The last day of this “delivery,” the final 51 nautical miles from Port Jefferson to Shennecossett Yacht Club in Groton. Our spirits were high in spite of the fog and dreariness that faced us at 7:00 am.  

I guess it’s a good thing that there were very few crazy boats out here with us. Autopilot, AIS and radar are our friends today. There were few opportunities for photographs along the way eastward on Long island Sound.

And so it went, uneventfully (which is good on a day like this), for 7.5 hours. By the time we had Avery Point in sight, it was lightly raining and still overcast.

To say we were excited is to put that in mild terms. Our friends, Dean and Mary Jo, were waiting at the little lighthouse to take photos of our return as we passed in front on Ledge Light and then by Pine Island. This is the third time they have done this for us – first time was leaving for the Bahamas on the sailboat, second time was our delivery of the Mariner Orient, and now the third time for the delivery of The Edge. (Check out the banner photo at the top of the blog.)

Let the photographs speak for themselves —

Mary Jo and Dean next raced back to SYC to help us into the slip.

The delivery trip from Kilmarnock, Virginia to Groton, Connecticut covered 404 nautical miles, taking 57.5 hours over 78 days (6 days of travel and 1 stop for weather.) That means our average speed was 7 knots, although it ranged from 6 knots to a high of 13 knots through Hells Gate. 😳

Not only did Dean and Mary Jo take photos and help us into the slip, but they brought Prosecco and chocolate for celebration.

We secured the boat in the slip in preparation for a rainy and windy day and went home to REST. As Mary Marie said, (may I quote you?) “Does this mean you are no longer living on the edge?” Good one, Ems! 😄

Saturday was haul-out day. The day may have begun at 38 degrees but it warmed up to 50 with the bright sun and cloudless blue skies.

What an adventure this has been. Twenty-seven years ago, Al bought an abandoned sailboat at auction for $1200. During our 25 years of marriage, he gradually “watsonized” each of the successive four boats that came after that auction boat; and now he has the boat of his dreams, a Kady Krogen 39. Not bad, honey, not bad at all.

I don’t think anyone, not even me, could have predicted how quickly this would happen. Once we knew the Mariner Orient was sold (and would be in good hands), everything fell into place with lightening speed. I think we may very well be the only people to attend a Kady Krogen Rendezvous as “wannabes” and leave as “newbies.”

This adventure would not be a complete story without the biggest, deepest, most heartfelt thanks to four dear friends. Anthony and Annette were there every step of the way, knowing when to be silent and when to cheer for us. Over the 7 days of our delivery journey, they were ready and eager for any phone call or text, and full of encouragement.

Dean and Mary Jo have always been there to welcome us home with open arms and Prosecco, when we return from months of cruising and when we return with a new boat. The photos they take are wonderful, but their friendship and smiling faces are even better.

Going up the East River with the sights of Manhattan and the thrill of the ride through Hells Gate is always memorable. Al has done this seven times and I’ve done it five times. This was probably the least thrilling for both of us. It was a gray overcast day and we are focused on getting home as soon as possible. Still, it is New York!!

We began Tuesday, October 29th at a reasonable hour, 7:30 am, timing it for a swift trip through Hells Gate but not a terrifying one.

I didn’t take many photos on our trip up the East River; there are plenty on this blog from previous ones. But I couldn’t resist taking these next two.

Shortly after we arrived at Hells Gate.

We usually stop for the day in Port Washington, but with miles to go to reach home, we aimed for Port Jefferson. After 54 damp and gray nautical miles, we picked up an empty mooring (they were ALL empty) at 2:45 pm.

Tomorrow we will be home. One more leg of the trip to go.

We were awake at 2:30 am on Monday morning, October 28^th and ready to depart Utsch’s and Cape May. In the dark. Al was on the dock handling lines while I was at the helm to back the boat out of the slip and into the fairway. There was enough light to see, just enough. My knees were literally shaking and knocking, but I did it. Leaving Utsch’s and Cape May Harbor required a vigilant look-out from both of us, picking our way through the channel using eyes, radar, and lighted buoys. Slack tide made the exit easier (we planned it that way.) By 3:30 am we turned northward for the very long day ahead of us. 

Although the sun was shining, we knew that it was not going to be a perfect day for running up the Jersey coast. The conditions were certainly better than the past 24 hours and we needed to keep moving. It wasn’t dangerous, just very uncomfortable. The winds were 15-18 mph from the east, but it was the waves that made the conditions lumpy, bouncy, and confused. The stablilizers probably helped somewhat, but not enough in these seas. It was challenging to walk about the boat. Our speed was a sluggish 6.5 -7 because of the waves.

By mid-afternoon, things were a little calmer, but we still had a long way to go. A conference between captain and crew led to a revised plan. We decided not to go into Sandy Hook to anchor; instead we would continue to head past there and anchor in Gravesend Bay southeast of the Verranzano Bridge.  Al had tried that bay on his solo return up the Jersey coast in May of 2016 and Active Captain had favorable reviews.  It saves some time, especially for the next day’s trip, and with east winds the anchorage will have protection.

By 5:30 the current began to help us so our speed picked up to 7.5 knots. At 6:00 pm we passed the 100 nautical mile mark for the day. Chugging away…..

Just as the sun set, with just enough light to see, we spotted a boat coming towards us (Yes, yes, we know nearly everyone is going in the opposite direction from us. Call us “Wrong Way Watsons” this year. 😉😜 The boat looked like a larger Kadey Krogen. Our second Krogen sighting of the trip home???? Yes! A quick chat on the VHF confirmed it was indeed a Kadey Krogen,  Bull Dog Sally. They were confused because AIS shows us as The Edge, but the Krogen Finder app shows us as “Kindred Spirit 39.” Al was thinking ahead when he entered our information there. Changing the AIS is more complicated and requires the manufacturer.

The fading light from the setting sun soon disappeared as we neared the tip of Sandy Hook and the channel into New York. The city lights allowed some visibility as we picked or way into the channel and across to New York. 

This was actually a good place to anchor for the night. Easy in and out compared to Sandy Hook where you double your distance because you have to go all the way in and then back out again. The winds were from the east so that was good, too. Yes, it can be rolly at first because of ferry wakes, but between 9 pm and 6 am we didn’t feel a thing. And we slept well.

Saturday, October 26th was overcast but not too cold. After a little engine maintenance (changing fuel filters), we were ready to leave Chesapeake City. We needed to consider the Delaware Bay current, but we also needed to get to Cape May before dark. Our best option appeared to be a departure around 9 am. So we left at 8:25 am knowing we would have the current against us in the beginning and at the end.

There’s not much to say about the Delaware Bay that I haven’t already written about on four previous passages. It’s not my favorite stretch, you just have to get through it. At the beginning we were still bucking the current, traveling at only 6.6 knots. At 11:00 am we had passed over to the east side of the bay, outside the shipping lanes, and our speed increased to 7-7.5 knots. From 11:30 am until 2:00 pm our speed jumped to a constant 9.7 – 10 knots with assistance from the current and a little boost to 2000 rpms.

We snapped a couple of photos of lighthouses when the thought occurred to us to do so.

At 3:00 pm, our speed began to drop as the current turned on us. 7.4 kts …. 7 kts ….. 6.7 kts. Oh well, we had a good run for awhile.

Arrived at Utsch’s Marina and were all tied up in a slip by 4:30 pm. 58.3 nm, 8 hours.

We are settling in for a two-night stay to wait out a weather front that looks fierce – rain and high winds. We probably need a rest day as well.

We slept well and we slept late, past 7:30 am!! There was simply no reason to get up and rush.

A rainy day is a good day for chores. This little Kadey Krogen has a washer/dryer. Yes, a washer/dryer! Once upon a time I would have considered that an unnecessary luxury, but life changes and sometimes you see things differently. I wear heavy custom compression stockings 24/7 to control my lymphedema and they are supposed to be washed DAILY. How nice to be able to do this onboard.

After hours of dreary rain and heavy winds, the sun pushed it all aside. It was even warm, a condition I certainly did not expect on this trip. We needed to stretch our legs and decided to take a walk for ice cream.

Before and after dinner we studied currents, winds, and waves for the 115 offshore nautical miles we need to travel tomorrow. We considered various scenarios for the best time to leave. I have done this NJ coast leg three times and Al has done it five, but it’s still one of the toughest legs of the journey.