10/16/2009, Deltaville Boatyard, Jackson Creek VA
Funny how things happen sometimes. While we intended to anchor in Jackson Creek anyway, we hadn't intended to get any work done while visiting Deltaville VA on our way south. While sailing without the engine noise we felt some vibration under our feet that made us uncomfortable, and had the boatyard haul us out to look things over below the waterline. We discovered that our Cutlass Bearing, the bearing that supports the shaft through the hull has been worn down over the years and needs replacing, as does the propeller shaft. We're fortunate to have discovered this here at a yard we know and trust, so we'll be here over the weekend plus a few days to have the bearing shipped in and a new shaft fabricated. Being "on the hard" is one of my least favorite activities on the boat, but we're thankful to get this work done.
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10/15/2009, Mill Creek, Great Wicomico River MD
It's rainy and cold at anchor but we're enjoying the time with good friends. There are several boats at anchor here validating our decision to sit this weather out, but it's not going away soon so we may get going tomorrow anyway. This is a game of Mexican Train Dominoes with our friends Robin and Cheryl on Just Imagine... It's good fun and sure beats the Boob Tube. We're travelling south together for a ways and will meet up in the Bahamas in the new year.
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10/14/2009, Mill Creek, Great Wicomico River MD
We celebrated Carrie's birthday underway today heading south. She's such a patriot, isn't she? After another successful sail south with some strong north winds and following seas, we anchoring in a protected cove close to the Bay to sit out some poor weather in relative comfort. It's forecast to be cold and the rain and won't be pleasant, but better here than on the bay. We'll sit out the weather for a couple of days here before heading south again.
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10/13/2009, Annapolis to Solomons MD
We weighed anchor this morning and sailed south on some brisk north winds down the bay in company with Just Imagine... to Solomons Md where we'll spend the night. We said good bye to Annapolis and the northern Bay on our way south to warmer weather and tropical islands. We're very excited about cruising down the coast once again and reaching our goal of "Christmas in the Bahamas".
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10/10/2009, Weems Creek, Annapolis MD
Carrie's last dental appt. was Friday so we're staying through the weekend in Annapolis to visit the Sailboat Show and synch up with our friends to head south. By the way...many of you know about Carrie's phobia with dentist. Well, through a referral, She found Dr. Djawdan an Implant, Laser and Cosmetic Dentist here in Annapolis. Dr. Djawdan is one of about 4% of dentists in the United States that has the advanced training, experience, and technology to be able to personally handle all aspects of Dental needs. She highly recommends him!
Departure is slated for Tuesday morning with North winds forecast for the Chesapeake to push us to warmer weather. Woo Hoo!! We'll miss the friends we leave behind but are itching to get south towards the Bahamas and beyond. If someone wants to visit in the Bahamas let us know!! We're buying charts for the entire Caribbean in hopes of spending some time there on this trip. Stay tuned! (Picture: See Carrie Stitch the Headsail)
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10/01/2009, St. Michaels/Wye River, MD
I finally got loose from the KeyLogic "tar baby" (no offense Jon, we love KeyLogic) and we took off immediately for the Eastern shore to begin crusing and exploring the Bay again. We spent several days in St. Michaels, a funky little town that Bay enthusiasts know well, just relaxing and enjoying the history of the area. We even got to have "Sundowners" (cruiser lingo for evening cocktails) and dinner with Rich and his friend Kristen onboard his sailboat "Chris Lea". Rich is a friend from Harborview marina in Baltimore. The next day we travelled up to the Wye river, another popular cruising destination on the Eastern Shore that we've yet to visit, and anchored in a quiet creek with a majestic Bald Eagle guarding the entrance. There was a younger Eagle in another tree close by. The surroundings were so peaceful that we hated to leave but took advantage the next day of some very favorable winds and had a GREAT sail (reaching and running at 6-7 knots) all the way back to Annapolis to get provisions and visit the dentist before heading south.
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09/30/2009, Mayo Md on the Rhode River
In old sailing days a Gam was when ships passed close aboard to allow crewmembers to exchange information. We enjoyed our first Gam over the weekend with the Seven Seas Cruising Assoc. with over 75 boats at anchor in the Rhode river. We met up with many old friends and made many new ones, one of our favorite aspects of cruising. Our best surpise was running into Vern and Michelle on SV Enchantment to catch up and share dreams with. Vern took the picture above of the potluck we attended which started out as a simple dinghy raft-up but blossomed into a major gathering. There were good lectures during the weekend but we enjoyed the comraderie and learning experiences with fellow cruisers more than anything. We look forward to crossing paths with many of them while heading south and into the Bahamas this winter.
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09/29/2009, Cambridge MD
What you see is the makings of dinner. We were anchored just off the Coptank River directly across Cambridge in one of the most beautiful anchorages I've seen yet. We arrived on a Saturday and the anchorage seemed quite full. After swinging in for a closer look, we found a spot only to find out that everyone would clear out on Monday morning.
I had bought some chicken necks hoping I might get the opportunity to use them to catch crabs. It was a lot of fun and we did catch enough for dinner...Boy were they good!
Now on to Mayo MD where Carl and I will participate in a "GAM" held by the Seven Seas Cruising Association.
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09/18/2009, Oxford MD
After finally breaking away from the corporate "Tar Baby" (We love you Key Logic), we hauled anchor and ventured across the bay to Oxford, a quite hamlet on the eastern shore. Last night was so quiet at anchor that Carl disengaged the wind generator (CAREFULLY) because of the slight noise it makes while spinning.
While Carl was napping in the cockpit, I discovered there was a small airport very close to where we anchored. An airplane did touch and goes most of the day. On the shoreline we heard the faint sound of bagpipes and spied the gentleman playing in his yard right under the American Flag.
Exploring the town didn't take very long but it's still a welcome return to cruising for Sanctuary. We did find out that Oxford was the first designated port of entry on the eastern shore of Maryland in 1694.
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09/09/2009, Annapolis Maryland
A year after the surgery and radiation treatments for breast cancer... I have been waiting and wondering if Carl and I would be able to continue our dream of the cruising life. As many of you know, We have made two attemps to reach the Bahamas for the winter and have been denied both times. Once for a Gall Bladder issue and then the diagnoses of Breast Cancer. My one year check-up and mamogram show no sign of cancer!!!! I am now a one year survivor! Yea!
So...I get to go! Now we begin the planning stages of the trip south and hope to go ALL THE WAY! It will be nice to get into the habit of weekly blogs and sharing our progress.
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