Fall River, Tiverton and more

We have been dividing our time between Fall River, Massachusetts, Tiverton, Rhode Island and Jade. When we are not visiting with Al's family we have been working on the boat. We hate to dispel the romantic notion of life on a boat but there is some work involved. Don't worry we aren't expecting any sympathy!

After 6 months on board we found it was time for some routine cleaning and maintenance. Frances spent a day polishing the stainless steel. The interior needed a thorough cleaning plus a check in all the lockers for leaks and mildew. It's a good thing we checked because some shoes were moldy. They will be stored in plastic bags from now on. Al cut out two stern rail bases that were leaking and replaced them. Jade is 30 years old so almost every original part is being replaced bit by bit.

Al's family has really been fun and it's great to have this much time to spend with them. Al's father is constantly on the go and sometimes we can barely keep up with him.

An interesting thing we did in Fall River was attend a Feast at a Portuguese Catholic church. There have always been a large number of Portuguese people in Fall River and Al is 1/2 Portuguese. The church had a Mass and then processed with a statue of Jesus through the streets. Then it was time for a festival with food and entertainment. Everyone was speaking Portuguese so we felt like we were overseas! We loved the marinated pork sandwiches and Fava beans in a sauce. For dessert they made Malassadas - a fried dough with sugar. Wonderful! Especially when hot and fresh.

When we are not in Fall River we are in Tiverton, Rhode Island. It's a small coastal town with rolling hills, stone walls, farm land and shingled houses. In Tiverton we have been visiting our regular haunts, like Frances' favorite coffee shop, and hanging out with the family.

It is now time to move on though. On Wednesday we are going back to Newport to watch the beginning of a Transatlantic race. We are excited to see the Maltese Falcon start the race, the largest privately owned sailing yacht in the world. Then on Friday we will go to Bristol, Rhode Island for the Fourth of July festivities which will last through the weekend. Happy 4th of July!

Newport

Newport is treating us well. There are still some cold rainy days and we have had the heater on most nights. We have room on board if anyone from Florida wants a break from the heat! On the nice days it is gorgeous here. All the shops and homes have their Spring flowers planted to celebrate the good weather.

We have been visiting with Al's family, sightseeing and working on the boat. Al's daughter Christine and her husband Chris visited us

and left behind all kinds of food and drinks.

We spent a nice day with Al's dad and he helped us take the outboard motor to the shop. He also and brought us our favorite Portuguese bread.

We plan to be in this area all summer, traveling

around to places like Martha's Vineyard, Boston, Bristol, Providence and whatever looks good at the time. We'll be keeping up the blog and the pictures as we go.

Sailing from Block Island to Newport

Yesterday we sailed from Block Island to Newport. This blog is about a sailing day, the part of our trip that takes place between the destinations.

First thing in the morning we always check the weather. The course to the day's destination has already been studied and plotted. When we are ready to go the anchor must come up. The anchor and chain weigh about 300 pounds so an electric windlass does the hard work.

Using the engine we leave the harbor going through a channel marked by buoys. Block Island is in the background behind this red # 8 buoy.

The GPS is set for Newport but we also use paper charts, harbor guides and tide/current guides. We make hourly entries of latitude, longitude, boat speed, wind speed etc in a log book and do routine checks of the bilge and engine.

After getting out into open water it's time to raise the sails. The main sail, stay sail and jib are raised one at a time. We adjust the sails and see how fast we are going. Well, we are only going 4 or 5 knots/hour (about the same as MPH). Newport is 25 miles away so it will take us 5 hours to get there. Not a problem because we have all day. It will be a nice easy sail, no high winds or waves.
While sailing we make sure we stay on course, watch for other boats, and watch for lobster pots which can get caught on the underside of our boat. Al is great at trimming the sails to keep us moving, actually Al is great at a lot of things!
It must have been good luck to write about this day because yesterday we caught our first fish! A bluefish, using a plug on a trolling line. Frances felt sorry for the fish, but managed to eat it for dinner anyway.

Newport is an amazing place for sailing. We saw every type, make, size and age of sailboat in the bay on our way in. There are no tankers, tug boats or large ferries to dodge. There is a long history of sailing in Newport and it is a summer destination for some of the largest and most beautiful sailing yachts in the world. This race boat sailed right behind us, apparently practicing.
After ogling all these boats for a while we dropped our sails and got ready to anchor. We found a good spot among the literally hundreds of boats moored in the harbor. Then we neatened things up and spent the evening relaxing in the cockpit, cooking dinner, chatting with other cruisers and watching the sunset.

The trip yesterday from Block Island to Newport was a short sail in good weather to a fantastic destination. So much for giving an example of all the hard work and challenging situations we endure between stops!

New York City

It's not the place you think of visiting on a sailboat but there is a mooring field in the Hudson River right next to New York City. The current is incredibly strong at times but you can't beat the convenience. We had a blast, ran all around the city using the subway and got back to the boat between midnight and 2 am each day. We surprised even ourselves!


We had a great visit with Frances' cousin Tom and his wife Jackie and shared some wonderful meals. Tom helped us take the boat from the city to Long Island. We even got to see another cousin Leslie in her place. Everyone helped us get around and suggested good places to go.

We saw Times Square, the World Trade Center site, the Guggenheim Museum, the New York City museum, China Town, Little Italy, Midtown, Battery Park, Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Center, The Empire State building, the New York Public Library, Central Park, Madison Ave, the West End, rode the Staten Island Ferry and saw a Broadway play "A Bengal Tiger in the Bagdad Zoo".




One of the highlights was the good food in the restaurants and the markets. We are both ready to move there but we'll see how long that desire lasts!


Now it's on t0 New England via the Long Island Sound. Today we are on the move planning to stop in Port Jefferson. We'll see what this next phase of the trip brings.


Thanks for all the comments, e mails and calls. We are a lonely for our old friends and miss having you in our daily life.

Chesapeake Bay

We traveled up the Chesapeake Bay in several days. We stayed in a few anchorages that were just stopovers and we did not get off the boat. Then we stopped in Oxford to visit one of Frances' cousins. Susie and Steve let us park our boat at their dock and showed us around Oxford.


The Chesapeake has some beautiful peaceful places and towns of all sizes to explore. People are very happy that spring has come and one thing they like to do is sit out on their dock on a nice day.

These light houses are all over. Someone used to have to live there to keep it lit. Now they are automated thank goodness.

The highlight of the Chesapeake for us was Annapolis. We loved the city and stayed there 4 days. It's a colonial city with lots of history plus the Naval Academy.

We were impressed with the Naval Academy.
They have guided tours and tell you about the requirements to get in and how hard it is to graduate. There are a lot of physical requirements. For example, every person in the accademy must take Judo, Karate and boxing, even the women. We learned about the history of the Academy and the Navy.

There are beautiful buildings on the Academy caumpus including the a huge chapel with an amazing dome.

Frances kept trying to get a picture of men in uniform. She finally got this one of some officers below one of the famous Navy sayings. The town is very proud of the Navy and we saw this banner on a shop window.

After leaving the Chesapeake we went down the Deleware Bay and up the coast of New Jersey without going ashore much. Today we are going to sail to New York City and we are looking forward to that!

Beaufort, the Intercoastal and Norfolk

We have covered some ground since the last blog so this one will take us up to Norfolk, Va.

We sailed in the Atlantic to Beaufort, North Carolina. The trip took 16

hours, from 6pm April 25th until the next morning.

We spent 4 days in Beaufort, taking tours and checking out the shops. Beaufort has several blocks of restored older houses, a nice waterfront and, as in all good southern towns, an old cemetery with great stories. The azaleas were full bloom when we were there.

One of the best things about our trip to Beaufort was meeting Kim, Steve and Darcy on Mur Dina. They are on their way home to Canada after a year long cruise that took them as far south as Cuba. We traveled with Mur Dina up the Intercoastal Waterway, from Beaufort to Norfolk. It took 4 days, stopping each night. The sunset picture is typical of the Intercoastal. Parts of the Intercoastal are canals cut through marshes. It's very peaceful and quiet at night. There are lots of duck blinds. Al said it must be like a war zone during duck hunting season. On the last day we saw a bald eagle and that was really exciting.

Very quickly the intercoastal changes from deserted marsh to miles of massive commercial shipping ports and huge military shipyards making aircraft carriers and destroyers. Right in the middle of this is downtown Norfolk, Va. We anchored right across from Norfolk and stayed there 4 days with Mur Dina checking out the sights.

Norfolk has a battleship museum with the largest US battleship ever built. Check out the size of the winches on the ship!

We all went to Jamestown and were very impressed with that museum, too. The guides not only tell you about the settlement but also tell you where and how they got the information. This is a replica of a statue made by the Powhatan Indians who were there before the settlers.

Like a lot of other cities Norfolk is working on revitalization. They chose the Mermaid as their city mascot. There are mermaid statues all over town decorated by different artists. It's a good contrast to the seriousness of the history, shipping and military presence that surrounds Norfolk.

Overdue Post! Beaufort,NC and Norfolk,Va

Lack of internet access has delayed this post, and the connection we have now is not very good so this will have to be brief.

We spent a few days in Beaufort, NC after Wrightsville and really enjoyed Beaufort. Then we hooked up with a couple from Canada to travel up the Intercoastal Waterway. That took us to Norfolk, Virginia. We stayed there with our friends and saw some sights in Norfolk together.

Now we are on our own again and traveling up the Chesapeake Bay. Last night we stayed in Lookout Point. Today we want to make it to Solomon's Island.

We'll write more and attach photos when the internet access improves!

The best thing to have on a boat

The best thing you can have on a boat is your nieces. Katie and Sarah, 15 and 10, just spent the week with us on Jade. They loved it and we can't wait for their next visit. Fran's sister Helen and her husband Kevin stayed on shore in a hotel and we all enjoyed Wrightsville Beach. Fran's brother Wil came by too. It was great seeing everyone.

Wrightsville is a nice little beach town. Lots of houses and a few low key shops, restaurants, bars and ice cream parlors. When the weather is bad the place is deserted but as soon as the sun comes out people are instantly out walking, going to the beach or using their boats. For sailors Wrightsville has a great dinghy dock and the anchorage is well protected. The shops, restaurants and beach are all within walking distance. We have enjoyed it but are ready to move on. We plan to leave Monday and head for Beaufort, North Carolina.

Wrightsville Beach and What do you eat on a boat?

We are now in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina and have been here about 4 days. The overnight passage from Charleston was uneventful. We have not fully explored the area so we'll talk about one of our favorite subjects - food.

How are we managing to stay alive while spending so much time on a boat? We eat 99% of our meals on board. There are a lot of times when we are not even near a restaurant. Cooking on a boat is similar to cooking at home with more of an emphasis on conservation of water, gas and electricity. Filling up the propane tanks or buying food takes more time than at home so these stops are avoided as much as possible.

The starting point is the galley on Jade. It's similar to a kitchen in a studio apartment. It has a range top, oven, microwave and front opening refrigerator and freezer. Out on the rail is the all important gas grill. The refrigerator/freezer runs off the batteries. The oven and grill heat with propane gas. Food and drinks are stashed all over the boat but the food locker is the main storage area. It has been especially helpful to have a wide variety of staples and spices on hand plus canned goods, snacks and sweets. Powdered milk and powdered eggs come in very handy.

Right before a journey you stock up on fresh produce, dairy products and meat. We purchased a lot of food before leaving St Pete and then again in the Keys. That way we avioded buying food in the Bahamas which is very expensive, for example $6.00 for a head of romaine lettuce.

On this trip we did not have time to plan meals ahead so we did what our friend LuAnne does "stock the freezer". With cookbooks on board and memorized recipes we cook based on the food that's on hand using the freshest things first.

It's more fun to cook on a boat because there is time to plan and cook without being rushed. Al likes to use the grill and Frances usually cooks in the galley. It's really nice to have fresh baked goods. We have made scones, quick breads, cookies and Frances even made a chocolate cake to celebrate an arrival. To save propane we usually make things that cook in 40 minutes or less and we also use a pressure cooker to save cooking time.

So as you can see no one is starving on s/v Jade. Cooking has been part of adjusting to a new way of life but has turned out to be fun and like everything else is getting easier and easier all the time.

Cleaning up after the storm

For the past 10 days we have been cleaning up, doing repairs and sewing. An unexpected cold front came through the Gulf Stream during our passage to Charleston. The wind and waves were quite high. One wave broke through the cockpit damaging the dodger windows and sweeping away two canvas panels. At the end of the storm we realized that all the boat hooks were gone, the shackle on the stay sail was broken and one blade of the wind generator was damaged, among other things.

We stayed at the Cooper River Marina for a week because it is less expensive than the marinas near downtown. It is in the commercial shipping area of Charleston. As Fran's mother said after she visited "It's in the middle of no where". It was strangely peaceful with marshes surrounding the marina. Container ships passed very close to us and the huge processing plants were nearby. The bus stop was two miles away so we did not even attempt to leave the marina. Which was a a good thing because we had so much work to do. Larry, a contractor in the next boat, befriended us and took Al to West Marine several times. Larry came over to visit a few times and we fixed him dinner one night. We are continually amazed by the nice people we meet.

Yesterday we left the marina and passed under the bridge in Charleston that looks like the Sunshine Skyway. We are now anchored across from downtown Charleston. We feel like boaters again making our own power, conserving water and swinging on the anchor. We'll probably be here a week and then move to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.