Sailing Adventures of Jay Sea Dee IP485-15

St. Augustine, FL

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:55:00 +0000

This morning we fueled up at Fernandina Beach for $3.64 per gallon. This is the credit card price and would have been $.13 per gallon cheaper for cash. We had also called Cape Canaveral fuel dock which is notoriously cheaper than most other Florida fuel docks and they wanted $3.91 per gallon. When we arrived here in St. Augustine the price was $4.30. We saved quite a bit by checking around.
Today we went back out to sea. It was a Power Boat kind of day because there were no winds but the swell was back. It was pretty foggy when we left St. Mary’s GA this morning. I thought this bunch of trees was a huge fog bank but as we closed in on them it was more obvious that the fog had landed in the trees. Watching the shrimpers do their thing out at sea is spell binding. We also got to hear and see some Navy War Ships practicing maneuvers.

We came into the St. Augustine Inlet and made it to the Bridge of Lions for its 4:30 opening. Otherwise it doesn’t open again until 5:30pm so that rush hour traffic doesn’t have to be stopped on the bridge. We passed by St. Augustine Lighthouse and Castillo de San Marcos. We are now docked at Rivers Edge Marina for the night. St. Augustine is America’s oldest city, founded by the Spanish in 1565.

We decided to do a quick tour of St. Augustine so we walked into town. The bridge was flooded due to extremely high tides recently and high North winds.

Short on time we decided to tour Flagler College which offers tours at 10am and 2pm. The building and grounds were once the Ponce De Leon Hotel built by Henry Flagler (New York millionaire and co-founder of Standard Oil) in a Spanish Renaissance architecture for the elite. He had come to St. Augustine in 1878 per his wife’s doctors orders to help her tuberculosis. However, once he arrived he loved the climate but found the accommodations were not up to par for his social status. His wife soon died and he remarried her nurse. They returned to St. Augustine to build an upscale winter retreat and create a town with many social activities available. The Hotel only took 18 months to build and was finished by 1887. This is a Hotel Postcard from 1909. Many famous people stayed here including Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt, and Babe Ruth. Thomas Edison personally assisted in making it the first building in Florida with wired electricity.

In 1968 the building and grounds were turned into Flagler College. It has been renovated although they kept a lot of its originality. Today it costs about $23,000 per year for tuition and room and board.

Check out the dining hall. It has the most Tiffany stained glass windows still in use of anywhere in the world. I could just sit back and stare at the murals for hours. My dining hall looked nothing like this

We also saw the Grand Parlor where the ladies hung out while their husbands conducted business. Today it still has a magnificent art collection and the Austrian Crystal Tiffany Chandeliers.
What a great tour…recommended!
Got back to Jay Sea Dee by 1:30 and headed back to the ICW.

Just another day on the ICW

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 00:17:00 +0000

Sometimes getting from the Atlantic ocean into a nice port takes way too long. Such was our problem getting into Savannah. It was beautiful scenery but we don’t like to backtrack and decided to stay in the ICW (the Intra coastal waterway that runs up and down the east coast) for a couple of days after leaving Savannah.

Our day on the ICW is like this:

Keep all red channel markers on the starboard. Keep all green channel markers on the port side and head somewhere between the two. Watch the GPS to make sure you are heading the right direction.

Watch the dolphins glide in front of you and dive just as you are ready to take a picture.

Watch the pelicans dive beak first for their dinner.

Listen on the radio to the shrimpers complain about the swells or the lack of fish…basically just complaining about everything!

See the beautiful swamp grass sway on the shoreline and gleam as the sun hits it.

Take photos of optical illusions. This boat really is in a channel of water on the other side of this sandbar . We anchored right behind him for the night.

Savannah, GA

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 04:06:00 +0000

In 1733, James Oglethorpe came 15 miles upriver from the Atlantic and chose this site for the 13th colony, known as Georgia (named in honor of King George II of England). He arrived with 120 passengers on the ship “Anne”. Savannah’s haunted history began shortly after. When residents died, they were buried in cemeteries around what is now the Downtown area. In later years as the city expanded, houses and businesses were built on top of the burial sites. Many believe these long-forgotten spirits, along with other dearly departed Savannahians, haunt the city’s streets, homes and historic sites.

We arrived by bus and walked to the waterfront, also called River Street. From the waterfront we had a great view of the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge which was hit by two ships and had to be re-built. It re-opened in 1991 and reminded John and I of the bridge in Charleston. The City Hall building is domed with 24k gold. The Cotton Exchange building was built in 1872 when export revenue from cotton was $40 million when Georgia was the leading cotton producer in the country, and Savannah was one of the major cotton seaports on the Atlantic. By the 1880s the area was known as the "Wall Street of the South." Ironically the current building was constructed when cotton was only selling for as little as ten cents a pound. But it was a little insect, the boll weevil, which finally rendered the building obsolete by 1920.

We bought tickets to board the “Old Savannah Tours” trolley on-off tour. It cost $25 per person but is worth its weight in gold for the historical information you receive during the ride. Historic re-enactors board the trolley every so often to tell you a story. The lady in blue told us about the Underground Railroad at the Presbyterian Church and how the Red doors and/or the 9-block quilts hung over the railings marked a safe place for the slaves to approach. The pirate told us about the Pirate House and the underground tunnel leading to the waterway which enabled pirates to smuggle in the rum and promoted the Haunted Tour there.

The city is built around many Squares and the tour takes you to many of them. You also get to see many of the homes and the different types of architecture. Below is the Sorrel-Weed House.

For lunch we hopped off at stop #4 and went to “700 Drayton” which we had chosen before we started the tour because it is housed next to the Forsyth Mansion. The orange décor was interesting

After filling our bellies, we headed across the street to Forsyth Park.

Back on the trolley we passed the Cathedral of St. John.

Finally, we got off again at City Market which is “where it was happening”. There were bands playing in the squares, an artist fair in the streets and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen (home of the famous pecan praline).

This is a statue of Johnny Mercer. Born in 1909 in Savannah he wrote over 1700 song lyrics in his lifetime. Some of the most famous are “You must have been a beautiful baby”, “Moon River”, and “Jeepers Creepers”.

What happened to South Carolina?

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 03:11:00 +0000

Continuing our adventure South towards Florida we spent one night anchored near Wrightsville, NC.

Moving on we decided to do an over-night as the wind was on our Starboard beam…perfect for heading South. During the night the wind changed its mind and headed directly for us making us “Sail To Weather” which is rough on the boat and the crew but we made it through the night. We made good time and ticked off many miles…totally missing South Carolina altogether. We decided to stop in Savannah, GA, stretch our legs, and tour this city we have not seen before. Heading in towards the Savannah River we passed Tybee Lighthouse.

On this route the Savannah River connects to the Wilmington River heading towards Thunderbolt where we decided to dock instead of Savannah which has limited and expensive dockage. In Savannah the Hyatt Marina wanted $3.00 per foot and Thunderbolt Marina was only asking $1.75. On the way into Thunderbolt you pass the Bonaventure Cemetery which is a 150 years old and lies on a bluff on the Western shore. It is famous as part of the best-selling novel and movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”. It is also famous for being haunted (just about everything in Savannah is haunted) including packs of ghost-dogs????

We arrived safely at Thunderbolt Marina and quickly realized we were one of the smallest boats here. What a great marina! We woke up this morning to a box of warm Krispy Kreme donuts and a paper delivered to our cockpit sometime before we woke up…now that is service!!!! Then we caught the bus to Savannah only a short walk down the road.

Steve the Stowaway

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 22:05:00 +0000

The Nor’Easter had moved North so we were safe to move on. As we left the docks in Beaufort, NC heading to Wrightsville out in the open sea, we had a guest board Jay Sea Dee and we named him Steve. Our first stowaway of this size.

The Captain wasn’t too sure about Steve. Since Steve wasn’t leaving any time soon and we could see that he was tagged, John called the division of wildlife. Their recommendation for getting Steve to move on was to use the blow horn which we tried but it was SOOOO COLD that all it produced was a minor squeak (pretty funny) so Steve got to ride for a while longer and then moved on on his own free will.

A Short Day to Elizabeth City

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 22:41:00 +0000

Another early morning for the crew of Jay Sea Dee. It was only 36 degrees out when we left the dock but we had to make it to the South Mills Lock by 8:30am. It pays to get up early:

This lock was much busier as there were six boats wanting in…we all barely fit, It is funny because first we had to get through a bridge and once all the boats are through, the bridge tender gets in his car and drives to the lock where he is also the lock tender. This also happened yesterday except in reverse order. Before getting to Elizabeth City you have to request an opening at the Elizabeth City Bridge. Look how clear and calm the water is…the reflections are amazing.

At mile marker 51 there is a Free Town Dock with 14 slips offered for Free for up to 48 hours to transients. We decided we could use a day off the boat and stopped early here. We found the town to be very welcoming although we didn’t see our “Rose Buddies” today. We did walk to the Food Lion grocery store which is a 1.5 mile jaunt through a questionable section of town but we needed to stretch our legs. We bought too many cases of beverages and called a taxi for the ride back.

Do The Dismal…the Dismal Swamp!

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 22:38:00 +0000

In order to avoid “The Graveyard of the Atlantic” better known as The Outer Banks, the Admiral requested that we go through The Dismal Swamp (one of my favorite and very serene places on earth).

But first we had to get through Norfolk, VA. which is a big Naval yard. We got up extra early to make it through the lock openings in the Dismal Swamp. Out of our hands, however, we were delayed a bit while a submarine arrived and docked. The radio warned all mariners to keep a 500 yard distance or they could use force…even deadly force. That is pretty intimidating. The water was a bit rough heading through Norfolk…check out our faucet below showing how much we are heeling:

Then we were held up at the two railroad bridges that are normally kept open because trains were going across. Here are some photos of our Navy equipment and Norfolk: The Battleship was really cool! The last photo is the Amphibious Transport Dock, the USS Mesa Verde and the first ship to be named for Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. The ship is designed to deliver a fully equipped battalion of up to 800 Marines.

Before arriving at our destination, we had to enter Deep Creek Lock.

The water churning looks like coffee bubbling in a percolator.

We had local bystanders watching the action!

More beautiful photos of the Dismal Swamp:

At Mile Marker 28 we made it to the NC Welcome Station. It offers Free Dockage but all the spaces were taken so we ‘Rafted Up’ next to a big powerboat called Serendipity. It is a visitor center for autos off the Highway and also to boats off the Dismal Swamp.

The Aftermath of Sandy…Heading Back Down The Potomac

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 22:51:00 +0000

What do you do when stuck on a boat during a hurricane?

Due to Hurricane Sandy we are a bit behind schedule and want to get to Florida for our scheduled flight home. So we left the day after the storm left our area. We were forewarned about the debris that would be in the river but it really surprised us how bad it really was.

Leaving the Marina

The color of the water looked like Cappuccino

The cormorants liked the ride on a big log

The most dangerous ones are vertical ones…you just don’t know what lies under the water.

Many, many flocks of birds were heading South like us!

We heard much radio chatter about FEMA visiting areas nearby where people were told to put a white towel over their front door if they wanted FEMA assistance.

Last night we made it to Machodoc Creek where we found a very protected cove. There were many white poles lined up once you get inside the creek. A local coast guard auxiliary member hailed us and told us we would be fine on the port side of those poles which mark oyster bed boundaries of the owners that live there. The water does get skinny in places so just have the alarms ready.

Today was a very early morning for the crew but we made it as far as Poquoson River. This is a well protected anchorage with good holding. Again, there are shallow areas so approach with care.

Surviving Frankenstorm “Sandy”

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 21:04:00 +0000

As a low pressure front was coming at us from the West, a Tropical Storm/Hurricane was predicted to turn West from the Atlantic Ocean and create this “Frankenstorm” when they merged. I don’t know if they called it that because we are so close to Halloween but the name seems to have fit.

The crew of Jay Sea Dee had enjoyed many museums and sights here in Washington DC and it was time to move on. That was our plan as of Thursday morning. We deposited our marina key in the overnight box and planned on an early morning exit…then we watched television. Well it would take us two days to get back down the Potomac and if this storm changed at all we could be right in the middle of it. Soooooo…we stayed. At that point we were anchored out in the river. By Friday morning the storm was more defined and predicted to head straight for us. At that point we called and got our T-Head spot back at the docks of The Capitol Yacht Club at the top of the Potomac River. Although it costs about 5x the amount spent to anchor…Safety First!

On Saturday, we noticed much more air traffic (we are just across the river from Reagan National Airport). We were told by the Dockhand who has been here for decades that we would know it was a Presidential helicopter if it was travelling in a threesome. Then we noticed that Obama must be coming home to weather the storm from the White House. We also prepared Jay Sea Dee to weather the storm by taking down all the canvas and put anything loose inside the boat.

Last night Hurricane Sandy finally hit. The worst of the winds hit around 10pm and our wind gauge read 60 mph. That is the highest wind Jay Sea Dee has ever seen. The boat vibrated quite a bit as the dock lines held it taught to the dock. The wind was noisy but not overwhelming. We were some of the lucky ones as we didn’t even lose electricity. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who were more personally affected, including those crew members on the HMS Bounty who had to get rescued as the ship sank and they lost the Captain.

Today, I got up and took a photo from the deck of Jay Sea Dee. We could see The Washington Monument behind the office building ahead of us even though it was still raining. They say we might even get snow today…amazing.

Today Jay Sea Dee is “dressed” again with the canvas back on and ready to go. We will attempt to leave in the morning barring a lot of debris in the river or major flooding as predicted.

Gallery of Art, the Post Office, the Supreme Court, the Capital

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 01:51:00 +0000

Today was another marathon but extremely interesting. We started off in the National Gallery of Art West. As you enter the Gallery you walk through a massive rotunda. We saw a lot of Renaissance Style work, a Leonardo Di Vinci, and a Section of American Artists. There were artists painting reproductions…how I wish I could do that!

Moving on we trekked to the Postal Museum. What a fun place with lots of interactive exhibits such as scanning mail and being a Truck Driver for the Postal Service. Did you know that Benjamin Franklin was Postmaster in Philadelphia in the 1730’s?

I learned about the Postal Mascot Dog, Owney who (in the 1880’s) walked with the Postman on his route every day in Albany New York until he moved away and then Owney followed the scent of the mailbag with other Postmen who would “tag” him with their route tag. He became so popular among the carriers that when he died, they took up a collection to preserve him. He has been in the Smithsonian since 1911.

As you can see they are doing some repair and cleanup work on the Supreme Court building. There are two grand figures on the sides of the front stairway. On the left side is the female figure representing Contemplation of Justice and to the right is a male, the Authority of Law. We walked up through the Great Hall and into the Court House.

Truly magnificent!

Last stop was The Capitol. This is the center of the greatest Democracy on earth. As you walk in, there is very intense security. When they say no food, they mean it. I had half of my Chipotle Burrito wrapped up in the bottom of my bag from lunch and they made me go all the way back outside, throw it away and start the process all over again. I know, this is for my protection. Once you get inside Emancipation Hall you must get a “Timed Ticket” for your tour. Lucky for us we were able to catch the next tour which was just beginning. All tours start off with a movie about the history of Congress. Our first stop after that was to The Crypt Room where under the center of the floor is a crypt that Congress wanted to bury George Washington in. His family had to produce a will entailing his wishes so he could remain at Mount Vernon with his wife Martha. Throughout the Capitol there are marble and bronze statues. Each state gets two statues to represent their state. We found one of ours for Colorado, an astronaut.

Next stop, the room where John Quincy Adams died. Our tour guide also demonstrated how there are specific spots in the room where the acoustics are such that you can hear what others are whispering from across the room…very handy in certain situations I’m sure.

Finally, the Rotunda. This is an architects dream. The painting in the dome and the frieze that surrounds the room took the artist 25 years to complete.

American History, Natural History, American Indians

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:40:00 +0000

Yes, Day Three we pulled out all the stops and toured three more museums at the Smithsonian.

The American History Museum was very interesting. My favorite area was the Inaugural Gowns worn by the first Ladies. Also in the same corridor was the White House China Patterns. I liked Hillary Clintons best. It was gold and yellow…very classy.

Because the Presidential elections are on everyone’s mind, I thought you would enjoy seeing the ballot box used in the 1800’s. It boggles the mind to think where technology has taken us.

The Natural History Museum was pretty typical of many across this great country. One of my favorite areas was the Butterfly Pavilion…but beware, you get a full body scan as you leave since the butterflies tend to hitchhike out the doors attached to your hair or clothing .

I didn’t get any photos at the American Indian museum but remember this…the café there has authentic American Indian food and it is delicious (a bit expensive though).

E Pluribus Unum…Out of Many, One

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:28:00 +0000

The meaning of this motto on our US currency has come to mean so much more to me as we tour Washington DC. It’s meaning comes from the way our Government was created to represent many people in one unified Government.

Day Two in Washington DC we hiked to The National Mall. It is about a 20 minute walk from the Yacht Club. Our mission today was the Air & Space Museum. I really enjoyed the section on Lindbergh. We went to an IMAX 3-D show about the Hubble Telescope. It was excellent…highly recommended!

What a zoo!

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:17:00 +0000

Day One we went to the National Zoo, most recently in the media because of the Panda cub that died. Sadly that part of the zoo was closed. We were lucky to spend the day with Johns folks, our local nieces, nephews, spouses and children . They were fixin’ it up for “Boo at the zoo”.

The Potomac River

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 22:23:00 +0000

We cruised up the Potomac so we could visit Washington DC. It took us two days to get there. The second night we anchored in Mattawoman Creek. We were all alone and saw this beautiful sunset with the Quarter moon.

Cruising up the river was such a treat. Fall was finally hitting the coast with a passion. The old Woodrow Wilson Bascule Bridge (clearance of 50 feet mhw…we need 65 feet) is now long gone and replaced by the beautiful new one with a clearance of 70 feet. Can you see the Washington Monument through the bridge in the photo? We could also see the dome of the Capitol from quite a distance away. And the planes taking off and/or landing were a treat to watch. The last photo is our view as we approach the Capital Yacht Club where we were docking for a few days ($2 per foot per night) and then we would anchor out in the Potomac for a $16 per night fee for use of the dinghy dock and yacht club. The Yacht Club provides pump out service every Monday and Wednesday and it has great a great laundry room with 5 washers and 5 dryers that only cost $1.50 per load.

Oh yeah, they have an AWESOME fish market right next door to the Yacht Club. It was our first experience with “Blue” Crab. It was only $5 per pound.

Going into Navy Territory

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 22:34:00 +0000

Yes, I am referring to Annapolis, MD. There were so many boats in Back Creek Basin. It was like “People Watching” in NYC only it was “Boat Oggling” in Annapolis. We pulled into Burt Jabin Marina where our friend Jenni from S/V “Lady” greeted us. We hopped the Water Taxi for $5.00 per person and got dropped off in the center of town. I finally had a SHOPPING buddy…Yippee!

That evening we were joined by our Niece Laura, her husband Duane and their adorable little girl, Lily. That was a treat and we really enjoyed our evening with them!

The Chesapeake Bay

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 22:31:00 +0000

Getting an early morning start, everyone is ready to go. We passed by McNasby Oyster Company and the Naval Academy.

Out in the Bay was Thomas Shoal Lighthouse…an icon of the Chesapeake.

Going to try our luck in Atlantic City

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 22:28:00 +0000

Leaving the Hudson we passed by Ellis Island and “Lady Liberty”. She is always a sight to see.

Going down the Jersey Shore we spotted Cape May Lighthouse.

Then we hit Atlantic City. We docked at The Golden Nugget Marina and it was half the price John paid in July. It was a gorgeous day so we hopped on the Jitney Bus ($2.25 per person) and headed to The Boardwalk.

The Hermit Crabs were ready for Halloween:

My Motto for the Day:

Sailing the Hudson

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 04:03:00 +0000

We had the great pleasure of having John and Sue join us for Friday and Saturday night. John is the Captains best friend from High School. The evening was filled with laughter as “Old Times” were remembered and re-hashed.

Saturday we headed down the Hudson towards West Point for a beautiful day of sailing. Johns friend Jim joined us with his POWER boat. He took all the guys out for a run in the river at 80 mph. That left Jodi and Sue alone on Jay Sea Dee to navigate the river up to West Point. I think the Captain was a bit nervous as it was the first time he left The Admiral alone on Jay Sea Dee EVER. Of course I did just fine but you could see a bit of concern on the Captains face . West Point was playing Boston College and we could hear the canons blast each time they scored. Yes, they won!!!!

Our Day in The Big Apple

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 03:50:00 +0000

We left the Crouton-Harmon train station and headed into Grand Central Station.

We headed directly to the Metro and took the “R” train to the Coulton Stop. We had tickets that we got online for the 9/11 Memorial 11:00 time slot. On the way to the entrance you see 1 World Trade Center which is still under construction. When complete it will be the tallest building in the United States.

The 9/11 memorial opened on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. It consists of two pools set where the original twin towers used to stand. Each has a waterfall which descends into a center void. The names of the victims are inscribed in bronze surrounding the pools. John took an etching of a friend “Robert Jalbert” who was killed on Flight 175. There were 2,977 killed on 9/11. The museum is not yet open but the visitor center has a few objects under glass and a short film but it was very crowded.

Next on the schedule was lunch at Katz’s Deli. This is where “Harry met Sally”…remember the movie with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks? We all had the Reuben sandwich which was delicious although a bit expensive at $16.95!

Back on the metro to the Rockefeller Center stop and walk a short way to the Eugene O’Neill Theatre to see the Broadway show “The Book Of Mormon”. What a hoot! Lots of laughs!

Our hotel is the DoubleTree on Times Square. Look at the view from our room.

Finally, a great way to end the perfect day is dinner with neices, Ali and Elizabeth, our nephew Russell and Johns Aunt Ann. We all had great food at Amarone Ristorante on Ninth Street.

A few more pics of the Fall Foliage

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 22:44:00 +0000

Fall Foliage…It really is so much more beautiful here!

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 22:39:00 +0000

Fall is a favorite time of year for me. So we decided to rent a car and drive North until we found the famous New England Fall Foliage. A friend recommended going to Hunter Mountain in the Catskills.

In Ashland, NY we had to stop for the 1957 Chevrolet “Partridge Family” bus. Does anyone remember the Partridge family? David Cassidy was my teenage idol so I watched a lot of the Partridge family

Then we went to Delhi to see covered bridges. Down the road from the Delhi bridge was “Paul’s Maple Syrup”. So we drove up to the house and in the garage was his syrup inventory so we picked up a bottle of homemade maple syrup…yummy! Did you know it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup?

We visited a few covered bridges too.

We made it here…New York City

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 22:13:00 +0000

We got up before dawn so we could make it through “Hells Gate” in the East River. There is a lot of current there and it can keep you from making any forward progress.

There is a real thrill and awe going by New York City in your own boat.

We saw the Freedom Tower which is still being built. And before we knew it, it was behind us.

“From A Distance”

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 00:18:00 +0000

After spending a week at Norton’s Marina in Rhode Island getting many boat jobs done including refurbishing our cockpit cushions and canvas we are finally MOVIN’ ON.

First night we spent anchored outside of Milford, CT. As we arrived we experienced a raging squall with 35+ knots of wind and pouring rain. Afterwards a beautiful rainbow welcomed us and there was even a very light color DOUBLE rainbow…look very carefully.

Today we headed out in high seas and winds on the nose at 30+ knots but we persevered. Again we were rewarded at days end with a preview of New York City “From A Distance” (look real hard behind the sailboat…you can see the Freedom Tower and the Empire State Building) and a lighthouse in the sound. We ended up in Port Washington on one of the “FREE” yellow town mooring balls.

Cuttyhunk to Jamestown

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 18:33:00 +0000

Yesterday we left Martha’s Vineyard hoping to get to Newport but it just wasn’t in the cards. We really wanted to just enjoy a nice day of sailing so even though we were only going between 3-4 knots we had a great day. Needless to say we only made it to Cuttyhunk and picked up a $45 mooring ball. We thought it was outrageous that they would charge us $45 but their moorings are so easy to pick up. They have a long pole off the ball with a needle eye for your line to thread through…no boat hook required.

Today we left and sailed another beautiful day past Woods Hole, MA and into Dutch Harbor which is in Jamestown, RI. We anchored here which is a nice change from paying for the moorings.

The first lighthouse photo is Nobska Point near Woods Hole, built in 1876. Next is Beavertail lighthouse near Jamestown, RI. Last is the Dutch Island lighthouse.The present tower, built in 1857 is forty-two feet high. The light was automated in 1947 and served mariners well until 1979 when the lighthouse was decommissioned.

Martha’s Vineyard

noreply@blogger.com (jayseadee) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 22:33:00 +0000

With a weather forecast of a serious low front approaching we left Nantucket early to get to Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard before 2pm. We were on a mooring ball by 1pm. That night we set the anchor watch just in case the mooring ball didn’t hold in the 50 mph winds and downpour of rain all night.

This morning was gloomy but calm so we headed into town. We paid our $30 per night mooring fee and headed to the bus stop where we purchased our $4 round trip ticket to Edgartown. What a classic New England colonial town we stepped into. Boutique shops and art galleries abound. We also saw the Edgartown Lighthouse, originally built in 1828 and then destroyed in the 1938 hurricane.

After doing up the town we returned to Oak Bluffs to take in the sights there. We visited the “Flying Horses” carousel, built in 1876 and is the oldest operating platform carousel in the country. It was closed but I got photos through the windows. There are 22 horses with real horsehair tails.

Oak Bluffs is filled with whimsical, multi-colored gingerbread type cottages erected to replace the early Methodist canvas tents from the 1880’s camp ground. The Tabernacle in Trinity Park was the original site of the preacher’s stand for the Methodist Camp. It now seats over 3,000 and hosts an annual Illumination Night every August where hundreds of Japanese lanterns decorate the eaves of the cottages…what a sight that would be to see.

View from Jay Sea Dee.