Voyage 2002-2003: Chapter 2

6 Oct 2002, Moving Aboard, 38 43.529 N/ 076 32.599 W

Last Tuesday we left locked up the house and moved aboard the Jule III. Provisioning has been an ongoing process but Ann always had 'one more load'. Our waterline dropped a full two inches (impressive for a 13 ton vessel). Levi, Gina, and Samantha Jane are our able bodied crew. So we added 150 pounds of dog food and 20 pounds of cat food to the stores. We went to our local clinic and got the necessary medications to last throughout our 7 months aboard. A visit to the veterinarian was necessary to get the paperwork (health certificates, etc) and 'doggy downers' for Levi (Levi is deathly afraid of thunder).

Our son was going to take care of the 'kids' while we were gone but circumstances arose that now make Voyage 2002 a pet enabled trip. Levi and Gina are accomplished on the doggy ramp but neither have cruising bladders. One of our great unknowns is what will they (read we) will do on our off-shore passages. Follow our journal and we'll find out together. Samantha Jane has her litter box and she has proven herself off-shore from Port Canaveral to Beaufort NC. We are glad they are coming as we missed them terribly during Voyage 2000.

In preparation for our departure next week, we had the boat short-hauled (boat left in the slings overnight) to change the zincs and touch up the bottom paint near the waterline. We inspected all of the usual items including thru-hulls, rudder, lead keel, leading edge of the keel (where we bumped into a dredge pipe), and the health of the bottom paint. Nothing suspicious was found. Wow, maybe our luck is turning! We are now back at our homeport in Herring Bay, Chesapeake Bay. I guess our luck is still not great. Our propane sensor detected a slight leak somewhere so we will have to investigate. Other chores include inspecting the steering system, checking the health of the batteries, and changing the engine fluids. After the Annapolis Boat Show and the Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) meeting, we will head South.

17 Oct 2002, Heading South, 38 43.529 N/ 076 32.599 W

Well, we finally got off. It was Thursday, 17 October 2002 at 0700. We got up at 0545 to walk the kids and prepare the boat for departure. It was 50 degrees F and it was a bit cold. Winds were out of the North at about 10 kts so we prepared ourselves for a day of motorsailing.

The Chesapeake Bay is a really neat place to sail. Though there is some commercial traffic, it is not difficult to stay out of their way. Nighttime sailing is another story. The large container ships can 'come up you fast'. Also, night sailing has the added caution of avoiding the d**n crab pots. In 2001, we sailed up the bay at night. However, we had to stay in the main shipping channel to avoid the crab pots.

Bob is full of energy and ready for the adventure. He stays on the helm for a full 60 minutes. We have this rule: over 15 kts is Bob, under 15 kts is Ann. Somehow Ann doesn't think that is fair. Oh well, life is tough.

We arrived at Cornfield Harbor at Point Lookout on the northern shore of the Potomac. The guides say that the anchor holding is not too good. They are right! We tried 15 minutes to get the anchor to grab but all it could do was plow through the shells on the river's bottom. As a result, we left Cornfield and headed for Smith Creek. We knew we would have a doggie problem as it would be near dark when we arrived. Yep, it was dark, and we could only find a small spit of sand to walk them. They were not pleased! And of course it rained!