New York City

Our first trip to Manhattan!!!!!

The cool, crisp fall days were perfect for miles of walking and sight-seeing.

The Amtrak train ride is about three hours from the BWI station (30 minutes from our marina) to Penn Station in Midtown, close to Madison Square Garden and within walking distance to our hotel and so many 'must sees.'  Trains are the best way to travel.  No hassle  --none!  Just buy your ticket, pick your comfy coach seat, and relax and enjoy the view.  Of course, commuters use Amtrak, so sometimes the trains are crowded.

But our train was not crowded.  On a train, there's much more legroom, the seats are wider, and the aisles are wider than on a plane, plus the windows are bigger.  Very enjoyable.  Passengers do have to pay attention to ensure they depart the train at their chosen destination!

The fall colors have been gorgeous, and Central Park's fall foliage was reported to be so as well.  And that it was.  Our three day, two night trip included many hours within the one-half mile wide and two and one-half miles long Park, and we still only covered about half of the area.  In addition to meandering trails accented with granite boulders, forests,a reservoir and several lakes, the Park is home to restaurants, gardens, museums and a zoo.



The Imagine Mosaic in Strawberry Fields, John Lennon's memorial in Central Park.







Remote Controlled Sailing!





We walked everywhere as we located other sights we wanted to see.   The New York Public Library, the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal, Fifth Avenue  -- oh what fun.
So much we didn't see, but that means another visit!

A few other favorites:



Top of Rockefeller Plaza - What a view
 

Remember the
Soup Nazi
from Seinfield? 

But it was not yet open!




Beauty and grandeur in the New York Public Library, as well as extensive collections.  I love libraries (and parks).

St. Patrick's Cathedral
Historical, Gothic-style
Cathholic Church

Rockefeller Plaza
We also were on the Plaza while the Today show was taping, but we were cold and too hungry to wait for Matt and the other anchors to join the crowd outside.

Grand Central Terminal
Transports thousands of commuters daily.
Lots of high-end restaurants and shops.





In the lobby of The Plaza Hotel, on our way to The Oak Room  - martini time.

Fall on the Chesapeake

Hard to believe it's late October.  In between long days of boat cleaning, maintenance, and repair, we've been exploring the area, sampling delicious fresh crab and seafood, and attending local festivals.  The numerous  festivals held throughout the state celebrate Maryland's seafood, its wine, and its harvests.

A small state, Maryland provides a bounty of food, wine and seafood. Our veggies and most of our produce are chosen from several Farmer's Markets and local produce stands.  Maryland has over 40 'Direct Farm & Pick Your Own' markets.  We purchase very fresh seafood from a local shop.  Yes, we are enjoying the area.

We've even been cruising! This last weekend, we left our marina in the Rhode River, sailed up the Bay past the South River, past Annapolis, and turned into the Severn River where we met other Valiant Sailboat owners for a fun outing. We rafted up for  a while for pictures.  Lapidus is between the two red 50' boats.  Our organizers and hosts, Bernie and Kate of Rogue Wave Yachts, own a beautiful home on the Severn and keep their Valiant, Mahalo, there.  We appreciate their hospitality. 

The Bay is crowded on the weekends, especially around Annapolis.  A beautiful site, but maneuvering through all the boats out racing Sunday afternoon was a challenge. 

Cooler Weather -Thanks to Earl

Hurricane Earl,  the monster storm that caused damage to several Caribbean islands, brushed by the Turks and Caicos causing big wave action, and menaced the US East Coast all week, brought a little wind and cooler weather to our area.  Before it fizzled, it made land fall in Nova Scotia, giving several cities a pounding of wind and rain.

The resort town of Ocean City, Maryland, located on the Atlantic coast and about 100 miles from here, braced for a hit from Earl.  The area experienced turbulent waves and wind, but fortunately received no major damage.

We're in Holiday Hill Marina on the Rhode River several miles south of Annapolis on the Chesapeake Bay. 
As this serene view indicates, we're in a lovely, tranquil cove. The Smithsonian Institute prohibits development on the entire south side of the Rhode River, thus the marina is secluded and quiet.  While a big storm can do damage here or anywhere, we do have nice protection from the waves caused by wind and Bay boaters, plus no muscle boats or jet skis are allowed (thanks to the Smithsonian).

We're getting into the rhythm of marina living.  Being secured in a slip results in an easier life than being on a mooring ball or at anchor.  Here we just step off the boat and walk up the docks (and, thankfully, to our pickup)   -no need to launch the dingy, start the motor, head for the dingy dock, secure the dingy, and then complete whatever activity was planned, which might be something simple and or it might be laundry day, so the dingy is full of clothes.  Then, of course,  back on the dingy to return to the big boat.  But, because we're in a slip and not anchored with our bow in the wind, we're not enjoying the breeze blowing in our hatches.  And slip life offers far less privacy than living at anchor, where you experience the feeling of having your own, private sunset.  Slip life is easier, but not nearly as rewarding. The Bay boasts hundreds of lovely anchorages and we'll be visiting a few of those this fall.

Right now, we're enjoying this beautiful weather and keeping track of the current tropical storms.

Notes and Pics from the Captain

Lapidus - Close to time to depart for passage from Turks and Caicos to Annapolis


With no chartplotter from the second day on, we navigated with paper charts and our two handheld VHF's.  We came all the way in like this without any trouble. We came into the Chesapeake at 3 in the morning and no moon. It sure beats dead reckoning.

On the third morning we were motoring and there was a loud growling sound. I slowed the engine and checked everything, but found nothing wrong. I started motoring again and within 15 to 20 minutes same sound. I shut the engine off for the next two and a half days and watched the windex on top of the mast spin around and around. After two and a half days I started the engine and ran it at 1500 rpms for a while and then up to 2200, with no problems and no more unusual noises. We ran the engine sparingly to be sure we had enough diesel to enter the marina, which we did, but not much extra. 

Six different pods of dolphins joined us during our voyage.
They came to play, and we were glad to see them.



I was only able to understand Chris Parker two days while we were in the middle of our voyage, but it was a big help. He gave us a couple of good waypoints that helped us out on some eddies and gave us some wind part of a day. The eddies lasted until we got to the gulfstream. We basically sailed north on longitude 72 and then curved in west to Cape Hatteras, then into the Chesapeake.

It was really hot out there. There were two or three days where we did not see a ship, plane or a bird. Again, we were always glad when a pod of dolphins decided to hang out with us for a while.  Unusal cloud formations also added interest.  One cloud with a hole in the middle?
 

South Side Marina

The new bar and restaurant has been started and will be a welcome addition to the south side of Provo.

Annapolis Arrival

Larry and Robert left the Turks & Caicos Sunday afternoon, August 1, and pulled into a slip in Holiday Hill Marina Wednesday afternoon, August 11.  The forecast was for a sailing wind, though moderate; instead, there was not enough wind and they were becalmed for several days, which added a couple of days to the length of the trip.

While the weather was too uneventful, they did have challenges.  The Furuno Chart Plotter and Radar decided to take a vacation starting the second morning.  No data was on the screen.  Though Larry was able to get some old waypoints back, none of the charts would come up, nor was anything visible on the radar.  They had all the needed paper charts to chart their route, so that's what they did.  Taking regular Lat and Long readings with our handheld Standard Horizon and keeping a good log kept them occupied and on their route.

Also, on a calm day early in the trip, the engine made an unusual noise, though it continued to run.  After the second time it made the noise, Larry thought it might be the cutlass bearing and decided to not run it, not wanting to cause more serious damage.  After a few days of averaging little more than two knots, they again turned on the engine, but ran it only at low RPM's and only ran it when there was no wind. It made no more noises and they were able to use it to come into the marina.

Kenya and I had a fast, fun road trip.  We left OKC Sunday afternoon, made a detour to Ponca City, then stopped in Memphis for the night and arrived in Wilmington, NC Monday night, after 1,400 miles.  Though not exactly on the logical road to Annapolis, Wilmington is a lovely coastal city and we wanted to check it out; we're so glad we did.  Then Wednesday morning, we drove the 390 miles to Annapolis and met up with Larry!

I'm loving being back on the boat, trying to find a location for all the extras I brought on board, mostly clothes I bought because I did not take much with me when I left.  We're getting the boat in order, which will take a while.  We'll take the Furuno Chart Plotter to the dealer to have the software reloaded, and hope that's all that needs to be done.  Also, we have the engine to take care off.

Larry plans to write more info about the trip.  Plus, we'll be sharing what's happening here and what plans we make.

Underway to Annapolis

Larry and his crew member Robert began their passage Sunday afternoon at high tide.  The sandy-bottom shallow route from Southside Marina to Sapodilla Bay is only possible at high tide and takes about two hours.  From the Bay, they followed the Sand Bore Channel still needing as much water under them as possible, as much for random coral heads as for depth.

Out of the Channel late in the afternoon, they turned north and will be underway until they reach Annapolis.  We don't have a satellite phone, so I won't talk to Larry until he has a phone antenna somewhere on the east coast, probably in the Chesapeake.  We do have a Single Side Bank, so he can talk to Chris Parker (weather forecaster) as well as make other connections if needed.

Time to Move - Ourselves & Lapidus

Time for an update: I'm still in Oklahoma, but Larry has flown back to the Turks and Caicos and is preparing the boat for a move to the Chesapeake, specifically Annapolis! In June, Larry flew back to take down all the sails and canvass, since hurricane season had begun and we weren't sure when we would be continuing our cruising.  So, now, he's putting them all back up, along with the usual preparations for an offshore trip. 

While we had planned to spend some time in  Oklahoma (and Texas) to visit family and friends this summer,  we left the boat in the Turks and Caicos and flew to Oklahoma earlier than planned due to my Mom's health.  She's had a tough summer, but is doing pretty well at this time.

We plan to be in the Annapolis area for a while.  Flying to Oklahoma is a lot easier from the East Coast than from the Caribbean.  Plus, we will easily be able to be contacted when the need arises.  Cruising the Caribbean is still a priority, just moved to the future for now.

Larry and Robert (his very qualified crew) plan to leave August 1, weather permitting.  To find crew, we used an organization that specializes in helping captains find crew and crew find captains-  www. sailopo.com.  Robert wanted to make the trip because he is interested in purchasing a Valiant.  Larry's plan is to take the shortest route with the best weather and with no planned stops.  I'm sure I'll be missing a great passage, but at the time we decided to do this, I did not want to be 'unreachable' for at least ten or more days.

Kenya is flying to OKC from LA to join me in a sure-to-be-fun mother-daughter road trip in our pickup, which we will want in Annapolis.

At this time, the weather forecast looks great for Larry and Robert to leave Provo, Turks and Caidos on Sunday, August 1.  I'll keep you updated.