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, [...]

Chinamans Bay - Maria Island

31 January 2013 | Chinamans Bay
Marcie
Chinaman's Bay - Maria Island

When we were in Chinaman's Bay on the southwest side of Maria Island the other day, the winds were not conducive to going ashore and exploring. Today, however, the light easterlies were perfect for heading in to see what we could see. The bay is actually called Shoal Bay, but was nicknamed Chinaman's Bay for the Chinese men who fished for abalone in this shallow bay in the 1860-1870s and the name stuck. It's quite popular with yachties.

We were up at 0600 and the anchorage was millpond calm. We headed ashore in the dinghy and beached it. There's a sandy track just 50m (~50yds) off the beach. We crossed the tombolo to Riedle's Bay on the other side of the island. It's only a .5km (.2 miles) walk across at this point. We could hear the surf crashing before we climbed a small sandy hill and saw a large crescent beach spread before us, totally deserted except for some oystercatchers dodging the waves and looking for breakfast.

We were hoping to see more wildlife and birdlife today by coming in early. The track was thick and sandy as we followed it north towards French's Farm, a campsite we'd noted on the island map. Dense bush, ferns and banksias formed the undergrowth for the eucalypt forests that cover the island. When we crossed a wooden bridge, it was obvious that we had exited the tombolo because the track immediately became dirt and gravel. There's not much at French's Farm although it looked like a great place for camping. We saw the remnants of French's woolshed, a cottage and a few other outbuildings from the 1930's.

Birds were particularly noticeable this morning. Squawks, peeps, chirps, caws ... everybody had something to add to the morning symphony. We saw curawongs, yellow-tailed black cockatoos, eastern rosellas, yellow wattlebirds, black-headed honeyeaters and one obliging scarlet robin. There were lots of different animal prints on the beach and along the sandy track, but apart from one kangaroo and a few wallabies, we didn't spot any other animals.

We had hoped to see wombats which are supposedly numerous here. Some areas were rife with wombat holes and it was hard to avoid stepping in them. We spotted lots of wombat scat, very distinctive by its square shape. I was hoping to be able to do a "Wombat Bob, Square Poo" blog post, but alas, Wombat Bob never showed up. Maybe another time.

For more pics especially the square poo, check out www.justalittlefurther.com
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