Wow

Check out this video of hurricane Bill as seen from the International Space Station. Truly amazing!!!

And I like this article from The State (from South Carolina) titled "Don't Mess With Bill."

The irony....

So apparently there are two storms that are forming and one -- ironically enough -- is named BILL. Since this is our first time in the "hurricane zone" we are, of course, paying particular attention to any tropical storms etc.

"Strengthening is indicated and Bill is expected to become a hurricane in three to four days," it said, adding forecasts showed this would take place when the storm was very near the Northern Leeward Islands. The five-day forecast track showed it could threaten Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.

Check out the full news article from Reuters.

and the thunder rolls

Here are some pictures of the thunderstorm that rolled in late Saturday afternoon. Beautiful, isn't it?

Sticking around

 

Bill and I have decided to stay in Key West until the low pressure system does something! We still haven't decided whether we are going to go straight from Key West to Sarasota (about 36 hours) or hopscotch our way up the West Coast. The other issue is that we aren't sure how we are going to get out of our slip. It's hard to explain, but we are on an outside slip next to the breakwater. So Bill will either have to back the boat out of the slip about 150 yards into the fairway, or we'll have to turn the boat around in the slip using lines and the bow thruster with the help of the dock hands. You can see from the picture below how tight of a squeeze it will be, especially since other boats are docked in the outside breakwater slips. 

Either way, we aren't worried about it now since we'll be here for another few days at least. And since it is Memorial Day weekend, I am sure that Key West will be especially fun/crazy/crowded. 

 

En route from Daytona Beach to Cocoa (?)

Fog, fog and more fog. We woke up to another morning of dense fog and decided to wait for some of it to burn off before leaving the dock. Our destination tonight was supposed to be Cocoa, FL at statute mile 898. Because we didn't leave until after 9:00, we are unsure that we will make it all the way there. There are two bridges at statute miles 878 and 885 that have restricted openings. The Titusville Bridges doesn't open between 3:15 and 4:30 and the Addison Point Bridge doesn't open between 3:30 and 5:00 (for rush hour traffic). So we are not sure if we will make it to dinner tonight with my Uncle. If not tonight, hopefully tomorrow.

The first picture is what the channel from the marina to the ICW looked like when we woke up. The second picture is how the channel looked when we left the dock.

We have had another delay today. We were boarded by the MSD - the Marine Sanitation Department (also fondly known as the Potty Police). They were very courteous and simply inspected our overboard discharge valves for the holding tank. Of course we are in full compliance so it was all very quick. We have read on cruisers net that they are stopping lots of boats. The fine is $250.00 if the valve isn't in the shut position and somehow secured. How anyone could discharge the holding tank overboard while seeing dolphins and birds, etc. swimming in the water is beyond me.

Right now we are waiting for a 11:20 bridge opening. As the fog is starting to lift the weather is getting warmer and warmer. Bill has officially switched to shorts.

Daytona Beach, FL

Bill and I decided to stay another day in St. Augustine. We still have over a week to get to Boca and St. Augustine is such a great place. We were up and ready to leave by 7:30 but as we were taking the shore power off, we both looked at each other and decided to stay.

So today, Tuesday, we left for Daytona. We left the dock around 8:00. Today was a strange day. We had twelve -- yes TWELVE -- bridges to deal with. And all went well. Four were open on demand, eight were fixed 65 footers.

The stranger part of today was the VERY dense fog that we experienced until about 11:00. The fog was so thick at parts that we could see no more than 100 feet (or two boat lengths) in front of us. For most of the morning there was a caravan of six boats inching our way forward - with Mary Elizabeth slowly navigating the lead before a trawler and motor vessel took over. It is such a strange feeling motoring at 5 knots into nothing but white and trying to find the next marker - especially when the channel is narrow and the depths are shallow. Most of the day the depth finder showed between 10 and 12 feet in the ICW. Eventually the fog lifted and it turned into a beautiful day. The warmer temperatures and sunshine felt marvelous.

We are at Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach (statute mile 830 on the ICW) for the night. It is another great facility; very helpful staff and, surprisingly, liveaboards! Part of our trek south via the ICW has involved scoping out where we will eventually want to live. We were surprised to find out that the state of Georgia does not allow liveaboards at all. And we have heard mixed things about (the rules, taxes, impressions of) living aboard in different parts of Florida. Bill and I chatted with a liveaboard here in Daytona (a fellow pilot, nonetheless) and he had great things to say.

Another cool thing about today was that we were in a "manatee zone" for most of the day. We didn't see any manatees, but we certainly kept an eye out. Maybe tomorrow.... Tomorrow we will be in Cocoa, FL where we will meet up with my uncle and his family for dinner. Yeah!

Rocking and Rolling

As I wrote the other day, Bill and I decided to stay in Charleston for a few extra days since the weather didn't look so good. Today, like yesterday, it has rained all day. Around 6:00 am we woke up to big "bangs" against the hull --- waves crashing against the swim platform. There is a fairly strong current in Charleston Harbor. Since we are on the outside (the Charleston Harbor side) of the 1000 yards of T dock at Charleston City Marina and the strong winds and current were occurring in the opposite direction, the water became very, very choppy and basically ricocheted off the stern of the boat. After the current / tide and wind settled down a bit, we went to a local sports bar to watch the Redskins vs. the Giants game at 1:00. When we got back around 4:30, the wind started to pick up again. Right now we are watching the Patriots vs. Steelers game and we are again rocking and rolling in the slip. We just saw 28 knots directly off our port beam. So we are enjoying a cozy night inside down below, albeit heeled over in the slip.

It has been a nice luxury to have a rental car. We did some exploring outside of the downtown area and it has made food shopping etc. easier. Yesterday I took the car and explored the waterfront on the Cooper River side of Charleston. I had every intention on going to the Aquarium but ultimately decided not to go. It was a rainy Saturday and the lines to the Aquarium were long and complete with big families with strollers and lots of unhappy kids. So, I walked around the waterfront but opted out of the aquarium. I did get some Christmas shopping done though. And Charleston is a great city for Christmas shopping!

Last night Bill and I put on a little Christmas music (the Oklahoma game was on, just muted) and wrapped presents. I managed to find an all Christmas music station on the radio. The Constantino Christmas is simplified this year as we have switched to a grab. Bill and I are trying to get our gifts off early since they will have to be shipped to Weymouth. We will put up the tree once we are settled somewhere. Bill also got some garland to decorate, which we might put up tonight. Things are feeling festive (and rolly) on the sv Mary Elizabeth.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Beaufort, NC

We are still in Beaufort, although we do plan on leaving tomorrow. Today there was a tornado warning in effect for most of the afternoon; glad we decided to stay put a few more days. Yesterday in between raindrops we took a cab to the closest movie theater, which is in Moorehead City. Bill was very excited to see the latest 007 James Bond movie, which we both gave two thumbs up. Last night we made a few friends at the marina bar and hung out. The marina is pretty much full at the moment. Everyone is holed up waiting for a weather window in order to get to their next destinations.

Weather

Beaufort is a great place. A little sleepy and quiet, but lovely. The marina is adjacent to the "main drag" so we have been able to walk everywhere. On Tuesday we visited the North Carolina Maritime Museum after we had a nice lunch on the water. We also walked around town and saw lots of the historic homes (from the outside). Like everywhere, there are a ton of homes for sale - it seemed like every other home (historic or not) had a sign out front. Bill and I popped in and out of some of the shops before heading back to the boat.

On Wednesday we did errands. There is a great laundromat right across the street so I was able to do three loads of laundry at once. We also borrowed the marina courtesy car and went food shopping and to CVS. Wednesday night we had steak and salad on board and watched TV. We have been having early nights lately. 6:00 feels like it is 11:00 for some reason....

So, Thursday (today) is the day that Tommy was supposed to fly into New Bern from Boston to help Bill and me take Mary Elizabeth on the outside straight from Beaufort to Charleston. However, earlier this week, after repeatedly checking the weather forecasts and talking to Cap' Dave, Bill decided that the timing just wouldn't work and we will continue south via the ICW and skip the Atlantic Ocean (for now). The winds were predicted to be a little too strong (20-25), and the waves just a little too high (5-7 ft) at small interval (every 7 seconds). It would have made for a less than ideal trip. And we really are in no rush. Our only goal is to be in Boca around the third week in December. Why push it. We are disappointed that we will not see Tommy (and thank him even though things didn't work out), but I am glad that Bill decided to continue our journey via the ICW - I am enjoying it!

So we had plans to leave early on Thursday morning and try to make it to Wrightsville Beach, NC (which would have been a fairly long day for us) via the ICW. We knew going to bed on Wednesday that it might be a "no go" since the weather was supposed to be bad, although we decided if it was only rain we would suck it up and go. Early Thursday morning when we woke up the radar showed an awful lot of rain and thunderstorms heading our way. We agreed to stay put in Beaufort for another day. The weather for Friday and Saturday is not supposed to be much better, so we'll take it day by day.

We have pretty much spent the entire day below since it has rained hard all day -- so hard that we couldn't see past the entrance to the inlet. And at least one boat on anchor was dragging. the big excitement for the day has been a large (10+) pod of dolphins apparently feeding on something in the harbor. They have been around all day swimming and playing. When it hasn't been pouring, we have sat topside to watch them and have been thoroughly entertained.

Norfolk, VA

Deltaville, and the folks at Doziers were very nice, and we enjoyed our stay last night. They feature floating cement docks, complimentary coffee in the morning, magazine and book swap, huge TV in the lounge where we watched football last night, etc. The owners happen to be affiliated with the Doziers Waterway Guides, which we have relied on these past few months -- and have a big yacht named m/v Waterway Guides to prove it.

So Bill and I shoved off the dock in Deltaville around 8:45 this morning. We put the sails out and cruised along at about 7 knots for three hours or so before the wind died to less than 10 knots. We took the jib in but left the main out to steady ourselves since we were in very beamy seas. After lunch it got cold again (there is a trend here....) and the foul weather gear came out.

We proceeded to motorsail out of the Chesapeake Bay and into the Elizabeth River into Norfolk Virginia. We went by a carrier and submarines and saw F-15s and the new F-22s flying overhead. Norfolk is home to the Norfolk Naval Base, which is the largest naval base in the world.

We have decided that we are going to stay here through Friday morning. There is weather coming, and we are going to wait a few days before we enter the ICW. We are Tidewater Marina on the Elizabeth River, which is at Mile Marker 0 of the ICW. In the next few days, we will enter the ICW and travel down the Eastern Coast. The main thing that we are concerned about is a fixed 64 foot bridge. Mary Elizabeth's mast is 63 and 1/2 feet height -- not counting the wind vane. So... we are contemplating the pros and cons of the various routes (well, as the captain, Bill is contemplating the pros and cons of the various routes). The expected strong winds and rain will create waves, which will shorten the distance between the top of the mast and the bottom of the fixed bridge -- the main reason why we are going to hole up in Norfolk for a few days.

The adventure has begun!



For more pictures of Norfolk, click here.

Leaving Atlantic City

We left Atlantic City around 11:30 on Sunday after carefully looking at the weather. There was a series of storms scheduled to go through. The water was calm as we left AC and we put the sails up for a bit. As it started to get darker and darker, Bill took the sails down. The wind picked up to 25 knots or so. We thankfully missed all of the storms, but we did experience the big seas (5-7 feet) and strong winds as a result of the bad weather. The skies were sunny, but we got rolled around pretty good. Here are two very short videos of the waves taken before the waves got so big that we had to hold on with two hands to keep from being tossed off our seats (don't worry, we had our harnesses on). These videos don't do justice to the beamy seas that we experienced for five straight hours....

We got to Cape May, New Jersey around 6:00 pm on Sunday. Bill got some takeout and we called it an early night. We do have cable here, so we have been able to watch some of the Olympics, which has been great.

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!

We moved off the ferry / fuel dock around 10:45. Bill and I dropped off our laundry and then finished filling the tanks, etc. We then decided to take a walk and explore.

We walked about 30 minutes into town (which is very small, really just one main drag with ten or fifteen stores). We found a place to rent scooters and off we went. Since it was lunch time, we drove around for a bit and then stopped at a restaurant on the water.

All morning we watched the thunderstorm clouds but each time they missed us. We knew that there was bad weather around Block Island from listening to the marine forecast. As we were eating, the sky got progressively darker. Bill got calls from both Dave and Tommy (it is nice to know there are people looking out for us!) saying the skies were about to open up. So... we got our check and high tailed it back to the marina. Watching the storm roll in was absolutely amazing. The skies were stunning, the lightning beautiful, the thunder LOUD. The wind wasn't so bad (30 kts max), but it poured!! And it hasn't stopped. We basically stayed in on the boat for the rest of the day watching movies and hanging out. Hopefully tomorrow the sun will come out again. We have the scooter until the afternoon. Here are some pictures of the storm.

Another rainy day

So we spent the day on the boat. I am 99.9% finished with my cross stitch. Yeah! We also tackled some engine "issues" and Bill cleaned out the sump pumps - never a fun job. I cleaned down below and Bill did a lot of planning for the next month or so this afternoon. I also got to chat with my sister, Nancy, and Melanie, which was a treat.

We are in for the night (chili and a movie) and off early tomorrow for Cuttyhunk - if all goes according to plan, which we know it doesn't. I have been keeping track of mooring and slip reservations in a notebook, which also includes (tentative) future dates and destinations. Right now my notebook is full of scratched out lists and torn out pages (I have to get over having a "perfect" to-do / to-go list or else I am going to drive myself [and Bill] crazy!)

And Bill and I wanted to clarify. We are not complaining that we are "stuck" in Nantucket. Poor us, right?!!!? Nantucket has been amazingly beautiful and a lot of fun. We just didn't think that we would be here for a week!

Here are some pictures of one of the storms (we have had several today) that passed through. Thanks Capt Dave for the heads up - or else we would have been sailing in this mess.

Still...in...Nantucket....

Bill and I are still in Nantucket. We were supposed to leave on Monday, but extended our stay last week until Wednesday so we could see some more of the sites. Then on Wednesday we extended our stay another night so we could get our mail (which was delivered to Nantucket Moorings) and stay in Cuttyhunk only one night instead of two. Today, Thursday, we decided to stay another day because of some nasty weather that is supposed to come our way. Since we do an average of 8 knots (sailing or motoring) there is no way for us to "outrun" a storm. Bill made the decision after getting a head's up from Captain Dave, then listening to the marine forecast and reading online to stay here safe and sound on our mooring for another night. As the Captain, Bill makes all decisions related to navigation and weather, etc. I always 100% trust his decisions either way (but am glad we won't have to deal with any "hail and damaging winds" today!) Here is the weather report:

Nantucket Sound-
Today S winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft. A chance of showers with a slight chance of tstms until late afternoon...then showers likely with a chance of tstms early this afternoon. Patchy fog. Some tstms may produce heavy rainfall...large hail and damaging winds early this afternoon. Vsby 1 to 3
nm.

Tonight S winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft. Showers likely with a chance of tstms. Patchy fog in the evening. Some tstms may produce heavy rainfall...large hail and damaging winds. Vsby 1 to 3 nm.

Right now it is pretty choppy and there is about 20 kts of wind (and rising) in the mooring field and the sky is getting darker. So looks like we are in for another afternoon on the boat. I am going to do a good cleaning down below and hopefully finish my cross stitch. There are also a few boat maintenance projects that we are going to work on as well as continue to make reservations for Annapolis, etc.

So we have been mostly hanging out on the boat the past few days. We did some errands yesterday and had sushi for lunch. We also walked around and found the beach at Brant Point (and saw the lighthouse up close). A few more v-e-r-y big boats have been in and out of the harbor - to include My Shanti, which is listed as one of the top 100 boats in the world. After watching the Red Sox win in the 12th inning last night, we made dinner (bacon and egg wraps) and watched a movie.

I have been bad about taking pictures for some reason, so I don't have many to share. Except for this one of a sign that we saw at a dog park the other day, which made us both do a double-take then laugh out loud. Enjoy.

Our stay in Bermuda

...we didn't have an internet connection in Bermuda, so here are a bunch of blog entries and pictures that I wasn't able to post until now. Enjoy....

Tuesday we did get word that we would have to leave the cruise ship dock since the weather had temporarily calmed down. Bill and Bill helped Bill and I anchor the boat. Bill fixed the windlass, which was acting up and then Bill from Crazy Horse shuttled us to shore (we have no dinghy!) for lunch. I flew to Boston in the afternoon.

Al and Ross are expected to fly into Bermuda today (Wednesday) and the Mary Elizabeth should leave Bermuda on Friday with the rest of the fleet.

Bermuda is a beautiful place - one that we hope to be fortunate enough to return to soon.

Mancala, Blues, Rain, and Sharks.....

Andrea left this morning after a week aboard the Mary Elizabeth. We had a great time, but it was a strange week.

First, the weather was awful. Before Andrea got here I told her not to even bother to bring a sweatshirt since the weather is always warm, always sunny. Not true. We had only one nice day of weather the whole week she was here....

Andrea arrived late Tuesday night. We had reservations at the marina until Thursday morning and an itinerary full of different islands, beaches, and snorkeling planned. Wednesday Andrea and I did some errands and hung out at the marina pool. We soon realized we probably weren't going anywhere soon though.

(Pic: Andrea and Lauren at the Eco Camps, Maho Bay)

The main headline in the Wednesday edition of the Daily News (the local newspaper) was"Big Waves to Pound Islands". The paper reported "meteorologists called it one of the largest swells to hit the region since 1991, the year of the 'Perfect Storm' of blockbuster movie fame." There was a gale warning in effect and a small craft advisory. So... we decided to try to stay in the marina for at least another day before leaving. We were lucky - the marina was completely booked but someone never showed so we got their slip for the night. Everything was crowded because it was Easter week and everyone felt the same way we did about being at sea - no way!

We ended up leaving Yacht Haven Grande on Friday morning. We saw some big swells - residual waves from the storm - and ended up going to Maho Bay, St. John since it was fairly close and protected.

We had a nice couple of days on the mooring. Andrea introduced Bill and me to Mancala - which has since become the new board game of choice these days...

On Saturday night we took a taxi to the other side of the island and went to the St. John Blues Festival which was fun.

Sunday we hung around and Andrea and I tried snorkeling but the visibility was just awful.

(Pic: Yacht Haven Grande)

On Monday we moved the boat to Watermelon Cay, St. John. The three of us snorkeled the Cay, and Andrea, who had never snorkeled before, enjoyed herself. She was OK with snorkeling because I assured her that there are no sharks (big sharks anyway) in the Caribbean. Well, about half way through our snorkel, Bill and I saw a huge (6 feet!!!!!!!!) nurse shark right there in the reef. Thankfully Andrea didn't see it and we didn't say anything until we were back on the boat so she wouldn't freak out. I actually wasn't sure it was a shark until Bill confirmed (he swam after it to get a better look.) Either way, it was scary to see something, anything in the water that is that big......

(Pic: Bill and Andrea during the sail back to St. Thomas in the rain)

Tuesday we sailed back to Yacht Haven in the pouring rain...We watched the replay of the Sox win in Japan and had drinks with friends. She left early (5:30 am!) this morning. And of course, today it is sunny, warm and beautiful weather.

We really enjoyed having Andrea here - despite the bad weather. It was nice to hang out and enjoy the boat. And since we didn't get to show her all that we wanted, she'll just have to come back for another visit.

Tomorrow Bill and I fly to DC for a week to take care of a few things so we'll be in phone range. Talk to everyone soon.


(Pic: Andrea and Bill playing Mancala)

(pic: Bill, Jason, Keith, Andrea at the Fat Turtle, St. Thomas)