We've mentioned before that Dylan was named after the Celtic God of the Waves. When it comes to sea conditions we are certainly not above pandering. Lately it appears to be paying off.
At sunrise this morning we left Hinckley Yacht Services in Savannah and went offshore to Morningstar Golden Isles in Brunswick. The seas were even calmer than they were for our overnight a few weeks back - if that's possible. I worry about payback and remind Dylan that we've certainly paid our dues in the past. The god not the dog, although I believe they're very nearly the same thing.
The kids enjoyed the ride even though it was overcast. At times it was hard to tell the where the sky ended and the sea began. Dylan (the dog not the god) was greeted all day long by dozens of dolphins, or as we need to say in the pilothouse, d-o-l-p-h-i-n-s.
We were amazed that we had the ocean pretty much to ourselves. All we saw all day were a few shrimpers, lots of birds, and of course the dolphins. Mid-afternoon some threatening clouds appeared but we didn't see so much as a sprinkle as they skirted around us.
We'll be taking the next week and a half to meander down to Melbourne in time for the SSCA Gam. For now we are content to glide along the flat ocean.
Wishing the calmest of seas for everyone.
Dyna and Dylan have had a great week staying at Grandma's house for Thanksgiving. Dylan especially likes the increased number of people around as it means more opportunities to make a score. There where numerous family gatherings including aunts, uncles, cousins, and even three first cousins once removed. According to Dylan, the younger ones make easier marks.
Dyna liked having her bed in the thick of things so she could keep an eye on the comings and goings. All the little people did tire her out after a while.
Grandma's glass front door made the perfect spot to watch the neighborhood dogs being walked and to generally alert us to the many dangers lurking outside.
Our visit would not have been complete without a trip to the Purple Cow. The best milkshakes you will ever taste in a choice of about 100 flavors. If you ever find yourself in Kingsport, TN - it could happen - you absolutely, positively must make a stop.
Dylan selected his youngest cousin, Marcos, as his mark during Thanksgiving dinner. Overall a pretty good choice. The metal around Marcos' neck is from the Turkey Trot 5K that he, his sister, his mom and dad, and Uncle Jeff did Thanksgiving morning.
Dyna choose a quieter spot away from the hustle and bustle and, by the way, just beneath where the feast was laid out.
The day was long and finally both crashed after the dessert was served. I fear the boat will be rather dull when we return.
The whole crew of aCappella hopes that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We wish you all safe travels and look forward to seeing you on the water.
I can hear some of you are saying, "Geez, another picture of Dyna sleeping. Is that all she does?" First, Dyna is a sweet old girl and thus can sleep as much as she wants. Second, this is totally different. In this picture Dyna is sleeping about 20 miles offshore. Notice the yellow edge of the life raft.
Friday was the perfect day to hop offshore for Savannah. The predictions were for "flat" seas. Yes, it actually said flat, something we do not remember ever seeing before. After spending a night at Southport Marina and having a very nice meal at Fishy Fishy we headed out about 11 am. This time NOAA did not lie... After weeks of fighting weather it felt great to just go!
The seas were indeed basically flat for our complete 26 hour passage. This made the kids very happy. Dylan spent much of his time watching for dolphins. And Dyna, well, she slept, sometimes on the settee in the saloon and sometimes in her bed in the pilothouse.
We fell into our well established overnight pattern. The standard dinner, Chicken Fried Rice, was prepared and packaged Thursday afternoon. The boat was readied for offshore, bringing out the life raft and ditch bag, securing the cockpit table and dog box, stowing items throughout the boat, and generally hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. But this passage we could have had crystal wine glasses balanced in a pyramid. Well, almost.
The night would have been boring except for a clear sky with brilliant stars and solitaire on my iPhone. I never encountered a single vessel on either of my watches. The sunrise was beautiful and brought Dylan's first dolphin sighting. His dad joined him on the bow.
We arrived safely at Hinckley Yacht Services in Savannah Saturday afternoon. The kids were happy to get off the boat and settle in for a bit. We have a couple weeks before we take to the sea again. For now Dyna and Dylan are wishing calm seas for all their cruising friends.
We finally pulled out of Portsmouth Wednesday afternoon. Don't get me wrong we love Portsmouth but unfortunately we had a "schedule" - a very bad word to use on a boat. We were willing to miss the various dates for safety but if we made some tracks over the next two days, it would all work out.
So we headed south 8 miles to Top Rack Marina. OK, not exactly making tracks at least we were underway. We had a part for one of the heads that was waiting for us and we couldn't exactly pass up dinner at the Amber Lantern. We were going to have to miss visiting our other Sponsors, Atlantic Yacht Basin, Coinjock Marina, and Dowry Creek Marina. We'll be back in the spring to visit them.
We wanted to cover some miles on Thursday and try to get through Currituck and Albermarle Sounds so we pulled out of the slip before sunrise to make the 7 am Steel Bridge opening. Otherwise, we would have to wait until 9 am. The crew thought we were crazy. This is the same bridge that annoyed Dyna a few years back. You can see her blog entry here.
The day was cold but pretty uneventful until we got to the Albermarle Sound. We got spanked by the very choppy waves. Even Dyna was mad. I'm fairly certain the crew was planning a mutiny but then supper time came and all was forgiven.
We dropped the hook in Cyprus Swamp, a 70+ mile day, just as the sun was beginning to set. One more long 70+ mile day day and we pulled into River Dunes about 5 pm on Friday. Good friends Cindy and Don came by to visit us Saturday. Cindy is famous on our blog for her homemade pound cake which she brought along. You see we make Cindy and Don think we won't let them visit the boat unless they bring us some of this pound cake. Actually, they're always welcome but don't tell them that because we really, really like the pound cake.
There are some places along the waterway that we hear about again and again. Hampton, VA is one of those places. In particular, the Downtown Hampton Public Piers has been one of the highest rated marinas in ActiveCaptain. We've read the reviews, talked to numerous boaters who rave, yet somehow we have never made it there. So this fall we decided come hell or high water (the water came after we left but that's another post) we were going to stop in.
We pulled in after spending 8 days on the hook in Mobjack Bay. The kids loved going ashore every day for a walk. We loved the restaurants, walking the quaint streets, and meeting lots of fellow boaters. The Public Piers is a transient only marina with a maximum stay of 10 days. So everyone there is a cruiser like us.
Our final day there we made it to the much talked about Old Hampton Ice Cream Parlor. The kids even got a treat when their dad splurged and bought them each a "Pups-icle" - frozen yogurt, peanut butter, and other tasty ingredients with a Pupperoni stick. Too bad we forgot the camera, it was quite a sight!
We'll now put Hampton on our must visit list. If you make it in there, be sure and say hello to Jake, the terrific dockmaster. And be sure to take your four-legged crew out for "ice cream."
This pouch contained our absentee ballots. So, knowing how we wanted to vote, we quickly filled them out and dropped them in the mail. No matter how many ads they throw at us or who starts a rant on Facebook, we have spoken.
And guys, really, the rants never work anyway.
There isn't a sixteen year old on the planet who could say that if they saw the party at last week's Krogen Rendezvous! These folks know how to party!
This was our 4th Krogen Rendezvous in Solomons, MD and we do it for the party they throw on the final night. There's great food, terrific people, and an amazingly good band. The dance floor is full all night long. The music is great with the band having as much fun as we are. When was the last time you saw a band take a picture of the dancers?
We always stay up way past our bedtime until the last dance. Mostly because the dancing is good and the times are fun but also because there's a closing tradition not to be missed. Four band members gather on the dance floor to sing aCappella - without accompaniment - and it will give you chills it is so beautiful.
We're glad the Krogen community lets us be honorary Krogen-nites for one weekend a year in exchange for us talking about some silly subject. Don't tell them but we think we're getting the better part of the bargain. We try to make it interesting enough that they invite us back because if they don't, well, then we may just have to sell our boat and buy a Krogen so we can go to the party. It's just that good!