Heading South

[rcwhite]

I may not do this post justice but here goes:)

We are running south from Maine to the gulf coast. Had to bring a boat north and other general prep and paying work so we didn’t get going until last week which left us with small windows to push our way down to the ICW.

Day one, Home port Maine to Isle of Shoals. Unfortunately with the season over we were unable to go ashore for a walk. A lovely SE for the first leg. We used up the NW wind on the trip north but looking at the weather we wouldn’t have another window for a week (or more looking now) and if we didn’t start out we may not at all. Hardest part is getting out of the door sometimes.

Day two, a brisk run to the cape in a NW with a small craft. While we are in the bay it turned to a gale warning:) Weather is behind us so just a bit slow going, anchored in Clark’s Cove in Buzzards bay to sit out the northerly for the night

Day three, NW to Norwalk Ct. A bit sloppy around Fishers but ran the shoreline and had a nice trip to otherwise. Nice folk at the marina there and met another couple who also got a late start but run a bit slower so we probably won’t see them again this trip.

Day three. We started out thinking NY to wait out the next blow but it was a nice day to keep moving so we continued to Atlantic City to tie up for the next storm.
Storm surge was pretty bad there. The water was covering the road and buildings around us by 3’ or so but we were well protected. Marina folks said they hadn’t seen water rise like this since Sandy.

Day 4, hold up in Atlantic City. Once the water receded we went ashore and walked around. CG boat was practicing some heavy surf handling in the inlet.
Minor repairs to the shower sump and stbd tach wiring.

Day 5, Chincoteague Va. Ocean City was a fallback but this port appealed to us and the weather was favorable. Lovely place with friendly folk. Most run the inside route I suspect but based on the weather and distances this worked better for us.

Day 6, waiting out the blow in Chincoteague. Town tie up is convienent location and fair price. Walked a good distance so Ruth could see the ponies:)
Finally warm enough to not need heat! Still have the ice we started out with on the cooler.
Finally got around to replacing the curtain tracks in the head and galley.

Day 7- not there yet but expect to anchor around Norfolk for the night. From here we are looking to slow down and run st a relaxed pace to the gulf coast. Just have to get out of the northeast:)

[dscott]

I too am going south in an a27 fc. I held in Norfolk while the remnants of hurricane Michael went over. You are going much faster. What speed are you going on you 35te? What kind of fuel consumption. Is the 35 good for a run like this. During the next couple of years I will be in the market for a 35te.

Thanks,

[rcwhite]

The 35 is quite comfortable for travel. We have made some changes suited to how we cruise - Ice maker is now an outboard bracket. Livewell has been replaced to be more of an outside cooking area and storage. Built to allow ready access to the deck plate over the fuel tanks. Battery bank changes, inverter and a better fridge.

We can run pretty efficiently with the engines at 1200 and speed around 8.5 knots.
Any slower and the engines just don't run hot enough. Even at this speed we turn them up on occasion. I haven't had a chance to but it looks like we burn about 3.5 at this speed. I do envy the .5 gph trawlers at the pump:) We can and do run much faster
at times but fuel consumption goes up dramatically. it is nice to be able to make time when needed though.

It's great you have had the time and opportunity you have had to explore this fall. With any luck we will be able to spend more going north in the spring.

[rcwhite]

We made a slight change to our planned entry to the ICW in Norfolk and ran outside for the night to Beaufort. It was a perfect night for traveling outside at a relaxed pace. Just a few tugs, occasional like minded traveler and a late rising moon. Ruth can now brag she has rounded Hatteras at night:)

[DougSea]

Sounds like a great trip! Hope you made your destination safely and without too much drama!

As a fellow 35 owner I'd love to see and hear more about the updates you made for cruising.

[rcwhite]

Hi Doug,
We had an enjoyable trip with only minor "normal" drama for the most part.

We had a chance to test the aft pump after the washdown pump hose blew
off and it ran for the day. Yes, normally this is turned off after cleaning the anchor
but that is a different discussion:) The mid pump got a new float after we arrived here as well.

Had little early morning excitement when one of the shift cables dropped leaving
an engine in reverse when leaving the dock in Beaufort NC. Fortunately we had
plenty of coffee and figured out what happened prior to the crash:) Limped back
to the dock on one engine, made repairs and we were off before sunrise.

Started seeing too much smoke and rough low speed running from the port engine
but fortunately this was reasonably close to our destination so it didn't
impact our trip. I swapped the injectors after we arrived and all is well again.

We have done a number of things over time to suit us better for cruising.

Replaced the original fridge with an Isotherm. It has about 50% more capacity and is
much quieter. Had to make a flange to mount it as it is actually slightly smaller.

Originally we had 8D starting batteries and a 4D house. This has been changed
to 4D starting batteries and a bank of 4 6V house batteries. This gave us over
2x the house capacity without needing to make any changes to the battery box.

I added a 1800 watt inverter so we didn't need to use the generator nearly as much.
We stopped using the genny on the way down once we were far enough down to not need
to heat the cabin except for cooking. The inverter ran a heater on the bridge which kept us
comfortable under way in the 30's & 40's we had up north when we started out.
It is large enough to run the small appliances for coffee and light cooking and combined
with the butane campstove and grill in the cockpit most times the genny isn't needed for
cooking at this point.

A small item that made life much easier was to add snaps to the forward curtain so
it didn't need to be rolled up. It can just be unzipped and snapped to the hard top. I did
this on the way down and wonder why I didn't sooner. Much easier and quicker and
it doesn't scratch it up they way rolling it does.

[rcwhite]

To update this before I forget too much more..

We had a lovely trip down overall and are looking forward to some extended
travels down here as time & work permits and the return trip in the spring. It took
us almost 3 weeks which was a little rushed but we tend to be goal oriented and
combined with a late start and wanting to arrive about a week prior to the kids visiting
this is the time we had.

We didn't get into the ICW until almost South Carolina just stopping
in Beaufort NC for the night to visit then heading back out but stayed inside
for the rest of the trip crossing Florida via the Okeechobee. This was Ruth's
first lock experience but she was comfortable by the 2nd lock.

On the trip north we will probably run outside more down here and travel inside some
of the areas we missed on the way down spending some additional time in places we
want to see more of.

We expected to see more people traveling down the coast and talking to some folks
on the way down, the migration was slow to pick up this year with parts of the ICW having
been closed for a while. We saw signs of the storm damage in SC where FEMA appeared
to just be getting started in areas with the cleanup.

The Waterway Guides are a good reference for the trip but we found some of the
nicest places were ones that were not recommended and will not return to others that
are. Some of this is our preference I am sure, but they do seem to cater to the commercial
and likely the least experienced of the readers.

[rcwhite]

A couple of moments to remember I forgot to mention..

While passing though Georgia, we slowed for a bridge and saw a USCG a ways ahead boat after passing under.
Another boat was in a hurry through the bridge behind us but they decided we were more interesting:) No harm
in getting checked out and we were on our way.

We missed a Manatee zone on the gulf coast around dusk where the sign wasn't near enough the channel to be apparent. Ruth took offense as she was looking out for them but eventually accepted we just didn't see it. It was interesting to watch and after a stern talking to we were off to our chosen anchorage:)

All part of the experience.

[rcwhite]

Left the gulf coast mid week. Running both the ICW and off shore. Will try and post a bit more when not using a mobile. Looking to spend a little more time in southern New England and one side or the other of the delmar on the way up.

[rcwhite]

Ocracoke NC. See an Albin most anywhere. This one coming in from fishing for the day.