NYC

Our trip down Delaware Bay and up the New Jersey coast was uneventful except for the brief view of the nude beach at Sandy Hook NJ.  "Look Mary, all those people are wearing flesh colored bathing suits!"  We cruised under the Verrazano Narrows bridge and around New York Harbor before going to an anchorage behind the Statue of Liberty.  We anchored here in 2009 when we did the Great Loop and decided we needed to do it again.  She is just as stunning when viewed from behind as from in front.

The sights and sounds of the harbor are overwhelming at times, the architecture so diverse.  It was Fleet Week so there were extra patrol boats everywhere as well as helicopters of all kinds, including Osprey.  We had seen Osprey while anchored in Mile Hammock (SC), they are pretty amazing.  

The Battery

Visiting military vessels

Statue of Liberty from anchorage

Interesting old buildings in Brooklyn

Staten Island Ferry with armed CG escort

Staten Island Ferry & Osprey VTOL aircraft

 While anchored, we noticed a custom ferry coming and going from a modern glass building on the shore (Jersey City) and discovered it was for the Liberty National Golf Course.  The glass structure was the clubhouse and the ferry, M/V Liberty National, was bringing people back and forth from Manhattan.  The 18 hole course was designed by Robert Cupp and Tom Kite.  Members include Rudolph Giuilani, Phil Mickelson, Mark Wahlberg and more.

Liberty National Golf Course - Jersey City

Erie Lackawana terminal

Ellis Island

We opted to move the boat north of the Tappan Zee Bridge and take the train into the city.  Croton-on-Hudson to NYC was a 40 minute train ride along the Hudson River and the Harlem River to Grand Central.  In 2 days we logged over 25 miles walking!  We scored discounted theater tickets to An American in Paris by entering an online lottery.

A new career for Scott - maybe

Mary filling in for Hoda

Times Square

Van Gogh's Ear sculpture at RockCenter

Upper West Side Deli - Yummy!

Central Park

Penthouse overlooking Central Park

Chesapeake Bay to Delaware Bay

We finally had a favorable weather forecast for the Chesapeake so we left Portsmouth and headed out onto the bay with at least a dozen other sail and power boats who had all been waiting for good weather.  Cruising the bay requires an attentive crew to watch for fish weirs, crab pots, and other hazards.  A fish weir is a series of stakes or poles driven into the bottom of tidal waters to direct fish into nets and trap them.  They are sometimes located quite a way offshore.  It would not be good to get entangled in one!
   

Flotilla of boats northbound on the Chesapeake

Fish Weir

We found great anchorages along the western shore and in Annapolis, we had the opportunity to enjoy dinner with our Great Loop friends, Carol & Lee.   

Waterfront dining in Annapolis with Carol & Lee

Beautiful mirror image in Chesapeake City, MD

Delaware City, DE was a funky stop.  The marina gave us precise directions on entering the channel to their marina, and any deviation from them would put us aground. Whew, we made it in without a problem!  We found a couple of interesting restaurants, Crabby Dick's and Lewinsky's on Clinton (get it?).  Lewinsky's on Clinton St. had a fantastic blues band playing when we walked by so we went in and listened to their entire set.

Lewinsky's on Clinton

We chose Delaware City because we could rent a car and visit Mary's brother Larry in Philadelphia.  When in Philly, what else to have but Philly Cheese Steaks from Chubby's - Yummy!  Larry also prepared a wonderful feast including mussels, shrimp, crabs and pasta!  Always special to see family! 

Seafood feast at Larry's Backyard Cafe

Larry & Mary

Southport, NC to Norfolk, Va

The last section of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) took us from Southport NC (mile 310) to Norfolk VA (mile 0).  Ever since Florida, the boat had been feeling a little sluggish so we decided to get a ‘short haul’ and have her bottom cleaned at Zimmerman Marine in Southport NC.

In the slings ready to haul

A few too many barnacles!

It's bath time

We had a perfect weather forecast for taking a side trip to Ocracoke in the outer banks of North Carolina.  We anchored for 2 days in the very protected harbor and took our dinghy to shore.  Renting a golf cart allowed us to ride in style while touring this small beach town. We visited Ocracoke Lighthouse, the British Cemetery, Blackbeard's former stomping grounds, the ocean side beach and more.  We also found a wonderful coffee store, Ocracoke Coffee Co, owned by a Massachusetts native and proudly displaying memorabilia for Boston sports teams.

Vocational students construct a boat planter

Beautiful beach on the Atlantic

Ocracoke Light

Car ferry headed for Ocracoke

Manteo was another fun stop on the Outer Banks. It is a very quaint town with good restaurants and shops, and a really great maritime museum with interesting displays.

Vintage outboard motors

Hydroplane

Wood Optis ready for the kids to sail

Ranger Scott

Mile "0" of the ICW is at Norfolk, VA.  We stayed for 2 days in one of the downtown basins across the river in Portsmouth.  These are free docks directly in the city and give easy walking access to shops and restaurants.  A ferry visits the basin every half hour and for $1.75 you can get a ride across the river to Norfolk.  We visited the Chrysler Art Museum, the Freemason Historic distr and walked all over town.

Docked in south basin downtown Portsmouth

Mermaid sculpture in downtown Norfolk

Tiffany exhibit at Chrysler Museum in Norfolk

Where did April go? Ft Pierce to Charleston

After our crossing back from the Bahamas, our destination is Fort Pierce and the newly renovated city marina.  Since we have planned ahead and filed a float plan with customs and immigration, we clear back into the US with a simple phone call.  The music continues as we arrive just in time for the week long Jazz Festival on the waterfront near our marina.  There is music every afternoon and evening, from jazz to blues to rock, all very good.

 

So glad we happen to be around for the Ft Pierce Oyster Festival too.  The events just keep going.

The shucking table

Baked, on the half shell or oyster shooters!

Yummy!

We attended the MTOA Southern Rendezvous while in Ft. Pierce.  The theme was Dr. Seuss and this is our costume for the theme party.  We were one of many 'Things' in attendance, all very fun.

As part of the rendezvous we went to the Navy Seals Museaum in Ft. Pierce.

Actual Maersk Alabama lifeboat
 used in the movie Capt. Phillips

Someone needs a shave

We also had time to visit our boating friends for a few days who now have homes at 'The Villages' located north of Orlando.

Scott liked this sign in a Villages square

Here we are with Phil, Alice, Jean & Steve

On the way north, we stopped in St Simon to enjoy more BBQ at Southern Soul.  We headed out on our bikes, first to get air for the tires and then to dinner.  We found a great bike shop called Monkeywrench with free air.  Of course while waiting we browsed and purchased a new bell and horn (something we should have had all along).  Off we went and within 10 minutes one of our front tires when flat, so back to Monkeywrench for repair.  

Settling up our tab at Monkeywrench (bike in foreground)

Brisket  and Ribs at SS BBQ - fantastic!

The outdoor 'kitchen' at SS BBQ

On to Charleston where we walked, and we walked, and occasionally rode the trolley.  We had a fabulous dinner at Jestine's Kitchen on Meeting St with good home cooking (fried chicken).  We also took in comedy at Theater 99 and wrapped up our stay with a concert  by Patrick Davis & The Midnight Choir at The Circular Church.  We were introduced to PD in the Bahamas at the February Songwriter's in Paradise shows.

Sweet scent of Jasmine everywhere

Beautiful window boxes

Patrick Davis & The Midnight Choir at The Circular Church

Bahamas to FL

3/25/16

To make a long story short, we left the protection of our boat slip at Green Turtle Cay and anchored to the northwest side of Mangrove Cay (nothing there but mangroves) since the winds were expected from the southeast.  Shortly after we arrived, storm cells off the coast of FL headed our way with heavy rain, thunder and lightning.  One cell sat on top of us for 20-30 minutes with winds up to 55 mph.  Scott fired up the engines and every once in a while shifted into gear to take the load off the anchor.  To say it was frightening is putting it mildly, but thankfully we held our anchor as did the other 12 or so boats around us.  After the storms passed the sea was still quite lumpy so sleeping was pretty much out of the question.  It was a long night.

3/26/16

Daylight brought us a beautiful sunrise and calm seas.  We stayed put until midday then moved with 4 other boats to a place on the chart called Memory Rock.  The plan was to anchor there and get an early start for the 76 mile trip to Ft. Pierce inlet.  The "anchorage" is simply a point on the chart that, hopefully, is not on the route of other boats who might be transiting.  There is nothing there.  Nothing.  The nearest land 20 miles to West End on Grand Bahama and 76 miles to FL.  During the middle of the night, wind met current which made for another unpleasant evening.

3/27/16

Wide awake at 03:00, the plan was to leave at 04:00.  We hauled anchor and set out for Ft Pierce Inlet.  It was very dark and a bit unsettling to travel with only the electronic instruments to guide us.  There were a few 'blips' on the radar that we navigated around without ever seeing them.  At least one was a very large freighter many hundreds of feet long.  By the time the sun rose, we had been traveling for about 3 hours.  The trip started out fine but as the day went on, the wind blew harder.  The seas were out of the southeast and began to build from 3-5' so it was a very tedious day, arriving in Ft. Pierce about 14:00.

Center of the Universe Rock on Bahamas Bank

Sunrise after the storms of 3/25

Sunrise out in the gulf stream