Stuck in Portsmouth

We really do love Portsmouth, VA and always stop here going north or south. We pulled into Ocean Marine Yacht Center, an ActiveCaptain Sponsor, last Monday with the plan to leave Tuesday morning. We thought it would give us some time to chat with Dave, the dockmaster, about some cool things we have coming, get our Bagel Nutz fix from Starboards Coffee, and see what's new at Skipjack Nautical, two other Sponsors, and be on our way.

Then we ran into good boating buddies Elle and Dick on Summer Wind and met some new boaters all staying at one of the town basins. As we pulled away from the dock at Ocean Marine we decided 24 hours just wasn't enough and swung around to the basin. Another day wouldn't hurt, we had plenty of time.

First, the weather turned a bit nasty, then we decided to fix a small generator raw water pump leak, and then the weather turned really nasty. Yadda, yadda, yadda, we've been stuck here now for almost a week.

But honestly, it's been a great week. We've met numerous new boaters including another couple from Maine, had great German and Chinese food, tried the chocolate muffins from Starboards (Elle's suggestion), made it to the farmer's market, found a field where Dyna and Dylan could romp, walked through the lovely houses in the historic section of Portsmouth, and stayed long enough that our good friend John Salyer showed up. John is dad to black labs Gracie and Dixie who visited Dyna and Dylan in Maine this past summer. It was 16 paws having a much needed chase this morning.

Yesterday and today have been cold, rainy, and windy. The water lapped high above the dock this morning causing us to wade ankle deep to get back to the boat after going to the farmer's market. It reached about 2 feet over the dock before receding, causing us to repeatedly adjust the fenders.

Tomorrow looks good and we plan on finally throwing off the lines. It's time to move on but we know we'll be back. After all, is it really considered "stuck" if you like being here?

The Piankatank River

If you were following us in 2009 you may remember we fell in love with a beautiful anchorage on the Piankatank River tucked in behind Berkley Island. At first we just liked saying the name of the river. Come on, everyone together - Pee-yank-a-tank. Now tell me you said that and didn't smile.

We loved it so much we stayed several days taking the kids to a small beach at a camp every day for a swim. Dyna was our swimming fool. She loves to swim more than anything in the world, even eating. Dylan, well, there's nothing he likes better than eating. It was a wonderful time.

We decided to go back and it was as beautiful as we remembered. The kids had dinghy rides and walks on shore. Unfortunately, there was no swimming. Dyna can't swim since her throat surgery. It was a bittersweet reminder that she's now a very mature girl. But also reminds us how lucky we are to still have her with us.

We spent five days in the anchorage and saw the full spectrum of weather. One morning the water was as flat as a mirror with the clouds as distinct on the water as in the sky - those things in the water are reflections of the sky. The next we had white caps surrounding the boat.

It was hard to leave but the nights are getting cool and it reminds us we need to move further south. There are other anchorages and dinghy rides and dog parks and friends at the dock. But nothing is better than some quiet time in a beautiful anchorage surrounded by the kids.

Meandering South

We finally pulled anchor this morning after a week on the Corrotoman River. It was a quiet, secure anchorage that saw us through a small squall and a few days of rainy, blustery weather. The squall blew the rain sideways into our open port-side portholes right into the stateroom. By the time I ran down to close them it looked like someone was spraying in the porthole with a garden hose. Mother nature is amazing.

Because of the weather the kids only had a few dinghy rides and little time ashore, but we were able to get a lot of work done. Watch upcoming newsletters for announcements!

Today was a short day, barely 26 nautical miles. I did most of the piloting with the help of my ever vigilant crew.

Every good captain knows the importance of good alert crew members to ensure the safety of the vessel and all onboard.

As we approached the Nelson Bridge crossing the Rappahannock River I was blinded by the glare. It reminded me of a cool tip I learned from good friend Pat Berry on Got The Fever. Portable shades made from screen material and little suction cups. I made one as soon as we got in.

Cut the screen to the size you want, nip just enough in each corner to push the tip of the suction cup through, and put them up when needed. I decided to do one that could go across the top of the main window like a shade visor. I couldn't get a good picture of the whole thing so I just took some detail of the suction cup in the corner. I'll let you know how it works.

We'll be off again in a few days but not before we get the kids to shore and let them stretch their legs. We're looking forward to that also.

Catching Up

We apologize that we have been remiss in updating our blog. It has been a busy time. There is nothing we love more than meeting other boaters, seeing our old friends, finding new ones, and of course, what boaters do best, partying. But with two back to back rendezvous the whole crew is exhausted.

The Krogen rendezvous was terrific. They had the same amazing band as last year and once again we managed to dance way past our bedtime. This year we were invited to stay at the dock as honorary Krogen-ites. We dropped anchor Sunday morning to watch the intricate dance that is done to undock all the Krogens. This year was blustery with threatening skies so the show took a bit longer.

The talks and our songs were very well received. In fact, we've already been booked by both groups for next year's events. Can anyone recommend a good agent?

We had hoped to spend some downtime in Solomons and visit two ActiveCaptain Sponsors, Zahniser's Yachting Center and Spring Cove Marina. Unfortunately, Dyna developed an, um, digestive issue we couldn't solve, so we headed back to Olverson's were we had our car and a vet we like. She got checked out and received some antibiotics. She's fine now.

Of course, it is never possible to have a brief visit at Freddie's. There's friends and Nino's Pizza and easy shopping and Liars Corner. So we ended up there for the week. It allowed us to drive over for the Annapolis Sailboat Show. Ted and Sally on Amichi joined us. It was a beautiful day. We met up with numerous business partners and kept running into boaters we knew. This boating world really is small.

We finally shoved off today to head to a quiet anchorage to get some work done. A lot is happening so the parties need to stop for a while. Dyna has taken up her favorite spot in the breeze. Of course, Dylan has to make his way into the picture, too...

It's the People That We Meet...

The MTOA Rendezvous ended yesterday and as always it was a great time. We gave a talk about cruising the coast of Maine and a 2 hour talk on Medical Emergencies for Cruisers. We exchanged some terrific tips at the Round Table meetings. There is no better source of good, reliable information than talking to others who are actually out there cruising and living onboard.

Fours days of fun, parties, meeting many old friends, and making great new ones, what could be better?

It's a lot of work and the kids get short changed as we run off to meetings, dinners, parties, and friends' boats both day and night. But the wonderful, warm comments we hear from the members make it all worthwhile. We feel especially proud of the medical emergencies series. If just one cruiser in the future is helped we have given back more than we could ever hope. And of course there is the awards dinner where members were forced to listen to our silly songs.

Many folks have asked for copies of our slides and the words to our new song. You can find the Maine slides here:

http://activecaptain.com/slides/CruisingMaine.pdf

The slides for Part 1 and for Part 2 of the Medical Emergencies talks are here:

http://activecaptain.com/slides/EmergencyMedicine.pdf

And last but not least, there is a video from Celeste Yost of "I Told You So" here:

We thank everyone who made the MTOA event a success and will look for you along the waterway. Next weekend we will be speaking at the Krogen Rendezvous. We'll see some of the same friends and catch up with others. The people – it's the best part of cruising.

At Anchor

There is definitely something nice about being at a marina. You don't need to think too much about the water you use or the lights you turn on. Restaurants, groceries, and other amenities are often nearby. And of course, you can always meet a friend, either old or new, on the dock.

But we also love being at anchor.

Being at anchor is quiet and peaceful. We're usually far enough away from lights that the stars are brilliant, the sunset seems to surround us, and the sounds of the night become a lullaby.

Dylan patrols the bow for birds while Dyna sleeps in the evening breeze.

Tomorrow we pull into the Cambridge Municipal Marina for the start of the MTOA Rendezvous. We look forward to seeing many old friends and making new ones. It'll be 4 days of parties and learning and catching up and mostly lots of fun.

But for tonight, we sit in a beautiful cove, listening to the crickets, surrounded by those we love. Life is pretty good.

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia

So Dyna had surgery a week ago. So it involved her breathing, kind of important. So she's old and needs to be cautious in her recovery. Dylan still doesn't understand why it's, “Dyna, Dyna, Dyna.” What about poor Dylan?

Dyna gets people writing nice things and stopping by the boat to see her. She gets puppy chow like Dylan never even knew existed. She and Daddy stay up in the salon at night while Dylan has to go below with Mommy and he just knows they're eating steak and french fries all night long. What does Dylan get?

Two days ago Cassie and Godiva pulled in behind us with their people on September Song. Dylan has been enjoying swimming and running and chasing and just watching them from the cockpit. And the best part, Dyna has to stay on the boat.

So does it make up for everything? Pretty much. But the special puppy chow sure does look good!

Patient Update

Tomorrow will be a week since Dyna had her surgery. She has been overwhelmed by the many kind thoughts sent her way - emails, blog posts, comments on the website - and so have we. We knew she was a special girl but didn't realize how many others did too.

When we left the surgery clinic we had two pages of instructions including limited activity for two weeks. No jumping up on furniture; she did that in less than 12 hours. No climbing stairs; that took a little over 24 hours. The bandage must stay on for 5 days; she rubbed it off in 4.

The one instruction she did like was 2 weeks of soft food. She gets a can of Innova wet food twice a day and this stuff looks and smells better than some diner food I've had. Dyna loves it. Dylan is wondering what operation he can have to get some of this stuff. In a little over a week the Queen will go back to her normal kibble and we're expecting a revolt.

Aside from her bald neck and shoulder she is looking and acting like her old self. We've started walking her down the dock in the mornings. She is doing well.

We all thank you for sending your warm thoughts our way.

Note that the picture below was taken the day after the surgery and looks worse than it is. The red around the bandage is adhesive used during surgery and has mostly worn off already. The fur will grow back and she'll look like regular Dyna in a few weeks.

A Long Day

We left at 8 am for our 10 am appointment. Dyna checked out fine so they scheduled her surgery for the first slot with the hope that we could bring her home the same day. We now had to figure out what to do with Dylan in Richmond for the afternoon.

Drive through lunch at McD's. Trip to PetSmart for canned food for Dyna and a special treat for Dylan. Trip to a dog park but without Dyna, Dylan was too timid to play with the couple of dogs that were there and it was terribly hot anyway. Back to the the clinic to hear her surgery went fine but they found a mass in her chest.

The surgeon said it could be several things, the same mass we thought we had cured 3 years ago, scar tissue from that surgery, a different mass, or just a fatty tumor. He advised us we shouldn't worry at her age, that the current surgery would improve her quality of life - maybe do another x-ray in a few months to see if it is growing. "Come back at 4:30 and we'll see if we can send her home with you."

A trip to Petco to get some more soft food for Dyna - we had miscalculated the amount we needed before. Drive around Richmond a bit and then back to the clinic at 4:15. Lots of instructions for her post-op recovery and then about 5:00 our little Queen appeared in the waiting room. Her neck, chest, and shoulder are shaved on her left side and covered with a bandage. She was a bit wobbly on her feet from the anesthesia but had that stubborn "let's go" look that is the Dyna trademark.

Both kids slept all the way home. Dyna due to the after effects of the anesthesia and Dylan from too much excitement. We arrived at the marina about 7:00 and Dyna walked the dock to the boat with nary a wheeze or a huff. She has a two week recovery with restricted activity, no jumping up on furniture (yeah, right), and soft food only. No stairs, so her dad has volunteered to sleep in the salon with her - can we say Daddy's girl?

We thank everyone for your very kind thoughts, words, and prayers. We're all happy to be home and have this day behind us.

Going to Richmond

Dyna has brought so much joy to our lives in the four years since she adopted us. This year she turned 13 making her officially an "elder." We've been fortunate to have her this long as we stumbled upon a life-threatening condition when we first got her.

Thanks to better healthcare than I get and a skilled surgeon, her life was saved. A side effect of that surgery was a condition called laryngeal paralysis. The nerve controlling her airway was damaged making it not open properly when she breathes. It has been a slow progressive condition that has required us to keep an ever more vigilant eye on our stubborn girl who wants to run and swim and be a part of everything.

There is a surgery that can fix the condition but she could never swim again. And those of you that have followed this blog know about Dyna and swimming.

This summer Dyna's breathing became more difficult as age was catching up with her. But we adjusted, going out when the weather was cool and driving her down to the town dock for her daily audience.

But during the past few weeks back on the boat, the southern humidity has taken its toll. So yesterday we called back to Maine to talk to Chris at Lucern Veterinary Clinic for advice. As always she was wonderful.

Tomorrow we drive to Richmond, VA, 1 hour 37 minutes drive according to Tom-Tom, for a consultation and if all goes well, surgery. She may be released the same day or they may want to keep her overnight, so we're bringing an overnight bag for us and for Dylan. There are two Red Roof Inns in Richmond.

As with any surgery there are potential complications during and after, but the benefits appear to outweigh the risks at this point. We hope to give our precious Dyna a few more happy years, both for her and for us. We will keep you posted.

Post Irene

We have heard from many of you wondering how we made out in the storm. We apologize that we haven't responded sooner but the marina and most of the surrounding area was without power for several days making our cell service and internet access spotty to nonexistent. And then we had days of catch-up...

The worst of the storm hit in the middle of the night with winds increasing around midnight. We were well protected from the winds here but still did our share of rocking and rolling. Our greatest concern was the water rising above the fixed piers.

We pre-selected a point on the piling. If the water reached that level we would throw the lines and head for an anchorage. Not something we were wanting to do at 2 am in big winds. The water reached about 18 inches of our mark and quickly receded. It was like watching a tub drain when you pull the plug.

By daybreak all was past and there was no damage to boat or crew. The only thing lost was a good night's sleep. Well, actually the crew slept just fine, even at the worst, we were the ones up.

The past few days we have spent undoing our storm preparations and getting the boat ready for our departure in a couple of weeks. Yesterday we took the dinghy down to ensure all was in working order. And of course that led to a dinghy ride for the crew. They deserve it after handling their first, and hopefully last, hurricane like the experienced salty dogs they are.

We hope everyone faired equally well and look forward to seeing you on the water soon.

New Adventures

Early in the summer we selected August 24th as the day we would leave our land-based home in Maine and head back to the boat. September is actually the best month to be in Maine but we have several commitments to speak in the Chesapeake in September so we stuffed the car to the gills, loaded up the crew, and departed.

Once again we fulfilled the requirements of the Red Roof Inn for "one well-behaved dog" - see last August's entry "One well-behaved dog is permitted...". The crew handled two days in a car well and were happy to be back onboard.

If you're wondering where we are, look at the track for Irene. I guess we should be flattered that the National Hurricane Center thought we were important enough to highlight our location.

So today we will spend time preparing for the storm we hope will miss us. We'll get to break in the new foul-weather gear we splurged on last spring. There will be lots of practice tying lines and we'll find out if we really did seal up all the leaks. We've got plans A, B, C and more, including overnight bags and dog food in the car should Dyna and Dylan get to spend another night in a Red Roof Inn.

We hope everyone stays safe!

The Boat Table

In our workout room we have a large folding table. I can't remember why we put it there but over the years it has turned into "the boat table." Whenever we purchase something for the boat or run across something in the house we want to bring to the boat we say, "Put it on the boat table." As the summer moves along the table always becomes piled high and we begin to wonder how we'll ever fit us, the dogs, and all that stuff in the car.

One would think that after almost a decade of doing this we would have everything we need on the boat. But our tastes changes, new things arrive, and old things wear out. The car is just as packed when we leave the boat as we bring back items we no longer use and those special things we don't want to be without for a few months.

Life on the boat forces you to repeatedly evaluate your possessions and decide if owning something is worth the space it uses. After all, there's no attic or basement to stuff things into. It's a great excercise as it requires you to determine what is truly important to you.

So a week from today the whole crew will be back on the boat. We'll arrive, grab some dock carts, empty out the car, and begin settling back into life on the water.

And, if you're wondering what's the most important thing we bring in the car, that's easy, Dyna and Dylan, of course.

July 4th

We apologize for being so remiss in our blog. Life has been busy here on land but there's just not the same day-to-day changes we experience onboard. We've been totally swamped with ActiveCaptain.

But this past weekend was the 4th of July. Not only is this the busiest time in Castine, we had four boats of friends visiting AND Dyna and Dylan got to reconnect with Gracie and Dixie, their black lab buddies from the DeFever Carolina.

The July 4th children's parade went off without a hitch despite pea soup fog. The day cleared, turned warm, and was beautiful as we watched Castine Class sailboats in the harbor while having an ice cream.

We listened to the Castine Town Band play a concert on the town common in the evening - marches, patriotic tunes, and dancing children made it a wonderful time. Unfortunately, the fog rolled back in, canceling the night's fireworks over the water. We're hoping they'll set them off tonight instead.

It's been great to be back onboard our friends' DeFever's having dinner and cocktails - it makes us miss being onboard aCappella. But she awaits us in Virginia.

Diane of DeFever Aurora sent us a beautiful vignette of Castine's 4th. You can view it here:
http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a55324e6a63344d5446384e5467314d7a55794f444d3d0d0a&sb=1

July 4th is considered the start of summer here in Maine and we are looking forward to more summer fun and more boating friends stopping by to fulfill our boating fix.

We hope your 4th was great too!

Settling Back Home

We've been home for a week and the mail is sorted - well thrown away actually. The bags and boxes have been unpacked. The kids settled right back in with Dyna finding her favorite chair and Dylan splitting time between watching for squirrels out the sun room window and sleeping in his chair in the study.

Friends greeted us with a lovely dinner party and every trip to the post office, town dock, or Bah's Bakehouse leads to welcomes and time catching up. It's nice to be home but after 9 months onboard all this space feels a bit silly.

We've gone from a boat "queen” size bed to a king but still only end up with a sliver as the kids are the ones who get to stretch out. We haven't turned on the cable TV and don't feel the need to. Having a dishwasher is much appreciated and cooking is no longer an acrobatic event although Dyna still manages to find a place underfoot.

The biggest difference for Dyna and Dylan is the lack of daily swimming. Fortunately, we're not completely boatless. We have a 13 foot Whaler which the kids helped get ready. Dylan took up position underneath hoping to catch some spray from the hose. The day was hot so Dyna found a cool spot in the garden nearby. So now the Whaler is clean and the battery is installed. A bit of bottom painting and she should be launched mid-week. Summer can begin.

The kids look forward to daily swimming trips to Indian Bar. We already know of several boating buddies heading to Maine this Summer. The first crowd will be three DeFever's arriving in a couple weeks on their way to Nova Scotia. We've never been by boat and feel a longing to join them.

Meanwhile, we think about the Fall and our next cruise and look forward to the beauty that is a Maine summer.

Happy Birthday to Dyna!

If you believe the "dog years" theory then Dyna is 91 years old today. I think she's doing pretty well for such an old bird. Today reminds us that every day with Dyna is a gift. For Dyna, it's just another day. And like every day since we've docked the boat, it starts with swimming.

Dyna and Dylan begin rustling about sometime between 6:30 and 7:00 am. We attempt to sleep in until the latter but it's usual not worth the effort. So usually about 6:45 am we pull on some clothes, let the kids visit the poop-deck, and head to the cockpit.

Since Dyna almost took a morning dip in Charleston jumping from the boat to the dock, we now use the PetStep to get her to the dock.

The long walk from the T-head where aCappella is docked to shore is a test of strength as both dogs pull in anticipation of their morning swim.

The pulling continues through the parking lot and across the field that leads to Lodge Creek.

Finally, the collars and leashes come off and there's a mad dash to the water's edge.

Dyna's dad manages to execute a perfect "Double Fetch", throwing one stick long for Dylan and one short for Dyna. This allows Dylan to have a much needed long swim while Dyna is able to fetch her stick without interference from the young'un - well, usually.

Meanwhile Dylan flies past. Damn whipper-snapper.

 

Each retrieval is followed by several minutes where Dyna wheezes and gasps catching her breath, all the while nudging the stick and prancing her paws wanting another go. Dylan finds other things to do.

A dozen or so throws and the girl starts to drag her back feet signaling it's time to head back. A stop at the hose rinses off the pungent creek water. Although I'm pretty sure they'd both rather carry the smell, they've worked so hard for, with them.

The walk back to the boat is more leisurely, even though breakfast is waiting for them.

Two towels per dog are needed to get them from soaking to just wet.

Then it takes both of them to supervise the preparation of the "Puppy Chow."

And it is done to perfection.

There's only one thing left to do while she waits for dinner.

Dyna, we hope you had a happy birthday. We all love you. Even the little twerp.

Bad Decision

The longer we've cruise the more unabashed weather wimps we've become. It seems like every year we reduce the wave height and wind predictions that we consider acceptable. Hey, it's suppose to be fun!

We have learned to be perfectly content sitting at an anchorage or dock for days, even weeks, until the winds die and the waves subside, preferably to glassy calm. We're happier and the kids are definitely happier. It has worked very well for us.

So how did we end up in rough choppy seas in the Chesapeake on our final day of cruising? In fact, it was the worst day of weather we'd experienced in at least 2 years. Well, you start by forgetting everything you know, then you add a touch of impatience to get to your destination, and you finish by ignoring the signs around you.

We left Portsmouth after two great days on a picture perfect morning. The day stayed beautiful so we decided to go a couple of hours further than planned to shorten the next day, our final cruising day of the season. Going the extra distance left us only 30 nm to get to the dock were aCappella will spend the summer.

We were thrilled that we would have 2+ weeks there with good friends Robin and Jim, and Pat and Chuck. A 5:41 am email from Robin (she was awake, we weren't yet) let us know that boats were being shifted around to open up our spot. We awoke at 7 am to rain and some wind, so we decided to make blueberry pancakes and wait for things to clear.

When the sun came out mid-morning and the winds died down, we decided to go. First mistake, we didn't take a final look at the weather radar, predictions, or existing buoy reports.

We warmed the engines, prepared the pilothouse, and Jeff went on deck to pull the anchor. It started to rain again and the wind rose making it difficult to hear each other on our headsets. It did occur to me that maybe we should wait, even stay one more day at the anchorage, "but it's only 30 nm," I thought. Mistake number two, listen to your gut and heed the signs around you.

We started off in a moderate chop but were convinced we could see clearing up ahead. Now I must digress. Can someone please explain why it always looks like it's clearing up ahead and that the waves are subsiding when they rarely do? Or more importantly, why are we able to convince ourselves of this illusion time after time?

So we soldiered on. With each turn in our route we hoped the conditions would improve. 4' waves, then 6' waves, then a few 8 footers thrown in just to test how well we could avoid getting seasick. We hoped for relief in vain. The kids went from giving us dirty looks to circling up in a tight ball and ignoring us. This was the worst weather this canine crew had ever experienced (Tucker knew much worse weather but this team has only grown up in our newfound avoidance mode for weather). All waves vanished when we pulled off the Potomac and it was flat-dead-calm when we pulled onto the dock greeted by Robin and Jim who said, "We were surprised you guys left. It must have been bad out there."

Full disclosure, the wave pictured above was not taken by us but is symbolic of how rough it felt.

Saying goodbye to dolphins...

From the moment we reach Beaufort, NC heading south in the Fall, dolphins are a common sight any time we're in salt water and especially offshore. Dylan loves dolphins. From that first sighting in October/November, every time he runs to the bow over the next 6+ months, he looks over the side for dolphins. In Charleston, the dolphins would come into the basin every afternoon. Dylan was always there watching, studying, barking, and crying. Did I say he loves dolphins?

Offshore going north back to Beaufort, I took the team out on the bow for an afternoon romp before the sun set. As always, Dylan ran out and looked over the bow. This time there were a good seven dolphins over the side.

When we're offshore, dolphins love to ride our bow wave. As our bow moves through the water it creates a pressure wave that allows them to be pushed along with seemingly no effort. A pair of dolphins turns into a set of four. In this case, seven came along for the ride.

As we enter the Beaufort inlet the next morning and make our way up Adams creek on the ICW, the dolphins will disappear. Dylan will keep looking. Every day. Fall will be here soon enough and he'll be back crying for his dolphin friends once more.

Electronics meltdown at sea...

We departed Charleston before 7 am on Monday headed offshore, directly to Beaufort, NC.  The 205 nm offshore route would take us all day and all night. We'd arrive in Beaufort/Morehead City around 10 am on Tuesday morning.

We've gone offshore here quite a few times. Going straight offshore saves a lot of day trips by skipping the two large scallops of the coast in South Carolina and North Carolina. The only hazard is a very long, 15 mile shoal that extends from our beloved Bald Head Island out to sea. It is too shallow to go through although there is one small "slue" passage about 12 miles out. Taking that shaves a few miles from the trip and maybe saves an hour.

The slue is marked with a few non-lit buoys but they show up on radar miles ahead. Our path would have us reaching the slue at around 11:00 pm in pitch darkness since the moon wasn't supposed to rise until 2:15 am.

The seas were a bit rougher than we prefer but definitely within our comfort range. Everything was going well as we approached the slue. Our darkened pilothouse was filled with electronics providing position on multiple screens, radar overlay, autopilot, depth, wind, rudder, sea floor image, a second depth sensor - all designed to keep us in the right position.

Just as we were approaching the first mark on our route for the slue, all screens showing our position went dark. Our main chartplotter just blinked and turned off. It controls the main GPS on the arch so it went down too - nothing would bring it back. The autopilot gave up and went offline forcing us to manually steer. The phone next to the helm running the exact same route showed a red GPS location meaning there was no GPS signal being received (I wrote that software). We had no radar display in the pilothouse with 4' waves coming from the south on our starboard side and no way to "see" our position nor the position of the upcoming buoys.

Even though we're in our 9th year of doing this long range type of cruising, it was unsettling but we were quite calm about it. Within 30 seconds, a backup GPS was flipped on. We now had full position display using the same route we were following but on a 2" phone screen.  In 2005, as an experiment, we traveled from Maine to Key West only using that 2" screen so this wasn't uncomfortable at all.

iPhone's and iPads were all turned on monitoring our exact position on the charts. In another 4 minutes, Karen's laptop was booted and we were running Coastal Explorer using a second backup GPS. The autopilot was now operational as we had it following our planned route. Karen had just been testing Coastal Explorer's latest version so we knew it was current with the latest charts loaded. We could have easily selected one of 5 other software products to use.

The issue was radar. We have a backup screen but it's on the flybridge. The radar was on and displaying an image, but we'd now either have to stay all night up there, or walk up and down to take a radar view every 10 minutes. We have some strict rules about going outside when the other is sleeping so we decided that the person off-watch had to sleep in the pilothouse and a 10 minute timer would alert us to make a radar view, up and back to the flybridge.  Looking out 6 - 24 nm on radar, 10 minutes would be enough time to have any non-ship come into view. Any ship would be visible by lights for many miles ahead.

We moved along like this until daybreak when radar became less important given the clear day. We arrived at the Beaufort inlet at 9:00 am, Morehead City by 10:00 am, and continued on to the Neuse River about 40 miles further along the ICW finally dropping our anchor in the South River.

The next morning, the chartplotter and all onboard electronics worked perfectly and have been continuously on since.

This is all a pretty good example of why backups are needed. We have more than 5 backup GPS's. We have a backup way to view radar although it adds an obnoxious procedure. We still have no idea what happened to the main chartplotter but we also know we're ready if it goes kerfluey again.

Farwells and Preparations

It's hard to believe we've been in Charleston for 2 months. This is the longest time we've spent aboard at one place. But what better place to hang out than Charleston?

This morning was bittersweet as Dyna and Dylan made their way to their final romp at the dog park with BFF's, Huck and Goose. If you've followed D and D for awhile you know they first met Huck and Goose back in 2009 and became instant friends. Goose is the same age as Dylan and the two are similar in temperament. They love to chase and tug and basically act like goofs.

Huck and Dyna are both "more mature" and generally stay out of the rough and tumble antics. Although each has occasionally decided maybe they could still keep up and joined in.

Of course, none of them realize it will be many months before they meet again. And they won't until we throw the lines off early tomorrow morning and Goose looks in vain across the dog park for Dylan.

But this morning it was business as usual. Finally, the tug-of-war slowed to a stop and their people hugged and said their good-byes, wishing us all better times this year. Then, as if they knew, Dylan and Goose got a second wind. A final tug-of-war to last them until next Fall. After two months at dock, we had many preparations to make so we reluctantly said good-bye.

Tomorrow we head offshore, overnight to Beaufort, NC and then on the ICW. We'll be moving daily now, weather permitting. There's laundry to finish, items to stow, the liferaft and ditch bag to bring out, water tanks to fill, and our traditional overnight meal of chicken fried rice to make. Of course, we need one final run to Harris Teeter. We move to the fuel dock at 3:00 to fill up and spend our final night before heading out early tomorrow morning.


So we say good-bye to Charleston knowing we'll be back, knowing we'll see our friends both old and new, and looking forward to that tug-of-war with BFF's again.

My Older Brother

Joel was born 30 minutes before me, so technically that makes him my older brother. For most of our lives he has been quick to point that out. Yesterday was no exception.

A few weeks back Joel called to say that the East Coast Kayak & Canoe Festival was taking place near Charleston the third weekend in April. He wanted to go and wanted to know if he could stay with us. I not only like my brother, I like kayaking, so I said yes. He arrived Friday to a beautiful afternoon. The weather quickly deteriorated giving us a bouncy night and high winds Saturday as the storm ravished states to the north and west as it moved towards Charleston.

We headed over in the morning, not sure what we'd find. We went to the registration booth to pick up our packet, "Are you together?" "I'm her older brother," he said. Our morning class on Kayaking Support Strokes was on. We found the tent. The women checking us in said, "Are you together?" "I'm her older brother," he said. The instructor came over to introduce himself and said, "Are you related?"  "I'm her older brother," he said. Yeah, by 30 minutes!

Unfortunately, they canceled the sunset paddle we were looking forward to due to tornado warnings which thankfully never came. But we managed to pass the evening with good food, some Dark and Stormies, and great conversation.

By bedtime the water was glassy and we had a perfect morning to meet our good friends Jeb and Linda for breakfast at the Hominy Grill - eggs, thick bacon, a southern biscuit, creamy grits, and great coffee - perfection.

So now he is on his way home to his wife and children. It was a great weekend and I already look forward to the next time we're together. After all, I have known my twin brother longer than anyone else in the world. We shared that miraculous day of birth and every milestone growing up. We've been there for each other for the most joyous and the most devastating times of our lives.

I love you, big bro.

PetStep



One of the first acquisitions we made for the boat was the PetStep. We originally purchased it to help our beloved Tucker get on and off the boat in a variety of challenging dock situations. He quickly learned to navigate up and down the ramp when the combination of fixed docks and notable tides meant stepping up or down to the dock.

Our current kids first encountered the PetStep in September 2009 when we docked at Somers Cove Marina for the MTOA Rendezvous. True to form Dyna just barged her way forward, while Dylan had to be coaxed, cajoled, and finally bribed with treats. Since then the PetStep has become a familiar prop in our boating adventures.

The Maritime Center is a great stop, right downtown, walking distance to anything you could want. But it can be bumpy at the docks as it is along side a major shipping channel and sees lots of activity. Note our last entry.

We protect the boat with extra large ball fenders which means going between the dock and the boat requires a step over about a foot of water. Nimble Dylan leapt this each morning easily but Dyna usually caused us to hold our breath. Finally one morning when the front paws landed on the dock and the back paws went into the water - fortunately her dad made a quick grab of her harness - we decided that the PetStep could help even on floating docks.

So now the morning ritual is for Mom to attached harnesses, collars, and to gather other dog park essentials while Dad unfolds the PetStep and lays it across our moat. Excited to be meeting their dog park buddies there's no hesitation from Dyna or Dylan.

They're happy to walk the plank anytime.

Bustling Charleston

We received a call this weekend from our good friends Gene and Kathy wondering what was up as we have been remiss with our blog. Yes, it's true. We finished our big push with the new ActiveCaptain functions last week and took a couple of days off to relax a bit.

We've been spending alot of time on the boat these past few weeks, mostly working but still enjoying being on the water. The Charleston Maritime Center is definitely in the middle of things. There is something coming or going all day long and we can view it all from our slip right at the entrance.

When Dylan isn't watching for birds and dolphins (cormorants have become his newest enemy), he is watching the many vessels that pass by. For several days he watched the Coast Guard checking depths. There's numerous tour boats.



At the terminal next to the marina they used to load BMW's. They now pass by and go up the Cooper River.

The cruise ships now use the terminal.

Next to us has been The Spirit of South Carolina a beautiful schooner. When they were gone for a cruise we enjoyed two other large boats, the Spirit of Massachusetts for several days and Gunilla a square-rigged training vessel from Sweden.





In addition, there's the water taxi, boats coming in for the fuel dock, sailboats, trawlers, and sportfish pulling into slips, and last weekend there was the annual Cooper River Bridge run. There were around 50,000 runners who crossed the bridge Saturday morning. Trust me they're there...

In Charleston whether on the boat or off, there's never a dull moment.