Wednesday, August 15, 2012

In The Shadow of The Golden Nugget

We are hiding out in the aft cabin with the air conditioning on trying to avoid the loud music coming from the outdoor bar of  The Golden Nugget Casino alongside the Farley Marina. As Richard says: If Politicians succeed in getting rid of Social Security who is going to keep these places going?

The AIS is working (helps if we turn it on both topside and below) but we (make that Richard and Andy) remain stumped about the engine alternators....although RWG discovered a blown fuse in the engine room. Andy will be shipping replacements  to NYC for us. Richard is learning a lot more about Caterpillar engines than he ever thought he'd need to know.

Cruising is not like a leisurely car trip where you simply turn the key in the ignition and go. And it truly does not matter if you spend $45,000 for a boat or $450,000. Something always needs fixing.

So here are some numbers for today.

We  went 40% faster in in the ocean to get here before the storm and burned twice as much fuel. 
As speed increases arithmetically, fuel consumption goes up exponentially. So unless you have a need for speed, going slow is a LOT cheaper.


It took 45 gallons of diesel fuel to go 40 miles.

Tomorrow we head north, perhaps the Manasquan Inlet or if we make good time and the weather cooperates we might make it to Sandy Hook.

Thanks to those who have sent supportive emails.

 Judge Leo Oxberger is a daily blog reader who offered a good tip about the $9.99 weekend Enterprise car rental rates. 

Leo retired from full-time work in 1994 but kept his cruising kitty replenished by continuing as a senior judge working three months a year in Iowa. He worked eight years as a district (circuit) court trial judge, 17 as an appellate judge (15 yrs as Chief Judge) and 16 as a senior judge for a total of 41 years. 

 Leo and his wife, Mona, lived  aboard their boat for 10 years! The first five on a 40' Pacemaker from November to May returning to Iowa where he did senior judge work. The next 5 years they lived aboard Snug, a 36 ft Kadey Krogan Manatee. They cruised the Abacos Nov. to May then Florida up the ICW to various places such as Erie Canal, Rideau Canal to Quebec, Canada, the Champlain canal, Lake Champlain, St Lawrence Seaway and 1000 Islands. 


Since 2004, they have lived in The Villages, Fl and left the driving to  Holland America,  cruising the world  three times and are going again in January.  Bet Leo doesn't miss crawling around a hot engine room!

BTW, Richard says 'Snug' is one of the all-time best boat names. Ever.



It's a lot more wobbly in a trawler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s1ptObOQSs


We have our life jackets on, motion-eze dabbed behind the ears, and everything breakable stowed.

Here we go!!!

On to Atlantic City 'outside' Gulp

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Our Day in Cape May






Richard on the phone with Andy, puzzling through one of the many boat concerns that crop up on any given day. This is part of the cruising life no matter how new or old a boat one has.




Andy Hoyt, owner of Dock Call, is moments away by phone and some how ALWAYS knows the answer we are looking for. Yea Andy!

[click for more]


We are getting into the cruising life...no car, of course, so all explorations are within walking distance. It's a more complete way to see a town and feel the culture. I was hoping to dispel the stereotype New Jersey has, but I'm sorry to say our 24 hours in town simply added to it. Last night we were in a crosswalk off a side street when a pickup came to the intersection and without stopping turned right in front of us. Inches away from hitting us. New Jersey plates. Today, a car stopped in the street in the middle of the bike lane, when there were multiple bonafide parking spaces at the place he was stopping. New Jersey plates.
I need to be careful here because some of our best buddies have New Jersey ties past and present. Eric Rubin, our neighbor, case in point. Richard quotes Eric as saying, "I'm really a nice guy. Just pretend I have a South Carolina accent."
Walking on Beachfront Drive, however, introduced us to some Jersey girls in training. Here we nice Iowans are walking down our half of the sidewalk and approaching head-on was Jersey girl 1. She was walking on our side of the sidewalk knowing full well she was in 'our space'. Even though she made direct eye contact she didn't back down. Knowing what the game was, neither did I.
I was hoping this was a one-time little b**** thing, but alas this aggressive rudeness was repeated three times.
You can tell a lot about a town based on their souvenir T-shirts. In our beloved Iowa they might be something related to cows, sheep, corn...and what people do with all of the above. Here are a couple choice ones from the Cape May boardwalk:














We are however getting into the cruising life and have made our first cruise buddies.
Peter and Cheryl Webb are from Canada and on the last leg of what is called The Great Loop -
The great loop
Peter and Cheryl are known to other cruisers as "Loopers"
This is a whole new world...who would have ever thought one could bond over a conversation about holding tank size?
Peter gave Richard his favorite line of the trip so far:
"Always approach the dock at the speed you intend to hit it."



Posted by Julie Gammack using BlogPress from my iPad

Photos of Cape May beachfront homes

Commentary about NJ to come.
Think: Chris Christie as an 8-year-old.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Destination: Cape May, NJ (the real Jersey Shore)

Nine hours underway flew by today. Little Bel Sito performed admirably. No major drama, which isn't always the case when going through the C&D Canal because it's a narrow man-made channel that big, honkin', humongous, gargantuan ships traverse right along side us mere passenger craft.

"So it's like going through the Lincoln Tunnel in a sports car surrounded by 18-wheelers?" asked Lad Paul. Yes, indeed.

 [click for more]


We covered 73 miles today cruising at about 7.5 kts. That's just under nine miles an hour. Think your suggested speed in the Costco parking lot. If we were to go just one knot faster we'd consume almost twice the fuel, so what's the hurry?

This whole speed thing I find quite fascinating as there are varying cultures around boats which I find almost as curious as our national political divide. My first experience sailing with Richard 12+ years ago was aboard a 41 Bristol and we spent most of the weekend in a storm - sailing. Winds like that can cause a sailboat to heel (TIP) at quite an angle. Novice that I was, I truly loved it, which was a necessary outcome for a second date. And I was fascinated to hear him report to others later about our speed as 'screaming down the Bay'. 'Screaming' in a sailboat is about half the speed the little fishing boat I'd rent at Lake Okoboji would go, but all things are relative.

'Sailboat racing' is an oxymoron, in my view.

Now, I love sailing. The sailing part that is. Those moments when the wind lifts you through the water in sweet quiet and transports you to wherever she blows. It's heaven.

But here's what really happens. No matter what the plan of the day might be, the weather changes. And after the sail covers come off, then the sail ties, then the jib is unfurled and and the main sail is hoisted - all requiring great manual effort - the wind dies. Or shifts.

Our friends Beth Newbold and her husband Pat Winkler took their 56' Tazwell on an extended Caribbean cruise last winter and ended up motoring over 70% of the time.

So even though the Captain of my Heart is a sailor to his core he's no dummy. About the time the first AARP card arrived trawler thoughts started seeping into his consciousness....and here we are.

I'm a little nervous about taking Bel Sito into the ocean...but we'll wait a day or two here at Marina in Cape May until we have a perfectly calm sea.

















- Posted by Julie Gammack using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Cape May

The C&D Canal, Delaware Bay

The first picture in this stream is of the place near Turkey Point where we anchored last night. As I write this we are a few hours from today's destination; Cape May.

Check out the history of the C&D canal on Wiki then imagine what it took to dig this waterway by hand. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_and_Delaware_Canal
Also pictured here is a shot of the Raymarine GPS. That's us in the ship icon.

I'll post more tonight when we are tucked into a marina. Can you see the video? It's of the Ship John Shoal lighthouse on the Delaware Bay.


YouTube Video
















- Posted by Julie Gammack using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Delaware Bay

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Anchored Off Turkey Point

We are just west of the shipping channel near Turkey Point in the north end of the Chesapeake.

We were underway about five hours, covering 40 nautical miles. Skipper G calls this our shake-down day. Everything seems to be working so far.

Richard spotted a Venture Newport 23 at anchor nearby, reminding him of his first sailboat 'Rainbow'. He figured he's sailed 20,000 miles since then, including a personal milestone that began 20 years ago when he and a group of 5 guys took off from Huelba, Spain celebrating the quincentennial of Columbus' discovery of America.

Being at the helm of a powerboat like Bel Sito is a whole new way of viewing the waterways. Plus, there is a bit of satisfaction chugging up the Bay while our sailor buddies are becalmed.

Tomorrow we'll go through the Chesapeake/Delaware canal - a 20 mile stretch that takes us to the Delaware Bay...that's the plan, anyway.

It appears as though the 'comments' feature of the blog isn't working, darn it! I know some of you have tried to post a comment and it didn't work.

We've had 436 unique page views already! Richard and I figured some of you might roll your eyes about blogging - you know who you are - and yet others will say it's fun to follow as our digital crew. This is for you!

Off we go!

We took off around 11:45 a.m. with the Sassafras River as today's destination








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- Posted by Julie Gammack using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Just north of the Bay Bridge

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Adventurer Matt Rutherford Introduces Poseidon to Bel Sito



One must be very mindful of Poseidon when re-naming a boat. There is absolutely no one better than Matt Rutherford to take part in a boat name-changing ceremony, and that's Matt pictured above introducing Poseidon to Bel Sito, formerly known as 'Sunshine Tyger'. Here he is giving the Greek God his sip of the bubbly to make friends with the newly named vessel about to embark on Poseidon's territory (the sea).

In May of this year, Matt completed a 309 day voyage in a 27' boat, circumnavigating the Americas. Trust me. This is huge. Historic. He did it all by himself, non-stop, in a boat most folks wouldn't spend ONE night on, let alone 300+.

We first learned of Matt through Tom Harkin who got caught up with the Quixotic odyssey when Matt was just a few weeks away from the finish line in Annapolis. Tom thought it would be good to have some folks greet Matt upon his arrival, and so he wanted to make sure I knew about it, being a part-time Annapolitan and sailor. The Harkin connection is at least two-fold: Matt's doing something akin to what Tom dreamed of doing before getting sucked into politics, PLUS, Matt did this crazy thing to draw attention to a tiny non-profit in Annapolis that provides sailing opportunities for people with disabilities. The handful of people who will read this blog probably know, so may this serve just as a reminder: Harkin was the lead sponsor/driver of The Americans With Disabilities Act, and is keenly aware of the importance of providing work and recreational opportunities for the disabled. CRAB does just that here in the Annapolis area. 

Here's a speech Tom made on the Senate floor that got us, and hundreds of others, glued to Matt's trip: 

And here's a link to Matt's blog about his journey: http://www.solotheamericas.org

By the time Matt got home, this previously unknown young man, got a huge welcome ...fire boats, big speeches, lots of media and a flotilla of family and fans to greet him...

So, Matt gets back to Annapolis and is, well, homeless. We took him in over the summer and he lived in our efficiency apartment in the lower level of our home. He's moving back to his boat in a couple of weeks as we're putting our house on the market,  but we'll stay in touch. He has an extraordinary adventure planned. Here's Matt's website: http://oceanresearchproject.org

Our trip to Nantucket will be an adventure to us, but in the big scheme of things it is truly NOTHING compared to what Matt has experienced. All of our electronics are state-of-the-art, we have  a refrigerator, nice showers, ice-maker and air-conditioning! Plus, we won't be going more than a few miles offshore. But most importantly, Matt has told Poseidon to protect Bel Sito, and that's about as good as it gets.

Here's Matt doing a TED talk this month: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHQUjguIVHk



Matt's news clips: Washington Post Article (Feb, 2012)
SailingWorld.com blog entry from Tim Zimmerman (Jan, 2012)
http://www.sailingworld.com/blogs/keelboat/a-voyage-to-inspire
Cruising World Magazine Feature Article (Jan, 2012)
http://www.cruisingworld.com/people/sailor-profiles/one-waypoint-at-a-time
Spinsheet Magazine, May 2011 – page 24-25
http://issuu.com/cdeere/docs/spinsheet0511
Spinsheet Magazine, November 2010 – page 16.
http://issuu.com/cdeere/docs/ss1110
Spinsheet Magazine, July 2010 – page 41.
http://issuu.com/cdeere/docs/ss0710