September 29, 2014

Sunday in Point Judith A great day.

OK so we are in Long Island Sound at Point Judith RI. Most of the time it has been work and busy doing things. After we got the engine started we kicked back and relaxed some.

First we took my reel, thanks Emmett, and got string put on it and got a rod for it. Then we talked to the people at the bait shop on what would be needed to fish and what the rules were. They were very helpful and put together some hooks and a couple of lures for me.

Now they have a rig called a Sabaki rig that has 3 to 8 hooks on it with a little material on each that is made to look like little shrimp.

These are the little hooks, there are three of them on this line.

We now have bait to catch bigger fish with

Jigging by the dock catching bait

You use that to catch your bait with. The bait you catch are just a little bigger than a minnow. Then you hook that onto your bigger rig to catch bigger fish. Remember the cartoon with the little fish then a bigger fish then the big fish. I guess that would be the best explanation.

Anyway all I had to do was go onto the internet and order a free “cause I’m old” fishing license that covers everything from Maine to New Jersey. Finally something I don’t have to buy for each state.

Next we’ll see if I can catch some BIGGER fish. I’ll have a report a little later on how we do.

At about 2 PM Sunday afternoon they had a paddle race that went right by the boat. The people would wave and say hi to us while we sat up on Adventure and took some pictures. There were over 200 entrants and it took over 1 1/2 hours for them to pass. So not a lot of comments but a bunch of pictures. It was a lot of fun.

SS Minnow was on the side

The Blues Brothers

The 2 pigs

Vikings

Vikings

A whole lot of other racers. I believe it was a “RACE” and scavenger hunt. But they were paddling against a 3 knot tide. They were working hard but having fun.

There were a lot of them and they were a lot of fun. So we had a great time Sunday afternoon.

Thanks to all our followers we still love to hear from you!

“You can never cross the Ocean,

unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore”

“Living The Dream”

Tammy & Steve

September 29, 2014

Trouble from Buzzards Bay to Point Judith

It was a nice day leaving Buzzards Bay headed for Point Judith Rhode Island. We got up early planning to take some time at Pt Judith for Boat maintenance, laundry, and those $6.50 Lobster tails. It got a little rough about 6 hours into the run with the wind picking up to 20 knots, with 8 foot rollers. The weather was forecast to be sunny with light 5 to 10 knot winds. WRONG We left at about 6:30 AM figuring to arrive at Pt Judith at about 2:30 PM. It was about a 45 mile leg and that should get us there early in the afternoon.

We were about 10 miles from Point Judith when we lost a pin on the Genoa. The large sail at the front of the boat. So we had to take that one down and just stick with the motor. Then at about 8 miles from Point Judith at about 1 PM the engine started to sputter and quit. So we were out in rough seas again without a motor again and just drifting. We had to call the Coast Guard and inform them of the situation and then we called Seatow again. The better news we had learned our lesson 2 days earlier we had put special Towing insurance on the boat. We couldn’t afford to pay that bill again so it was covered.

It took 1 1/2 hours for them to come to our rescue, meanwhile we drifted almost to the entrance of Pt Judith. But they hooked us up and towed us into Pt Judith.

This is the Seatow Boat that came out and towed us into Pt Judith

When we talked to the manager of the Marina he said that older (33 years in our case) aluminum diesel tanks can build up contamination in them and he recommended we replace it. With all the issues we have had I wish someone would have recommended we do that before. Apparently when we hit the rough seas and we got low on fuel, half empty, the shaking of the boat mixed up the sludge on the bottom and sucked it into the fuel filters which plugged up and starved the engine.

The decision to change the fuel tank came on Friday AM and we could not order the fuel tank until Monday. Hopefully it will get here in one day and we can install it on Tuesday and get going.

I decided I would remove the old fuel tank and get the engine running myself this weekend while we wait on the new fuel tank. So I worked on removing the fuel tank.

This is the fuel tank out of Adventure

These are shots into the tank after I took it out. I pumped out 9 gallons of diesel first and there is still about a gallon left in the tank after that. Diesel is a red color but notice all the black stuff in the bottom of the tank. That is what got pumped into and then blocked the fuel filter.

After removing the tank I used a gerry can and put the fuel line into that for a temporary fix until the new fuel tank arrives while we got the engine running.

Our temporary fuel tank.

We then replaced both fuel filters and then had to bleed the lines of air and get the engine started. We had problems bleeding the air out of the lines but we finally got it started at about 10:30 AM Sunday morning. So now we are waiting on the new fuel tank to put that in. I was surprised the fuel tank is $275 much less than my imagination had thought it would be.

I have to say the manager Don and the office manager Ann have been great and are cutting the dock fees some to help us out. Don has been the key to guiding us through the replacement and bleeding air out of the lines.

Tom I hope you read this one. You suggested replacing the fuel tank last winter. That would have saved us a lot of money and aggravation.

One thing that has been great is Tammy is really mechanically inclined. She just hasn’t had a call for it before. We have been working together through the entire trip fixing things that we need to.

It was difficult and not a planned part of “Living The Dream” but it was an experience we shared and the joy of doing it together is Truly the Dream.

I have to thank Tam for her courage when I was down for holding me up!

I Love You!

“One half of knowing what you want,

is knowing what you must give up

before you get it”

Sidney Howard

“Living The Dream”

Tammy & Steve

September 28, 2014

Catching up with the past week

It has been a difficult week for Adventure. We didn’t initially report the engine failure, but everyone that has been following us should know all the details.

We began Monday morning September 22nd, leaving Winthrop marina. About 10 seconds after we cast off the line the engine quit. We managed to get enough sail out to maneuver around all the other boats in the mooring and head for open water. Just before we entered the channel a Towboat with barge entered from the other side and forced us outside the channel. Going outside the channel ran us aground. Adventure’s keel was stuck in the mud and the tide was starting to go out. We were in trouble so we called the coast guard and then a Seatow to pull us out. They came to our rescue but not cheaply. The tow was $640 alone then we had to get a mechanic to fix the engine. We replaced the fuel filter and then got it started again after about an hour.

So we wound up staying in Winthrop an additional 2 days. We made good use of the time getting things stored and provisions aboard.

We finally left again on Wed morning the 24th of September. It was great to put the sails out and use some of that discunted energy. We were using both the sails and motor to get the best speed.

We saw the sunrise over Boston as we were leaving.

A cruise ship was entering the harbor as we were leaving.

These are working lighthouses we used while we were leaving the Boston Harbor.

After clearing the harbor we got a chance to raise the sails.

This was great with everything working.

Tammy with a big smile she is getting more and more confident as we travel.

We left Boston and went to the Cape Cod Canal. We were in a hurry to get there with the tide taking us through. The timing could not have been better and ht speeds to 9.2 knots. That’s a record for us.

I don’t know who would volunteer for these gentleman’s job but it wouldn’t be either of us.

They look like spiders up there crawling around. Not for us!

We spent Wed. night in Mettapoisette again with Ed helping us get an anchorage. He was awesome and again helped us out.

“Thought is the wind,

knowledge is the sail,

and mankind is the vessel”

August Hare

“Living The Dream”

Tammy & Steve

September 23, 2014

Getting ready to leave Wonthrop MA

Sunday we spent getting everything ready so we could leave on Monday. We exchanged the small generator for the same one hoping it would work better. When we got back we ran it though the night and the voltage was much better so we will keep it to run 110 volt on the boat and recharge batteries when we are not running the engine.

Monday when we left Winthrop we lost the engine just after we cast off the ball. So we had issues with the engine and had to get it started again at the service dock. I had tried to check the fuel and had gotten to much out of the line. So I got a lesson on bleeding the engine again. So we wound up staying in Winthrop 2 more nights. We will leave early tomorrow morning and head for Washington DC.

“If your ship doesn’t come in,

Swim out to it”

“Living The Dream”

Tammy & Steve

September 22, 2014

Work in Winthrop

Thursday and Friday were work days on Adventure. Thursday morning Tammy and I spent getting ready for my climbing the mast that afternoon. We were changing out some of the running rigging. (Running rigging are the working, moving lines that you use to adjust or raise the sails.) The old halyards were to old and showing serious signs of wear. We purchased new halyard lines and planned to replace all of them. I had to cut a hole in the mast so we could put a new line through the mast and add an extra halyard. We also needed to replace the an-nanometer (Wind speed indicator) cups that were broken in the Troy lock and realign the wind vain at the top of the mast.

So it was important and we were very focused on getting everything right the first time. I do not want to travel up the mast unless absolutely needed. We called Jared and he came over at about 4:00 PM and was the safety guide along with Tam. We used the web climbers (steps made from webbing) to climb the mast. The good news is we got everything taken care of in one trip up. So the lines have been replaced and all instruments are now operational.

With that we were ready to install the sails on Friday. Tam and I worked in a wind but got the Mainsail and Genoa up and ready for travel again. So hopefully we will have a good wind and we can spend some time actually sailing. On Friday afternoon we made it to a grocery store to restock the cupboards.

On Saturday we had family time and went with Jared and Julie to meet Jeremy and Laura Jared’s brother and sister-in law. We also got to meet the youngest member of the family Zeke.

Laura, Jeremy, and Zeke

Zeke is already stealing hearts

Zeke charming Great Aunt Tammy

The family together Julie, Jared, Laura, Zeke, Jeremy, and Tammy gathered together for breakfast.

Julie and Jared

It was a great time and so wonderful seeing, talking, and just spending some time catching up with everyone.

Julie and Jared were celebrating Julie’s birthday. Jeremy, Laura, and Zeke were headed to another birthday party so we all headed out and Tam and I were making preparations to leave on Monday.

We went to Harbor Freight and picked up a small generator to recharge the batteries if we don’t have access to electrical again. It was only $130 and they gave us a 2 year warranty. Hopefully we can save the cost of the generator by using it instead of running the diesel engine and have the Alternator charge it.

Me installing the new generator

We also picked up the repaired alternator and I will be installing that this morning plus getting the outboard on the dinghy running.

There are good ships and wood ships,

Ships that sail by the sea,

but the best ships are friendships,

may they always be

Irish Proverb

We miss all our friends,

“Living The Dream”

Tammy & Steve

September 18, 2014

Winthrup MA

Our evenings we have been able to spend some time with Jared and Julie. Their home is so nice and warm. The things they have done are really homey. I encourage anyone to go to there blog http://whereweareblog.com and look at what they have done. They are full of smiles and enthusiasm, it has been so much fun spending time with them and getting to know them. So Monday we enjoyed pizza that was good but didn’t hold a candle to Julie’s Soup and salad on Tuesday night. Salad with spinach, goat cheese, pumpkin seeds it was so good. Then she made a tomatoes, bean, and carrot soup. The tomatoes were from her moms garden and Julies special wild tomato plant from her backyard. Sorry folks no pictures just fantastic taste!

Last night we went to the yacht club and met Julies parents Rene and Karen Chouinard for supper. They were so warm and friendly it was really fun talking with them. Rene and Karen helped quite a bit through Julie and Jared’s home remodel process.

Rene worked with the yacht club to get space here for us. Thank you Rene it has a great is place to stay and the people have been so friendly and helpful. We went out and showed them the boat after supper. I took a few pictures of the view of Boston from our spot on the transient dock.

Downtown Boston sorry the picture doesn’t do it justice.

So a special Thank you Jared, Julie, Rene, and Karen for a wonderful evening and a beautiful place to stay.

We have been very busy getting “Adventure” ready to install the Halyard lines, (Lines that go to the top of the mast then raise and lower the sails.) adding a 3rd battery to the electrical system, and getting the alternator running. Jared has been letting us use his car to get around and get all the items we need.

So the rundown is the alternator is at Beach Alternator & Generator. They tested it an told us it will cost about $100 to get it fixed. I thought very reasonable. We purchased a battery and some wood. Raised the captains berth 1 1/2″ so the third battery now fits and is working very well. The Halyard lines will go in today with me climbing the mast and running them through the mast and repairing the wind instruments that were damaged when we stepped the mast in Castleton.

So I have to get busy with the halyard preparation.

I’m going to steal a Quote from Julie’s blog. It says so much, please enjoy.

Happy

“Living The Dream”

Tammy & Steve

September 15, 2014

Trip to Salem MA

We met up with Julie & Jared before lunch today. What a great time we had exploring Salem, MA. They really take the witch thing to some extent. Apparently as Halloween gets closer they start winding up for the festivities. All over the town were stores related to witchcraft and people in witch regalia.

Even this bronze witch that looks remarkably like Elizabeth Montgomery from Bewitched.

We were also surprised to learn that Salem MA was the primary merchant port until the mid 1800’s. When they went away from sails and the boats required deeper drafts, the port was to shallow so they lost out to Boston and NY.

The Salem custom house.

Salem is also the birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter.

What would a major port be without a few “Pirates”

We have a few climbing the wall with a not so vigilant guard down below. We they had Iphones back then? Then a couple of them guarding the Pirate Museum Entrance.

We had hotdogs for lunch. More varieties than I have seen before. They were great!

Of particular note is that we were introduced to Gelato by Julie and Jared plus some other decadent chocaholic items. Another great taste treat, it was awesome.

So again we thank Julie and Jared for some great sights, but most of all great time together with family.

Thank you,

“Little boat on the sea,

I wonder where you might take me.”

“Living The Dream”

Tammy & Steve

September 14, 2014

We’re in Boston!!!

We left Pt Judith, RI for Buzzards Bay, MA planning to get through the Cape Cod Canal on Friday morning.

We took a picture of the sunrise. It was beautiful.

Yes we do get up early some day’s. We were going to try to catch the tide through the Cape Cod Channel. The tide through the channel can be up to 2.5 knots. As we only move at 6 knots that means when you are with the tide you gain almost 2.5 knots or travel at 8.5 knots but against the tide it would slow us down by 2.5 knots or our speed would be 3.5 knots. As the chanal is about 15 miles long with the tide it is less than 2 hours but against the tide it would take 4 1/2 hours.

As we left we saw this ship, the Thomas Jefferson just outside Pt Judith. It is a NOAA (National Aeronautic and Atmospheric Administration) ship. They are the ones responsible for putting all the charts together that we use in sailing.

A couple of light houses

Pt Judith light house

Interesting how they have a light house dome built into the house

Light house at Mattapoisett Neck in Buzzards Bay

The goal was to get through the Cape Cod Canal and anchor out on Cape Cod Bay. It didn’t work because when we got to the canal at 3:30 PM the tide was the wrong way for us and we would have had to wait until 7PM to enter. Then we would have been getting through after dark. We avoid anchoring after dark as it can get difficult to set the anchor properly. We didn’t know what to do but we met Ed Van Keuren at Riverlink in the Erie Canal and he told us that he had yacht services at Buzzards Bay and if we needed a place to stay he would help us. We gave Ed a call and he directed us to an anchoring location for the night. He actually came over with his boat and showed us were to anchor at Mattapoisett Neck in Buzzards Bay. We talked for a few minutes and he offered some guidance on getting my mast ready and the sails back on. Thank you Ed we are so glad we met you in the canal! Ed has circumnavigated the globe and we appreciate everything you did for us. We have been fortunate to meet so many great people.

We got up and on our way early the next morning so we would get through the Cape Cod Canal with the tide.

We saw the Kennedy ship in Buzzards Bay on Cape Cod.

Then we had a lift bridge that was down and the Canal people stopped us and we had to wait for it to lift again.

Passing under the lift bridge

The lift bridge down. It’s a railroad bridge and is only down occasionally when train traffic is coming. Poor timing on our part.

The Canal Patrol stopped us from going any further.

The Cape Cod Canal is run by the Army Corp of Engineers unlike our previous experience with the US Coast Guard

There were several fly fishermen along the canal that morning.

After leaving the canal we were on the way to Boston. The seas were rough with 5-7 foot rollers, making for a rough ride. to complicate matters we spent a lot of time dodging these floats. There have to be thousands in the bay you have to avoid with the possibility of getting them caught in the prop. I found out they are lobster pots fishermen have set.

Then after 10 hours we arrived in Boston, MA.

Tammy at the Winthrop Yacht Club

Well actually were went to Winthrop, MA to meet with our nephew Jared and his wife Julie. We have been following Juli’s blog about their house remodel since she started it and we were anxious to see it.

It was so wonderful to see them. It is Sunday morning and we are now getting ready to go see them.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bow lines.

Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds.”

Mark Twain

“Living The Dream”

Tammy & Steve

September 11, 2014

Fisher Island to Pt Judith not a long way but interesting

No pictures today. We didn’t travel but 20 miles so not a lot of sights but some interesting things happened.

First we got laundry caught up, filled the tank with diesel, and discovered we were in New England.

Why Why you ask, New England. Well while we were at the marina I saw a sign for LOBSTER. Go to Red Lobster and see if you can get a 1 1/2 pound lobster cooked up for you for $9!!!!

Wow! You can spend more than that for a hamburger at Applebees’s.

Anyway we love lobster. We have to find a marina like that when we have time.

Well after sacrificing the lobster we couldn’t even get out of the bay because the winds were so high. So anticipated time into Boston is going to be Saturday.

That’s the news for today will catch you tomorrow.

Life is like sailing,

You can use any wind to go in any direction,

Let your dreams set sail.

“Living The Dream”

Tammy & Steve

September 11, 2014

A Beautifyl Day on Long Island Sound

When we woke in the morning the wind was whistling through the mast and it reminded us of one of those cold Minnesota Winter Blizzards. I think we were both afraid to get up and look outside. After the heavy seas we had experienced crossing Long Island Sound we thought we were going to be sitting another day.

To our surprise the wind was blowing but not as strongly as we had thought. The waves in the bay we were in were only about 1/2 a foot high. So we listened to the weather forecast and they were predicting 4 to 6 foot swells again. We decided to wait another day to go on our next leg.

Someone had told us, in Oyster Bay that our Red and Green Bow lights where not on. I went to the bow and looked at the lights. I was surprised to see one bulb was broken and the other was full of water. They had really taken a rough ride when we went through NY City. I checked to make sure no damage was done in the wiring. (Thank you Jose for teaching me how to use a voltage tester.) It checked out fine. Now we are looking for new bulbs for the bow lights. Tammy spent several hours calling marinas and located nothing.

By this time it was noon and we decided to start out. It seemed so nice in the bay we wanted to at least try the waters. It turned out to be one of the best days in a long time. Waves less than a foot.

A new twist for us is understanding tides and currents. When you go against a current or tide it is like walking into a stiff headwind. When it is going your way it is like getting a big boost.

Well we picked the perfect time to leave because the tide was traveling with us. We usually travel at 6 knots. To our surprise we started at 6 knots then it kept getting faster as the time passed. Adventure was all the way up to 8.2 knots. Our overall average was 7.1 knots and we traveled 42 miles in 6 hours. We had left New Haven at noon and got to Fisher Island, NY in just 6 hours.

I have to put a note in here. We were traveling east the whole time so we did not travel back to New York. It is just that the duke of York gave Fisher Island to New York back in the 1700’s even though it was south of Connecticut.

We did locate the bulbs in Pt Judith RI, which is still east of us. We will stop there tomorrow to get the bulbs, diesel, and hopefully do the laundry. Then we will continue to Buzzards Bay and the Cape Cod Canal.

A few lighthouses that we saw yesterday. They are interesting because here on the Sound they build these huge 1/2 mile to 1 mile breakwaters (Breakwaters stop the heavy waves from coming ashore or into bays) out into the Sound. You have to be careful because they build them straight out.

This one was on the west end

This on the East end

These two were on a long breakwater in Nianic Bay.

When we arrived at Fisher Island this one was on an Island off the Island. I think it is the most elaborate lighthouse we have seen. It is very large, has a wind generator, solar panels, and a green house on the island with it.

I don’t think I have seen one as spread out and large as this one.

When we were anchoring the boat in this bay just after setting the anchor we saw something floating in the water. To our surprise it was a jellyfish (we don’t know what kind) and Tammy managed to get a couple of good shots of it.

It was pretty but something you don’t touch or swim with.

It was alive and moving along.

“Don’t just sit there. Sail Something!”

Chery Fee

“Living The Dream”

Tammy & Steve

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