Rockhoppers of the Caribbean

This blog post is being published via satellite phone with our super secret weather email account. More to come on that subject some day.

We are currently anchored in warm and sunny Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. We arrived late Tuesday night and headed straight to bed, and spent a couple of busy days checking in with customs & immigration and cleaning up Rockhopper. It always surprises us how long it takes to desalt the entire boat and bring it back from passage mode into cruising mode.

The winds for our passage were much stronger than expected most of the time, so we sailed faster than expected once we got through that pesky Gulf Stream. The winds were almost always coming from ahead of us, so we also spent a lot of that time heeled over. The waves were naturally higher with the increased winds speeds, and they sometimes slowed us down; they were well spaced, but 10-12' at some point in the trip, and kept Rockhopper rolling at interesting angles. Of course there would also be those times when the winds went from 20 knots to 5 knots for a little break, and we were happy to motor at that point and replenish the battery bank (and take showers!).

We planned on 10-14 days and it was looking like we'd make it in 8 days, but then the winds and waves stopped cooperating. We tried to sail close to the wind then we tried to motor into the wind and waves, and nothing quite worked. The only course that worked was sailing east, which we needed to do considering the predicted winds later in the trip. It is disheartening though, sailing off in the wrong direction and getting further from your mark. We lollygagged 95 nautical miles one of those days, but only 12 nm of those were towards our goal. Our wind vane was a great asset at this time; we set her to keep us as close to the wind as possible, and she turned us with the winds as they became more favorable.

Once we got far enough east we could close haul our course down to the islands, with a little help from the motor when the winds dropped every once in a while. Overall it was a comfortable (bearable?) trip of 1312nm. Out of about 251 hours total we only motored 74. Reinhart became seasick the first night, and remained that way for 12 hours, Mindy was grumpy for about 20 hours and only cried about an hour total…all in all a good show for us.

You can check out our track at the link in the post below. Those nice straight courses are sailed by our Al, our power hungry autopilot. The meandering eastern course in the bottom third is steered by Windy, the earth friendly wind vane.

Now we are enjoying watching the charter boats come in and out of the popular anchorage every morning, and playing in the water in the afternoon. It is fun to spy on everyone getting gussied up for a big night at Foxy's. We've walked around "town" a bit, but it is time for a big hike over the hill to stretch these inactive legs; we need a little more activity than swimming laps around the boat. We don't have wifi out in the anchorage currently, so if you are waiting on an email reply from us, we'll try to get to you as soon as we are back on land.

Rockhopper Anchorages:
34°37.483N 076°32.880W; Cape Lookout, NC; 29Jan16
18°26.462N 064°45.060W; Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke; BVI; 09Feb16

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We are actually on our way!

We are currently anchored out at the Cape Lookout Bight (34* 37.483 N, 076* 32.880 W) and we'll be on our way south on Saturday morning.  If you are interested in tracking us on our upcoming 10-14 day passage to the Caribbean, here is the link to Rockhopper’s Spot page.  Another way to check us out is by using a marine traffic tracking program to see our AIS signal, like marinetraffic.com.  

Finally, ready to go south…

…whenever the weather cooperates.  If you are interested in tracking us on our upcoming passage to the Caribbean, here is the link to Rockhopper’s Spot page.  We’ll also send a daily preprogrammed location email to folks using the spot (generously donated by Chuck Spencer!), and if you want to receive those emails, let us know and we’ll put you on the list.  Another way to check us out is by using a marine traffic tracking program to see our AIS signal, like marinetraffic.com.

heading into St. Michael's anchorage

We got terribly busy at the end of the year, so I’ll do a quick summary of what happened.  We visited St Michaels, MD and met up with Nicola and Marc of Averi and had a lovely time visiting the fantastic Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and having margaritas at eclectic Gina’s Cafe.  We spent a couple of nights in Solomons, MD on our way down the Chesapeake.  We sailed overnight back to NC via the busy Virginia cut and stayed overnight at a couple of lovely anchorages on the ICW.  Our broker, John, had a slip in Beaufort for us to leave the boat for a while, and Rockhopper has been here since early November. 

We spent a week in Beaufort installing and fixing a few more items (a new battery charger/remote control, pretty new LED lights).  We planned a big trip to Austria in November and December and we ordered some parts to install once we got back (companionway doors, upgraded solar panels).  Now that we are back, we planned to spend a week getting those items installed, but the weather offshore has been a bear, so we have some extra time to get things together.  Just like our time in Florida, the more time we have, the more stuff we buy.  We really need the weather to get agreeable, so we can get out of here and save some money.  Oh, we had our first overnight guest, Andreas.  He gave us a ride to Beaufort from Charlotte…thanks Andreas!

Lago Maggiore, Ascona waterfront

By the way, Austria was wonderful.  We got to spend lots of time with Eva and the whole family, celebrating some birthdays and Christmas.  We made our first trip to Berlin to see Andreas and Karen while they were visiting, and Andreas gave us the 2-day Berlin tour!  Of course, we made another trip with Beth to visit one of our favorite places:  Ronco sopra Ascona on Lago Maggiore in southern Switzerland.

So, we are sitting here in Beaufort and listening to the wind howl.  We think we'll go ahead and leave the dock tomorrow (Monday, Jan 18) and visit Oriental, and maybe New Bern.  By the looks of the current forecast, we think we’ll be able to set off on our 14-day passage (~10-15 days) on Wednesday 20Jan; however, we won’t really know until the forecast gets closer.  We hope to leave this week, but maybe it will be later, and maybe we'll decide to do something else entirely.  We’ll turn on the spot tracker when head out the inlet and into the Atlantic, and you can see what we are up to.    

Rockhopper Anchorages:

38°46.343N 076°13.827W; St. Michaels, MD, San Domingo Creek; 26-30Oct15

38°19.877N 076°27.531W; Solomons; 31Oct15 – 01Nov15

36°12.257N 075°57.781W; Little Broad Creek off the North River; 03Nov15

36°12.257N 075°57.781W; Little Pungo Creek off the Pungo River; 04Nov15

34°46.063N 076°40.288W; MBYC private slip, Beaufort, NC; 05Nov15-17Jan16

The circus comes to town

We spent several weeks docked at lovely Woodsback in Annapolis. It was nice to watch autumn set in. For me, nothing says autumn like the US boat shows. We were pretty busy with them this year, taking part in the two shows along with their setup, changeover, and take down. It continues to amaze me how the waterfront is transformed for the shows.

It truly is a circus atmosphere as the large tents are hoisted in the waterfront parks and parking lots. I’m sure the land crew resembles clowns as we zip around in gangs with forklifts and golf carts, descending on different areas and transforming them into hubs of marine gear shopping paradise. The water crew brings in the floating docks that connect all of the land areas and create the largest in-water shows. We met lots of folks with whom we worked in 2006-08. It was wonderful seeing them and spending time with them again, and we made lots of new friends as well. Hopefully, we’ll see them further south this winter and spring.

It gets pretty hectic during the shows and we don’t have time for much other than working, eating, and sleeping, so it was very nice to have a couple of visits from the DC contingent. Esther and Bob came over during the show to check out Rockhopper and take us to dinner. Cara came down during the sail show and we had a great time as she watched us work one of our more cushy assignments of line-handling for the classroom boats. She returned once we were finished working to take us up to DC and see Mt. Vernon for the first time. We had perfect weather and it was great to take a scenic drive again.

We spent a few extra days at the dock installing all of the gadgets we acquired during the shows, but we finally got around to leaving on Monday. We are currently anchored in quaint St. Michaels while Reinhart fixes our seized windlass. If you’ve ever heard anyone describe cruising as performing boat repairs in beautiful locations, that is pretty accurate. Still, it is nice to be on our way again.

Rockhopper Anchorages: 

37°57.985N 076°29.015W; Woodsback Marina, Eastport; 28Sep15-25Oct15

38°46.343N 076°13.827W; St. Michaels, MD, San Domingo Creek; 26Oct15

The calm before the storm

The September Nor’easters just kept coming, so we stayed at our anchorage and enjoyed our time in Deltaville, and let the near gale winds and high choppy water rage out in the bay. A calm period between systems was finally forecasted, so we made a break for it and headed straight to Annapolis for an overnight sail. The winds were forecasted to be pretty light, so we weren’t expecting much, but we ended up having a dreamy sail. We kept up 4.5-6 knots of boat speed all night long under a full moon – what a treat! 

Thomas Point Light welcomes us to Annapolis

We came into our slip at the tiny Woodsback Marina on Tuesday morning. It was the same slip we had the first time we worked the show back in 2006. Woodsback isn’t a marina in a traditional sense.  It is a 10 slip dock behind a home in Eastport. It was originally the home of the Annapolis Sailing Center owned by Kathy and Jerry Woods, the founders of the Annapolis boat shows. Now, it is owned by our friend John, former Caliber owner and photographer/businessman/professor extraordinaire, who generously allowed us to tie up for the show.

Now our nor’easters have returned with oodles of rain and cool temps, so we are happy to be snug in this little cove off Back Creek. Those storms appear to be here for several days whether or not Joaquin shows up. We are keeping a close eye on the weather forecast though, for news of Joaquin and other tropical disturbances. We are spending a few days getting caught up with laundry/groceries/cleaning/maintenance before we are too busy with the boat shows – we start work on Sunday, Oct 4. 

Rockhopper Anchorages: 

37°32.722N 076°20.306W; Deltaville, VA, Jackson Creek south; 23-27Sep15

37°57.985N 076°29.015W; Woodsback Marina, Eastport; 28Sep15-present

The Enchanted Canal to the Bodacious Bay

We’ve been meaning to visit the Dismal Swamp for years. The name conjures images of fire spurts and R.O.U.Ss of Princess Bride lore. It turns out it is an enchanted canal full of mystery and whimsy. I’ve never experienced anything like it. The clear water was as black as I have ever seen, obsidian with a mirror like surface, and a luminous green blanket of duck weed.  Rather than dolphins, we were escorted through the canal by all manner of winged creatures, dragon flies and butterflies of all colors; I’m fairly sure most were fairies. 

Waiting to "lock through" the South Mills Lock

In reality, it is a beautiful canal and I’m so pleased we finally traversed it. The color of the water is actually more like scotch, and just like a lot of scotch, some of that color comes from peat. The water interacts with a sediment layer of peat, filtering and acidifying the water. That tannic acid is good for keeping a boat and a body clean, although neither of us braved jumping in or taking a drink. We transited the southern lock (raising us 8’) and tied up to the NC Welcome Center dock for Saturday night.  We visited the friendly staff at the welcome center and took a walk on the state park trail. We were absolutely thrilled to receive a visit from Paul and Joyce (“Time”) that evening, who saw us pass by their house earlier in the day. The next morning, we left at 8am for a long day of transiting one more lock (lowering us 10’), completing the canal and the ICW, and passing through Norfolk and into the Chesapeake Bay.

We listened to the VHF weather several times a day, and we knew we’d be coming into a small craft warning in the Chesapeake. We’d heard the predicted winds (NE 20-25) and waves (4-5’) and thought, “meh, we can do that”.



Aircraft carrier in port in Norfolk

Containership CMA CGM Melisande

When we came through Norfolk, it was looking like the trip would be pretty comfortable. We were entertained by Norfolk’s usual fare: giant container ships, battle ships, aircraft carriers, and the weekend pleasure craft, either lazing or zipping about. Once we passed into the Chesapeake Bay proper, the winds and waves hit us. What we underestimated was the wave “period” (the waves were very close together), making for an extremely rough ride. We beat into the wind and crashed headlong into those waves for hours, sometimes coming to a complete stop. We dropped anchor in a very protected anchorage on Chisman Creek at 7:45pm. The forecast was looking dismal for days, so we stayed tucked in our sleepy little spot for a while. 

The bad weather out on the bay continued and we finally got tired of relaxing on Chisman Creek, so we pulled up anchor and braved the same winds. Actually, the waves were at their most daunting when we were exiting the Poquoson River to get back in the Bay. After that, we took a pretty standard beating as we motored our way up to Deltaville, VA. We are currently anchored in Jackson Creek. We were thrilled to get the dinghy out and motor to a town dock (!) and take a walk (!) to a hardware store (!) and have lunch out (!) and drop by the library(!). Deltaville is a tiny town, but it has everything a cruiser likes to see, so we are thrilled to be here.

Our original plans were to make our way up to Solomons, MD sometime this weekend for a few days, and then to Annapolis mid-week. But the weather predictions get worse and worse, and we may end up waiting out the storm for a few extra days here in Deltaville, and just hop up to Annapolis in one 20 hour trip. By that time, maybe we can even sail!

RockHopper Anchorages: 
36°30.340N 076°21.320W; Dismal Swamp Canal, NC Welcome Center; 19Sep15
37°10.979N 076°24.817W; Seaford, VA, Chisman Creek; 20-22Sep15
37°32.722N 076°20.306W; Deltaville, VA, Jackson Creek south; 23-27Sep15

Rockhopper is on the move

When last we updated you, we were sweltering in Florida and growing tired of sitting in one place.  Since then we’ve been on the move north and cooling off. 

We left St. Pete and the Tampa Bay area and started heading south on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW). This section of the GIWW is pretty shallow, narrow, and full of drawbridges, so it was motoring most of the way with our dolphin escorts. We anchored the first night in a lovely residential spot south of Sarasota, and the next off a large wildlife preserve on Sanibel Island. It was nice watching the passing thunderstorms every evening, and we started to understand why Florida is considered the lightning capital of the US. 

We headed out into the Gulf just south of Sanibel and finally got to turn off the engine and become a sailboat. We even hoisted the spinnaker for the first time, although it has gotten a lot of use since that first day. This leg was a longer trip to dip our toes back into night sailing, so we continued through the stormy night to the Florida Keys. This time the thunderstorms were a little too close for comfort and it made for a stressful and sleepless first night back on watch, at least for Mindy. We anchored at Marathon Key the next day. It was a hot day but we got a little relief going for a swim off the boat in the 88° water. Reinhart realized we are acting as reverse RO (reverse osmosis) machines, drinking the RO water and producing salt water in the form of sweat. The heat was getting to be too much for us, so we got back on the move the next morning with a planned overnight trip to Miami.  

Once we got out into the gulf stream the conditions were so perfect and the forecast was favorable, so we decided to bypass Miami and start our big offshore passage to North Carolina. It was a pretty good trip overall with calm seas and excellent winds most of the time, and just a few of those pesky thunderstorms to make things lively. We had a stowaway, a little finch, who joined us very far out at sea for several hours. He even spent some time inside Rockhopper, checking out the cabins. Just as we were naming him and planning our future with him, he flew away. We stuck to our old 3 hours on & 3 hours off schedule we used in 2006/7.  We were happy with our instrumentation, particularly our Furuno Radar.  I had two productive radio conversations with large working vessels, which is two more than I’ve had in the past. The second to the last day brought stronger winds and wavier seas with sharp bratty 8’ waves that sprayed us in the cockpit.  Our nice new weather cloths were stowed away, so we’ll have them mounted or handy next time to keep us dry.  We loved all of our new canvas and had a nice shady and dry cockpit.   Still, it all gets monotonous after a while, so we were thrilled to pull into our old stomping ground of Cape Lookout after 664 nm and 107 hours.  We anchored just before midnight and went to SLEEP!

What timing - we woke to a pleasant morning in Cape Lookout, which quickly turned into near gale force winds with 24 hours of 25-35 knot winds.  It was so nice to be tucked away in the bight instead of out at sea, and it gave us a day to recover from our passage.  Our new wind turbine was in its element, and we made our RO water with wind power. Those winds were the passing of a cold pressure system, and the temps have been heavenly ever since!  The next day we headed north up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to Oriental, NC, one of our favorite places.  Oriental hasn’t changed much, but now there is a grocery store to run to (in the form of a Walmart Express…the horror, or the convenience, hard to decide).  We spent lots of time with friends D and Don (Southern Cross), who had generously arranged a dock for us, and Bev and Arne (Scandia) came down from New Bern to visit and reminisce about days at Grass America, Annapolis, and Georgetown. 

We left Oriental and continued our ICW trip north to the Chesapeake.  Once again, it is mostly a motorsail on the narrow canal with a few sailing opportunities as we cross over the sounds.  The sailing vessel Dreadnought kept us company on the way up and we anchored together on the Pungo River.  They sent a photo of us at anchor in the sunset and we were thrilled with one of the technological advances since our 2006/7 trip…smartphones!   

The next day we made it to Elizabeth City, NC, which means we have been convinced by D and Don to take the infamous Dismal Swamp route.  We are currently enjoying the lovely Elizabeth City hospitality (free docks, free wifi) before continuing our trip up that picturesque and historic, albeit shallow (6’), canal.

Rockhopper anchorages: 

27°14.759N 082°31.492W; Sarasota, FL “White Beach”; 03Sep15

26°28.124N 082°05.349W; Sanibel Island, FL “Ding Darling”; 04Sep15

24°41.599N 081°07.074W; Marathon Key, FL “Outer Boot Key; 06Sep15

34°37.392N 076°32.852W; Cape Lookout Bight, NC; 11-12Sep15

35°01.406N 076°41.934W; Oriental, NC “Oriental Harbor Marina”; 13-15Sep15

35°33.085N 076°28.178W; Pungo River, NC; 16Sep15

36°17.901N 076°13.102W; Elizabeth City, NC “Mariner’s Wharf”; 17-18Sep15