Christmas in Vero

Vero Beach, Florida is known in cruising circles as "velcro beach" with good reason. White Pepper has been on a mooring ball at the Vero Beach Marina for 12 days now and we will leave reluctantly tomorrow. Life is easy here. The buses are free and make shopping convient. A lovely beach and park is within walking distance. The anchorage is well protected. The laundry works well. There is much bonhomie among the cruisers.

We had been telling ourselves that everything would be warm and well if we could just get to Vero. We have had some mild days but most of the nights have been very cold. In fact last night (12-29-10 3 am) set a low record for this day at 28 degrees F. Thankfully, a warming trend is forecast for the next month. White Pepper does not have a heater. We spend lots of time in bed sometimes 11 or 12 hours every night. Body heat, snuggling, and warm PJs keep us comfortable. I do feel sorry for the singlehanders here this week. I have discovered that the key to comfort is making the perfect "snow hole." By wrapping the covers carefully around the face it is possible to just leave the nose exposed--a snow hole.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were warm and mild. We received a large mail drop with many cards and gifts from the family. Thanks to everyone. The cruisers organized a pot luck for the afternoon. There was more food than all 60 of us could eat. Then we had a long walk to the beach to walk it off.

A curiosity at Vero Beach is that boats are expected to raft up on the mooring balls. We are rafted up with Scrimshaw a Legend 45 owned by Basil Carter and wife Daniela Tartau. We have become good cruising buddies. Both boats are headed south tomorrow (12-30-10) towards Fort Lauderdale. A weather window is shaping up for next week. Hopefully, we will be able to cross over to Port Lucaya, Bahamas then.

The Sadness of Titusville, FL

White Pepper pulled into Titusville Municipal Marina. We were fleeing the cold. At St. Augustine we had waited out a 6 day cold snap and another frigid Artic air mass was due in on Sunday 12-12-10. It delivered near all time record cold for this area with night time temperatures dropping into the 20s.

Walking about Titusville shivering I had two impressions. One was of homeless people, several claiming to be veterans. A local told us that a colony of homeless lived close by to the marina under a bridge by the railroad tracks. Several organizations including a veterans group "looked after them."

To be sure the City of Titusville is trying hard. Every sidewalk and curb of the small downtown area is being redone. Keibler Kobbler is serving up great gourmet lunches. There is a wonderful bakery shop downtown. Discount Propane is selling the cheapest propane that I have ever bought. Considering that the propane store is within walking distance of the marina makes this stop worthwhile by itself.

Another theme was the sad decay of the US space program. From anywhere on the waterfront Cape Canaveral is visible. The 55 story assembly building and a nearby launch gantry dominate the eastern skyline 5 miles across the Indian River on Merit Island. However, the last manned launch has left the pad and none are scheduled in the future. Nearby the marina is a "space park." There are three long walkways dedicated to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs. Walking along these deserted byways there are memorials to the people who have died helping man into space. Of course there is a touching memorial to Christi MacCauliff, but there is a longer list of workers who died in constructing and maintaining the spaceport. Indeed many more have died on the ground than ever died in space. There are benches facing the launch site but no more launches will come. It is just so ineffably sad to someone of my age to think that the past 40 years of space exploration has come to this--just a few marble memorials.

Included in the pictures above are three memorials to the astronauts of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo as well as a distant view of Cape Canaveral. Instead of a homeless man I added a picture of a stork hunting in the pond in the city park.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine, FL is the oldest continuously inhabited, European based, city in the United States. Sr. de Aviles showed up 455 years ago in 1565 with a small colony that survived. After attacks by English pirates Drake in 1586 and Searles 1668, the Spanish constructed a fort--San Marcos. This fort was an amazingly successful weapon of war. It fought 40 battles in 200 years and never lost. It is why St. Augustine thrived. The town traded sides several times by treaty but never by conquest. The uniforms worn by the canon crew pictured above are of the East Florida Rangers. These were a milita organized by the British to "Americanize" the Revolutionary War in the American south with loyalists.

St. Augustine had good run in the early 20th century when it was the vacation spot of choice for the rich and famous (before Miami got going). Currently it does well by catering to the less affluent with trendy restaurants and upscale art shops. There are several museums dedicated to the eccentricities of the previous generations. Of note, one of Flagler scions, Lewis, has successfully started a first class liberal arts college, Flager College, in downtown St. Augustine. It occupies his father's old hotel, the Ponce de Leon, in grand fashion.

Cruisers will be interested to hear about the extensive new mooring field that the city has installed in the harbour. The mooring balls eliminate the old anxiety of strong reversing currents and poor holding. For $20/day with a shower, what a bargain! This should increase the traffic here. The inlet is a worry for going offshore. Although doable White Pepper chose to avoid it and continue down the ICW.

One of the pics above show White Pepper on the mooring ball in front of the Bridge of Lions. Highway A1A (of Jimmy Buffet fame) goes over the bridge. Let me point out that the trip south on the ICW is many things but it is no longer burdened by bridges. The numerous swing bridges and basqule bridges are rapidly being replaced by standard 65 foot clearance high rise bridges which is a shame. The bridge tenders are invariably prompt and courteous, even occasionally helpful. I worry what will happen to them. I am afraid that they will have to sit in the same room as elevator operators, gas station attendants, and GM auto workers.

From St. Augustine White Pepper headed south to anchor at Ft. Mantanzas on the Mantanzas River. Mantanzas means massacre in Spanish and refers to the mass murder of French Huguenots at this spot. It is just another example of a religiously inspired war crime. I am amazed that the Spanish would memorialize it in geography. We could not enter the anchorage due low tide and had to spend an anxious night anchored in a wide spot of the ICW. Jan and I slept fitfully in our clothes that night. Up early we made 60 statue miles to New Symerna anchoring in Sheephead Cut. Then on 12-11-10 we made a short 38 mile trip to Titusville. Here we allowed ourselves the luxury of a marina slip as a fiercely cold norther was due in on the 12th.

Savannah

Savannah, GA has been a goal of White Pepper's during this entire trip south. Visiting Savannah by boat, however, is not easy. The Savannah River is narrow and treacherous. The waterfront is industrial and there are no downtown marinas or anchorages. Most boaters find a nearby marina and arrange ground transportation into the city. We were so fortunate that our cruising buddies, Rick and Suz Bear, ex of Allergic to Cities were staying on nearby Skidaway Island with Suz' father, Bob. I mentioned Delegal Marina in the previous post. It is on Skidaway Island and was well worth the challenge to get there. Skidaway Is. is interesting in its own way. It is a Hilton Head variant, but now has a demographic problem. It was pioneered as an upscale retirement community 20 years ago. Now the 65 year olds have become 85. They are no longer able to play golf on the 6 beautiful courses or support the club. With the real estate crisis these seniors or their families can not sell the dream house either. I am certain renewal with come eventually but not without pain. It is a beautiful place. And I wonder how Hilton Head is doing?

We drove into Savannah and during the drive passed of the actual Moon River. My interest in Savannah was entirely driven by the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" which has to be the all time best selling travel book. For those readers who have not read it, the book describes a murder and trial of eccentric people in very odd surroundings--downtown Savannah. The waterfront of Savannah has been highly gentrified and is now a proper tourist destination with bars, art galleries and candy shops. This is a distinct upgrade from the book. Residential Savannah is grouped around 22 squares of various sizes. These were all laid out by the founder Gen. Oglethorpe. There are many old churches here including one of the oldest synagogues in America. Of interest to Jan and I, John and William Wesley, the founders of Methodism, served here. Their service was not happy, but that is another long story. On one of these squares is the Mercer-Williams house. The Mercer part of the name relates to Johnnie Mercer, who wrote 'Moon River.' Williams was the man accused of murder in book and movie. Most of the action took place here. The pic above is of Jan and I in front of the house and then there is a pic of Jan with Johnie Mercer himself on Ellis Square. Another beautiful part of the city is Forsythe Square. One of the pics is of us with Rick and Suz in front of the Confederate Memorial.

The day we were visiting was quite cold and most of the tourists were off the streets. This phenomenon left the locals more visible. I noticed an unusual number of rail thin brunette young women, many in spike heels and wearing sunglasses in the wan winter sunlight. When I finally mentioned this to our hosts, we were told that these ladies were likely students of the well regarded Savannah College of Art and Design--SCAD. This school apparently holds great influence in downtown Savannah and directs much of the restoration. Another group of citizens well represented were African-American men. They were perfectly well mannered and most were selling bluish-green roses made of palm fronds. They did seem to be idlers in an idyllic city.

It was an excellent visit and if we ever get a chance to return I would like to spend much more time in Savannah.

Escape from the Low Country

The ICW through South Carolina and Georgia is unlike the ICW in Texas, Florida or even North Carolina. This is the geography locals call the low country. Here the ICW is not a straight canal but rather a system of interlocking rivers, sloughs, sounds and oxbows connected by man made channels called cuts. These cuts have charming names such as Hells Gate, etc. All this makes for long winding routes through mostly remote marshlands. It is beautiful, but tiring. Exposed to the sea there are strong tidal currents and extreme tides. In Georgia the Corp of Engineers has abandoned dredging perhaps with good reason. With eight foot tides any boat can make it through at high tide. But do the math. In the winter season there are only 10 hours of useful daylight. On average, of course, only half of that time is above mid tide and half of that half is either ebb or flood. All of these calculations are worrisome but pointless as you just have to move along.

There are some remarkable spots along the way, however. White Pepper left Charleston at slack water about midday to get past a tricky bridge. We could only make 30 statue miles by evening and pulled off to the side in a little creek, Tom Point. We wound our way back into the marsh through a narrow creek about 100 feet wide and 20 feet deep for a mile. When the anchor rattled down it was easy to hear banjos playing. This last comment is courtesy of our friend, Rick Bear, who also visited here. The next day we crossed the tricky Savannah River at high tide and slack water. We passed by St Bonaventure Cemetery which had such an important place in the novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The iconic image of the novel is the statue of 'The Bird Girl' which spent 50 years unnoticed in the cemetery until it was pictured on the cover of the novel. Readers will be happy to know that the statue has been moved to a safe museum in downtown Savannah. Also of interest the world's first ecotourist, John Muir, camped out in this graveyard for 6 nights in 1868 waiting for funds. That night we were safe and secure night anchored in another deep narrow creek, the Herb River. This was a civilized and habitated area south of Thunderball, GA.

The Delegal Marina, in Delegal Creek on Skidaway Island, GA is in a remarkable position. Directly exposed to the Atlantic Ocean on Wasassu Sound it should be as crowded as Fort Lauderdale,etc. But with only 2 or 3 feet clearance at low tide at the entrance, an eight foot tidal range and 3 knot currents it is a formidable challenge. The marina is understandably deserted. We were visiting Rick and Suz Bear, our cruising friends. Our visit is the subject of another post--Savannah.

After leaving Delegal Creek Jan and I just could not take Georgia anymore. We did not want to hazard Wasassu Sound, but 20 statue miles further down the ICW on the Bear River is St. Catherine's Sound. I do NOT recommend this inlet, but we had perfect conditions to leave--following breeze, slack water and zero sea state. Despite all of these conditions the White Pepper found 7.5 feet of depth 5 miles offshore just outside the entrance buoys red #1 and green #2. Very scary. I would not want to be there in severe weather.

We motor sailed south towards Florida. A head wind slowed progress, but finally about midnight the wind backed to the west as predicted. The seas flattened somewhat and we just flew along. The ride was bumpy and our crew got little sleep. We entered the St. Johns River at dawn. This is an excellent inlet--wide and well marked. Miraculously we arrived at the intersection of the ICW and St. Johns River at slack water and had an easy time with the turn. This spot is said to be one of the trickiest on the track south. The currents can run as high as four knots which is about all the old girl can handle at this stage.

After an uneventful day motoring south White Pepper arrived in the harbor of St. Augustine, FL. The city has just recently installed a large mooring field. This is a mercy as the anchorage is notorious for being tricky with contrary wind and reversing currents. Secure; we fell asleep about 8 and slept round the clock.

Thanksgiving in Charleston

Jan and I can not say enough about Charleston. It is our favorite stop along the ICW and gets my vote as the best tourist city in the USA. See my post of July 2008 for more commentary and pictures.

Since this was my second visit I was not as dazzled by the history or architecture. On this visit I concentrated on the people of Charleston. We treated ourselves to a fine dinner of low country food at Hank's Restaurant, an establishment that I think rivals anything New Orleans has to offer. Besides great food the waiter offered us one juicy tidbit of local dialect. We asked him if he was from Charleston. He said no that he was 'cum year' (translation--come here), but with any luck his grandchildren would become 'bin years' (translation--been here).

As a guy I usually notice the local ladies, but in Charleston I am fascinated by the men. They are almost all small, well formed and have a cocky attitude disproportionate to their size. They have a southern drawl but their enunciation is precise. They are perfect replicas of the small English gentlemen who came here 300 years ago to carve out a place in the swampy wilderness. Then 150 years ago these same small men launched a quixotic rebellion against the industrial revolution. Indeed the Civil War was launched from the very battery that Jan and I strolled along yesterday, now very peaceful. The effect is so striking that the 'cum years' like Jan and I are as noticeable as we were in Greece.

During this visit to Charleston we were blessed to rendezvous with Jan's Aunt Fran and cousin Tammie from Montgomery, Alabama. They were visiting Jan's cousin Kelly, who so graciously invited us to share Thanksgiving. They picked us up and opened their home for a lovely Thanksgiving feast. The pic is of Fran, Tammie and Chris, Kelly's husband, our gracious host.

A Little Inside, A Little Outside

From Morehead City the ICW leads almost straight west. As White Pepper motored along I as struck by how many large houses lined the waterway and then lined the beach to the south. Mile after mile passed by in an endless array of large homes actually crowded close together along this relatively remote stretch of waterway. There must be a great deal of money in North Carolina to support so many second homes.

Eventually we got to Camp LeJeaune, the Marine base. There were no homes along the 20 mile stretch. We did get to see some of our marines practicing landings along the waterway. Actually, I think that they were just enjoying a lovely day messing around in boats. We asked permission to take their pictures and they were pleased to pose for us. At the southern end of Camp LeJeune is an anchorage well known up and down the East Coast. It is a large dredged and well marked basin maintained by the Marines but available to the public. As it is the only protected spot for 20 miles north or south it is justifiably popular. The pictures of the trawler was taken at this anchorage.

The next day we travelled through southeastern NC. The land changed from pine trees to the lush grass lands of the low country. Homes were a bit more spares and spare. At nightfall we came to Wrightsville Beach. I was amazed at how busy and crowded this town was in the middle of nowhere. While there were few sailboats, there must have been a thousand power boats of all sizes and shapes here. They fish the wetlands and use the shallow inlets that line the Carolina coast. We anchored in the large well known anchorage off of Mott's Channel.

Our third day in the ICW as especially affected by tidal currents. We were headed for Carolina Beach. In this stretch of the ICW there are numerous shallow inlets that are not suitable for sailboat navigation, but they cause fierce currents to flow. As you approach the inlet there is a strong ebb or flood, but as the boat passes the inlet there is a swirl and then a contrary flood or ebb. It averages out but is disconcerting. As we passed Carolina Beach and traversed Snow's Cut the White Pepper could barely make 3 knots against the 3 knot current. We were rewarded as we turned into the Cape Fear River as it was in full ebb. We roared down the river at 9 knots basking in a delightful summer like day. It was hard to believe that this was late November.

The tide spit White Pepper out into the North Atlantic about 2:30 pm. This was her first taste of salt water in over two years. She seemed to revel in the sea. We squared away to the SW in light breezes headed for Charleston SC. The overnight sail was exquisite. The water was calm, the moon bright and the breeze gentle. We entered the Charleston jetty by 11 am and were tied up at the Charleston City Marina by 2:30 pm. The trip was a wonderful reintroduction to the ocean and it saved three days of motoring along the ICW.

Peltier Creek, North Carolina

When a very old, faithful piece of equipment breaks down, there is a sense of betrayal. Of course the equipment might feel betrayed and complain of lack of adequate maintenance, etc. White Pepper's transmission probably was dying over the past few months, getting more difficult to engage and making unusual noises such as a high pitched whine. Finally, it just gave out completely at Oriental, NC. I never was able to get a diagnosis except "got very hot."

Another queasy feeling came after the mechanic announced that the transmission was so old that it was not made anymore and replacement parts were not available except by special order from Japan. It could only be rebuilt and only if spare parts were available from some other old transmission. When you hear something like that it makes you wonder what else is going to give way next, maybe the captain?

Thankfully it all worked out well thanks to the good folks at Sailcraft Marina in Oriental and at Mac Boring Yanmar in Wilmington, NC. While waiting for the work to be completed Jan and I added a coat of bottom paint, compounded and waxed the hull, redid the vanish on the exterior teak, and every possible boat chore we could think of. Sailcraft redid the cutlass bearing.

White Pepper left Oriental after many rounds of thank yous and hand shakes. The transmission performed to perfection as we had to motor 28 miles down the ICW. Jan wanted to skip Morehead City and press on at the current was fair and we had had enough of restaurants and shopping. Five miles further south there is a lovely very narrow and shallow creek, Peltier Creek. We bumped getting in. Bumping was inevitable as today was the first day with new paint on the bottom. Once inside we were rewarded with a 360 degree protection and perfectly flat water. I dropped the anchor in 6 feet of water. Luckily the high tide is for 8 am tomorrow. Peltier Creek is not a typical stop on the milk run south but it worked for us. By the way we are staying inside this week. The weather is perfect but the wind is predicted to be SW (on the nose) all week, so going offshore seems pointless.

The Outer Banks

White Pepper is idled with transmission problems. While waiting out the weeks for the transmission to be rebuilt Jan and I decided to make lemonade out of lemons and tour NE North Carolina by rental car. First we were are to drive back to Virginia and visit the children, Layla and Kristi, in northern Virginia. They call it NOVA. We had a wonderful visit, and I got to meet my first grand puppy, Jawa, a sweet Newfoundland mix pup.

After the visit we headed back south. We crossed Hampton Roads on the new tunnel-bridge and saw with mixed emotions the great row of cranes that line the Norfolk Reach. We had only sailed past them last month and did not expect to see them again for many months. We flew over the ICW on I-64W looking down at the small creek off of the South Fork of the Elizabeth River that marks the beginning of the Dismal Swamp route. Of interest this bridge opens rarely for very large ship traffic. About 30 minutes after we crossed over the bridge opened and then was stuck open for 4 hours. Traffic was snarled all over Norfolk all afternoon and night.

We passed Coinjack, the town that marks where the Chesapeake and Albemarle canal enter Pamlico sound. Then our trusty rental car took us over Currituck Sound onto the barrier islands of the Outer Banks. The first town is Kitty Hawk. Kitty Hawk is congested and reminds me of the nicer and newer parts of Galveston. Kitty Hawk does and always will have the Wright brothers. The First in Flight National Park is now in a new town, Kill Devil Hills, just south of Kitty Hawk. It is well worth a visit. I was amazed at how short the first flight was--159 feet. It lasted 14 seconds. I walked the actually distance in 22 seconds. That was in 1903. It is sobering to consider that only 15 years latter sophisticated planes were warring over the battlefields of WWI.

We spent the night at a quaint inn in Manteo, NC on Roanoke Island. Alert readers will remember that Roanoke Island was the site of the first English colony in the new world. Virgina Dare was the first English child born in the new world about 1587. When the supply boat returned about 1590 the colony and Virgina had vanished without a trace. Its fate is a mystery to this day. The next English try was at Jamestown, VA. They did a little better, if only barely. Manteo has a well developed waterfront as well as a high density, upscale shopping district. It looks like Rodeo Drive in miniature. Maneo and the Roanoke Sound is an eastern alternative to the Alligator and Pungo River route. We may try it on the way north next year.

The national seashore starts just south of Maneo and stretches 40 quite thin miles to Hatteras. It is a spectacular drive. Although reminiscent of Mustang Island and South Padre Islands, it is narrowed. Pamlico Sound on the west is quite large, much more so than the Laguna Madre. The day we drove it was cold overcast and blustery which was great since the Atlantic on our east put on quite a show of great breaking waves. At one point in the town of Rodanthe the waves were washing over the road.
We watched in amazement as hugh breakers rolled across the Oregon Inlet. I may try to sail through the inlet someday but never on a day like that. We only drove as far as Hatteras which looks like a tattered version of Port Aransas. To be fair it is quite isolated and took a severe beating from Hurricane Isabelle several years ago. There are more barrier islands to the south. Some can only be visited by boat. Eventually the island chain rejoins the mainland at Cape Lookout near Morehead City, NC.

But the reason people make this trip is the lighthouses. We stopped at the Bodie Island Lighthouse which is undergoing extensive reconstruction. The high light of the day, however, was the Hatteras Lighthouse. It is a majestic structure as well as a true American icon. Unbelievably it was recently moved 1200 feet back from the beach where erosion threatened to topple it. Also the actual Cape Hatteras has migrated several miles to the south. Proper navigation nowadays uses the Diamond Shoal light tower many miles off shore. The lighthouse was closed for the season so we could not climb it. Pictures would have to do.

We decided to skip the ferry ride across Pamlico sound since it was getting late and dark with the season. The state of North Carolina maintains a vigorous ferry service to various ports in the Pamlico South and across Hatteras Inlet. The drive back to the boat took up across the Alligator River Bridge and through the desolation of the Alligator Game Preserve. This was the scene of much worry sail south a month previously. We reminisced about celebrating my birthday in the Alligator River Marina only 3 weeks previously. Hopefully, I will never see that place again.

The Weather in North Carolina

This is Cruise to the Bahamas 2.0. White Pepper is determined to learn from past experience and correct the mistakes of the first voyage. One thing that bamboozled us on the first trip was the weather. It is hard to emphasize how important the weather is to the comfort and safety of the small cruiser, esp. one that makes as few concessions to comfort as a C&C 41. Lack of accurate weather information or fear of adverse weather kept us hunkered down for too many days in 2008.

What is little appreciated by the sailing community (and by me until recently) is that there has been a revolution in weather forecasting. It is called gridded binary data or GRIB. Four times a day super computers in the USA and Europe crank out modeled forecasts processed from mountains of data gathered from around the world. This world wide aspect eliminates any boundary value problems that so bother the differential equations of fluid dynamics. The forecast is remarkably accurate for 24 hours. Seventy two hours is good, but the 5 and 7 day forecast is as awful as it ever was. You can witness this modern miracle for yourself on Sailflow.com, and you can be blown away with the graphics on mySailflow all for free. NOAA is part of the game as well. Now NOAA.gov will tailor a micro forecast for an area smaller than a zip code. And it is remarkably accurate in the near term. Raw GRIB data is freely available in the public domain. A GRIB reader program is required to display the data on the computer screen.

I purchased Chris Parker's recent book about weather and the important part was how to use the GRIB data. He states that GRIB is as revolutionary to weather forecasting as GPS was navigation! If you are interested you can find Chris' new book at Landfall.com but not Amazon.com.

The great problem of the annual migration south to the Bahamas is the weather. Start too soon and you have to dodge hurricanes. Start too late and cold fronts become unbearable. The traditional start of the migration is after the Annapolis boat show which was our signal to take off.

On this trip we have regular access to the internet via a Verizon wireless "hot spot" and complete access to weather. We got nailed in the Dismal Swamp with torrential rains but knew that the wind would not be a problem until later. We tied up at Elizabeth City and watched for two days as the wind whistled over head. The two days were not wasted as I did chores on the boat. Jan attended the wonderful Sat am farmers market in Elizabeth City. The picture is a still life of fall colors from that market. Five miles down the Pasquatank River from Elizabeth City is Albemarle Sound. This is a shallow body of water about 10 n. miles wide, notorious for a wicked chop. It is not to crossed except in settled weather. This came on the 17th, my birthday. After the Albemarle comes the Alligator River, which is short but windy as it funnels wind north or south. The river must be viciously cold in norther. We just motored down it in gentle warm breezes. After a quiet night in Belhaven NC there was more of the same for the next day on the Pungo and Pamlico Rivers.

Currently there we are anchored just off Oriental, NC. The anchorage is marginal, but I am not worried as the forecast is for a quiet night. There is a weak front off to the north that will work through tomorrow. It should be quiet for the motor to Morehead City. Friday or Saturday will bring light northerly flow perfect for the trip offshore to Wrightsville Beach or points south. I could go on, but I hope the gentle reader gets the picture of using the internet and e-mail to sail in comfort and safety.

A Good Beginning

Monday October 11, 2010 after the Annapolis Boat Show, we cast off to begin our second trip to the Bahamas. The feeling was not nearly the same as the that day in December 2007 when we cast off from the condo on Padre Island. This time it had more of the feel of a nice day sail. In fact it was hard to imagine that we could embark on a planned voyage of 10 months by just saying a few good byes and casting off the usual lines. The only thing different about the morning was a trip to the garage to drop off the car for winter storage. We walked back.

On the 2007 departure there was much unknown, and as it turned out, a bit of danger in the Gulf of Mexico. This time we will be travelling over known territory and trying to appreciate the finer points of cruising since, hopefully. most for the rough edges have been sanded down with experience.

Day one was a good example. We can usually make the York River in a day. Sarah's Creek on the York River is the preferred anchorage. But we had tried to sail too long in the light air rather than motor and were late. The day was magnificent, still part of the weather window that made the boat show so enjoyable. However, the sun was going down so we stopped at a lesser known spot--Perrin's Creek. It is only suitable in settled weather, but we had it in spades that night. The evening was clear and calm with a lovely new moon setting over the historic Yorktown battlefield. I roasted lamb on the grill, and Jan sauteed some vegetables with sun dried tomatoes. I doubt if there were anymore self satisfied cruisers on the Chesapeake than the crew of the White Pepper that night.

On Tuesday we made a long motor sail in light air to the famous 'hospital anchorage' in Portsmith VA. I always thrill to the trip down Norfolk Reach with the overwhelming display of naval might that goes on for miles. The anchorage faces the Portsmith Naval Hospital and is at mile marker 0 of the ICW. Key West is mile marker 1000. In 2008 we stayed at the Tidewater Marina which is about 100 yards further south. We had a wonderful stay in Norfolk in 2008, but this is a different trip. (See post of 8-9-08 for details of Norfolk). After some left over lamb it is off to bed early. The weather window is closing Thursday, and we want to be as far south as possible by then.

The pic is a cool pattern made by debris in the Dismal Swamp and reflections of boats rafted up at the Dismal Swamp visitors center

Annapolis Boat Show

White Pepper travelled by car to the famous US Sailboat Show at Annapolis MD on Sat Oct. 9, 2010. It was a picture perfect exquisite boat show experience. The weather was ideal--sunny, dry and cool in the am, warm in the afternoon. We parked at the Naval Academy stadium, took a shuttle bus to the dockside, and picked up will call tickets courtesty of Deltaville Boatyard (many thanks to Matt). We had a great breakfast at the Dockside Market and were some of the first patrons in the gates at 10 am.

For lunch we met old friends Joe and Jodie Frost of Solomons MD. on the upper deck of the Fleet Reserve Club. This was overlooking the show itself. As a fund raiser the club sells inch thick roast beef sandwiches and beer to the boat show crowd. We had a wonderful hour and half catching up on old times while basking in the cool noon day sun.

Jan and I were not interested in the boats on display. They were far too polished and overpriced. There was a Valiant 42 priced at $700,000. No matter how sleek it looked, on the water it could not do anything that White Pepper could not do just as well for 1/15th the price. I did allow myself to go on a C&C 115. It was nice enough, but I would not have one esp. for $225,000. However,I did lose my heart to a lean sleek day sailor--the e33. It just seemed to glide even while tied to the dock.

Jan and I were interested in the booths and displays. I stopped at the OCENS desk and purchased some weather software. We checked out hardware vendors--Edson, e-Marine, Navtec, and Wichard to name a few. Jan got a good tip from the Frigiboat vendor--use a thermometer. The Garmin people suggested some upgrades to the sounder system. I talked to the NOAA reps and got some good links to check--they have thousands. We skipped Boat US (too busy) but we stopped at the Attitudes and Latitudes booth. There was Bob Bitchin himself and Mrs. Bitchin, the publishers. He was quite gracious and Jan got a picture with him. Jan bought sun glasses and a Tilley hat. I got some nice sea boots. For more on the sea boots check my post of May 2010.

Outside of the show we bought some ultra pure lamp oil at our favorite Annapolis hardware store. Only ultra pure grade lamp oil is suitable for use inside the cabin, and it is hard to find. Then we had a couple of 'Dark and Stormies' for happy hour. The only issue was a dreadful drive back over the I-495. That is the section of road the locals call 'the bitch.'

All in all it was a near perfect day and well worth all of the planning and effort it took to get there.

White Pepper's New Look

White Pepper has been back in the water for several weeks now. It has been a slow process getting her back into cruising shape after two years on the hard at Deltaville Boatyard. She did not sit idly as a lot of effort and money has gone into maintenance and upgrades. In addition to an all new and improved muffler and exhaust system, she has an all new aluminum and larger fuel tank. On the deck there are all new hatches and the side windows were replaced with six opening ports from New Found Metals. What a delight to lay in a warm dry bunk listening to the rain patter down on the deck without a drip or drop coming in anywhere! Also Jan and I have worked steadily at getting all of the systems back on line and functioning after years of just sitting. The compass had to be sent back for refurbishing, the life raft serviced, some old batteries replaced. The faithful dingyHabanero needed to be patched and the Yamaha motor coaxed back to life.

However, the really new thing was putting a Solar Stik on the stern. A Solar Stik is a simple idea of solar power and wind power, but presented in a slick high tech package. The mounting is a fully gimbaled aluminum pole that only weighs 80 pounds all up. The panels are small but powerful. Rather than rely on size they use the fact that they can easily be oriented perpendicular to the sun in an exposed manner.
I thought that the idea was too good to pass up. After all, our last trip to the Bahamas nearly came to grief because of battery issues. I had done lots of research and seen many pictures and reviews. Imagine my surprise when the unit showed up with serial number of 100156. I doubt that the company has sold over a million of these expensive units. And since the technicians at DBY had never seen one before, I am left with the conclusion that this is installation #156. The staff here at Deltaville Boatyard struggled with the complexities of a one off, first of its kind but finally ended with with an excellent installation. As usual for a boat the install was more expensive than the equipment.

Finally we were ready for a shakedown cruise. Jan and I went just across the Piankatank River to Gywnn Island and Milford Haven. Gywnn Island is remembered in history as the last hold out of royal Virginia's Governor Dinsmore who moved here after the sack of Norfolk. This was the start of the Revolutionary War. Eventually, Dinsmore was shelled or starved out and left for England. Gywnn Island has had a storied history of boat building and water activities since. Today it looks a bit dilapidated. Milford Haven is an exposed anchorage which was just what we wanted to test out the Air Breeze generator. The solar panels are labelled BP but are made in China. As planned the two together in full sunlight with a brisk breeze will fully carry the 24 load of the freezer and lights. If there is calm or clouds, we have to turn on the motor or generator.

This past week end son-in-law Pat Robinson came for the week end and we all sailed up to Reedsville to revisit some of the old sites of our last cruise in 2008 there. We had a delightful time and brisk sail back.

The pictures are of Mike installing the wind generator on top of the Solar Stik, a striking sunrise on Milford Haven, the "new" White Pepper lying at anchor behind Gywnn Island, and Pat helping on the foredeck

Whilton Creek and Hurricane Earl

White Pepper is back in the water after nearly 2 years on the hard at Deltaville Boatyard in Deltaville, VA. Within a day or so of arriving on the boat warnings about Hurricane Earl began in earnest. The boatyard urged us to pull the boat back out, but we couldn't stand to be away from the boat after so much anticipation. A local told us of a perfect hurricane hole about 5 miles further up the Piankitank River--Whilton's Creek. A check of the cruising guide and a look at the chart confirmed its suitability. We took off Thursday morning not even bothering to bend on sails. We motored up slowly up the creek. It is about 200 feet wide with 20 to 30 foot banks topped with 100 foot tall pine trees. No wind was going to get in here! After a mile and half the depth (at low tide) dropped from 10 feet to 6 feet so we picked a nice wide spot and dropped the 45 pound claw in thick muck.

Hurricane Earl turned out to be another Weather Channel bust staying well offshore. On Friday morning winds topped out at 20 knots with light rain. It was all clear by noon and so still that Jan and I could bend on the roller furling 135% genoa and fully battened main with less difficulty than usual. We stayed until Saturday which was Labor Day Sat. As usual the day after the hurricane was sparkling with a brisk, dry, warm wind from the west. We sailed down the Piankitank and out into the Chesapeake Bay. The Fishing Bay Yacht Club was having their Labor Day Regatta with about 30 yachts reveling in the brisk breeze but flat water. The day was so lovely we just kept sailing north until the sun started to set. By 6 pm we were off the mouth of the Great Wicomico River, and we headed in. This was the first time in my life that I have sailed where the wind took me without any plans.

Alert readers will remember the Great Wicomico from 2008. White Pepper made stops there at Reedsville going north and then Mills Creek when headed south. This time we headed further up the river and dropped anchor at a wide spot in the river called Sandy Cove. On Sunday Jan finished patching Habanero with three large patches and I tightened up one of the valves. The repairs held and our dingy is seaworthy again. It was a great feeling and quite a confidence builder to know that we can repair the dingy ourselves on board.

Labor Day was yet another sparkler. The wind had come around to the usual SE and was quite puffy. It fact, the official weather forecast was for 5 knot winds gusting to 20. I had never heard that particular wind range before. This made Deltaville a long one sided beat, but the water was flat and the day so beautiful that the sail was a delight. We were thrilled with the performance of the boat. Despite all of the cruising gear and weight added, she can still beat to weather like a champion.

By evening we were tied back up at the dock. We are waiting for the boatyard to install a Solar Stik as a last modification prior to heading out. The Solar Stik will hold two solar panels in a gimbelled arrangement and also hold a small wind generator. Hopefully, this will solve the chronic power problems that plagued us so badly the last time out.

As a final irony after dodging Hurricane Earl in the Chesapeake area we heard that TS Hermine was headed for south Texas. The eye would soon roll right over our home in Beeville.

The Parthenon

The Parthenon and the entire Acropolis are the greatest of the many amazing sights in Athens. It was finished in 454 BC after only 9 years and was the crowning glory of imperial Athens. What a sight it must have been all painted, polished, and bedecked with exquisite statuary! It was a temple to the goddess Athena, but of course it was really a temple to the (justifiable) vanity of the people of Athens. Jan and I toured the hill top of the Acropolis for several hours. However, we spent more time in the marvelous Acropolis Museum which is at the base of the Acropolis on the eastern side. At the museum we could follow how the site came to be and why it fell into the sorry state that it is in now.

We could not enter any of the three temples on the Acropolis. All are undergoing repair and restoration. You can see in the pictures the little temple of Nike Athena as it is perched on the NW corner cocooned in scaffolding. There are heavy cranes inside of Parthenon itself. The third temple in the pics is the Erechtheion, which was a composite temple. The most interesting feature of the Erechtheion are the 6 nikes which form a porch. One of the nikes was stolen by the British and is now in the British Museum. The other 5 have be moved to the Acropolis Museum for safe keeping. The picture is of 6 replicas. I included a picture of a field of rubble. I do not know if that marble is going someplace or if it will just lie there cataloged and studied. The current round of restoration will (after 100 million euros and a dozen years) restore the Parthenon from a state of destroyed to merely wrecked as it was in 1880. That was when a mortar blasted it apart during one of the many conflicts of that area and era. I understand that people have passionate feelings about archeology, but I can only hope that one day when sensibilities have changed that the Greeks will restore the Parthenon to its full splendor. I am sure that display would be one of the chief wonders of the planet.

No pictures were allowed inside of the museum. We spent most of an afternoon there. Jan was particularly moved by the display on the second floor. The entire frieze of the Parthenon was on display. Only a small portion of the display was original, some was totally missing, some had been destroyed by Christian vandals around 400 AD, but most of frieze had been looted by the British in 1910 and is on display at the British Museum. Great quantities of the Parthenon are also at the Louve in Paris. It is heart breaking to see plaster replicas of these Greek treasures when they should have the originals. Hopefully, they will be returned one day. I was especially impressed by the nikes. These female statues seem to act as angels. In the Museum are dozens of examples from several centuries. It is easy to follow the evolution of these statues from simple figures to the exquisite forms that were at the Erechtheion.

Finally during the late evening we scrambled up the eastern base of the Acropolis to see the famous theater were Western drama was started. Of interest, the poor citizens of Athens were paid to attend the theater. It was considered welfare and building civic pride at the same time. Just a few yards away was the temple of Aescylopolis. This spot is the spiritual home of Western Medicine. I was quite excited to be there, but could not get past the construction tape as extensive renovation is going on there as well.

Finally we walked along Tripod Street which winds around the northern base of the
Acropolis. The street has been in continuous use for probably 3500 years. I am sure all of the famous ancients walked it many times. Jan and I found a traditional family taverna on the Tripod Street and had one last lovely meal to finish off our adventure in Greece.

The Parthenon

The Parthenon and the entire Acropolis are the greatest of the many amazing sights in Athens. It was finished in 454 BC after only 9 years and was the crowning glory of imperial Athens. What a sight it must have been all painted, polished, and bedecked with exquisite statuary! It was a temple to the goddess Athena, but of course it was really a temple to the (justifiable) vanity of the people of Athens. Jan and I toured the hill top of the Acropolis for several hours. However, we spent more time in the marvelous Acropolis Museum which is at the base of the Acropolis on the eastern side. At the museum we could follow how the site came to be and why it fell into the sorry state that it is in now.

We could not enter any of the three temples on the Acropolis. All are undergoing repair and restoration. You can see in the pictures the little temple of Nike Athena as it is perched on the NW corner cocooned in scaffolding. There are heavy cranes inside of Parthenon itself. The third temple in the pics is the Erechtheion, which was a composite temple. The most interesting feature of the Erechtheion are the 6 nikes which form a porch. One of the nikes was stolen by the British and is now in the British Museum. The other 5 have be moved to the Acropolis Museum for safe keeping. The picture is of 6 replicas. I included a picture of a field of rubble. I do not know if that marble is going someplace or if it will just lie there cataloged and studied. The current round of restoration will (after 100 million euros and a dozen years) restore the Parthenon from a state of destroyed to merely wrecked as it was in 1880. That was when a mortar blasted it apart during one of the many conflicts of that area and era. I understand that people have passionate feelings about archeology, but I can only hope that one day when sensibilities have changed that the Greeks will restore the Parthenon to its full splendor. I am sure that display would be one of the chief wonders of the planet.

No pictures were allowed inside of the museum. We spent most of an afternoon there. Jan was particularly moved by the display on the second floor. The entire frieze of the Parthenon was on display. Only a small portion of the display was original, some was totally missing, some had been destroyed by Christian vandals around 400 AD, but most of frieze had been looted by the British in 1910 and is on display at the British Museum. Great quantities of the Parthenon are also at the Louve in Paris. It is heart breaking to see plaster replicas of these Greek treasures when they should have the originals. Hopefully, they will be returned one day. I was especially impressed by the nikes. These female statues seem to act as angels. In the Museum are dozens of examples from several centuries. It is easy to follow the evolution of these statues from simple figures to the exquisite forms that were at the Erechtheion.

Finally during the late evening we scrambled up the eastern base of the Acropolis to see the famous theater were Western drama was started. Of interest, the poor citizens of Athens were paid to attend the theater. It was considered welfare and building civic pride at the same time. Just a few yards away was the temple of Aescylopolis. This spot is the spiritual home of Western Medicine. I was quite excited to be there, but could not get past the construction tape as extensive renovation is going on there as well.

Finally we walked along Tripod Street which winds around the northern base of the
Acropolis. The street has been in continuous use for probably 3500 years. I am sure all of the famous ancients walked it many times. Jan and I found a traditional family taverna on the Tripod Street and had one last lovely meal to finish off our adventure in Greece.

The Hill of Aeropagus

After finishing touring the Agora of Ancient Athens there were still a few hours of daylight. Jan and I set out up the western slope of the Acropolis. As we trudged up the steep slope in blazing afternoon sun, I thought that this was the route that so many pious Athenians must have taken to worship in their beautiful temples on top of the Acropolis. It must have also been the route that so many slaves trudged up in misery hauling so much marble to create such wonders. Near the top of the route, off to the west, there was a small hill swarming with tourists.

We scrambled up the very polished surface of the hill and found to our amazement that this was the Hill of Aeropagus. The King James Bible in Acts chapter 17 says that when Paul came to Athens during his second mission, he preached to a skeptical audience from this very place. He did not have much success. However, he did make one convert, Dionysis, who later became the first bishop of Athens. To be fair later versions of the Bible do not reference the Hill of Aeropagus and seem to imply that Paul preached to group called the Aeropagus. The name derived from the ancient days when a council of elders met on this hill to decide matters of war, treason and murder, but later met downtown.

The view from the hill of downtown Athens as it sprawls across the valley is amazing, but a better view is back towards the east looking up. From here it is so easy to imagine the Apostle Paul preaching the new Christianity in the actual (early morning) shadow of the greatest temple of the pagan world--the Parthenon of Athena. For Jan and I this was the highlight of our trip to Athens.

Athens, day 1, the Agora

Athens is a treasure for all of the Western world since this is where it all began. One could spends months or years in Athens absorbing the history and enjoying the contemporary scene. However, for ordinary folk such as Jan and I three days was quite enough. We suffered from 'wonder fatigue.' After a while one marvel just blurs into another. The first sign of wonder fatigue is when all of the ancient clay pots start to look alike.

Our stay started with a jarring note. We booked into the Chic Hotel in the Omonia district at a ridiculous rate of 60 euros per night for a 4 star hotel. The Omonia is a gritty neighborhood roughly equivalent to Times Square in New York. Walking back too late at night we had to dodge homeless settling down to sleep in store fronts, but we were never threatened. I jokingly asked the night clerk if there were going to be any demonstrations. She said, "yes, tomorrow in Omonia Square." There was also a general strike called to protest pension reform. We had to go! There were loud loudspeakers, militant anthems, strident speeches (in Greek), and waving red flags with numerous hammer and sickle signs of the local KKE. It was all so quaint and reminded me of my hippie days in the 60's during the anti-war protests. We did not want to stick around for the rough stuff, so we hiked down Athina Street about a mile to the Agora.

The Agora was roughly downtown Athens during the Classical period and Roman occupation. Before that it was a cemetery for ancient Athenians. It carried on into the Christian era but then was abandoned for centuries. Later it became a slum of modern Athens. The quarter was razed and excavated in the 1950's with the assistance of the American Rockfeller Institute. The Agora today is about 100 acres of lovingly excavated ruins. These are undoubtedly the very grounds that Socrates walked and shopped (agora means market). Somewhere within these grounds the very foundations of our society were argued and codified.

The pictures show some typical ruins, a very beautiful clay pot perfect after 2600 years, the temple of Hephestus, and Jan hanging with Athena at the site's wonderful museum. We explored an ancient Greek Orthodox Church. Finally there is a view of the Acropolis from the Agora. This was the skyline the Athenians saw every day and it must have influenced their world view in 430 BC. That was the year they voted to make war with Sparta and started the centuries of decline.