Sailing with Nine of Cups

Vessel Name: Nine of Cups
Vessel Make/Model: Liberty 458
Hailing Port: Denver, Colorado, USA
Crew: Marcie & David
About: We've lived aboard Nine of Cups since 2000 and have managed to accumulate 86,000+ nm under the keel since that time. We completed a circumnavigation in April 2015 and managed to sail around the five great southern capes. Come along with us for the ride!
Extra:
Visit our website at www.nineofcups.com for more photos and info about Nine of Cups and her crew. We also have a more extensive blogsite at www.justalittlefurther.com. Are some of our links broken? Links break from time to time. Please let us know which ones are broken and we'll fix them. You [...]
05 January 2017 | Chesapeake, VA
07 July 2016 | Us: East Walpole, MA / Cups: Chesapeake, VA
06 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
04 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
02 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
01 July 2016 | Virginia Beach, Virginia
30 June 2016 | Chesapeake, VA
29 June 2016 | Chesapeake, VA
28 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
27 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
26 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
25 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
24 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
23 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
22 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
21 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
20 June 2016 | Charleston, South Carolina, USA
19 June 2016 | Charleston, South Carolina, USA
18 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
17 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
Recent Blog Posts
05 January 2017 | Chesapeake, VA

Happy 2017!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

07 July 2016 | Us: East Walpole, MA / Cups: Chesapeake, VA

Taking a breather ...

Since we'll be off the boat during July and August, we plan to post only three times per week. The Captain will continue writing a practical Blue View post each week, we'll keep you up to date on what's happening with us and then throw in some cruising nuggets as well.

06 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA

Keeping fit

We’ve written before about keeping fit on the boat. David is so much better at a regimented exercise program than I am. I have all the best intentions, but I can always think of something better to do than sit-ups, push-ups, leg lifts and running in place. It doesn’t take much to distract me. Walking, [...]

04 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA

Happy 240th Birthday, America

Growing up in New England, I took for granted just how lovely a summer’s morning can be in Massachusetts. It’s comfortably cool and everything smells clean and fresh. Spider webs glisten with morning dew and it’s just great to be alive and breathe in the new day. Being back at Lin’s house conjures up wonderful childhood memories of summer mornings past. And this is not just any morning … it’s the 4th of July, the best holiday of the summertime in the USA.

02 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA

Leaving Cups and a Road Trip

Leaving Nine of Cups is never easy. We know she’ll pout while we’re gone and so we do our best to make sure she’s as comfortable as possible before we leave. We were whirling dervishes trying to get everything ready.

01 July 2016 | Virginia Beach, Virginia

Hunting & Gathering - Virginia Beach

We had lots to do before leaving Cups. David was intent on getting as many chores done in advance of our departure as possible so that once we return in September, we can spend time sailing in the Chesapeake rather than doing repairs and maintenance. Much of what we needed in the way of parts and supplies, [...]

Triabunna - Gateway to Maria Island

25 January 2013 | Triabunna, Tasmania
Marcie
It seems heading to Triabunna was a good idea, in more ways than one. Our arrival was sweet and calm; we launched the dinghy and checked on-line for more information about this rural seacoast town. We figured this might be a good opportunity to get a bit more gasoline for the dinghy, do a little exploring, get a few groceries, have a chance to do some laundry and generally catch up on chores. Short delays like this are usually time well spent.

By sundown, the winds had increased to consistent 30 knots from the NW and our calm little anchorage was no longer calm. By the time we headed to bed a few hours later, the winds had backed to the west and were gusting in the high 40's. We hung tight. A sleepless night ensued. We took turns checking our position and making sure all was well. The wind howled and shrieked and rattled the rigging. It left us unsettled and wondering, as always, if there could be any more wind left ... but there always is. Sometime around 0500, the winds subsided and the rain began. We slept soundly for a few hours in the renewed calm. More of the same was forecast, but luckily no winds were as bad as the first night.

The winds remained fresh and I washed and hung out the laundry despite the frequent showers. I figured any rain would end up being another “rinse cycle” and everything would eventually dry which it did.

Just after noon, with a respite in the wind, we headed up the narrow channel into town. Triabunna is a scenic little port town and considered the largest township (not city) on Tasmania's east coast. The town's name is an Aboriginal word for native hen. A little trivia here...though we've seen lots of native Tasmanian hens scurrying about in our island travels, we did not see any in Triabunna.

Founded in the 1820's as a whaling station and supply depot/garrison post for the Maria Island penal colony, Triabunna is said to be Australia’s first rural municipality. We tied up the dinghy midst the crayfish boats and headed to the Tourist Info Center, just behind the marina. We got our orientation of the town and found out where all the important stuff was...gas station, grocery, old buildings, tourist stuff. We picked up our usual allotment of brochures and info pamphlets.

The town may be small (population: ~800), but it certainly is friendly. We lugged our gasoline and four 8 gallon diesel jugs to the gas station about ½ mile away. The owner called his daughter who arrived with a truck a few minutes later to give David and the full jugs a ride back to the marina. At the IGA, we were allowed to borrow a shopping cart to get our groceries back to the dock. Much easier for sure than lugging everything in bags and backpacks.

The coastal reserve Pelican Walk starts just beyond the marina and we took the short walk along Vicary's Inlet. We spotted black swans, herons, pied oystercatchers and Australasian grebes, but no pelicans.

We passed several historic buildings on our walk around town, including the Spring Bay Hotel (1838) and the Triabunna House (c.1840), that attest to the colonial roots of the town. There's a hardware store, a butcher and a pharmacy, a cafe or two and a takeaway place. Interestingly enough, there's also a Christmas shop which I can't believe does much business, but it was certainly crammed full of all things Christmas.

We think Triabunna has probably seen better days. It bills itself as “the Gateway to Maria Island”. The Maria Island Ferry docks here and that accounts for the tourists in town. Otherwise, we'd be hard pressed to figure out why people would visit. It's a friendly place, small and quaint, but there's not much here and most of the historic buildings are regretfully, a bit worse for the wear.

More pics and links? Check out www.justalittlefurther.com. And don't forget to check out the video on the crews' first taste of Vegemite tomorrow.
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