Sailing

Blog entries while sailing

I see no evil

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These three guys looked over us at a beautiful anchorage on the island of Culebrita. Notice the one on the right holding his head. We coined them see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. There couldn’t be anything evil on that beautiful island, which even has a working lighthouse. Could be our next gig! The light works, even though it’s toppled over and the buildings are in ruins. Photos to follow.

There were heart rocks afoot.

Then in the rain forest, El Yunque National Park, in southeastern Puerto Rico, we found man eating ferns! It was strange to be in a rain forest and find typical USDA park signs. We felt like we were a world away from the United States. Our road back to the airport however passed the worst of the worst in architecture. Strip mall after strip mall. Walmarts, McDonalds and traffic!

Time to get the island back into this blog

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We traveled south where the skies are blue and the water is warm. We chartered a sailboat, with friends, from the eastern part of Puerto Rico and sailed from there to and around the island of Culebra. A good time was had by all. We had all sorts of weather except snow. We relied on the kindness of strangers on more than one occasion and the universe delivered. I think I saw three rainbows in all.

What you won’t see are the torrential rains that doused us, because I wanted to protect my camera. Since I have no digital images of the storms, I may simply forget all about them. I may also forget the fact that our berth’s porthole leaked and we began the trip with damp sheets and mattresses.

There were some beautiful moments every day. We swam off the boat and I was reminded of how much I enjoy sailing or camping because I am outside from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep.

These colors work in the Caribbean but they would be too bold for home; they don’t meet the Adirondack Park Agency guidelines.

Caumsett Fall

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Well we did it.   We moved to the Adirondacks and we’re dealing with all the fun that comes with a move — where is the…?  After several lovely days anchored in the unnavigable waters of the Sand Hole at Caumsett State Park, we headed east to Setauket and Port Jefferson.  The night before we were to move off the boat, a gale moved in.  I didn’t sleep too well because I kept waking and chanting, “gale go away”.  it didn’t and there we were with the last of our stuff, 6 bags, and the two cat carriers.  The harbor was too rough to get ashore in our beloved port a boat and we had to be rescued by a sea tow launch.  Very embarrassing and a little unsafe.  We knew weather was coming and employed mystical thinking – bad idea.  But we made it ashore.
Is this a dried shark?

Water Tank

My Favorite Tree in the World

False advertising at Brad and Angelina’s

This could be the view from our front porch…but it’s not

This is

I took a real shower the night we moved in and didn’t have to think about water or electricity. I haven’t been able to put away my head lamp yet because we can’t find any of our lamps.  Photos of the house to follow.  I think the real reason the sellers moved was that they couldn’t get internet here.  People rely on satellite and it’s slower than dial up.  We have been using an ATT usb modem for years but we don’t have any coverage here.  Our Verizon cell phones have been working so yesterday we drove an hour to a Verizon store in Plattsburg and bought a MYFi.  Naturally it set up easily on my Mac.  But….DH has a Windows Vista computer and that took about 5 hours to set up.  It wouldn’t recognize the wifi broadband until I found new drivers for it.  What a pain.  I realized I am a Windows enabler.  Arghhhh.

Cats Looking for the boat

It’s been real but…

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We’re moving. To a house! Our plan hadn’t been to remain on the boat in the northeast for November. We were headed to the Bahamas and then the real estate market beckoned. DH found the dream home in the Adirondacks. If we continued on with our original plan, we wouldn’t have spent any time there until Spring 2011. So we changed course so to speak. We’ve hovered around our home port waiting for a closing date. It has been a beautiful crisp fall with the emphasis on crisp. While hiking yesterday – and taking advantage of free hot showers at my alma mater- we got the call that the closing date is set. We’ve become very efficient at paperwork first without a printer on the boat and now from only our cellphones. From the park, we contacted PODS, who won’t deliver to our new address, and arranged for our mover to get our stuff. We called the insurance company and got a binder faxed to two attorneys. And I think that is that. I’m looking forward to seeing the house for the first time. The kitchen has to be better than the boat’s galley and I hear the views are stupendous. And there aren’t any acupuncturists in the community at the moment. If I can warm up my needles, I’ll be set.

Betwixt and between

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We’re in limbo at the moment.  Not quite nice enough to enjoy being on the boat and still waiting for a closing date on the house.  It’s hard to be in the moment when the nightime lows are predicted to be in the 30’s F.

We spent a couple of days at the Sand Hole in Caumsett Park.  The scenery was spectacular and we ran and enjoyed watching the boat traffic on the sound.  We were dismayed to see the signs that greeted us though. We’ve both enjoyed this anchorage for decades and were surprised to see a sign that said inlet not navigable.  We took it slowly and realized the sign was bogus to keep out….who?  The inlet sits within a state park but there are a few private homes nearby.    I ranted about New Yorkers last time but it flies in the face of the hospitality we have enjoyed elsewhere.  People have given us moorings, showers, lent us their car.  And then when we return to our own backyard we are met with this.

We spent yesterday at the Norwalk Aquarium.  The highlight for me was seeing a set of twins at one of the tanks.  They must have been about 3 years old.  One exclaimed when she saw the tank ,  “Oh anemones!! ”  I’m not sure I can even spell that.  Then she pointed out the clown fish in the tank.  Her sister looked into the tank and said, “Soap!”

We sailed back to Setauket last night.  It always starts as a great idea, full moon, fair wind.  By the time we arrived at Port Jefferson, after passing a barge, ghost sailboat and ferry, the wind picked up, the waves were crashing and the moon disappeared.  It goes to show you it’s always something.

Stony Brook from the Sound

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After spending 12 years here, Stony Brook Hospital looks much better from the boat.  Premed, medical school and residency.  Now look at me.

Tim’s take on the trashed boat in Setauket

We’ve made tracks over the past week or so and are now in limbo.  We are waiting to hear when we can close on the house in the Adirondacks.  In the meantime, it’s getting a little cold on the boat and we are all ready to head ashore.  I’m in my home waters now, passed my alma mater and spent several days in Huntington Harbor, while it rained.  It was great.  i caught up with Cooper and yesterday, we went into Manhattan and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Today we headed to a beautiful anchorage but it was littered with BS signs.  Only in NY.  The entrance said inlet was not navigable and within it there were signs posted that said private inlet.  Can’t Happen!!  I don’t think land can be owned in NY below the high tide line and since we haven’t run aground, we must be ok.  Entitled New Yorkers.  nothing could be worse.  Oh yes, something could be worse.  false advertising for the PODS company.  We are waiting to move.  We ran around like maniacs getting all the paperwork we needed to close on the house in the Adirondacks.  Now there is some delay and in addition – the PODS can’t be delivered to the house so we have to hire another mover.  What a ripoff and an example of misleading or false advertising.  Feels great to rant.  Now I have to turn over the computer to the Yankees.

Last 3 stitches of handspun shawl

Sky over Eaton’s Neck

Huntington Lighthouse

Crew awaiting orders, Padnamaran, MA

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Still a little crooked

Dented and crooked

Block Island Fall

House with a hole through it

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Officially in Long Island Sound

Mattituck Inlet

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Our summer cottage 1992 on right

Following seas

Cormorant float Setauket

Content seagull

Red buoy marking inlet to Setauket Harbor

Best Sailboat Purchase Ever

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I’ve been meaning to write about this for a long time.  Sailboats have tall masts, ours is about 45 feet above the deck and stuff breaks on them and someone, usually the lighter of the crew, is sent aloft to do the repairs in a bosun’s chair.  This ia a harness attached to the rope at the top of the mast and is hoisted up by the stronger of the pair.  Get the picture.  I am sent to the top while DH hoists me there.  Well at the beginning of the season we did this a couple of times and although I got used to it, I never really liked it and besides the bosun’s chair didn’t seat well with me and I sometimes felt like I would slide out of it.
After some research, I decided to buy an ATN Topclimber to make my job easier.  Well the great news is that there is no hoisting involved so DH tried it.  Basically you use climbing gear to climb up a line attached to the top of the mast.  It took several trips to master it, and anything takes several trips.  We removed and replaced the radar reflector.   Searched for but never really found leaks into the mast and subsequently into the cabin.  Our anchor light stopped working and that took literally about 5 trips up and down with potential purchased replacements.  The best purchase for me has relieved me of the need to go aloft.  It’s even fun for the kids.  When Andre and Sarah visited us, Andre went up the mast for kicks and giggles and took some photos.