Where's Kismet?

 

JIm & The Birthday Girl

 

Lounging in the City of Ann

We pulled in Spa Creek in Annapolis a few days ago, anchored in our usual spot by Truxton Park. We visited Sally & Conrad, "It's About Time" at Annapolis Landing Marina before they headed back to Pennsylvania for a week; then time with Jon & Yvonne on Spa Creek at their new condo. Yvonne's birthday was last night, so we had a great party with delicious food & fun friends. The weather unfortunately has been pretty dreary - rain, drizzle, overcast, no wind - we have the need to run the engine for power. We will be in the area til October 16th. We will be leaving "Kismet" at Jon & Yvonne's dock for a week while we head up to NY for Doctor's appointments.

The Aquarium, Etc.......

 

Morning in the Inner Harbor, Baltimore

 

Sassafras River Anchorage

 

Sailing Around The Chesapeake

After our forced march to get to the Chesapeake, we are enjoying a more relaxed time. A fun night in Chesapeake City, tied to the free dock; then on to Georgetown, MD, one of our very favoritist spots on the Sassafras River. We picked up a mooring ball for 3 nights (buy 2 nights get one free) and then anchored for another night. We spent time with friends, Jay & Ildy, who where in Georgetown working on their boat "Gypsy". And also with new cruising friends, Dan & Kathy on "Majiks" & Jane & Ben on "Old Rosie". Then we sailed to Baltimore via Bodkin Creek. Baltimore was a bit confusing as first timers. We ultimately anchored in the Inner Harbor with the electric boats and dragon paddle boats whizzing around us. It is disappointing that Baltimore doesn't make dinghy docking convenient. They charge $20.00 for 5 hours! We, of course, searched around and found a spot in Fells Point to tie up for free, while we visited the National Aquarium. Today it was raining, so we made it a travel day - another sailing day! We had a light but good wind to sail to Rock Hall, Md. Anchored in Swan Creek - very quiet; only 2 other boats.

Debris At The Entrance to the C&D Canal

 

The "Direction Finder" is Working Perfectly

Many people are not aware that sailboats come with a specialized device on the top of the mast. We had noticed this device but were not sure exactly how reliable it is. Thank you Dick and Anne on "Grey Hound" for explaining the intricacies of the magical equipment.
The stellar performance was very handy today because it showed us the way to Chesapeake City Md.(64NM) I am going to write to the manufacturer and see if they have a debris field avoidance App. It would have been very useful to negotiate the Delaware Bay and C&D canal since the floods are still emptying trees,tires and trash to the ocean.
The Chesapeake Bay will be our next challenge because the flood gates are open on the Susquehanna River. We will arrive in Georgetown Md. tomorrow where we hope to recoup and catch up with some friends. I hope the "Direction Finder" is broken!

Clicking Off Miles (And Lots of Diesel)

We have covered alot of miles since leaving Port Washington NY on Friday. The rain from Tropical Storm Lee and the path of Hurricane Katia was no longer a concern. The first leg was to Sandy Hook, NJ. We had an easy ride through Hell Gate, the water in NY Harbor was really gross because of upstate flooding, but little debris. We decided to leave at 0400 from Sandy Hook to travel to Atlantic City (80 miles) on Saturday. It wasn't too bad leaving in the dark, and it made it possible for us to arrive in Atlantic City 13 hours later at 1700. This was a total motoring trip because when the wind finally came up, it was on our nose! Today we were hopeful about some sailing to Cape May, NJ - but no - all motoring again. At least we are now through with the Jersey coast! Tomorrow it is up the Delaware! Hopefully we will sail - the forecast is for SW winds - 5 - 10 knots - we'll see!

Times Square

 

After Our Visit to The Musuem of Natural History

 

Waiting for Weather to Pass in Port Washimgton

We had a terrific visit to NYC to visit Jamie and Liz. Loved walking around the city - appreciating the architecture, the parks, the Museum of Natural History, and great weather. Returned to Kismet on Saturday night only to realize that with the current weather - remnants of tropical storm Lee, a cold front, and Hurricane Katia, that we will be hanging around Port Washington til the end of this week. There certainly are worst places to be. We're on a mooring ball, with water taxi service, laundry, Stop & Shop, and restaurants close by. Still.....we are ready to move on to the Chesapeake.!

A Quiet Night Behind Charles Island

 

The "Debris Line" - Vermont Comes to Connecticut

 

Sailing (and motoring) Down Long Island Sound

We were soooooooooo relieved the Hurricane Irene left us unscathed. We were back on "Kismet" on Monday; got her all dressed up again. By evening, she was looking as good as ever. We said good-by to Marianne & Ray on Tuesday morning, got some fuel & water, and headed out of Narragansett Bay. We caught a positive current, motored most of the way, but sailed the last hour to anchor for the night in the Harbor of Refuge at Point Judith (very rolly!) Yesterday, we motored 72 miles to arrive in Milford, CT to anchor behind Charles Island for the night (very comfortable anchorage)! Today we are sailing with the Code Zero at about 4 - 5 knots to Port Washington, NY. We will stay there til Sunday while we take the LIRR to NYC to visit Jamie & Liz. It was amazing to see all the debris in the sound from the Hurricane - especially near the mouth (about a 8 mile stretch) of the Connecticut River.