Tag Archives | Nordhavn

Panama Canal Transit

By on May 7, 2014 in Thor

The crew of Anna Mae is happy to report a successful transit of The Panama Canal. Our experience was exciting. The day was long and stressful at times along with the thrill we anticipated.

We woke early to arrange our fenders for the transit. The Por…

Panama Canal Transit

By on May 7, 2014 in Thor

The crew of Anna Mae is happy to report a successful transit of The Panama Canal. Our experience was exciting. The day was long and stressful at times along with the thrill we anticipated.We woke early to arrange our fenders for the transit. The Port A…

Quick Trip To Sarasota

By on May 6, 2014 in Istaboa

Nordhavn Exumas Abacos Bahamas trawler Caribbean Pickwick Boat dogs
Memphis Downtown

Sunday May 4, 2014 – Dana Point

By on May 5, 2014 in Serenity

Sunday, May 4, 2014 – Enroute from San Diego to Dana Point
Friday night Clark treated us to an awesome dinner at the Punta Moro Resort near the marina.  It is a spectacular setting, reminiscent of La Joya and the restaurant was on a par with the view.  Everything was beautifully prepared and served.  It was a wonderful last dinner in Mexico.
View from the restaurant at Punto Moro

Joan looking for the green flash
Post dinner stroll at Punta Moro
Sometime around 5 am on Saturday we took off for San Diego, blessed with smooth seas and a favorable current that boosted our speed to 7+ knots.  Would that all days going north could be the same!  
Blowing 40 plus
Seas as they ought to be
As we travelled north, I knew we were getting close to Southern California when I spotted the first mylar balloon.  On the way down, the sea was spotted with hundreds of them.  A very sad thing to see. 
As we approached San Diego the traffic and activity increased.  Several sail boats races where underway and we enjoyed watching the boats drop their jibs and lift their colorful spinnakers as they rounded the buoy.  In addition to racers, there were many other assorted craft enjoying the beautiful weather.  We particular enjoyed a couple of classic multi sailed boats
Boats in front of San Diego
Beautiful Sailor!
Coming into San Diego, we felt like country bumpkins hitting the big city for the first time.  After 5 years of boating in Mexico, we were unaccustomed to the hurly burly of a major port.  Although there were clearly marked traffic lanes going into the harbor, we seemed to be one of the few boats to honor them.  Vessels of all descriptions, from freighters to kayaks and paddleboards, were going every which way!  The only things not moving were the piles of sea lions hauled out on the buoys, something we had not seen since we left the USA in 2009. 

Sea lions let you know you are back in California
We were pretty stressed by the time we managed to tie up at the police dock to clear customs. 

Earl had asked me to check on the hours that customs were open before we left Ensenada.  The website I had found indicated that they were opened until 5 everyday but Sunday and listed procedures for contacting them.  Happily Earl had written down the information because it turned out that they were not on hand on Saturdays.  After an hour or so, a couple of very nice men came down and did the paperwork for us to reenter.  Turns out they were originally from New York and one of them gave me a big hug before leaving. 
We had made reservations at the Cabrillo Marina.  When we finally found our slip, not an easy task in this giant place, it turned out to be too narrow.  Earl did manage to slip in, but there was no room for bumpers on either side.  Fuming, Earl went to the marina office to demand a slip to fit us.  He did well.  In compensation for our trouble, we got a 72 foot slip gratis. 
We had done such a good job of eating all the food that might be confiscated at customs that our larder was pretty bare.  I had hoped to make a quick trip to Trader Joes that is only a mile from our moorage, but happily settled for pizza delivered to the marina from Pizza Nova.  It was very good and Joan and Clark are now converts to Thai Chicken Pizza.  After dinner we walked up to the little deli near the marina office and picked up eggs to make French toast for breakfast from the sour dough bread that had come along with the pizza.  Joan spied a freezer of ice cream bars, so we all had Hagen Daas ice cream bars for dessert.  A wonderful welcome home to the USA meal!
We said goodbye to Joan and Clark a little before 8 am and were off within minutes for our run to Dana Point where we will be spending a few day.  In 2007 when we bought the boat, we had rugs made by Jeddy in Dana Point.  Now after 7 years of use and abuse (what else could you call spilling a whole jar of Yoy Soy Sauce) they are rather sad and we are looking forward to replacements.
In addition, despite Earl’s best efforts with the toilet plunger, the master head after complaining for the last few months has finally said no mas!  A new toilet awaits us in Dana Point.  Fortunately we only had to share the forward head with guests for a couple of days.  During that time, we developed a new meaning to the verb facilitate.  For us it meant using the facilities as in asking others if they had any objections to our facilitating.
Two things to which we will need to become reaccustomed:  NOAA weather forecasts over the radio and reliable charts on the plotter.  Both are blessings that before cruising in Mexico we took for granted. I for one will take a while to internalize the reliability of the plotter after years of having it show us crossing islands in the Sea of Cortez.
I am doing a whole day of laundry as we head north.  Our laundry bag which is on Earl’s side of the bed when we have guests, had long since reached capacity and there was a small mountain that threated to soon reach the as high as the bed.  We have so many things hanging out to dry on the railing that Earl says someone may think we are trying to signal distress. 






Sunday May 4, 2014 – Dana Point

By on May 5, 2014 in Serenity

Sunday, May 4, 2014 – Enroute from San Diego to Dana Point
Friday night Clark treated us to an awesome dinner at the Punta Moro Resort near the marina.  It is a spectacular setting, reminiscent of La Joya and the restaurant was on a par with the view.  Everything was beautifully prepared and served.  It was a wonderful last dinner in Mexico.
View from the restaurant at Punto Moro

Joan looking for the green flash
Post dinner stroll at Punta Moro
Sometime around 5 am on Saturday we took off for San Diego, blessed with smooth seas and a favorable current that boosted our speed to 7+ knots.  Would that all days going north could be the same!  
Blowing 40 plus
Seas as they ought to be
As we travelled north, I knew we were getting close to Southern California when I spotted the first mylar balloon.  On the way down, the sea was spotted with hundreds of them.  A very sad thing to see. 
As we approached San Diego the traffic and activity increased.  Several sail boats races where underway and we enjoyed watching the boats drop their jibs and lift their colorful spinnakers as they rounded the buoy.  In addition to racers, there were many other assorted craft enjoying the beautiful weather.  We particular enjoyed a couple of classic multi sailed boats
Boats in front of San Diego
Beautiful Sailor!
Coming into San Diego, we felt like country bumpkins hitting the big city for the first time.  After 5 years of boating in Mexico, we were unaccustomed to the hurly burly of a major port.  Although there were clearly marked traffic lanes going into the harbor, we seemed to be one of the few boats to honor them.  Vessels of all descriptions, from freighters to kayaks and paddleboards, were going every which way!  The only things not moving were the piles of sea lions hauled out on the buoys, something we had not seen since we left the USA in 2009. 

Sea lions let you know you are back in California
We were pretty stressed by the time we managed to tie up at the police dock to clear customs. 

Earl had asked me to check on the hours that customs were open before we left Ensenada.  The website I had found indicated that they were opened until 5 everyday but Sunday and listed procedures for contacting them.  Happily Earl had written down the information because it turned out that they were not on hand on Saturdays.  After an hour or so, a couple of very nice men came down and did the paperwork for us to reenter.  Turns out they were originally from New York and one of them gave me a big hug before leaving. 
We had made reservations at the Cabrillo Marina.  When we finally found our slip, not an easy task in this giant place, it turned out to be too narrow.  Earl did manage to slip in, but there was no room for bumpers on either side.  Fuming, Earl went to the marina office to demand a slip to fit us.  He did well.  In compensation for our trouble, we got a 72 foot slip gratis. 
We had done such a good job of eating all the food that might be confiscated at customs that our larder was pretty bare.  I had hoped to make a quick trip to Trader Joes that is only a mile from our moorage, but happily settled for pizza delivered to the marina from Pizza Nova.  It was very good and Joan and Clark are now converts to Thai Chicken Pizza.  After dinner we walked up to the little deli near the marina office and picked up eggs to make French toast for breakfast from the sour dough bread that had come along with the pizza.  Joan spied a freezer of ice cream bars, so we all had Hagen Daas ice cream bars for dessert.  A wonderful welcome home to the USA meal!
We said goodbye to Joan and Clark a little before 8 am and were off within minutes for our run to Dana Point where we will be spending a few day.  In 2007 when we bought the boat, we had rugs made by Jeddy in Dana Point.  Now after 7 years of use and abuse (what else could you call spilling a whole jar of Yoy Soy Sauce) they are rather sad and we are looking forward to replacements.
In addition, despite Earl’s best efforts with the toilet plunger, the master head after complaining for the last few months has finally said no mas!  A new toilet awaits us in Dana Point.  Fortunately we only had to share the forward head with guests for a couple of days.  During that time, we developed a new meaning to the verb facilitate.  For us it meant using the facilities as in asking others if they had any objections to our facilitating.
Two things to which we will need to become reaccustomed:  NOAA weather forecasts over the radio and reliable charts on the plotter.  Both are blessings that before cruising in Mexico we took for granted. I for one will take a while to internalize the reliability of the plotter after years of having it show us crossing islands in the Sea of Cortez.
I am doing a whole day of laundry as we head north.  Our laundry bag which is on Earl’s side of the bed when we have guests, had long since reached capacity and there was a small mountain that threated to soon reach the as high as the bed.  We have so many things hanging out to dry on the railing that Earl says someone may think we are trying to signal distress. 






Back to America…after 6 years

By on May 4, 2014 in Emily Grace
We had a perfect 24 hour passage from Great Sale Cay in the Abacos to Port Canaveral, Florida.  The winds were less than 10 knots (many less than 5 knots), calm seas and we arrived on time, 20 minutes before the marina opened at 8:00 AM.  We tied up at the fuel dock and 30 minutes later we were pumping 300 gallons of diesel into the tanks.  This fuel purchase got us 2 free nights at the marina which was hard to pass up.

Although we did have to catch a cab ride to customs and immigration, they did not board us or inspect anything.  The next day we met my cousin Nancy who informed us that she would be loaning us her car for our stay.  That was a very generous offer and we made good use of it over the next week finding and buying parts and provisions.  We now have an AT and T working cell phone and internet for our trip up the coast.  We arrived with almost empty freezers and now they are jammed full.  

We had several dinners with Cousins Barbara and Nancy and Barbara’s daughters’ family.  As they did in 2009, they fed us delicious meals and wanted nothing in return.  Connie and Bob have a daughter, Katherine, almost the same age as Emily.  She is smart as a whip and Emily quickly renewed the friendship started as we passed through in 2008. 

One night we bought take-out Chinese for everyone and we watched photo and video highlights from our trip while we ate.  We were so happy that Cousin Barry also joined us as we thought he would not be traveling north to see us.  Emily wrote a nice thank you note inside a book that Barry had loaned Emily back in 2008 and returned it to him.  It became one of her favorite books and now Barry has a book that has travelled around the world.
We managed to spend an entire day at the Kennedy Space Center and found it very enjoyable.  Emily did not recall much from our earlier visit and they had added several exhibits and well as the chance to see the Space Shuttle Atlantis up close.  Emily really enjoyed the simulators where we experienced the thrust of a shuttle launch and could try our hand at docking with the space station and manipulating the robotic arm.

We even got to drive the rover on the moon.  Really…can’t you see the earth behind us?

Despite requests that we stay longer, we have now pushed away from the Marina and are creeping slowly north up the Intra Coastal Waterway.  It is slow since we have to call ahead for bridge openings, or time our arrival to fixed opening times.  It is a refreshing change for us to have such calm waters and to enjoy the sights along the way.  We go through a few locks and some areas require planning for high tide so we do not run aground.  My line handlers also are good at pointing out manatees in the lock!  

We stopped overnight at a free dock in New Smyrna which is certainly in our budget. 

 
Kim is looking forward to stopping in Saint Augustine for a few days since we missed this lovely town on our dash south in 2008.  We were told to expect forts and museums and quaint shops and restaurants.  Come along and share our trip up the coast.

Although

Back to America…after 6 years

By on May 4, 2014 in Emily Grace
We had a perfect
24 hour passage from Great Sale Cay in the Abacos to Port Canaveral, Florida.  The winds were less than 10 knots (many less
than 5 knots), calm seas and we arrived on time, 20 minutes before the marina
opened at 8:00 AM.  We tied up at the
fuel dock and 30 minutes later we were pumping 300 gallons of diesel into the
tanks.  This fuel purchase got us 2 free
nights at the marina which was hard to pass up.

Although we did
have to catch a cab ride to customs and immigration, they did not board us or
inspect anything.  The next day we met my
cousin Nancy who informed us that she would be loaning us her car for our
stay.  That was a very generous offer and
we made good use of it over the next week finding and buying parts and
provisions.  We now have an AT and T
working cell phone and internet for our trip up the coast.  We arrived with almost empty freezers and now
they are jammed full.  

We had several
dinners with Cousins Barbara and Nancy and Barbara’s daughters’ family.  As they did in 2009, they fed us delicious meals and wanted nothing in return.  Connie and Bob have a daughter, Katherine,
almost the same age as Emily.  She is smart as a
whip and Emily quickly renewed the friendship started as we passed through in
2008. 

One night we
bought take-out Chinese for everyone and we watched photo and video highlights
from our trip while we ate.  We were so
happy that Cousin Barry also joined us as we thought he would not be traveling north
to see us.  Emily wrote a nice thank you
note inside a book that Barry had loaned Emily back in 2008 and returned it to
him.  It became one of her favorite books
and now Barry has a book that has travelled around the world.

We managed to
spend an entire day at the Kennedy Space Center and found it very
enjoyable.  Emily did not recall much
from our earlier visit and they had added several exhibits and well as the chance
to see the Space Shuttle Atlantis up close. 
Emily really enjoyed the simulators where we experienced the thrust of a
shuttle launch and could try our hand at docking with the space station and
manipulating the robotic arm.

We even got to drive the rover on the moon.  Really…can’t you see the earth behind us?

Despite requests
that we stay longer, we have now pushed away from the Marina and are creeping
slowly north up the Intra Coastal Waterway. 
It is slow since we have to call ahead for bridge openings, or time our
arrival to fixed opening times.  It is a
refreshing change for us to have such calm waters and to enjoy the sights along
the way.  We go through a few locks and
some areas require planning for high tide so we do not run aground.  My line handlers also are good at pointing
out manatees in the lock!  

We stopped
overnight at a free dock in New Smyrna which is certainly in our budget. 

 
Kim is looking
forward to stopping in Saint Augustine for a few days since we missed this
lovely town on our dash south in 2008. 
We were told to expect forts and museums and quaint shops and
restaurants.  Come along and share our
trip up the coast.

Tom






A few pictures to share while my internet is working…

By on May 4, 2014 in Thor

In Panama City, Mitch, Cherie, Susie, David, Bill and Kay enjoying dinner on the back deck of Anna MaeBill and Tom the dingy theives. When the crew of SpringDay realized their dingy was missing they became very excited!!! Can’t say I blame them. We hav…

A few pictures to share while my internet is working…

By on May 4, 2014 in Thor

In Panama City, Mitch, Cherie, Susie, David, Bill and Kay enjoying dinner on the back deck of Anna Mae

Bill and Tom the dingy theives. When the crew of SpringDay realized their dingy was missing they became very excited!!! Can’t say I blame them….

Flamenco Island Panama

By on May 4, 2014 in Thor
Our stay in Panama City has been amazing. David and Susie our friends from Fubar 2011 live in Panama and have been wonderful tour guides. They have been gracious enough to transport us around the city and share their knowledge of Panama. Yesterday David introduced us to the fresh fruit and veggie market along with a stop at the grocery store for provisioning. We had an enormous variety of produce to choose from at more than reasonable prices. We all will be eating healthy for our transit to San Blas.

As we drove over The Bridge of the Americas I couldn’t help but think about us cruising under it on our way to the canal. This has been an amazing journey the past several months.

 

At the locks a dragon fly landed on Bill’s hand. A good sign…

Yesterday we toured The Miraflores locks. Viewing the first set of locks we will enter as we transit the canal. Anna Mae will be lifted 54 feet in two stages. As we walked out onto the viewing platform a ship was transiting the locks. It’s hard to believe that will be Anna Mae Tomorrow.

This year The Canal is celebrating 100 years of operation it opened August 15th 1914. The crew of Anna Mae has so much to celebrate!