skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Marker #1 at Waterford, NY where Charis crosses our northbound wake completing 800 miles of cruising on some of the most beautiful canals, rivers and lakes in the world.
Lots of water under the keel since our last post. Leaving Ottowa we slipped down a flight of 9 locks taking 2 1/2 hours into the Ottowa River ending the day in Montebello where we tied up at their marina in front of the largest log building (resort hotel) in the world. A really unique and charming place. Then on to Sainte Anne de Beauville and a drop of 65' in a massive lock. Then to Montreal where we stayed 3 days literally right in the center of the charming old town. Our stay was highlighted by a morning at the big city block farmers maket rivaling those of Pennsylvania Dutch country.
Then on to Sorel turning the corner and heading south 60 miles down the Richelieu to Lake Champlain which included about 30 miles on the Chambly Canal, about 20yds wide and truely a unique experience terminating at Sainte-Jean Sur Richelieu at the head of Lake Champlain. There we were treated with a major hot air baloon fly over. Crossing Lake Champlain, we stopped for one night at Wesport NY, a pretty little resort area, from there to the Champlain Canal and 100 miles to Waterford NY completing the triangle.
We have rested up here for three days and will head on down the Hudson River tomorrow, Sunday, begining a three day run to New York City thence onto the the New Jersey Coast and into the Delaware Bay.
We hope to be back in the Chesapeake in about ten days or so and look forward to a few lazy days remembering our summer and cleaning up the 1800 or so miles of grime and nicks and bruises on the boat.
Once again words seem inadequate to tell our tale and we will let the pictures at picasaweb.google.com/lropka do the talking. (Over 400 pictures have been taken and the Admiral has to do some major pruning .... we will put them up in several batches as they get done. The Admiral tends to take a picture and find a second later there is a better shot and then another better shot and .....)
Admiral's note: The Ottawa flight is thrilling as you get into the first lock with the bow of the boat looking out into space. You are certain that this is the edge of the world. A cruise like this is so packed with fun, scenes, interesting people, beauty, etc that it needs to be done at least a couple more times ... Captain are you listening ;-)
The first batch is up @ Montebella - Montreal - Sorel at picasaweb.google.com/lropka
The second batch is up @ Sorel - Waterford Ny at picasaweb.google.com/lropka
All too soon our time on the Rideau Canal comes to an end as we descend the nine flight of locks to the Ottowa river below.
We are in Montreal, our first Wifi hot spot since the Westport about mid Rideau canal. The canal continued to be a joy and we serendipitously found ourselves in the heart of Ottowa for the celebration of the designation of the Rideau as a World Heritage site, rather like a modern version of the Seven Wonders of the world. The canal is most deserving and is truly a world class treasure. As usual we will let the pictures tell the story. Just too difficult to describe in words.
We will post Montreal later, a magnificent old world city where we are parked a stones throw from the heart of old town with all of it's charm and history.
Except for the almost daily rain the cruise continues to exceed our expectations and most of the more technical challenges behind us.
Tomorrow, 08/10 we will head for Sorel 40 miles down (Northeast) the St Lswrence Seaway where we turn south on the Richelieu Canal headed for Lake Champlain, 100 miles further south.
We should be back in daily internet range by next week. You will again find the pictures on picasaweb.google.com/lropka
God has given us this magnificent and unique Rideau Canal area and then failed to give us words or cameras capable of adequately portraying it's stunning beauty. It must be seen to be appreciated!
We have been moving along slowly, about ten miles and 4 up locks a day since leaving Kingston trying to soak up the beauty. The canal is quite shallow (6') in many areas and very narrow and twisted in others. The locks are groomed like a golf course and the lock masters and workers are more than courteous and helpful. Cruising along is like a slow motion ballet with new vistas of high rock cliffs and tree lined banks close at hand everywhere. Quaint "cottages" and villages dot the shore for color and the entire area seems to have been cleaned and tended.
We are in Westport Ontario about sixty miles west of Ottowa and plan about a week getting there. Then down the Ottowa and St Lawrence rivers to Sorel and the Richelieu Canals into Lake Champlain.
We should be back in the US around the the end of August and then move fairly quickly onto the
Chesapeake.
Joan has gone shutter happy with numerous pictures at our picasaweb.google.com/lropka site portraying what we are seeing and doing. No camera can do it justice.
Will post again when we can find the next wifi locale.
Admiral's note: We are just plain having a fine time ;-
Kingston, Ontario on the bow!
A lot of water and good times since our last blog.
The last few miles of the Erie and the Oswego Canals were a delight and the 60 mile crossing of
Lake Ontario could not have been better. After 29 locks and moving most days our aging bones were a bit weary so we holed up in Clayton, NY for three days to recharge and get some welcome rest. Clayton is a neat little town with a magnificent maritime museum dedicated to classic boats primarily wooden.
We went to a nice little Baptist Church Sunday which recharged our spiritual batteries as well.
Monday we took a three hour tour of the Thousand Islands on a small but fast pontoon boat and got to see (with narration) what would have taken us several days and many gallons of $5+ diesel for $12 each. The TI lived up to and exceeded their reputation and it was very special and rewarding to see how grand "Old Money" lived. It really makes the nouveau crowd look tacky.
Tuesday on to Kingston, an absolutely charming small city reminiscent of Victoria B.C. set with many ancient buildings downtown and flowers everwhere it has a true old world charm and populated with ever friendly Canadians, a marked difference in atmosphere from nearby states that will remain unnamed.
Tonight We are going to a tattoo at Fort Henry and then tomorrow up the Rideau Canal 125 miles and 44 locks to Ottawa. We will have spotty internet only at wifi hot spots for the next few weeks so reporting and pictures may be thin.
As usual the latest batch of pics is at Picasaweb.google.com/lriopka with the details of our adventure.
Downtown Little Falls NY, a charming hilly town along the Erie canal
Acute cruiser syndrome has taken over and we have rarely moved more than 15 miles a day as we poke along the Erie Canal, a150 mile mosaic of heartbreak (industrial towns in decay) and heaven (small villages spruced up and carrying on proudly). The trek has been made all the more interesting by our encounter each evening with other cruisers and the sharing of cruising and life's experiences. As our friend Wayne Flatt says, " dueling with nature strips away the false veneer most of us display" (an unworthy paraphrase on my part). Most of the cruisers we have met are dynamic, highly interesting and within minutes seem like old friends. The anticipation of our next stop includes wondering who we will meet.
The highlights this week were Little Falls with a very neat and welcoming little park/marina, and Joan's three day visit in Utica with her good friend from the 1970's at AAA.
Once again too many pictures tell the story better than words at picasaweb.google.com/lropka.
Deep smooth water, large old growth hardwood trees, hill and mountain vistas, very little boat traffic, fun new friends, sensory overload. How good can it get?
We finally got into "prime time" on the Hudson and the Erie canal with a number of great evenings swapping stories with fellow cruisers on the dock or wall and short day runs of 3-4 hours to delightful new spots. We continue to have a "storm of the day" but we have gotten used to them and they present little problem in this sheltered water.
It is difficult to describe in words all of the emotions encompassed in our days afloat. Highs, lows, fatigue, exhilaration, fear and many other emotions cycle by in a kaleidoscopic blur. Our usual overly large batch of pictures tell the story better than we can. picasaweb.google.com/lropka
Fuel prices have clearly impacted boaters and today for example from lock 7 on the Erie for 30 miles to Amsterdam NY we virtually had the Mohawk River to ourselves. We were the only boat in the four locks that lifted us.
Perhaps the biggest "downer" is to walk the streets of these old industrial towns and see the huge number of empty homes, store fronts and factories. They are struggling and most have cared for parks and public areas but the surrounding decay is truly sad.
We are really slowing down with about 100 miles to go to lake Ontario and up to two weeks to get there. Top priority now is to find a haven from the Fourth of July water madness.
Sorry to be so long, too much going on to take time to blog.
To catch up, we had a beautiful outside (in the Atlantic) 5 hour run from Atlantic City to Manasquan Inlet and a restful night at anchor. Then onto Great Kills harbor in fine conditions for the worst stop since leaving the Solomons. Great Kills is a man made (WPA) harbor on the SE shore of Staten Island with 4 marinas and other services. On arrival we were informed that all shore facilities were private and we could not land our dinghy anywhere.
The Captain dinghyed into a small marina to beg for mercy which failed so he told the proprietor that Great Kills was a disgrace to the boating community. Must have hit a nerve and he offered a slip at a discount ($30) on the fuel dock. We got to stroll around town and found if full of hyper New Jersey'ns.
Onward the next day for our long awaited leg through the heart of New York City. It is hard to describe the emotions of awe and anxiety swirling around in a mix of fast current , ferries and ships. Actually it went quite smoothly and nobody ran over us. We had a rather long day continuing 50 miles up the Hudson to an anchorage 3 miles north of West Point.
Somewhat worn by the trek through NJ we threw out the anchor and decided to just hang out the next day. We were anchored by one of the most unusual "castles" ever seen and smooth river conditions allowed us to scoot in the dinghy down to Cold Springs, a really charming small town and up to Newburgh a not so charming city. The pictures at picsaweb.google.com/lropka in album Hudson River tell the story of these adventures.
Onward (upward?) on Sunday 22nd to the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club for a very warm welcome and a delightful evening of boat talk and conversation. Further on Monday to the neat little village of Catskill where the main street is lined with 4' cat statues in every conceivable decor. The Admiral wheedled a free dock out of a restaurant owner and we had a great time strolling the streets. (Adrmiral's Note: Had to buy a dinner ....;-) smart bargain huh!)
The tide (current) in contrary so we are going to stay here today and catch the current north at 5 am tomorrow for Troy and the entrance to the Erie Canal system, about 500 miles since leaving the Solomons.
A real sailor comes into Havre de Grace having been through a storm.
Our voyage from Baltimore to Havre de Grace, Md was a joy and our two day stay there even better. We slid easily onto the end of the first T dock to find ourselves welcomed by cruisers on adjacent boats. As usual the Admirals first question was "where is the best place for breakfast". An enjoyable evening of cruising tales and information was followed by a morning walk through old homes on tree canopied streets to a charming coffee shop for muffins and bagels recommended by Bob and Jean DuBois, our dock mates. It was a very relaxing day visiting with new friends Bob And DoraTurner who joined us the next morning for another visit to the the coffee shop before we set off on the "strenuous" 2 1/2 hour run to Chesapeake City at the head end of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal.
Chesapeake City proved to be a charming little village and took more than 30 minutes to walk all of the streets. That was followed by lingering over cool drinks on the deck of a neat restaurant overlooking the small harbor. Off at daybreak for the remaining 12 miles of the C&D canal and the 40 miles down the notorious Delaware Bay. The Bay could not have been kinder being almost flat and with a 1.5 kt boosting current we were in Cape May soon after lunch. We topped off our fuel at the last reasonable price going north and proceeded up the ICW 2 miles to Sunset Lake (you could row across it in 2 minutes) and anchored for the night. The Atlantic was rough the following morning so we elected to proceed up the "Inside" a little earlier than the recommended "half tide rising". Long story short, we saw lots of water less than 5' (we draw 4.5") and a snake like course that took 9 hours to go 40 miles and 30 as the crow flies. It was a very stressful day but God sent 3 Angels at critical times that got us through. On the first occasion we were lightly aground seemingly in the channel (not much wider than the boat) not knowing whether to push left or right. A small runabout came up from behind and saw our dilemma and zigzagged to locate the channel and proceeded to lead us the next mile or so in the very narrow and shallow area. Nearing the end of the day we were very tired and getting desperate for a place to anchor. We saw a number of boats anchored off in a pond listed as 8-10' deep. We joyously headed for it and as we passed another small boat the chap, dropped his cell phone in mid sentence, shouting to us that it was too shallow for us to get over the bar and instead recommended a spot on down. We pressed on and found a sizable area on the south side of Atlantic City and threw out the hook only to find the area alive with jet skis and water skiers. Shortly after anchoring another boater came along and hailed us to say we should move about a mile east to a very small pond where we would be much more comfortable. We did the next morning and we were much more comfortable. We spent the afternoon riding the bus to the grocery store for much need supplies.
This morning (Sunday) we ran 5 miles to an anchorage near the mouth of the Abscom Inlet at Atlantic City in anticipation of jumping off outside (in the ocean, weather permitting) tomorrow for Manasquan Inlet about 5 hours north and 30 miles short of Sandy Hook, the entrance to New York Harbor.
We are still healing up from our Intra Coastal adventure and look forward to a few hours looking at something other than the depth sounder. Also we need a long period to replenish our adrenalin stores.
After all the traumas of the past couple of days, the Admiral declared a day off to explore Atlantic City. We dinghyed across the Inlet in rough waters, found the city dock, tied up, had lunch, found transportation into town, found the boardwalk and the beach, noticed how black the sky was, walked through a casino back to the bus stop, jumped into a wet dinghy and made it back to the boat in time for thunder and lightening all within an hour or two. Tour report: If you get a chance to come to Atlantic City ... don't.
For tooooooo many pictures go to picasaweb.google.com/lropka
These are found in Havre de Grace to Atlantic City
We finally got good weather and got out of Dodge (Solomons) last Thursday (5 Jun) with a major three hour cruise to Annapolis. We picked up a mooring ball about 100 yards from Ego Alley (name is very appropriate as everyone cruises the alley with their new boats and looking as good as one can) and felt like two little kids on their first trip to the city. There was stuff going on everywhere you looked. Kinda like being seated at center stage in a large theater in the round. At dark the east wind kicked up and the refracted waves made for a rolly night. Fri morning we moved up Spa Creek (in the heart of Annapolis to a much more placid mooring field. Fri evening we were treated to a magnificent dinner at THE Annapolis Yacht Club by Larry's cousin, Bill and his wife, Monica Kearns. A beautiful dining room overlooking a sea of boats in the harbor and most excellent food well presented.
Sat morning we moved out to the Severn River intending to head for Baltimore when the fog lifted per the forecast at 8AM. At 9 we retreated to the Annapolis Harbor and hung on a ball until 10:30 watching the fog thicken. At 11 with many large plastic wake makers cued to move out we retreated to Spa Creek once more for a lite lunch and a long nap. The thermometer rose to about 95 in the PM so we had opportunity to run the generator and A/C for four hours in a beautiful sunset setting. After a short thunder shower after dark the delightful aroma of honey suckle settled heavily over our little home on the creek.
Sunday dawned calm and clear for an almost perfect three hour run to Baltimore arriving before lunch. After anchoring by ourselves surrounded by waterfront condos in the Canton district , a stones throw from the Inner Harbor, Larry's internet list friends, Wayne and Lynn Flatt motored over for a first and delightful visit. The Flatts have cruised 40,000 miles and are a goldmine of information and beyond that just fun people. We plan join them for a hole in the wall dinner this evening at a near by bistro and then off tomorrow (Mon) to Havre de Grace and a waterborne trip down memory lane and the water playground of Larry's youth.
Pictures are posted at picasaweb.google.com/lropka
Admiral's note: The Captain and crew have gotten into the cruising mode rather quickly this year. Just discovered that two sets of pictures full of adventures were not sent up nor noted. So now they are noted and sent up. The captions tell the story of all the excitement that you can't live without knowing. We are having a ball, enjoying it all, even the extreme heat ... well ........
We eased into our planned two week pre-departure slow down with Joan's birthday being the highlight. The $26 crab cake dinner was judged to be a bit too much so she compromised for the "cheap" $19 lunch in brilliant warm sun on Stonys deck. (Admirals note: How does one eat a $19.00 crab cake .... very slowly.) A mini memory. Dinner suffered a bit as you can see in the pictures at Picasaweb.google.com/lropka.
This was really the first week of enjoyable boating weather and we really enjoyed touring the harbor in the dink and chatting with a number of boat crews headed north along our planned path. We met Canadian and Dutch cruisers and a very interesting couple who have been living aboard and cruising continuously for 14 years!!! Now that's compatibility.
We enjoyed the Memorial Day week-end mostly in the marina with lots of characters doing interesting things. Few of the big boats left the dock, possibly related to diesel price, but that did not slow down the parties.
Our highlight was a Memorial day afternoon BBQ at our Sunday School friends, Craig and Kim Williams' home. Their two daughters, Mike and Debbie Syders were there and the food was great. Quite a contrast with the marina crowd and certainly more fun. A wild game of croquet ensued with some wild shots by all participants.
The "To Do list" is about done and we are headed out tomorrow Wed 28th for an overnight in Mill Creek. Mainly to run all systems underway for awhile for a final check. The weather looks good so the quiet serenity of the anchorage will be welcomd.
"D" day is still 2-5 Jun, weather permitting, headed to Annapolis and then probably Baltimore to visit a friend from Larry's Trawler List on the internet. A real character and something to look forward to.
The list in the picture is the final pre-departure "to do" list. God willing the remaining 18 items should be done by the weekend and allow us to have an easy week prior to our departure for points north around the 4-5th of June.
Nothing really of note to report. Just the usual spring chores of cleaning out the bilges and finding all of the stuff we "stowed" there last year. Kinda like Christmas sometimes and "I cant believe we brought this piece of junk along".
We took three days off to visit Larry's sister, Jean and brother-in-law, Bob who are in a nursing home in York, Pa about 100 miles or so north of the Solomons. They are in a magnificent Methodist assisted care facility. Squeaky clean inside and groomed outside like a fine golf course. All the staff we encountered were upbeat and helpful. If it weren't for those four letter words such as, snow... cold ... rain, it could be a serious contender not too many years from now. Jean is 84 with little short term memory but otherwise very healthy. Bob has a few ailments but is also doing well. We stayed in our camper in the parking lot so had the opportunity for a number of short visits without wearing them or us out.
Our Sunday School Class Friends continue to provide us a home away from home with visits and fun fellowship. We are going to miss their hospitality such as surprise visits to Baskin Robins.
So, if we can get 4-5 things off of the "to do" list in the next few days we can begin the cruising life as it is meant to be.
Pictures posted on picasaweb.google.com/lropka
And the wind blew and blew and blew
A soggy first weekend aboard as a major low pressure system camped out over the Solomons for 4 days and drenched the area with 4 or more inches of rain. We were snug in our slip but the high water and wind made for a restless nights Saturday and Sunday and a dreary Monday.
Our Sunday School teacher, Mike and his wife, Debbie gave us a much needed break from togetherness. Debbie has the best recipe for seafood gumbo which was followed by a super piece of green rhubarb custard pie. We are attending the church we went to last fall so it was like returning home. We are finding Christian fellowship a very important component to our cruising life.
We continue doing Spring chores such as a complete redo of tool and parts storage in the engine room, something really irritating and not done properly since Florida. Also installed a new and more powerful raw wash down pump. This Chesapeake Bay mud sticks to the anchor like glue and the new pump will blast it off much better. Joan redid the entire galley arrangement and we spent a lot of time bashing Democrats and cheering on Republicans on tv during our shut in hours. Don't know what the Republicans would do without our help.
We are off via camper to York Pa to visit Larry's sister on Thursday and Joan's niece who is attending a trade show in Harrisburg on Friday. Back Saturday to continue the mercifully shrinking list of chores.
We still plan to hang here until around 5 June and then start our voyage north. We have begun our route planning (Larry) and sightseeing (Joan). Joan's list of things to do is growing ominously.
God has rewarded us with a spectacular day today (Tue) which makes up for the drenching He gave us over the weekend.
More next week and a few pictures for now at picasaweb.google.com/lropka
The annual ritual of sanding and painting the bottom is a little like having babies. It is merciful that it only comes around once a year which gives you time to forget just how miserable it really is!!
Charis survived the winter magnificently in her shrink wrap cocoon. Everything was exactly as we left it and even the batteries retained most of their charge. Last years bottom paint more or less died over winter and we elected to remove it lest the new paint not adhere. Soooo two days working under the boat with a heavy vacuum assisted sander (heavy!) got the bottom pristine and then morning and afternoon rolled coats of paint and a morning of painting the white boot stripe finished the job and us!!
In the water on Tue 6 May and wonder of wonders all systems revived in order and it floated. Then began the transition from camper to boat with an amazing pile of stuff we seem to have brought with us. Thank goodness we have the truck!
By noon Wed most of the stuff had found a home and the good life aboard began again. The weather has been perfect albeit a bit chilly at night with the blankets always in the wrong vehicle/boat.
Tomorrow, Thursday, will involve a commissary run with the rest of the day devoted to just lazing on the poop deck and enjoying God's creation, watching for the Spring arrival of baby ducks and swans.
Friday we will begin to think about a few small maintenance chores and what happens next. (Shhhh, not to fear, the Admiral has a honey do list, ready and waiting to be implemented. Don't want the Captain to get into cruise time too quickly. They say you last longer if you have an irritant in your life ;-)).
All in all a great start to the Summer. More dirty pictures at picasaweb.google.com/lropka in album Splash 5/6/08
After several weeks of planning and packing the crew of Charis set off from 508 Mary Esther Blvd via the "pocket rocket" headed for Solomons MD and the landlocked Charis. The pre-departure was actually one of our better efforts and divorce was never very imminent. Naturally with only 180+ days to tour on the boat the Admiral had to hone her skills by driving through most of the Outer Banks to pick up the droppings from our previous half dozen passages through that area.
By accident we wound up the second night at Camp LeJeune Onslow Beach campground nestled a few feet from where Charis transited the ICW last spring. Then on to Beaufort, NC a heretofore missed gem. It was well worth the stop with many neat old homes and tidy waterfront streets. Lunch at the "grocery" was a special treat and 2" deep the apple crumb pie to die for.
The Pocket Rocket landed up in the Solomons Tuesday, mid afternoon to what felt like a long anticipated homecoming. We were fortunate to get a great camp site at the Navy Recreation facility just across the highway from our boat. Like living in the middle of well groomed golf course.
A quick inspection of Charis this morning revealed her to be in pristine condition inside and out. shrink wrap rules!!!. Tomorrow we sand the bottom and apply the new bottom paint Friday and Saturday. Back in the water Tuesday the 6th for several days of reassembly and stowage and then possibly sneak off for a day or two shake down.
We plan to cool it here until after Memorial Day to let it warm up and just enjoy this lovely place that is really hard to beat, following that it is off to Canada. A few pictures of Joan's practice touring can be found on picasaweb.google.com/lropka
Seven days and counting!
We hope to get underway via camper next Friday the 25th headed for the Solomons and Charis. About three days en route and then five or six days to paint the bottom and get ready for launch o/a 5 May.
We have had a nice relaxing winter with visits to San Antonio, Orlando and Seattle with house maintenance and vehicle chores inb etween. Speaking of maintenance, Joan had a shoulder replacement the end of Jan. She is doing well with more rehab to go before she can pull up the anchor by herself or throw a line.
We will get the pictures going as we get rolling and look forward to our planned cruise from the Chesapeake to the Ontario area of Canada and return. It should be a very photogenic route and we look forward to sharing it with you.
Marker #1 at Waterford, NY where Charis crosses our northbound wake completing 800 miles of cruising on some of the most beautiful canals, rivers and lakes in the world.
