Capers Island ghost forest

From my last post, you may have pictured our adventures on Capers Island as mostly using Lucy as a tick and burr detector

but we found far more enjoyable things as well.

Cynthia spotted ibises! I've never seen these before, with their curiously curved bills, they remind me of flamingos.

And, hiking in hopes of finding the "beach where one can take a swim" (although we planned no such activity in the chilly weather), we finally left the grass and found a sandy wash, which we followed down hill

and found a ghost forest looming out of the fog.

Lucy loved the open sand, the large tree trunks to run along, and possible places her terrier instincts told her might hold prey..

Cynthia and I loved the hard, open sand to stride along and the beautiful, ghostly, and quite photogenic forest.

Pretty neat stuff!

Current status: Cynthia & Lucy in MI, I'm aboard near Cape Canaveral... and just watched the Boeing rocket launch pre-dawn yesterday (12/20). I saw SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launch a few days ago and, I believe, got struck by a little tornado (watched it approach as I sat at anchor: very brief and violent). Today I'll sail to Melbourne, FL and anchor for a rainy day tomorrow. 

Things that can draw blood

I'm writing this from an anchorage in Mosquito Lagoon just north of Cape Canaveral. I actually got to watch Elon Musk's Falcon Heavy launch last night! Very very cool! I plan on doing some work on the boat here before moving farther south soon.

Cynthia and I sailed south from NC on favorable winds, then ducked into the ICW (Intra Coastal Waterway) when the winds became problematic. The strong north-east winds would have kicked up large waves and we would have rocked and rolled and been unable to walk about for days... and belongings would have worked loose and been tossed about inside the cabin. Ugh!

The ICW takes a far more sheltered route. The views are quite beautiful and there are chances to get groceries, ice, fuel, and showers.  Any issues? YES.
1) pilots need to pay close attention to the channel  or WILL run aground. A chance to take ten minutes to relax is rare.
2) Running at night thus seems unwise, so one might make 40 miles per day.
3) Wind and current are often unfavorable, so one burns much fuel and "enjoys" noise and fumes.
4) Finding a good spot to anchor can be tough as there is so much shallow stuff, strong tidal currents, and large tides.
5) temperatures this time of year are far colder than out in the open. We wore long johns most days... and were still darned cold.
6) if weather warms, out come the biting bugs! We found midges in abundance, mosquitoes.... and, on the only wild island we visited, numerous ticks. And that brings us to... Capers Island, SC.

We loved Capers Island. It offered a nice chance to hike to the ocean, stretch our legs, give Lucy a chance to exercise, and see some local nature close-up. It even had some plant identification signs that a Boy Scout installed a decade ago for a badge. One thing it did NOT identify was some horrible burrs that easily penetrate skin to catch a painful ride to a new growing spot. And one could not even pull them with fingers as they would puncture those as well! Lucy's cries were our first alert, but none of us enjoyed these and we tried to identify and avoid the non-descript patches of these burrs,

As we returned from our second walk, we noticed a brown tick on Lucy's black fur....and then another and then many more.

After returning to the boat we checked her well and found perhaps twenty or more on her the size of sesame seeds. And another fifteen or twenty on each of us in our layers of clothes! And, no, we did not discover them all, finding another half dozen over the next couple days. Ugh. We may visit the island again someday, but will use loads of deet to protect ourselves.

Finally, a creature that draws blood that we LIKE! We found dangerously sharp oysters in abundance! Along the shore of these marsh islands and many others grew huge mounds of oysters, each bonding to others to form a reef. We did not bother eating any, but I love seeing such healthy populations of such beneficial creatures, filtering excess algae from the water and improving the ecosystem. Very nice.

Back in NC, working on the boat and adjusting plans

Chilly and cold: got down to 36degF the first night.... it took long johns, a blanket, and a quilt to sleep warm. Fortunately, the sun comes out and makes "the sunroom" (the cockpit) nice and toasty, but cold air sinks and climbing down into the cabin feels like descending into a refrigerator. On the bright side, this does make life very easy for the actual fridge!

Also on the bright side: working outdoors is far more comfortable than in the sweaty summer. I climbed up the mast yesterday to check halyard chafing and standing rigging. All the stays etc look good and I THINK the bronze strip I screwed into place will stop the chafing. I'll check it again after a week or so of sailing.

I love the view from high on the mast.

And, although I'm surrounded by fairly tall boats that block my view of sunrise and sunset,

a short walk down the dock helps with sunsets.

Travel plans have changed, as usual. I try to do what works rather than sticking to a set plan. In this case, my folks are spending Thanksgiving in DC with my brother and his family and this is a doable drive: only six hours. SO, rather than Cynthia joining me tomorrow (11/23), she will stay in MI and deal with her items for a bit and I will work on the boat. I'll rent a car and, on Wednesday, drive up to DC and meet her at the airport, then continue on to my brother's place. Friday or Saturday, we will drive back here, load up on groceries, and head south.... weather permitting. Optimally, we will get to stop by Wayfarer's Cove again, then ride a north or west wind down the coast to some national seashores, catching another tuna or other tasty fish along the way. Then down to FL to visit friends (mid December?), and then out to the Bahamas and putter our way toward the Virgin Islands.

Ah, adventure!

Commercial fishing in North Carolina

Catching up: Larry and I sailed out of Stage Harbor (although a week of storms and shifting sands meant that we were delayed several hours sitting on a sandbar at the entrance), sailed through Vinyard Sound in the wee hours, and took shelter in the Old Harbor on Block Island to wait out a night of high wind. Then we proceeded through another night to New York Bay where we pulled into a marina on the south-east side of Staten Island for another night of wind. In the morning of 10/23 Larry headed home and Lucy and I sailed south with a strong, chilly, off-shore wind, heading toward Norfolk. By morning of 11/25 the wind fell to nearly nothing and I pulled into the fuel dock at Cobb's Marina in Norfolk, Cynthia waiting there to help tie up, then take Lucy for a well-deserved shore walk while I filled the tank. A few minutes later we departed to sail around the Outer Banks to Cape Lookout, fishing as we went. Cynthia caught three fish before we pulled into Lookout Bight at about 3am the second night and dropped anchor. We planned to stick around here for a week, then leave the boat in a marina for two weeks while we fly back to work and family on the 5th and 6th. That pretty much brings us up to date....

We were making our way back here Tuesday after a mostly fishless 3-hour sail, when we noticed the storied wild horses of Shackleford Bank, beasts we had never seen, were on the beach. We sailed in close and slowed for a good look and, as we snapped a few pics, a fellow motored in close, hailed us, and asked if we were moving along as he was going to be pulling a net ashore shortly. We assured him we were moving and headed up the beach and found a spot to anchor, then rowed ashore to give Lucy some beach time and photograph the horses.

We saw another group of horses back along the beach and walked farther, then saw the fishermen working away, one guiding the net around a wheel, another checking the fish and debris stuck in the net, another in a boat using the engine to pull the net around the wheel.

We struck up a conversation and the boss started telling us which fish were which, dock prices of various species, and tossing us various fish. He gave us two Spot Fish, three Sea Trout ($3/lb), a Weakfish, and all the Bluefish we could carry ($0.10/lb). We helped carry old anchors and debris to shore after he untangled them from the net. Twice huge whelk shells came to shore, neither alive nor empty: each contained a seriously disgruntled octopus. I do not believe Lucy made them any more happy...but I scooped this one back into the shell and tossed each out as far as I could.

As the final segment of the 1/4 mile long net came closer to shore and the fish became crowded, the BIG fish became visible. Loads of rays, one with a wingspan of 4' or 5'... And a half dozen king mackerel, nice 5' fish that each probably weighed 50 to 70 lbs. The fellows estimated that the load might be 20,000 lbs, too much for the half-dozen boats they had... and figured they would be out until after midnight.

Well, dark clouds were rolling in and the sun had set, so we said goodbye and thanks and headed back, walking a mile along the beach, then out across the flooded sand flats into the rising tide, then rowing to the boat.

Back home, I suggested Cynthia work on dinner while I remained on-deck and cleaned and filleted the mess of fish, both of us slapping mosquitoes, a true bane of this region. Dinner was deep-fried Red Drum and a nice big salad, then more mosquito slapping (probably killed a hundred) and off to bed.

Fantastic day!

time to migrate south

Fall here on Cape Cod is a wonderful time of the year, bringing relief from crowds, bugs, heat, and humidity. And dogs are welcome on the beaches again here in Chatham! On the other hand, the water rapidly chills and weather gets darned unstable: the fall here brings in the north-easters, nasty low-pressure systems from the south that suck in strong winds from ahead of them....and one sat to our south for three or four days last week...I lost count after days of rattling windows (Lucy and I are staying ashore, visiting my mom and relatives) and spitting rain. And another, briefer and far more violent, came through just a day ago, bring in some nasty winds of over 100mph in some parts of the Cape. Both brought damage to boats that dragged their moorings or otherwise came loose or swamped (my mizzen got a bit ripped, but should be easy to repair). Occupy Chatham is getting close to the waters edge (10' now vs 30' a month ago and 100' last summer).

A new break has formed in the barrier beach just off Morris Island.

This 3-part dinghy dock is supposed to be straight.

Blowing sand created drifts and dunes..

And here I have remained, waiting for my propeller to come back from the shop... which was finally repaired and tuned Tuesday. They replaced the chip nicely, welding in some new metal, and everything is now tuned (I hope) so I don't get those nasty vibrations when the wind picks up. Some discoloration shows where corrosion occurred before I bought the boat, when it sat for years in NC, probably with no sacrificial zinc to protect it.

The new bowsprit collar I designed and a local shop welded up looks very sturdy and should surely be far more sound than the old cracking one. 

Wednesday, I dove under the boat and reinstalled the prop. And, now that winds are dying back to reasonable levels, I am ready to GO!

My friend Larry, from Coral Bay and New Jersey, has joined me and we plan to head out today for Delaware Bay, avoiding the patches of interesting weather so prevalent this time of year. Another friend, Kent, says this would be perfect for heading out to Bermuda, using these north-west winds today to sweep down across the Gulf Stream and south, getting to the Virgin Islands in about three weeks.... Tempting, but I'm not ready to take that leap yet. 

I had hoped to meet Cynthia in Norfolk, VA, on the 23rd, but forecasts show some nasty knots of weather possible, so I'll head toward Delaware Bay and see how the weather looks as I get closer. Either she will wait there in the Norfolk area for a day or so while we make our way as weather permits or she can rent a car and drive north. We shall see...

Lucy has been really enjoying the beaches and, as well, taking some time each day to practice for a long and boring sail.

I'm sure looking forward to getting out to the boat this morning, making sure nothing serious has failed in the most recent storm, making our way past any new shoals in the harbor entrance, and setting sail again. It has been WEEKS since I raised sail!

Wish us luck!

PS: Cynthia will fly out with Lucy around Nov 6, to work etc in MI. I will wing to CA to visit parents for a ten days or so, leaving the boat in a marina.... maybe in NC. Then back aboard and... what? A three-week sail to the Virgins? FL and Bahamas? We shall see... Whatever happens, I need to get down to warm water before Cynthia (& Lucy) joins me for most of the winter. 

Making repairs

One of the problems of living in a boat...or a house, for that matter... is the need for repairs and improvements. One could also say that one of the great things about living on a boat is the constant opportunity for exercising problem solving skills! Whether one sees the glass as half-empty or half-full, here are a few current items on my mind: the boat has leaks into the core of the deck, but that is not an urgent issue... as long as I store things in plastic or glass containers. My water pressure pump has been running a lot sometimes... could it have leaking pipes or need replacing? The roller furler for the jib worked poorly so I had to replace the bearings. The halyards for the sails still chafe, but not all the way through... so I put tape on as a bandaid... and really should climb the mast to make another attempt to solve it. None of these problems are really huge....

On the other hand, I'd REALLY like to solve the problem of the propeller vibration (before it damages the cutless/cutlass bearing or anything else) and have been diving under the boat to remove it... but the thing is VERY securely installed and I'm unsure about how much force to use. I'll try again today and, when I succeed, will bring it to the specialists in Salem. (Success is mine! I released it Tuesday morning and dropped it off with the prop shop in Salem at about noon!

They say seven to ten days and I sure hope this solves many problems.)

Far more essential is a crack I found forming in the bowsprit collar. This fitting serves as the attachment point for the bobstay and forestay and two whisker stays and resists immense forces.... and is cracking.

Ignored, it would probably fail within the next year, probably in the worst possible conditions. So, I've ordered a nice piece of 316 stainless pipe a foot long and contacted a local machinist to weld me up a replacement.

Another essential repair: I'm working to repair and reinstall the largest remaining section (about 5 feet) of the port jib traveler track (it broke in June and I pulled the remaining bits out a few days ago).

Part of the wood it should anchor into is certainly stronger than sponge... but not by much... so I'm depending on the fiberglass that encased the wood. 

The temporary repair I've set up should work ok until I do something more permanent in a few months. Anyway, I may need to take it all apart to fix the leaky deck, and will figure THAT out over the next few days.



It looks as though we are in for a period of gray and windy weather... so I get to work on interior items like painting and adding shelving. I can dive under the boat to re-install the sacrificial anode on the propeller shaft. Perhaps replace the packing on the propeller shaft as well, since that has been dripping a good bit....although I wonder if I may need to replace the shaft.... (hmm......how might I do this in the water without sinking the boat? Hmmm...interesting challenge). And I can order the materials I need to work on things like re-coring the deck.