Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

We know it's been a few weeks since the last update but it has been busy with a lot of different things going on and also since New Brunswick there has been very little new news......We are heading south to get warm.  That is the most important thing I can think of right now.

We did do a road trek north for Thanksgiving.  Hanging out in Honeoye Falls was a lot of fun and did I mention the food??!!  Plenty was had and including baked turkey, deep fried turkey and even deep fried bacon!  The other dishes were just as delicious also.  T&E got a few days to hang out and we even had some snow so they could build a snowman.

Ready to chow down

Everyone is comfy

Teagan's blanket she made

This is really trouble.....

The "gang"

Kids will be kids!

After our 2,500 mile drive we took a reasonable weather window and headed towards St Augustine.  It is very sad to see the remnants of Hurricane Mathew.  Many boats sunk, marinas and docks destroyed and lots of blue tarps on roofs.  The damage is nothing compared to places like Haiti but it is still a burden for everyone, no matter where you live.

Fernandina Beach war

The anchorage

Debris in the water

And on land!

So after seeing Bo & Trish at 1st Mate Marine (our engine installer friends) we continued down the ICW to Melbourne.  I then took a run over to Largo to see my parents and Anne got a chance to hang with her sister Jean for a couple of days.  The week flew by and now we are continuing our southern  trek.

A picture of a huge flock of white pelicans!

We hope everyone does take a moment this weekend to relax and take a deep breath.  Enjoy the days this holiday gives you and think kind words for the rest of mankind.  2017 should prove to be a very interesting year.

 Anne & I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a great New Year!!

Being cold with a cold!!!

Sometimes I have to feel sorry for Anne with her having to put up with me when I have a cold.  I admit, I am absolutely horrible when I don't feel good!  So here it is.......it is freezing outside and mostly inside Nati, the candles are burning, the sterno pots are running and now the day we head out of Annapolis I'm sick with a cold.  So down the Bay we go, me grumbling, sneezing and coughing.....ah, the joys of "living the dream".

So now we have departed good 'ole Naptown for new digs.  But first we did stay long enough to see Eastport get their butt kicked in the annual tug-of-war contest.  One would expect the "Martine Republic" to be running at full power with their morning Bloody Mary's and Mimosas keeping them warm......but no.......they sometimes had a hard time filling the slots of participants.  It still was fun though.

on your mark.....

pull you guys!

Good music for all....

This team didn't fare too well.

We also had a birds-eye view of the "lets follow the leader in Halloween costumes up and down Spa Creek one afternoon.  We don't have a clue as to why (we asked and they didn't know) but it made for quite a site.......even family "people-pets"!!

Yes, that is an English Bulldog

Room at the mark!

So it was out on Wednesday morning, November 9th, E-man's birthday and we pulled up the anchor and headed south.  The trip south was uneventful but very fast and tiring.  We pulled into Brunswick, Ga. on Friday (the 18th) and managed to make southing of 666nm on the way.  We stayed (plugged in to heat) at Coinjock for a night when we had frost and 28 degrees on board and two nights in Oriental to see Pat at the Provision Company and get our new seat for Dingh-go.  Otherwise it was up before sunrise and at times sailing past sunset.  We had "Supermoon" while motoring down the Alligator-Pungo canal.  It sure helped keeping between the lines while coming out of the canal to anchor!

Yep, another nuke sub finds us

Hospital Point usually dozens of boats are anchored here

A happy camper by the look of it!

That be frost on Nati

More frost.....slippery too!

Where is our defroster when we need it?

This is not sand...real frost / ice on deck!

"our" Supermoon rising

Helping us motor south

Almost to the end of the canal

After Oriental we motored down Adams Creek and jumped offshore at Beaufort, NC for a run all the way to Brunswick, GA.  The 3 day offshore trip was a lot about staying warm and not being dejected by the lack of wind.  We knew a strong low front was coming on Saturday so we had to burn diesel to make it down but that's life.....  It still felt good to be finally in the ocean again.  Dolphins, turtles and birds again......NICE!!  Now we are where we are supposed to be and have the heater running.  Almost to Florida.....

Say what??? !!!! Hello November??

Neither of us can believe November 1st is around the corner and we are still in Annapolis.  It sure is funny how life treats us.  Our plan wasn't even to stay for the boat show and now we are pretty lonely (the onlyboat) moored in Spa Creek.  Go figure......

It's even more empty now.

On the plus side we have seen Amy and Evan a lot.  School is going good for him but I still think recess is his favorite pastime.

Is this "George of the jungle"?

Face painting rates up there too....

No....just Batman!

Since our auto-pilot died going down the Jersey coast we have been waiting for it to be sent to Amy's home.  Well it showed up 2 days ago and it's installed.  We figured we would haul out here while we were waiting for it and now Nati has new bottom paint, batteries and is spit & polished.  But wait.....why is there water seeping into Dingh-go?!?!  Oh that leak.......we now the dink is over to Annapolis Inflatable getting repaired.

Old battery install

4 new Fire Fly replacing 6 Lifeline batteries

Initial installation

While hanging out for parts we ended up staying long enough for Amy's B-day party.  The only pictures were of the GKs (grandkids) playing in Nati.  We had a sleep-over that night.... well some of us slept anyways.

So....soon we'll be off and running....we hope!

We are back in Naptown!

Finally we made it out of Port Washington.  We were waiting to get a good weather window, catch the tide going through the East River and New York City and then down the Jersey coast.  It kind of worked OK and after approximately 24 hours we were anchored in Lewes, DE in the anchor of refuge area.

The arrival timing worked out good for us to enjoy a cold brew with Wally, Lynn & Janet.  They were heading to Rehoboth for a regatta so when they came off the ferry, it was time to relax for an hour.

In the East River....a real prison ship!  Only in America!!!

Heading west to the Brooklyn bridge

Sunset in Lewes, De

From there it ended up being a no wind motor boat ride up the Delaware Bay and we timed it perfectly so the current in the C&D canal took us all the way to Chesapeake City for a few days of rest.  We even got a good surprise with Amy & Company showing up for a night.  From there we made it down to Georgetown and the Sassafras River.  We enjoyed our time there and when the wind switch (even slightly) we ran the engines once again and pulled into Annapolis.

We have crosse the bridge by car many times on the C&D Canal

Some big ships go by very close

But we still have great sunsets!!

More big guys.......

It looks like we are going to haul-out  right here in Back Creek so that will be something new.    Hopefully all the storms will stay out to sea and we can start making miles in another week or so.

Ego Alley

Oh, by the way.......I think we have some really great athletes coming into the family...........what do you think??!!

Me "Jane"

Me "Tarzan"

Good bye Long Island Sound.......time to turn the bow south!

Sorry for being boring but..........

The summer has eventually brought us full circle in regards to our summer in the Sound.  We have been hanging out in Port Washington for a number of days, even having the joy of holding on while Hurricane Hermine gave us a brush-by.  The services in in the harbor are good and the Stop & Shop is very close by (we can see it from our mooring!)

Doctor appointments are done, rental cars are back at Hertz and we are now free to head down the coast.  Next stop should be Cape May......wish us luck......

More of Newport and now it's time to head west..........

August has been a fun and fast moving month.  We put 1200 miles on the rental car and went all the way to Canada from East Greenwich, RI and then turned around and started sailing west.  The weather has been great and the water is warm enough to swim albeit not very clear up here in the Sound.

After a couple of more days in Newport we moved up to East Greenwich to moor Nati while we headed north to Binnacle Island,Ontario Canada.  Ray & Marianne operate a mooring field in this very protected cove and Nati was snug as a bug during the time we were away.  Since nobody was around when we departed, our stand up board, "Bridget" was used to ferry me to and from Nati.  It has turn out to be very useful.

So off to Binnacle Island.......land of pirates , food and other exciting things!  A good time was had by all and if you didn't have fun........well you just weren't trying!!!

First .......Pirates!  What do pirates do?   Go on treasure hunts of course!!

Pirates & Moms

They have "booty"

Plenty of "booty" was discovered by Teagan & Evan.  Everyone knows it's in their blood......

Plenty of swimming took place this year as the weather was hot and sunny.  I do believe the grandkids have gills installed behind their ears.

Atlas on the board!

sv Ambasadore is good for jumping off!

T&E along with Amy

One day the wind was blowing and the tube decided to visit the island next door.  Here is Susan to the rescue......

tube runaway....

Susan with a new outfit!

We had fires almost every night and we missed "The Chief" and his firewood deliveries.  Also I had to make fires most nights!

Sparklers for the kids

Saturday came way too fast and it was time to head back to "reality".  The new "Shark-tooth Wedgie" is a great boat.  One load back to Toaster Heaven and we had everyones gear to the cars.  Thanks to Bob, Steph & Teagan for inviting us once again.  It was tons of fun!!

Shark-tooth loaded up

Our only rainy day....at departure!

The happy cousins

So.......back to New England and back to Nati.  The "kids", as in orchids survived their stay in the head and it even rained enough to keep the basil & parsley alive.  All was well and the autopilot head/computer that we picked up on ebay worked when installed!  Then back to Newport for a couple of more days.

The motley crew

A movie and moonrise

"Brave Tern"

Tony & Judy, sv Lime'n were going to an outdoor movie night at one of the mansions and we tagged along.  With them was also Tony's brother Tim, direct from England.  We all had a good time having apps, drinking wine and watching a movie.  Oh yea........check out the full moon.  Not a bad setting!!  We've included another picture of the giant ship, Brave Tern.  We got closer for this one and we found out it is the ship putting the wind generators out by Block Island.  A real monster!

Time to move again!......first to Stonington, the sail was deep with not much wind.  But........we filled our water tank since we had one motor on.  The next day's forecast was 10-15 with gusts to 20kts from the NNW.  The run to the CT River was instead, upwind in 20-27kts with gusts to 33!  Nati did many runs with speeds to 10.5kts and she is now covered with salt.  This is what you look like after a salt water shower!!!!

We had to open the starboard u-zip to see!