Tabitha’s Tales

We got up this morning ready to sail on to our next destination only =
to find another lovely day and a British boat anchored next door. When =
we saw they had children aboard the decision to stay for another =
couple of days was confirmed.

Sure enough, they buzzed over in their tender to say hello. They were =
Jeff and Melanie (he is American and she English) and three boys aged =
11, 9 and 7 yrs. They were just going ashore to walk their dog so they =
invited Elspeth and Peta along. They sailed over via the Caribbean in =
their Moody 47 ‘Trust Me’ from England in 2003 and now live further up =
the coast a bit.

They came aboard for a coffee and later we went to the beach together. =
Unfortunately they had to sail back to the mainland this afternoon as =
they have school and work to go to but we hope to visit their home on =
our way north.

It was great to chat to some English people and also to get some =
useful local knowledge. They enjoyed meeting some ‘cruisers’ and =
thinking that they might get back to it some time.

This afternoon included some school-like activities, maintenance and =
then cleaning the ship ready for the owner’s birthday tomorrow. I =
noticed a cake being baked as well.

We have no particular plans for tomorrow but it will most likely =
include dressing the ship overall as we do on birthdays and a visit to =
the local bar ‘’The Oar to try one of their world famous ‘Mudslides’.

One of the things we miss is the BBC. We have listened to the =
occasional episode of The Archers when we have had good internet =
access but otherwise we hear very little and virtually no world news =
at all. Sadly the BBC no longer transmit towards North America. =
Assuming that most North Americans can easily listen over the internet =
they have turned their attentions much more towards China and other =
parts of the world. American local radio is just music, local gossip =
and advertisements. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) does =
provide some intelligent talk radio which we listen to from time to =
time.

We indulged ourselves with an extra day at Block Island. We arrived on =
Thursday evening knowing we would need at least two days here - to =
recover from a fairly intensive period of sailing and to get to grips =
with the island and provisions, etc. Staying a third day allowed us =
just to enjoy the island without having too much business to get =
through, which is what we have done today. Of course the morning was =
still taken up by school for the girls and maintenance for me (B-B-Q =
now functional and simply awaiting the right luck with the fishing) =
but the sun shone and we to the beach this afternoon.

The water was still cool but probably no colder than Swanage at this =
time of year. The sun on the other hand was beautifully warm without =
being oppressive. The girls made sand castles while I read ‘Northern =
Lights’ (Phillip Pullman) and aquired a read torso.

When we arrived in the Salt Pond it was virtually empty with very few =
local boats yet on their moorings and nobody anchored at all. Being a =
holiday weekend, however, the anchorage filled up steadily and now has =
at least 80 boats clinging to a rather insecure sea bed. Luckily the =
weather is very still so no dragging yet. Even quite large American =
boats lie to rope instead of chain which gives us very different =
characteristics when it comes to swinging, the rope requiring a much =
greater radius because of the extra length needed. The pond is huge =
however, and can accommodate many hundreds of boats at anchor.

The arrival of such a holiday like atmosphere was very timely. The =
crew is only to well aware that this trip is planned to be different =
from the 5 month which we felt was rather too dominated by beaches and =
holiday fun. Once we head north of Boston we will be getting into =
territory which requires much greater vigilance and a higher degree of =
self-reliance. It was therefore important to get a taste of the more =
hedonistic cruising life before we head north. The compensation for =
the beach lovers comes of course when we head south to the Bahamas for =
the winter.

We managed to come alongside yesterday and take on water which sets us =
up for another 14-16 days. We carry 120 gallons which, based on =
previous experience, should last a bit longer than 14 days but we have =
to work on our economies a little harder. The girls are responsible =
for washing up twice a day which may account for the slightly high =
consumption. I think that now we are in clearer waters we may use the =
sea water tap for some washing up. We will certainly want to develop =
ways of extending our capacity by the time we get to the Bahamas where =
water can be costly and of poor quality.

So far as electricity goes, we are doing okay. If it wasn’t for the =
computers we would hold our own with just the wind generator, solar =
panel and the half hour of engine which we run daily to charge the =
fridge. As it is, even though we limit Elspeth’s time on the Sims =
computer game, whilst at anchor we still slip steadily behind by about =
15 amps per day. I guess these emails and other computer activities =
don’t help either.

The crisis over red wine is over as we managed to obtain supplies on =
the island. We should be okay for about 10 days or so.

The day after tomorrow is my birthday which we plan to spend at Mystic =
Seaport which is the one of the best maritime museums in America. We =
have to pay $150 to spend the night alongside at the museum but that =
include admission for the whole family. Still, what an expensive =
night’s berthing! Unfortunately the Mystic River doesn’t offer the =
potential for anchoring a boat with 6′ draft.

We leave Block Island tomorrow in order to be close to the museum for =
Tuesday.

We had a really good passage to Block Island arriving here at 1700 =
yesterday just as a 25 to 30 knot wind blew up from nowhere. I suspect =
it was a local effect of the island as there was no sign of it out on =
the ocean.

We caught our first fish on the morning to a towed mackerel spinner. =
At around 4 or 5 pounds and 18″ it was the biggest I have ever landed. =
Unfortunately we only identified it as a weakfish after I had clubbed =
it with the winch handle. Our reference book classifies the weakfish =
as a bait fish which we take to mean that it is not good to eat - not =
poisonous but not particularly tasty. I cleaned it and proposed a fish =
stew for later however, when it came to it we ducked out and ditched =
it in the drink. We felt bad to kill it and not eat it but I think the =
chances of it actually being happily consumed even if cooked were slim.

The passage also provided a good opportunity to start work on =
scrapping varnish of the teak capping rails which are looking a real =
sight. I wonder if the girl’s enthusiasm for the work will last.

We haven’t been ashore yet but Block Island appears very much like a =
smaller channel island. There is a big salt water lake in the middle =
and this is where we have picked up a buoy. We tried to anchor but it =
is very deep and holding is poor. No idea how much we’ll be charged =
for the use of the buoy.

We awoke this morning (on the mooring) to our first taste of fog.

As we sailed north we watched the water temperature drop steadily. It =
was usually around 15.1 dec C in the Chesapeake. It was around 13 in =
Cape May and now it is around 9 or 10 deg C. It is a shame as swimming =
from the boat is one of the major attractions of sailing for the =
children and they have only had a few so far. The air temperature is =
said to be around 10 deg F lower than the mainland 10 miles which may =
explain the cool temperatures.

Fog will be a regular feature of our trip for the next 3 months. We do =
wonder whether we have come north a little early in the season. In =
four weeks time, the air temperatures here will be a good deal higher =
however, this means still, more frequent fogs as the foggy conditions =
are produced by relatively warm air over a cool sea. A weak cold front =
is predicted to pass through today and the weather should start to =
warm on Sunday in time for Memorial day on Monday and of course, my =
birthday on Tuesday.

We still have hopes of making Mystic Seaport on my birthday but no =
firm plans. Most of the good places to anchor seem to have been filled =
with moorings which means either paying for a marina berth, (approx =
$90 per night) or a mooring (around $25 per night). A birth at the =
museum is $150 which includes admission to the museum. Happily there =
seems to be some good news on the house letting front at last.

Our major concern at the moment is that we have run out of red wine =
with little prospect of resupply. As my birthday approaches the =
situation is becoming desperate.

Update Mooring buoy $40 per night. Ouch!

>From 40 deg 21.7N 72deg 47.9W.

It is 0030 on Thursday 25 May. When Sue called me at midnight for my =
watch we were making 4 knots but, as anticipated, the wind has dropped =
and now it is only 2.3 knots. At least it gives us steerage way and =
moves us slowly towards our destination which is Block Island which is =
between Long Island and Martha’s Vineyard.

We left Atlantic City at 6am this morning with sufficient wind to make =
good progress for the first hour or so, then it dropped and we motored =
for most of the middle of the day. Then some steady downwind sailing =
in reasonable flat seas carried us through until well after dark.

Dolphins arrived on que just as the sun was setting. All things =
considered, it make a pretty ideal first night at sea aboard Tabitha.

There was much debate over whether the Cohansey River was the most =
beautiful or the must eerie anchorage we have had so far. I found the =
flat bleak landscape, the cry of the sea birds, the salt marshes =
wonderfully reminiscent of the muddy creaks of the Suffolk and Essex. =
Sue just found it creepy and unsettling. I know what she means but I =
felt very much at home there.

We had a wonderful sail down the Delaware which is not noted for its =
wonderful sailing but for sudden changes of weather and short rough =
seas. Sailing with the tide we averaged close to 8 knots over the =
ground and whizzed out of the mouth of the bay on to the Atlantic =
Ocean. The only less than perfect moment was as we felt our way out =
between two shoals having taken a short cut across the shallows off =
Cape May.

We anchored in Cape May harbour in time for a late lunch and were =
happy to get in before the wind, gusting well into the high 20’s =
(knots), blew up. The dinghy ride ashore was somewhat wet but the sun =
was shinning so we soon dried out. Our plan was to land at the =
Corinthian Yacht Club and appeal for the use of their showers. Of =
course we were made very welcome. We even managed an offer =
(unsolicited) of a lift into town which is a 2 mile walk away. Wally =
the club member who drove us in gave us a quick tour of the town.

Cape May is said to have been America’s first seaside resort. It also =
has the country’s largest collection of Victorian buildings. A really =
pretty place with a population dominated by retired folk and in the =
summer, holiday makers. The town is just gearing up for the season =
which starts officially next weekend when the nation has a public =
holiday, Memorial Day. We hope the weather will warm up soon. Its =
reaches the 70’s (low 20’s C)quite often but is often only on the high =
60’s (17-19 deg C). We had 80’s in the first week which was just =
perfect. I think most locals would agree that the warm weather is a =
little late this year.

We had just got Peta off to bed last night when we decided we needed =
to re-anchor. The harbor is rather more tidal than we have been used =
to and though we would have been okay we felt we would sleep better =
with a little more water under our keel. So we did a quick circuit of =
the anchorage and settled in a place with a couple of feet more water. =
The holding is excellent here and the hardest part of the exercise was =
getting the anchor to unstick from the sea bed.

We stayed in Cape May today - not only because we planned a day off =
sailing - but because of the very fresh breeze. After school and lunch =
we togged up - full battle dress of salopetts, sailing jackets and =
life jackets and again, made the dinghy journey to the club which is =
the nearest point we can land. We planned to walk in to town but just =
as we landed Wally appeared in his pick up. He was just leaving and =
heading into town so we got another lift. This time the girls browsed =
the toyshop and then we visited the beach which was nicely sheltered =
from the north westerly wind. Elspeth and Peta splashed about in the =
water and Sue went to the laundry.

Tomorrow we sail for Atlantic City.

Once the boat is settled down in a new anchorage, one of the first =
things we do on arrival is to check for wireless internet access. The =
new external antenna is wonderful and we are often successful. =
Planning controls aren’t so tight as in the UK so there are many homes =
on the shoreline and many of these have wireless networks which are =
not encrypted so that we can log onto the internet over their network. =
It doesn’t cost them anything and its most unlikely they would ever =
know we were there. Often, like in Chesapeake City where we sailed =
from today, the signal is too weak to connect.

This morning I had set the alarm for 0545 planning an early start. =
Then I realised that I couldn’t possibly have got my tide planning =
right as we had come into the canal on a rising tide at noon the day =
before so it was back to bed but too late to get back to sleep so I =
checked the email having been unable to log on the evening before. I =
found an email from the letting agents which did much to reassure us. =
Also an email from brother Rob which gave us enough to gossip about =
all day. Thanks also for email received recently from Dad, Rich, =
Mathilda, Lucy, Tuesday an the doc, Jasmine and Tina).

We eventually set off at 0830 and motored the rest of the way along =
the canal which is part of the Inter Coastal Waterway and gave us a =
taste of what we shall be doing in November next year i.e. dodging the =
wash from passing power boats. The canal bought back some good =
memories of the French waterways which we used to cross France in 2003 =
only then it was the commercial barges creating the wash.

The wind blew and the tide flowed and we flew - a steady 9.5 knots =
over the ground as we raced south and ducked into the Cohansay River =
in New Jersey - our fourth American State so far! We are now anchored =
just a couple of meandering loops up river amid marshland very =
reminiscent of Havergate Island on the River Ore just south of Orford. =
The wind is now howling in the rigging though I am sure it will =
moderate later. We are cosy below as I have lashed the wind generator =
to reduce the noise which tends to make things sound much more wild =
than they really are. Elspeth and Peta are watching their first DVD of =
the trip on the other computer and Sue is reading the pilot book.

Tomorrow is another early start but hopefully we will be in Cape May =
for a late lunch. We remain absolutely delighted with Tabitha and are =
beginning to look forward to our first offshore passage.

We had our best sail yet aboard Tabitha this morning. We rose early =
knowing that we needed to make 30 miles before the strong winds, heavy =
showers and thunderstorms forecast for this afternoon. We set of with =
no wind which is normal at that time in the morning and motored for =
about half an hour. The the wind began th build from the south west =
and Tabitha picked up her heels and away we went with a quartering =
find giving a stead 6 or 7 knots in flat water. As we sailed the =
pressure dropped as low as 995 which we have not seen in these parts =
before.

The wind really began to blow as turned east into the Sassafras River =
and we shot in at 8 knots over the ground. We anchored well up the =
river and went below for lunch followed by flapjack backed at 7 knots. =
We have had a few bold puffs but so far nothing threatning. According =
to the temperature gauge on the ships electronic log (speedometer) the =
water is 17.1C and the girls are joust going in for a swim.

Tomorrow we leave the flat waters of the Chesapeake Bay and venture up =
the C & D canal towards the Delaware Bay which has an altogether more =
robust reputation. From there our sailing will be out on the ocean. I =
think we are pretty much ready for it.

PS. Just tested the water - I don’t think it can be as warm as 17.1C - =
I think we need to recalibrate the thermometer.

PPS. The Coastguard just came on the radio to warn of a thunderstorm =
and 30 knot winds coming our way. It should be hear at 1605. 45 =
minutes notice isn’t bad at all. Just time to deploy the new homemade =
lighting conductor and have a quick swim!

(For lightning conductor take 10′ of heavy gauge stainless steel =
covered guardrail wire and strip it 10″ at each end. Cut 8 lengths =
15mm copper tube to 10″ and bind them to one end of the wire with a =
jubilee clip. Insert between the tubes and the cable as many lengths =
of plumber’s solder as you can and heat with a blow torch until the =
solder melts and binds the stainless wire to the copper and the copper =
tubes together (no doubt a lightning strike would melt the solder but =
you can only do what you can). Use stanless steel cable grips to =
firmly attach the other end of the wire to the bottom of a main =
shroud. To deploy, drop the copper end into the water and cross you =
fingers. For much greater protection make another for the other side.)
————————————————-

Yesterday and today have produced a mix of emotions. Morale reached a =
low yesterday as we faced another overcast day and the crew missed =
their creature comforts. The repeated emails from the UK telling us =
how warm it has been don’t help. I think the living is so much easier =
when the weather is warm and the crew are more prepared to accept the =
conditions of a live-aboard life if the sun is shining.

It is not easily to respond to demands for a bath when all we have is =
a solar shower and an indoor shower that doesn’t seem to provide any =
warm water. I have no doubt we be offered the use of baths from time =
to time. Probably when charitable locals who have been cruising and =
know the ’sacrifices’ involved.

In response to this lapse in morale I pulled a rabbit out of the hat. =
I fitted the new car stereo CD system. We have bought loads of music =
with us but had nothing to play them on. The effect was immediate and =
morale lifted considerably.

We sailed out of Baltimore Harbor yesterday and 10 miles down river to =
Rock Creek. Before we left I realised that Baltimore is the first =
official port of entry that we have visited. For foreign flagged boats =
arriving in the US the rules are clear. The boat must arrive at a port =
of entry flying the yellow ‘Q’ flag. Without delay, the skipper only, =
must proceed ashore and telephone the customs to obtain clearance from =
immigration, customs and health officials. The boat is normally =
boarded for an inspection. A cruising permit is issued allowing 12 =
months sailing in the US before the boat must leave. Our position is =
rather different and much less clear. We entered the country at =
Washington Dulles airport so the crew cleared immigration and customs =
then. We bought the boat in the US and US duty was paid on her 20 =
years ago. However, we are sailing under the British flag.

We left Baltimore thinking that perhaps posing the question might =
raise more problems than it resolves. However, this morning we had =
second thoughts so I telephoned customs who said we definitely needed =
a Cruising Permit so back we motored against a fresh breeze. When we =
arrived at the office we told them our situation and told them we had =
a de-cal which is a registration I made over the internet. ‘Oh well, =
you don’t need a cruising permit’. So that was that. They were =
adamant. I have carefully recorded details of the visit in the ship’s =
logbook which is an official legal document and back we sailed in a =
nice fresh breeze to Rock Creek where we lie peaceably at anchor once =
again. At least we tried!

The cruising life isn’t all roses though. I had worked hard planning =
every aspect of this trip for a long time. I negotiated the purchase =
of a boat at the a distance of 3000 miles, planned a route and =
produced a viable budget, helped Sue arrange 12 months leave, =
restructured (unstructured) my business to permit me to leave it =
without too severe consequences, I redecorated almost the entire house =
so that it could be let to produce an income. We found homes for a =
grand piano and an abandoned cat and moved the entire contents of the =
house over to the office. One of the few things I placed in the hands =
of ‘professionals’ was the letting of the house. Despite my =
protestations, they were desperately slow in contracting the tenant =
with whom we agreed terms nearly two months before we left. It was =
only today, 4 weeks after the tenancy was due to start that we learned =
(and only because we asked), that the tenancy never commenced and our =
home has been standing empty all of this time.

It is a common story. So many people who let out their houses and go =
overseas have the same story to tell about their letting agents. It is =
very distressing to us but it is not the end of the world.

To cheer us up - the girls devised another of their performances. This =
one was set in America and featured four American characters all of =
whom were delivered with very convincing American phrasing and =
accents. It is amazing how quickly they have picked it up Americanese. =
Creating performances, often with elaborate costume changes, is a =
favorite occupation of theirs. Another popular game is hide and seek. =
It is amazing that even after a month of playing they still find new =
places to hide on a 41′ boat.

If anybody knows anybody who might want to rent a four bedroom house =
please let us know!

As you would expect, life in the big city is quite different to life =
in the rivers, creeks and harbors that we normally inhabit. Police and =
fire department sirens sound with regularity and ferries and water =
taxis buzz past. There are two boats that drift around the harbour on =
rubbish collecting duty. They have big nets to scoop the rubbish up =
with and are very reminiscent of the child catcher in Chitty Chitty =
Bang Bang.

There was some drama yesterday morning when a rubbish boat found a =
dead body floating in the harbor. As it so often is, the American =
response was one of ‘ultimate force’ with whaling sirens and no less =
than four fire engines, one ambulance, the police boat, the coast =
guard launch and the fire department boat. We were fortunately not so =
close as to get more than a basic appraisal of the situation.

The queues for the Aquarium were phenomenal so we decided to delay our =
visit until Monday (tomorrow). Instead, we bought tickets for the =
‘maritime museum’ which consists of a diesel electric submarine =
decommissioned in the early 70’s, a US Coastguard Cutter =
decommissioned in 1986, a lighthouse and a light ship which once =
marked the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.

Our ticket also included admission to the USS Constellation, the last =
all sail ship commissioned by the US navy. We visited it today and =
joined - well formed the entire compliment - of the ‘Powder Monkeys’ =
tour which was billed as a chance for children to learn about the life =
of the children who went to sea as Powder Monkeys and we expected just =
a normal guided tour. It turned out to be rather more than that with =
full participation required by the Tabitha crew at every stage while =
the other visitors looked on. We ‘braced the mizzen yard’ - ‘towed the =
line’, demonstrated the hammocks, hauled on blocks and tackles and =
generally played the part of the 18th century tar to the amusement of =
the onlookers who tagged along.

The weather continues to be quite cool. Nice for working but not as =
rewarding as some sunshine would be. We shouldn’t complain as =
yesturday was in the 70’s for most of the day. Tomorrow is the =
aquarium and a few bits of boat business and then, the next day, =
weather permitting we continue our progress north up the bay.

We spent two nights at Annapolis. The first, hanging on a rather lumpy =
buoy off the municipal dock and the second anchored comfortably in =
Back Creek - which is where we bought Tabitha in September 2004. It =
was nice to go ashore and be tourists for a while. Though all we =
really did was wonder the streets, the small indulgence of a visit to =
a coffee shop was a real treat.

Close by the harbor is a hardware store and a chandlery so materials =
were bought for a number of outstanding projects. I hope this rate of =
spending will slow down soon.

We returned to the dinghy to find that water had slopped into the =
dinghy inflating Elspeth’s automatic lifejacket which means we are =
down by one gas bottle and one trigger unit already.

We found that despite being careful we had emptied the two large fresh =
water tanks after only two weeks so we came alongside at Annapolis to =
fill up. It was only after we left that we discovered that the =
Annapolis water tastes even more like swimming pool water than =
Anglian’s best. You can even taste it in strong tea! I don’t suppose =
we could have done different even if we had tasted it first. Filling =
the water tanks is the only reason we ever come alongside and we try =
to keep that to a minimum. We need to be able to last for 3 weeks =
between refills if we can.

We sailed today for Baltimore which is something of a highlight of the =
first month of our trip. We motored for the first hour and half and =
then managed to sail the rest of the way almost right into Baltimore’s =
inner harbor which is not unlike what Ipswich wet dock might be like =
when the regeneration scheme is complete - only of course on a much =
grander scale.

We are anchored close to a submarine which is open to the public as is =
‘Constellation’ the last sailing frigate commissioned by the US navy =
(1854) and numerous other historic craft and attractions. Also within =
a few hundred yards is Baltimore’s World Trade Centre.

We are the only boat in the anchorage so we felt quite self conscious =
for a while as it was not clear where to anchor or whether anchoring =
was still permitted but the port police came and asked us to move 45ft =
closer to the World Trade Center so we know we are in the right place =
now. Pedalo’s in the shape of ‘Nessy’ the Lock Ness Monster also =
populate this corner of the harbor.

We are all looking forward to visiting the Aquarium tomorrow. It is =
said to be one of the world’s best and at $70 for the family, it will =
need to be!

Wow, darkness has fallen while I have been writing this and I just =
popped my head out to find the most impressive waterfront scene. =
Bright lights and lots of buzz.