As we left St. Augustine, we had a strong ebb running against 5′ ocean rollers, making the inlet a sloppy, slammy mess. The only other boat we saw as we left was a Coast Guard small boat, and they were either doing a training exercise or they followed us idiot sailors out because once they […]
Our time in Charleston was awesome, but we were looking forward to continuing our progress south. The one thing we were NOT looking forward to was our dock departure. We were on one of the finger piers in the litter box with monohulls in front of and behind us, and two catamarans on the next […]
When every move you make is dictated by weather, what do you do when the models and actual conditions disagree? We check all the weather models available to us through Predict Wind, NOAA coastal forecasts, tropical activity, actual conditions reported by various weather stations, wave heights, rain and CAPE (convective available potential energy – an […]
Something told the wild geeseIt was time to go,Though the fields lay goldenSomething whispered, “snow.” Leaves were green and stirring,Berries, luster-glossed,But beneath warm feathersSomething cautioned, “frost.” All the sagging orchardsSteamed with amber spice,But each wild breast stiffenedAt remembered ice. Something told the wild geeseIt was time to fly,Summer sun was on their wings,Winter in their […]
Before we started cruising year-round, we used to take a two week cruise on the Sound, and we were excited to get back to that this year. We spent the weekend racing on our friend’s J/80, Upsetter, in Huguenot’s Governors and Mayors Cup races. Rushmore had some engine issues and canceled racing for the weekend, […]
Believe it or not, this was the first chance we’ve had to sail Windara on Long Island Sound. Last year, the rudder repairs and macerator install kept us from getting to sail all summer. This year, we’ve either been out racing or there’s been no wind to speak of. So when our Sunday race was […]
We were excited to get back to Huguenot but worried about getting into our new slip – there are some funky currents in behind Glen Island – but all went well. It’s a tight squeeze, but as long as we have someone to help with our lines, it’s easier than our old corner slip was. […]
Around dawn, we slipped our mooring line and motored out into the near-glassy Chesapeake. It was a beautiful morning, but around midday, the sky got dark and we were supposed to get some nasty thunderstorms so we dropped anchor in the Bohemia River for a couple hours to let the storms pass. They ended up […]
After a couple weeks on the hard, it was great to get back out on the water. We got an early start and motored past the Potomac before rolling out the jib and getting in some sailing. In the late afternoon, I noticed some squalls popping up on shore. Since they looked to be coming […]
We had a lazy, slow sail for most of the trip up to the Rappahannock. We knew the afternoon breeze was supposed to kick up, but until it did, we were plagued by black flies. I don’t think I’ve ever killed so many flies in my life. When the breeze filled in, it really piped […]