house and starts to make gestures to the north bound boat. Right after he passes, the thrill tour boat and charter boat come by me, and head past Capt Rick. He is having none of it, and pours on the throttle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlH5u5JbwzseT_PoGmL6hgWR5OYbPtVj-2Jzo4rj5NNeZGek1En9QDGur9e5X3007Hc-fTphmP9WT-xtyYRq56l5rQPvadDAC8S34KTUK9YtLAX5JiDiS6OPuqzfpRNZTtC4lsDS1oKro/s1600/DSC_0306+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlH5u5JbwzseT_PoGmL6hgWR5OYbPtVj-2Jzo4rj5NNeZGek1En9QDGur9e5X3007Hc-fTphmP9WT-xtyYRq56l5rQPvadDAC8S34KTUK9YtLAX5JiDiS6OPuqzfpRNZTtC4lsDS1oKro/s400/DSC_0306+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LUNATICS HEADING OUT TO LITTLE RIVER INLET</td></tr>
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The two boats are now forced to follow Capt Rick as he moves side to side to block them. They all turn out to the inlet, and I am glad. I see more unprofessional "professional captains" in this 10 minutes than all the rest of our 8month trip. We come to Calabash Creek, and decide to go up Calabash Creek thinking we will try to anchor on it. We do not see a place that looks acceptable, mainly due to development. We decide to head north towards Southport NC.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4gTu7zTw9qra3_cGNtNOIOOnvBd-5CVJaFs22b9nO_u8-1umOWd9f4-MoxaHtdpZytRA3b-er_tuQOpgr8R2tybmPI6rTcMAiIHPCK1uky94ubORVBEgVrX4SS1e6I_b_DZ6peMbQUxo/s1600/DSC_0333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4gTu7zTw9qra3_cGNtNOIOOnvBd-5CVJaFs22b9nO_u8-1umOWd9f4-MoxaHtdpZytRA3b-er_tuQOpgr8R2tybmPI6rTcMAiIHPCK1uky94ubORVBEgVrX4SS1e6I_b_DZ6peMbQUxo/s400/DSC_0333.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WIND BLOWN SANDS AT LOCKWOOD FOLLY INLET </td></tr>
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We call St Jame Marina and make reservations. I program the GPS to extend our route to them from Shallotte where we had programmed to earlier. We pick up our cruising speed to 2500rpm, which gives us about 12kt +/- depending on current. We get to St James about 4:30pm, and get checked in. We eat in the Marina Restaurant for the evening. This is a very nice marina, part of a large resort area featuring several golf courses along with the marina. There are 4 restaurants within Jamestown Plantation, but only the restaurant in the marina is open to the public. And the marina has a nice deli where you can buy meats, cheeses, and breads for your day on the boat.<br />
On Thursday morning, we decide we are not going to delay completing our loop until Friday. We know we are close enough to Carolina Beach, and our beginning spot on the ICW to easily complete. It takes a little bit to get ready and get away, but we do it. We actually get moving fairly early for us, before 9. In less than an hour at moderate speeds, 1500rpm, we are in Southport, NC. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOsyBU8-JuSefAi0UHUe_bogvxN3fK3vV9-C0Xm5M1iMgdG0p3rmAM4_rMxDpXHG9Qn5RZ5GYqqX4thyphenhyphenYPn1aTFRa4TC1jjs88a0rNY_7KPlwqIJIwIaA4fDnJZ9uGyBFVVXjYskrHBc/s1600/DSC_0416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOsyBU8-JuSefAi0UHUe_bogvxN3fK3vV9-C0Xm5M1iMgdG0p3rmAM4_rMxDpXHG9Qn5RZ5GYqqX4thyphenhyphenYPn1aTFRa4TC1jjs88a0rNY_7KPlwqIJIwIaA4fDnJZ9uGyBFVVXjYskrHBc/s400/DSC_0416.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SOUTHPORT WATERFRONT</td></tr>
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We go through this old fishing town/ seaport and make a NW, or left turn onto the Cape Fear River. We have the tide with us and are making good time. We pass by Sunny Point, a munitions storage and shipping depot for the US military. It is being guarded by several small boats, what I would have expected. There are no ships at their docks, but they do have a dredge in their channel deepening it. We go on by, passing a couple of commercial fishing boats. We come to the point where the waterway departs the path of the ship channel in the river. We bear east into the ICW channel, and in a few minutes we are in Snow's Cut. We pass on by the State Park Marina and head to the intersection of the channel at the Carolina Beach Inlet and the ICW. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kChM_OK1ZYlBLon4_jnIKg-cvgGOC9044Xrru2CnO612Q6ufNz9CgnE6d4fxZwCpoJLIus4IIgcZLNWrICu5TFq0l9FKv1kJUlT1pIboPY673Bp98SE6XE9vKOf4CCRjUFyDrSbc5vU/s1600/DSC_0574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kChM_OK1ZYlBLon4_jnIKg-cvgGOC9044Xrru2CnO612Q6ufNz9CgnE6d4fxZwCpoJLIus4IIgcZLNWrICu5TFq0l9FKv1kJUlT1pIboPY673Bp98SE6XE9vKOf4CCRjUFyDrSbc5vU/s400/DSC_0574.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">INLET WATCH MARINA WHERE WE STARTED WITH SUMMERTIME MAY, 2013</td></tr>
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We go slightly past this intersection to make sure we have crossed our starting point. We have officially "Crossed Our Wake", completing our loop. We started our loop when we left the Inlet Watch Marina at this intersection on 25May, 2013 headed to New York with SummerTime. <br />
We record the moment, we have crossed our wake at 12:16pm on Thursday, 30 Mar017. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CROSSING OUR WAKE AT CAROLINA BEACH INLET CHANNEL & ICW</td></tr>
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We did 23.2 miles this morning to get here. We have done over 5000 miles total, but it is going to take looking at some saved routes to get the actual mileage. We turn around, and head to Joyner's Marina which we passed a mile back. We fill up SummerTime with fuel so that the tank does not sit partially full and sweat inside. We leave Joyner's and back track to the Carolina Beach State Park Marina. We arrive and check in for two days on their "A" dock. Barbara's brother Kenny comes and picks us up, along with some of our belongings. We will come back another day to get some other belongings off of SummerTime ad we move back to shore.<br />
Friday we come back to SummerTime and take some more clothes and dirty laundry off. I also take the slip for the month of April so we have a place to rest SummerTime while we figure out what we are going to do yet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNo3P5fP3ZfVDj4mkfFNYh8sTEb5-a93OkzOAzd5z1CSnIdDE0-vPObx3iAU1p6TY715nygYTGYYqT8GHbmeSW8R2lQk2pp9l1U0kXiCL5gxkwMWh0HG5LJa2I0EkleJg4ofgrmbLiID4/s1600/P3302411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNo3P5fP3ZfVDj4mkfFNYh8sTEb5-a93OkzOAzd5z1CSnIdDE0-vPObx3iAU1p6TY715nygYTGYYqT8GHbmeSW8R2lQk2pp9l1U0kXiCL5gxkwMWh0HG5LJa2I0EkleJg4ofgrmbLiID4/s640/P3302411.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">END OF OUR LOOP JOURNEY</td></tr>
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SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-12220637038280540912017-03-27T23:32:00.000-04:002017-03-27T23:32:36.248-04:00WEEK #34, 18-24MAR017, LEAVING GEORGIA Saturday we do not get up quite as early. We are going to go into Savannah with our relatives and take a trolley tour of Old Savannah that lets us get off and on. We get almost all the way around the route (our plan) and get off to get lunch. We go to "Leopold's" ice cream shop, a Savannah tradition. We have lunch in there. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4MmCI8DaHt-FaNfaZ2WdaQhA-sZKtxYSYNVlUOsncXEBilkal9ETHR2wy9YvhIjZGlLg6lB74qj8bXrxu3BBud1gmIyGm9bLvga4wORaPm9ghwLn3tXIPoux_Nl59WMlPhn7d2JFkKI/s1600/DSC_0504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4MmCI8DaHt-FaNfaZ2WdaQhA-sZKtxYSYNVlUOsncXEBilkal9ETHR2wy9YvhIjZGlLg6lB74qj8bXrxu3BBud1gmIyGm9bLvga4wORaPm9ghwLn3tXIPoux_Nl59WMlPhn7d2JFkKI/s400/DSC_0504.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LEOPOLDS OR LUNCH AND DESSERT</td></tr>
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And we wait in line after lunch to get an ice cream cone topped with one of their fantastic home made ice cream flavors. After the ice cream, we head down to River St where the real St. Paddy's festival is going on. There is green everywhere. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXJpDbrkNKR5AmqlPOPzW58rfv-phvCoBeGYJcLvKpcQCMxOt2OztpEuIh4qvjuprwgdLs8cdksI1Vxjhn1deD8KWuV2iTQbhjIMddjFSieLmaTsO3v29gcfzjm48d67HAtgO_G9pR8g/s1600/DSC_0514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXJpDbrkNKR5AmqlPOPzW58rfv-phvCoBeGYJcLvKpcQCMxOt2OztpEuIh4qvjuprwgdLs8cdksI1Vxjhn1deD8KWuV2iTQbhjIMddjFSieLmaTsO3v29gcfzjm48d67HAtgO_G9pR8g/s400/DSC_0514.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FESTIVAL CROWD ON RIVER St., IT LOOKS LIKE THIS THE OTHER WAY</td></tr>
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After about an hour here, we head back up the steps to Bay St to catch our trolley for the rest of our tour. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwW4_PYjRsw2GhH7ImFvvPSPw0ws95JUkEMtkJaRbP9s7laqBFg4OWV6_x54EFtMBj-U2Vw8nnBt4_AzhU2uJQfGK1wwSpBL3aurByZ1YQUozHT0ZKJEfZfzPzGwJboEcJcGQ69K1QmM/s1600/DSC_0512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwW4_PYjRsw2GhH7ImFvvPSPw0ws95JUkEMtkJaRbP9s7laqBFg4OWV6_x54EFtMBj-U2Vw8nnBt4_AzhU2uJQfGK1wwSpBL3aurByZ1YQUozHT0ZKJEfZfzPzGwJboEcJcGQ69K1QmM/s400/DSC_0512.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">STAIRS BACK UP FROM RIVER ST TO BAY ST.</td></tr>
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We end up walking farther than the shown stop, as the police have closed the side street to the trolley stop. There is a music festival going on in Savannah this same weekend, and there is a music stage set up near the trolley stop for the music festival. The day is near the end, so we go back to the trolley beginning and back to the car. We drive over to "The Pirate House" to get dinner. On the way we go by Forsyth Park with the big, Forsyth Fountain to take some photos. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgoETo8ztK0adwnN7HTKn5-Ko9qP_XKzNKYNfuTMTSOB1SD9x87tGiJScjYdN_X56KmHOjfIwK6lhhnMe-hFf7teJ8_NldEDBkyxHMDSXZ1Roaj0NML61C_KV96EqeZ5bYSzae9Onmdo/s1600/DSC_0533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgoETo8ztK0adwnN7HTKn5-Ko9qP_XKzNKYNfuTMTSOB1SD9x87tGiJScjYdN_X56KmHOjfIwK6lhhnMe-hFf7teJ8_NldEDBkyxHMDSXZ1Roaj0NML61C_KV96EqeZ5bYSzae9Onmdo/s400/DSC_0533.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FORSYTH FOUNTAIN, WITH GREEN WATER</td></tr>
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We get to "The Pirate House" later than planned, and are in the queue for a table for dinner. The dinner is great, but alas they no longer have the great dessert menu I remember, and certainly do not "flambee" anything at the table now. We get back to SummerTime in time for bed.<br />
My sister and her husband pick us up for church Sunday morning. We are going to the First Baptist Church of Savannah which is quite old. It is quite nice inside, but not as full as expected. One regular church goer states that a lot of people leave Savannah during the St Patricks Day weekend due to the craziness. After church we head back to Thunderbolt, GA where SummerTime is docked. We are going to have lunch in "Tortuga Island Grille" . We have to wait again, but we are not disappointed. After brunch we are dropped at Thunderbolt Marina, and my sister and her husband head back to their home in NC. <br />
On Monday we decide to stay another day and take care of some chores aboard the boat. It is a mostly productive day. On Tuesday we get up, get a pump-out, fill the water tank, and fuel SummerTime. I think we are going to take near a hundred gallons as we last fueled before returning to Ortega Landing. And we have run Mr. Perkins kind of hard some times when the tides were against us. We barely get in 80gallons, so I apparently misinterpreted the gauge and how hard we had run the Perkins. We get off towards Beaufort, SC about 11am. It is not a long run, and most of the ways the tides are with us. We meet a tug pushing a barge right as we cross off of the Savannah River. The runs today are rivers, cuts between rivers, sounds, and more cuts. We do not see a lot of pleasure boats until we pass by Hilton Head Island. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNB4gVRePrHyxtwCy8bCuYvke6FrCfmuwbhCssXxBJbCfR0GM5Yt7U7WDoCzAuR29V_61autsjpo0sjKSQbGFbWp7kE5PTtDb8IzpaEKhcM-AFHKVAcBh5wlu_lNLahFBi16XGU5aGxM/s1600/DSC_0622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNB4gVRePrHyxtwCy8bCuYvke6FrCfmuwbhCssXxBJbCfR0GM5Yt7U7WDoCzAuR29V_61autsjpo0sjKSQbGFbWp7kE5PTtDb8IzpaEKhcM-AFHKVAcBh5wlu_lNLahFBi16XGU5aGxM/s400/DSC_0622.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HILTON HEAD LIGHT</td></tr>
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There are actually people parasailing behind boats. It is warm, and you do not have to get in the water to parasail behind a boat. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEgXHCFuAKXUVVu7tIDv7M-7_C9XLRkNBpMsswQQv-4ZqhYoD6xL4AodIyLoek-3YqHNPzgymGjvbWG3nGURR099yJ7QK9DRJytZN99mqaf05hnw_f77cAlzmxsOpDJ7-AStTQpPONxM/s1600/DSC_0616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEgXHCFuAKXUVVu7tIDv7M-7_C9XLRkNBpMsswQQv-4ZqhYoD6xL4AodIyLoek-3YqHNPzgymGjvbWG3nGURR099yJ7QK9DRJytZN99mqaf05hnw_f77cAlzmxsOpDJ7-AStTQpPONxM/s400/DSC_0616.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PARASAILING NEAR HILTON HEAD</td></tr>
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It just seems cool as I started the day in long pants and a wind breaker. We meet two more tugs pushing construction barges at various points. It is nice to see commercial traffic on the ICW, which was the purpose of the ICW creation. And we pass by the American institution that is Parris Island.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinD3rNo_KLE2Yk9ntDu0jlUBDAJKw360RBhAAsJoJ9zPyVnNDKgffCKdkn0EQQl7seHm6wzZR258Mg6N8SHoqlWAMebi4kYB8cXFj9Jxby_SQLDKpWRfLCihekxofD6o-cs7HkhrF-7Qs/s1600/DSC_0712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinD3rNo_KLE2Yk9ntDu0jlUBDAJKw360RBhAAsJoJ9zPyVnNDKgffCKdkn0EQQl7seHm6wzZR258Mg6N8SHoqlWAMebi4kYB8cXFj9Jxby_SQLDKpWRfLCihekxofD6o-cs7HkhrF-7Qs/s400/DSC_0712.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PARRRIS ISLAND, BOOT CAMP FOR SOME</td></tr>
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It is only a few miles before Beaufort. We get to Beaufort right at 4pm, when we told the dock master we would be there. We dock at Downtown Harbor. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgRVfUY7r-R8xN0Zqbp5GB8Cr40EIvXxCGF9x1emwcrfchdfJLDJVAABtlnlpyFdRLw9zXYMaZOg1CFqU4x7ClnwSFiOPT_wBXybVigBWNkh1JuWzge8cnvrTxA-HjYmSlAGWHczZBhc/s1600/DSC_0742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgRVfUY7r-R8xN0Zqbp5GB8Cr40EIvXxCGF9x1emwcrfchdfJLDJVAABtlnlpyFdRLw9zXYMaZOg1CFqU4x7ClnwSFiOPT_wBXybVigBWNkh1JuWzge8cnvrTxA-HjYmSlAGWHczZBhc/s400/DSC_0742.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BEAUFORT IN SITE</td></tr>
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After securing the boat, we go just a block from the marina to old town and one of its many restaurants.<br />
For Wednesday we borrow the marinas courtesy car and go to the grocery store to stock up. We go to one of the many eating establishments and get hot dogs for lunch. After lunch we decide to tour the town differently than we have in the past. Beaufort has a lot of old houses (more than 200yr old) that are occupied, and so not available for tours. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYp48KngCWJ8jWnKNg9kwEeqg0xBLy1VSl19PBFmNlj5PlB_of4v7unN5W2tcDDPaw9DiRErjfRDObll83JSCK5jGUifxN6GN4cwY2-Rb-APGmTSjZW5q4h8wDsh0FeUryDOS76Mu5kE/s1600/DSC_0759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYp48KngCWJ8jWnKNg9kwEeqg0xBLy1VSl19PBFmNlj5PlB_of4v7unN5W2tcDDPaw9DiRErjfRDObll83JSCK5jGUifxN6GN4cwY2-Rb-APGmTSjZW5q4h8wDsh0FeUryDOS76Mu5kE/s400/DSC_0759.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MAXEY-RHETT HOUSE</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlHVrNRc1X5VJ9bQo7MZh3qurEGyBEfHysHi0tb9Iu4sIC_HXNSA_LYusoWc2_FXSxrjJYnzvwnFypK1jdxPfjtDsbaWi3_Dsig8WpKd2vVwTFTCZxkazkR1KKZX5dshadARNGVp7nKY/s1600/DSC_0760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlHVrNRc1X5VJ9bQo7MZh3qurEGyBEfHysHi0tb9Iu4sIC_HXNSA_LYusoWc2_FXSxrjJYnzvwnFypK1jdxPfjtDsbaWi3_Dsig8WpKd2vVwTFTCZxkazkR1KKZX5dshadARNGVp7nKY/s400/DSC_0760.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GRAND MAXEY-RHETT CREEK HOUSE</td></tr>
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But you can take a horse and carriage tour and see all of them from the outside, and get a history (and sometimes gossip) commentary on them at the same time. There are a lot of people visiting this historic city, and we are put on the carriage tour to occur in the late afternoon. It is good as we get an extra block or travel for being on the last tour for this carriage. It is a nice tour, and some of the streets you travel both directions on, so the photos on the wrong side going away, are on the correct side coming back. The slow moving horse tour is worth the cost, and it saves our legs for nearly an hour. We get back to SummerTime and decide to eat aboard. We are expecting company for Thursday. There is an 87' USCG patrol boat at the dock for the evening also. And a big R/V, or research vessel. Everyone seems to be seeking shelter from the winds forecast for Wednesday night and Thursday.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYDm_NEnnlhxmPAHsNVl5Cjgwj5v5JNFJ6jLjd0StEs5YZnlBJPJsr3ecQizlmhMfMuIyEcqtPOqUzEK4AEKGRx-BBg0teha87SO2EzbPLLFZgd3H7fEz3mpa-tX7YTlDqasrEVnxScc/s1600/DSC_0839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYDm_NEnnlhxmPAHsNVl5Cjgwj5v5JNFJ6jLjd0StEs5YZnlBJPJsr3ecQizlmhMfMuIyEcqtPOqUzEK4AEKGRx-BBg0teha87SO2EzbPLLFZgd3H7fEz3mpa-tX7YTlDqasrEVnxScc/s400/DSC_0839.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OUR PROTECTORS & GUARD</td></tr>
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On Thursday we have old friends aboard who arrive in Beaufort to spend the day. It is the first time in many years we have seen each other, so the first part of the day is spent catching up. We go into town for lunch at a different establishment offering sandwiches and light entrees. The food does not disappoint. Afterwards we visit some shops and do some touristy things. Barbara buys chocolate at one of them. We visit some more, and our friends drive us across the river for dinner at another great seafood restaurant on the water. They drop us back at SummerTime after dinner, and head back to their home in SC. It has been a very pleasant day with friends. It was not a good day to travel, the CG stays at the dock all day as well as two other cruising boats. And the R/V "Silver Crescent" shows back up.<br />
Friday finds us doing a quick load of laundry before heading out. After all the checks and last minute errand running (PO) we get away just before noon. We are hoping to get to a creek or river a few miles short of Charleston to anchor for the night. We start out on falling tides, and fight the current some initially. Eventually we are traveling with the currents. It is another day of running in rivers, cuts connecting rivers, and sounds. I have traveled I-95 through Georgia and Southeast SC, and you cross a lot of salt marsh doing that. When you travel the ICW, you realize that a lot of the coast of these two states is nothing but salt marsh. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SALT MARSH , DANGER FROM INSECTS ALSO</td></tr>
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The colonial settlers were pretty hardy, as there are a lot of insects that live in these salt marshes. The insects are not too bad today as the wind is blowing for the most part fairly good. I did put insecticide on my arms and neck before leaving the dock and creating wind while moving. We get to our anchorage on the Stono River about 10 miles short of Charleston about 6pm. Shortly after we anchor, the wind dies down. I am glad we have screens on the windows. The small gnats are out as part of a welcoming committee. I go on the flybridge just before dark to program the GPS for the next days run. But the "no see-ums" are a little more numerous than I wish to deal with. I go back into the protection of the screened cabin. The anchorage for this night is very still with almost no wind, and SummerTime only changes position on the anchor with the tidal changes. There is no lapping of water against the hull as most nights have with light winds.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MULTI-FACETED SHIP REPAIR YARD ON ICW JUST SOUTH OF CHARLESTON, SC</td></tr>
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<br />SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-40211831442160697992017-03-26T16:42:00.001-04:002017-03-26T17:07:27.033-04:00WEEK #33, 11-17MAR017, HEADED TO SAVANNAH<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SummerTime BACK AT ORTEGA LANDING, JAX</td></tr>
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Saturday is a day of chores. I help Barbara get to the laundromat early to get our linens done. And I kill time on SummerTime working on blogs I am behind on. After lunch I crawl into the engine compartment to complete fastening the sound insulation I installed several weeks earlier. The screws I was going to use to hold up the insulation I can not get started in the fiberglass underdeck. The angle is too awkward for the driver to start the screws. Gene comes by, and I am more than happy too crawl out of the engine compartment. We get cleaned up and go to dinner with him. We go to Tom and Betty's Diner, in the area we have been shopping at. It is an auto themed diner, menu items are named after car models and parts. And there are posters and signs around that I can relate to from my earlier life.<br />
We are supposed to go to church with Gene on Sunday morning. But we forgot there was a time change. Gene knocks on the side of the boat, and we are still eating breakfast. We send him to church without us. He is going to the early Lutheran service. We finish breakfast, get ready, and walk to the nearby Presbyterian Church. We make the 11 o'clock service. We spend the afternoon on SummerTime looking at the route north, and staying dry from the showers. Gene comes by in the afternoon, and we go to Panera Bread with him, as hot soup seems right for this day. We spend more time talking about the trip north with Gene. He keeps his boat in York and has made the ICW trek to Florida and back several times. A wealth of info for us. And I share our travels from our log book entries of 2013 with him for the Chesapeake and going north to the Hudson. He has done most of the Great Loop, except for the Chesapeake north, and cross Canada or Great Lakes leg.<br />
Monday we get up and ready to leave. The OL dockhand comes by and we get a last pump-out of the holding tank. I fill the water tank. And I hike to Publix to get milk as we ran out. We get away at 10:45, about an hour later than planned. It is cool, overcast, and looks like the rain we are supposed to be getting will happen.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RAIN AND JACKSONVILLE, FL IN THE FUTURE</td></tr>
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The RR bridge is in the right position this time, and we motor straight through downtown JAX. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MUCH AS I LIKE COFFEE, I COULD NOT DRINK THAT LAST DROP: MAXWELL HOUSE PLANT DOWNTOWN </td></tr>
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We pass the shipping docks, and they are all partially occupied. Only fishermen and a few tugs are moving around.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PELICANS LOOKING FOR HANDOUT FROM CRAB FISHERMAN</td></tr>
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We hit rain about an half hour before the Intracoastal Water Way. I move down to the lower helm. It is not raining that hard, but the wind is making the wind chill on the fly bridge feel quite raw. After we turn north up the waterway, the rain increases. it is actually running off of the fly bridge deck and over the side windows of the salon. The initial part of the waterway is Sisters Creek, and as such it twists and turns. As we get to Nassau Sound, I see a tug coming pushing a barge. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TUG & BARGE CROSSING NASSAU SOUND</td></tr>
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I move way to starboard, as it appears we are going to meet in the bend that occurs as the waterway crosses the sound. I am listening to the NOAA Weather on the VHF radio. I am thinking we probably want to stop earlier than Cumberland Sound, and at a marina, not on anchor. The evening is forecast to have strong winds, and scattered thunderstorms. We call the Harbor Marina at Fernandina Beach and get one of their first come first served slips. Matthew had ripped them pretty good, and only a small part of their docks are in service. We go into town for the balance of the afternoon, and beginning of the evening. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FERNANDINA BEACH LANDMARK</td></tr>
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We shop some in the assorted shops, and eat dinner at The Marina Restaurant. We went in for seafood, but their daily specials are down home type cooking. I get meat loaf, and Barbara gets Southern Fried Chicken. And they have fresh warm cake from the oven for dessert. It feels good as the weather has gotten more raw, with the rain increasing in hardness and longer duration of showers. When we turn in for the evening, the rain is continuous.<br />
Tuesday, it is cool in the boat, even though the heat was on through the night. It is still damp from Monday. And it is drafty as the winds are howling, and there are large white caps on the waterway in front of the docks. We listen to the NOAA weather on the radio and decide to stay put for the day. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BIRDS NOT FLYING: BARBARA'S FORECASTING TOOL to STAY PUT</td></tr>
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We have to travel several large sounds in Georgia, and they will be very unpleasant with the strong SW winds. We see 6 other boats traveling today, 2 north, and 4 south. The damp chill makes me think the boats going south know something that I do not.<br />
On Wednesday, we get up and the winds have shifted out of the NW as predicted by NOAA. and they are not blowing as hard. We get SummerTime ready to leave after a warm breakfast as the outside temp is in mid 40s. We decide to shower as we will be on anchor tonight. Bad decision. By the time the showers are done, the winds are up in speed. We get the dockhand to help us get away without hitting anything, as the wind and the rising tide are both racing in the same direction. Even though it is cold, with a terrible wind chill, I elect to run from the fly bridge. Barbara joins me on the fly bridge after she has all the dock lines secured. As we cross the St Marys River, we occasionally get some spray up on the fly bridge. The rising tide is running against the NW winds, creating some sizable (2-3') white caps. We meet three USCG boats. One small one, and two 40'+ patrol boats. They are patrolling the entry channel as the US Navy's Kings Bay submarine base is just ahead. There is a small navy vessel patrolling in front of the base as we go by. After the base, we make a right turn and are on the AICW in Georgia. We are passed by a go-fast Cruiser with a hailing port of Arlington, Va. After another bend, I think I see a ship on the horizon. I think it can not be as we are on the Water Way. I have Barbara check with the binoculars. She confirms it is a ship, and moving. I hear him contact the go-fast boat, and ask for the middle of the channel. The go-fast boat acknowledges. I then call the "American Star" and acknowledge her presence and my intentions to pass port to port. As we go by, it is a small cruise ship.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MEETING the "AMERICAN STAR" on the ICW ABOVE KINGS BAY, GA</td></tr>
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The trip is uneventful for the next several hours. We eat lunch as we pass by Jekyll Island. We plug the small electric heater into the inverter powered receptacles to start putting heat into the sleeping area. It is supposed to get near freezing tonight. We are passed by two fast moving sport fisherman traveling together, with hailing ports of Manteo, NC. And then we are by St. Simons Island. We are pretty much alone on the waterway now. We enter the Front River, and it is almost dead low tide. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NOT ALL MARKERS ARE IN THE CHANNEL</td></tr>
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The mud flats on each side leave no doubt as to why this straight stretch is called "The Narrows" on the chart. We come to our planned anchorage just before the Sapelo River at about 5:40. Our first creek choice is too shallow across the entrance. We nudge onto a sand bar trying to enter the mouth, and back off. We move to the Ridge River Mouth and anchor. There is a 25' deep pocket in the mouth. It must have been the anchorage for a dredge at some time, as it is right off the waterway. We run the generator to cook dinner, top off the batteries, and run the furnace some before retiring.<br />
I got up before 5 this morning to start the generator. It is cold inside the boat, 45F by the thermometer on my portable clock. I need to start the generator so the furnace has power to run. The boat is up to 72F inside when I get up again at 7. Barbara cooks oatmeal so we have a warm breakfast. It is about 9 when we weigh anchor to continue our trip towards Savannah. It is fairly straight forward. No shallow areas to surprise us today. We come to the area called Hell Gate. We pass through this approximately .5 mile long channel connecting two rivers and I am dumbfounded. I do not see what all the fuss is about. There are cross currents. The channel is well marked. And while not deep, it is of adequate depth for all but the deepest draft sailboats. We continue on and eventually get to the Burnside River. We hit the first of a "speed/no wake" zone we have been cautioned about. It is fairly long, and as we leave it, we cross the mouth of the "Moon River" that Johnny Mercer penned a famous Andy Williams song about. It is not wider than a mile as Barbara and I both sing the parts of the lyrics we know. We get out of the speed zone, and about a mile later we are in another speed zone. We had some time saved as a comfort zone to get to the marina for the evening. But the speed zones is eating that time up. We get a fast section, and then a slow section. In one of the fast sections, I decide it is time to exercise Mr. Perkins before giving him a few days off. With current pushing us, and some wind help also. SummerTime gets to 17.4mph at 2700rpm. We eventually get to Thunderbolt Marine in Thunderbolt, GA close to our appointed time late afternoon. We are given a slip on the back side of the face pier, and between two other boats. Getting in there test my skills and the ability to use the stern thruster and forward motion at the same time to kind of "crab" into the vacancy. We contact my sister and her husband who are driving to Savannah to meet us for a mini vacation together. They are encountering detours, and are running late. We agree to meet on Friday, and Barbara and I cook and eat on the boat. <br />
Thunderbolt Marine, true to their word, delivers Krispy Kreme donuts to the boat a little before 7. It is a decades old tradition for this marina to deliver fresh Krispy Kremes to their transient guests. Barbara and I wolf the donuts down, and then head up to the bath house to get a bath before my sister and her husband get to Thunderbolt. The four of us are going to downtown Savannah. This mini vacation was to be an historic area tour. But we learned that Savannah has the second biggest St. Patrick festival in the country, only behind NYC. We know we will not find parking downtown due to the size of the parade and number of spectators. We go to a nearby mall and catch a bus to the downtown parade area. It is free to ride the bus today. But it takes over an hour to get downtown. It is worth the ride. We are an hour and a half late for the start, but the parade is still going strong. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbrgWJMOKekF8i9-QRIF51o08Lc-qQU52z8h0Icc9mtK_ahuHtted401btPgCwes6e8v0uL2RIE2qInN31tR0kKT5JvhfqdxarMuAQrqC-dB6T_QixkOaZRxo_FahCE-TnnmWeqtUtaY/s1600/DSC_0430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbrgWJMOKekF8i9-QRIF51o08Lc-qQU52z8h0Icc9mtK_ahuHtted401btPgCwes6e8v0uL2RIE2qInN31tR0kKT5JvhfqdxarMuAQrqC-dB6T_QixkOaZRxo_FahCE-TnnmWeqtUtaY/s400/DSC_0430.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EVEN THE FIRE TRUCK IS IRISH ON ST. PADDY'S DAY</td></tr>
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The spectators around us are a show to themselves. We enjoy the parade, and after about two hours, we leave to catch the bus back. There is still a half hour of parade left to pass according to the CofC promoting the size of this festival in Savannah. Officially they make it a 3:45 length parade. We get back to the car, and find a fast food for lunch. As my sister has never seen an eagle in the wild, we decide to drive to the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. When we call up the Refuge's website, we discover there were 5 eagle sightings earlier in the week. It takes us about 30minutes to get to the entry. There is a dirt road that winds about 5 miles through the refuge. There are lots of birds in here. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIEWrQz3BMrKngIw0MTDR3lgyXSGk9BO7H-imBotsFcRYnNiVmZrhBkORPGdBtSM60JQKnIhTQcE0uSstOfxpEK8bOk0wHO02sSXrm1fryAglmBRth9xBQaS2ZI487uqSdrb5UWhv3kM/s1600/DSC_0458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIEWrQz3BMrKngIw0MTDR3lgyXSGk9BO7H-imBotsFcRYnNiVmZrhBkORPGdBtSM60JQKnIhTQcE0uSstOfxpEK8bOk0wHO02sSXrm1fryAglmBRth9xBQaS2ZI487uqSdrb5UWhv3kM/s640/DSC_0458.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WOOD STORK in SAVANNAH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE</td></tr>
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Mostly wetlands birds as this refuge is mostly marsh grass with some solid areas to support some tree growth and stands. We are rewarded for our efforts. About half way through we see a solitary eagle sitting in the top of a tall tree. He is quite visible in the bare tree. And on the road ahead there are cars stopping. When we get to this area, we discover why. It is not a bird, but a reptile they are all looking at. There is a gator about 8' long laying on the opposite bank. A little farther down this road, between the two bodies of water, we see another gator, longer still swimming.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1m36UiXOOpttbktkZPCQ07cxuqT0hwsMj7L3xGxVrB_ckccG2AE6WQDnB7ss5F8W6O8V7Wq0I1HiTEXKBDEzI84tHMRTyc_hRa7qbi7LdD3Ilerj4oUADexLKdveAEucHSEJ9p5xvGdk/s1600/DSC_0468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1m36UiXOOpttbktkZPCQ07cxuqT0hwsMj7L3xGxVrB_ckccG2AE6WQDnB7ss5F8W6O8V7Wq0I1HiTEXKBDEzI84tHMRTyc_hRa7qbi7LdD3Ilerj4oUADexLKdveAEucHSEJ9p5xvGdk/s400/DSC_0468.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SNWR RESIDENT</td></tr>
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He is very close to the car up on the road. We leave the refuge with my sister able to check off two of the animals she wanted to see in the wild. I have to eat crow. As we see eagles almost every week while traveling by boat, I did not think that we would ever see one by car. <br />
We get back to Thunderbolt, Ga where SummerTime is tied up. We stop on the way in and go to Tubby's to eat. The food is very good with good desserts. This mini vacation with my sister and her husband is starting out very good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPTLI4PiGnySo9n3uFzni5GcZ7fyOeak4pgZBHEI9GoBrDSDK8Wc-dBv42fhQcyLGbB3f8QwP0ToS8MYnmAeQAbb083FK0gpksYWV6OaHoeGfI91PY_kP29LikVNWhwHZDycLH_1hxz8/s1600/DSC_0440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPTLI4PiGnySo9n3uFzni5GcZ7fyOeak4pgZBHEI9GoBrDSDK8Wc-dBv42fhQcyLGbB3f8QwP0ToS8MYnmAeQAbb083FK0gpksYWV6OaHoeGfI91PY_kP29LikVNWhwHZDycLH_1hxz8/s640/DSC_0440.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FLOWERS in SNWR</td></tr>
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SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-49837554311235821272017-03-15T20:57:00.002-04:002017-03-15T20:57:23.674-04:00WEEK #32, 4Mar-10Mar017, TOURING THE NATURAL ST. JOHN RIVER We are awaken early (6:30+) on Saturday morning to SummerTime rocking against the floating dock of Corky Bells. Unusual as there is no weather to speak of on this part of the river. We get going and in just a few minutes we make the detour into Murphy's Creek. It was part of the sight seeing info we got from our new Looper friends this past Wednesday at "docktales". It is a lovely, scenic creek with no habitation as we wander on it back to where it loops back into the St. John River.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sX7qN-x8IuxvM0YeE2KnqKDpdJPjlnMfWkO-lMzLeoIquDnd9Jf3TsKnvDUu2_e3vDARZEc1ROzSUjQCLJERSggbYnpNMXsZTYXLi8zyYhJ1xtTGHbbvNk7aYhSCsQlyQLPeOKO5IJE/s1600/DSC_0715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sX7qN-x8IuxvM0YeE2KnqKDpdJPjlnMfWkO-lMzLeoIquDnd9Jf3TsKnvDUu2_e3vDARZEc1ROzSUjQCLJERSggbYnpNMXsZTYXLi8zyYhJ1xtTGHbbvNk7aYhSCsQlyQLPeOKO5IJE/s400/DSC_0715.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VARIED FAUNA OF MURPHY'S CREEK</td></tr>
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Fisherman are all we see as there are no houses on this creek until we get back to the St. John. We also meet several bass boats that are flying on this creek, barely able to make the sharp turns of the creek at the speeds they are traveling. There are a number of places where the water lilies are just starting to have buds develop for flowers. And some of the hardwood trees are starting to bud out also. The St John River is now narrower, and lined on each side with cypress, palm, and other swamp type trees. Occasionally there is a community or series of houses along the river to break up the natural beauty. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyf4VgtOcxByPiNfF6vV7FlVwD_PpewdvCxWU4KLe0od1ZGbsPJ84KbXKbWZNKTQz9N3nOZO9QA-KVFqIw4WKaNOZyArafRt-c9nfW7sU7SQvqvbg7m3wul8pHEZH1zh2RsZ_fw40E8Q/s1600/DSC_0771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyf4VgtOcxByPiNfF6vV7FlVwD_PpewdvCxWU4KLe0od1ZGbsPJ84KbXKbWZNKTQz9N3nOZO9QA-KVFqIw4WKaNOZyArafRt-c9nfW7sU7SQvqvbg7m3wul8pHEZH1zh2RsZ_fw40E8Q/s640/DSC_0771.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ALMOST HALFWAY</td></tr>
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We continue south going upstream (those words sound odd together in the US) until we get to Lake George, the second largest lake in Florida. We stop at the Georgetown Marina and RV Park to take on fuel. This is one of the last places to get diesel as we head south. A power catamaran comes in from the south as we fuel. They are live aboards and former loopers also, having completed the loop in 2015. We talk to them about going to Silver Glen Spring, hopefully our stop for the night. They tell us the creek coming out is shallower than normal, and we will probably not be able to get in. The dock boy helping us to fuel confirms what they are saying, stating that the lake is down 1' in depth this year due to low rains. He also tells us that a Bass Tournament originated in Palatka this morning, which explains the early morning boat rocking. And all the bass boats flying through Murphy Creek. We thank them and head out onto Lake George. I plot the course into the GPS to get us to Silver Glen Spring. An easy plot, as we make two turns to get onto Lake George, go 3/4 the way across, and turn towards the Springs entrance. We were told by our friends back in Jacksonville about how clear the springs were if we went up the creek, and the popularity of them for local boaters, particularly on weekends. <br />
We get to our turning point on the lake, and turn towards the springs. I am looking through the binoculars for the "Manatee Warning Sign" that is supposed to be next to the deeper line into the Springs creek. I see it and correct the course to it. I notice that some of the smaller boats seem to be changing course as they enter the entrance to the creek. We get to the "Manatee" sign and I feel SummerTimes keel touch the bottom. It is shallower than our friends told us. I add a little power from our idle speed and power across the shallow area. The water becomes remarkably clear as we leave the brown lake water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0jP1ScsG1TU_FKVWu44uGGpn90WnGov5xBkLMlnel7O_tkl_xBtHb7ITdds3nO4vU2a06NZ8GbwijcghN_18pJ_73daFUszMFFHnUcFncXBtHDOf6L1_glVX1c4kExCMoHXzXV2MvJU/s1600/DSC_0806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0jP1ScsG1TU_FKVWu44uGGpn90WnGov5xBkLMlnel7O_tkl_xBtHb7ITdds3nO4vU2a06NZ8GbwijcghN_18pJ_73daFUszMFFHnUcFncXBtHDOf6L1_glVX1c4kExCMoHXzXV2MvJU/s400/DSC_0806.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CLEAR WATER LEAVING SILVER GLEN SPRINGS</td></tr>
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As I head to the buoys marking the entrance Barbara and I discuss going up the creek. As lovely as the trip up sounded, we decide the trip into the creek to the springs is too high a risk. If we were to anchor to spend the night, and the wind changed, the water level at the entrance would go down, maybe a foot as the winds at 10-15mph are currently blowing water across the lake to this area. We could become stuck inside the shallow mouth. We turn around and power back out over the shallow bar guarding the entrance. I plot a new course to Astor, the next little city on the St John River after leaving Lake George. We leave the lake, and are in a whole new part of the river. It is narrower, with more water lilly patches. We turn into Morrison Creek to anchor for the night. We anchor just before a residential area, across from the pier at the end of a cattle ranch. We have Blue Herons nesting in the tree towering over us. And one of the 5 nests has young chicks. They appear to be 1' tall, and they are not flying yet. Also, they are noisy even after dark.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQq3vJGPagZQ6sT4_04erhWikz7mhHk95ABgqHJM4LFBy2s5xXcLkm9HDmPFqorbeOM9-YxHBZKwevm1s-VWXuIw4uLW_DdwgqhbzRwfn3P7DOBX-2pILv8aS9me9YnS6wImWrERADOA/s1600/DSC_0864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQq3vJGPagZQ6sT4_04erhWikz7mhHk95ABgqHJM4LFBy2s5xXcLkm9HDmPFqorbeOM9-YxHBZKwevm1s-VWXuIw4uLW_DdwgqhbzRwfn3P7DOBX-2pILv8aS9me9YnS6wImWrERADOA/s640/DSC_0864.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MOTHER AND YOUNG HERON IN NEST</td></tr>
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Sunday morning we get up and start thinking how to get to church. I take my shower while Barbara cooks breakfast. She gets her shower after breakfast. It appears that there are only 3 churches in Astor, and only one is near the water. We would need to dinghy to a public dock to get to a road to walk on. There are no public or dinghy docks shown in the guide books, or on "Google" maps. We do our own "Bible" reading on board, and play a gospel CD. We weigh anchor about 11 to head for Sanford. The bottom must have been very muddy and soft, as I spend a lot of time cleaning the chain. We continue south on the St. John toward Sanford. Just past the Astor bridge, we meet three wooden home built cruisers, all the same model. The front one is flying a gold (completed) looper flag, but we are by before I can get the boat name. It is warmer today than on Saturday, with more sun. I think it must be in the 70s today. We see a lot more lilies, none blooming yet, and for the first time we see turtles sunning on logs. And they are not snapping turtles, actually having some color.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GREEN TURTLE ON LOG</td></tr>
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But as yet we have not seen an alligator in the three days we have been traveling. I think it may still be too cold. We go by a House Boat Rental marina. There are a few missing from their docks. Farther down we pass Hontoon State Park, and have to slow for the ferry. It is an electric powered pontoon boat to take people from the mainland (east) side to the Island.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdW3ea57C2M793PHl4xXOVAFYJ_QQ6SJ0IHV0vrE7pwHdrcI2DzBWRwJrsvaYWoGMID3EUgy0DLrfy-ItuhvCLODiNMuLmlgAArh1s8rgMXOTUdgJZJIU-BkJrUUF9ex36LDZllGstTaQ/s1600/DSC_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdW3ea57C2M793PHl4xXOVAFYJ_QQ6SJ0IHV0vrE7pwHdrcI2DzBWRwJrsvaYWoGMID3EUgy0DLrfy-ItuhvCLODiNMuLmlgAArh1s8rgMXOTUdgJZJIU-BkJrUUF9ex36LDZllGstTaQ/s400/DSC_0073.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISLAND FERRY</td></tr>
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The Island Park is nice looking, and has docks for boats smaller than SummerTime. There are about 6-8 "C-Dorys" (a popular small outboard cruiser) tied to the docks. A few miles farther south we come to Blue Springs, a day tourist area. It is blocked off to boat traffic as it is a Manatee wintering area. There are a lot of kayaks in the St John and the adjacent lagoon. It is a no wake area which is okay, as there are so many errant kayakers around that it is not safe to go above an idle speed. And there are people on rented pontoon boats (identified with livery name) that are just drifting around in the middle of the river, seemingly unaware of navigational rules or courtesies. After about a mile we are through the craziness and headed to Lake Monroe. We call Monroe Harbor Marina in Sanford to verify closing time and availability of a slip. We speed up to get to Lake Monroe and make the crossing. We get to the marina about 4:50, just in time to get docked. We call Don of the sloop "John B", whom we cruised NW Florida with, and arrange to meet him for dinner. We have a lovely dinner together at the Italian restaurant next to the marina. We reminisce about our past travels, the fun and trials we had together, and discuss our future trips. Don finished the loop the end of December and is contemplating doing another loop.<br />
On Monday morning the wind is calm when I get up. The first time we have seen calm conditions in a week. But it is not to last. Before we can get the holding tank pumped out on SummerTime, the wind is picking up from a new direction. We had tail winds most of the journey south, and now it appears we will have tail winds on our return journey north. They are the best kind as they help speed, and increase your fuel mileage. We get away about 9:45. We get across Lake Monroe, and the normally open RR bridge is down. We call for an opening, and the bridgetender tells us there are workers on the bridge and we have to wait an hour for their paint to dry. I look at my watch, and answer back "you mean when they go to lunch?". No response. And I tell the tender we will anchor and wait between the highway bridge and RR bridge for the next hour. After two passenger trains pass a little after noon, and when the hour is up about 12:15, I radio the bridge tender again. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FLORIDA PASSENGER TRAIN</td></tr>
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We pass under the RR bridge about 12:25. I push SummerTime a little harder today, as we would like to get back to Jacksonville about mid day Wednesday. We need some good miles today, and waiting for paint to dry was not in my plans. At Blue Springs, there is almost no traffic this Monday. After seeing the people floating on the previous cool Sunday, I can not envision how many people would be on the water there on a July weekend. It is hard to imagine no one there, even on a winter week day. Only the tour boats are moving about. And one errant rental house boat backing into the middle of the river with no watch on the stern. We ease into neutral gear to let him get out as he obviously has not seen us coming. We pass Hontoon Springs and there are even more "C-Dory"s at the docks today, apparently having some kind of rendezvous. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBP8R-5v53sNVdRKz872dcHqXM9Akvrgc32wA6b4upb7xp5AS9Ds9VF1GH9KfVnKflmkeRuHx_DAJxJ0RhYQ-AKwNVG-tt5-OV_so0v2ZBd9qifOIJaSmuKIgppxSZI8JYCQAh9OR42U/s1600/DSC_0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBP8R-5v53sNVdRKz872dcHqXM9Akvrgc32wA6b4upb7xp5AS9Ds9VF1GH9KfVnKflmkeRuHx_DAJxJ0RhYQ-AKwNVG-tt5-OV_so0v2ZBd9qifOIJaSmuKIgppxSZI8JYCQAh9OR42U/s400/DSC_0133.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A GAGGLE OF C-DORYs WITH 1 ALBIN INTERLOPER</td></tr>
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We make good time, and the weather is a little warmer. As we approach Lake Beresford, I see something in the water ahead. I am thinking a stick, but then it disappears in a small swirl. Barbara tells me I can not count this suspected alligator as seeing one as I have no photos to prove it. We continue northward, pass Morrison Creek, as we have determined we can get comfortably across Lake George today before needing to anchor. We cross Lake George, and make a hook around the island to the west. We anchor for the night in the protection of a large, nearly uninhabited Drayton Island. The wind is calm for the evening and night's sleeping.<br />
Tuesday we are up and moving north again. We have cereal and instant coffee so we do not start the generator. As we are already across Lake George, the goal is to get well past Palatka today before anchoring again for a night. Our plan is to get to Palmo Cove. It is an uneventful run until we get on the wide part of the river above Palatka. In the distance we can see a USCG helicopter continuing to move over the same area. After a bit a small boat arrives under the helicopter. As we pass we see the boat is also labeled USCG. It is not the normal Coast Guard Patrol vessel you see every day on the water, but a narrow go-fast center console with 3 big outboards on the back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfXrq61QF5joyVJ0tBExucCeClG-imLY5zfsgANSJKVXx_4lVSolmdwQri9KIP1z8IC1evmFNQkWTdaXO2euNrsecWOHUpgnl8EbRNdFQfmgYgpbhdQz3l2eN9yoM_ojSTKvvupj70-g/s1600/DSC_0215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfXrq61QF5joyVJ0tBExucCeClG-imLY5zfsgANSJKVXx_4lVSolmdwQri9KIP1z8IC1evmFNQkWTdaXO2euNrsecWOHUpgnl8EbRNdFQfmgYgpbhdQz3l2eN9yoM_ojSTKvvupj70-g/s400/DSC_0215.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USCG ACTIVITIES</td></tr>
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We go by and it looks like they are going to put a rescue swimmer out of the helicopter. But they never do. It is obvious they are working together doing some kind of practice.. We get to Palmo Cove and decide to go up Sixmile Creek to anchor. It is narrow, and there is a restaurant up the creek with a long floating dock. We decide we should not tie there. We see two alligators on the way out of this creek. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59_P7vHE-sv8p2PnfScRj2_n_0DC8HJUwnnjtoW40o8zc7PDiZuw5Azqi68Q8wbfqy1yGKSyA3AKsjXtlonlatpgg5Vkei0qVuGVjxaYu5_SH_UHjDfbjM5OClYFsIRMz1yxMf9cfnyc/s1600/DSC_0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59_P7vHE-sv8p2PnfScRj2_n_0DC8HJUwnnjtoW40o8zc7PDiZuw5Azqi68Q8wbfqy1yGKSyA3AKsjXtlonlatpgg5Vkei0qVuGVjxaYu5_SH_UHjDfbjM5OClYFsIRMz1yxMf9cfnyc/s640/DSC_0224.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AN ALLIGATOR SEEN AT LAST, ANCHOR NEAR HERE?</td></tr>
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We come back down looking for a place to anchor. We try to anchor near the mouth, but the bottom is too soft, the anchor does not hold. We go out into the cove and try to find an anchor spot. We go over to the south shore between houses and anchor out of the SE wind. It is a quiet night except for the two USCG helicopters that keep flying overhead. I think that they are looking for something, but there is no chatter or warnings on the radio. Maybe it is night search practice.<br />
The wind changes before we get up. It is light out of the SW. There are small waves lapping against the hull of SummerTime. I am thinking we may swing on the anchor and increase distance causing the anchor drag alarm to go off. After a bit of not hearing the alarm, I doze off back to sleep. I look at the GPS screen on waking, and it has been tracing our movement during the night. We did move when the wind changed, but not far enough to set off the anchor drag alarm. That is good. We get breakfast again without the generator and head back north on the St John north towards Jacksonville. We pass by Green Cove Springs and their piers look the same. As we move north from them two helicopters, marked USN, approach. They appear to be playing tag with a small boat, which as it gets closer turns out to be a USN boat. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXkoJ_UNzDsrySw6zbEIAzgflFjhk3FVVx6k-rVKkGEbPYduhIkexT56FmDdeJjYWOte7mVXy6jbAwxDV_JMz35dF_Bw96ssDth3qP1NWKxNha6blVFo3M-OHtfPytCtYfUA2y8sNzb0/s1600/DSC_0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXkoJ_UNzDsrySw6zbEIAzgflFjhk3FVVx6k-rVKkGEbPYduhIkexT56FmDdeJjYWOte7mVXy6jbAwxDV_JMz35dF_Bw96ssDth3qP1NWKxNha6blVFo3M-OHtfPytCtYfUA2y8sNzb0/s400/DSC_0240.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PLAYING TAG?</td></tr>
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They also are obviously practicing some maneuver as they take turns buzzing the small boat as they move south. We detour into Doctors Lake. It is time to refuel, and the Doctors Lake Marina has the least expensive fuel in the area. We take on 86gal for the 26hr of running time we have done and 2hours of generator time(about 1.8gal). As it is noon, we take our lunch alongside the fuel dock. We head back under the bridge over the Doctors Lake entrance and continue North on the St. John. We see a big jet approach and land at Jacksonville Naval Air Station. We get to Ortega Landing after about another 2 hours. They put us in a new slip just 4 places down from our last slip.<br />
Our trip on the St John River was very nice. It was cool almost every day we traveled. Sunday was the only day it got above the low 70s. It was too cool for most plants and trees to be blooming. We did see water lilies with buds, but no blooms. We saw azaleas blooming in some yards. Some of the trees were starting to bud, or leaf out. We saw a lot of birds, some in nesting pairs. And we only saw a few wild animals or the reptilian variety.<br />
On Thursday we do chores and hang around the marina. On Friday we do more chores and hang around the boat. I work on replacing the through hull for the bilge pump, and seem to be successful. We go to dinner in the evening in the Avondale area with Gene as he has a car. We have a nice BBQ dinner at MOJO4. And later ice cream at an ice cream shop there. It has been a very good week where we have done some nature touring and had quality time with friends.<br />
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BIRD PHOTOS ALONG THE ST. JOHN. Most were unidentifiable from our Wildlife handbooks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvib74YgKAPw-0zRy6I5p0FgJEmgP1TDWlLKIxM3_JTPzFBvgkmw6atLpwKe20qZKmBXUJpnWsYln8fm1ynJoVplh_KniflX1ArDVrZgq4dLoBb5L0FQBDb9kBW6WR-rXSxOQDLIBskc/s1600/DSC_0191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvib74YgKAPw-0zRy6I5p0FgJEmgP1TDWlLKIxM3_JTPzFBvgkmw6atLpwKe20qZKmBXUJpnWsYln8fm1ynJoVplh_KniflX1ArDVrZgq4dLoBb5L0FQBDb9kBW6WR-rXSxOQDLIBskc/s400/DSC_0191.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OSPREY</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXhuKK_oUMpRlHh3jCwLRitYyn2HBxtlQAHKdFmMLqNF_J5oo6Wk_CiQPmeqWYMllPY5UhdVlBJuwi_86g7NtTMwyjGKNfkXZZdscr-Pc6cijKxR4X-QNzvmV8uPijRi8JMRJLVOfFmw/s1600/DSC_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXhuKK_oUMpRlHh3jCwLRitYyn2HBxtlQAHKdFmMLqNF_J5oo6Wk_CiQPmeqWYMllPY5UhdVlBJuwi_86g7NtTMwyjGKNfkXZZdscr-Pc6cijKxR4X-QNzvmV8uPijRi8JMRJLVOfFmw/s400/DSC_0071.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VULTURES IN YARD</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKod4ZDMU9M108IK0qeBd5zuYcOtzze7hI4QQ-ohN9DkNrtaF7NnmE4J64UC-6-j7_3B_LM8fipkExFEwr1XlPSJnTy00dWuuryR7GSVQieRQkmJ05wlCdOy_y2FKiGMdfIv007qo6jM/s1600/DSC_0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKod4ZDMU9M108IK0qeBd5zuYcOtzze7hI4QQ-ohN9DkNrtaF7NnmE4J64UC-6-j7_3B_LM8fipkExFEwr1XlPSJnTy00dWuuryR7GSVQieRQkmJ05wlCdOy_y2FKiGMdfIv007qo6jM/s640/DSC_0083.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BLUE WADING BIRD AND CORMORANT</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPNS8ryAUivgaSDHv6J9zs1K8naQW2wBKwZ7ugBcu5bI23BDRw9yX1o-b9xB3aKvEeG_KaHVUohF2bG-D1xS__WR9oVV-Qrr5GsCOW3LDnMsE0Wx_DIklqGrFZbB3dOoPVLVaWxs6-gE/s1600/DSC_0090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPNS8ryAUivgaSDHv6J9zs1K8naQW2wBKwZ7ugBcu5bI23BDRw9yX1o-b9xB3aKvEeG_KaHVUohF2bG-D1xS__WR9oVV-Qrr5GsCOW3LDnMsE0Wx_DIklqGrFZbB3dOoPVLVaWxs6-gE/s640/DSC_0090.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHITE IBIS AND CORMORANTS SHARING TREE</td></tr>
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<br />SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-81594684176327752252017-03-14T17:48:00.001-04:002017-03-14T17:48:18.295-04:00Week #31, 25Feb-3Mar017, MOVING FARTHER NORTH I continue some of the maintenance work on Saturday. I replace some rubber washers on a fuel line that has started leaking. The replacement tube I ordered and delivered by our daughter and her husband turns out to be the wrong part. But the original tube is not cracked, so the new rubber seals on it and it is sealed against leaks again.<br />
Sunday we go to the Methodist Church again. It is pastored by a couple from the Duke Divinity School. Last Sunday she did the sermon, and this Sunday he did the sermon. They are both good speakers. We stop at the Mexican place for burritos again. It is busier this Sunday. We again spend Sunday afternoon resting on the boat. We also get SummerTime ready to move again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcD4FQbAoneiQUBPhRUGI90x7YD0B7tCChjH6ZDA28-iBY6GC24TDESZz2XXDDO_R_HHVfXHq7hZ52QGz4OXqEUQV8c5oA5GE14-9ywzjjtsrGJhg4E54PWgHI5EWT5NCDqh_3G-yo68/s1600/DSC_0084+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcD4FQbAoneiQUBPhRUGI90x7YD0B7tCChjH6ZDA28-iBY6GC24TDESZz2XXDDO_R_HHVfXHq7hZ52QGz4OXqEUQV8c5oA5GE14-9ywzjjtsrGJhg4E54PWgHI5EWT5NCDqh_3G-yo68/s400/DSC_0084+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AN OPEN "BRIDGE OF LIONS"</td></tr>
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On Monday morning we fill the water tank. I get one of the dock hands to help us shove off as the wind has gotten stronger, and the tide is running at a good pace. We get away just in time to make the "Bridge of Lions" 9am opening. Our journey after that is across the St. Augustine Inlet, being guarded by the Castillo de San Marcos. I am glad they are not firing real cannons. The trip up the river towards Jacksonville is quite pretty. We make good time due to the tide and wind. Except by Ponte Vedra Beach. We have to slow to no wake speeds for the homes along the river. This last for about 6miles and then we can travel at a higher speed again. The tide is now falling towards the St Johns inlet so we make good speed. We will be against this tide when we turn up the St. Johns towards Jacksonville. We make this turn about 2:30. And we fight the current to Jacksonville. Just before we get to downtown Jax, a pair of docking tugs pull a ship out in front of us. They move it up the river. We slow and follow them. They come to a wide spot, or turning basin, and the one pulls on the bow of the ship while the other pushes the stern. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PULL</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EGIyuvWai_E7kau0TvqrnMyZBuGwF0JBlTyix24OrjgcMFPJVK55t-zEcbgQ6vllqKhNXKEWO7nK5Sgod4fcbcoBeX8S0Oi4EFISVZaLgngtcYT_xDQwBZAigDil3iDrWCUDobbHZjc/s1600/DSC_0407+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EGIyuvWai_E7kau0TvqrnMyZBuGwF0JBlTyix24OrjgcMFPJVK55t-zEcbgQ6vllqKhNXKEWO7nK5Sgod4fcbcoBeX8S0Oi4EFISVZaLgngtcYT_xDQwBZAigDil3iDrWCUDobbHZjc/s200/DSC_0407+%25281%2529.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkw0AQo4HNQbtfHc0xZDImeWOG717FzoCSEZ5vDdHrj_G5mMSAVnfkZJAwiOjj8GiRJ0vB5eitRj7VstUo4XMoIYjinL9KDt6cN3SPTu8Fuq1ausuuH9_l1qhEsqTxbGiwaGjiZocVy8/s1600/DSC_0411+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkw0AQo4HNQbtfHc0xZDImeWOG717FzoCSEZ5vDdHrj_G5mMSAVnfkZJAwiOjj8GiRJ0vB5eitRj7VstUo4XMoIYjinL9KDt6cN3SPTu8Fuq1ausuuH9_l1qhEsqTxbGiwaGjiZocVy8/s200/DSC_0411+%25281%2529.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></div>
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PUSH & PULL</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ALMOST TOTALLY AROUND</td></tr>
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In just a couple of minutes they have spun the ship around so that it is now headed out the St John River. We proceed on up river, and arrive at the Jacksonville City Park Marina about 3:45. There is no one there to help with docking. It is free to use when no special events are taking place, and we make the third boat in there. It takes me three attempts to drive forward into a dock with a crosswind and strong outgoing current. The docks are next to the "Gator Bowl/Jaguar's Stadium". I am sure if there was a game, there would be more than 3 boats at these modern docks. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2WALeNacltHoE6XxVnp2zgmkM5pbWSPy7F7bEzmkwvL9bERninR09CkPcX5Sb0iAxBSlsopYs6JHCYYH9Ryy2jaLOBiIBa51KGYvCbyAeV4ib1hdL4fjy8u4ko4MXNY4Wqt2PlUA_9c/s1600/20170227_164123_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2WALeNacltHoE6XxVnp2zgmkM5pbWSPy7F7bEzmkwvL9bERninR09CkPcX5Sb0iAxBSlsopYs6JHCYYH9Ryy2jaLOBiIBa51KGYvCbyAeV4ib1hdL4fjy8u4ko4MXNY4Wqt2PlUA_9c/s400/20170227_164123_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GATOR BOWL</td></tr>
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On Tuesday when we get up, the catamaran sailboat has left. The city only allows staying at this marina for three days in a 30day period. We head for a bus stop to go tour downtown. We get to the central terminal, and go to get a senior pass. It also turns out to be free, though it cost us each $1.50 to get to the bus terminal. We take the skyway across the river to find lunch and go to a museum. Lunch is at a Southrern BBQ joint, except that I have Red beans and rice with sausage. They are good. Afterwards, we walk to the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History. They have exhibits on marine mammals and space in addition to the history of Jacksonville. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dX-CG3XTPf6qqsMT-LwKCW7X6f2bVZIOGCPoIASNUPB1kIaWW2f7SfWycE6x15XPZ8_LqfRWj2SnVudhyBp_Xtt5VSRiQlA_mrWocNE42DF3bPgyX9C4NOqwfMkukOgUY63QggtNT3M/s1600/20170228_145041_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dX-CG3XTPf6qqsMT-LwKCW7X6f2bVZIOGCPoIASNUPB1kIaWW2f7SfWycE6x15XPZ8_LqfRWj2SnVudhyBp_Xtt5VSRiQlA_mrWocNE42DF3bPgyX9C4NOqwfMkukOgUY63QggtNT3M/s400/20170228_145041_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BRAIN EXHIBIT</td></tr>
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We watch a short film on the constellations in their planetarium. We catch the skyway and connect to a bus to get back to SummerTime before dark. Anther small boat, about a 20' cabin cruiser, has arrived at the free marina while we are out touring. We discuss the three free days, and decide to leave on Wednesday and save a day for later. <br />
Wednesday morning we get up, and head upriver again. We are going to "The Marina at Ortega Landing" on the Ortega River. We have to wait for a train crossing the railroad bridge in downtown Jacksonville. For most railroad bridges, they remain open to boats except when trains are coming. This is not our lucky day as this bridge is down as we approach. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WAITING FOR THE TRAIN</td></tr>
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The freight train takes only about five minutes to cross and then the bridge is open again. We rush through to the Ortega River, and call for the highway bridge to open there. We are at the Ortega Landing a little before noon. We meet Gene of "Galene" whom we met in Ft. Lauderdale on the docks. We also meet two other AGLCA couples. One of these persons drives us to the Publix where we can re-stock SummerTime with eats. We have docktails on "Happy Happy", the cruiser of one of these newly introduced couples. Both couples find out we are planning to go up the St Johns River to Sanford, FL. Both furnish lots of information for our upcoming side trip. <br />
We get some loose ends taken care of on SummerTime on Thursday. I go to West Marine and buy the chart book for the remainder of our trip north on the ICW. And I get a through hull fitting for the smaller maintenance bilge pump. The hose I put on several weeks ago has caused the through hull fitting to crack. <br />
On Friday, I get up early anticipating our trip. I carry some of our clothes to the laundry here at the marina before I get Barbara up. It was a good idea, but the laundry did not cooperate. The one dryer took its sweet time. It is after 10 before we are ready to leave the dock. The wind is blowing pretty good out of the NE, and the current is running pretty strong in the Ortega River. We get out of our dock, into the open river, and I realize the tachometer is not responding to throttle input. It will not register more than 900-1000rpm. I ask Barbara to step into the salon and listen. She tells me that there is a slight squealing noise. I know the alternator-water pump belt is slipping again. On diesel engines, the tachometer is driven by impulses from the diodes in the alternator. When the alternator is not spinning correctly, the tachometer reading follows suit. We move out into the Ortega River and anchor as the wind is too strong too try to get back into the dock without help. I tighten the belt, about a 40 minute time loss with dealing with the anchor. The bottom of the Ortega River is apparently very soft, and the chain requires a lot of rinsing as it is winched in. Once into the St. John River we make good time. The wind is behind us, and the tide is helping to push us up river. We are making over 9kt for the engine speed (1800rpm) that would normally give us 8kt. We are wishing to make East Palatka before the end of the day to dock at Corky Bells Restaurant. I run the Perkins diesel at a higher rpm to make about 10kt speed. We pass the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, which has a way bigger fleet, and variety of planes than I expected. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTNbpuXadz6YwMj223KXhP62VAEZfXiBDJWBJKPqdXZXSJ751QlasaC8PAJp_kEHYXsH8yR93fLZYk1faQYY_9r3ObTgzCOcCJHHsmcmJlGngSnYv9tX6tQhjmpLxubUMshWzX-t3xQQ/s1600/DSC_0600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTNbpuXadz6YwMj223KXhP62VAEZfXiBDJWBJKPqdXZXSJ751QlasaC8PAJp_kEHYXsH8yR93fLZYk1faQYY_9r3ObTgzCOcCJHHsmcmJlGngSnYv9tX6tQhjmpLxubUMshWzX-t3xQQ/s400/DSC_0600.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SOME OF PLANES ON LINE AT JAX NAS</td></tr>
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Then we pass Green Cove Springs which has five long piers from a prior military age that are used by current marinas and boat/ship repair facilities. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VWkuGPAerHYqazhl_RBstGxJ1JoX3iBxLTfxZ3EmfdF4BfsDa_8Puf8NZQffn6h59nCV5WU-npGFuMkOFFlJy6B2OvRHxUHxed68wpYalzqzIyj7_XAY0dQWosxDzwJa5k5ALElxT3U/s1600/DSC_0626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VWkuGPAerHYqazhl_RBstGxJ1JoX3iBxLTfxZ3EmfdF4BfsDa_8Puf8NZQffn6h59nCV5WU-npGFuMkOFFlJy6B2OvRHxUHxed68wpYalzqzIyj7_XAY0dQWosxDzwJa5k5ALElxT3U/s400/DSC_0626.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OLD NAVAL PIER @ GREEN COVE SPRINGS USED FOR SHIPYARD</td></tr>
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We get to Palatka about 4:30pm. We are just getting to the part of the St John that is supposed to be natural beauty. We go south, or up river a mile to see about anchorages. We back track to Corky Bells and tie up to their dock for dinner.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DOCKSIDE AT CORKY BELLS</td></tr>
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We have some of the great seafood that this restaurant is supposed to be famous for. I am embarrassed as we order a senior's (note not regular) combination dinner, and Barbara and I can not eat it all. We blame it on the fact we had a plate of fried dill pickle chips for appetizers. We adjourn to SummerTime to spend the night tied to Corky Bells dock. It has been a good day of travel.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WE DID NOT SWIM AT CORKY BELLS DOCK</td></tr>
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SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-16975611031148182932017-03-12T22:17:00.003-04:002017-03-12T22:17:57.157-04:00WEEK #30, 18-24FEBRUARY, A WEEK OF HISTORY <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdf8zFyIwYvJSsys9BjVi7jSmTQZL7MZvVGUn591dd-S5vk9jB825xbgAVmHqvdS6BpMgb42mc8o2vvd8fDbB8mGAC3S8CyaTr8sMIsKYgfdTGYSWdQhp_9tclIkbXSuj2WQvTAxPHJs/s1600/20170217_182209_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdf8zFyIwYvJSsys9BjVi7jSmTQZL7MZvVGUn591dd-S5vk9jB825xbgAVmHqvdS6BpMgb42mc8o2vvd8fDbB8mGAC3S8CyaTr8sMIsKYgfdTGYSWdQhp_9tclIkbXSuj2WQvTAxPHJs/s640/20170217_182209_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
TIED TO FUEL DOCK AT PALM COVE MARINA</div>
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On Saturday morning we are up to get away from Palm Coast fuel dock. There is a sailboat in front of us on the dock, so Palm Coast has no way to dispense fuel to other boaters when they open at 7am. We get ready to go fairly quickly for us. The dockmaster helps by giving us a push away from the dock into the channel. We had tied in a fairly tight area on Friday afternoon. We idle down the canal, and turn north into the ICW again. This part of the ICW has nice homes on the mainland and the beach side of this dug canal. We pick up speed, but not too fast as it is a no- wake zone. We are on our way to St. Augustine. We have made an appointment with the City Marina there to stay for a week. After about 5 miles, we get to the Matanzas River, which we will follow to end up in St. Augustine. The Atlantic Intercoastal WaterWay was created by dredging existing creek or river channels, and connecting them with dug canals where needed. It made the job easier when it was done, and it makes for scenic cruising. Sometimes the adjacent land to former creeks or rivers is kept as park lands or wildlife refuges. Today one side is houses on the water, and the other side is shallow creek and bay areas. We get to St. Augustine municipal marina around noon. We are on a finger pier off of the main dock which extends out to the office and fuel dock. Only a short walk to the land.<br />
After tying up the boat, and hooking up power, Barbara and I decide to go ashore and check out the marina facilities: notably the laundry and showers. It is a public park area also, so there are restrooms for boaters and the public. We meet a lady by the bulletin board who is very personable. Her name is Barbara also. She invites us to walk to an old part of town where they are having a street fest. It is a nice afternoon, and we see some local bands playing in yards as part of this street fest.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5Q3rR5MFpEGQJuV4zs8IhYyupN_29JmrvntHVIqooF01HtQD40by1qPOerAKEvuAjDTpdcG5e-XE-5BT3eUQhlGwzgIbbf8h8Yr2qUTVBwS5P1jOTUPSHweTxE_OWnvozj8gWhfK1eQ/s1600/1487447429705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5Q3rR5MFpEGQJuV4zs8IhYyupN_29JmrvntHVIqooF01HtQD40by1qPOerAKEvuAjDTpdcG5e-XE-5BT3eUQhlGwzgIbbf8h8Yr2qUTVBwS5P1jOTUPSHweTxE_OWnvozj8gWhfK1eQ/s400/1487447429705.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">STREET FEST BAND</td></tr>
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Our 15 minute walk turns out to be about 4 hours. We get back to SummerTime late afternoon and elect to eat on board.<br />
We get up and go to the near by Methodist Church on Sunday. It is less than a half mile walk. The building is very beautiful inside and out. It is what happens when someone else pays for your architect and building. We will learn on our upcoming history tour that Mr. Flagler wanted the original church's land, so he built them a new church with his architect for their land and location. It is a nice sermon, and we walk back through the old town section on our way back to SummerTime. The narrow streets are crowded with people touring. We stop at a Mexican Burrito place and get lunch on the way back. The burritos are big, and the one I get is cooked on the grill after it is made. It was very good. We spend Sunday afternoon aboard SummerTime relaxing, and discussing what we will do for the next few days. <br />
We buy a ticket, 3 day, for the Ripley Red Train. It will go to the tourist areas, and let us get off and on as we wish. We catch the train (runs every 20min) and go the full 1hr and 20min ride to see where we might wish to go the next 3 days. After the full circuit, we get off at "Castillo de San Marcos". It is not only old, but has a varied history. It has flown flags of multiple countries. It is "Presidents Day" when we visit, and a lot of people are out and about on holiday. The Fort is doing extra events for this day. We get to see muskets and cannon fired.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2TBFpjJMJ9TQYC2cEPGyp2b0cAzXw4I8PbdLA_2gae26ILOO5Ejh-DGQURiWWYY4wBaVRMJySX2waElCAjae5N7KLKyNnHRoQYpErTgrCYv5jyMo_i_5S7WiaytD_PyMVWq5tAWpvBs/s1600/P2202164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2TBFpjJMJ9TQYC2cEPGyp2b0cAzXw4I8PbdLA_2gae26ILOO5Ejh-DGQURiWWYY4wBaVRMJySX2waElCAjae5N7KLKyNnHRoQYpErTgrCYv5jyMo_i_5S7WiaytD_PyMVWq5tAWpvBs/s400/P2202164.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CANNON FIRING OVER BAY</td></tr>
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It takes us about 3hr to tour the fort. We visit a few other old buildings in the old town. On Tuesday we book the trip to a Chocolate factory. It is a small, private factory, and we enjoy the tour. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CHOCOLATE CANDY CURING FOR CUTTING</td></tr>
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We visit more old houses in a different part of old town close to the marina. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OLD SCHOOL HOUSE</td></tr>
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For Wednesday, we get started earlier. We go to the Lightner Museum, a kind of mini "Smithsonian".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FURNITURE DISPLAY</td></tr>
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It is a nice museum, with varied collections that were put in Flagler's second resort hotel by a second private owner. His first resort hotel became Flagler College. After our museum tour, we have lunch in the "Alcazar Café". The café is in the pool of the hotel. It was the largest pool in the US when it was operating at the beginning of the 1900s.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CAFE IN THE POOL</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPAKTQGtvqLFHscaDQL0z4kojlpBc-W0Er6gX5pqXFJy6ctz7hPVe-IYgEbH4rwRJqTHTxpyxc-OZpCMW9-q08Mc_KeVxPDKeRnRJo1RcWzCIgCUFJR6KrQO3RDx_vlEVJ7C_tKSNu6k/s1600/P2222294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
The Café is very upscale, great sandwiches, better dessert, and a person playing soft rock on a classical guitar the whole time we are eating. We leave the museum and go to the St. Augustine Distillery for the tour. We have toured wineries and breweries before, but never a distillery. It is a small distillery that makes rum, bourbon, and gin from local crops. We leave with some Pecans in bourbon coating.<br />
Thursday we stay on SummerTime and rest. I do some minor things aboard. Mostly we work on our bookkeeping, trying to reconcile the credit card receipts with the bill. And I took a tour to "Price's Barber Shop". Saw it on one of the tour rides, and figured I would go back as I was starting to need a hair cut. I call and no appointment is needed. It has racks and taxidermy mounts all around the wall up high. Kind of a new, North American version of the "Trophy Barber Shop" in Baytown, Tx. In the evening we go into Old Town to eat at a jazz hall. The performing trio at "Prohibition Kitchen" put on a very good show, interacting with the crowd. The burgers are very good also. And so is the dessert. We tour a few shops on our way back to SummerTime. Friday we do more things aboard. Barbara does laundry up on shore. On Saturday, I tighten some hoses that are leaking from the water pump replacement in Fort Lauderdale.<br />
We have had a very good week in St Augustine. It was a city on my bucket list of cities to visit. Mostly for its history, and the fact it was a Spanish colony long before the Brits who controlled the rest of the colonies, got possession of Florida. Visiting St Augustine by boat enriched the experience of the history, we came the same as the early explorers. Barbara states it is her favorite stop on the loop. I think it is the chocolate factory tour and the Alcazar Café that makes her say this.<br />
SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-70464017267453272312017-02-28T22:19:00.000-05:002017-02-28T22:19:14.165-05:00WEEK #29, 11-17FEB, BACK on SUMMERTIME <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdhu5H8ZejuQVg6kQQiYj6Gu-HJbkR-i3QZRbmvZitq8sZ_CuMAGCcL1qMnuytnUNW-L5fqS-m7NU4udy8qzkt4RSh1DJ3Ajev3Nx_9Lxk1lucYUxN_AuoJCOILmpv1qHMiUq-zuXS3c/s1600/20170211_105149_HDR_1487011062447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdhu5H8ZejuQVg6kQQiYj6Gu-HJbkR-i3QZRbmvZitq8sZ_CuMAGCcL1qMnuytnUNW-L5fqS-m7NU4udy8qzkt4RSh1DJ3Ajev3Nx_9Lxk1lucYUxN_AuoJCOILmpv1qHMiUq-zuXS3c/s640/20170211_105149_HDR_1487011062447.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SATURDAY FARMER'S MARKET at NEW SMYRNA</td></tr>
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On Saturday, we came by SummerTime long enough to drop off items we had picked up at the Saturday morning New Smyrna Beach Farmers' Market held by the town square, and pick up the laundry to do at the condo. At the Farmer's Market we bought a fresh pineapple which was cut for us, Florida wild honey, and some veggies at the Farmers' Market. Not a very big market, but a good assortment of Florida products. And we met Gene in the street, a fellow looper we first met at Cooley's Landing.<br />
We moved back to the boat on Sunday after church. As we had a rental car since the last of our children left the condo on Saurday, we drove to the local "Church of The Nazarene". It was too far too walk the past Sunday, but as it is our denomination of membership, we thought we should check out one of the Nazarene Churches in Florida. They had a person in to speak on "The Church" mission work, so we could not compare.<br />
Monday we got up and returned the rental car. We did small chores on SummerTime and took inventory of what we would need to start traveling after nearly two weeks off. On Tuesday afternoon, I walked to Avis and picked up another rental car. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUqqP49V6MIhxSsu4VpCGtkVEOcU0BMKnib7WgQNUU4jnWnBe6Ox1yn1DtRT34MMJB6EPx6s-Pu9POw0bsqHnlrEfLt4p0xqzBuJ8xxdARFz3YzsPPPUYizcQUkdCQLLigWDe01U4-qQ/s1600/DSC_0195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUqqP49V6MIhxSsu4VpCGtkVEOcU0BMKnib7WgQNUU4jnWnBe6Ox1yn1DtRT34MMJB6EPx6s-Pu9POw0bsqHnlrEfLt4p0xqzBuJ8xxdARFz3YzsPPPUYizcQUkdCQLLigWDe01U4-qQ/s400/DSC_0195.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VALENTINES DINNER on SUMMERTIME</td></tr>
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We are going to Tarpon Springs on Wednesday for hopefully the last dental visit to repair the Steinhatchee broken tooth in Barbara's mouth. We get up early on Wednesday morning, and head for Tarpon Springs. It is a much shorter drive than the trips from Marathon in the Keys. We easily arrive in time to have lunch before the noon appointment. The dentist spends a little time putting the new bridge in, maybe an hour, and we are off to return to New Smyrna. We stop in Orlando and visit with my cousin and his family. They provided the name of a great BBQ restaurant to meet at, and my cousin, his wife, two sons, Barbara and I have a good sit down dinner together. We get back to SummerTime about 9.<br />
On Thursday morning we head to stores to re-provision SummerTime. Barbara goes into Aldi's to get a supply of her favorite chocolate. She picks up a few other items also. We buy groceries, staples, and hard goods to re-stock the boat for traveling. We know we will be getting on our way north again when we get up Friday. <br />
Friday morning we get up and ready ourselves to leave. We get the holding tank pumped out, and we fill the water tank afterwards. We are now set to fill the fuel tank completely. We are learning the sequence to get one tank empty, and one tank full. The water tank is 90gallons, or about 750 pounds when full. All the weight is on the port side, as the tank runs the length of the outside 1/4 of the boat. When the water tank is full, it is nearly impossible to empty the holding tank, as its pick up for pumping out is on the starboard end. The starboard side is elevated when the water tank is full. And it is easier to fill the transversely mounted fuel tank, inlet on starboard side, with the water tank full. It gets the inlet on the fuel tank high, so the air comes to that point for venting and quicker filling. The New Smyrna Marina does not sell fuel, so we plan to stop at Ponce Inlet where fuel is listed at about 25c per gallon cheaper than other marinas. We get away from the dock after some last minute socializing at about 10:30. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EXOS3z31UAjW-595KsTVKvr_ZfoDf267-QeLrqXVd8s-Wc6ubIVeNBuOAiNOct2At-uzIGnzQCrqmSMCwa9YroN1gPI-9wORhj5oVonT4cFd4TyDCvOqhyMoIhitPP1FNFda5-WOkyI/s1600/P2172029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EXOS3z31UAjW-595KsTVKvr_ZfoDf267-QeLrqXVd8s-Wc6ubIVeNBuOAiNOct2At-uzIGnzQCrqmSMCwa9YroN1gPI-9wORhj5oVonT4cFd4TyDCvOqhyMoIhitPP1FNFda5-WOkyI/s640/P2172029.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BROWN PELICAN ROOKERY in ICW LEAVING NEW SMYRNA</td></tr>
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We take the alternate channel from the ICW to Ponce Inlet to stop for fuel. The inlet is pretty, the water still very clean here, and the Ponce Lighthouse makes a beautiful subject in photos. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxTFJihoFIt529359TeVZgqjvSMsKD-2LoZxtGPhZK0cZ_CTVWp4kaoVb5Jj7kzJpDq2jmyy-KWRD-2UEsmBMKLZGw2Z5WErmCcEO9bTbdKs8rKzPcus69d-C1SXnSjkEHcrICBPtwas/s1600/DSC_0214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxTFJihoFIt529359TeVZgqjvSMsKD-2LoZxtGPhZK0cZ_CTVWp4kaoVb5Jj7kzJpDq2jmyy-KWRD-2UEsmBMKLZGw2Z5WErmCcEO9bTbdKs8rKzPcus69d-C1SXnSjkEHcrICBPtwas/s400/DSC_0214.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PONCE INLET LIGHTHOUSE FROM BOAT PERSPECTIVE</td></tr>
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But when we finally get hold of the marina to determine the channel in, they tell us their docks are blocked. They can not sell any fuel. So we continue on by turning north to the ICW. We pass through Daytona Beach on the ICW. There are some nice homes along here. And a good anchorage, but it is too early to stop. My plan is to anchor this evening, but farther north on the ICW. I am just not sure where. Most of this part of the trip is rather uneventful, some in dug canal, some in creeks or rivers marked and dredged for use as a part of the ICW. The narrow areas, with few to no side canals has me re-thinking the anchoring. About 3:30 we call Palm Coast Marina about 5 miles before Marineland. We know from the persons we talked with this morning on "Odyssee" that there may not be slips at Marineland, which was my out if no anchorage was found. Palm Coast tells us that they can put us at the fuel dock for the night. We get to their dock about 4:30. And we fuel here for the first time since Boynton Beach area. We take on 95.7gal of fuel for 32hr of running time, and 7.5hr of generator time (about 6-3/4gal). We eat on the boat after debating going to a nearby resort where there is supposed to be an assortment of restaurants. We wave the walking to a restaurant as it is farther than we think we should exercise Barbara's leg which is actually getting better. We turn in early as we know we have to get up and leave early to clear Palm Coast's fuel dock before the fisherman and pleasure riders show up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SUMMERTIME SITTING at PALM COAST MARINA FUEL DOCK</td></tr>
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<br />SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-19309010339208467682017-02-21T22:56:00.002-05:002017-02-21T22:56:44.506-05:00WEEK #28, 4-10FEB, WEEK ON THE BEACH<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4YdhqOduJOn2eBBJExtgMjHVUu2KcOlo76Y-QOduAMdkirVLDEG9v78GWWkC0lTF2EjFDM-mW9GzeIyDMvxqKsXRBpoWDDjovJtXNseGCClVw-NBwoPG6bON9r2p7dURdajcTDaLLzw/s1600/DSC_0884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4YdhqOduJOn2eBBJExtgMjHVUu2KcOlo76Y-QOduAMdkirVLDEG9v78GWWkC0lTF2EjFDM-mW9GzeIyDMvxqKsXRBpoWDDjovJtXNseGCClVw-NBwoPG6bON9r2p7dURdajcTDaLLzw/s640/DSC_0884.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LEAVING COCOA AREA</td></tr>
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Saturday is windy with strong winds from the north when we get up in Cocoa. It feels cooler than NOAA temp reported due to the northerly winds. We have to do about 55 miles today, so we get moving early. We make good time initially as we are in open waters of Indian River. We meet the tug "Little Bully" again, pushing a chemical/fuel barge south.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TUG "LITTLE BULLY"</td></tr>
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We passed him the first time just south of Jupiter Inlet, where he was pushing a crane on a barge. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZ5Htd2CvHp8y0P32rCFu7j__-0ALOtjNXUMZzm72B7iTx7TsqwYsAoKRvBudtHnhFwaMNoofp3bhyiJIyhNM8lmiWh6qK7xrEfv-k12CO7jjG9lqp2LnCFnZfcYv__gStNwvSy_6Hl0/s1600/DSC_0918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZ5Htd2CvHp8y0P32rCFu7j__-0ALOtjNXUMZzm72B7iTx7TsqwYsAoKRvBudtHnhFwaMNoofp3bhyiJIyhNM8lmiWh6qK7xrEfv-k12CO7jjG9lqp2LnCFnZfcYv__gStNwvSy_6Hl0/s640/DSC_0918.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KENNEDY SPACE CENTER BUILDINGS FROM THE WATERWAY</td></tr>
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We get to the Haulover canal connecting the Indian River to Mosquito Lagoon. It is full of little boats fishing as it is too rough in the two bodies of water on either side of the canal. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FISHERMEN IN HAULOVER CANAL</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ONE OF SEVERAL MANATEES SEEN IN HAULOVER CANAL</td></tr>
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We also see several manatees in the canal. The waterway runs straight north in Mosquito Lagoon, by a National Wildlife and Bird refuge area. We are careful to stay in the channel as it is shallow on both sides. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WEST SIDE OF ICW THROUGH MOSQUITO LAGOON</td></tr>
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EAST SIDE OF ICW THROUGH MOSQUITO LAGOON</div>
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We make good time until we get to Edgewater, then the dreaded "No Wake, Manatee" zones. Our arrival time for New Smyrna Beach Marina goes from 3pm to 4:30pm. Lots of houses on the one bank of the waterway, but not like around the Beaches south of Jupiter Inlet. And the east side of the waterway is mangroves. I think the manatees are hiding in there, as I never see them where the slow zones are. About 2 miles before New Smyrna Beach bridge, and after about 10 miles of slow, we get an open area. We are able to add some speed and clean the engine from all the slow idling. We get to New Smyrna Beach City Marina about 4:30, and the dockmaster, Rick, helps us to get in against the strong winds. A very nice marina, with floating concrete docks. Not a big complex, but very nice. And we are near downtown. Rick tells us about restaurants, and some about the art walk that happens on "First Saturdays". We hike only 3 small city blocks to find a good restaurant to eat at. I order shrimp and grits again, and this offering is different from all past ones. Barbara gets a shrimp and crab au gratin dish. Great salads, and a good desert. As the art galleries are closed when we get out of Jason's, we walk back to SummerTime and turn in for the evening.<br />
On Sunday we get up and get ready for church. This is the closest a marina has been to a church our whole trip. There are 5 churches less than a half mile from us. It is two blocks to First Baptist which is where we choose to go this Sunday. The church is in a very modern building, just across the street from the original First Baptist. The people are very welcoming, and the pastor delivered a good sermon. After church we go back to the boat to wait on our youngest daughter flying in from Ohio to Orlando, and driving to NSB. While waiting we meet other Loopers and travelers who drop by the boat. Our daughter arrives about 1:30, and we go back into town to eat. We eat at "Yellow Dog Eats Kitchen and Bar". We all have different BBQ sandwiches as that is their specialty. And they serve a very good Carrot Cake. After lunch we go back to SummerTime and pack to live away for a week. Later in the afternoon, we leave the marina and SummerTime and go over to the condo we have reserved on the beach. We are going to spend a week on shore with our daughters and son-in-law.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PONCE INLET LIGHTHOUSE FROM LAND</td></tr>
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On Tuesday, we leave the beach long enough to come back by SummerTime. We bring parts and spares that were ordered by me and delivered by the young married couple. We put their boxes on SummerTime and leave for another day at the beach. We return on Friday after the one daughter flew out on Thursday. We are going to use the son-in-law to help diagnose why the upstairs stereo does not play. It powered on when we tried to use it, but did not make any sound: with a CD or via a tuned radio station. There is an amplifier in the system mounted in a downstairs cabinet. After wire chasing, the ground to the amplifier turns out not to be connected. After that we have sound. We were going to take a wildlife exploration ride, but the air temp is only in the 60s, and the north wind makes it feel cooler than that. So we wave the wildlife exploration. We leave the boat knowing we will not be back until Sunday when we check out of the condo.<br />
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KITE FLYING, FISHERMAN, & CARS ON NEW SMYRNA BEACH</div>
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SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-4183684609154246372017-02-15T23:23:00.001-05:002017-02-15T23:23:42.621-05:00WEEK #27, 29JAN to 3FEB017, TRAVELING AGAIN We get up on Saturday morning and start prepping to leave. We are in no hurry as we are waiting for the dockmaster to arrive so we can get a credit for the night we are not going to be staying. I am on the flybridge programming the GPS to our destination when another Looper shows up. We help him tie up and dock, and exchange notes. "Galene" is coming south and we are about to head north. We get a good suggestion for an anchorage north of Jupiter from the newly arrived skipper. We leave about 11 and wish our new friends well. Going out the New River on a Saturday morning there is much less traffic than coming in at rush hour on a weekday. <br />
We do not have a long run today. We are headed to DelRay Beach-Boynton Beach area for a marina. I have relatives in DelRay Beach, and we are going to stop where we can visit them. There are more big houses along the waterway on this route. And lots more "SLOW, MINIMUM WAKE" zones. Sometimes we are at speed, sometimes we are at slow, fast idle speeds. And we go through more low bridges.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ONE OF THE LOWER BRIDGES ON THE AICWW - MOST HAVE TO WAIT FOR OPENING</td></tr>
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We get to Palm Beach Yacht Center a little before 5. My relatives arrive as we are fueling SummerTime. It is the first fuel stop since the tank truck at Marathon. It does not take that many gallons, 83 which includes some generator time. We go to dinner in Boynton, to a Korean BarBQ house. It is my first time to eat advertised Korean food, and my BBQ pork dish is very good. And we go for ice cream at an ice cream parlor farther south on the beach. My relatives loan us their truck, so we do not get back to SummerTime until about 10:30 <br />
We wake up to rain on Sunday morning. Sometimes it is hard. The heat comes on in the boat, and feels good. The fact that Barbara has used the oven to bake the normal Sunday morning biscuits helps to dry the boat also. We go to Grace Presbyterian Church. They were not the closest church, but they did have their service times posted. It was good we had Tom's truck, as Grace was a ways (over a mile) to walk in the rain. After church we use the truck to go shopping. I pick up some needed filters and other parts at a NAPA. They did not have the replacement alternator/water pump belt needed for a spare. And we get groceries at a Winn Dixie. Florida seems to offer two major chains, Publix and Winn Dixie for groceries just about everywhere. It is nice to have a choice. It is still raining when we get back to the boat. But the heat is on and it feels so nice compared to the 55F and humidity outside. We go back to my relatives in the evening to return the truck and for dinner. They bring us back to SummerTime after a wonderful evening of socializing.<br />
On Monday morning, we dally on getting ready to leave. We are in no hurry as we are headed to New Smyrna Beach, and do not have to be there until Saturday. We only need to average 31 miles per day to get there, or about half a normal days run. We have lots more fast zones today. We are able to make better time. There are still some slow zones. We pass Jupiter Inlet after about 4 hours of running time. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">JUPITER INLET LIGHTHOUSE</td></tr>
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And we find the anchorage thAT Captain Gene from "GALENE" told us about. We are near the 1000mi mark on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. A sailing catamaran is anchored in the best spot for north wind protection, so we anchor a little south of them. We are in the midst of crab pots, but not close enough to any one to hinder the fisherman when he comes to tend them. It is a little windy, but there is a sandy point which shields us from the bigger white caps. We run the generator in the evening to cook, and retire for the night. <br />
Tuesday we wake up and the boat is right where we anchored it. Always a good thing when you are anchoring where you are exposed to wind and currents. But we were inside the "no-wake" zone, and we were not rocked during the night thanks to the anchorage recommendation. I start the generator for heat and coffee. It is 55F in the boat, and NOAA is reporting 46F at Jupiter Inlet about 3 miles south of us. We have to be at mile 845 by Saturday, so need to rush to get going in the cold. We weigh anchor about 10:15, and are at the channel to Ft Pierce Beach about 2:30. We choose an anchorage near the beginning of a "no-wake zone", and near some shallow water. We are only rocked by some fisherman heading into the mangroves to fish. We see a lot of turtles around us sticking their heads above water to get a breath of air. We can not get a picture of one, no matter how patient we are. They are as camera shy as Monarch butterflies. We could never get a photo of one of them flitting across our deck either. We run the generator to cook and make sure the batteries have a good charge. And we get showers on board while there is heat available. We turn in for a quiet night on anchor.<br />
Wednesday morning it is 61F in the boat when we wake. We run the generator for heat, cooking coffee, and warming up pop tarts. We only run the genset about an hour. When we go to weigh anchor, we find the chain covered in mud. It is soft mud, and washes off easily. It just takes a lot of buckets of water. The bottom is apparently very soft where we chose to anchor. Good thing the wind did not blow here like it did on Monday night. We might have drifted in the soft mud bottom. We have determined we only need to make 32 miles a day to get to NSB. We are headed to Melbourne, or more specifically "Eau Galle" up the waterway about 32mi. One marina at Eau Galle has no space, and the other never returns our calls. We make contact with Telemar Bay Marina, and they have space for us across the way from Eau Galle. We arrive at Telemar Bay on the Banana River about 4:30 pm. amid afternoon sailing practice for the local club.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SAILING SCHOOL, 2ND CLASS WE MEET</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MARINA OFFICE</td></tr>
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The staff at Telemar Bay is most helpful in getting us docked, and the dock boy even stays a few minutes to find us an adaptor so we can plug our 30A cord into their 50A receptacle. They tell us where to go to eat and for groceries if we need them. While we are getting situated, the sculls from the oar and paddle club pass by. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WOMEN'S SCULL</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhoibJW-RnbAKungvSZRKbZMaA7OLAHo3C9RGODaNLqyE9BnhIZ5AM3SbkjHG6wuHR1X2l-5AyTfDmsPz5tCdjmw47k_QRqmqflKD0uK65zHlW8Y5fwq-PpZUKb3z_GKuCnmtIBiTqTs/s1600/DSC_0866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhoibJW-RnbAKungvSZRKbZMaA7OLAHo3C9RGODaNLqyE9BnhIZ5AM3SbkjHG6wuHR1X2l-5AyTfDmsPz5tCdjmw47k_QRqmqflKD0uK65zHlW8Y5fwq-PpZUKb3z_GKuCnmtIBiTqTs/s200/DSC_0866.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MEN'S SCULL</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhoibJW-RnbAKungvSZRKbZMaA7OLAHo3C9RGODaNLqyE9BnhIZ5AM3SbkjHG6wuHR1X2l-5AyTfDmsPz5tCdjmw47k_QRqmqflKD0uK65zHlW8Y5fwq-PpZUKb3z_GKuCnmtIBiTqTs/s1600/DSC_0866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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We go up the street about a quarter mile and eat at "Doubles Beachside", a very nice sports bar with good burgers, reasonably priced. The locals seem to come in here which may be why the price is good. We walk back to SummerTime after dark and retire for the night.<br />
I get up on Thursday and walk up to the 7-11 for milk. We have managed to run out of milk and can not have a normal breakfast of cereal. After breakfast, we put the dinghy in the water and go over to Eau Galle for lunch and history touring. We eat at "Squid Lips", a recommendation from one of the guide books. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt37hUlDrhET_TdugPFOD9DKUUV2O6Hb5KvYtAJ99f1nXyWeApd_wUpK00tJvjJLs4Jcf9Lb5UH5Vh8Rj7J1zh5eyzoGUlqDeYiFIiKmASd-U3_pUWkvtSQ1obhIh4TZZDfbMGimYP2Q4/s1600/P2021900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt37hUlDrhET_TdugPFOD9DKUUV2O6Hb5KvYtAJ99f1nXyWeApd_wUpK00tJvjJLs4Jcf9Lb5UH5Vh8Rj7J1zh5eyzoGUlqDeYiFIiKmASd-U3_pUWkvtSQ1obhIh4TZZDfbMGimYP2Q4/s400/P2021900.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SQUID LIPS APPROCHED FROM THE WATER</td></tr>
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I have shrimp with grits, and the grits are made with pepper jack cheese. They are very good. Barbara will not try the "Grouper Reuben", though she likes fish and a Reuben is her go to sandwich. She gets a chicken wrap though she ordered a fish wrap. After lunch we go up the hill into town. We tour the two old homes open to the public. The one, Rossetter, is interesting as it is two houses joined by breezeways and has no heat source.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3w6QLcLNdCXmnimH0YgK9x8-VPaWhcu4F_fnit_InZZdevhY0GII6q3wrS-O_8IAIChJqMPk6mi9aiveN10r2NajNerz7ZjK54zT-dT6O_ut3rmzwgcBfR_1LEVK8_8T1POjTe3ARs-o/s1600/P2021920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3w6QLcLNdCXmnimH0YgK9x8-VPaWhcu4F_fnit_InZZdevhY0GII6q3wrS-O_8IAIChJqMPk6mi9aiveN10r2NajNerz7ZjK54zT-dT6O_ut3rmzwgcBfR_1LEVK8_8T1POjTe3ARs-o/s200/P2021920.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BREEZEWAY CONNECTION</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61RtPfzKPswjxT7J0z8evXlWXT9JTGJXLRsOq1e-nw8FQA9VPzABsJqM-ArAIAQ22lTie-XLkwktMgdmH7snnAcTKr52BP1DePKkfWKJ28kw5SYX7q4KvizCg7eOE75UIoN8idjQgszQ/s1600/P2021941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61RtPfzKPswjxT7J0z8evXlWXT9JTGJXLRsOq1e-nw8FQA9VPzABsJqM-ArAIAQ22lTie-XLkwktMgdmH7snnAcTKr52BP1DePKkfWKJ28kw5SYX7q4KvizCg7eOE75UIoN8idjQgszQ/s200/P2021941.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ROSSETTER HOUSE FRONT</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWAPrgHtz6o0zRKuiFl6cd7tlO7W-rW_VdEZAeKRWBD7mJI4WdS4T5bM2jEq-WeIc5P5MKX9dvhguK_wSR7v6MW07qX5CuBnRbzjSNnUkC67rwsfY4g7HE3yAPBL3gi4aR83a020oV9E/s1600/P2021925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWAPrgHtz6o0zRKuiFl6cd7tlO7W-rW_VdEZAeKRWBD7mJI4WdS4T5bM2jEq-WeIc5P5MKX9dvhguK_wSR7v6MW07qX5CuBnRbzjSNnUkC67rwsfY4g7HE3yAPBL3gi4aR83a020oV9E/s320/P2021925.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PERIOD ROOM</td></tr>
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Pretty amazing as two nights ago we were running heat on the boat at a slightly more southern latitude. And we amble into a couple of antique stores. Our trip back across the waterway in the dinghy is a little wetter as the wind has got up from when we came across. In the evening we are entertained by the dolphins that feed along the seawall. The swells from their aggressive swimming actually rocks the boat. <br />
We get up Friday morning to get moving again, but not quickly. In the morning Barbara goes to the marina's laundromat to do our clothes. I decide I need to get back into an exercise routine, and walk and jog on the street. There are good walkways here, and exercise is easy, being not right on the road itself. We are in no hurry as we only intend to get in about 20 miles today to get to Cocoa. We leave Telemar a little after 1 and are anchored in Cocoa harbor by 4:30. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWDpWBFmUGwgcPlYWB7yh_AdO0r6kXyG6JQVDWIs-v7SPPbsofTAnwJfbI_q6TjgU6lJuwHGCxAXTPPHzTJSDZoPSQJbxXdwnqJ-L0gJUuxX0zSHNl1lPSZZDM7YgmdoILtVDf5oHW9c/s1600/DSC_0875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWDpWBFmUGwgcPlYWB7yh_AdO0r6kXyG6JQVDWIs-v7SPPbsofTAnwJfbI_q6TjgU6lJuwHGCxAXTPPHzTJSDZoPSQJbxXdwnqJ-L0gJUuxX0zSHNl1lPSZZDM7YgmdoILtVDf5oHW9c/s200/DSC_0875.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">QUIET NEIGHBORS</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJmgVkSKR8fwb6TPyN4RAzbalkFne1HpwX0sB9bnBrLMTaatlQUYvA3qNjQXAeLTtPPlouxHWEloHEacGmI7rKTOqj0_Q8y9vQWO5iZjUzLmaLvxlA8U_gbfRaoz0PdHVOsHG7uMpeds/s1600/DSC_0881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJmgVkSKR8fwb6TPyN4RAzbalkFne1HpwX0sB9bnBrLMTaatlQUYvA3qNjQXAeLTtPPlouxHWEloHEacGmI7rKTOqj0_Q8y9vQWO5iZjUzLmaLvxlA8U_gbfRaoz0PdHVOsHG7uMpeds/s320/DSC_0881.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">COCOA WATERFRONT</td></tr>
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There are sunken boats in the harbor, I am assuming from when Matthew went up the coast last fall. It is a quiet evening. While there are a number of boats anchored around us, only one appears to be occupied. The wind shifts direction during the night, but the anchor only drags a little until it resets. The alarm did not go off, but the path of the boat is traced on the GPS that is the anchor alarm when we get up on Saturday morning. A new week has started.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0qmmQcIfv4wmY28SkZG4FxAAFa37D_zzSwZwpbREjaG4MdG3Eu9rJ4BT4qhFmMXlg93H2y4RIOkErhtUbsM0M4MqkcHwv8wO-XtEHHryJQ5CE7YBpsQl5HiYycy_WP0hPn88stNAduw/s1600/DSC_0545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0qmmQcIfv4wmY28SkZG4FxAAFa37D_zzSwZwpbREjaG4MdG3Eu9rJ4BT4qhFmMXlg93H2y4RIOkErhtUbsM0M4MqkcHwv8wO-XtEHHryJQ5CE7YBpsQl5HiYycy_WP0hPn88stNAduw/s640/DSC_0545.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MANATEES (4) IN THE WATERWAY - THE REASON FOR ALL THE SLOW ZONES</td></tr>
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SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-51546139088746768792017-02-04T21:24:00.001-05:002017-02-04T21:24:07.924-05:00WEEK #26, 21-28JAN017, AVOIDING TROUBLE We wake up in Thursday Cove after a peaceful Friday night on anchor. We see the other boat here leave as we prepare breakfast. We have quick cereal instead of the normal pancakes on Saturday mornings. We are also anxious to get across Biscayne Bay before bad weather catches us. High winds are in the forecast for the next three days, along with thunderstorms. We get across Card Sound fairly easily. Almost at the other side, I turn 180 and run SummerTime hard against the chop. This sometimes helps to clean the bottom from parasitic growth. The results are minimal this time. SummerTime's top speed only increases to 11kt, and that is with a tailwind. The engine still only turns 2500. I suspect that growth on the prop is the main culprit. The ride across Biscayne Bay is non eventful. We have a tail wind, but not enough to cause pushing seas or white caps. We meet a lot of boats coming south towards the keys. And there are a lot of smaller boats coming across the bay from the mainland that I assume are heading for the beaches or dive spots at the outlying cays. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZxQWzrTQRGwWrucw6ccb7G7ANaQXQj_i0LCjnNxIs5jaX57cEzTyK3P3SUrhgtxJDldSIiPXpZqb_pTBn1b6AvodjYXvzPJLi3A77w1Ekkdiaj8I-Isvt-RSAfyhl0TqiJyKcp9fEKM/s1600/DSC_0102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZxQWzrTQRGwWrucw6ccb7G7ANaQXQj_i0LCjnNxIs5jaX57cEzTyK3P3SUrhgtxJDldSIiPXpZqb_pTBn1b6AvodjYXvzPJLi3A77w1Ekkdiaj8I-Isvt-RSAfyhl0TqiJyKcp9fEKM/s400/DSC_0102.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MIAMI SKYLINE IN DISTANCE OVER RACING SAILBOATS</td></tr>
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As we approach Key Biscayne, we hear radio calls about "Hurricane Hole" at the south end of the key. People are wanting to know if it is available for sitting out this coming blow which now is forecast to have winds with gusts to 45mph. I start calling for a marina to duck into. MiaMarina, at Bayside, near the cruise terminal has a space. We make reservations there for 2 nights, with the possibility of a third night. We arrive mid afternoon on Saturday. Other boats are coming in as we arrive into the harbor. The dockmaster is busy with three boats showing up at once.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttURig40yOciuACNm-JphkVdQ2c2TzHcqgMYzIOUFcO6DuSt6h1Um8c3ef6XjNIoF00Q1DHuc4Uacf1jb8lRzME8F-FMoiszsII2re-E5Y0vFuZqizgy8nq20uspM2jnAR1WH8KVOi7s/s400/DSC_0108.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VIEW OF SKYLINE from SUMMERTIME</td></tr>
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After securing SummerTime, we prepare dinner. We go over to Bayside for dessert (gelato) after dinner. We return to the boat and listen to the bands playing in the small amphitheatre there. They are still playing when we go to bed, and when I wake in the middle of the morning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZNUEUxMXJaadZelxgYPQA1XOaXuRlp5B1yp-rK8LEnPqUIcbyUs6gMUy2WlEoPdXu6OhuS1jTGu6b_J0qF9hSi0etNct53LlPTfRHs2E3WvFGY8b-NyDnDdGHuCCz7Par5Wpw6EbV3g/s1600/DSC_0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZNUEUxMXJaadZelxgYPQA1XOaXuRlp5B1yp-rK8LEnPqUIcbyUs6gMUy2WlEoPdXu6OhuS1jTGu6b_J0qF9hSi0etNct53LlPTfRHs2E3WvFGY8b-NyDnDdGHuCCz7Par5Wpw6EbV3g/s400/DSC_0115.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VIEW to EAST AT MIAMARINA & SUMMERTIME DOCKED</td></tr>
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On Sunday we get up and go to the Miami First Methodist Church. It is only a quarter mile walk, the closest church we have attended near a marina. It is also the most modern church building, being only about 30 years old. After church, we go back to SummerTime to get in more casual clothes. We head over to Bayside to eat lunch, and spend the afternoon shopping. We also watch some performances in the open theatre area there. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTDRY-GS1r1YvdPeDT7g8uC_2Wfrsmq85j1rIqY8Pml4zWhlOzDjBvXs1LLBfU0d_vwTYkXiJ8DDHaPN29bHq0omMnabUmNSlxxvYjJOudANHGKs2K1VgEvWGldafdzfPoGG5HqqRsCU/s1600/DSC_0127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTDRY-GS1r1YvdPeDT7g8uC_2Wfrsmq85j1rIqY8Pml4zWhlOzDjBvXs1LLBfU0d_vwTYkXiJ8DDHaPN29bHq0omMnabUmNSlxxvYjJOudANHGKs2K1VgEvWGldafdzfPoGG5HqqRsCU/s640/DSC_0127.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PERFORMERS AT BAYSIDE'S OPEN THEATRE</td></tr>
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We have ice cream as an afternoon treat this time, from a chain store. And we stop in a store called "Fit 2 Run", a Florida running store chain. We are looking for a brace for Barbara's knee. The young man who helps us is much more savvy on joint care than the pharmacy tech in a major drug store chain where we bought the first knee brace. He tries several on Barbara, and observes how they fit when she is moving. We get one that immediately makes her knee feel better. During the night the thunderstorms come. The wind has been blowing all day, so we were thinking the rain was never coming. But one of the claps in the morning hours lets us know there is a TS nearby. It sounds like it is in the boat's salon.<br />
Monday is windy, and the rain stops in the early morning. We choose to stay one more day at MiaMarina. We ask if they know divers who will clean the bottom. In about an half hour, a person is at the boat talking in Spanish to a diver that will come on Monday and clean the boat bottom. Barbara goes to do laundry while waiting for them. I work on making a rod holder for the rod & reels that are loosely stored on the fly bridge. Alex and Mario show up about 2:30pm. Barbara calls as I have gone to the grocery store to get a few items. I show up as they are putting their wet suits on. They spend about an hour below SummerTime, and tell me as good as they can that the bottom (including prop) is not too bad. I think it is a bargain at $75, and gladly pay them. <br />
Tuesday morning we prep to get underway. In the course of checking the engine, I see that anti-freeze solution is needed again in the closed cooling system. It takes over a quart. Looking over the front part of the engine, it appears the seal on the closed coolant system pump may be leaking. I will have to watch this. We are going to Fort Lauderdale, about 30 miles today. We want to be there about 2:30 to 3 to dock at slack tide on the New River. We encounter delays in preparing to leave. In the end, our 10:30 departure turns into a 1pm departure. We are trying to time for bridge openings, which are usually a half hour apart. Most are on the hour and half hour, but occasionally if two bridges are close together, one of them will open at 15 and 45 past the hour. Our second bridge is one that we are too high for. Even though we have taken the mast down, and tilted our radio antennas to get the bimini top our highest point (air draft in nautical terms) at 16' above the water, we are still too tall. So our trip to Ft Lauderdale starts out trying to time for a bridge. We do get a stretch to run wide open in. The bottom and running gear cleaning by the divers did the trick. SummerTime is now back to 14kt plus on top speed, and the Perkins is turning 2700rpm. The fuel savings on 21% less drag will pay for the divers in short order. But the speed run is short lived. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutODUc0HFOK9LBvb21AwuXQijVazbBTO66ophFyW221SUmJYnixo7xGuz3i1QLQQC9hFKx-Rgtrtd6cqy-dHJho7zlDVFYwn5gZxRhm6_xxQyigMNhEhPJ5wS2LjU6RWZSRHIqrULwh0/s1600/DSC_0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutODUc0HFOK9LBvb21AwuXQijVazbBTO66ophFyW221SUmJYnixo7xGuz3i1QLQQC9hFKx-Rgtrtd6cqy-dHJho7zlDVFYwn5gZxRhm6_xxQyigMNhEhPJ5wS2LjU6RWZSRHIqrULwh0/s400/DSC_0136.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KITE FLYING IN THE PARK & SWIMMING ON A SAND BAR BY THE INLET</td></tr>
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There are lots of "Slow, No Wake" zones here. At 2:30 we call the Fort Lauderdale dockmaster to tell him we will most likely be there about 4:15. I am complaining about the slow zones and making excuses to the dockmaster when the water taxi passes me again while I am trying to maintain minimum wake.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PASSED BY THE WATER TAXI FOR THE 2ND TIME APPROACHING FT LAUDERDALE</td></tr>
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4:15 is the time the GPS seems to go to with each bridge and slow zone after a fast zone. There are a lot of beautiful, expensive, homes along the waterway. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HOUSES, DOCKS, & BOATS on SIDE CANALS OFF THE ICW</td></tr>
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Some with very nice statues in front of them. And there are a lot of "big" boats, or small ships, depending on how you view them. We get to the New River to head to Cooley's Landing Marina in Fort Lauderdale a little before 4. This is a major good thing, as the bridges close to water traffic from 4:30 to 6 so people can get home from work. It is a very twisty, tight river, with boats docked on each side. In maybe the sharpest turn, we meet the "Jungle Queen" a dinner-tour boat maybe 80' long, and<strike> </strike>there is a 100' yacht behind her. A little radio work, maneuvering by us, and all parties get through the turn okay without delay. We arrive at our slip at Cooley's Landing at 4:20. After securing SummerTime, Barbara and I head into town for dinner. We pick what sounds like a pizza parlor, and end up at a nice Italian restaurant, Pizzacraft, eating on the sidewalk. Our waiter is a Serbian immigrant, very good, who has seen more of the US than me. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DOCKED at COOLEY'S LANDING PARK, NEW RIVER, FT LAUDERDALE</td></tr>
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On Wednesday morning, I get up and check the Perkins water pump. I decide it will need replacing, so I find a business with a mobile mechanic to come and replace it. They are a Perkins dealer, and can have a tech to the boat on Thursday afternoon. Barbara and I take a walk and catch a bus to go sight seeing. We get off at a Publix, and buy some non perishables to take to the boat. We eat on board in the evening as we have exercised Barbara's knee enough for one day.<br />
We do simple chores around the boat through the morning. The diesel tech from Custom Yacht Service shows up at 1:30. Removing the old water pump looks to be a bigger job than I thought it was going to be. Chris confers with a tech back at the shop. In the end he gets the old pump off without removing the thermostat housing. It is good as there would have been a couple of parts that we did not have for spares. Chris gets the old pump off, the drive pulley relocated, and starts to clean the block for the new gasket. He leaves a little after 4 to go back to their shop.<br />
I have been working on making a rod rack out of a plastic board to fit on the flybridge. Chris does not make his 9am time. He shows about 11:30, but he works through lunch. He brings oil and filters with him, and gets the new pump on and the header tank filled by a little after 1. He changes the oil and filter on the Perkins. He then changes the oil, oil filter, and a fuel filter on the Westerbeke generator. He is done with everything a little after 2. I complete the rod rack and hang three of the rods we have been carrying in it. Barbara and I prep SummerTime to leave on Saturday now that we know we have a good water pump. <br />
SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-75742102047552521822017-01-31T20:45:00.003-05:002017-01-31T20:45:54.352-05:00Week #25, 14-20JAN017, TRAVEL & CRUISING I attempt to do some chores on the boat. We have been transporting a box with a 2" sheet of Soundown noise barrier since we left Port Clinton. I am working on the area to install it under the floor deck, removing the old insulation and prepping the area for the insulation to attach to. It is a tight spot, over the engine starting battery and the water tank. I get the old insulation removed, and the new insulation area prepped. It is slow working in the confines of the bilge.<br />
On Sunday after church, we launch the dinghy and take a tour of the harbor. I am still astounded by the number of boats on the city's mooring balls (they have 226 reported) and the additional boats anchored near them. And then there is the number of marinas and the amount of slips that they posess.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MARATHON MOORING & ANCHORING FIELD</td></tr>
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We take the dinghy all the way to the Knight Channel. And we also go out Sister Creek to the Atlantic. There is a public beach here that is widely used. There are 14 boats anchored in this creek. I think that there are maybe 300 boats on mooring balls or anchored in the Marathon harbor from my attempted count.<br />
On Monday I get the sound insulation up in its new place. It is not easy as there is like five inches of vertical space over the water tank, and the insulation is 2" thick, with pins glued overhead that are 3" long for it to mount onto. There is maybe a 1/4" extra to slide the insulation through so it can be shoved up on the pins. Some of the pins bend or fall as the insulation is moved in, so another mounting method for these areas will be needed.<br />
On Tuesday we put the dinghy back on its davits. And I go pick up the rental car as we have to be in Tarpon Springs on Wednesday. We leave in time to meet the crew of "Somewhere In Time" in Punta Gordo for dinner. It is a wonderful re-union with planning for travel together again in the spring. We get to a hotel in Clearwater about 11. We run shopping errands in Tarpon Springs for items not available in Marathon. And we get to the dentist in the afternoon. The mold is a success this time. The next time we come back it will be for the permanent appliance. We get back to SummerTime in Marathon just a few ticks after midnight.<br />
We use Thursday to provision SummerTime again. And I run some errands to K-Mart and Home Depot for items not available at the grocery store. I get back from returning the rental car just in time to meet the fuel truck. A group of us have gone together to order fuel. In aggregate we take over a thousand gallons, so we get a 70cent discount per gallon. I only can take 56gal, smallest of the group, but a saving. We spend the afternoon preparing SummerTime to travel, as the engine has not been started since it was shut down on Arrival to Marathon on 17Dec.<br />
Friday morning, we get up and complete our preparations to travel. I settle up with Sombrero Marina on a the extra days we stayed. They give us a Christmas present late, and we only pay for electricity and pump-outs. We get underway about 10:30 am. We are taking the inside, or Florida Bay, or waterway route back to the mainland to start up the east coast. It is a much better day than when we came to Marathon. All is not well though. SummerTime apparently has a lot of hitchhikers on the bottom after sitting a month. She will only do 10.1kt at best, and the prop keeps the Perkins from spinning higher than 2500rpm. As we pass Islamorada, we catch and pass a tug pushing a barge. First one we have seen since Tampa Bay. But he is only moving a construction crane on a barge. And we are re-joined by dolphins in our wake on this route. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DOLPHIN POD PLAYING IN WAKE</td></tr>
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The one pod has 6 in it, the biggest pod we have been able to see. The water is 9' deep, and very clear, so nothing is hiding. Sometimes you can see the dolphins shadow below them.<br />
We get to an anchorage in Card Sound about 5pm. It is a nice anchorage, 9' deep, and protected on three sides from wind and waves. And quiet, there are no buildings nearby, and only one other boat in the anchorage with us. We prepare soup for dinner without running the generator. It is good to be moving again.SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-63838805507150765482017-01-30T22:18:00.002-05:002017-01-30T22:18:55.700-05:00Weeks #23 & 24, 31DEC016 to 13JAN017, HANGING IN MARATHON We had a good visit with relatives and safe travels from 27Dec to our return to Marathon on 4Jan017. It is a long drive out of Florida when you start in The Keys. We got to Jacksonville the first day, and to our destination in SE NC by mid afternoon of the second day. We visited relatives in NC and Florida. And we attended an annual Christmas family reunion for the one side of the family. All us cousins catch up on what has been happening with our kids over the past year. And we started our drive back from Florida on a Monday morning to be in Tarpon Springs, FL by mid afternoon on Wednesday. We got that done. It was a follow-up dental visit for Barbara from the tooth extracted in early December. It was not a visit that went as planned. The mold for the permanent crown could not be made as the gum was not totally healed. We left Tarpon Springs with Barbara's jaw hurting again, and an appointment to come back to the Tarpon Springs dentist in two weeks. We got back to Marathon just before midnight on Wednesday the 4th. <br />
Barbara had rolled her left leg/knee some more while we were gone. She was in pain, so on Thursday morning we got in the rental car and went to Tavernier Key and the emergency room at Mariner's Baptist hospital. We were told it was the best ER in the keys. They diagnosed the left leg as having strained tendons at the knee and the attachments on the shin below the knee. The ER doctor ordered bed rest for 2 weeks and light use for 4-6 weeks. We went back to Marathon and did shopping and laundry before starting the rest periods.<br />
In the second week, I went to the nearby grocery stores as needed. And I worked on some of the small tasks to do on SummerTime as could be accomplished with an injured crew aboard. The weather is nice, and we are essentially grounded. But we do take the taxi on Thursday night to wing night at the Marathon Grill and Ale House. Wings are 35c each, so we eat well, sampling new flavors, and enjoy the company of other loopers and snowbirds on their boats. There are 8 of us at 2 tables. The wings cooked in "Old Bay" crab boil are the most flavorful. Not hot, but very tasty.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DOCK LIZARD</td></tr>
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<br />SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201683360627629595.post-41738654534255331252017-01-29T22:42:00.002-05:002017-01-29T22:42:48.569-05:00WEEK #22, 24-30Dec2016 IDLE WEEK On Saturday, we take a day to do chores on SummerTime. I work on some of my worklist items, most notably the courtesy lights in the cockpit and adding one on the flybridge. I straighten out some of the wiring under the console in the process of adding a courtesy light to the flybridge. Barbara straightens out items in the interior. Mostly she is looking for items we packed onto SummerTime before leaving Port Clinton and have not been using. We plan on removing them from the boat and taking them to storage in NC. It is a productive day for both of us.<br />
On Sunday we get up, and Barbara prepares a nice, filling breakfast before we ready for church. We attend the Marathon First Baptist Church again, taking advantage of $5. taxis to and from church. The drivers were tipped well for working on Christmas Day, as well as Sunday. Barbara baked a Cornish hen for dinner, and we had a nice Sunday lunch and relaxed the rest of the day.<br />
For Monday, I work on the flybridge courtesy lights some more. And I straighten out more wiring under the console. Barbara packs as we are leaving the boat on Tuesday to visit relatives in NC over the holidays. It is a long and productive day for both of us.<br />
Tuesday morning I call the rental car agency for a pick up. They are pretty prompt, and I am back to SummerTime just a few minutes after what I thought was going to be the pick up time at the airport. We finish making the boat ready to leave, getting cushions in off of the flybridge, and checking all our lines. We leave about 10:15. It will be several days before we see SummerTime again. We drive east and north out of the Keys, and are amazed at the number of cars we meet coming into the keys. It is going to be crowded on those islands over the holiday period. Glad we are not going to be on the keys, though I will miss the warm weather.SummerTimesJourneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08369551317269857052noreply@blogger.com0