Cady Girl

I'm sure you've been wondering where we've been.  We've been landlubbers - staying in a house, sleeping in a real (no-boat) bed and doing laundry! And drinking (that's Don's addition). It's been family time with Don's sister Anne, husband, John, niece Lakie, husband Kevin and grandniece Parker! And site seeing in Mystic & Stonington CT. Anne and John are fantastic hosts, tour guides and chauffeurs! For those that do not know Mystic, it was a significant Connecticut seaport with more than 600 ships built over 135 years starting in 1784.  It is now best known for its charm, downtown area, the Mystic River Bascule bridge and the Mystic Seaport Museum. If you love boats and the seafaring ways of old, this is the place for you. One highlight of the visit was meeting our great niece, Parker!  She is a busy young lady but took to us right away. And it was great to see Parker's other grandparents - Armand and Kathy! Of course, we ate at all the hot spots...

Wednesday morning, we left Stamford CT knowing that it might not be a smooth ride. That turned out to be an understatement.  Another Small Craft Advisory for the Long Island Sound (specifically in the area we were traveling) with waves as high as 6 feet - and water coming over the bow.   This trip is proving to be a test of our tenacity, character, resolve and/or stupidity. With luck we arrived at the Branford CT Yacht Club and hunkered down for the next two nights. We are staying put because an unusual May  Nor'e aster  is expected to  soak the area today and threatens to bring snow to higher elevations. Nor'easters usually arrive in the end of fall and winter and bring high winds, rough seas and precipitation in the form of rain or snow. This week's nor'easter could bring wind gusts over 40 mph (64 kph) and up to 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain in some areas.  Never thought I would have the privilege of experiencing a Nor'easter! Caution, the video ...

So when your plans go awry, you take a deep breath and go with the flow.  We are constantly adjusting as long term cruising is an exercise in flexibility.  Since one portion of the Erie Canal that we need to travel through is closed for repairs, we are forced to delay our trip up the Hudson River by about 4 weeks.  There are limited marinas and anchor sites on the Hudson, so we opted to leave on Sunday, May 18th motor up the East River, enter the Long Island Sound to see that area and eventually visit Don's sister Anne and her family in Mystic. The Long Island Sound is a beautiful body of water with lots of McMansions. We docked at Safe Harbor Capri West in Port Washington. This city is in Nassau County New York, which has one of the highest per capita incomes in the nation and the marina shows it. (That's Don's tidbit of information). The city has a water taxi which picks you up and takes you to two docks for shopping, eating, hiking, or whatever. We spent two nights the...

WOW - what an adventure leaving Atlantic City.  We had stayed an extra night to let a storm pass, but the only thing that passed was the rain and some choppy seas.  The ride was, so far, my least favorite - rolling swells of 3 - 5 feet and fog! There was a small craft advisory, but we made it work!  Thank God for radar! Made it to Point Pleasant Beach and Captain Bill's Marina in 7 hours.  That's a long day on a rough sea. Point Pleasant is a cute town, has a lovely shoreline and boardwalk, but not much was happening there yet! We had our first Lobster roll of the season at the Lobster Pot right next door to the marina. On May 16 we headed North to NYC.  The ride was a wee bit smoother, but the fog was worse! Almost ran into a sailboat. Visibility was below 1 mile on many occasions. Arrived in NYC harbor in 6 hours and the fog had lifted.  Sailed by Lady Liberty and Ellis Island and moored at the Brooklyn Bridge Marina with a spectacular view of the financi...

The gods were with us. We left Cape May at 6:25 am in rainy, windy conditions.  We arrived safely in Atlantic City at 10:25 am - hallelujah! Seas were cranky with 3 feet high waves & winds at 15 miles an hour. A fun, bumpy ride for sure, but no one got sick!  We did have three dolphin sightings, and not much commercial traffic so that was nice. Atlantic City is full of high rises and casinos, a long way from its beginnings in the 1800's as a health-resort. An interesting historical note is that in 1940 a young businesswomen's group worked with city officials to create a Hydrangea week; that event grew to a Hydrangea Trail created in the 1950s that went from Atlantic City to Cape May. We docked at Kammerman's marina and walked to the Back Bay Ale House which the marina owner recommended. We had a fantastic burger; the restaurant was busy at lunch time and had a "dive bar" vibe.   Since we got up so early (for us), it will most likely be an early bedtime.  Hop...

On Mother's Day, we had the pleasure of cruising down the Delaware River into the Delaware Bay to reach our final destination Cape May, NJ.   On the way we passed two light houses, two large container boats and saw two dolphin sightings.  The amazing thing about the journey was that it can be a treacherous trip under the wrong conditions; but the gods were with us, as we had no wind and the tide in our favor.  We reached Cape May and the South Jersey Marina by 4 pm. Cape May is a cute town and seaside resort with some lovely Victorian houses (sorry no pictures) and great little shopping area at the Washington Street outdoor mall.  We walked 4 miles RT to Washington street, found the beach and a tequila bar! Since we had another day, we decided to ride our bikes and went from one end of the shore to another about a 12-mile trek. Don found a good surfer's shore break on the south end of the cape - too cold for him to surf!  There is also a sizeable commercial...

 May 9 & 10 We left Havre de Grace on Thursday, slogged through some pretty rough water, and then hoped to get into the Bohemia River to purchase gas at a discount - unfortunately, the tide was out, and we had to much of a draft to do so.  We continued up the Cheasapeake entering the Chesapeake & Delaware (C & D) Canal at Chesapeake City. The C&D Canal is a 14 mile long, 450 foot wide and 35 feet deep canal that connects the Delaware River with the Chesapeake Bay. It was opened in 1829 by some very astute businessman to shorten to delivery of goods between Baltimore and Philadelphia. Chesapeake City is a delightful little town with a free dock - all you have to pay for is the electricity, a whopping $15.  We enjoyed walking around the town, patronizing the Tiki Bar at the Chesapeake Inn and meeting fellow loopers, Ed & Marieta from Florida. On Friday, we had a super trip east on the C&D Canal.  Sun was out, the winds and tides were with us and...

 May 8, 2025 Today's trip was about 54 miles - not much happened on the way with clear skies and smooth waters! We arrived in Havre de Grace in about 5 1/2 hours! Weather was in the low 70's but very humid! Havre de Grace is on the Susquehanna River and the head of the Chesapeake Bay. Lots of sailing and kayaking here!  Historically, it was visited several times by General Lafayette in the Revolutionary War; it's name is after the French seaport of Le Havre, which it reminded Lafayette of. For you sports buffs, it is also the birthplace of Cal Ripken Jr.  Wonder if the game Rochambeau is named after this person??

 May 7, 2025 We're back to looping!  Hooray!  We departed Kent Island today and motored to Dundalk, which is a suburb of Baltimore about 35 miles by water!  Took us 3+ hours! First of all, thanks to Ed and Heather for the generosity and time!  Always fun "hanging" out with them! And so happy to see brother Dave, Gulmira and Sanzhar - thanks for the great dinner.  Also had a short visit with Bess! And spent two days with my friend Jill who moved to Alexandria this past year,. She's my "Oregon" buddy even though we met at UC Davis, Trip to Baltimore included passing under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, passing the Pride of Baltimore II, and getting out of the shipping lane at the request of a Panamanian freighter, named "Diva." I was driving! Docked at Anchor Bay East.  You can stay for free if you eat at their restaurant - such a deal and the food is delicious! Here are some photos to enjoy! Leaving Kent Island Under the Bay Bridge Old Railroad bridge i...