Sunday, July 27, 2014

Eagle Cove, Gibson Island, July 25-27, 2014

The weekend began late, but still with a BANG!

Crew Bill, Sarah, Guy and Ollie didn't reach the fuel dock at Annapolis Landing Marina until after dark, but the party began immediately. Provisions and gear were loaded and stowed even as the party broiled around the activity. Local guests from the marina joined us in Kelly IV's cockpit as we toasted the cool evening and discussed our plans for the following day. No one actually timed the party's conclusion, but we did depart the fuel dock before the marina needed the space in the morning.
Our newly gained local knowledge included news of a horse farm on a beautiful anchorage at the north end of Gibson Island, Magothy River. Although we made that our destination for the weekend, we decided a swim stop at Dobbins Island (definitely on the way) would prove fun as well.
Above video by Bill Paviol
Above video by Bill Paviol
Ollie at the helm
There was enough breeze that Kelly IV sailed with her main and jib under the imposing Bay Bridge, then motored into the Magothy and anchored off Dobbins Island. The weather was bright and clear so the crowd was easily a couple hundred or more people, families, youths, young adults, cruising oldsters and everyone you might imagine has access to a small boat. There were even a couple large motor yachts anchored to watch the activities. Given the large crowd, it was no surprise to see the representatives from Maryland DNR, USCG, and the Maryland State Police cruising the waters and beach. Although we witnessed them board a nearby sailboat, there were no scenes that would make the papers. In fact, Bill took a number of great videos showing the festivities.
Sarah swimming off Kelly IV at Dobbins Island, by Bill Paviol
Once lunch and swimming were concluded, we raised anchor and headed the last two miles to Eagle Cove. After a brief dogleg through the protecting shoals, we emerged into a sizable bay with plenty of depth and room for many boats. In fact, Kelly IV was probably one of about twenty small yachts to anchor there. Even so, there was still plenty of room for everyone's water toys and we were not to be left out. Bill, Sarah and I lowered the dinghy, rigged her sail, leeboards and rudder, then took turns sailing the little pudgy between the wide open spaces amongst the anchored vessels. Sarah particularly enjoyed sailing close ashore to see the horses up close.
Pudgy sailing by Guy Stewart
Bill sails the Pudgy
Horse farm north of our anchorage
Guy on foredeck enjoying the beautiful anchorage
Eagle Cove sunset by Guy Stewart
The meal that night was an extravaganza including alligator, tuna and sauces prepared by chef-extrordinaire, Bill. It was delicious and there were no leftovers!
Ahi tuna steaks ready for the grill
Sarah and Ollie enjoying the fine dinner meal

Sunday proved to be another grand weather day, but the forecast predicted otherwise so Kelly IV departed early to ensure an easy trek back and a simple disembarkation of crew and gear. The early departure put us back in Annapolis by 10am and the weather was perfect for a trip through Ego Alley. We made the trip twice and tied up at Pusser's for a couple drinks and relaxed conversation before returning to Back Creek and the workaday world.

Bill on foredeck as we sail past Greenbury Point, by Guy Stewart
Kelly IV crew enjoys libations at Pussers

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Chestertown, etc. - July 14-20, 2014

Kelly IV was joined by great friends and long-time crew, Bob Zimmerman and Jack vanArsdale on Monday the 14th.  Kelly IV and I picked them and their gear off the sea wall between B and C piers at the Annapolis Landing Marina before topping off our fuel and water and returning to the anchor, faithfully maintained by the pudgy dinghy in our absence.

Due to the rainy weather, we decided to play tourist locally in Annapolis until the weather cleared.  All of us would raather be sailing, but Annapolis is a fun town to visit and we made the most of it, including the US Naval Academy, USNA Chapel, and the excellent museum on the USNA grounds, featuring a magnificent collection of half hulls and ship models created by prisoners.  We almost didn't miss sailing, the tourist gig was so cool!
Jack and Bob, USNA Cathedral

The forecast for Wednesday was excellent, so we departed Back Creek, had the sails up and the engine shut down within minutes.  The 12 knot northwesterly breeze was perfect for sailing a port close reach to the Chester River.  We dashed across the Chesapeake, splitting the small waves and ducking behind the dodger to avoid the spray.  It is always fun sailing beneath the Bay Bridge and Bob got some good photos as we did so.
Bay Bridge by Bob Zimmerman

The wind seemed to be challenging our efforts to sail directly to our turning mark just above Love Point, Kent Island.  Every time we tried to pinch a bit higher to be certain of laying our mark, the air seemed to head us.  Thankfully the little headers weren't much and an occasional lift would enable us to just lay the mark and fall off into the Chester River for an easy and very quiet broad reach, then a run as if we were making for the Kent Narrows.

Since Chestertown was our destination, the run sheeted into a broad reach, which became a close reach again as we followed the horseshoe curve that is the mouth of the Chester.  Just as we approached our waypoint for turning east and into the narrower portion of the river, the wind died.  It seemed quite alright with us as we had expected to motor this stretch due to the twisting, narrow channel that stretches to Chestertown.

It is a beautiful, pastoral scene as Kelly IV chugged past gorgeous homes, green fields, pleasant campgrounds and numerous copses of trees.  As the day wore hot in the still air, we decided to take a swim before reaching our destination.  Anchored off Devil's Reach, the mildly brackish water provided the cooling we needed to face civilization.
Schooner Martha White

Our impressive neighbor at anchor off Chestertown was the bright green schooner, Martha White, who claims Chestertown as her home port.  We spent the next day exploring the streets, homes and history of this tree-filled colonial village.  A free concert was presented at the riverside park, so we enjoyed the concertina, cello and voices of the performers before returning to Kelly IV.
Martha White and Kelly IV by Bob Zimerman
The breeze on Friday never exceeded 5 knots and was mostly nonexistent.  So the trip to Swan Creek, the anchorage by Rock Hall, MD was a motoring trip for the entire 6 hours.  It is noteworthy that we passed a log canoe being towed to Chestertown for a race the next day as well as a skipjack (also under power) taking her passengers for a hands-on history lesson.
Skipjack headed to Chestertown by Bob Zimmerman

A quick three hour motor tour (no wind) was all Kelly IV needed to bring her crew to Dobbins Island in the Magothy River, across the Chesapeake Bay from Swan Creek.  Bob, Jack and I went ashore in the dinghy to join the hundred-plus revelers already enjoying the sun, beach and water for an afternoon swim.  A light breeze kicked in as we raised anchor, so we also unfurled the jib and meandered across the Magothy dropping anchor in Mill Creek.

The return to Back Creek and the real world of work and responsibility took less than four hours but the motor did get a break for a couple of those as we sailed a port broad reach under the Bay Bridge.  Our annual sail on Kelly IV took us 100nm around the middle bay.  Not bad considering we lost two days to weather and one to wandering in Chestertown.  It was, in fact, another wonderful week spent with great friends aboard Kelly IV.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Newfoundland & the Maritimes, June 25 – July 7, 2014

Once committed to a return to the Canadian Maritime provinces for the St. Lawrence sail with Ron, it seemed a logical step to revisit places in the Canadian Maritimes I'd seen from Kelly IV and to enjoy new places and people in this terrific wonderland.
While camping in Houlton, ME I met a gent who was raised in New Zealand, but emigrated to Maine many years ago and had great stories about Maine and NZ.  We were later joined in conversation by a lady who is an artist and was visiting her mother in Houlton.  The next day I drove through New Brunswick on my way to Matane, QC and saw my first moose on the roadside.  Sorry, I missed that photo.

Returning from my sail with Ron, I enjoyed a bus trip to the ferry in Godbout, QC which took me directly to Matane where I camped for the night.  The next day I drove across the Gaspe' Peninsula enjoying dramatic vistas of boisterous rivers, colorful wooden covered bridges and mountains still touched with snow.
Evening brought me to the small port of Richibucto, New Brunswick, where Kelly IV and I met my ex-wife while she was visiting me during my 2011 cruise.  As Kelly IV was in the marina for about a week, I got to know the dockmaster and even bought his two CDs from him.  Yes, he is a singer who performs his lyrics in both French and English.  I was playing his English CD on the radio when I pulled into the marina to see if he was still there.  Lo and behold, there he was in the parking lot right where I pulled in!  He was pleasantly surprised to hear his music being played in a car with Pennsylvania plates and we enjoyed a wonderful chat catching up on old times.  And he directed me to a splendid campground on the water at the edge of town.
The next day was a lot of driving to reach Baddeck, Nova Scotia where I camped for the night.  After a foggy exercise jog along the Bras d'Or Lake, I drove to North Sydney, NS and caught the ferry for Newfoundland.  People waiting for the ferry were out of their vehicles enjoying the sunny weather, so I met folks from Punxsutawney, PA (geocachers) and Americans (from NJ/CO) who owned property in Newfoundland and enjoyed their summers there.  On board the ferry I met and enjoyed the conversation and company of several “Newfies” who gave me tips and suggestions for how best to enjoy their rugged corner of the world.  My ferry trip proved to be fun and very helpful as I learned so much about what to do and where to go.  The ferry arrived at the port of Argentia, NL on Friday morning, June 27.  Having learned that there were two icebergs just off Cape Spear and the harbor at St. John's, I drove directly to Cape Spear, the easternmost point of the continent of North America.  According to my GPS, I was standing at N47*31.463' W52*37.247'.  Just a few yards across the rocky cliff lay the Atlantic Ocean and nothing but water between me and Ireland.
Unfortunately, no iceberg was visible.  In fact, nothing more than a few yards offshore was visible!  The water was so cold and the air so warm that a thick fog prevented all visibility beyond a quarter of a mile.
Not to be deterred, I drove to the other location for sighting the icebergs, Signal Hill on the north side of the harbor entrance at St. John's, about an hours drive from Cape Spear.  It was a beautiful, clear, brilliant day of sunshine in the city of St. John so it was a fun drive through town to Signal Hill.  There were lots of tourists so I walked along the western wall enjoying the view over the harbor and city.  The view was so dramatic, I just kept walking along forgetting about the icebergs entirely.  As I got to the southern point and began following the wall along the ocean front, I noticed patchy fog with thick wisps blotting a view of the ocean, but scattered openings in the fog showed bright blue sea peeking back.
Suddenly there it was, an irregular, almost triangular shape of pure white with a small “My Favorite Martian” spaceship landed on it!  It was the iceberg I had been hoping to see.  Then through another hazy clearing in the offshore fog to the southeast appeared the second iceberg.  I was fortunate to see both icebergs from the same vantage point on Signal Hill, St. John's.

The next morning I packed my gear from the campsite in Pippy Park, St. John's and began the Irish Loop drive around the Avalon Peninsula, the southeastern corner of Newfoundland.  It is such a windblown stretch of land that much of the ground is barren of trees or the trees are small and just clustered into the hollows and dips in the landscape.  The open views are dramatic and awe-inspiring.

As I drove back north I passed a large waterfall inland south of Whitborne, NL at Colinet.  This portion  of the drive was along a provincial route that was dirt and gravel, pretty common for all but the major roads and those in the larger towns.

After crossing onto the “mainland” of Newfoundland, then turning south onto the Burin Peninsula, I discovered a small beach lakeside campsite. 
Apparently, many campers (mostly with trailers or RVs) just pull off the rural roads and camp where they please.  And many of the sites have magnificent views near the many inland ponds and lakes.  My little campsite was only a few hundred yards off the main highway, but very secluded and private with a grand panorama looking across a sizable lake.
While the biting flies and mosquitoes were thick at sunset and in the morning, my purposely smoky fire kept them at bay while I prepared my meals.
The next day my trusty Suzuki carried me south along the western coast of the Burin to a couple small, picturesque towns, Terrenceville and Harbour Mille.
Even at the wharfside, the water was so clear I could see the bottom in 10 to 20+ feet.  That evening I set up camp at Frenchman's Cove, my home for a couple days while I toured the southern extent of the Burin Peninsula and rode the ferry to France.  Yes, France holds two small islands off the coast of Newfoundland, St. Pierre and Miquelon.  While touring the Burin I spent some quality time at the Provincial Seamens' Museum in Grand Bank, NL, south of Frenchman's Cove.

While the weather was clear when the ferry departed Fortune, NL bound for St. Pierre, it was not long before the fog closed in.  It was a fine example of “thick enough to cut with a knife.”  The fog remained as I spent the day walking about St. Pierre.  When clear, I'm sure the views would be magnificent, but they were still quite stirring, even through the misty haze.

My last day in Newfoundland found me motoring back to Argentia to meet the ferry returning to Nova Scotia.  Arriving a bit early for the ferry, I stopped in a nearby cafe and met a gregarious couple from New Zealand who lived in Australia and were currently touring Canada and the US aboard their huge 5th wheel trailer and massive pickup truck.  Their style of camping sounded quite luxurious compared to my one-man tent and old scout cook kit.   :-)    And it was great fun swapping stories about their travels and mine.
I learned about Hopewell Rocks from my new Aussie friends, so made the long drive that day so I'd be able to enjoy learning about and observing the huge tide changes on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.  As it was late in the day I made plans to visit again in the morning after the tide ebbed and I could catch the imposing rocks as they stood clear of the receding waters.  Later that same day I caught the next tide at the “Reversing Falls” in Saint John, NB.  It is quite thrilling to watch as the huge flow of water changes direction and begins flooding upstream!

The drive through new Brunswick as I began the return trip to Annapolis was an adventure as well since I had to drive through Tropical Storm Arthur as it flipped large trees out of the ground and scattered branches and debris across roads, flooding the low lying, smaller throughways.  Gradually, as I made my way south to Bangor, ME, Arthur was left behind.  The next day proved to be clear and sunny so I completed the return trip to Annapolis in one day from Bangor.

Newfoundland is a grand place with monstrous icebergs, magnificent camping, friendly fun people and vistas unique to the northern landscapes.  It was an adventure I was lucky to enjoy.