May 9 and 10 – Josh and I played around town and got the boat ready to leave for our driving trip home on the 11th for our youngest son’s college graduation and dorm move out. While we’re gone we’ll have lots of people watching our boat, especial…
May 25 – Annapolis, MD
City Mooring Field
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Blue Angels performance was this afternoon and the harbor was packed with hundreds of boats of all sizes, kayaks, canoes, paddle boarders and dinghies. Every boat was overflowing with spectators enjoying the beautiful day.
The Abacos
It was an interesting day as we traveled the NW Providence Channel from Spanish Wells to the Abacos. The fishing rods were deployed early for the all day trip as these Atlantic waters are renowned for their fishing. Soon thereafter, things started to get active. We had multiple strikes and the loss of two cedar […]
The Abacos
It was an interesting day as we traveled the NW Providence Channel from Spanish Wells to the Abacos. The fishing rods were deployed early for the all day trip as these Atlantic waters are renowned for their fishing. Soon thereafter, things started to get active. We had multiple strikes and the loss of two cedar […]
May 24 – Annapolis, MD
City Mooring Field
“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.” –Arthur Rubinstein
Commissioning Week in Annapolis is a week long celebration of the graduation and commissioning of new Naval officers. The week is filled with all kinds of activities, some for the public and many more for the graduates and their families. The one that seems to really draw a crowd is the performances by the Blue Angels. Today was just the practice session and it definitely drew a large crowd…on shore and on the water. It was a prefect day to enjoy watching the boats and the planes. The entertainment started early as boats arrived to get a good spot for the show and the parade of boats lasted until dark.
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Wrangell to Petersburg
Saturday, May 21 was another sunny day in Wrangell. Miriam and Patrick walked the mile into town and joined the throngs of visitors from the smaller cruise ship “Seven Seas Mariner”, which was tied up at the cruise ship dock. There were lots of small stands selling various kinds of home baked goods and a local market in the Nolan Community Center. The longhouse on Shakes Island was open, with flags on the bridge leading to it. People were even on canoe and kayak tours of Reliance Harbor.
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| The Seven Seas Mariner dominates the harbor |
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| Cruise Sip Guests canoeing in Reliance Harbor |
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| Shakes Island Longhouse all decked out. |
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| Downtown Totem Park |
By 4 PM most passengers were back on board and the ship departed for the next stop. The food stands disappeared and the town appeared almost deserted. We had intended to go to the Stikine Inn for dinner, but it was closed for an outside catering event.
May 22, 2016 – Wrangell
Clouds had moved in overnight and the temperature had dropped by 10 degrees. In the afternoon, after getting the salmon gear ready, Patrick and Rick Lennon took the Lennon’s Stabicraft tender fishing, waiting until the afternoon when the rain became steady. Like most people that day they returned empty handed. We went to the Stikine Inn for dinner with the Lennon’s and also met the people on the Seahorse 52 “Pacifier”, who also keep their boat in Wrangell year round. The specials included a duck confit “Po’ Boy” and a BBQ Pork sandwich, both delicious.
May 23, 2016 – Wrangell to Petersburg
The tides are still large and high slack tide in Wrangell Narrows is at 1530, so that dictated we leave Wrangell shortly after 1100. There had been light mist earlier in the morning, but we left under partly sunny skies and 10-15 knots of wind from the SW, saying goodbye to the Lennon’s until later in July when we begin our trip southbound.
The trip from Wrangell to Petersburg was totally uneventful, and one we have done countless times. Our first trip we had the paper charts out and counted each marker as we passed. Now we do not even get the chart out of the storage drawer, but still count the markers. At 1630 we shut down the main engine in North Harbor, slip 35, close to where we have been before.
The main navigation computer started resetting again, and we found the CMOS battery had failed after seven years. The local hardware store had a replacement, and by 1830 everything was back running normally, or so we thought. Then the computer started resetting again, this time from power failures. The UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) which supposedly provides for time for a graceful shutdown of the navigation computer and several other devices was itself have intermittent shutdowns, cause unknown.
As the sun set we feasted on a variety of leftovers from previous meals, making space in the reefer for more fresh foods for the next week as we head for Sitka.
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| Random Drone Shot of Spirit in Foggy Bay courtesy of Peter Geerlofs |
May 24, 2016
Update, the local marine electronics store had a new UPS, it has been running all day normally, so we seem to be back in business. We stocked up on fresh produce and are preparing to leave in the AM. We will be out of contact until we arrive in Sitka in a week.
Bittersweet
Today may well have been the last cruise the crew takes on aCappella. Last night might have been the last night at anchor on her. It was a perfect cruising day.If all goes well with the final survey on Red Head, Dylan and Dee Dee will be moving i…
Fort Lauderdale
After our Naples trip we drove south to Fort Lauderdale twice, once to visit North Trail RV Center and the other to attend Fleet Week Port Everglades. In between, we visited Stuart to the north to check out a couple of boat yards. Trip highlights from May 5th through 9th follow. Click any image for…
May 23 – Annapolis, MD
City Mooring Field
“I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.” –John Burroughs
We spent our first day in Annapolis exploring on foot. The weather was clearing, but not completely, so we decided to stay in the historic area. We wandered down the main streets where most of the buildings are over 200 years old. It’s a beautifully laid out city where almost all the roads end at the water. It’s fun to look down Main Street from St. Anne’s Church and see the water and boats…even though it’s filled with cars these days. I’m sure the view was more spectacular a few hundred years ago.
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Movin On Up
We rolled out of Demopolis at 8:25. An hour much more palatable for Pam. Tourist was content to run at trawler speed all day. We rose 35′ in Heflin Lock and continued on to our anchorage for the night at Upper Cook’s Bend, mm 278. No sooner had we gott…
