6/28/2026

Hello!

Update:

We are currently in Cape May, New Jersey at Utsch’s Marina. It has been an interesting past two days which I will get into later. 

Three wonderful things about last week:

We are far enough north to have some cooler weather. It finally happened one morning in Annapolis. We emerged from our air-conditioned cave at the marina and noticed that it was actually nice out. Now we can anchor out again when we want to. I have been looking forward to this weather change, and it is the reason we are heading north for the summer. 

A day of rest, yoga and great food in Annapolis. Since leaving the Bahamas we have been moving the boat north as often as possible. When we stop, we are often busy with chores. It was great to take an entire day to relax. Bad weather was predicted for the day we were in Annapolis, so we weren’t moving the boat.

In a city it’s easy to find a yoga class within walking distance of a marina and sign up online. I prefer exercising in a group and really miss that on this trip. I ended up at Groundswell Yoga for a noon Yin yoga class that was great.

Al was across the street at an Irish Pub. I sprinted over there because it was raining. They had a cabbage roll dish I am still thinking about. Cabbage stuffed with mashed potatoes and corned beef covered with some kind of yummy sauce. The beer on tap went great with it.

For dinner we stumbled upon perfect steamed mussels in a beautiful setting. We walked toward town from the marina, went in The Choptank restaurant and got a rooftop table. Steamed mussels are one of our favorite things to eat. The restaurant did them perfectly plus had excellent bread to sop up the garlic white wine sauce. We were in heaven. The weather had cleared and the views were fun of the waterfront and downtown.

Al was working on the boat some in between the meals and we did go to West Marine twice but I managed to get in several naps to round out the perfect day.  

Anchoring behind Reedy Island

We left Annapolis Thursday and headed north through the C and D canal. The upper Chesapeake Bay is very pretty, and the weather was cool and clear that day. It was a nice easy uneventful trip. At 8 pm we anchored just outside the canal behind Reedy Island in the Delaware River. We were surprised by a lovely evening, flat calm water, coolish air, and the sun setting over a beautiful shoreline. We had our favorite arrival boat drink and some snacks as we watched the sun set and the night come in. It was the type of evening that revives my soul and one of the reasons I love the boat.

An unfortunate and serious problem we are experiencing now:

Retinal tear and vitreous hemorrhage, left eye

On Friday we left Reedy Island early to go down Delaware Bay to Cape May, New Jersey. While furling in the jib my left eye was hit hard by the line and my vision changed in that eye. We proceeded as fast as we could to Cape May, arrived in the late afternoon and took an Uber to Wills Eye Emergency Room in Philadelphia. They diagnosed a retinal tear and vitreous hemorrhage. I am to cease all strenuous activity, not lie flat, and return to Wills Eye Hospital, on Wednesday to reevaluate and hopefully repair the retinal tear. There was too much blood in the eye to do the repair right away. We are concerned but these retinal tears are fairly common and once repaired my vision should return to normal.

On Friday after it happened, I made several calls and was told it would be best to see an Ophthalmologist for a diagnosis; that a regular emergency room would not have the proper equipment. Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia was suggested, and they have an Ophthalmology Emergency Room open 24/7. It is an hour and 30 minute drive away from here but we believe this is a good place to have this treated. On Monday we will start checking on options and making final plans. All we can do at this point is see what next week brings. The boat is comfortable, and I will not be involved in moving the boat anywhere until this is fully healed. 

If anyone reading has experience with retinal injury, we would appreciate any helpful information. 

Thank you for reading. Life has its unexpected twists and turns sometimes and this is one of them. 

Love and Peace,

Fran Lima