We arrived in Baldwinsville Thursday (May 22) around 6:30. We had been told by the lockmaster in Brewerton that the locks would be open later starting that night. The website for the canal said the summer hours would start on the 23rd. We took advantage of the new hours and tied to the upper wall. We are glad we got there on Thursday as the weekend will be busy here. Boats started lining the wall on Friday for the Memorial Day Weekend blues concert here at the amphitheater.

Mark and Vicki arrived soon after that. We were wined and dined at a very nice restaurant in B'Ville. So nice to have them in Little Sodus Bay this year.

Friday morning brought our daughter Amy and two new crew members. Jake is seven and his sister Gracie is four. They will spend the day with us today(May 24) bringing Sabbatical back to Newark. Sabbatical will sit in Newark until we can get her unloaded and restocked for a month of cruising on Lake Ontario.


Thanks to everyone who has made another adventure on Sabbatical an enjoyable one. To our sailing partners, Eagles' Wings, it was a pleaure having you along. To our many friends in Key Largo, you make it all sooo worth while. And to all those friends we have met along the way both old and new, there are just no words to tell you how filled our hearts are.

Tuesday, May 20

And this was this morning in Waterford, NY. The beginning of the Erie Canal. We learned that several of the boats on the wall, we knew. Tumbleweed is a Canadian boat that we had traveled with last year on the Great Loop and again we met them a couple weeks ago in Cape May. LadyHawke, Dick and Lynne Davenport who we have traveled many times with and whom we once shared a finger dock at Katlynn Marina. Recess, another Canadian boat that we had met in Solomons this fall while going south. It's that time of year when most everyone heads home.






This is one of the gates that control the amount of water that comes down through to Waterford before the flight of locks. Two years ago when so much water came down through the canal I am sure these could have been found closed. Several of the locks are still rebuilding.

Saturday, May 17- Monday, May 19

Saturday we traveled to Pollepel Island and began getting the boat ready to have her mast taken down. It was a short hop there from NYC and we wanted to be able to spend the next day with friends Jeff and Carmel Jones in Poughkeepsie. Gary has this operation pretty much memorized as to what has to be done. Pollepel Island is just across the river from Newburg NY.
Sunday we did indeed enjoy going to dinner with Jeff and Carmel. They also found us a drug store and grocery store so we could provision for the remainder of the trip. We stayed at the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club and rock and rolled on the river. Friends we met in Cape May stayed in NYC for about $4.00 a foot, plus electric.

Monday, May 19 was the tough day. Not only traveling 80 miles to Waterford but it included having the mast stepped in Catskill Creek. We pulled in to Hop-O-Nose Marina at 11:00 am. We went directly into the dock and within 30 mins the mast was dropped and 30 mins after that (securing the mast) we left that marina. A quick stop to fuel and pumpout at Riverview and we were on the river again. Annette at the helm and Gary finishing up the tie down of the mast we headed for Waterford. This is a picture of one of the Hudson River lighthouses. We see several along this section. We put in to Waterford around 6:30 pm and as tempting as going out to dinner was, Annette loves the shepherd's pie at the local restaurant, the cold temps and wind kept us aboard Sabbatical for dinner. What's with this cold weather up here?

As many times as we have gone by her, the Statue of Liberty never gets old. We reached here on May 15 after 13 hours of being on the ocean. We made one overnight stop in Atlantic City after Cape May. While it was not the nice flat water that Annette likes, it was doable and we could see by our weather information it was a small window of opportunity that we needed to take. We tucked in behind the statue in Liberty Park to anchor and spent an additional day because of weather. Last year when we came north I guess we were just really lucky because the weather was perfect and the seas were flat.

Tuesday morning, May 6, as we passed Annapolis, we were treated again to the sight of this ship leaving port. We traveled to Still Pond to an anchorage where we spent the night. It was beautiful on the Chesapeake today and we made good time.


After changing our minds many many times Wed. morning, we decided to really push it today. We hauled anchor around 6:30 am and headed for the C&D canal. We caught the tide which was great, getting us up to around 11.6 kts. sog. We entered the Delaware at 10:30 and soon lost the ride. We would catch it again at the mouth of the Delaware when the tide would turn.

In our travels we have seen many different fishing boats. This one was using a large net.

Then we started around the tip of Cape May and our good day became a bad day quickly. What should have been an hour trip into the Cape May channel, took us over 2 hours, a call to the Coast Guard and then a helping hand from TowBoat US to get us into a slip at Utsch's Marina in the dark. Not a fun ending to a good day.

I guess if you have to be stuck somewhere, Cape May is not a bad place. The nor'easter that would bring winds of 73.1 mph and seas up to 14' made us very thankful that we were tied to a dock. And boaters always seem to make a bad situation into a party. We once again met a great group of loopers. We celebrated Mother's Day at the Blue Pig.

From left to right: Annette, Nat, Ellen, Roy, Sandy, Jim and Gary. We were later joined by Steve and Ruth. Roger and Erika from Tumbleweed were absent this day but are here at Utsch's also. We met Tumbleweed last year when we did the loop.

We will sit again today, May 13, in the hopes that tomorrow will be a better traveling day. Winds today are forecast for 30 mph gusts and Annette will definitely go home by car if we even think about leaving the dock.

After leaving the Potomac on April 30, we headed up to Solomons. We found Don and Ann Marie there from Might As Well V. We had drinks on their boat and then had dinner at the Holiday Inn. They are trying to sell their boat ( a great boat for anyone who's looking), so this may be the last time we will see MAWV. However, we hope it will not be the last time we see Don and Ann Marie. Without their gentle persuasion the summer of 2006 to continue with the boats doing the Great Loop, we probably would have spent the last two years on the same dock, sailing the same waters of Lake Ontario. Not that that is bad but the adventure has been so great. Don is going to be building a new home for them in New Hampshire this year. Thank you guys! We hope to see you there.

The trip home this spring has been all about friends and family. New friends, boating friends, old friends and family. We have made 10 stops so far and have just had the best of times. And if all goes well, we will have a couple more special stops before we reach Newark. These handsome guys have been friends since their days at Brown University (1963-67).


From left to right, Jeff Foster, Gary, Jack Rebok, Greg Norgaard, and Jeff Jones. After almost 40 years it was time for these guys to meet again.



On the weekend of May 2-5 we were all in Bethany Beach MD. On May 2 we docked Sabbatical in Cambridge MD, rented a car and headed for Bethany Beach. The second picture shows four of the five couples.

Tomorrow we will either stay here in Cambridge another day readying ourselves for the trip home or head north. A call from Eagles' Wings on Friday night found them behind the Statue of Liberty. It was cold and rainy there so we may just drag our feet a little watching the weather closely.

Saturday, April 26 - Scenes of the Potomac.



Mount Vernon

Not the cleanest river in our travels.
Fort Washington
Woodrow Wilson Bridge - which is a bascule bridge and has been under construction. At times the bridge has been closed for boat travel. Some of the openings were very late in the evening and early morning hours (4am). Glad we didn't have to do that.
The Capitol in the background.

Fort Mc Nair

And this is from our anchorage. Not bad. The Washington Monument is in the background. The Tidal Basin is just to the left of this picture. Although we cannot see the basin and we cannot get through the low bridges, it is there. On the way in we could see the top of the Jefferson Memorial also.

Friday, April 25 As we were leaving Sandy Point on the west side of the Chesapeake we had an opportunity to get pictures of the fisherman working their pound nets. We had never seen this being done before. According to the information we read it is a very fish friendly form of fishing in that the smaller fish are sent free without any of them having been hooked. It is also turtle friendly as the turtles are able to get to the surface to breath and then are released.

















This is for Jo. Yet another lighthouse picture. This one is Smith Point which guards the mouth of the Potomac

NORFOLK, VA











Tuesday, April 22 - As we were heading through Norfolk, Mary and Blair happened to be crossing on the ferry. We missed their valiant efforts to get our attention but when checking our email were rewarded with pictures of Sabbatical taken from the ferry.

The next day Pat and Walt started out early to get as far north as possible. It was going to be a slog and as soon as they left, the fog horn started to blow. We had already decided to stay put and go ashore to meet Vicki, her daughter Nicole and new grandaughter Aubrey. We found a restarant above the marina to catch a quick lunch in and then with the help of Vicki, we were able to provision. Aubrey is just the cutest. There is just nothing like holding a little one. She is 13 days old in this picture. Vicki and Mark will be living near Oswego this next year. Mark has a job working at the nuclear plant there and we will so enjoy having them so close.

April 18

While waiting for the bridge just past Mile Hammock we were passed by a boat that we had spent the last six months watching for. Strathspey, from Trident Yacht Club. Our friends Tony and Monica from the same club had been telling us that two boats were traveling south together and that we should watch for them. Still haven't seen Madcap, but we'll continue to watch.

Finally we had a glimpse of Mary and Blair. Our radio conversation confirmed that this indeed was the boat from Trident.

It wouldn't be until the following evening while anchored in the Alligator River that we would actually get to share drinks and tales of our voyages with the Buchanans and Washers.





As you can see in the background we were also treated to yet another great evening sky.
Strathspey and Eagles' Wings would both continue on the next day across Albemarle Sound and but Sabbatical decided to stay in Alligator River Marina for the night. A following sea, with winds out of the south would have made the crossing extremely uncomfortable for Annette. Winds were to move to the east the next day and supposedly diminish the wave height. WRONG! The wind was from the east, so that was good but the wind blew hard. Our instruments clocked a 32.5 kt high. And the waves were much more like 4'. But we did fine, even got through the Pasquotank River without losing our electronics to a lightening strike. Once in Elizabeth City we headed directly for the Dismal Swamp and rafted with eight other boats at the Welcome Center. Eagles' Wings was rafted just ahead of us and all were treated to a wonderful pot luck dinner on Gitana.

We are traveling again for a few days with Eagles' Wings which feels good. One of the unique sights as we travel towards North Carolina is this pontoon bridge. In all our travels in the last couple of years this is the only one we have encountered. It is called Sunset Bridge and is located in South Carolina a few miles from Cape Fear.

We didn't come this way in the fall because of low water. This trip has been much easier on us in that regard. It has been too windy to be on the outside and I know this frustrates Pat. There is alot of dredging going on in this area around Carolina Beach, Brown's Inlet, etc. Good for depth but interesting sometimes getting around the dredges.



It is nesting time again for the osprey. They will build just about anywhere. Coming up the Waccamaw River we saw their nests in trees also but they really like the markers. The trees in that area are fantastic. Hugh trees that will be hollow for half or more of their trunks yet will still be alive. They look like the trees from Lord of the Rings.


I really love to take pictures of these boats with their big nets and have a whole collection of photos.

April 14

As Susan and family were leaving Sunday morning Walt stopped over to see if Gary would like to golf Monday morning with him, Jim and Chuck Brewer. The ladies, Nancy, Ann, Linda, Pat and I, would go shopping.




Tuesday morning was spent getting the boats ready to leave the next morning. By afternoon we were headed to North Myrtle Beach to the Brewers. Dinner was at the House of Blues at Barefoot Landing. The panels you see are on the tin ceiling.



Outside we found a "blues" police car to pose with. Nancy, Linda, Jim, Gary and I.

Just to make everyone aware, the blog is now in the hands of the Admiral. It seems the Captain has been procrastinating just a little too much for the Admiral. If you find the content of the blog to be somewhat different, you will have to blame it on the different perspectives of said parties. Sincerely, the Admiral.

> By Saturday morning, April 12, Susan and Sam had joined us at Osprey Marina bringing donuts for breakfast. Then we were all off to Myrtle Beach. We walked the beach (the strand), had lunch at Pier 14 and fit in a little shopping here and there. Aunt Laurie, Grandma and Cailean had shopped the day before and Cailean was anxious to show her mom some of the clothes she had only wished for in the stores. That afternoon Laurie headed for home.

On Sunday Susan, Sam, Cailean and Grant headed back to Kennesaw. We got to enjoy the kids for a week and we would guess that few of their classmates spent there spring break cruising the ICW from Beaufort to Myrtle Beach SC.




Sunday morning we left for Beaufort, South Carolina. Cailean and Grant had chances to pilot the boat. We decided that the chain of the command on the boat was The Admiral (Annette), the Captain (Gary), First Mate Cailean and Second Mate Grant. The Admiral could talk to anyone. The Captain could talk to the Mates. The First Mate could talk to the Second Mate. The Second Mate could talk to no one. The Second Mate was limited in his boat piloting as The Admiral was getting sick from the erratic movements of the boat from channel side to channel side. Grant practiced hard at slaying pirates and other imaginary beings while Cailean spent time reading. We dinghied ashore to pick up Susan and Sam. Susan brought some special coffee and a cookbook she had gotten for us from the Paula Dean store in Savannah. We ate at an Outback Restaurant. The Washers had called us earlier to tell us they were a few miles from Beaufort and would arrive at the anchorage that same evening. We were glad to have the chance to see them again and hear about their adventures in the Bahamas.


Statue on Parris Island.


On April 7 we toured by car the islands south of Beaufort, Lady’s Island, St. Helena, and Parris Island (the Marine Depot). It was a beautiful drive through these low islands with their lush vegetation and vistas of water. We stopped briefly at the site of a school where the newly freed slaves were educated during and after the Civil War. We lunched at Pannini’s in downtown Beaufort. Grant and Grandpa got haircuts across the street. My barber was named Amy Jo and she owned a boxer dog. After some more shopping, we went to Friendly’s for ice cream. I had the big five scoop sundae after a root beer float. Heaven. Grant had decided after much thought that he wanted to continue on the trip, giving up soccer practice back home in order to continue on to Osprey Marina near Myrtle Beach where Aunt Laurie was going to meet us. The kids would spend the week on Sabbatical.




First Mate Cailean, Second Mate Grant, enjoying time away from their stations.

Our plans for April 5 were changed by the weather that threatened ahead of us. While we expected to pick up grandchildren, Cailean and Grant, at Thunderbolt Marina, we thought we would be continuing on with them that day. Because of tornado and severe storm predictions, we decided to remain overnight at the marina. That gave us the opportunity to tour Savannah with Susan, Sam and the kids. Savannah is an interesting town with many beautiful squares with unique neighborhoods around them. There is also a lively waterfront along the Savannah River which is below the bluff on which Savannah sits. Buildings along the bluff have businesses along the park on the bluff and another set of shops and bars at the foot of the bluff along the river. We also went to Tybee Island along the ocean. While we were there, a roll of very dark clouds appeared to our west. The winds picked up but there was no lightning and only a small amount of rain. However, there were reports of a funnel cloud that fortunately did not reach the ground being sighted just north of our position on the beach. After sending the parents to their hotel, we had pizza on Sabbatical with the grandchildren, watched a movie and went to bed. Some of the pictures from this area are the storm coming into Tybee Island, Sam and the kids standing under the pier at Tybee and Cailean and Grant the morning we started for Beaufort SC.

Plus the picture below was taken in Savannah of River Street's Waving Girl statue. Florence Martus, became known to seamen all over the world for waving at every ship. One legend maintains that she promised her sailor swetheart to greet every ship until his return.


We traveled on April 2 to Jekyll Island. We refueled at Fernandina Beach, Florida and crossed the border into Georgia. Along the way, Annette counted fifteen wild horses on Cumberland Island, several more than we had seen before. Some new foals were among those spotted.

April 3 took us to New Teakettle Creek, another familiar anchorage. We heard from home that the Napoleons had a new car. The VHF radio had a lot of chatter about boats having problems with low water in the Little Mud River, but when we got there we had no problems at all.

Redbird Creek was our next stop on April 4. Vicki and Mark called to tell us that they had finally left Key Largo to take their boat to Fort Lauderdale to be shipped north by truck to Fairpoint Marina in Little Sodus Bay. I am certain they were happy to be back aboard and moving on with life. Mark will work in Oswego and we are pleased to have our good friends so close to our home. As we sat at anchor in Redbird Creek, I was treated to a spectacular lightning show in the northeast sky. A vast thundercloud was lit by a bolt of lightning every three to five seconds. This went on for many minutes. We were very thankful to be where we were and not where it was.

We were ready to leave and waiting for the temporary lift bridge in St. Augustine at 0730 this morning when we saw Dalene signal us to come over to their boat which was also waiting for the bridge. They were in trouble. The gearing had failed and they had no propulsion. We circled and John threw a line that Annette caught and we towed them back to the anchorage. We reanchored as we would now have to wait an hour for the next opening as it was morning rush hour and the bridge schedule is restricted then. There was nothing further we could do to assist Miyott and we said goodbye again as we left again for the next bridge opening. Sabbatical pulled into Nassau Sound at 4:00 o’clock that afternoon and spent a quiet evening anchored in the place where we had helped another sailor on the way down.

The last day of March was our last evening in St. Augustine. We hosted John and Dalene Atterbury from Miyott (name of their boat) who had sailed across from their home in South Africa. We had met them on the docks several days before and this was our first opportunity to talk at length with them. They were planning on continuing their trip by recrossing the Atlantic from the Chesapeake. Miyott is a small boat and it is amazing to us that they could make an ocean crossing in it safely. John is an accomplished sailor and gives instruction in sailing at home.