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It’s 01:30 on Thursday morning and we are about 20nm from entering the mouth of the Delaware Bay to begin our run up to the C&D canal.   The seas are almost unbelievably calm and we are powering along very peacefully.    It is very dark as even the moon isn’t out and with the calm waters, the phosphorescence in the water disturbed by our passing is remarkable.   There isn’t anything around except a few ships off in the distance and the shore lines of Cape May off to starboard.   We were able to sail for about 5 hours earlier in the evening but the wind went away.

We left Deep River early afternoon on Wednesday and powered down to the mouth of the CT River and into Long Island Sound. From there we were able to sail to Montauk. The tide was with us and we had a good breeze. Once we rounded Montauk point we were hard on the wind and, as predicted, over the next few hours it shifted from the west to the north and died. While we were able to sail for a few hours now and again, the wind died again with less than 5kts. It’s remarkable just how calm it is out here with virtually no swell and even less ship traffic.

Aboard with me are two fellow Corinthians, Barry and Barry, cousins. I guess that Barry is a popular name in their family. To keep them straight, I am supposed to call one Barry and the other Cousin Barry.  So, who is who? Barry or Barry? Will the real Barry Please stand up.

Anyway, it’s pretty easy to remember their names. Nice guys, Barry.

The last few days preparing for my departure were frantic and to add even more pressure to the situation, Pandora still had some vibration in the drive train, even after working on the alignment and having the Max Prop serviced. The only real option left was to pull her out of the water again and have the shaft straightened as I detailed in my last post. Unfortunately, after all that, and considerable more expense, there is still a bit of a vibration. I guess I’ll see the Max Prop guys at the Annapolis Boat Show and see what they think. I expect that they will think it’s something other than their prop. What’s a skipper to think?

The guys at the yard feel that everything is in good working order and that the problem is the prop. Hmm… I am pretty confident in saying that I will NEVER purchase a Max Prop again.  Come to think of it, I have never purchased one.  It came on Pandora.  However, given the money I have spent having the prop reconditioned, twice, I feel like I have purchased most of one by now.  Having said that, perhaps it’s a good time to just abandon the prop and get something else. With regards to timing, I surely don’t want to cough up the money to haul the boat and put a new prop on just yet. I guess I will have to live with this for now seeing as how I had Pandora hauled two days ago.  I hope that Pandora can… The mechanic thinks so. Fingers crossed.

Much of the trip has been under power and I am always amazed to see how long the engine can run without any problems.   With a few hours here and there for sailing, the engine has been running for over 24 hours.  Amazing.

We have been lucky with our speed as we will enter the busy shipping lanes of Delaware Bay as it begins getting light and as the current starts to flood up the river.  That’s good as the current really rips, at 2 plus knots, on the ebb, not something that I want to buck.

We haven’t been going hungry for long on this trip.  Fresh biscuits for breakfast this morning. “Barry” didn’t have much trouble gagging them down. That’s good.

We also had a visitor much of the day today, a tiny bird.  In fact, he has stayed the night somewhere up forward I think.  Well, at least he was there at sunset. Actually, two small birds landed on the boat multiple times today and one of them camped out for a while with us right in the cockpit, believe it or not.  It’s hard to believe that the little guys could get along so far from shore, some 40 miles when they first joined us. I would guess that they found themselves further from shore than they realized and got tired.  This is not the first time that small birds have landed aboard when I was making passages.

For much of the time, one of them hung out on up forward and a few times he even came into the cockpit, out of the wind and rested. To see this little guy some three feet from us on the cockpit combing cleaning his feathers was amazing. Funny how safe he seemed to feel in spite of the unfamiliar environment.  I guess if you are tired enough… It will be interesting to see if he’s still with us when it gets light.  With sails coming down and going back up, I expect that we shook up his world pretty well.

Our stopping point for today will be Chesapeake City, one of my favorite destinations in these parts.

Oh, I almost forgot, I heard from our friends Maureen and Bill aboard Kaluna Mo0, with whom we spent weeks buddy boating around the Bahamas last winter, today as they too were moving down the NJ coast.  I had heard them check in on the morning SSB net Thursday and then later talked to them on the VHF radio. We had hoped to connect with them in Chesapeake City tonight but they expect to stop in Cape May and will be a day behind us.

Not much more to say right now except that nothing major has gone “bust” yet.   That’s good.  Fingers crossed for continued good luck on our voyage. The “spot” will continue to post our position every four hours as is our custom.

It’s Wednesday morning at 07:30 and today is the day.  It’s the day that my crew arrives and we depart for our run to Annapolis.  With unfavorable winds scheduled to hit Cape May on Friday it is important that we get out of Dodge today, and as early as possible.

That will be a bit tough for me as I lost all of yesterday to last minute mechanical issues on Pandora.  After tense and awkward discussions with the yard manager, we finally agreed on the “who pays what” details (I find out exactly what I owe today) and a mechanic, or two, attended to Pandora off and on all day.  The problem is that there was a miss-communication about some vibration issues in the engine early on so they were never adequately addressed.  As a result, when Pandora went back in the water there was a moderate vibration in the engine and shaft and it had to be fixed.

After much discussion we decided to pull Pandora out of the water again and have the shaft straightened.  As I had to take the $%^& Max Prop (I am not loving that prop right now) off AGAIN and then remove the shaft to have it straightened at the machine shop.

After the prop was removed, the shaft was pulled out.  They used a neat slide weight to pull it from the coupling and out of the boat.   Now the clock was really running!  Let the payments resume!Luckily, Paul, at the machine shop, who had done some work for me while Pandora was on the hard, was very accommodating and dealt with it right away. Interestingly, when he saw the shaft he recognized it immediately as a shaft that he had made years ago.  I had this shaft installed in Bridgeport at Captain’s Cove.

It’s a small world.  While he doesn’t normally allow folks to watch him work, he let me observe as he worked his magic.  These massive pieces of equipment are really impressive.  To watch him put the shaft in a press and twist it was fascinating. This lathe was a monster.  I won’t go into nauseating detail about the process but it looked like art as he bent the shaft this way and that, finally declaring it true and ready for the high seas.   

However, big equipment and all, the real bills started piling up as the mechanic messed around in the aft cabin tweaking this and that to get the shaft out and back in again.  I don’t know how many times he ran back and forth to his shop to find just the perfect bolt, or two, several times.  While he looks uncomfortable squirming around I can assure you that I was squirming more, not knowing how it would all end up or how much it would cost.  So, when all was said and done, and plenty was said and done, I can assure you. Much of the vibration was gone and Pandora declared fit to head out to see.   Actually, the yard never said that as they won’t take on the liability.  Such is life. 

So, now what?  The plan is for crew to arrive in New London just before noon today.  My good friend Rodney agreed to pick them up and deposit them and me at the marina for our departure early afternoon so I can clean up Pandora and do some last minute shopping. 

As I don’t want to leave my car sitting at the marina for a month till I return from Florida, I have to have someone deposit us at the boat so my car can stay in the garage at home, but I still have to contact door opener experts like A-Dependable Overhead Door Company since it’s currently stuck. Back to the land home for an errand I guess.

It’s about a 36 hour run to the Delaware River entrance from Essex, so let’s hope that the weather holds till we get to Cape May and head up the river and into sheltered waters.  Yesterday was long enough, so I hope that all runs smoothly from now on.  I don’t need too many more vibrations, engine or otherwise, in my life.

I had better wrap this up as I still have to secure groceries and a few last minute items to prepare for our departure.

Don’t forget to watch on “where’s Pandora” if you are interested in where and when we are.   For inquiring minds…

When Brenda and I took Pandora to Newport a few weeks ago for a shake down cruise after all of the work I had done and had done this summer, we wanted to be sure that everything was in perfect order prior to heading south for the winter.

When we left the marina, bound for Newport, I noticed a vibration in the prop shaft at cruising speed.  Now that Pandora is back in Deep River, I had the yard check into the problem.  After several hours of messing around with things, about everything was ruled out except for a bent prop shaft.  Unfortunately, the only way to really determine what the problem is is to haul Pandora out of the water again.  Ugh… No make that double ugh…

Well, on Tuesday morning Pandora will yet again be on the hard.  Paul, from the local machine shop will come down and do a rough check while the shaft is in the boat and then, if he thinks that the shaft is bent, I will remove the Max Prop, AGAIN, and the yard will take the shaft over to the shop for review.   Fortunately, Paul at the machine shop, has agreed to work on it right away to identify what he thinks the problem is.

I really hope that it’s the shaft as just about everything else has been ruled out with the exception of the Max Prop, which I would hate to think was a problem yet again.  Recall that I had the prop completely reworked in July by the manufacturer.

Fingers crossed.  To make the pressure worse, if I am delayed more than a day or so I will miss the weather window to make it to Annapolis in time for the boat show.  With all the plans we have for that event, I’d hate to miss it.

I am still hopeful that I will get going as planned on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning at the latest.  If not, I risk loosing my crew as their own deadlines conflict with being underway later than planned.   Double fingers crossed…

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Brenda and I have been shopping for provisions as putting them aboard now will be easier than when we are in Annapolis or Miami. Here’s a shot of what we put on board on Sunday.   The pile looks a lot smaller than it is.  That’s about 400 items.  Each item had to be categorized in a spreadsheet so we can find them again when we need to.  You’d be amazed how deeply buried things get on board.  I think that the computer cataloging work took a lot longer than stowing things.  Today we shopped for meat and yet more stuff.  I vacuum packed about 30lbs of chicken, pork and some lovely steak fillets to take us through the winter.   Funny how little the pile looked when I put it on the counter in the galley.  And, it didn’t even fill the freezer.  My routine is to pack everything into the freezer unfrozen so I can really pack it tight.  Then everything freezes into a big block.  And, you can’t get anything out without eating the top most food first.  If you try and dig, everything gets “fluffed up” and won’t go back in.   Not good.  

The freezer still has room for more and the size of the bill for all of it made me think that it should have been 60lbs, not 30lbs.  Alas, such is the nature of inflation…or deflation, as it were, with the vacuum shrink wrap machine.  Perhaps I should have used my compressor to fluff them up so they would seem like enough to justify the $$$.  Never mind…
Here’s hoping that Tuesday’s re-haul won’t prove to cost me mucho bacon as there’s already plenty in the freezer, three pounds, actually.

Yes, double crossed on my fingers, and toes.   All I want to do is to go sailing.  IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?  

I guess that it’s true, bigger boats means bigger trouble.  I sure hope that Pandora is “little” tomorrow.

It’s Friday around noon, sailing along in Block Island Sound and I am entering Watch Hill Passage and Fisher’s Island Sound, the eastern most part of Long Island Sound.

In a way it seems like just yesterday that I arrived in Essex from the Abacos but in other ways it seems like May was a long time ago.   However, when I think about the number of projects that I did on Pandora this summer along with the long “honey do” list of home chores from Brenda, I guess it’s been a long time since May.

I have been a bit stressed out about the weather for getting to Annapolis next week and for a while I thought that I was going to have to shove off on Tuesday at the latest which would be pretty tough to be ready for.  However, I spoke with Chris Parker, our weather router, a bit ago and he told me that while there won’t be much wind next week, it looks like the favorable wind window will stay open for much of the week.  It is my hope that we will be able to sail but at the very least, I’d prefer not to motor into the wind.  At this point, it is looking good.  Fingers crossed.   I’ll check with him on Monday to see how things are progressing.

I am making today’s run alone as my friend who was going to come with me came down with a 24hr bug.  While I’d prefer to have company when I am aboard, it’s plenty easy to run Pandora alone.  Actually, while I am typing away, the autopilot is happily steering away.  As long as the wind doesn’t pick up too much, the laptop should be secure on the cockpit table.  Having the laptop smash onto the cockpit sole would not be good.  Fortunately, it’s not too gusty.    Here’s a shot of my “office” for today.   Not too shabby.I had to set the computer down on the sole as I passed Watch Hill.  Lots of hard stuff to bump into and I needed to pay attention.  Also, loads of fishing boats out hoping to get lucky.   I like the Watch Hill Light.  It does look better on a sunny day though. I hope to get to Deep River early enough to catch the mechanic before he leaves for the weekend so any parts that he has to order to fix the alternator can be arranged before the weekend.  There is a problem with charging and I expect that it was something done while the mechanic was working on the engine.

I guess I had better cut this short as the wind is dying and there are plenty of rocks to watch out for in Fisher’s Island Sound.  It would ruin my day if I bumped into one of them.  Trust me, I know about such things.

Besides, it’s lunchtime and I am getting hungry.  Oh yeah, the sun is coming out too.  Perhaps that’s a metaphor for the coming months.  Yes, I’ll go for that.

It’s Thursday afternoon and a beautiful day here in Essex.   I have worked out many of the details regarding crew and dates to prepare Pandora for the trip to FL. As of now, my plan is to return to Essex for a few days to provision Pandora with non-perishables, enough to last for the trip south and our three months in the Bahamas.

My friend David and I will bring Pandora back to Deep River for a few last minute maintenance items and some major provisioning prior to leaving for Annapolis later in the month.  As of today, I confirmed that my friend Barry will help me bring Pandora to Annapolis at the end of the month.  That should be fun as I have known Barry for years and yet have not had the pleasure of having him aboard. Barry has considerable offshore experience, having sailed from the Caribbean many times over the years.   That’s a trip that I’d love to do over the winter of 2014/15 so it will be fun to talk to him about this on the trip to Annapolis.

If Brenda and I were to take Pandora through the Caribbean, the plan would be for me to do the Salty Dawg Rally, that leaves from Hampton VA for Tortola in November each year.  This rally is relatively new and had quickly grown to be a major force within the sailing community.  The fact that it is free didn’t hurt, that’s for sure.

More to come on that.   Of course, Brenda and I would have to commit to two seasons in the Caribbean as we would leave Pandora for the summer in Granada and fly home for the summer.  After that, we’d fly back the following December or so and begin bringing Pandora home through the Bahamas.  It would be a really fun trip.   Fortunately, we know plenty of cruisers who have done this trip so getting good information about what to expect will be easy to find from folks who have been there, done that.

After the Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Brenda and I will spend a few weeks south to VA and on to Beaufort NC.  From there I will meet up with crew for the run to Ft Pierce where Pandora will be hauled for the three months prior to heading back in late January.

Last evening our good friends Loreen and Miles aboard Ariel, came to Essex and took a mooring at the Essex Yacht Club for the night and joined us at our home for dinner.  It was great fun to see them again after a few months ashore.   They had spent the summer in Maine and were headed back to Annapolis on their way to Florida.  They own a slip in South Beach FL near Miami where they spend a few months each season.  We hope to visit with them for a week or so prior to our trip to the Bahamas.  The shopping for provisioning the boat from their marina will be pretty simple although we hope to have a good amount of the food on board in advance of leaving CT later this month.

Seeing them for dinner brought back plenty of memories from our trip last winter and talking about the coming season was fun.  Having a few glasses of wine with them made it all the more enjoyable.  Funny how that is.

Speaking of fun in the sun, this is a fun shot of them hamming it up when we were together last winter.  Pretty sure that the star fish weren’t amused.  Of course, we tortured the little guys too.  Not Loreen and Miles, the star fish.    It will be fun to do it again, soon. After hanging around the murky water of New England for months, it’s hard to imagine water this clear will be soon coming our way.   Bring it on. First, I have to get to Florida.  Let’s hope that the weather cooperates.  Fingers crossed.

Oh yeah, how many tubes of toothpaste did we use last winter?  Let me check my notes. Time to get (really) serious about provisioning.