Charleston

After several nights at anchor Dad and crew have arrived in Charleston in time to wait out a windy, wet front, reprovision the boat and say farewell to Judi and Aubrey Millard.   The Millards are scheduled to leave tomorrow morning, returning to their own motorhome and journey through the states.

Althought the front is bringing wet weather, Dad says the temperature is comfortable.  They are staying at the Charleston Maritime Centre municipal marina, relatively close to town.  From here it will be easy to provision the boat for a couple of days before returning to their southward journey.

All Systems Go

The crew aboard Close to Home decided to take an extra day at the Municipal Marina in Beaufort last week and were schedule to head out Thursday November 26. The Marina was making them very welcome including a car to use when needed for trips uptown for shopping.

Dad and Aubrey payed a visit to West Marine for boat "stuff" and proceeded to spend some time marking the 110' of anchor chain and 120' of anchor rode.  Aubrey shared one of his own cruising tips with Dad and they put it into action.  Apparently biased binding tape makes great anchor rode marking tape.

The crew were expected to leave Beaufort Thursday morning and spend 5 days ~ travelling and anchoring ~ to get to Charleston, South Carolina.  Aubrey and Judy will be heading back to their motor home at this point and hopefully the weather will be warm. 

Polishing Silver - No, that's fuel?!

Monday November 22, 2010 - Beaufort, North Carolina
 

Beaufort Docks by Steve Strickland



It seems the fuel issues were not over.  Dad et al arrived in Beaufort, near Morehead City, North Carolina with complaints of fuel filter issues. They were greeted by marina staff who were eager to help and apparently knowledgeable on what to do.  Something about a "gen set" issue.  Perhaps you engine gurus can check in below on the comments and educate this sailor on what that is.  Meanwhile the fuel system was bled and the diesel was polished.  Once again, the only thing I know how to polish around our sailboats is the silver a few of the family have brought home from various regattas over the years.  Diesel, it seems, can be extracted from the tank, run through a super filter and replaced - presumably shining and clean.

The crew is all enjoying increasingly warmer weather.  Beaufort today boasts 59 F, 7knots of wind and clear skies.

Dad reports that the marinas there are a significant location for boat maintenance and attracts large vessels which dwarf the Monk 36.

Getting Caught Up

This post will bring you up to date with Dad's journey thus far.  To stay "in synch" with the blog posting format, I have listed the dates in reverse order.  So, start at the bottom and work your way up.  Dad will often check in on skype if there is a wifi wherever they are stationed.  He can be reached at dycaldwell@rogers.com, skype is dycaldwell.

Saturday November 20, 2010

Dad called in on Skype from Dowry Creek, North Carolina.  They are making about 50 – 70 miles per day depending on wind, weather and their mood to travel.

Today saw a bit of adventure when they ran out of gas in the middle of the channel.  Dad has signed up for a mobile service and called for assistance with the service.  A tow boat delivered 40 gallons of fuel but unfortunately the engine was not running well with sounds of a blocked fuel filter.  They arrived at the marina just before dark to take care of the filter.

Although the weather is generally warming up, the nights are cold and they had ice on the deck  the past couple of nights.

Friday November 19, 2010

They were half way down the Dismal Swamp Canal and all was well.  They anchored for the night.

Wednesday November 17, 2010

They are still in Norfolk and expecting the Millards to arrive in the next half hour by 6 pm.  Judi and Aubrey Millard are good friends of Dad’s.  Judi’s father, Dr. Shykoff, was a fellow anaesthetist and colleague of Dad’s at the East General Hospital and Chief of Aneasthesia for a time.  Judi had her own dental practice which she left when she and her husband Aubrey Millard decided to head off to tour the world on their sail boat Valeda.  Dad has spent  3 stints over the past few years as crew aboard Valeda in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic off Portugal and again in the Carribbean.  Judi and Aubrey continue to sail their boat and currently are travelling through the US in their motorhome.

Dad reports that the weather is finally starting to warm up.  The clocked chimed 6 pm and Dad signed off to sounds of Judi and Aubrey boarding the boat. 

Monday November 15

Email from Doug:

We are in Norfolk at the Waterside Marina. It is right downtown and close to everything. The rate is good for the area…………….1.50/ft plus hydro, but the wifi is free. They charge for hydro..5.00/dy. There is a Municipal Electric Big Golf cart service to come and fetch one and take one anyplace downtown. It is free and no tipping. Today we had the Raymarine technician come and he fixed the chart plotter and main cabin Thinkpad based navigation system. It was pretty easy in the end, just like most computer/electronic thingies. He even upgraded the software in the Raymarine system and did not charge for that.

We anchored at Point New Comfort last night. There were supposed to be east winds from which we were protected. The winds turned south and made for a rolly night, even though the winds were not high and the waves smallish, but the boat hardly moved which gave me faith in the chain and anchor.

Ann leaves tomorrow. She is away for the day with local relatives/friends  and will be back on the boat tonight and leave aet 06.15 to catch a train to join her boat for the next six months in the south. The Millards arrive the next day.

Today was the first day that we could wake up in the morning and feel that the stateroom was not brutally cold. We are now off to celebrate arriving here, where some say the ICW starts, with dinner at a small pub nearby.

Monday November 8, 2010

Keith spoke to Doug this am on Skype (dycaldwell).

They are weather bound in Beach Haven, NJ (north of Atlantic City). There is quite a storm going up the Atlantic coast and they are at a mooring that is exposed  (NW winds) to Little Egg Harbour. They are taking the waves broadside - no protection - pitching and rolling. They are well secured now but had broken a mooring line earlier. Everything is OK but they have to make sure everything is tied down inside and out. The storm may carry on for 24-48 hours. They are hoping to get to Annapolis as soon as possible - down the coast up the Delaware and through the canals to Annapolis.

They touched bottom yesterday but with the assistance of the local marine assistance were able to get on track. Doug did not appear to be worried.

They are in good spirits, a little cold and hope the weather breaks soon to allow them to carry on. Marnie's friend Ann is on for another 6-7 days. They are looking for additional company to join them.

Doug's telephone number is 315-402-3280 or on Skype at dycaldwell.

November 6, 2010

Dad was near Sandy Hook, south of New York City. They had a great time in NYC, and saw the broadway show Billy Elliot while they were there.

They haven't anchored yet and are spending between $1 and $2 per foot per night in the marinas, but they'll be anchoring in the Chesapeake.

The "ladies," as he calls Marnie and her friend, have been cooking great meals on the boat, and they all seem to be well.

Thursday November 4, 2010

Dad called from Kingston, N.Y. and said they had woken up to find ice on the dock and ice on the rail. They were moving slowly because some places they stop for gas don't have any, and some places they stop for pumpout don't have a working pumpout! He was expecting to make some good distance today. 

Monday November 1, 2010

Dad reached us from a warf between the first 2 locks of the canal.  Here they were being met by Anne, another sailor who would crew and travel with them for the following week.  They had been fortunate thus far with weather with relatively calm seas.

 

Saturday October 30, 2010

Dad left Toronto from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club on Saturday October 30, 2010 aboard his new boat ~ a Monk 36 named Close to Home.  The boat is a departure from his usually mode of sailing and he is learning to manage the single engine, forward and aft thrusters and fly bridge.  He is travelling with his friend Marnie Keith Murray, herself a sailer, boat owner and RCYC member.

The first day they headed south to reach the south shore of Lake Ontario as quickly as possible with a south wind of some strength expected over the next couple of days.  They stopped at Niagara on the Lake.

The Story so Far

Stay tuned here for an update on Doug's progress from Toronto to Atlantic City.  More later, just awaiting updates.