Merry Christmas!

Just heard from the insurance company that the total cost is covered. We'll update once we know which way we are going.

Enjoy the holidays!

Starting the remodel on the condo!

We have been in Myrtle Beach now for a week with a very busy schedule. We are still waiting on one more estimate for the Yumsuch, which we should have by the end of the day. We demo the condo this past weekend and started planning our new layout.
We were very impressed with with the electric motor coming down the ICW. We thought it would take us 10 to 14 days to get to Myrtle Beach, it took 6 days. The last day was the longest since we had current against us up until the last two hours. Thankfully the current went into our favor the last two hours. If it hadn't it would of meant one more day of travel. The only reason it would of meant one more day of travel was we are demasted which means no running lights. We turned into Ospry Marina in the nick of time before nightfall. Everyone thought we were trying to concerve on our battery by not running the lights. Then we explained, it all made sense way we came in with no running lights.
As you are aware YUMSUCH is down for repairs and safely docked at Osprey Marina, so our blog will be done on our updates of the condo and travel out west until until she's repaired which we are looking at mid-March to end of April.

Bunks in the hallway are now GONE FOREVER!

Dolphins playing!

We have had some great cruising days going down the ICW. We are at Carolina Beach State Park mile marker 297.1, Myrtle Beach is at mile marker 375. Hopefully we will be there by Tuesday. I will admit there are is one advantage not having a mast, not waiting on bridges to open. Yumsuch just needs 10 to 11 ft to go under, so no wasted time waiting for a bridge to open. However I do miss the sailing, we have had the perfect conditions for sailing.
The most amazing thing is having the dolphins play with us. They were so darn cute! They would swim underwater looking at us like they were smiling at us. Simple amazing! They played with us for about an hour or so.

View from our boat at Carolina Beach State Park.

Finally on our way!

We started the final leg of journey today and made it to Moorhead City. This was our destination went our mast snapped 2 weeks ago.

As we stayed clear of the ships at the naval yard, we were greeted by dolphins. Seems like everyone starts to see them here. We took it as a sign of good luck. Plan to get up early and make tomorrow a 25 mile day to Swansboro.

Navel Boat with security boat to make sure you stay 500 ft from the Navy Vessel.

Roy and I will be leaving Deaton Marina Wednesday. Deaton Marina has been incredible to work with! We are still waiting on quotes for repair of the mast, sail and wishbone boom. Hopefully we will have them by the end of the week. We plan on motoring down to Myrtle Beach to Ospry Marina to keep the boat until the mast is completed. In the meantime we will be remodeling our condo down there.
We ended up going down to Myrtle Beach to check on the condo before heading up to have Thanksgiving with my daughter, son-in-law and grandkids. Then we heading back to the condo until Monday. We had absolutely perfect weather mid seventies and crystal blue skies. I love waking up to the sound of the ocean.

Our morning view from our condo!

Our evening view!

Nathaniel and Jacob at Pump It up! They sure know how to wear out their grandparents!

Boat US Insurance

Just heard back from the insurance company. They wanted us to have a good holiday and said the mast will be fully covered.

We have an estimate from Mike Quill for an all new aluminum mast and we are waiting on a quote for the carbon mast.

We'll update once we have final approval and delivery estimates. We were given the Ok to move on, so we are going to motor the rest of the way to Myrtle Beach. We picked up a 4KW generator so we can run our 30 Amp/72VDC charger. That will allow us to go 4 knots without drawing battery power.

Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Roy and I are still in shock and disbelieve of the mast snapping in half. Roy was up on the mast last Wednesday, to even think it could of snapped with him 60 ft up runs chills through me! Not even a safety line would of helped! I'm very thankful! Boat Us insurance company will be here tomorrow. We are in Oriental, NC a very small town, if you have cruised the ICW you know how small it really is.
Pictures taken from Dave & Jessica boat!

We had dinner with Dave and Jessica and they had some interesting boating stories to tell as you can see from the pictures.

Sailing down the Alligator Pungo River.

A black bear coming towards the boat!

Did you ever think he had to come to a complete stop for two deer crossing your bow! You can see one of them swimming so fast to get out of their way.

Very, very sad day for the Yumsuch!

We had the perfect conditions for a perfect sailing day sailing at 15knots of wind. Sailing close hauled at 5.5 knots. Then we heard a big bang! We both just looked at each other for a split second, the mast slapped into the water, and stuck into the river bed. We were in 12ft of water, we never thought we would run aground due to a mast. We managed to get the mast lifted and tied off to the side of the boat. We are just thankful no one got hurt!

A couple, Dave and Jessie we met early in our travels, were a few days behind us. But they caught up today and witnessed the crash. They saw us sailing one minute and couldn’t find us the next. They took their binoculars and couldn’t believe what they saw! They came over offered to help but rafting with the mast grounded was not a good idea. After a lot of pulling, cutting the sail off the mast we finally got everything tied off and they motored next to us to make sure we made it to port. Dave and Jessica, a huge thank you, you two are awesome!

Still Sailing

Still sailing in November and in the ICW. Two things I did not think possible. It was encouraging to hear that Jim and Laurie (Kismet), sail over 80% of the time during their north and south travels.

I forgot to mention that we were able to reinstall the Nexus wind instrument and receiver while at Elizabeth City. They work great, so thanks to Nexus for going above and beyond in their service. We now have instruments again and that makes it a lot easier when sailing in the narrow creeks and rivers of the ICW. We don’t have to keep staring up at the wind vane any more.

We left Elizabeth City to try and get to the start of the Alligator river to ride the last day of NW winds on Friday. The winds were NW, but light and shifty, but we managed to get there under sail. We had an Island Packet 35 sailing with us all day. He motorsailed past us to get low enough to sail a broad reach with staysail and yankee flying. We both sailed about the same speed, but he had to stop and fill up his fuel tank when he arrived at the marina. With 20-30 knots of NW predicted for Friday, we elected to stay at the Alligator River Marina for the night. Boy was that an experience. We bumped going in and the mosquitoes were so thick, they covered the boat. They use well water there and it was brown and tasted funny. We knew all this before we went, but there were no other choices. On the plus side, everyone was very friendly and helpful.

Friday brought a cold 25 knots NW. We did not leave until around 11 because we were not sure if we wanted to anchor out with 32 degrees predicted for that night. Our plan was to anchor out at the start of the Alligator-Pungo Canal. After screaming down the 22 miles in 3 hours, and the fact the wind was howling through the anchorage, we decided to keep going the other 25 miles through the canal. We kept the sail up and motorsailed through. We had times of sailing at 5 knots, but mostly the wind was shifty and light. But, we probably averaged 4 knots. We knew we would be exiting at night, and planned to use the anchorage at the exit, but I didn’t like the way it was so open, so we elected to go another 5 miles to Dowry Creek and drop a hook in front of the marina. Much more protected here, but we didn’t get there until 9pm. Very cold, but we learned a trick from Kismet and burn our oil lantern for a few hours before we go to bed and it helps to control the humidity and temperature in the stateroom.

Saturday was one of those picture perfect sailing days. 10-12 knots of breeze, flat water and a perfect blue sky. We sailed right from Dowry creek to our Anchorage in Campbell creek. We even short tacked up Goose creek. Sunday was a mostly a motor day to get us to our current marina the River Dunes just north of Oriental. Beautiful marina that is not very well known but a 5 star on AC. They gave us a loaner car to go into Oriental. It was Monday and the whole town seemed to be shutdown, including the marine consignment shop. I don’t see the attraction to going to Oriental. There is only 1 restaurant there and a small grocery store.

Heading out to Morehead City tomorrow.

Not So Dismal, Dismal Swamp.Run

We started the ICW on Sunday. We sailed from Norfolk right up to the Gilmerton Bridge, dropped the sail, under the bridge we go, then raised sail, sailed down to the first section of the Dismal Swamp Canal and right up to the first lock. Beautiful sailing day with a tail wind the whole way. Jim and Laurie were talking about how nice the North wind has been for sailing, so we plan to take full use of it ourselves. We tied up to the Elizabeth dock, right after the Deep Creek Lock. It was close to a town, so we stopped a bought a few things we forgot and had a dinner at the local Mexican restaurant. Nice quiet place to spend the night. We had 5 other boats with us there.

Off we went the next morning to North Carolina Visitor’s Center (18 miles) to dock for the night. The Dismal Swamp Canal was beautiful with the foliage changing and warm temperatures. We had to motor the whole way, but sliding along at 3 knots, on a nice day, isn’t so bad. At 3 knots we are not pulling from our batteries. The little Honda runs a 15 amp charger that gives us that speed. We put it up on the bow, so we barely hear it.

The next day we motored and motor sailed down to Elizabeth City, NC. When we got there, the 6 other boats that had locked through with us at the South Mills Lock, were tied to a wall near the bridge. The bridge wasn’t working and it took to 1:00pm the next day it get it fixed. We wound up rafting off of a Swiss boat and it was an enlightening experience. He had been involved in designing electric power boats in Switzerland. Unfortunately, he could not speak English, but his wife interpreted for us and they gave us some contacts to call on. They said we should be running a special prop for electric drives. It reduces your battery consumption and also gives more regen. Think of the props on the Torqueedo electric outboards. They gave us renewed hope that maybe we could stay electric only.

After going under the bridge, we didn’t have time to get to the Alligator River, so we just to the city docks. The town puts on a wine and cheese party for new guests and they told us the hot spots to hit. We did that in a couple of hours. Nice place to stop and shoot the breeze with other boaters and townspeople. One nice guy, Joe, came down and offered to bring us to breakfast and the to the mall to do his walk with him. But, we were leaving. We told him we would see him in the spring. 3 more days of North wind, so we hope to sail most of it before it turns to SW again.
Dismal Swamp Canal!

Leaving Deep Creek Lock.

Welcome to North Carolina!

Norfolk Yacht & Counrty Club

We arrived Wednesday at the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club. We had spent two nights in an anchorage in the Severn River/Mobjack Bay. Then had an easy day sail to here. Very impressive sailing along the Navy yard and the aircraft carriers moored there.

Active Captain rated this a 5 star Marina! It is far more than a five star marina! It's located on the Lafayette River, it offers indoor and outdoor pool, fitness center, 10 tennis courts (all lit up for night tennis), squash courts, Jacuzzi, saunas, steam rooms, massage center, fine dining, casual dining and concrete floating docks. It's absolutely amazing! All this for $1.50 per foot. There is one negative, the part of town this is located at is not the best! To get anywhere decent you have to have a car.

Roy and I swam yesterday, we both swam at least 1/2 mile then sat in the Jacuzzi for a while. we rented a car for a day so we could reprovision and I could get my hair done. We had a nice dinner at Surf Riders in Virginia Beach. Great recommendation from Ernie (Roy's boss)! Then to BJ's, since we are going to start the ICW (Inter Coastal Waterway)on Sunday.

NORFOLK NAVEL BASE from the water!

Staying Warm

We are hunkered down in Deltaville, VA for the weekend. We sailed here Wednesday with 20 knots on the nose and a lumpy sea. The worst we have seen the Chesapeake. A little pounding and spray, but only a short 15 mile sail. On Thursday the wind was the same, so we decided to ride out the upcoming cold front here. We are about 35 miles north of Norfolk and the start of the ICW.

AC has the anchorage and marina a 5 star. The holding and protection are very good. After an 80 degree day on Friday, at 11pm the wind shifted 180 degrees and gusted into the 30's with rain. The temperature dropped about 25 degrees. Our fireplace has been our best friend lately. It keeps the cabin toasty warm.

We reserved a slip for Friday through Monday morning. This way we could reprovision and leave our little ceramic heaters running 24 hours. The marina provides a loaner car for free and the local grocery store was well stocked.

We plan to leave on Monday to continue working south.

Tech note: I know some of you like to hear about our electric motor. We went 4 days without plugging in and sailed/motored for 5 days straight. Our house bank stayed charged from our wind and solar. For the engine bank, the regen on this new controller works well enough to recoup whatever we used to motor up and down creeks for our anchorages/marinas. At 4 knots sailing we get about 1.8 amps going into our batteries. At 5 knots it jumps to 3 amps. We have seen as high as 10 amps, but a normal 6.5 knot sailing speed gives 4.5-5 amps. We are now torn as to whether to add a generator or a lithium phosphate battery bank. We figured we would wait to see how the rest of our trip to Myrtle Beach goes to make a decision.

Looking forward to getting the Nexus parts back next week. We have no instruments except our chart plotter. We have confirmation on shipment, so they will be waiting for us in Norfolk.

Cruising

Feels good to be sailing again, Especially when you are not in a hurry.

Sunday we went for a jog before leaving Herrington Harbor around noon. Winds were light and on the nose, but we managed another 15 miles today. We spent the night at Flag Harbor marina. The next day we left around 11:30 to a light breeze on the nose again. Winds stayed around 8-10 and with some tweaking, I was able to get 4-5 knots and tacking through 85 degrees. Higher winds we can get 80 degrees, but normally wider than the 85 in these light breezes. I was very pleased with the results. Makes me think we have at least a few more years in the sail. We made it another 10 miles down and had our first anchorage in the Solomons at Mill Creek. Beautiful area and look forward to spending some quality time there next summer.

The days have been in the mid 60's, but nights in the mid 40's. So, as usual, we are chasing the warm weather south. That is why we are sailing during the warmest hours of 11-4. The sun is always shining, so the cockpit is nice and warm.

Tuesday brought our first tail winds of 15-20 knots from the NW. We sailed out of the anchorage and made 45 miles today. Absolutely gorgeous day. We saw our first pelican, so we know we are heading in the right direction. We have also crossed over to VA. We are in another Mill Creek in the Wicomico River.

We have expedited our plans to work towards Norfolk on every day the sun is shining. We may be there for this weekend now. All about staying warm. Strange to think Yumsuch would be put to bed for weeks in NY.

A lot of air traffic near the Navy Test Center!

Point No Point Lighthouse! Obvious name when we can sail between it and the shoreline.

Great way to end a perfect day!

We are looking forward to sailing South
We will miss Annapolis and the people we have meant, but we will be back next year.
Found a few favorite restaurants like the Chart House which we had a great dinner with Ashley and Tom. Sofia's Crepe's, we ate lunch there every day during the boat show. (Ashley and Tom enjoyed crepe's with us), Davis, a local pub and Mike's Crab House.

Chart House!

If you have attended the Boat Show, this is a view looking at Puesser's Bar.

Goodbye Annapolis, Saturday morning!

Didn't expect to see a Sub this far up the Chesapeake Bay!

We sailed 12 miles yesterday to Herrington Harbour Marina Resort. The winds were light and we are in no hurry. We met a couple from Nashville on their Jeanneau DS 45. It was nicely customized. We always liked that boat among the production builders.

We are shooting for 2 weeks to be in Norfolk. Nexus has agreed to replace the wind instrument and its wireless box for no charge. I ran into the president at the boat show and he had heard about my problems. They have had problems with ESD and have redesigned both boards with a higher output as well. It is being shipped to a marina in Norfolk where our new friends Rob, Emily and Teak kept their PacketCat 35. Hoping things work out this time.

Fun Week with the Grandkids!

What fun week with the Grandkids! Mommy let Jacob play hooky from preschool on Thursday, so we went to Pump It Up for 3 hours. We had a BLAST! When I awoke on Friday, I was supposed to have only Nathaniel, but Tara surprised me and let Jacob stay home. Saturday was fun filled day at the Pumpkin Farm. We first took a long hay ride to the corn maze. At the end of the corn maze we found the pumpkin patch for everyone to pick out the perfect pumpkin. Then off to the slides and petting farm. We all had a great family day! We ended the evening with Jacob helping me make a apple fruit pizza to go along with flank steak, asparagus, grilled vegetables and potatoes. Jacob loves making desserts pizzas! My little Nathaniel loves playing with my zoom! Sunday we went to Homestead for an early dinner, the drive was absolutely beautiful with leaves just in peak.
It was great to see Tara, Mike, Jacob and Nathaniel!

We are back in Annapolis, we will be back cruising Thursday. we have been very fortunate that the weather has been gorgeous!

Mike, Jacob & Roy

Jacob & Roy enjoying the tractor ride!

Jacob and Nathaniel can't wait to run thru the corn maze!
Roy, Me, Jacob, Nathaniel and Tara.

Nathaniel running thru the corn maze!

Nathaniel and Jacob leading the way thru the corn maze!

Roy & Me!

Jacob feeding a rabbit!