The (2011 - 2012) Voyage of Rejoice!
Thursday April 19, 2012
Thank you so much to those of you who kept radio, email and phone contact with us as we returned to the USA. We had a successful sail/motor sail up the Long Island Sound with west and southwest winds – a miracle no eastern component in all this time-and we arrived home before noon today. The mooring lines were wire tied together so Forest had to lasso the mooring ball with a dock line temporarily. When we launched the dinghy and attached the outboard, it wouldn’t start. Of course now that we have to row out to the mooring to cut the wire tie and then row essentials only into shore, the wind goes from the 8 knots we saw all the way from Pt. Judith to 18knots. We retrieved the mooring lines, motored the boat forward and finished securing Rejoice!. Then we cleaned up the dirty dishes, grabbed what we needed just for tonight and splashed our way to the dock. Our son had lowered the floating dock for us, but with low tide Forest had to climb onto the swinging ramp, lower it also and I climbed up. The house looked great, the flowers are already blooming and Derek had cut the lawn. Our neighbor came out to greet us, our daughter-in-law had delivered dinner, flowers and a welcome home balloon and our mail has begun to arrive. It is good to be home . We are fortunate to have 2 lifestyles – cruising and land based= and enjoy both. Hope you have enjoyed the trials and pleasure of Rejoice! and crew for these six months. We hope to see several of you this summer and then some of you again in the fall as we begin a new cruising season. Please email us with your updates and adventures and keep in touch.
Have a good summer,
Susan and Forest
You can contact us at 401-683-4394 and forestgolden@verizon.net at home until September
Monday April 16, 2012
Hello friends,
We anchored in Atlantic Highlands, NJ last night at 1130 pm and went right to bed. This morning the sun is bright, we have showered and had a hearty breakfast. We will be ready to catch the favorable current through the East River in New York City this afternoon and hopefully anchor near the New York Maritime Academy this evening. We had a great motor sail/ sail north from Norfolk having left early Saturday am – not quite 2 days at sea. Still winter here, none of the moorings have been installed and we seem to be the only cruising sailboat anchored. Now that we are near shore on our travels, we should be within cell phone range most of the time. ( 401-683-8758) Since we begin our day early to make many miles, we will be bedding down early and the phone will be shut off before 9pm. No more shorts and tees for now, but we have jeans, fleece jackets and a cockpit enclosure for warmth and dryness. All is well aboard and anxious to reach home now.
Susan and Forest
Wed April 6, 2012
Hey there to all and Happy Easter and Passover,
I am a big believer in fate – things happen for a reason, usually saving me and the ones I love from larger disasters although it may not appear to be so obvious at the time. So here ‘s the story…..
We departed from the boat yard in Oriental on Wednesday at noon after paying the bill (whew!), receiving the mail from UPS, with a brand new auto pilot, strong and inspected steering system and only minor vibration left in the drive system and fresh fruit and veggies in the fridge. We motor sailed about 25 miles to the Mayo shrimp dock at the Hobucken Bridge, bought fresh fish and spent the night in company with a thousand black flies and a million mosquitoes. We had to close up the boat against the bugs, it was stuffy and of course we had a lightning and thunder storm – good to be tied up safely. We left that dock and battled north in an increasingly obnoxious 28 knot headwind for another 15 miles in Goose Creek before we had a crew “discussion” and decided to turn back. We chose an anchorage at mile #154 on Eastham Creek to either wait for the wind to change direction/intensity or to sit out the cold front coming on Friday/Saturday which would have been bumpy , but had a lot of swinging room. While I did some boatkeeping, Forest decided to check the oil and found that a minor drip of salt water that he was already aware of had become a stream. The fitting to the oil cooler had broken off inside the housing. After determining that the automatic bilge pump was not working, Forest shut the sea cock to the engine. He also determined the manual bilge pump was not properly working. We were literally in the “boonies” with no cell phone coverage and no internet. Another crew “discussion” and we made a VHF call to Towboats US. Bellhaven office contacted Towboats back in Oriental at 10am and they arrived at Rejoice! after 1pm. Forest also had Towboats call SailCraft Services boat yard to relay the problem in order to order parts and that we would arrive by tow after 5 pm. Allen, the yard owner, waited for us after hours having cleared a dock space in front of the machine shop because of this severe cold front arriving from Thursday night and lasting maybe through Saturday. Well I can tell you we both slept soundly last night secured to this dock with the heat on and plenty of hot water for showers and dishes. This morning, the mechanic and Forest have the boat pretty much dismantled, it is raining cats and dogs and I am attempting to stay dry and stay out of their way! From the grunts, groans and “OH NO” s coming from the work area, we may be here several days and lots more $$$ . They are talking about sawing holes in the boat, cutting the old pumps in half and hauling the boat now – btw our fridge/freezer don’t operate when hauled out of the water.
HOWEVER!! The boat didn’t sink, we did not have to involve the Coast Guard, we are safe in a boat yard we trust not to sugar coat nor inflate the repair and we are not speaking rudely to each other. It should also teach us to attend to the little drips (read all troubles) before they become torrents and especially when we are already at a boat yard for other matters. I don’t like to think about this engine failure happening 40 miles offshore, not realizing that amount of water entering the bilge and sinking off Block Island somewhere! So thanks to the FATES for allowing us a near disaster but in the relative ease of the ICW. We are again delayed, but we are safe and dry and calm. Hope the Easter bunny knows where to find us!
Love you all,
Susan and Forest
Wed April 4, 2012 – Update
When the steering bound up on Rejoice! Saturday night coming into an anchorage on the ICW, Forest removed pieces of the disconnected/broken linear drive auto pilot which apparently freed that problem. He also found that the AP had been mounted without backing plate and aircraft nuts and bolts which would have added extra strength and safety to the entire assembly. Not only did we miss this, but the surveyor also missed this when we bought the boat 4 years ago and who knows how long that problem had been simmering!. Now that we have been thinking about all this, the auto pilot may have been the source of the vibration under our feet when we increased the rpm’s under way and not really the prop/shaft after all. We arrived at SailCraft Services in Oriental on Monday afternoon and by 8:00 am Tuesday their electronics man had a new AP for us and it was installed and tested before quitting time. The mechanic inspected prop, shaft and motor mounts and after revving the engine up, proclaimed no problem in that area. This morning we will take Rejoice! out for a sea trial to test the new AP installation and perhaps we will be lucky enough to NOT detect and more vibrations. We have a lot faith in our home marina Pirate Cove and the work they performed for us last Aug and in SailCraft who installed the rebuilt transmission in Nov ( once we finally got it returned from Yanmar). The folks here have been good to us once again. All the laundry is fresh and stowed , the water tank is full and we have unloaded a dozen books onto the marina library shelf. We walked to West Marine and the grocery store in the late afternoon. So after our mail arrives today, the sea trial complete and the bill paid, we hope to once more head north with a fully sound boat and rested crew.
Other than M&M restaurant in the village, dining choices are few in Oriental in part due to residual hurricane damage, so last night we dined aboard on shrimp stir fry and this morning we will enjoy crepes and fresh strawberries with whipped cream (instead of birthday cake) with our coffee.
All’s well aboard the good ship Rejoice! once again and Happy Easter week and Happy Passover to you all,
Susan and Forest
Sunday April 1, 2012
Hello to You all,
We arrived in Southport, NC around noon Friday with a non-functioning auto pilot, vibrating prop and drive shaft, a seasick 1st mate, leaky head and 4 very tired people who badly needed showers after 4 days in a very bumpy ocean. When Sue Meyer and I came on watch Friday morning at 1am , the Capt had a tired and worried face on and was hand steering a bucking sail boat – not an encouraging site! So we diverted to Southport Marina instead of Beaufort. I cleaned the boat, a diver checked the prop, shaft and replaced zincs, Forest located some new circuit breakers at a marine hardware store in town and the Customs and Immigration people visited the boat. After hot showers, a hearty meal aboard and a quick trip for fresh veggies, our guests rented a car and quickly made their escape north to Maine. After Forest and I left Southport Saturday, we were dropping anchor last night at Sloop Point, north of Wrightsville Beach and the steering locked up. Forest was able to climb down into the “cave” locker in the cockpit and dismantle the broken auto pilot to free up the steering and we are now safely tied to the dock at the Sanitary Fish Company Restaurant in Morehead City, NC for the night. We are about to head into the restaurant for some fresh NC seafood and a meal I haven’t had to prepare. We are back online with our normal email after several hours on the phone to Verizon communications today and Forest repaired one of the LED lights for the cockpit. We have an appointment at SailCraft Services in Oriental on Tuesday because they are the mechanics who aligned the shaft after transmission work in Nov where we spent lots of $ and it is just not running properly again. If we can’t fix it there quickly, we will be revisiting Pirate Cove Marina in Portsmouth as soon as we get home and hopefully the weather gods will allow us safe, easy and fast sailing passage home without having to use the engine much. Parts for the auto pilot have to be sorted out and ordered so we won’t have to hand steer the several hundred miles back to RI! We are anxious to arrive home now without any more failures. I must say it is very welcoming and beautiful to now see the red, white and blue of the American flag flying from the bridge tender towers, other boats and from buildings ashore. We had a grand season in the Bahamas with great sailing days and met lots of new friends as well as reconnecting with old friends in the Exumas and Abacos. The ICW looks better and better these days and although I have lost my enthusiasm for long ocean passages, short hops will still be on the agenda for as long as we can keep our memories, sailing agility and stamina. Can’t say I look forward to spending my 60TH BIRTHDAY Wednesday washing and drying several loads of sheets, towels and bathing suits while Forest tends to boat business, but it still beats WORKING! Take care and write to us.
Susan and Forest
2/2/12 Thursday
Greetings to you all from S/V Rejoice! snuggled into the harbor at Black Point Settlement on Great Guana Cay in the Exuma Islands of the Bahamas.
We have covered much territory since leaving Vero Beach, Florida just after the New Year. The crossing from W. Palm Beach was uneventful, the Gulf Stream just a little bumpy, and the moonlight quite welcome. It was comforting to arrive in Lucaya, Grand Bahama having familiarized ourselves with the area last cruising season and yet, a bit of anxiety entering a new channel. We faithfully listen to SSB radio- the Waterway Radio and Cruising Club's net every morning and Cruiseheimer Net which also becomes the DoDah Net in the evening- for every tidbit of news relevant to the cruising life and the position reports of all the folk we have come to know or recognize by the names of their boats. And so it was one of those news bits where we heard about getting 3 marina days for the price of one at the former Running Mon Marina, now named Sunrise Marina and also get the Customs and Immigration interview completed. The marina was pretty empty and the only access to groceries or telephone office was by taxi. We made the decision to move east to the Bell Channel and Grand Bahama YC, for what we remembered as a reasonably convenient walk to the facilities we needed and to meet our incoming guests.
The Bell Channel is now a familiar exercise for us, although a cruise ship managed to hit the reef on the day we arrived at Lucaya, and familiarity with a landfall is somewhat comforting, since most of cruising entails arriving in strange harbors in imperfect light and often in strong winds or current. But here again, we saw signs of the down economy with many of the marina slips empty, darkened condos and hotel rooms speaking of fewer vacationers, and our favorite supermarket closed. Even the prices on the menus of the dozens of restaurants at the Lucaya Marketplace were lower than last season. Fortunately, in typical Bahamian style, the gas station had groceries with a few fresh vegetables and home baked raisin and wheat bread, the liquor store had fruits and snack food, the ice cream shop had cereal, bananas and crackers and the t-shirt shop had local eggs, cheese,milk. Also typical of the Bahamas, the rum is cheap and good while Coke and beer run $36 to $60/case respectively. Since we began our Caribbean cruising in 2000, this crew has learned to ferret out the supplies and services we desire in the most unusual locations, having asked many questions and learning all the different customs and daily routines of the inhabitants of the lands we visit. The learning curve has been steep at times so you can all understand it is comforting to finally be returning to places we think we know and how surprising or disappointing it can be to discover economic changes.
We enjoyed a wonderful week of sailing and introducing the Hellers to the Berry Islands, with sundowners and shared meals aboard Rejoice! We ventured into Flo's Restaurant in the Berry Is for a Bahamian fish dinner and a marvelous assortment of seafood dishes back at Lucaya. Forest and I stopped in the Berries again and spent one night at Nassau Harbor on our way to the Exuma chain. We anchored at Highburne Cay for the first time, returned to Exuma Land and Sea Park for a few days on a mooring and are now at Black Point Settlement. In the park, we saw rays, large sea stars and a school of large fish feeding on our boat's bottom. The colors of sand/sea/storm clouds/rain/white caps in the Exumas are almost indescribable unless one witnesses them. The water is quite shallow so you can read the bottom clearly. The aqua of the water against the purple of a squall cloud is sharply delineated. The orange of a huge setting sun against the blue of the evening sea and the gray/green of the ragged low lying cays is magnificent. I often wish I possessed the talent to lay it all out in water colors or oil on canvas, but unlike others of my family, do not possess those talents. Forest and I often "ooh and ahh" with a wine in hand at dusk and hope our minds retain these memories as we grow older and cannot sail any longer.
Another phenomenon occurring these days, to our constant surprise. is that we have become two veteran cruisers among many first time cruisers/sailors we are meeting this year. They are seeking our opinions on good holding anchorages and friendly towns/settlements. So although we are still learning about this cruising life ourselves, we in fact are able to share what we have learned and as well have gleaned some interesting tidbits as these new cruisers have bumped along their travels. The water is about 74-75 F now with mostly sunny days. The wind has been quite strong for days now and it makes the swimming less than easy exercise, but the cooler nights have been good for sleeping. We stowed the last of the "New England" clothes, living in bathing suits and tees for the most part, cutting the quantity of laundry to a minimum and allowing more time for reading and visiting with fellow boaters. We are looking forward to having Diana Borgia and John Lark aboard in February to introduce them to more of the Bahamian type cruising they will soon enjoy themselves and also looking forward to Paul and Sue Meyer arriving in March to re-ignite their Bahama memories and share more good times. We hear the USA is experiencing a rather mild winter so far and hope you are all rejoicing in lower home fuel consumption and less snow plowing.
Many hugs from the crew of Rejoice!
Susan and Forest
1/27/12 Friday
As we come to the end of January Rejoice! is moored in the Exuma Land and Sea Park and it is beautiful here and relaxing. All systems on the boat seem to be in working order, although there is always some minor adjustments to keep us busy. We had some great sailing over the last few weeks, 2 minor rain squalls and a marvelously expanded rainbow. Please send us your news using the Winlink acct or this gmail acct. We still rec your email on Verizon but we are still unable to send out email on Verizon at this time.
Susan and Forest
1/8/12 Sunday
Good Morning all,
Rejoice! departed West Palm Beach just after 1700 Friday and we had a pretty good ride across the Gulf Stream, no “real” sailing, the main sail and motor got a work out. Most importantly, we had a decent sea state, just some small bumps. Lots of ships to spy last night under a full moon. The cruise ships are so fully lit they appear as floating cities as far away as 15 miles on the horizon. We have made landfall at Sunrise Marina and Resort, formerly call the Running Mon, which is closer to the city of Freeport, Grand Bahama and about 10 miles west of where we landed last year at Port Lucaya. It is very pretty and very quiet this morning. We arrived at 0930 and are having a coffee and muffin while awaiting the Customs and Immigration officials. Then a nap! For the cruisers, there are no offshore marks for the entrance except 2 sets of poles, but a long, white building on the starboard side with sea-facing balconies is a stark landmark. There is good depth if you line up with the waypoint given in the Explorer Chartbook and a nicely carved out channel. We came in under a bright sun behind us and had 15 ft under the keel outside and never less than 2.5 ft under the keel in the channel. Inside at the marina it is deep and we are at floating docks with water and electricity. We made the reservation online – the special is 2 days free and we may stay until company flies in on Thurs. It’s all an adventure!
Susan and Forest
1/6/12 Friday
Dear friends,
We are anchored at the mouth of the Lake Worth Inlet at West Palm Beach and will leave at 6pm. Please use W1ZAR@winlink.org for communications until we get to the Bahamas on Saturday afternoon. You can continue to send us items on forestgolden@verizon.net, but we will not have wifi on board and will have to find a connection at one of the marinas or grocery stores. Forest’s iphone and my cell phone are on sleep mode until we return to the USA in April. We will email the new Bahama phone # when we get re-connected there. It is cheaper for us to call you than for you to call us in the Caribbean once we have a phone connection.
Have a good winter and we miss all of you. And it is finally nice and warm and sunny here.
Susan and Forest
12/15/11 Thursday
We anchored in the small channel at Sloop Point (mile 260) north of Wrightsville Beach last night. When we lifted the anchor at daylight this morning, we had dolphins playing around the boat. The antics of several more dolphin families entertained us until Snows Cut at Carolina Beach Inlet. We made a fast run down the Cape Fear River with a favorable current in spite of the SW wind and only slowed down after the turn into Southport. We are nestled into St. James Plantation for fuel, laundry and to make the boat ‘s contents ready for the open ocean passage to Florida. We shall leave here very early Saturday and the weather window looks viable until late Wednesday, so far, and as subject to change as all passage making plans are. The newly re-built transmission is doing AOK. The gps/chartplotter seems to be having a few age related hiccups, but has not failed. We only consumed 50 gallons of fuel from Norfolk, VA to Southport, so the captain of Rejoice is quite pleased. Still hoping to make Vero Beach for Christmas and layover there until New Years while preparing for 1st available 2012 crossing weather to Bahamas. Looking forward to some wide open blue water miles instead of watching mile/sign posts, crab pots and bridge openings. One of the nicer aspects of travelling south so late is not having to deal with the wakes of the larger powerboats and not having to slow down to let them pass, because they are all south of us already.
Susan and Forest
12/11/11 Sunday
Warmer weather - here we come! We have been in Oriental, NC for a bit over a month now and it is finally time to move on south to seek warmer weather. We rented a car over the weekend and retrieved our transmission from the repair facility in Wilmington, NC. The transmission is now in place and we are waiting to be hauled so the mechanic can align it to the engine, plop us back into the water to see if we will stay afloat. We are anxious to get going tomorrow morning, but will remain in the ICW to regain our sea legs and give the repairs a good sea trial. Perhaps we will venture into the ocean at the Cape Fear River in a few days if the weather co-operates. We have used this month to visit Susan’s sister’s family in Mississippi and Forest’s family gathered in Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. Our many thanks go to Judy and Dick Giddings of ST. Jude in Dover, NC for sharing lunch, moral support and good radio communications. Our many thanks also extend to our friends Sally and Fred Cornford of sv Sirius in Northwest Creek/Fairfield Harbor for the use of their auto, laundry and guest room. Forest and I were also invited out to Saltayre for 2 overnights to catch up with Diana and John, meet their friend Charly and our Rejoice #1.
As well as exploring the neighborhoods for a future move south of RI, we enjoyed our visits with Kathy and Rodger Wilcox from sv Talisman. We were warmly embraced by the residents of Oriental and joined in the Holiday parade and decorations in town. It may be a bit of a culture shock to let go of the electric cord bringing us lots of heat, lights and an overdose of television, but we are ready to go!
Susan and Forest
12/2/11 Friday
Hello all,
Here is an update of our stay in Oriental, NC. It now appears to us that the Yanmar satellite outfit in Wilmington, NC which is re-building our transmission is a very small, although skilled outfit and has a very small staff. Our mechanic at SailCraft finally heard back from them by voicemail late yesterday and then phoned them this morning for some detail. Right from the start three weeks ago, we were told there were about 4 transmission jobs ahead of ours and a 4 day Thanksgiving holiday making a Dec 1 target for our job a possibility. The Yanmar people now have our transmission apart and have new parts ordered and the diagnosis is complete. They will re-construct it on Monday next, ship it Tuesday and Sailcraft will receive it Tues afternoon or Wednesday. That means we will get hauled out on Wed or Thursday, finish work done Thursday or Friday and with the bill paid, be free to leave Friday or Saturday. That is considering that the wind be from a favorable direction so there is sufficient depth here in the creek to leave. Otherwise we will be plowing our way out through mud or waiting until we have slightly over 5 ½ feet of water so not to take the bottom paint off the hull.
Although we are anxious to go south before we get into freezing conditions, we have enjoyed our stay here by walking the neighborhoods, discovering lots of boats stored in tucked away creeks, meeting retired folk from all over the Northeast USA from all types of careers who enjoy the wide variety of cultural events in this remote area of NC. Who would have anticipated this? We have met people who have invited us to parties, their homes, shared their cruising experiences and stories of how they ended up in Oriental in retirement. The town is still recovering and re-building from the floods of Hurricane Irene, but not a sad spirit among them. We now know of friends from Mass, St; Louis, and PA who have chosen this area as home. Perhaps we will also settle here someday after RI.
Since we will be here another week, we are accepting an invitation from the Larks to spend a few days with them in Vandemeer , a change of scenery and a visit to our old boat on her re-built dock. Sailing is always an adventure and with Forest, an everyday occurrence. Making the most of any situation, good, bad or annoying is the way to lengthen and strengthen our lives and so we really REJOICE! in every new day!
Much love, life and happiness to you all,
Susan and Forest
11/7/11 Monday
The crew of Rejoice! has once again proved that when cruising, all plans are cast in Jello and adaptability is an essential asset. It was a gorgeous day here in Oriental, NC and we hope that the warmer temperatures endure for several weeks because it appears that our transmission needs to be removed, sent back to the Yanmar distributor in Wilmington, NC and the earliest they think they can get it back to SailCraft Boatyard where we are now will be the 1st of Dec. After much discussion about temperature, costs and travel plans, we have come to the conclusion that this is a good place to get stuck- just like last year- as long as it doesn’t get too cold too quickly. We have several cruising friends here, shopping isn’t too difficult and Forest can get his rx’s refilled here. We can take long walks along the lanes or into the village of Oriental. There are 1500 boats docked in the area, so plenty of folk to talk ”boats” with. Forest always has projects and I can keep busy . The airport in New Bern is small and friendly so we can travel to family in PA and MS from here. So although we are disappointed to not be advancing south at this time and will miss tagging along with the Sanderling until Dec., we are comfortable, happy and safe, online and on phone service. Once we leave here, we will go outside from Beaufort to Southport, NC then Southport to Brunswick, GA and finally Florida. If the weather gods are with us, we could be in Vero Beach for Christmas and make the crossing to Bahamas for the New Year. And as I stated, these plans are cast in Jello!
Hope all is well at home or wherever you find yourselves,
Susan and Forest
Dockside at SailCraft Services, Inc. in Oriental, NC
29 October 2011
Just a quick note to say we are safe and warm at Utch’s Marina in Cape May. We spent one rather sleepless and uncertain night in the anchorage, but fortunately away from a gaggle of boats which did the anchor dragging dance in 40K winds. We thought that the Coast Guard recruits were probably the only bodies thankful for that wind for the training exercise it provided them. At daylight, every other boat, Rejoice included, either took to sea or settled in a local marina. After much discussion, we decided to move into the marina early enough Friday to make fast, meet a few neighbors and get the laundry done. Now on Saturday am, the wind is nearly 40 K, we are bouncing against the pier, but the heat and tv are operating just fine, the coffee, bacon and eggs are plentiful and we are very grateful to not be “out in the elements” today. Predictions for 50 K of wind, lots of rain and maybe wet and heavy snow – we won’t be proceeding south for at least another day.
So sorry for those of you who are travelling this weekend to the NE with wet snow fouling the airports. Hot tea, coffee, naps, and a great novel. Hmmm good!
Susan and Forest
24 October 2011
Hello friends,
We enjoyed a full bodied swordfish ( not caught by us)dinner aboard last night with more of our garden’s vegetables and a full night’s sleep. Today is Forest’s birthday and I treated him to requested bacon and egg breakfast, after which we honored his day by allowing him to diagnose and repair a broken nipple fitting on the sump pump hose. We had both heard the bilge pump running uncharacteristically in response to showering, brushing teeth, etc, when that normally is all channeled out of the boat by the sump, not bilge pump. So, Forest is at present up to his elbows in the project and I have plenty of chores to keep me occupied. We are hoping to dinghy into the town of Atlantic Highlands behind Sandy Hook, NJ to look around and stretch after 1 week aboard.
After a long nap and dinner, we plan to leave here around midnight with a NW/N wind to push us further south along the NJ coast. Possible stops are Atlantic City, Cape May, Cape Henlopen or Ocean City ,MD on the outside route or north into the Delaware River after Cape May if the weather so rules. Fortunately, we have no schedule until Thanksgiving week, no jobs and no young children to plan around. Ain’t retirement grand?!!! Rejoice! is a most comfortable home and transport and every day aboard is one in which to rejoice!
We miss you all so please keep in touch,
Susan and Forest
18 October 2011
We left home yesterday at noon after moving the last “stuff” aboard Rejoice! and tidying up the house. The sail/motor sail north around Portsmouth and then south to Jamestown allowed us to gain our sea legs and shake down the changes to the boat. We are about to head south and west around Pt. Judith and into Long Island sound. Once again, we waited too long and the outside passage from Block I to Norfolk eludes us and so we proceed to slog down the long way to warmer weather. Our onboard email at this address is up and running and will be in service until we leave the USA. Winlink will also be in service. Please do not send us any pictures for now and please begin a new message or erase our original message before replying to us. On board cell phone is 401-683-8758.
Looking forward to your news from your homeports and we always enjoy knowing how much snow we are NOT receiving in the Bahamas.
Forest and Susan
12 September 2011
Dear friends,
The summer has flown right by and we are once again scrambling to finish boat repairs, new projects and provisioning for an escape south after Columbus Day weekend, weather dependent. Rejoice! weathered “IRENE” with no damage after extensive storm preparations by crew, yard and skipper. We are now cleaning, polishing, varnishing, bottomizing at Pirate Cove Marina in Portsmouth, RI , have a new cutlass bearing, shaft, wind generator and tv. At the same time, we sustained some dock damage at home and Forest has taken every opportunity to work in calm conditions to perform both temporary and permanent repairs and is planning some piling repair for the spring. Once we leave, the dock will be raised for the winter and that will mitigate further damage while we are cruising.
The house projects and updates continued throughout the summer. Our garden yield was bountiful this summer, until the salt winds of “IRENE” stunted further growth. We were able to share plump tomatoes, squash and other veggies with family and neighbors and will take plenty south with us. We did not lose any trees, but experienced some shore erosion. We have a few more weeks to clean and put the yard to bed.
On the family front, GreatGrandma Walker spend 2 months with us, another grandson was born and we lost Great grandpa Sam Mazur at age 101. Several of the children and their families are planning home and career moves and the grandkids are all smart, attractive and growing up so rapidly.
We have missed all our cruising friends and the lifestyle and are not afraid to say to our land contacts that we are anticipating another comfortable and enjoyable cruising season. The Newport boat show begins Thursday. Hopefully there is nothing more we need to buy, we get to see many people we enjoy, and toss down a cool one at the yacht club after the show. Life at sea has its challenges, but is somewhat simpler, faster to clean and the “backyard” scenery changes often.
See you en route or email us your summer ventures!
Susan and Forest
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