It took another 7 days for Kindred Spirit to complete the 8-month journey (242 days) that began on September 13, 2015. I wasn’t around for those final days, but I will try to put the story together from Al’s photographs (on his iPad which was more difficult than I expected. If this is viewed on an iPad or phone some of the photos are sideways or upside-down; but are fine on a computer. Go figure! ).

I departed on Wednesday, May 4^th in a rental car for the 5-hour drive from Atlantic City to Connecticut. Although I was sad to leave Al, Marcia, and Dan in that very dreary and cold weather, I was secretly a little bit glad (with a dose of a little guilt) to get home to long hot showers, my own washer and dryer, and a warm house.

The weather forecast and the actual weather on the Jersey coast continued to be COLD and rainy.

All snug in my house, I baked chocolate chip cookies for my boys and my sweetheart. Lots more fun than doing loads and loads of laundry.

The two boats and crew, Kindred Spirit and Cutting Class, were not able to leave Atlantic City until Saturday, May 7^th. That was a total of 5 days sitting and waiting there for better weather. The weather finally improved, although  not ideal, so off they went, literally offshore, up the Jersey coast.

The trip off the New Jersey shore is a long one. 83 nautical miles over 12 hours for Kindred Spirit (14 hours for Cutting Class.)

The plan has always been to tuck in at Atlantic Highlands, inside of Sandy Hook, NJ. That’s what we have done for three previous trips through between New York City and Atlantic City. While Cutting Class continued as planned, Al decided to try something different and passed Sandy Hook, anchoring just above Coney Island in a little nook, a designated anchorage on Active Captain. In front of a Toys R Us

LEFT- AIS tracking Kindred Spirit past Sandy Hook and on to the anchorage just north of Coney Island.
RIGHT – Garmin Blue Chart on the iPad shows the boat and the anchor symbol from Active Captain.

With Kindred Spirit and Cutting Class underway for the entire day, I attended my daughter-in-law’s baby shower for our new granddaughter, due in June. Something to ponder — We have gone cruising twice, 2013-2014 and 2015-2016. Both times, I returned early for a daughter-in-law’s baby shower. Coincidence??

Steph, our happy, glowing mother-to-be, enjoying her special day and gifts for the “little nugget” as we call her.

I was so happy to be home and share in the special moment with my sisters and daughter-in-laws. Left to right – Kerri, Jeanne, squirming Caleb, me, Lisa, and Steph.

While I enjoyed festive moments, Al was still on his way home. We continued to stay in touch through phone calls, emails, text messages, photos and FaceTime. But they just aren’t the same was being together. 🙁

Al had a great view of the Verranzo Bridge, at sunset and at dark. His view in the other direction was a Toys ‘R’ Us (no picture!)

My solo captain was up early the next day to brave the NYC traffic and Hells Gate, with the current. But first, there is traffic from the cruise ships to watch out for.

The cruise ships pass by each other. And by Kindred Spirit, too.

Battery Park, lower Manhattan, appears in the morning mist.

A nice calm day for the trip through the East River.

Safely in Port Washington by early afternoon, Al was ready to take a “resting day.” “Rest” for Al usually means finding some boat-related project, large or small. He sent me photos of his project on Mothers Day –

~ In progress                                                                                 ~ Finished

When your sweetheart sends photos like this, you start to wonder …… all alone, no tv ….. time to come home, maybe? Love that goofy side!

Spending Mothers Day with my two handsome and amazing sons (yes, they are really that tall) and their beautiful and wonderful wives. I am a very happy and fortunate mother. I could not ask for anything more.

Mothers Day would not be complete without little Caleb (almost 2 years old now!)

Al enjoyed his resting day in Port Washington and was joined by Cutting Class. The weather was a bit rough again, but they braved the waves to go to shore……. and became literally soaked on their return to the boats. Wish I had photos of that!

The temperatures are still well below normal, but the rain stopped.

Two more days left. Tuesday, Al traveled from Port Washington to Branford. He anchored in the harbor and picked up our friends Gil and Judy on Wednesday morning. They joined him for the final leg of the journey.

Branford harbor, sunrise on the last day.

Kindred Spirit coming around the breakwater into Shennecosett Yacht Club.

Yeah!!! Hallelujah!

Approaching the slip, the crew has the lines ready while the Captain maneuvers Kindred Spirit into her home.

And now, both of my “kindred spirits” are back home again. We have completed another adventure of a lifetime, for us, and are happily home again to enjoy the pleasures of land life. There are a few more blogs to include that I will get around to eventually, blogs such as the statistics of the trip and the costs of cruising, what worked and what didn’t work on the boat, and, perhaps, a few remaining thoughts on cruising and the Bahamas.

A title like that will get attention, won’t it? It’s not as ominous as it sounds. Last Sunday we  sat in Cape May, in the cold and rain. The weather improved just barely enough to leave Cape May on Monday for the six-hour trip to Atlantic City. The cold temperatures and rain continued. Add stronger winds to the mix and we weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Kindred Spirit and Cutting Class secured dock space at the “Historic Gardiners Basin” in Atlantic City. We usually just anchor here for a one-night stopover along the way, but we knew this would be more than one night. In fact, it soon became apparent that our boats would not be departing Atlantic City until at least Saturday. Atlantic City was once a popular vacation destination known for its beaches and its boardwalk, and even played a role in the origination of the game, Monopoly. Times have changed, casinos and gambling did not bring prosperity, and Atlantic City is now a ghost town. Not an ideal place for cruisers to wait for a weather window.

The positive side of the situation? We were at a dock so we could at least get off the boat to stretch our legs, and not worry about dragging anchor. And, we weren’t alone.

The temperatures were the coldest we have experienced while on the boat. 46-48 degrees outside at night, which made our cabin 52-54 degrees inside. That’s cold! Note to self – pack flannel sheets next time! During the day, the temps never made it above the mid-50’s and the sun did not shine. At all. Al ran the generator three times each day to take the chill off and warm things, temporarily. Cooking helped warm the cabin, too.

Fishing boats went in and out, and in and out, passing right by us. Capt Travis (blue), John N (red), Christy (green).

Going out with empty crates and returning with full crates.

So, about that title, “abandoning ship”. The baby shower for our next grand baby was quickly approaching – Saturday, May 7^th. I had hoped to either be home by then or at least be closer than Atlantic City. I certainly wanted to be onboard for the next leg, the 12-hours off shore of New Jersey. But time ran out, and I reluctantly abandoned ship, renting a car and driving back to Connecticut.

Filling the salon with all of the stuff I would cram into the rental car to bring home. Mostly laundry!

One last kiss good-bye and off I go.

Technology makes it easier to stay in touch and feel connected. We send pictures back and forth, and FaceTime.

Dan, Marcia, and Al have dinner at Back Bay Ale House. Warm food in a warm place.

I feel so badly for them in the midst of all of that rain and cold. It’s raining and cold here in CT, but I have heat and plenty of hot water.

Dan and Al hold numerous weather meetings, over breakfast, over dinners, over hot cocoa.

Screenshot of a FaceTime call.

Kindred Spirit and Cutting Class plan to leave tomorrow. The four of us have remarked that although we never intended or planned to travel together, we always enjoy reconnecting at varying points of the journeys, both south and north.  It is always a treat to end up in the same  port. Right now, it is a true comfort to me to know that although Al will be single-handedly bringing the boat home, he will not be alone. Dan and Marcia will be out there on Cutting Class, staying in touch with him.

I wish that our 8-month trip was concluding on a better note. I wish the weather had not been so harsh these past weeks, and I certainly wish we could finish the trip together. But, none of that can diminish the satisfaction and joy in the adventure, or the wonderful times we have had over the past 8 months. Cruising and living on a boat has its ups and downs, just like life does. The good and the bad, the easy and the hard, the amazing and the disappointing; it’s all part of the experience. You really can’t have one without the other, unless you live in some bizarre fantasy world; which isn’t living at all.

As I settled back into “dirt life” and get the house in order again, I took a few moments to look at our Bahamas photos. Just to remember why we do it……………

First day in the Bahamas water on Elbow Cay.

Man O War Cay

Lubbers Quarters

Kindred Spirit and the Elbow Reef Lighthouse, Hope Town harbour

My true “kindred spirit”, the one I really miss. Hurry home, darlin’!   Be safe!

We had an 86 mile trip ahead of us from Atlantic Highlands (northern Jersey) down the coast to Atlantic City, so we decided on a 2:30 am departure. Ugh. I’m not even sure that counts as an early morning start, more like a middle of the night start? With mugs of coffee in hand, we quietly lifted our anchor and headed north back towards the lights of New York City. We had to travel north to get out of the Sandy Hook region and then start south again down the Jersey coast.

The lights of lower Manhattan

On the 2013 sailboat trip, I photographed the many water towers that we could see on the shoreline, probably because they reminded me of a complex sample 8th grade SBAC math problem that involved a water tower (only my GPS math teacher friends will get that reference.) This time the gorgeous sunrise was far more interesting! Truthfully, I do think that sunrises may be more fascinating than sunsets.

Our sunrise sequence —

6:04 am. The glow was a delight to see! That very bright star high in the eastern night sky is Sirius.

6:22 am  More colors, with the reflection of  pink color on the water.

6:38 am. Sunrise was officially at 6:37 am.

6:43 am

6:52 am

7:22 am The sun is up and shining. This view isn’t as colorful as the rising moments, but I really like it’s shining sparkle, especially on the water.

Yes, we are tired, but it’s still a really good day!

As a trawler, we could not have asked for a better day to make this run down the coast of New Jersey.  If we had sails I would have wished for a light wind so that we could sail. But calm and flat seas with only a touch of breeze made it an easy day for a trawler.

Very calm, very flat seas

The captain takes a moment to enjoy a quiet time the bow.

There is still a “whole lot of snakin’ going on!” But this job is done now. 🙂

It was a quiet uneventful day except of the pods of dolphins we saw. Yeah!

Atlantic City is in view.  Whew, another long day is done – 12 hours again.

We anchored off to the side of the channel, south of the bridge which will be good for an early departure.

Atlantic City isn’t the thriving place it once was, but they keep the lights on at night.

The night lights of Atlantic City.

It is the reflections in the water that makes it pretty.

One last look before we get some sleep – there’s the moon over the city lights.

Early to bed, early to rise. Right? We wanted to catch a decent current for leaving Atlantic City and for entering Cape May, so we left at 6:00 am.

Dragger boat coming back  with a night catch of fish.

As we turned, we looked back and could see the sky brightening for another glorious sunrise.

The sky is bright enough already to say good-bye to Atlantic City.

Another perfect day for traveling offshore. Somebody is watching over me and knows that this easy beginning will keep me calm and enthusiastic!

Another day of calm seas – I wonder how often it will be this easy?

A photo of our wake spreading out behind us. Not bad. We were only traveling at 6.5-7.5 knots so we aren’t much faster than our sailboat was. Conserving fuel!

The calm waters made it easier to spot pods of dolphins, which we did. (No pictures because I was too absorbed in the watching.) Al was treated to a whale sighting!! He thought it was a boat that he had not noticed before but the large silhouette slowly sunk below the surface and then appeared again. A big water spout confirmed that it was indeed a whale!

As we neared the Cape May inlet, we spotted a whale watch boat with another whale under its bow.

For our first evening in Cape May, we dinghied into the inner harbor area for dinner.

The inner harbor winds around. Lots of houses and docks, and of course, lots of boats.

We ate dinner at the Lobster House on the docks, a belated birthday dinner for me, continuing the celebration of September and me! 🙂

We spent a nice day in Cape May two years ago by walking into the town to enjoy the quaint Victorian homes and the shops. Since we have our bicycles along this time, we decided Cape May would be a good place to give them a try – flat roads, no hills. It’s a really great idea to have bikes along on the trip, but it sure isn’t an easy task to get them to shore!

Step 1 – Al has to drop each bike over the side on a rope while I stand below to guide it into the dinghy.
Step 2 – Going over the side.
Step 3 – Both bikes and Al are in the dinghy. Captain Al points to my seat!

After leaving the dinghy at the dock near a little breakfast spot, we saw all these tiny cars. They must be having their monthly get-together. Cute ones! And look at that red VW karmann ghia!! Looks just like the one we once had.

With the bikes we are able to go farther and do things we had not done the first time. We took the road into town along the beachfront.

Large older homes and inns lined the beach front road.

Too early in the morning, and a Friday in September, for many people to be at the beach.

Cape May Lighthouse

You are allowed to climb the 199 steps to the top. I made the choice that biking was enough for me for one day. Wish I were younger and more fit!  No Fresnel lens, just a spotlight.

Artists form a painting class were scattered around the grounds of the lighthouse, capturing different scenes in various mediums.

I really wanted to recreate a childhood experience on this visit to Cape May. I remember  searching for “Cape May Diamonds” with my sister along the beach when my family would vacation at the “Jersey Shore.” Unsure of where the location was, I asked at the visitor center where I might find the Cape May Diamond beaches. We were directed to Sunset Beach, about a 1.5 mile ride more, where the “concrete ship” was. I did not remember any concrete ship, but off we went!

Sunset Beach is a touristy little spot. And there were the remnants of this old concrete ship, Atlantus. There is a website with information about “Death of a Concrete Ship” 

The Atlantus when it went aground in 1926.
And now in 2015. Not much left.

My annual September pedicure of Teal Toes stand out among the pebbles on Sunset Beach. In case you missed sit in previous years, September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and teal is the color – Take Early Action and Live. As a survivor, I can’t let the month go by without a reminder to everyone –   a link to NOCC (National Ovarian Cancer Coaltion)

My “teal Toes” and the pebbles on Sunset Beach at Cape May.

Back to the diamonds!  These Cape May Diamonds are actually pieces of quartz washed down the Delaware River and Bay and worn smooth during the trip. Although we picked up a few pebbles, this location didn’t match my memory. I called my mother to ask about it because I certainly did not remember this famous concrete ship. My memory was right. As a child, we searched for the Cape May diamonds at the point near the edge of the town, not Sunset Beach.

Top picture is from Wikipedia. The bottom is our little cluster of what we think might be Cape May diamonds. I really am not sure!

Cutting Class arrived in Cape May that afternoon so we gathered together for our second dinner of the trip.

Al’s “UberDink” picked up our dinner guests. I wonder if there is a multi-million dollar business in “UberDinks?”

The Captains confer over tomorrow’s routes and timing for theatric up the Delaware Bay and River to Chesapeake City (for us.)

We say good night with a beautiful sunset.

Tuesday, September 15^th was our day to go through New York City. Based on the currents through Hell Gate, we did not have to leave until noon so we had a leisurely breakfast and prepared everything for the big day in the Big Apple.

We noticed something new in Manhasset Harbor on this visit – smallish fish, about 8 inches long, fish were swirling EVERYWHERE. Everywhere throughout the harbor. They swim very close to the surface so we could hear splashes as they broke the water, which they did constantly. We were quite intrigued and wondered what type of fish they could be. Fishing guru to the rescue – call Dean! He told us they are “bunker fish”, also known as menhaden, and often used as bait fish for blues and stripers.

Bunker ripples and splashes in the water

Up close and personal look at the bunker fish

Exiting Manhasset Harbor on a beautiful September morning.

This lighthouse seems to have no name, not even on the charts, but it stands watch on the way between Manhasset and the Throgs Neck Bridge. 

I told myself I would not repeat photos that I had already taken and posted on the blog on the previous two trips through the East River, but…….. it is so hard to resist New York. It is no less exciting to see it all again from the water. There is simply something about New York City. I may never want to live there again, but I still get a thrill as we pass the skyscrapers, the noise, the traffic, the boats, planes and helicopters, and especially the famous landmarks.

See the bunker fish swirl in the water as we approach the Throgs Neck Bridge?

Planes from LaGuardia flew overhead, one right after another.

Signs up on the Whitestone Bridge -This is the bridge I have been using fairly often. It takes me over the water to see my son, daughter-in-law and grandson who live in Queens, NY.

 Rikers Island is New York City’s main jail complex, and sits in the East River, in the Bronx, with a Queens zip code. Almost everyone knows the name well after many years of the Law and Order series and all of the other New York tv police dramas.
Opposite Rikers, on the other side of the river, there is this enormous white and blue ship. We remembered passing by it before and wondering about its story. Looked like a ship made of big lego blocks. Surprise! According to Wikipedia, the Vernon C. Bain Center is an 800-bed “jail barge” used to hold inmates inmates in a medium- to maximum-security setting. “The Boat” (the staff’s and inmates’ nickname for the barge) was brought to New York in 1992 to reduce overcrowding in the island’s land-bound buildings for a lower price.

A giant ship made form white and blue Legos? Nope. It’s a prison ship. That’s a basketball game in the bottom picture. We could just about see it up on the top of the ship as we based by.

How’s that for new trivia for this trip? On to more cheerful sites and sights —

Hell Gate, where timing is everything. We were early for the big push of the current, but definitely had some help from it. Al commented that the trawler behaves differently than the sailboat, and surmised that the smaller rudder might make the trawler harder to control and steer.

Approaching Hell Gate Bridge

Pics of the chartplotter – The final Trip Log data on the right is proof that we hit 12.3 knots although I only saw the 10.3 as shown on the left. The 12.3 must have been a fleeting moment.

I lived in New York City for a couple of years back in the late 1970’s so I always seek out this one building.

My old apartment on York Avenue, the shorter building in the middle. Back in 1979 it was right on the East River. Now it’s view is hidden by the taller building.

The United Nations

A little green softens  the concrete and steel.

Helicopters are certainly more common now than they were back in 1979.

A helicopter pad with choppers coming and going non-stop. Lots of people coming and going,too.

It’s  little incongruous to see the helicopter and the old sailing vessel together.

I feel a bit guilty that we rarely notice the east side of the East River.The Manhattan side is so fascinating that Long Island gets ignored. 🙁 I apologize! Here are my token east side of the East River photos —

The Pepsi Cola sign and a tiny sign  way down near the water that reads “Long Island.”

There’s no lack of variety on the New York waterway —

All kinds of water craft – “The Beast”, a yellow taxi-style ferry, the Circle Line tour.

Couldn’t resist this – Is that Lady Liberty hitching a ride on the  Staten island Ferry??

We noticed that the Staten Island ferries had  police escorts ,and also saw a NYFD boat spraying water in a big arc. We later learned that these were practice maneuvers for the Pope’s upcoming visit.

NYFD boat spraying a huge arc of water. We were hoping it was a courtesy drive thru boat wash.

The Statue of Liberty. My photos on our previous trips were much better. It is still a  thrill to see this lady from our boat.

Ellis Island

Looking back at lower Manhattan as we continued on our way south towards the Verranzo Narrows Bridge – New York is a one-of-a-kind city.

We settled down for the night behind the breakwater at Atlantic Highlands, the northern tip of New Jersey, inside of Sandy Hook. Cutting Class also made the trip through New York so we had a catching up dinner together.

Cutting Class in the sunset

Sunday, September 13^th was our departure day. After a year of transforming the trawler and weeks of preparing for this day, we were ready to go, even if it was the 13^th. I don’t have any issues with the number 13. It happens to be my favorite number because all of the positive associations with 13 in my life. NO triskaidekaphobia here.

Our friends, Dan and Marcia on Cutting Class, departed about 30 minutes before we did.

Cutting Class departs in the early morning hours. See you later!

We waited for a little more daylight (6:30 am) so that MJ and Dean could take photos again as we ventured out of SYC and passed Ledge Light. We assured them that our feelings would not be hurt if they didn’t make this event a “hat trick” given the early hour. Good friends don’t always listen  🙂  and there they were at the edge of the UCONN Avery Point campus.

Here we go!

Passing Ledge Light. I love these very special photos. Thank you so much Mary Jo and Dean!! XXOO

The day was gray. Not fifty shades of gray, but just gray. We expected that and rain, but decided leaving would put us in a better position for traveling down the Jersey coast later.

Dark skies, maybe 6 shades of gray?

There were some waves….. but things got a little brighter.

We kept in touch by phone, text and VHF with Cutting Class who were having a nice sail down the Sound. Around 9:00 am we passed them. Yes, that is the advantage of a trawler. Even our slow trawler speed ends up being a little faster. The disadvantage? $$ and looks.

Cutting Class sailing along very nicely.

Here we are moving along nicely as well.

As you well know if you have been reading this blog for any length of time, Al can’t sit still, not even when we are underway. It’s a good thing I can take the helm so he can work on a “project.”  The WIRIE wifi booster (that cute little blue box mounted on the flybridge) needs to have it’s wire permanently run through the flybridge structure where it will not be seen. Al got out two of his “snaking devices” to run the wire.

Snaking wires – let the pictures do the talking.

There were some  moments of brighter skies and puffy clouds.

Leaving early in the morning gave us the advantage of the current which really pushed us along for the morning (see how we still think like sailors??) with a speed of 8 – 9 knots. We had several optional routes ready, depending upon how the day progressed. Go as far as New Haven? Charles Island off Milford? Or Port Jefferson? As we approached Port Jefferson at. 1:15 pm, we made the decision to commit and continue to Port Washington, estimating that we could get there just before the sun set. At 2 pm, we cranked up our “iron sails” from 1500 rpm, then to 1600 and finally to 1750 rpm, figuring that we needed the extra umph to make it before dark. We maintained a 6-7 knot speed against the current, and with the rain.

We picked up a mooring at 6:30 pm. Ahhhh. After a 12-hour day we knew we would just spend the next day hanging out and taking a rest. It was a long first day, but all went well. The only thing missing was Cutting Class, they ended their day at Oyster Bay.

Port Washington, Manhasset Bay, NY    Sunny skies and wind greeted us on Day 2, just as we expected. Not only did we want a rest after the 12-hour day, but the winds made it a good day to stay put. Port Washington is a great harbor for cruisers – nice dinghy dock, easy access to a major grocery store (across the street from the dock) and restaurants. AND, they provide free moorings (the yellow ones) for 2 nights. There isn’t much more that a cruiser could want. It’s close to our homeport so we don’t usually need provisions (How much could we have eaten in only one day?) On our first trip south we never got off the boat when we stopped here. Our second visit here was during the trip north from the Chesapeake to Connecticut with the Mariner. We only went as far as the Stop and Shop and the HomeGoods store. This time we took a walk around the town.

Heading out in the dinghy for a walk around Port Washington. Really need to stretch our legs!

This very nice walkway goes right by the dinghy dock. We had a pleasant walk on a beautiful September day.

The walkway takes you around the rim of the harbor.

Along the path Port Washington has the “Bay Walk Nautical Art Museum” which showcases outdoor art work.

Mosaic designs

My most favorite “nautical art” along this path was the bench created in collaboration with a landscape artist by local 5^th grade students. Every year the Sousa Elementary School’s 5^th grade class with their art teacher Stephen Moore and a guest artist, create a sculpture as part of their legacy. They created these medallions that were incorporated into decorative benches – individual artistic pieces from each of the 77 students.

Top photo shows the description of the 5th graders’ art project and a close-up of a few sculpture medallions. The bottom photo is one of the finished benches.

The Manhasset Bay Marina is home to boats and house boats. These house boats bring a different meaning to “living aboard.” We dinghied in and around the docks for a closer look. Obviously they never move. Most of them are two stories and quite large. I think I like smaller quarters and the ability to move my boat to different places. But, to each his own. These houseboats are an interesting option for a home. Wish HGTV would do a series on boats. 🙂

Houseboat alley

And more houseboats

We really enjoyed and needed this day of rest after the days of preparations and the long first day of travel. Tomorrow is NEW YORK CITY!