DAY 206 CORNWALL NY – Friends

Posted on May 19, 2013 by SP-admin

The day started out with fog, rain and lots of trains. Love hearing the trains (almost as much as the ocean’s surf) and they didn’t blow their horns or whistles during the night…or did I just not hear it?

MORNING
FOG

: MORNING
TRAIN

We usually turn on the TV at each port and get whatever comes over the airwaves. If marinas do have cable, we don’t bother hooking it up. Well in Cornwall we get about 10 stations….most of them Korean. Some are dubbed or have English captions.

At noon Ken & Margaret Schmidt picked us up and took us to their home in Cornwall-On-Hudson for a barbeque. Well, first they took us to a grocery store as Ted reminded me there may not be many stores going up the locks and we needed more essentials than those I told Katie Thursday (though she did surprise me with the important stuff…Wegman’s triple crème butter brie). I’ve given Ted a list of things I want to eat when I’m dying and that’s right up there (what a shame if I don’t have much of an appetite).

The Schmidts took us for groceries and motor oil and then to their home where they wined and dined us with appetizers and a delicious steak dinner (too damp and cold to eat outside). In addition to their beautiful grounds and pool, you may notice they have a piece of the ‘rock’ in their back yard. Now THAT’S a rock !!! After dinner they even surprised Ted with an early birthday cake. We told old stories and new stories and …. as always….laughed till it hurt. Thank you!!! It was a fun, wonderful, special day with two very special people. And Ken, we love the picture of you on your first day of teaching. Hope you saved that jacket!

SCHMIDT’S
HOME

“THE SCHMIDT ROCK”

HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES
IT TAKE TO FLIP A STEAK?

FUTURE
PRINCIPAL

DAY 205 CORNWALL NY – Cornwall Yacht Club

Posted on May 18, 2013 by SP-admin

MANASQUAN NJ to
CORNWALL NY

Best day on the ocean yet! It was absolutely smooth….hard to believe. We traveled 102 miles in 10 hours. There was a fishing tournament in NJ and boats were out all the way up the NJ shore. Ted said we could stop in New York City but we were headed for Cornwall to see friends Margaret and Ken Schmidt. Hard to pass up NYC but would have been difficult to just have a couple of hours with all the hookups and ‘unhookups’. When we arrived in the New York Harbor the water totally changed. So many speedboats, ferries and tour boats were on the water it was really churned up and things started flying. We did see the spire on top of the World Trade Center – which was not there when we toured the Memorial (a “don’t-miss”) in the Fall. It still needs some finishing touches but I still thrill to see it as well as the skyline. We have now added NYC to our “must visit” again list.

GOODBYE
MANASQUAN NJ

: THE CALMEST
OCEAN DAY

NJ FISHING
TOURNEY

: NEW YORK
HARBOR

THE VERRAZANO

WORLD TRADE
CENTER

: A LITTLE MORE
TO BE DONE

EMPIRE ST BLDG
& PIER 57

UP THE
HUDSON

YONKERS

: THE THAYER

WEST POINT

We are here in Cornwall and I love the scenery. Mountains of trees and running trains surround the area and it is beautiful. And good wi-fi! Must house hunt.

CORNWALL
PORT AFT

DAY 204 MANASQUAN NJ – Hoffman’s Marina

Posted on May 17, 2013 by SP-admin

ATLANTIC CITY to
MANASQUAN NJ

Had a beautiful ocean cruise…calmest yet. I even took the helm for 45 minutes while Ted ‘napped’ (with one eye open).

GOODBYE
ATLANTIC CITY

OCEAN DAY

GUESS WHO’S
DRIVING

ENTERING
MANASQUAN

GOOD BEACH
DAY

RAILROAD
BRIDGE

HOFFMAN
MARINA

Cousins Jim and Carol Dooling came to the marina from Fairhaven NJ. Daughter Katie also came and we all went to dinner at the “Sand Bar”. Always great visits with Jim & Carol…dinner was wonderful and the company better. Katie brought us CDs and groceries – and as always, provided us a good dose of laughter.

KATIE &
TED

KATIE, CAROL
& JIM

JIM

BETTY ANN
& JIM

CAROL &
KATIE

KATIE &
MOM

DAY 203 ATLANTIC CITY NJ – Farley State Marina at Golden Nugget

Posted on May 17, 2013 by SP-admin

: CAPE MAY TO
ATLANTIC CITY

So glad the first ocean leg is over. With a good forecast Ted decided to go ‘outside’ (ocean route). Margie Williams did not let me forget that there are whales and sharks in the ocean…to which husband Tim replied “Now you’re part of the food chain”. Such a nice bunch of warm fuzzies. But it was a relatively good trip….though there were some big rollers but I think that is usual.

GOODBYE
CAPE MAY

ATLANTIC

HELLO
ATLANTIC CITY

BOARDWALK
(THE BOAT)

STARBOARD
VIEW

PORT
VIEW

CHART HOUSE VIEW
OF “SP” & “BOARDWALK”

The marina and facilities are among the nicest we’ve seen. The “Boardwalk” was on our starboard bow and its owner owns all the “Chart House” restaurants. It was our neighbor in Fort Lauderdale, docking at the Chart House there. We helped him afford his boat by eating at the Chart House here this evening, then visited the Golden Nugget Casino where we helped them stay ‘afloat’.. I have a ‘system’. The ‘system’ did not quite work. OK, it didn’t work at all. However, I found a slot machine that gave me 1 ½ hours of fun for $5. Oh, and we found out you’re not allowed to take pictures in a casino. Who knew?

BEST HAND

Looks like a ‘good’ (?) day to be back on the ocean…to northern New Jersey.

DAY 202 – CAPE MAY NJ – Utsch’s Marina

Posted on May 15, 2013 by SP-admin

DELAWARE CITY DE to
CAPE MAY NJ

In terms of electronics it was a bad day yesterday. After a beautiful 5 hour cruise on Delaware Bay, we hunkered down at Utsch’s. Very nice marina but the wi-fi doesn’t reach our boat, we don’t have an antenna to help it reach and Ted’s tablet crashed. I will try and convey the gravity of this crash…the tablet is Ted’s natural ‘child’. It runs a close 2nd to the boat (not even telling where I am in the running). Not a fun afternoon or evening on Simple Pleasures since he spent 8 hours on the phone trying to recover his ‘stuff’ and then couldn’t sleep. He did get the tablet restored and reloaded but lost some data.

AFT VIEW AT
UTSCH’S MARINA

PORT VIEW

TRYING TO RECOVER
THE TABLET

On the way to the bathhouse this morning at 8:00 I heard a band playing the Star Spangled Banner. It rang all over the marina and, I assume, Cape May since it was that loud. What an incredible feeling. I asked a gentleman where it was coming from. He said the Coast Guard Station. I think every town in America should have a loud band that plays the SPB every morning….just an incredible way to ‘wake up’. Visited the hair salon and met Gay. She and husband Bob are on Echo….adorable 27’ powerboat. They are from California and sailed around the world for 5 years.

WELCOME TO
CAPE MAY SIGN

OUR DOCK

GAY, BOB
& ECHO

LOBSTER HOUSE

TIM & MARGIE

We couldn’t leave today because the wind is up…and it is time to travel to Atlantic City. So this evening we went back to the infamous Lobster House with Tim and Margie Williams (boat: Gone To Far). If you recall, we went to the Lobster House with them in November as we passed through. The Lobster Bisque is the best ever but so filling I had to bring my dinner home. Lots of fun ‘boat chatter’. T&M head out to the ocean tomorrow (we followed him in the Fall and that’s when Betty developed “ocean-fear”). We MAY go if the winds aren’t too bad (not sure when that would be…if ever!). Ted’s also considering going on the ‘inside’ rather than just stay here and wait.

DAY 200 DELAWARE CITY DE – Delaware City Marina

Posted on May 13, 2013 by SP-admin

ROUTE FROM KENT ISLAND
TO DELWARE CITY

This morning at 5:30 I was awakened by himself….”ready to cruise”. There is only one 5:30 in my day and this wasn’t it. However, being the martyr I am, I got up and ready….to avoid ‘rough waters’ which was the reasoning for this ungodly hour. Didn’t happen. The wind was howling around the bridge. About an hour out, the Chesapeake proved rough, evidenced by books, magazines and stuff flying around below – and the couch moving out about 8” from the wall. I don’t mind bow or stern waves if not overpowering, but I hate waves on the beam. Although Ted insists we are not going to tip over (due to so much ballast below – and he is the KING of ballast in the engine room), being up high on the bridge and tipping at least 35 degrees is not reassuring. Once off the Chesapeake the water calmed and the cruise up the C & D (Chesapeake & Delaware) Canal was very smooth.

BLOGGING AT THE
MARINA’S WI-FI

WAY TOO
EARLY

WINDY DAY

CHESAPEAKE
CITY

OUR CHESAPEAKE
MUSTACHE

71 miles after we began, we were in Delaware City. Took a walk into town and ate a late lunch at Crabby Dick’s. Had our first crab balls and loved them. Had to buy a box to go.

DELAWARE
CITY

CRABBY
DICK’S

WALK BACK
TO MARINA

Next stop is Cape May NJ. Then we wait for calm ocean (is there such a thing?) for cruise to Atlantic City…not anticipating this part of the trip. Verizon tells us our Wi-Fi has about reached its limit. Marina Wi-Fis are difficult to find so unless we do, we will have to limit our posts until the 20th.

DAY 199 KENT ISLAND MD – Castle Harbor Marina

Posted on May 12, 2013 by SP-admin

: ROUTE FROM ST. MICHAELS
TO KENT ISLAND (CASTLE HARBOR)

The forecast was 10-15 knt winds but when we were on the Chester River (on our way to Chesapeake City) the winds and current were pretty rough. I’ve seen Ted in more turbulent water but not so agitated. After 2 ½ hours, 23 miles and having to wait for the Kent Narrows bridge to open, he said that was enough…we were turning in. We called the last marina before getting back on the Chesapeake and they had room for us. Very nice marina and even they said this wind had not been forecast.

GOODBYE
ST. MICHAELS

APPROACHING KENT
NARROWS BRIDGES

LOOKING
BACK

ROUGH
CURRENT

: ENTERING
CASTLE HARBOR

CURRENT IN AND
OUT OF BREAKWALL

CASTLE HARBOR
& OFFICE

STARBOARD
VIEW

FROM
THE AFT

SHELLS YES!
RESTAURANT

We walked up to the restaurant next to the marina. There was an ‘automatic’ gate between the marina and restaurant and we were given a card to open the gate. Came out of the restaurant and tried to open the gate with the card. Didn’t work. Ended up finding a place where we could climb over a fence – more of a wooden stile. Nice to know I can still climb over a fence if in need of a quick getaway.

DAY 198 ST. MICHAELS MD

Posted on May 11, 2013 by SP-admin

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY tomorrow to all the wonderful moms and grandmothers who nurture, care for, love, sacrifice, worry about, grieve for, educate and ‘do’ for children.

We have good friends who lovingly devote themselves to the care of 2 children (who have out-of-town grandparents) by babysitting, celebrating their birthdays, going to school plays and events, transporting them to and from activities, caring for them when they’re sick, hosting sleepovers, teaching them to cook, craft, fish, build things and even take them on vacation. They are rewarded with the honored monikers of Nana and Pop-Pop (aka Helen & Fred Liddle) – dearly loved and valued grandparents.

Ted and I honor and miss our Moms – Judy Williams Stark (dec. 9 ½ yrs) and Arlene Dooling Murphy (dec. 33 yrs).

———————————————————————————————————–

ROUTE FROM OXFORD
TO ST. MICHAEL’S

Rain and sun all day…it’s like being in Syracuse! Did a little pampering at the Serendipity, got the mail, went to the Farmer’s market, had lunch at the Crab Claw, then had to take advantage of the Boutiques. We walked to town 3 times (OK, that would be only 2 blocks up from the marina). Now that I think of it, maybe I would be a little shop-deprived in Oxford. The big topic at the Serendipity was the huge storm last night….with the giant crash of thunder at 2:32 am (Meghan the nail lady looked at her clock). It was also the big topic in the shops. Ted and I….heard nothing (and I claim to be a ‘light sleeper’).

SERENDIPITY

INSIDE
SERENDIPITY

FARMER’S
MARKET

HARBOR
MUSEUM

THE CRAB
CLAW

SHIP COMING IN

WENCH GOING OUT

AT THE ACME

NEW NEIGHBOR:
LOOK WHO’S DRIVING

WE’RE SMALL
POTATOES

MY LATEST
“NEW HOME”

By the way…Ted received his boat magazine in the mail today…”Passage Maker”. Check out the cover story on the right top corner. That’s not us………yet.

DAY 197 – ST. MICHAEL’S MD – Higgins Yacht Yard

Posted on May 10, 2013 by SP-admin

The boat was pulled at Oxford and the propellers changed. The Marina people at Hinckley could not have been nicer. And I forgot to mention yesterday that I have never heard so many birds all afternoon and into the evening. It doesn’t seem we get the bird-serenading at home like there is here. And…the Church bells (perhaps a carillon) played the most beautiful songs.

IN THE
LIFT

THE OFFENDING
PROPS

WOW! LOOK WHAT
A CLEANING CAN DO

THE HELPER

GOODBYE
OXFORD

As we entered Higgins Yacht Yard in St. Michael’s today we were again greeted by church bells, birds and Tim & Margie Williams (boat: Gone To Far). We met Tim & Margie in November on our way south and had dinner with them in Cape May. They’ve been tracking the blog and surprised us. They’re in the marina next door and saw us come in.

KNAPPS
NARROWS

KNAPPS
BRIDGE

ENTERING
ST. MICHAEL’S

ST. MICHAEL’S
LIGHTHOUSE

STARBOARD
VIEW

Took a walk into town for our mail delivery…which didn’t arrive…and found all kinds of neat shops and “Jojo’s Cupcakes and Cream” so we had to stop and get an ice-cream fix! Much of the Oxford feeling but a little bigger…and it does have shops. Hopefully I’ll get to go shopping tomorrow – if Ted wants to boat-tinker. I mean…I’ll go get the mail.

JOJO’S

Hot day…but we’re expecting a thunderstorm tonight.

DAY 196 – OXFORD MD – Hinckley Yacht Services

Posted on May 9, 2013 by SP-admin

Another beautiful cruising day. Traveled 79 miles.

GOODBYE
CRISFIELD

As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder…and I think it is beautiful here. One of the advertised lures of Oxford is “no condos”. And there aren’t. Once docked and hooked up, we took a walk. Neither words or pictures seem to convey the ‘feeling’ of Oxford. Think picket fence. And although I want to use the word “charming” it is not at all like the other “charming” places I’ve noted in the past. It is ordinary….with more picket fences than not. And ordinary old homes….and although old, not a lot of registry or landmark plaque hoopla. This little unpretentious town…with little or no shops and a small ‘mom and pop’ grocery store, tugs at me. Just a small waterfront American town.

ENTERING
OXFORD

: OXFORD

PORT FROM
AFT

STARBOARD
VIEW

THE GROCERY
STORE

“MISERY LOVES COMPANY”
BOOKSELLER STORE

THE TOWN
BANK

After our walk we went to the local restaurant, Schooners. Ted likes to eat out a lot…although we have a refrig full of food. I don’t think he likes my cooking (thank God!)

Simple Pleasures Travelogue

with TED & BETTY

DAY 206 CORNWALL NY – Friends

DAY 205 CORNWALL NY – Cornwall Yacht Club

DAY 204 MANASQUAN NJ – Hoffman’s Marina

DAY 203 ATLANTIC CITY NJ – Farley State Marina at Golden Nugget

DAY 202 – CAPE MAY NJ – Utsch’s Marina

DAY 200 DELAWARE CITY DE – Delaware City Marina

DAY 199 KENT ISLAND MD – Castle Harbor Marina

DAY 198 ST. MICHAELS MD

DAY 197 – ST. MICHAEL’S MD – Higgins Yacht Yard

DAY 196 – OXFORD MD – Hinckley Yacht Services