Annapolis to Buffalo to Little Current - June 1-24, 2017

Towing the sailboat behind the RV around Washington, DC proved challenging but thankfully the traffic was much less than normal as we were travelling on a Sunday morning.

Our friends, Roger and Gail, thru-hikers on the AT, crossed this bridge a couple months before we drove under it.

We had an eventful evening in Breezewood when our carbon monoxide alarm sounded, alerting us to the fumes from neighboring trucks parked next to us.  A hurried move to a Walmart down the road created a peaceful evening out of the minor chaos.  Our next night was in a pretty KOA near Mercer, PA where we enjoyed a swim and lounging evening in their warm, sunny pool.  The next couple nights were almost perfect as we enjoyed the scenery and sunsets over Lake Erie at Evangola State Park, NY.

Our campsite in Evangola State Park

Lake Erie Sunset at Evangola State Park

The weather was perfect as our hostess, Mary, took us on a great tour of the Buffalo, NY waterfront.

Mary and Karen pose at Canalside in Buffalo

 
As we continued our trip north, we felt as if we were driving a submarine, the rains around Toronto were so heavy.  They thinned a bit as we made our way to Parry Sound, then on to Little Current, Ontario.  In Parry Sound we visited the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame.  In Little Current we found wonderful people, a nice municipal marina and a place for both the RV and Irish Rover as we made plans to cruise the gorgeous waters of Lake Huron's fabled North Channel.

Irish Rover and the RV in Little Current

Although the sun came out for these photos, we never saw temperatures above 70F and often walked through the drizzle and chill of this northern clime.

Spider Bay Marina, Little Current, ON

Irish Rover at Sunset in Little Current

Little Current Sunset

As the days wore on, we decided it was just too chilly and wet for these two warm water sailors to venture upon the clear, cold, fresh channels of the North Channel.  We enjoyed our last couple days at the campground in Sheguiandah, near Little Current and made plans to head for the warmer fresh water seas of Lake Erie.

Our campsite at Batman's, Shenguiandah, ON

Our campsite at Batman's, Shenguiandah, ON

Campsite sunset, Sheguiandah

For a change in travel experiences, we chose the ferry route south from Manitoulin Island.  It proved a fun, relaxing way to move the RV and Irish Rover across from South Baymouth to Tobermory.

Our transport southbound

We were on our way to warmer, drier weather!

RV and Irish Rover to Chesapeake and Great Lakes, May - September, 2017 (Click thru the "Newer Posts" at Bottom)

Titusville, FL to Annapolis, MD - May 15 - June 1, 2017

Karen and I departed Monday morning, driving all day northward until we reached a truck stop in South Carolina.  We decided to spend the night after topping the fuel tank and took off the next morning headed for our campsite at Jordan Lake Campground in North Carolina.

Our little RV and boat shrink even smaller compared to our neighbors in the truck stop

Here's what we look like if you get a bit closer

The campground at Jordan Lake was quiet, secluded and beautiful.

Nice pull-through campsite, all to ourselves

We enjoyed a couple walks around the campground, then the next day we hiked through the woods, covering about 4 miles.  Karen's cousins, Chip, Paula and Kathy joined us for a fun reunion dinner on Thursday evening.  Friday morning we departed for another driving day with our destination being Cedarville State Park, Brandywine, MD.

A back-in site, this one was a bit trickier than Jordan Lake

Although the campground weekend was full for the weekend, we had it all to ourselves from Sunday noon until we left on Thursday.  We took several hikes through the woods and got our water heater and trailer jack repaired.

Beaver dam seen on one of our walks in Cedarville State Park

No room for us in the State Park over the Memorial Day Weekend, so we moved our rig to a county/regional park, Louise Cosca Park in Clinton, MD.  It was also close to Upper Marlboro, MD where we attended Karen's high school reunion.

We watched these two guys for several minutes while on a walk in Cosca Park

In between walks through the tall trees and around the pond (called Lake Cosca) Karen and Murph enjoyed an evening at Karen's high school reunion in Upper Marlboro, MD.

Karen and I launched Irish Rover on Wednesday, May 31 but it took all afternoon as we also had numerous gear and provisioning tasks for our first cruise aboard our new-to-me sailboat.

Irish Rover and Karen as we prepare to depart Sandy Point State Park for Annapolis, MD.

The weather proved very cool and wet as the rain and chill pursued us all the way from Sandy Point into Annapolis Harbor and Spa Creek, where we set the anchor.  So many beautiful sailboats in Annapolis and we caught this Herreshoff in a brief video, visible on Google.

Herreshoff under sail

We enjoyed catching up with friends, noshing great crab cakes, and immersing ourselves in the sailors' walking port of Annapolis.  On Saturday we picked up Karen's grandson at Truxton Park and the three of us sailed out of the harbor to enjoy the start of the Annapolis to Newport sailboat race on the Chesapeake Bay.

Racers maneuvering for the start of the Annapolis to Newport race.

As the rain and cold continued,  we decided to haul Irish Rover and return to RV living at Cosca Park.

The turtles lined up on the sunken tree sunning themselves at Lake Cosca.

A larger turtle captured this log for himself.

While our visits with friends made the trip to Annapolis worthwhile, the dreary weather made us look forward to our departure for new and different venues on our northbound trip.

Irish Rover Shakedown - May 9-10, 2017

Karen and I took Irish Rover to the Titusville Municipal Boat Ramp for a brief but very important test of the boat.  Mostly we wanted to confirm we could handle the various systems, especially raising and lowering the mast on our own, just the two of us.  As it turns out, we mostly did fine, but found that if there is a stiff breeze, then I would have trouble keeping the mast from swaying side-to-side.  Now we've added stiff side spars to keep the mast centered when less than fully upright.  We also discovered that it can be difficult to prevent the slack shrouds and aft stay from fouling while we are busy in the process of raising the mast.  On this day, after two episodes of fouling, lowering and re-raising the mast, we recruited a fellow sailor to keep the shrouds and stay free while Karen and I hauled the mast upright.

Irish Rover and her tow vehicle, the RV

As this was our first time preparing the boat for the water, it was also our first time installing the bimini, stowing provisions, shipping the dinghy and motor aboard.  We were very careful and deliberate in everything so we took much more time than we expect to in the future.  All told, it was 6 hours of preparation before we left the pier and were actually sailing (OK, motoring) away.

Sunset, May 9, 2017

Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset, moonrise and sunrise as we prepared our dinner, slept, and breakfasted before returning to the ramp to haul our new-to-me boat, lowering the mast and preparing her for our summer adventures and road trip.

Moonrise, May 9, 2017

Sunrise, May 10, 2017

Return to the Florida Keys, Curry Hammock State Park - April 29 - May 4, 2017

Karen and I decided we wanted a few days to just relax.  We had been rather busy all winter as we sold Kelly IV, then bought and refurbished a new-to-us RV and sailboat.  The RV, boat and trailer were nearly ready to begin our summer adventure, so we felt we deserved a few days to just relax and enjoy ourselves.

RV, bikes and kayaks are ready for a short vacation trip

As we knew that sailing Irish Rover would be more work than fun on such a short trip, we left our new-to-me sailboat and took our bikes and kayaks instead.

A large crab scurried into his hole as we set up camp

There were numerous crabs in our campsite, but we barely caught site of them as they rushed away to hide in their holes scattered around the edge of our campsite.  With a bright sun and stiff breeze, it seemed a good idea to raise our tarp over the picnic table so we could enjoy the breeze in the shade of the canvas.

Murph's old BSA trail tarp serves well again

We spent our first day just relaxing, walking the beach, reading, and resting.  The next day we launched the kayaks and paddled around the small bay nestled between Little Crawl Key and Crawl Key.  It was a good opportunity to test our paddle float which enables a lone paddler to climb back into his kayak in the event she/he capsizes.  It turns out to require a significant effort, but is doable.  The next day was our bicycle ride of 18 miles round trip to Sombrero Beach, a beautiful, long strtch of powdery sand beach.

Karen begins her bike hike

These shots don't do justice to the grand spectacle that is Sombrero Beach.

The path to the beach is a walkway to a blue wonderland

Sky and sea present a grand view

Our last full day was spent on a longer kayak trip that took us east past Crawl Key, out to a sandbar for a brief wading session, around a small islet for a close look at the mangroves and crabs, south to another sandbar for swimming and wading, then our return to Little Crawl Key.

Murph and kayaks as we return to our launch site

Spring Training Baseball - March 9-14, 2017

With a "Land Yacht" now at my disposal, adventures away from the water are more easily accessible.  The first CaptMurph land adventure was shared with Harry from Annapolis.  Although he's an accomplished sailor, Harry is also a rabid baseball fan.  We've shared a number of baseball games together over the years including trips to Pittsburgh and Boston.

Pittsburgh, May 22, 2014

Boston, September 9, 2014

Now based in Florida, it only made sense that we should begin our baseball season early with a round of Spring Training games.

March 9, 2017 - Karen joined us for the first game just a few hours after Harry's plane landed in Orlando.

Karen, Harry at Champion Stadium, NYY vs ATL

Harry let the world know what we were doing  .  .  .

Atlanta Saxophone Quartet by Harry Jones

Harry and I set up the RV in a pretty little site
across the river from Bradenton, FL in Palmetto, FL.

March 10, 2017, before the Pirates' ball game

The Bradenton Police all wear
Pittsburgh Pirates ball caps!

March 10th was the second day of our Spring Training extravaganza. The next five days were all Pirates' or Orioles' games, so it felt like we had some "skin" on these games, unlike the NYY vs ATL.  The kickoff for these "important" games began at the former McKechnie Field, now LECOM Park, Spring Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Harry & Murph at Lecom Park.

We met briefly with Carl, a sailing buddy who has one of the best retirement jobs . . . 

he is a professional cameraman (video and stills) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Pittsburgh Steelers!

Carl is using his video camera in the center of this photo

Of course the game was a great experience regardless of the outcome . . . AND the PIRATES WIN!  

Harry's facebook post says it all:

Dinner was at the Bridge Tender Inn, Bradenton Beach, on the ICW.

View from our al fresco table

The sign at the head is correct:  "Women are Always RIGHT!"

March 11 - Today was Pirates vs Orioles, the BIG GAME!

Harry & I resemble this poster!   :-)

Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota was the venue for this game and it proved to be a terrific game with both clubs in it until the O's wrapped it up with a walk-off home run!  Two games in a row ended the same way!

Harry truly enjoyed his team's BIG WIN!

Josef and Murph before the hockey
game.  by Harry Jones

Frank, Harry, Joseph and Murph at Amalie Area

There were numerous fights as the Bolts and Panthers are fierce rivals.

The home team won as the TB Lightning beat the Florida Panthers, 3 to 2.

March 12 - Back to baseball!  Harry and I returned to Bradenton and LECOM Park to watch the Pirates beat the Minnesota Twins, 4 to 3.

Pirates Score!

During our walk in downtown Bradenton before dinner, we saw these fish off the pier

March 13 - We followed the Twins to Ed Smith Stadium and the Orioles for our 5th baseball game in as many days.  The O's were successful, beating the Twins handily, 8 to 6.

The teams warm up in Ed Smith Stadium

Harry got this great pic of his O's banners at Ed Smith Stadium.  As a Pirates fan, I couldn't help but notice the AL Champs banner for 1979.  We all know the Pirates won the World Series in 1979, defeating the Baltimore Orioles!

O's Banners on Display at Ed Smith Stadium

March 14 - Our last day of Spring Training Baseball was celebrated at Ed Smith Stadium again, however, this time the O's succumbed to the Tampa Bay Rays, 6 - 9 in a sunny slugfest.  Great fun to watch, even though the Birds came up short.

Harry enjoying sun, beer and baseball

We got another fan to catch a final photo of our enjoyment of Spring baseball while our friends up north were digging out from the blizzard of 2017!

Our final appearance at Ed Smith Stadium!