Since our first trip south we have found it easier to post on Facebook than to blog. Friend us to follow our continuing adventures.   You will find us as Mike Vaccaro and Debbie Smith on Facebook.

Day 6 – (6/28/2014)

Sunday was just another day in paradise. Blue skies, warmer temps, but still no wind to speak of. We dropped the mooring at ~9:00 AM, waved good-bye to the CIYC and headed back into Long Island Sound. We could see Stamford well in the distance since it has the tallest building in that section of Connecticut.

As we arrived at the mark around Shippan Point we heard a flapping noise coming from the engine. Closer inspection showed our new serpentine belt for the larger alternator started shredding and beating itself to death against the engine. Of course, since we didn’t make that last trip to Hanover, the spare was at home. Losing the alternator would not have been so bad but the belt also drives the engine water pump. If this failed it would have caused the engine to overheat so we throttled back and limped the last mile to the marina.

Since we were 2 days early, we were given a temporary slip on C dock. The slips are wide with floating, concrete docks and full length finger piers. It is like walking on the sidewalk and certainly not what we’ve been used to. We will also have to get used to the 8-10 foot tides that are typical of this area.

Resolve at Seaview House Marina

leg (19.5 nm / 3h6m)

trip (275.1 nm / 41h43m)

We had lunch at my parents’ house, borrowed a car, and drove Dave & Lois back to their car in Edgemere, MD. and drove our 2 cars back to Hanover, PA

Day 5 – (6/28/2014)

Saturday morning was spectacular. Clear skies, cool temps (long pants and jackets), but very little wind. We pulled up the anchor at 5:00 AM. This was timed to meet the flood currents in both The Narrows and Hells Gate. About an hour later, as we approached the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, there was already a lot of traffic. Cruise ships, a tug towing a barge, bulk carriers and container ships were all up early and either entering or leaving New York Harbor. We picked our way through them and headed into New York Bay and the Hudson River toward the East River.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took the channel behind Governors Island, continued past the South Street Seaport (this is where the Macy’s fireworks show, that was televised, was held on the 4^th) and under the Brooklyn Bridge. The trip up river was quite uneventful. There was very little traffic as we wound our way passing Roosevelt and Rikers Islands, LaGuardia Airport and going under countless bridges.

We timed it perfectly and hit Hells Gate at full flood. Even so it was a smooth ride. However, it was very fast. I captured 12.2 knots on the GPS in the picture below. Our GPS trip recap however, recorded a max speed of 12.6 knots.

 

After going under the Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges, we were finally in Long Island Sound. City Island Yacht Club was to the North in Eastchester Bay so we headed that way. As we approached the mooring field, Dave called the launch operator and, before we knew it, he was circling our mooring ball.

(31.1 nm / 4h12m)

After a couple of celebratory rum & cokes, we rode the launch to the docks and proceeded to take long, normal showers at the yacht club. To stretch our legs, we decided to walk the town. We stopped by a diner, a favorite spot for lunch on City Island, and had a bite to eat. Then we caught up with Hank & Mel, good friends of Dave & Lois. They are living aboard a, new to them, Egg Harbor trawler in a marina close by. After visiting for a while, we walked back to CIYC and took the launch back to Resolve to rest up for dinner.

Back to CIYC for Dinner. We dined with Hank & Mel and met some other wonderful people. Our first dinner ashore was fabulous and a wonderful time was had by all.

 

 

Day 3 – 4 (6/26, 27/2014)

Thursday morning was overcast and there was very little wind. We left ~ 5:00 AM and motored down the Delaware Bay and around Cape May. Finally….. the ocean!! ! We raised a reefed main, unfurled the jenny, shut down the engine and enjoyed a rousing sail north at about 8 knots, 3 miles off the coast of New Jersey.

                                                                             Atlantic City

 

 We sailed for hours until the winds died down late in the afternoon. We furled in the genny and continued to motor sail. Night fell with calm seas, no wind and thousands of stars overhead.   
                                                        

                                                               Sunset Over New Jersey

 

It was time for Lois’ and my watch at 12:30 AM and my turn at the helm. Debbie commented before giving me the helm that the stars had vanished. Looking north, the sky had turned black all the way to the water and the wind was picking up. We doused the main and braced ourselves for what we thought was a squall. I checked the Doppler weather radar on my IPad but it showed no rain at all. By now the wind was really blowing and the seas were getting very large. It felt like we were being tossed around like a cork. It seemed as though we would make a bit of headway and then the waves would push us further back than where we started. We had suited up before dark with our inflatables, strobes, whistles and tethers just in case.  For the first time, this felt like they were necessary!! This continued until sunrise when the black cloud began to break up.

The seas were still 10-15 feet with a brisk north wind. We continued north and found the channel to Sandy Hook, NJ. We anchored at ~7:30 Friday morning and, after picking up everything that was not nailed down off the sole, crashed!!

(167 nm / 25h7m)

It wasn’t until ~1:30 PM that anyone stirred. We spent the afternoon rehashing the events of the night and planning for the next leg of our adventure.

Since Dave & Lois were still members of the City Island Yacht Club, and they hadn’t been there in a while, we decided to make that our next stop. We checked the current tables and turned in early.

                                      

                                                         Verrazano Narrows Bridge Friday Night

Day 2 – (Wednesday, 6/25/2014)

It was a beautiful morning. We quickly bent on the sails, finishing just before Dave and Lois arrived. We stowed their gear, reviewed the location of the safety equipment and backed out of the slip. As we exited Old Road Bay, with the little wind there was behind us, we unfurled the genny and motor sailed north toward the C&D Canal. Ultimately the wind died so we furled the genny in and continued to motor.

We refueled (a whole 5 gallons) at Schaffer’s in Chesapeake City and continued through the canal. Just before the Delaware Bay  we could see a shower ahead, visibility zero.  Dave suggested we  turn around for 7 minutes before continuing east. We timed its passing perfectly and didn’t even get wet. We now headed to the anchorage by the power plant to spend the night to wait out the forecasted scattered thunderstorms  which, of course, arrived after midnight.

 (57.5 nm / 9h18m)

Day 1 – (Tuesday, 6/24/2014)

 It’s official….. We are finally live aboards!!!  Since this waiting game went on for so long, we were not able to head home for a day to gather our provisions. So....... we went shopping. We filled the fridge and freezer with food and, of course, the ice box with cold drinks. I changed the oil and filters.  We are finally ready for our big adventure.  It was too windy all day to put the sails on so hopefully we can get this done in the calm of the morning before Dave and Lois arrive.

Day 1 Eve – (Monday, 6/23/2014)

We have been waiting to be splashed since Saturday.  We finished the bottom painting on Friday and are in Brian’s queue to be launched. This is the mysterious timeframe that he uses to prioritize his work. He says today is the day.

A lot has happened over the last 3 months since retirement that has put us behind our non-existent “schedule”. The largest task that was unanticipated was to completely scrape the bottom since the paint was basically falling off.  All my research pointed to too many coats of old paint was causing this. During this process, we had a number of personal issues that kept us from staying on task. The death of my brother came months before it was anticipated (he was terminal with cancer) and the birth of Debbie’s latest grandson came 6 weeks early (3 weeks before the scheduled c-section).  Mother, Father, and Micah (born 6/3 @ 5 lbs & 18.5”) are all doing just fine.

In addition, a few boat issues needed to be tended to. A broken fitting on the primary diesel fuel tank and a leaky water heater had to be replaced.

Numerous other projects had to be finished. We had installed a 160 amp alternator and serpentine pulley kit over the winter and the smart regulator had to be installed and wired in. The aft head was to be converted into a pantry so it was completely disassembled. The holding tank was removed and an aluminum fuel storage tank was fabricated to take its place. We also decided to replace the forward holding tank and all waste hoses which proved to be a slightly larger task than anticipated.

As darkness approaches, the travel lift finally lifts Resolve off its stands. We are going to get wet. The Yanmar fired right up and David Dobbins (Scarlett) helped tie us up into a slip. We had only the next day to get ready for our passage to Stamford, CT. CCYC Commodore of Vice, Dave, and Lois Zonderman (Walkabout) were arriving first thing Wednesday morning to join us for our trip north.