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, [...]

Moving to the Inner Lagoon

26 September 2014 | Cocos Keeling Islands, Indian Ocean
Marcie
Direction Island, Cocos Keeling Islands �- Indian Ocean

After 10 days at sea and three days captive on Cups, it was time to make a break for it no matter how windy it was. We heard there was a ferry from Direction Island to West Island twice a week at 0830. We planned for the Thursday ferry and wanted to get to the island in plenty of time to catch it. The night before, we waited for what we thought sounded like a calm period and launched the dinghy which predictably wanted to fly away. David managed to keep it under control as I hoisted and lowered it with the windlass. Plop �... splash �... it was in the water. The locals, had they had a good view, would have enjoyed watching us try to capture the dingy hoist halyard which flew loose (my bad) in the wind and took several frustrating minutes to snag with the boat hook as it started to rain. One hand for the boat, one hand for yourself �... where does the extra hand for holding on to the halyard come from?

The morning was very windy �... how surprising... with a good chop on the water. David bailed remnants of torrential rains during the night from the dinghy and fueled up. We're still in the outer anchorage as no boats have left, so our trip was a 15-minute soaking wet one to the ferry dock. We had a dry bag packed with one of our laptops and a stick with photos to send to Gentry. No internet for two weeks has been a difficult challenge. The things we become accustomed to that soon become �"necessities�".

Once ashore, we beached the dinghy on a fine sand beach and got our first look at Direction Island. Oh my, the island was a sight to behold. Several covered picnic areas looked inviting. There were hammocks strung between palm trees, a large cistern for catching rainwater, paths in all directions and the familiar tropical sound of a feral rooster crowing somewhere off midst the thick stand of palm trees. We were delighted to discover there was a pay-for-use internet hotspot right on Direction Island. We canned the ferry idea in favor of setting up our internet headquarters right here.

As always, things are easier said than done. We were able to access the Cocos Island Wifi system without a hitch. We filled in all the required info on the form and then it transferred us to PayPal to pay. �"What's our PayPal password?�", David queried. �"Um, I'm not sure, try ...�", I replied, �"it's in my notebook on board. It could be �....�", I offered, wracking my brain. �"Nope, could it be �...?�". He entered another password, mistyped it and tried again. �"How about �...?�", I suggested once again. Well, this went on for a few more tries and no luck. We tried creating a new account, but it wouldn't let us with our current e-mail and credit card. Nothing left to do, but return to the boat and get the darned PayPal password and start again.

In the meantime, however, we took a good look at the anchorage area. We counted 28 boats, 18 with ARC burgees waving. We noticed a couple of boats had left �... one, in particular, from a primo spot. Maybe it was time to move into the lagoon.

We launched the dinghy and sloshed our way back to the boat �... much quicker with wind and waves behind us. We were so wet from the ride in, it made little difference. We had noted a couple of bombies on our way back and made a mental note to avoid them with Cups. As soon as we started the engine and began hoisting the anchor, the Federal Police showed up. They were cool �... �"Go anchor and we'll catch up with you in awhile.�".

A 10-minute, .6 nm move into the lagoon and what a difference. We anchored in 14' (4m) of the most brilliant turquoise water there ever was with an unadulterated view of palm trees ashore. I watched as the anchor dug in, I let out scope and the chain pulled taut. The friendly Federal Police showed up within a few minutes, apologized for the mix-up and completed paperwork in record time.

The best news of all? With our trusty old Alfa antenna, we can pick up the wifi signal on the boat AND I found the PayPal password. Life is good.
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