Moved back to USA

This is just a place holder, to let people know that we have not fallen off the end of the earth.  Rather, we stopped boat blogging for a while, so that we could focus on moving house from France back to the USA.

We shipped the boat from La Rochelle to Ft. Lauderdale in the fall of 2013, at about the same time that we signed a contract to sell our house in France.  We closed on that house in December 2013, and transported ourselves to Stuart, FL, where we had purchased a house in a gated community.  Life in Stuart was easier, in some ways, than France, but in other ways is was also a bit stressful.  Four years later, we found our dream house, only about 7 miles away.  It has one big advantage that the old one did not have - we can keep the boat at the dock in the back yard!!

So now we live in Palm City, FL.  The boat has been up and down the ICW several times in the intervening years.  It spent over a year on the hard in Deale, Md, when rxc's mother needed to move down to Florida, and we spent most of that time taking care of her.

This past summer we sailed/motored up to Baltimore, took a long bicycle trip to Pittsburgh,  sailed from Baltimore up the Hudson River to Poughkeepsie, and back to Deale, where the boat is currently on the hard.  It will head back south in November, once we clear the hurricane season.

Maybe it will be time to restart the boat blog...

The Return Trip

We’re Back!

Sorry for the delay in posting this – we were without internet connectivity for 5 days, and then so busy unloading the boat and doing house maintenance that I was not able to put it all together.

We are now back home, and Petillant is back in her berth in Port Medoc, after a great sail down from Milford Haven.  After 4 months of heavy seas, adverse winds, and rain, we got a great weather window and rode it south.

La Rentree

We left Milford Haven at 0600 on August 31, with the sun coming up brightly, and the tide behind us.   The conditions were quite good, with the wind from the WNW at about 12 kts.  Once we turned the corner in MH to the south, we hoisted the sails, and off we went. 

Lion Sighting in Milford Haven

We stayed in Kilmore Quay for 4 days, waiting for bad weather to blow thru.  It blew and it rained, and there was one sunny day, and one cloudy day.  We took a day trip up to Wexford and walked around a very nice town that seems to have retained its down-town shopping area quite well.  It would certainly be a destination for sailors if the entrance had not silted up, and made it extremely difficult to enter. The bus service was decent, and there was a Dunne’s in town that we used for a moderate shopping trip.

Heading South

Howth

We left Ardglass on the 14^th, heading south.  It was clear that Tuesday would be the only day that would be even possibly passable to head to Dublin, so we went for it.  The boat that we had been rafted to,in Ardglass, was supposed to leave at 3AM, to make a tide window into Peel on the Isle of Man, but they decided to stay in port, so we left first.  The trip was not too bad – Force 4-5, occasionally 6, with the seas starting out light, but eventually turning moderate.  The wind was on the nose, so we motored the whole way, but did some motor-sailing at times to take advantage of some slight variations in wind direction.

Strangford Lough and Ardglass

We are now in Ardglass, Northern Ireland.  We spent Friday sailing placidly out of Bangor, down the coast of NI, and up into Strangford Lough, where we stopped at the Killyleagh Yacht Club. 

The trip started quite well, with the installation of the autopilot and the seatrial tests and adjustments.  Raymarine and DHL came thru with a delivery of the unit as expected. They found the burnt resistor and repaired it, at the nominal cost of only about €500(!), but when you have had to hand steer for long periods of time, cost is (essentially) no object.

Bangor

We left Troon on Aug 6, at 6AM, to try to catch the tide out the Firth of Clyde and then south to Bangor.  This was generally pretty successful, although the weather threatened all the way across the North Channel.  We managed to sail for about 8 hours out of the 10 hour crossing, on a close reach all the way, at 6.5-8 kts.  The current in the North Channel was as predicted, and we saw LOTS of ferries.

We will be here for at least three nights.  Phil and Joan are already in Dublin, and are having fund down there before they come up on Wednesday.  Also, the autopilot has been fixed, and should be shipped tommorrow.  If they did as we asked, it should be here on Wed, as well.  No more hand-steering!  Yeahhh!

Kitties are having fun exploring the pier - we are at the furthermost point in the Marina, but there are a fair number of power-boats here with stern platforms that can be sniffed.  And LOTS of very interesting gull droppings...

Troon

We left Oban on August 27 and headed up to Dunstaffnage, where we participated in the Jeanneau Scotland Rendevous.  This was a gathering of Jeanneau boats, and it was quite well attended, considering the location.  We had a great time talking to other Jeanneau owners,  dealers, and factory reps about our boats.  The food at the Wide-Mouthed Frog restaurant was quite good, as well.  We also won a  step-bumper during the quiz-night!

Oban, Again

We are almost ready to leave Oban, heading north, again.  But this time, we will only go about 10 miles, to the Jeanneau Scottish Rendevous, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday in Dunstaffnage.  Our time here has been productive, restorative, and pleasant.

Dante’s Latest Talent, Revealed

In the last posting we made an allusion to some “Dante” activity at Rona.  Well, it involved Dante, and the pier we tried to tie up to, and a ladder, and water...

Malts Cruise, Second Half

Well, we are now back in Oban for a while, to recover from the Malts Cruise, and to refresh ourselves before we start the trek back south.  It has been a good trip so far.  We tasted quite a bit of whisky (not too much, mind you), ate some good food, met some interesting people, visited quite a few interesting places, and also discovered something new about Dante’s capabilities(see next post).

Rona

We left Loch Dunvegan on July 15, with a nice NW wind, and hoisted the sails about 30 minutes after we left the anchorage.  The sun came out, and we sailed close-hauled  up to the north, and then the NE, around the tip of  Skye.  We made it all the way to 57° 43’ N before we turned SE towards Rona.  Interestingly enough, this is NOT the furthest north we have been so far.  We actually made it to 57° 44’ north outside Lossiemouth, on the way into Inverness.  But it did seem a bit further into the wilderness rounding the top of Skye.  We could see the Outer Hebrides to the west and north, but they will have to wait for another trip, alas.  It was a glorious sail, with no motoring till we got to Rona.

Dunvegan and first part of Malts Cruise

We are in Loch Dunvegan, at the NW corner of Skye.  It is now about 1 week since the Malt's Cruise started, and we are doing pretty well.

Tobermory

We left Oban on July 8, after a nice parade of sail, and headed up the sound towards Tobermory.  The wind was on the beam, and we held 8 kts (!) for about 1.5 hours, till we entered the straits, and it dies/shifted ahead.  We played with the wind a bit, trying to sail, for another hour before we gave up and moroted about half way.  The slips were all taken by boats that had left the parade of sail early, and were more "racer-equipped" than we are, so we took a mooring and dropped the dinghy for the first time this trip..

Dante reloaded

Well, the previous post regarding Dante was a bit premature.  He was back on the boat for only about 4 hours when he started to throw up again, so back he went into the carrier, and we pushed to the head of the line for the ferry.  The vet decided to keep him overnight again, and then for a third night, before letting him come home today(Saturday).  He now thinks that maybe Dante had a stomach ulcer.

He responded very quickly and positively to the antibiotic that is used to treat stomach ulcers, and is now eating like a horse.  He is also back to normal, wanting to go outside the boat, and very awake and aware.  Calypso is very suspicious about him, because he smells very different (we wonder if they washed him with something).

He is doing well, and we have made an important discovery - it is easy to pill Dante - he eats the antibiotic in his wet food, and the two times we had to do the manual pill, it was easy.

The flags are all up, we just finished the first grand meal of the Cruise, and we are ready to start the cruise.  The boat is fully watered, we found and fixed a significant leak in the bow that was driving us nuts, and we have a reservation for the 3 Chimneys on Bastille Day.

Off to Tobermory tommorrow.

Oban

4-8 July

The trip down Loch Linnie was uneventful.  The sea lock was easy, and we had a tidal push down the loch.  We even got to sail for about an hour.  Arrival was at about noon, and we just found a nice spot close to the shore and the shuttle.  Changed engine oil and discovered that we don’t have any more oil filters on board – not good.  Will lower the dinghy and check it out this afternoon, and try to find an oil filter tomorrow.

Dante's Meal

While we have been in the Caledonian Canal, the cats have been having a ball.  Everywhere we stop they get the chance to get off and eat grass, hunt a bit, and contemplate great feline ideas.  They don’t have to worry about whether the seas will be slight, moderate, rough, agitee, or tres agitee.  Calypso has actually stopped drooling(!).  The last morning at the top of Neptune’s Staircase, however, may have been the last time they are allowed to do this.  We were delayed entering the Staircase because of diving work, so Dante got the morning off to go ashore.  Which he did.

Inverness and Caledonian Canal

Inverness                            

25-26 June

Next day opened with overcast skies, but no rain, and predictions of “slight” seas.  We left a bit early to make sure that we had enough water to get out, and we were able to set sails for a while, moving along the south coast of the Firth.  We had occasional patches of sunshine, and Robin got her first opportunity to take the helm and steer.  Seas were indeed slight, and we caught a good current into Inverness, where we found all sorts of strong eddies under the bridge and at the mouth of the river. No problem, and we settled into the marina for one night before our entrance into the canal.

East Coast of Scotland

Eyemouth                           

16-18 Jun

Our original plan after Blyth had been to get to the Holy Islands, just off the coast.  These aresupposed to be quite interesting,  with a good anchorage, but we were a bit short on fuel and the weather was looking like it would be good for only one day.  So, we decided to head for Eyemouth, which was a bit further, but supposedly had a harbor we could get into, and fuel, as well.

 We motored most of the way, in weather that deteriorated continuously, but the seas did not get too high.  We got a slight boost from the current as we passed thru the Holy Islands, and we finally arrived in Eyemouth around 6:00 PM.  The harbormaster kindly took us on the fuel pier immediately, and of course, it then started to rain.  So, we fueled in the rain, and then went alongside a high wall between two large fishing boats.  We had to use our longest lines, and the harbor was filled with debris from the stream that runs thru the town, but we were safely in port, again for 2 days, to wait for more bad weather to blow thru.

East Coast of England

Lowestoft

June 6, 2012

We arrived in Lowestoft about 5:00 PM on Jun 6.  The weather that had started so well had deteriorated, so that the winds were on the nose, and thunderheads were building.  Lowestoft has an outer harbor that is divided into a commercial section, and an inner harbor that is an adjunct to a marina located further upstream.  There is also another marina right inside the entrance, but the one further along was one of our partner marinas, so we decided to use it.  It was a mixed bag.

We arrived after hours, but we called the marina cell phone number, and a very nice woman told us to take one particular slip and contact her in the morning.  We didn’t have any problems finding  the slip, but the weather was predicted to deteriorate, so we took a different one that didn’t have another boat right next door.  It was a good decision.

Crossing the Thames

Harwich and Felixstowe – the Estuary of Wind

June 5, 2012

Finally, the wind gods smiled on us, and off we went up the coast.  We tried to time the departure to coincide with a north-going current, and were slightly successful.  The sun was out, off-and-on, as we passed Ramsgate and headed across the Thames estuary.  This body of water has a number of sand banks that spread out in the form of a palm, with the banks as fingers reaching out into the Channel.  There are shortcuts across the banks in some places, and you can use these to avoid long detours.  Some are marked for use by large ships, some are marked and used by anybody, and some are not marked at all, or the markers have disappeared, over the years. 

Dover

We stayed in Dover quite a bit longer than we had planned.  6 days, to be exact, and it was a good rest.  Kitties seem to have gotten over the trauma of the ferry ride, and we have been playing tourist all over the region, by train, bus, and on foot.  The first afternoon we wandered thru the Dover shopping district – the “High Street” area – and were a bit surprised to find that the shops closed promptly at 5:00PM.  All of them, including M&S.  It seems like the small shop mentality is even more strict here than in France, where you can at least find a boulangerie open at 6-7PM (maybe almost out of bread, but still open).  Wonder if this is associated with earlier dining hours here than in France.

Fog in Channel - Continent Cut Off!

That's Calais back there somewhere

6:15 came eventually, and the cell phone alarm went off.  Just in time for us to turn on BBC4 and hear the shipping forecast, which included “Fog Patches” in the Dover Straits.  A look out the window revealed grey everywhere, but it was possible to see all the ships and the harbor.  More weather reports later, in French and in English, talked of areas of fog and low visibility.  But none of the reports said definitely that the fog had gotten so dense that the continent was now cut off from Britain.