October 2011

October brought us two opportunities for two each 5 day mini cruises.  The first was begun on the eve of a long period of fog and rain, but we still managed to enjoy it.  Spent four nights in Block Island and two in Cuttyhunk.

The second mini-cruise was just 4 days with one night at Block and 3 nights at Fishers Island.  

We met new cruising friends, saw some old ones and did a lot of creative cooking, reading and enjoying some real peace and quiet post-season when the anchorages are not busy.

We will winter in Portsmouth, RI which is close to home and enable us to do many of the projects which will bring the boat fully to fine fit.  The largest is the planned conversion of the guest stateroom to a "library".  We first saw this long ago on the Northeast 400 boats designed by good friend Jim Eastland.  Ours will replicate his ideas for a desk, settee, shelving and add some electronic goodies.

Also working now on a conversion of one alternator to 110 amps and that is a real challenge as Herk needs to fully understand the ship's wiring before starting up this powerhouse.  Milly is looking forward to converting the electric range to gas.

So it has been less than six months since we acquired CODA.  We logged about 1,000 miles and 1,200 hours on board.  Next summer will be spent in Maine and Nova Scotia while we rent our Newport home to build the cruising kitty.

A warm October day in a Fisher's Island cove

September 2011

This has not been the season we hoped to have.  Way too many family and business conflicts.  The worst part is we have decided to not go to Florida.  Our cruising kitty is insufficient and we felt family considerations precluded the trip.  Anchorages in Florida are becoming scarce so we will need to budget for using slips far more than we ever did in past years.  So we will layup in October at Portsmouth RI and use the winter to rebuild the kitty and add some small but important upgrades to CODA.

Early Fall Trip to favorite northeast anchorages.


Finally slipped the mooring lines on Sept 19 and headed to Block Island where at this time of the year cruisers can enjoy all the island has to offer without the crowds.  Moorings are now only $20 a night.


In a walking trip to the village we met a local named Bill with whom we shared a beer and exchanged reading favorites.  In a moment of special fun he and Herk discovered they both enjoy history and have both read "The Island at the Center of the World".  Bill gave us a ride to our dinghy.  Nice guy and we were able to help setup an anniveray dinner in Newport.

Then, in incredible coincidence we met another couple from Portsmouth NH.  Since we were both walking our Porties it was natural to chat, but then discovered the dogs were in the same litter in Boston 8 years ago and are brother and sister.  So we all dinner together and we gave them tips for their passage to Ft Lauderdale.  This is the cruising community at its best.

Block IS looking north from Old Harbor

Here are a couple of pictures of Block in the shoulder season.  Really foggy weather, but warm and no seas.  From here we hope to head back to Shelter Island.  Not ideal conditions, but the slow pace is working it's way with us.

Bella swims with CODA in background

The residents held a car show on Block Is. to benefit a day care center.  It was old fashioned fun.

dodge Truck circa 1940

August 2011 and IRENE

Already the 15th and we are just geting some time aboard CODA.  Made a short trip to Fishers Island, NY.

As many know this is a quaint, postcard-perfect island and village.  Moorings available from Pirates Cove for $30.  There is fuel at the yacht club.  Anchoring is popular, but beware of poor holding with kelp and gravel.  Once here, it is just jaw dropping beautiful and peaceful.

A typical lane on Fishers Island.

A cove off the main anchorage

The Fishers Island Yacht Club

Hurricane Irene was on its way north on August 26 and we decided to haul CODA out of the water.  We went up the bay to East Greenwich.  Hauling out may prove to have been unnecessary, but since we have done it, we will do some bottom maintenance and install new equipment.

In the travelift at Brewers E. Greenwich Bay Maina

July 2011

Juggling calendars with a boat and shoreside life is always tricky.  It's almost easier to leave for months than for just a week.  Anyway, we managed to get in two trips during July.  The first was to the islands of Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands.  The second was to Milly's childhood summer home of Shelter Island.  Both trips included friends and revisiting harbors we really enjoy.  The weather was not cooperative in the first trip, but was postcard perfect for the second trip.

Milly's good friends, the VB's (Sandy and David Van Buren) joined us at Shelter Island.  The visit was good except for a disastrous dinghy trip to Ram's Head Inn that is a whole story in itself.

We also joined the fleet on the water in Narragansett Bay for the racing of the J Class yachts.  These are the yachts that were raced in the America Cup races in the 1930s here in Newport.  Our friends the Mallorys joined us for this reprise of those races.

Mate Grey Ritacco doing deck work

Mate Grey learns how to helm a boat

The Fourth was spent onboard with Jill, Dan, and Grey Ritacco.  Really fun day with swimming, great food and fireworks.  Ok, the fireworks were only soso due to fog.  But Mate Grey did his part.

The Pridwin, site of Milly's teen escapades

Edgartwon Harbor, Martha's Vineyard

Good Friends Marsha and Coles Mallory at J Races

The magnificent Js on the start line in Newport Harbor

Decktail hour

Dering Harbor, Shelter Island, NY

Coecles Harbor, Shelter Island, NY

Breakfast and David VanBuren

The village on Cuttyhunk Island, MA

Joe's Funeral Pyre on Cuttyhunk Island, MA

Cuttyhunk Harbor, MA

Fast forward

This post covers the period of May/June when we traveled north.  The daily detail is interesting only t us and so the pictures tell the story fairly well.  Overall it was an uneventful trip of about 550 miles in very good weather and calm seas except for THAT day off New Jersey when furniture was flying and Bella wanted off the boat.

We traveled up Chesapeake Bay, down the Delaware Bay, up the New Jersey coast, through NYC and into Long Island Sound.  Our friend Jack joined us in New Jersey and was a welcome and fun new crew addition.  Really good anchorages in Oyster Bay, Dering Harbor, and a very special night in Block Island. While there we saw our old sloop GLORY which was a really long-odds encounter.

Jack is a birder and he spotted an osprey nest in Dering and we all watched a fledgling take flight for the first time.

Galley slave at work.

Chesapeake City

Chesapeake and Delaware Canal

Bella on watch (for food of course)

Jack and Herk on the bridge

Bella and her new best friend Jack

Bella retrieving

Barnegat Bay Light

Entering New York Harbor

First night on board

Getting out of AYB was fraught with a string of "not done yets", "when are you leaving?" and "oops your'e right we forgot that".  But leave we finally did and spent the first night off Ft Monroe a short 15 miles upstream from Great Bridge.  Had a challenging first night aboard with a squall and the anchor dragged at about 11pm.  Guards on shore at the Ft Monroe watched and waited for us to crash onto the rip-rap, but we re-set the anchor and spent a quiet night after that.

Next morning we shoved off early with the wind on our backs and small seas.  It was a lovely trip of about 50 miles up to Sandy Point.  The picture was taken there and that is Herk and Bella wandering the beach.  Water temps were in the 70's and air was in the high 80's...nice for May.  The evening was very quiet as there was no real breeze, and only one distant boat in the cove with us.  Perfect.

Next morning the engines would not start.  After some phone calls and sleuthing in the "holy engine room" we realized the yard had failed to connect a cable.  We fixed it and off we went.

Picking up where we left off

We bought CODA in May this year after a long, way too long, search.  Never thought we would end up with an older boat, but older she is.  CODA was built in TAIWAN and marketed by a guy from Rochester named Gordon Present.  We think he sold about 50 boats total, although we have yet to see another of this design.  Gordon can't be found these days.

We commissioned her in Great Bridge, VA at a yard called AYB.  After a fire drill of errors we finally left on May 25 and spent three leisurely weeks delivering her to Dutch Harbor, Jamestown, RI.  We will spend the summer season here doing short trips to the islands and then head south for the winter in late September.

The ICW at Great Bridge where we commissioned CODA