Visitors Underway



"aCappella, this is the United States Coast Guard. When was the last time you were boarded?" It was five years ago. A year or less and they typically give you a pass. But we don't mind getting boarded. It's an important function and we have always found the Coast Guard officers to be polite and friendly.

So we slowed a bit, opened the transom door, and warned them that we had two dogs onboard. Or as we like to refer to them, the killer security team. The kids knew something was up and were on high alert.

Within minutes Luke and Nick were onboard. What!?!? Dyna and Dylan had no idea we could have visitors while underway! I mean, they meet all kinds of people at the dock and on land. Folks have come onboard at marinas and even when we're at anchor. But while underway - no way!


Luke and Nick were great even while D and D gave them the standard Lab greeting, covering their navy uniforms with short blond hairs. Hopefully neither one has a jealous wife or girlfriend.

We passed our inspection with flying colors. But couldn't convince them to give us extra credit for having life vests for the dogs as well as for us. They posed with the kids for a farewell picture. They looked great but Dylan was still in greeting mode and couldn't sit still. In a moment they were gone.

We received the much prized "gold document." So next time we hear, "aCappella, this is the United States Coast Guard. When was the last time you were boarded?" we might get skipped by providing the gold serial number. Or maybe not. Dyna and Dylan thought it was pretty cool to have visitors while underway.

My Dirty Little Secret



I love Walmart. Well, maybe love is a bit strong. But as a liveaboard I have learned to appreciate, and sometimes long for, access to a Walmart. Why? Because at Walmart I can find anything I need - food, clothing, household goods of all sorts, even engine oil for the John Deere's.

Note, I said need not want.

At Walmart I may have to settle for a package of Hanes All-cotton rather than sexy Victoria Secret or Folger's coffee rather than one of the gourmet brands. But what I like about the boat is the paring down to what I value most.

There are many things we forgo living onboard due to space limitations and/or access. In exchange, we live aboard our boat. The trade-off seems obvious to me.

She's Walking!



One of the things we like about the boat is that we walk - alot. We both enjoy walking and like the exercise it gives us. We've walked miles to restaurants, shopping, for propane refills, dog parks, you name it. We're both in need of haircuts and just found a salon that's "only 2 miles away."

One of the things we have at times lamented and at times found humorous is how the rest of the world reacts to people walking. It's just not too common nowadays.

We've finally figured out never to trust someone telling us, "Oh, it's just up the road. Real close. 5 minutes maybe." Which would have been true - if we had a car. We thrill at finding a decent sidewalk, especially if it doesn't abruptly end for no apparent reason. We've had cars stop and ask if we broke down and need a ride. People walking are considered a strange sight.

One thing I'm liking about being here at Grande Dunes is that there is a great Loews grocery store just up a hill and across the street. Every 2-3 days I've set out to bring back fresh fruits and veggies, ice cream which we can eat relatively guilt free due to walking, fresh meat for the grill, and whatever other treats we feel like. And it even has a Redbox for movies.

I have a one of those foldup rolling crates to bring the loot back. We actually have two for bigger trips when we both go. I enjoy the break and the walk.

So today I set off with a short list of fresh items to feed us for the next few days. As I got to the check out I lifted my folding cart out of the shopping cart and began opening it up. The young woman who was bagging commented, "Oh neat, you brought your own cart."

"Yes, it's really convenient," I said.

"Yeah, you can just wheel it out to your car."

"Well, actually, I'm walking."

"You're walking!"

"Yes."

"Hey, (name of cashier), she's walking!"

"You're walking!?!" he said.  "How far do you have to walk?" she said.

"Yes, I'm on my boat in the marina across the street."

"That must take you 15 minutes to walk that," he said.

"No, only about 5," I said.

"Wow, you do that in only 5? Hey, (name of supervisor walking past), she's walking."

"Wow, good for you," she said.

I finished paying and the cashier thanked me and beamed, "You have a great walk!"

I have to admit I walked out of the store feeling a bit like a super hero. I imagined that the rest of the work day they were abuzz about that amazing women who bought groceries and then walked. "Yes, I saw her. She just walked through the parking lot and across the street. Amazing!"

Bald Head Island

We promised a week ago to relate our experience at Bald Head Island. The ActiveCaptain website has had unprecidented traffic and use this month. We've also been working on rolling out new promotional programs, so it's been too busy and hectic. Sorry to take so long.

Bald Head Island has become a special place to us. We stayed longer at Bald Head Island Marina then we have ever stayed at any other marina - even with the two weeks we spent off the boat.

The island is something not to be missed. Whether you come by boat, rent a house for a vacation, or visit for the day by ferry, it is a place of great natural beauty with a community committed to preservation. Miles of beaches, acres of maritime forests, huge wetlands with streams to kayak through, and quiet paths to walk or bike without the roar of cars.

Needless to say it will be quite some time before the kids find a place they like better. How do you beat a romp on the beach every day at low tide? Add to that the various accumulated smelly things that the ocean washes up and you are describing dog heaven.

But Dyna and Dylan's people enjoyed the experience also. We rode our bikes somewhere most every day, saw scores of birds and other wildlife, and also enjoyed our daily walks on the beach.

The marina is well maintained and the staff is friendly and helpful. There is a wonderful market a short bike ride away along with an amazingly stocked hardware store. We made that trip every couple of days. There is a bar and restaurant right at the marina and two nicer clubs across the island.

We were fortunate to meet Suzanne Dorsey, Director of the Bald Head Island Conservancy who filled us in on the islands unusual history and took us to some great out of the way places. In season they offer a wide variety of programs. And we are already plotting to figure out how we can convince our insurance company to let us south early to see the hatching of the baby turtles.

We think that Bald Head Island is so close to being the perfect boating stop that we began nagging (well, we called it advising) them on how to make it even better for boaters. Either they are extremely polite or they really are interested in making Bald Head Island one of those places every boater stops at for a few days when heading south or north.

We'll definitely be back.

Time To Go

The plan was to get up at 6 am and head out for Myrtle Beach. All night we listened to the lines groaning as the boat was pushed and pulled by the wind. The morning greeted us with high winds, cold temperatures, and black ice on the docks. We quickly retreated back under the covers. Even the kids were happy for a bit more snooze time. We'll try the plan again tomorrow.

The day has been cold and dreary and the docks icy; none of us has left the boat. By mid-morning there were snow flurries. Dyna and Dylan were fascinated by the snow pile that blew up against the bow.

We have really enjoyed our time here at Bald Head Island and certainly needed the quiet downtime it gave us. We'll need a future post to fill you in on what makes this place special.

But seriously. Snow on the boat? It's definitely time to go.

What We'll Miss

We plan on leaving Bald Head Island on Saturday and heading farther south to Myrtle Beach. What we have loved most about our stay here has been the great natural beauty that surrounded us everywhere we went. Most every night we were presented with a gorgeous sunset out the stern of the boat. We will miss these things and are already planning on coming back - maybe getting a chance to see the hatching turtles next time.

What Dyna and Dylan will miss is Beach Access 4. Once or twice a day we took the kids off the boat for a romp. As we approached the end of the finger pier we'd either turn left to go to the field or right to go to... Beach Access 4. They'd pause, look at us, and then prance down the dock when we'd head right. Beach Access 4 has been the entry to many hours of swimming, chasing birds, and finding all variety of disgusting things washed up on the beach. Dyna and Dylan are hoping to be back also. And they wouldn't mind catching a glimpse of those turtles either - they're surely slower than the birds that Dylan has been chasing.

Kids Update

The kids have finally regained their rightful position at the center of the universe. At least of our universe. We are back on a schedule of daily romps on the beach, chasing birds, and running in the field.



On New Years weekend, Will, who works for the Bald Head Island development group, loaned us a golf cart. Dyna and Dylan thought that was pretty cool.

We promptly took them out to Frying Pan Shoals, a shoal area going out over 17 miles into the ocean which we have circumnavigated many times on our trips up and down the coast. It was beautiful and we went back several times.

If there's reincarnation, then I want to come back as my dog.

Aw Shucks



About.com, you know that place you go on the internet to find out about anything, released a review of ActiveCaptain today. You can find it here:
http://sailing.about.com/od/sailingareasdestination/gr/Activecaptain-Interactive-Cruising-Guidebook.htm

Personally, we think that Tom Lochhaas is a pretty bright guy.  He's our new favorite reviewer!

Taking Pause

When I was 4 or 5 my family went to the World's Fair in New York. I was young enough that I do not remember much but there are a couple of things that I clearly recall. One was the giant green Sinclair dinosaur and the wax replica they gave me. The other was “the home of the future” which extolled the many “modern conveniences” we would have in just a few short years, such as pushing a button and having dinner simply appear.

All these years later and few of those predictions came true but we still seem obsessed as a society with convenience. What we eat, where we live, who we see is decided by what is most convenient. And if it's inconvenient we often choose not to do it. It's sad because I have come to learn that the greatest joy can be found in the inconvenient. In fact, it is often the inconvenience that makes it special.

By most measures living on a boat is definitely inconvenient. Tasks that are trivial at a land-based home often require more time on the boat. Everyday things like groceries, laundry, and the mail require planning and coordination. A five minute run by car to the store for milk turns into an hour walk or bike ride.

So as we schlepped our suitcases and masses of dog paraphernalia onto the Bald Head Island ferry 3 weeks ago to face a second crisis in so many months and waited in frigid weather to meet a rental car only to do it all in reverse two weeks later, I pondered if the inconvenience was worth it. I decided that convenience is way overrated.

Without the inconvenience of living on my boat I wouldn't know what it's like to see the stars many miles offshore. I wouldn't have met hundreds of interesting people. I wouldn't have seen beaches and islands inaccessible by land. I wouldn't know what it's like to test and push my skills and comfort level. I wouldn't live so closely with those I love. I wouldn't know the comfort when friends and strangers rush to help in a crisis. I would be without the thousands of experiences this life has given me.

What I have discovered is that, while it may take a bit more time, all things can be worked out. Rental cars can be procured, boats can be tied up and secured, and folks everywhere are willing to offer a helping hand. A walk to the store can be a beautiful stroll. A trip to the laundry can lead to interesting conversations. “Inconvenience” makes us slow down and experience where we are. And I think where we are is pretty great.

David Leslie Hillhouse

March 13, 1924 - December 20, 2010

I miss your quiet presence, wry humor, and loving support. I thank you for giving me a love of music and learning, the strength and confidence to follow my beliefs, and a taste for adventure.

I love you, Dad, and will miss you always.

Love,

Karen

Dark & Stormy...

It was definitely a dark & stormy night. We knew some wind was coming and it had been raining off and on. At 3:30 am we awoke to a lot of movement and 40 knot winds. We got up to add some more lines and fenders and found that 1/3rd of one of the spring lines had frayed from the incredible stress. We added 4 additional lines, 3 fenders, and cocked the boat in the slip slightly to keep the bow in and stern out. The extra lines did a great job and we got back to sleep around 5.

In the morning the wind was still blowing around 30 knots so we headed out to the beach with the dogs. The wind blowing against the sand made it look fog-like and strange. I had to capture it on my phone.



When we got to the point where the inlet meets the ocean, it was quite rough outside the large sandy shoal that extends out. Definitely not a day to be out in a boat.



Dyna continues to run along the beach - she is happiest when surrounded by water. Dylan found a large sand crab trying to find a new home and almost got badly nipped in the nose by a pincher claw. How much you wanna bet he heads right back to the same spot looking for that crab tomorrow?

Life's a (dog) beach...

Thankful

Today was our first holiday on the boat. In the past we've either been at our land-based home in Maine or at my folks. We had to settle on a turkey breast rather than the whole bird as that's all that would fit in the stove. Still the meal was as good as any we've had on land - turkey and stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, steamed broccoli, noodle kugel, gravy, of course, and pecan pie. Add a nice bottle of wine and a meal at a 4 star restaurant couldn't beat it.

It was a low key day, warm but overcast. We watched the Macy's parade, took the dogs for a walk, and did nothing in particular. It's quiet and beautiful here on Bald Head Island.

Still sometimes it's hard to be thankful. We've had a few hard weeks. My brother's wife is better but still fragile. My father just entered hospice and I wonder if I will see him again. My mother struggles with losing her mate of over 60 years while also struggling with care-taking.

But I am thankful. Thankful for a father who has loved and cherished me. Thankful for a mother who is loving and an example of strength and devotion. Thankful Chris is there for my brother and their two children. And immensely thankful for my husband, my two four-legged "kids", and that I am able to live this unusual and rewarding life.

As for Dyna and Dylan, they're thankful their dad gave them some turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Morehead City offshore to Bald Head Island through video

Family Emergencies & Cruising...

While cruising, all issues are amplified. Run out of milk? At our land home - no problem. On the boat, it requires planning and coordination. So what happens when a family emergency strikes?

We were needed for an extended family emergency. The call occurred while underway to Beaufort, NC. Through some extraordinary help from Jim and Robin along with exceptional service from the Morehead City Yacht Basin marina, we were 400 miles inland in Tennessee just 9 hours later. I've had to wait more than 9 hours for fresh coffee at times!

For 10 days we've been helping out with our niece and nephew. The emergency is subsiding and recovery is beginning. We should be back on the boat and heading to Bald Head Island by the weekend.

For Dyna & Dylan it has all been an unexpected adventure. Dylan has renewed his interest in sending squirrels up trees and Dyna has gotten to know her cousin Dixie. I think they're both a little homesick for returning back to where they have a normal schedule.

Hunkering Down

One of the lessons that can take awhile for us humans to learn is that we can't have it all - despite what that perfume commercial from the 70's tried to tell us. Oh come on, you remember "I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan..." Hated that commercial.

Well, we've been trying to do it all. Things have been cranking up with the website - new third party apps, increased interest from marinas and other marine companies, new promotional programs being put in place, and a user population that is growing at an increasing rate. We're receiving more requests to speak, write articles, and answer questions. On the personal side, we've been having great fun meeting up with cruising buddies, and unfortunately, have had some family crises. Of course, we have to give the crew the time they deserve including playtime and cuddles. All this while planning and executing our cruise south.

Don't get me wrong, there are no complaints here. Everything on that list involves something we love. But we realized there just are not enough hours in the day to do it all. At least not do it all well. Something had to give.

After four years of hard work the ActiveCaptain website is poised to become everything we had envisioned. To ensure that happens we need to keep at it. So we made the hard decision to shorten our cruise. We decided the best thing to do was to find a place where we could settle in for a few months, focusing on getting some work done, and spend some time with family.

Being the obsessive types we are we wrote a requirements list.

1. A place that's good for the dogs.
2. A place where the dogs can run and play everyday.
3. A place the dogs will like.
4. Oh, and a place that has enough draft, has space available, groceries, blah, blah, blah.


We made another list of potential spots and yet another list of questions to ask, "Is there a place where our dogs can run?" And finally settled on Bald Head Island, a small community on an island off North Carolina that jets out into the ocean. We have a reservation for a month starting on Tuesday.

After that we may stay another month or go someplace else. We eventually hope to make it to Charleston, maybe Cumberland Island (did I mention the dogs love Cumberland Island?) but it's not likely we'll make it much beyond that.

Will we miss the beautiful destinations south? Sure. Mainly we'll miss the people, but in this strange community of cruisers we know we'll see them again - most likely sooner than we think. For now we're on our boat heading to a beautiful island and the kids are with us. What more do I need?

FOAC's are Everywhere!

One of the best parts of starting down the Intracoastal Waterway is that we're in close proximity to a lot of boats. We're now tied up between the lock and bridge at Great Bridge, Virgina watching all the snow birds making their way south. The picture above was taken from the other side of the ICW looking back at our tie up on the wall. As you can see, Dyna & Dylan love sitting in the perfect sunny weather watching all the boats go past.

In this close proximity mode, we're always running into FOAC's - Friends of ActiveCaptain. We are often hailed on the radio, given a thumbs up when being passed on the wall (that is a thumb, isn't it?), and waved to. Meeting, listening to, and sometimes just a tip of the hat are the best parts of our involvement with ActiveCaptain.

Sous Chef

Our galley is what is known in the cruising community as a "one butt galley." We have managed to work both of our backsides in by performing this elaborately coordinated dance. Still we often collide and have to adjust with a "Would you please step to the right for a second?"

We gave up virtually all prepared foods several years ago and cook most every meal from scratch (check out Michael Pollan's book, "In Defense of Food"). Breakfast frittatas in the morning, Kung Pao chicken for lunch, and beef and broccoli stir fry for dinner - are examples.

We worked out our routine while spending a year at our land based home and moved it to the boat with just a few adjustments.

When we moved back on the boat this time, Dyna decided that she had to lay down in the middle of the galley during all meal preparations. In the beginning we would shoo her away but she was back before we could turn around.

So now we've adjusted the dance to include 3 bottoms - "Dyna, honey, can you please put your head down so I can open the refrigerator?" Why? Because we have spoiled dogs, of course. Haven't you been following this blog?!?!

As for Dylan, he perches at the edge just happy to be in the vicinity of food.

The Storm

All day, we knew it was coming. Winds grew from 15 kts to 30 during the morning and afternoon. At anchor, I keep a wind alarm at 25 kts and it's never a good thing when I increase it. Still, we were very safe and secure.

Around 3 pm the National Weather Service started issuing tornado watches for our area. We kept a careful watch on the front, got out our life preservers, and even re-fit them on Dyna & Dylan. We discussed emergency plans and were all ready.

At around 6 pm, it got quiet. Eerie quiet. An obvious front line was visible in the west. We prepared the boat, disconnected much of the electrical systems, lowered the antennas, removed the screens, and shot one video of the approaching front.

We decided that the safest place was in the stateroom below so all crew retreated there. The wind picked up to 40 kts, rain thrashed everywhere, and in 5 minutes, it was over. The red dot in the radar image above is directly on our location.

We stayed below for about a half hour watching the weather radar on the iPhone and listening to the handheld VHF.

The radar now shows another band coming in about 2 hours. No fear though. The crackerjack crew is ready.

Corrotoman River East Branch...

Home Again at Olverson's

Living on a boat is a bit like being a gypsy. We wander from place to place, rarely staying for too long at any one. Each place has its charm or event or people and places to see or a dog park. But where is home? I mean, where is that place that feels familiar and comfortable, where people know you and will always stop to lend a hand?

When we left Solomons we anchored in St. Mary's, MD off the college docks. There's a great little beach right there. We can take the dinghy up to the St. Mary's College docks and let the dogs run and swim. Every afternoon the students fill the cove with small sailboats and wind surfers. It was the perfect spot to ride out several days of high winds. Our plans were to leave there and anchor up the Corrotoman River at a place highly recommended by Cassie and Godiva on September Song for dog romping.

Unfortunately, when we went to put the dinghy back up the automatic tilt began emitting a pittiful groan and stopped working. A functioning tilt on an engine our size (40 HP) is a necessity if you want to beach the dinghy for dog swimming. It had to be fixed.

Now it might seem strange but fixing something like a dinghy can be a bit of a problem when you're living on the water. Most outboard places are inland catering to the weekend boater with a boat and trailer. We have the boat but no room to store a trailer. In addition, this is the busy time for these folks as they begin winterizing boats and preparing them for storage. No one would commit to looking at the boat any time soon. We needed help.

A call to Freddie at Olverson's Marina and the calvary was put into motion. Boats were rearranged to make space on the dock. Boat trailers were found. Parts were ordered. Trucks were offered to haul her out. And true to the male psyche a flotilla of men were quickly gathered around the engine. The offending part was a badly corroided tilt motor which "simply" needed to be replaced.

As these projects always go, little went smoothly. There were uncountable trips back to the boat for tools, phone calls, devices, etc. Bolts were broken and pins were jammed. By last night it was back together but still not working. Finally this morning in pouring rain with Mike Thompson's advice and a bit of work with a Dremel tool she was back in order.

Now we wait for the rain to stop pouring so we can bring her back on the boat and hopefully head for the Corrotoman River tomorrow. The kids are dying to swim in a new spot. But if it weren't for Freddie and Steve and Mann and Mike and this familiar place called Olverson's, who knows where we'd be heading. It was nice to be home for a few days.

Help

No, we're not sending out an SOS. But we can all use some help from time to time.

We had planned on leaving Solomons today but Jeff felt a bit under the weather yesterday so we fell behind. Today we are getting out an ActiveCaptain newsletter which will mean lots of emails, updates, and comments, so we decided to stay put one more day.

We had lots of folks asking for beginner's help using the ActiveCaptain site, so we've put up a Getting Started tutorial. Look for the big help button under the articles section.

We're also announcing some big discounts at two of our Co-Op marinas here on the Chesapeake, Bay Creek Marina and Severn River Marina.

It'll be a busy day with lots of time behind the computer. However, that doesn't mean we can't find some time for a dinghy ride with Dyna and Dylan to the swimming beach around the corner. Gotta keep the crew happy!

Speaking...

October 10th - the day we all turn back into pumpkins. For the last 6 weeks we've been speaking at various rendezvous or preparing to speak at them. Yesterday's double session with the Krogen Cruisers annual rendezvous was our last for a while. This morning we awoke at anchor to see the 40 Krogens preparing to all take off from Solomons, MD enroute throughout the waterways. One thing about these Krogen owners - they know how to throw a party! We were dancing to live music until late last night...

We met many hundreds of people and made lots of new friends for life. We provided two types of talks at these get-togethers - the combination of our EMS/emergency medicine experience applied to cruising, and Q&A's about ActiveCaptain. It was all a wonderful experience and incredibly fun for us.

Now that all the speaking is over, finding a good swimming hole for Dyna & Dylan has become a priority. We'll stay in Solomons for a few days - we have some local knowledge about a beach good for swimming around the island. Then we're thinking of heading to St. Marys, the Piankatank River, or wherever the seas carry us. Having no plan is sometimes the best plan - for both pumpkins and puppies.

Arrgh...Married Again!

Every five years, Karen and I have gotten re-married. We've gone as far as flying to Las Vegas to getting re-married by a local minister in Castine. So with our 25th anniversary, the 5 year alarm clock went off.

I called the City of Baltimore and attempted to get re-married at their courthouse.  "But you're already married - we don't have a form for that" the clerk told me. "Do you have a form for getting a divorce?" I asked.  Well not surprisingly, they do, so I asked if she could see the irony in that. I think while trying to figure out the meaning of the word irony, she hung up on me.

At a dinner party, licensed captains Steve and Diane Koch married us again on a boat but something else was needed. Something more fitting for the seriousness of a quarter century. Then I remembered Bones.

Captain Wayne Flatt (aka Bones) is the captain of Skinwalker with his wife Lynn, a cruising boat that I've had contact with over a few years. Wayne is also a reverend  and a member of the Blessed Order of the Navigator Ecumenical Society. If that weren't enough, Bones is also captain of the P/V Fearless of Urban Pirates in Baltimore. P/V stands for pirate vessel.

So we met Wayne and Lynn for dinner and discussed the whole thing. Wayne researched our relationship and crafted a fine set of vows fitting for a pirate ship and a 25th anniversary. On Tuesday with rain threatening, we were remarried in a way I surely will never forget. Dyna and Dylan were able to attend and were little pirates themselves for the afternoon. They completely exhausted themselves by swabbing the deck with all paws until they fell asleep.

Fells Point Fun

It doesn't take a festival to have fun in Fells Point but boy, what a festival there was this weekend. Sandwiched between two storm fronts, the weekend festival covered a few miles of closed streets with hundreds of booths, food items, and fun.

We found out about this festival by accident last week. It was a 10 block walk from the marina - hard to get much closer than that. I'm working on ways to get event information like this into ActiveCaptain because it would bring a lot of utility and enjoyment to cruisers planning where to go. An obvious solution is to have various chambers of commerce update information about major events in their towns. But is there a standard place to do this?  How can we get coastal communities to update an online calendar so all of us can find and use the information?