March 2012

Whooeee are we having fun.  Spending money like no tomorrow.  As of today Dave, Jon, Rich and Ron have finished the huge re-wiring of the main circuits, installed the new gas range and tanks locker, done some spot painting on the decks and are well into refinishing the bottom.  Friend Dan Ritacco has agreed to make us a new helm door.  The "fishfinder depth meter has been replaced with a network system that includes, drum roll, ....sonar!!!!!

Most likely sometime week after next we will be back in the water and begin testing the electrical systems and the propane setup.  This will reduce the role of the generator to backing up things and it will hopefully get little to no use.  Silence is golden.  Yet to be done is the installation of a new inverter.

Right now the interior is a chaotic and not very welcome space with panels open, cushions stacked everywhere along with tools, cables, and who knows what else.  A typical boat project.  Throw buckets of money and hope it does something useful.

Just heard from ALGONQUIN and they have arrived in the Bahamas....nuff said.

This cartoon by Wiley Miller was a framed gift in 2004 from Jack and Cindy Kadzik.  

February 2012

We are earnestly preparing for the upcoming year on CODA.  Made a very challenging trip to Florida to scout destinations for next winter.  This was very tough work in 80 degrees and clear skies.  But we persevered and were rewarded with good information not mention a tan, great food and beaches.  We were staying at the condo owned by friends on Jensen Beach.  Great little town and area.  Don't miss Kona Cafe, Riverwalk, Mulligans, just to name a couple.  Ft Pierce is also a great boaters town and we intend to stay in both places next winter.

CODA went in the barn last week here on Aquidneck Island.  Work includes replacing the electric stove with gas and re wiring most of the main source circuits on the boat.  This will give us a very good AC/DC capacity for our fridges and freezer.  The bottom will be soda blasted and painted with a new Interlux product that has no copper.  New windscreen has been custom molded and will be installed in the spring.  The CANVASLADY in E. Greenwich is replacing our three front panels on the bridge with Strataglass.  The project to convert the port cabin to a "library" will begin later in May.  Tomorrow we go to the Boston boatshow with Dick and Maggie to look at dinghy deals...ours is way overdue for replacement.  The helm door must be replaced and so a new one is being built.  Some minor fiberglass and paint work will be done on the decks and topsides, but short of repainting the boat we will just have to live with the less than great appearance of the bridge and topsides.

To pay for all this we are renting our Newport home next summer.  Bookings activity is very good, but the work to prepare the house may kill us both.  This will help justify those who feel we are crazy.

We will be back in the water in early June.  We plan to use most of the month to move aboard while in a slip at Brewer's Sakonnet which, as always, is managed by Dave Rodriques and his killer staff (you guys rock).  Then off to Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

So, there, Kathy, now we are updated.

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