Atlantic City

After having our faulty water pump replaced, we prepared to leave Cape May on May 23. It was a clear, sunny morning as we backed out of our slip at Utsch's Marina. "This is going to be the best day ever," we thought. A friendly sailor in a neighboring slip helped us get off and as he cast off our last dock line and tossed it to me, it met me in the face knocking my fairly new prescription glasses into the the murky depths. Or course, I should have been wearing croakies to hold the damn things on. Time to get out the spare drug store glasses.

Less than a quarter of a mile out of the marina, Kenny pointed out our engine's temperature gauge. It was nearly pegged to the max., topping 200 degrees Fahrenheit. (It usually reads around 130). As we were nearing the anchorage, we decided to turn into it and drop the hook. Best day ever. After talking to a mechanic on the phone we decided it prudent to call for a tow back to the marina rather than fire up the engine and have it blow up on us.

Back at Utsch's Marina, another mechanic, named Steve, came and assessed the situation. Seems there wasn't enough coolant in the system. We asked him to replace the thermostat since he was there. As Steve replaced the old one with our new spare which we had on board, he explained every manoeuvre, so we would understand exactly what he was doing. To be sure, he completed every statement with the phrase, "You know what I'm saying?' He was a man who was clearly passionate about his work. In a few hours he had us up and running, but it was too late at that point to head for Atlantic City, so we took a long last walk into Cape May to watch the tourists coming and going with their giant ice cream cones and strollers.

The morning of May 24, we left at 6:30 a.m. and headed for Atlantic City. It would be the best day ever, no doubt. This time I kept my glasses on and the temperature gauge stayed at 130 degrees. We motor-sailed all the way to Atlantic City and arrived at Gardner's Basin Marina shortly after 1 p.m. We got together with our friends, Paul and Colleen, whom we met here in 2005, when Paul helped us solve a mechanical problem with our steering. They hope to go long-term cruising in the near future, so they too can fix their boat in exotic places. Our little cocktail party aboard Mary T lasted from 6 p.m. 'til 10 p.m. without a single gap in the conversation.

Unable to justify spending any more money on marinas, this morning (May 25) we came out to the anchorage. It is well protected and calm, so we will wait out the passing of several cold fronts here gazing at the gleaming casinos in the distance.

Next stop: Block Island.

Deale, MD to Cape May, NJ

We finally left our favorite marina, Shipwright Harbor, on Monday, May 18th. The wind was about 15 knots and gusting to 20 and, of course, was out of the north. Since we were in no hurry, we tacked up the Bay until the wind quit near Thomas Point Lighthouse. Our destination was Whitehall Bay, near Annapolis and it was a perfect first anchorage.

Tuesday was a beautiful, sunny day but one without wind. So, we motored toward the C&D canal expecting to anchor in the Bohemia River or to take a slip at the Summit North Marina. However, we caught the north-bound current and flew through the upper reaches of the Chesapeake and then the canal. We were doing 8 and sometimes 9 knots which is quite fast for us. 

We anchored behind Reedy Island just south of the canal. It has a spectacular view of the cooling tower at the Salem Power Plant across the river in NJ. The last time I was there was in 1987 when I was sailing north with Justin, Kai-lee and our dog, Duke. 

There were quite a few other boats anchored there as well so we picked what seemed like a reasonable spot and dropped our trusty plow. The wind was blowing at about 15 knots out of the south and the current on that portion of the Delaware is rather strong. We were curious how things would play out when the current changed. Slack tide was around 9:30 pm and by 10 pm wind and current had settled into an opposing condition. This caused one of the other boats nearby to swing extremely close to us. It would veer away to a more suitable distance and then veer back. So, after about 15 minutes of deliberation, we decided to move a hundred yards or so away.  No trauma to report. The move paid off and we had a very restful sleep. 

The following day we motored on a windless, bug-less Delaware Bay to Cape May. We had considered going on to Block Island but did not have enough diesel fuel and the weather predictions indicated that we might have to motor quite a bit. We chose to take a slip at a marina and take in a dinner at Lucky Bones. 

Upon the routine check of the motor for oil leakage, I discovered an unusual amount of green liquid caught in the oil drip pan that lives under the motor. Tracing the leak to the source, we determined that it was anti-freeze leaking from the cooling system water pump. I'd seen a few drops of this before but didn't recognize it as anti-freeze. Anyway, we ordered a new pump that we expect will be delivered on the 22nd. We'll then head to Atlantic City to give it a test and to visit our friends Paul and Coleen. Paul is the good Samaritan that helped us back in 2005 when we broke the cable to our transmission. New Jersey people are the greatest!

So, while waiting for the pump, we will enjoy Cape May. 

--Ken

BEGIN AMY :

It feels good to be cruising again, though I did not feel the delirious joy I did when we set off two years ago. It was more like relief to finally be pushing off. My back had been bothering me, so our departure was delayed and I was beginning to fear we'd never go anywhere. I'm glad to say my back is getting steadily better.

Unlike our previous trip, when I shot loads of video, I have not shot 1 frame. In fact, I'm still editing the video from the last voyage. I do plan to complete it before I leave this earth.

Somebody once said, "cruising just means fixing your boat in exotic places." I couldn't agree more. What's more exotic than Cape May, New Jersey? We took a lovely bike ride into town yesterday and ogled the beautiful Victorian B & Bs, checked out the beach and settled into a beer at a sidewalk cafe to watch the passersby. It's one of those places that makes me feel like maybe I'm not such a bad dresser.

Here's a typical interaction between Kenny and I.

Kenny: Mumble, mumble, mumble...

Amy: What?

Kenny: Mumble...

Amy: Are you talking to me?

Kenny: No, I'm singing. (Or) I'm talking to the radio.

Apart from the fact that we're already over budget, all is well. Life is good.

Blogging via Radio

We recently installed a modem for our single sideband radio. This will allow us to send and receive e-mail only--no web surfing. This e-mail is just a test to see if it really does work. Our target date for departing the Annapolis area is May 16. We will be sailing in company with Peggy and David Reichard--long time friends from Gallaudet.

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