We have been AWFUL about keeping up with the blog....

Here is a quick summary of the last month or so.

We have been spending a lot of time at Mary Alice's house in St. Pete. We had a LOVELY Thanksgiving with her good friends and neighbors Fred and Monika and their family. Of course we ate too much, but it was worth it. We have been busy Christmas shopping, semi-living out of the car (we have spring, summer, fall AND winter clothes and have somehow accumulated lots of "stuff" in the past few months), enjoying the cool weather in FL, and basically just hanging out. Bill has been working hard on filling out all of his paperwork and documentation in order to apply for his Captains License; passing the exams was just part one. We had a great Friday night with Mary Alice, Jennifer, and Emmanual at the Florida Orchestra and then had dinner and wine at Burns. The Redskins have continued to disappoint us. All in all, not a lot going on.

Except for last night....

So, Bill and I went to bed early. It was foggy and kind of cold on the boat. We had the heat on actually.

At about 2:45 AM we both woke up because we heard something topside. I was kind of foggy not 100% sure what woke me up. A few seconds later I was fully awake when I heard the companion way doors shutting. WHAT???? I yelled hello?? And someone responded. I jumped up and there was a 50 year old man standing in the salon. I was FREAKED out. Bill got up and the guy immediately started to leave saying he was on the wrong boat. He just got in on a flight from New Hampshire and was mistaken about which boat to get on. WHAT????? At nearly 3:00 am! No luggage, no bag, nothing. He got off the boat and started running before Bill and I even knew what to say or do. Yikes.

We have NEVER had that happen to us before....

We are off to Annapolis tomorrow in the trusty Ford. We are leaving ME in her slip in Sarasota until after the New Year.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season.

Strike One

I know that I said I was only going to post once a week....but we had to share.

At 6:15 this morning, we were struck by lightning in the slip here in Sarasota. It was a HUGE scary bang that startled me awake (Bill was already awake in bed). Bill noticed that the AC in our cabin was off -- and then quickly that EVERYTHING was off. No lights, no bilge, no head, no AC, no nothing. Then we smelled THE smell; something electrical. We immediately turned everything off (both AC and DC power) but we still weren't 100% sure what happened until we went topside and saw the windex shattered and lying on the dock. There is nothing left at the top of the mast at all!!! No anchor light, no VHF antenna, no stereo antenna, no windex. At least we won't have to sweat as much when we go under the fixed bridges..... 

Bill and I immediately began assessing the damage. And it is extensive. 

There is no rhyme or reason to what the lightning fried. The engine will start but there are no gauges (and the generator won't start at all.) The TV works but the DVD player doesn't. The freezer yes, refrigerator no.  The radar/GPS unit works topside but not down below (which is bad since the 'brains' are down below.) The windlass works but the bow thruster doesn't (the windlass and the bow thruster share a battery and breaker.) The lightning also fried the circuit board on the water maker, the single side band radio, the satellite phone, the tank indicator, and the alternator.

It could have been worse. First and foremost, both of us are OK and there was no fire. We did have a lightning rod at the top of the mast which saved a few systems. The AC is working, which we are thankful for since it is 90 degrees today. And the computer thankfully isn't toast (it was charging overnight). 

We had someone come and do a full evaluation / survey this morning and a claim is already in with the insurance company. We are very lucky that someone so capable and experienced was able to come out right away. He said that he handles about 6 boats a year that have been struck by lightning and he has seen worse. Oh, and did you know that Tampa Bay is the lightning capital of the world? 

We will have to get the boat hauled next week at Snead Island (about 2 1/2 hours away via the ICW) since we don't know where the lightning actually exited the boat. It could have been through the prop shaft or a thru hull so we have to have the boat pulled to make sure. Bill will also go up the mast to inspect the shrouds and the spreaders in case the bolt exited somewhere up the mast. 

So we'll keep you posted.

We're in the Hall of Fame...Marina

Well, today was an interesting day. We did some errands in the morning, filled the tanks, and the guy who will be working on the teak stopped by to give us an estimate and check out the boat. We left the New River around 11:30. Bill did a great job of leaving the slip and turning around in the narrow river in between all of the water taxi / tour boat / pleasure craft traffic. We motored back towards the New River and enjoyed the scenery.

There are many stunningly huge mega yachts docked in Ft. Lauderdale. Between the amazing homes and the v-e-r-y large motor yachts -- the wealth is just unimaginable. There are literally dozens of huge boats docked all over the place. See below...

So... we thought we would be staying at Las Olas Marina for a week or so while the work is done on the boat. We called ahead and got no answer from the marina. We did eventually get a call on the VHF from the New River Dockmaster (the place we left earlier in the day) who gave us a slip assignment (New River and Las Olas are both municipal marinas and are all on the same team). The first slip they told us to go to was about 30 feet. We called back and got another slip. Meanwhile the current was roaring and unfortunately the one dockmaster was at lunch and was unable to catch our lines. No worries. I was all set to hop off and tie us off, and Bill was in the middle of a great docking. Then we lost our bow thruster; the fuse was shot. My friends, on a 52 foot single screw boat, a bow thruster is key --especially docking in a tight spot, stern to, with the current with us, and a bridge to contend with. So... we eventually got into the slip; we were cockeyed for awhile and had to pull the boat in (yeah, it weighs several tons so that wasn't fun) Somehow I managed to kneel in a pile of fiberglass (or something?) so my knee / shin / ankel is all sore and itchy. Anyway, we eventually got sv Mary Elizabeth in her slip and tied up all safe and sound. However --- as I was turning off the electronics, I looked at the depth finder -- which read 6.5 feet. And we were at high tide. So... needless to say, we could not stay.

We called around to another marina since there are a dozen or so in the area and ended up at Hall of Fame Marina. The staff is great and someone was able to catch our lines. Bill did a great job docking without a bow thruster. And the marina is awesome. We are one block from the beach, our slip is plenty deep, the marina is secure / gated, they have laundry facilities, and they recycle. So, things work out for a reason, I guess.

Fernandina Beach, FL

As you can see why from this radar picture from weatherunderground.com, we have decided to wait out the rain and wind here in Fernandina Beach, FL. Yes, we made it to Florida (!) which feels like an accomplishment. We left Maryland more than 5 weeks ago.

We had an interesting day yesterday.... We left St. Simons Island around 8:00 in a dense fog. The weather was warm (70s) and there was a strong wind on our nose (20 knots) for most of the day. Low tide was at 12:21, which concerned us since we had several shallow places to get through. We saw less than 10 feet for the majority of the day, which made for a tense ride. We did run aground once in Jekell Creek -- even though we were in the middle of the channel and were following the range markers -- but Bill quickly got us off. We were again fortunate to be passed by another boat with only a four foot draft who was able to relay water depths via the VHF so we had a better idea of which direction to head once we got off. It is impossible to know which way to point the boat when you are aground in the middle of the channel. We were both more than relieved to get off the bottom so quickly since the tide was still going out and we would have been in trouble.

The water depths in the ICW in Florida are supposed to be less of an issue, which we will both be thankful for. From what we have read and heard from others, Georgia just doesn't have the money (or hasn't allocated the money) for dredging and shoaling is everywhere.

The rain missed us and we were tied up at the dock by about 3:00. Bill and I enjoyed a warm rest of the afternoon topside and had dinner and a movie on the boat. We also saw a big Coast Guard ship dock next to us after dark, which was neat.

So today it is raining and very windy. They have issued a tornado warning, so we are glad to be at the dock with the super duper fender from Dave and Molly. We were woken up early this morning with knock, knock, knocks on the hull from the dock master who was advising all boaters to put (even) more lines out. Since we already doubled up yesterday, so there isn't much more we can do. Hopefully we'll be able to explore the town a little in between raindrops!

Belhaven, NC

We left the Alligator River at statute mile 84 of the ICW about 8:00 and continued our trek south. Periodically throughout the trip we have spotted ICW mile markers. Today we saw several.

We have been using Dozier's Waterway Guide in addition to paper charts and the electronic GPS. Doziers warned of several reported trees / logs in the water. And sure enough We hit a log (or something) this morning. There was no damage and sv Mary Elizabeth continued on. It was just a strange sound.

Today was also a test since we had to pass under the Wilkerson Bridge at mile 125.9. The Wilkerson Bridge has a 64-foot fixed clearance -- a foot less than any other bridge in the ICW. Bill motored sv Mary Elizabeth under the bridge at less than 2 knots; if we were going to hit, we wouldn't hit hard. And we did hit. Not the mast, but the wind vane and lightning grounder at the top of the mast. Something came flying down, hit the dodger and then crashed on the deck. When all was said and done (and our hearts returned to a normal heartbeat) we realized that it was only the metal piece sticking off the wind vane that keeps away birds. Whew....

So, it was an interesting day -- to say the least. We pulled into Belhaven, NC around 2:00 or so. The marina is small and cute. No cable, but they do have a movie "lending library" (which we took advantage of).

For more pictures of the trip to Belhaven, Click Here.

Deltaville, VA

sv Mary Elizabeth left the dock at Solomons around 9:00 this morning - even though it felt so much later because of the clock change. Funny how one hour can mess you up....

We had a beautiful sail most of the 45 miles to Deltaville and arrived at Doziers at 5:20 or so.

About five minutes after we put the sails out, Bill went below to check out the coupling - the part of the boat that attaches the prop shaft to the transmission, since he was hearing a strange noise. Good thing he has good ears.... When he opened the engine room compartment, Bill realized that the bolts had loosened and there was about a 1/3 of an inch gap between the two plates. We immediately took the sails in, Bill turned the boat so we were lying ahull, and he went to work. He manually tightened all of the bolts while I kept a watch out for boat traffic, crab pots, and water depth (although we were in plenty of water). After about 20 minutes, Bill had fixed the problem.

Despite the minor "issues" first thing, we had a perfect morning / early afternoon. It was warm, and we were sailing at an average of 7.5 knots (we saw 8.8 at one point) on a nice beam reach -- the kind of sailing I love (calm, flat, relaxing). Around 3:00 or so, it started to get dark and very cold. By the time we arrived in Deltaville both Bill and I had our foul weather gear on (something I rarely do since I feel so bulky when I wear it!) and we were still shivering.

Doziers is a great marina for anyone who plans on staying in Deltaville, VA. We have plans for a steak and asparagus dinner tonight. We might go up to the marina "lounge" to watch the Patriots game tonight (no cable on the dock).

Tomorrow's destination: Norfolk, VA

For more pictures of Deltaville, click here

Still stuck

Well, we never made it off the bottom today; we are staying another night in Rock Hall. There is an unusually low tide cycle going on due to the high winds that we experienced the other day. But we weren't the only ones affected. Here are some pictures that we took today. Bill and I saw about a dozen boats on the bottom.

Stuck.....

Well, we have been waiting since about 7 am to leave Rock Hall. High tide was at 7:40, but we are still firmly stuck on the bottom. Mary Elizabeth draws about 5.6 inches of water. As of 9:00, we are in 5.3 inches.

We even had a small work boat that moves boats in and out of slips try to pull us off the bottom. Didn't work even with both our and the small "tug's" engines at full throttle.

We'll make it eventually.... we hope.

It is another very cold day. Not only does Bill have pants and shoes on, but he has put on his foul weather gear too in the attempt to block some of the cold air and wind.

We left Mystic in time to make the 7:40 bridge - thanks to Bill's expert de-docking skills in such a tight place. The water was completely calm. No wind, no waves, sea like glass. Bill pushed the engine up since he knew we had about 8 hours ahead of us and the current was due to change around 1:00 pm. In Long Island Sound we were making way at about 10 knots. Everything was great.

Around 10:00 am we passed a HUGE log (20 feet long, 3 feet in diameter) in the middle of the water. Bill called it into the Coast Guard as a hazard to navigation; if a motor boat going fast hit the debris there would be a big problem.... Around the same time the sky got dark and it became very foggy. We turned the radar on so we could see what was ahead (and behind and around) us. That was the start of it all.

Beginning at 10:30 or so the Coast Guard stations in both Long Island Sound and New York began to issue hazardous weather warnings. As good mariners, we had already checked the weather online (from several sources) and listened to the radio. We knew what was to be expected and what we were in for.

As the sky got progressively darker and darker, we put everything down below and prepared for the rain, wind, and thunderstorms. Bill changed course so we would avoid the brunt of the bad weather, but the storm was large and was heading our way regardless.

But.... we still knew it would hit. It started to rain, got much colder, and the wind picked up. It got worse and worse. I got Bill his foul weather gear and went below to wait it out. The lightning was all around us and it began to rain very VERY hard. The seas picked up.

Then it DID hit us. We saw 30, then 40, then 45, then 50 knots on the wind gauge. Now, I will put put that into perspective.... 65 knots is considered a hurricane. We saw 5-0 knots! Fifty knots is the most wind that I have ever seen (by far!) and the most that Bill has seen by 10 knots. We had no sails up, which was a good thing. During the 30 minutes or so that we were in the storm, we heard four different mayday calls from sailboats to the Coast Guard. We were very lucky that we were prepared for what was coming and had a plan. Bill calmly steered the boat (getting very wet in the process). Thankfully the seas never got too rough (4-6 feet was the max we saw). We were down to motoring at 3 knots (WAY down from the 10 knots we had seen earlier!)

About half way through the thick of it, Bill yelled from the cockpit "Lauren, look at the dinghy!" I came topside only to see the dinghy (which we were towing as we always do) completely upside down!!!!! The dinghy rode a wave and the 50 knots of wind flipped it over. The dinghy was inverted and acting as an anchor (hence the 3 knots). It was half way submerged under the water. We couldn't see the motor and had no idea what happened to the gas tank. We tried to flip it right side up but it was no use. We eventually decided (after weighing our options) to cut it loose. We watched it float away in huge waves and pounding rain. In hindsight, we should have taken the engine off the dinghy before we left Mystic and mounted it aft of the boat. It was a costly mistake, and one we will not make again. So for now, we are again without a dinghy.

So.... it was a strange day to say the least.... very large logs and other debris in the water, so much fog that we had to use the radar, huge lightning bolts, 50 knots of wind, buriel at sea, May Day calls.

Thankfully we had Port Jefferson, NY to look forward to. We arrived at Danford's Marina around 3:30. Bill did a perfect job docking in a very tight slip in a narrow fairway. Danford's is a beautiful hotel / marina. We checked in and went to the hotel lobby for a drink to check the place out. Later Linda and Mike and their kids John and Andrew came by the boat. We hung out for a bit and then Bill and I went to their beautiful home for steak and corn on the grill. What a nice night we had at their place. Both Bill and I very much appreciate their generous hospitality!! We look forward to two more nights in Port Jefferson!

Not a good day for the Captain.....

(This entry from Bill) After a very uneventful passage from Block Island to Mystic Harbor under sunny skies in wind from the wrong direction (again) we motored up the scenic Mystic River past Noank to the first of two bridges to get to Mystic Seaport, a railroad bridge, which is normally in the open position but was closed when we got there. During the fifteen minute wait, we made several 360’s but after multiple donuts, I decided to put the boat in reverse to hold our position.

Our normal routine is to tow our dinghy on a line that runs about 25 feet off our stern. But after a couple of minutes in reverse, I realized the dinghy was not behind us anymore but was right next to us. I asked Lauren to bring in the towing line. So Lauren, being the great first mate that she is, responded and said "it's stuck". We had about a 2 knot current pushing us into the bridge at this point and I had a pretty good idea what had happened. The towing line had caught in the gap between the rudder and the keel of the boat - very scary because this is very close to the propeller. After trying several options and being very close to one of the channel markers, we realized our only option was to cut the line to try to pull it free. No luck!

We re-attached the dinghy to the boat using the “painter” (which is not used for towing but is used to attaching the dinghy to docks) and then, remember the channel marker? Because it was getting very close and I was unsure of where the approximately 24 feet left of line was, I needed to decide whether to put the boat back in gear or to drift out of the channel. Not having but 15 seconds to make this decision, I put the boat into gear and made a hard turn to avoid a collision with the channel marker.

Thankfully, we avoided the marker but we ran ourselves firmly aground in 5 feet of water! Things were not looking good. Call for a tow or put the engine in reverse to get us off the bottom and risk having the tow line (who knows where it was) sucked into the propeller? Neither were great options. I elected the latter and we were able to get ourselves out of the mud. We made our way through the railroad bridge and the next bridge and finally docked at Mystic Seaport, wondering if we were a ticking time bomb (i.e. were we going to suck the remaining tow line into our prop?)

So tomorrow I have to decide whether to dive the rudder myself, as I have gear on board, or hire a diver. However, looking over the stern of the boat today, I counted upwards of ten jellyfish floating near the surface and I am leaning towards having a professional do it since I don’t have a full wetsuit.

Looking back, safe and sound at the dock, after a great dinner downtown, one can realize that it only takes a few seconds of complacency to turn little problems into a big deal. Lesson learned again.

On another note, we are staying at (as in inside) the Mystic Seaport Museum and are actually docked next to three tall sailing ships. And it looks like our stay here is going to be fantastic.