WAVEAWAY Loop Journey

Completed the Loop 25 March

2008-03-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hello to Family and Friends,

Well, we finally crossed our wake and completed the loop at 1202L on 25 March, 2008 as we entered the South River. It has been quite a trip!

We last posted from Oriental NC where we "weathered" for two days waiting for winds to abate. On Thursday, 21 March, we left early and headed north with plans to anchor on the other side of Ablemarle Sound. And for once, the plans actually survived reality. As we crossed Ablemarle sound that evening, the winds were just starting to pick up...good timing on our part. It was getting dark just as we finished the crossing and we pulled to the west of the ICW and put out Anchor for the night. It was not the best of anchorages but we did alright and were beat from a 12 hour day.

The next day we left early and headed up to Norfolk. We made our way through our last lock...just a 1 ft drop to control the tidal currents. We pulled into the Norfolk city marina at around 1600 and headed to Joe's Crab Shack...right next to the Marina. We decided to stay two days until the Chesapeake became calm enough to go north. This gave Ashton and I a chance to see the Naval Nuseum right next door...we also toured the Battleship Wisconsin. Neat stuff.

On Monday we headed out bright and early to take advantage of the tidal currents heading north in the Chesepeake. Forcast was 10G15 Knots early increasing to 15G20 for the afternoon. Well, we hit the higher winds right away and they were blowing opposite the incoming tide. This stood the waves up a bit and instead of having 2-3 footers, we ended up with 3-5 footers...very rough. Lots of water over the bow. Ashton and Cathy hid below as they were a bit ill. We beat north in this manner all the way to Soloman's Island where we were relieved to pull into a nice protected anchorage for the evening. We had to set the anchor twice to get a good bite but enjoyed the scenery around Solomans for the evening.

Tuesday, the 25 we hit the bay at sunrise and made great time, this time the weather was correc and the waves were a relativley calm 2-3'. We pulled into the Pier 7 Marina on the South River at about 1230L....Loop Complete.

Was it worth it...YES. Was it more expensive that we had thought and budgeted? Yes

So, my apologies for the delay for this final post. We have been at work now for two months..still a ways to go before all the trip bills are paid...and yes, it was worth it! Waveaway is for sale now with an offer pending. We have not been out since we pulled her into the slip at Pier 7 on the South River. Oh, I go by and do some boat work every weekend, but I can't find the energy to take her out. She, I am sure, knows this and is ok with it. I think she is ready for a new owner and grateful for the trip of a life time. Yeah, or I might just be a little crazy.

It is funny how intense the preparation for the trip was and how excited we were to have the privilege to manage such a trip (especially with a teenage son) during our "earning years". It is only fitting that the end of our trip and of our relationship with Waveaway is a slow, long and without fanfare goodbye...we have had all the excitement we deserve for a while.

Fair wind and following seas my friends.

Weather Delayed in Oriental NC...it is boating you know!

2008-03-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends and Family,

We arrived in Oriental NC on Tuesday after a very busy week of cruising and some time off to go back home for a very sad event.

First, we left from St Augustine on Sunday, March 13 cruising up the ICW with a planned stop in Fernandina Beach Fl. About an hour out, we received a call from our daughter Holly. She was in tears relaying that River, our great dog for over 15 years, had declined rapidly in health and was unable to stand or bark. Cathy had just returned from D.C. two days earlier with River in very good health at that time so this phone call was a shock. We quickly decided to put the boat at a marina for a few days and drive back to D.C. as we all wanted to see River again before it was too late. We also called our daughter, Marylee, who is staying with her grandmother in N.C.

Everyone drove back and met at the house on Monday evening. That evening was extremely emotional for everyone as we realized the gravity of River's health. There were stories told of River of old as we all cried while petting him as much as possible. He still recognized everyone but was unable to stand without assistance ...he still smiled when we all would love on him.

That night River stayed in our bed room and we attended him through the night. It was obvious he was in pain but was also refusing to give in...always been an extremely tough dog. This is the dog that attacked a group of coyotes in Arizona who were trying to lure him out of the yard so they could make a meal of him....he killed two and sent the others scrambling...loving every minute of it. This is the dog that would love going on 10 mile runs with me and beg for more at the end of the run. This is the dog that patiently ate through our fence for 2 days to attack a large Rottweiler next door who everyone knew, including River, was a dangerous dog. River sent him to the vet. River would have died for any of us.

Cathy and I took him to the vet that morning where we discussed the situation with the vet, through tears, and decided to do the right thing...hardest decision I have EVER made. River sensed it I am sure. He was ready...we were not and would never be but life doesn't care. While River rested his head on my lap, Cathy and I stroked and cried as the assistant very compassionately administered a fatal dose of anesthesia. River's labored breathing slowed, his eyes shut ever so slightly, and he left us. I still cry when I think or write (as in now) about this. I have owned LOTS of dogs in my life...loved all of them. But River was special in so many ways. He is missed. There will never be another River.

We returned to the boat the next day and left early in the morning heading "outside" to avoid the Georgia ICW. We initially planned on coasting in at Hilton Head but starting bucking a head current. We made the decision to continue overnight and go direct to Charleston. We slowed to make the arrival in Charleston during daylight. We all took turns at watch with me taking the last watch to maneuver the boat through the extremely busy Charleston inlet during dawns light. It was a pretty sight as we cruised in past Ft Summter...dogding big container ships.

We spent that day in Charleston and saw the old market area enjoying a great meal...what else? The next day we left for Georgetown and then on to North Myrtle Beach. From there we slogged up the ICW only grounding once in Lockwoods Folly inlet...appropriately named. We were able to back off and try an alternate route (not marked) which was successful. Later when I discussed this with a rag boater, he relayed he grounded in the same place.

Right now we are in Oriental NC and have been for two days. Last night we had severe storms and I had to get up to tend the lines. I slipped on the dock and quite possibly have broken a bone in my left foot. It will have to wait until we return to Annapolis. Tomorrow the weather should improve and we will attempt the two-day run to Norfolk crossing some rather nasty water in Albemarle Sound and Pamilico Sound. Then it is only two days up the Chesapeake back to our home waters. Wish us luck.

We are ready to be home.

Waveaway in St Augustine

2008-03-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

Hello to All,

Ashton and I began our final leg north on Monday, 3 March. We fueled up and headed out into the glorious Florida weather bright and early...Ashton time...1000 AM. We had a very uneventful trip up to Melbourne were we chose an anchorage that would be protected from southerly winds. The weather was calling for thunderstorms later in the evening and all the next day so we pulled into a nice spot right behind the Melbourne Causeway. This spot already had a nice sailboat named "Carp Diem" sitting peacefully waiting out the weather. As we pulled in to avoid the sailboats rode, I pulled a little too close to some crab buoys and yep, got one wrapped around the port prop. We continued to anchor and now had one more chore for the next day.

Here is a picture of the "job" accomplishment...water was nasty and NOT WARM.

On Wednesday, 5 March we started north again with plans to pull up into an anchorage just north of New Smyrna Beach....just south of Daytona Beach. We had a great trip up with beautiful weather and light winds. However as we were going through the town of New Smyrna, in 18' of water, something got tangled, or I hit something with my starboard prop. It was getting close to sunset and we were sitting in the middle of the channel running on one engine (pulled the starboard engine back to idle) and we looked to our left and saw the municipal marina and thought it better to be at a place to fix whatever was wrong than to proceed on one engine to a tricky anchorage. We called and they directed us to a easy slip. So, with no daylight left, I donned my wet suit again and dove the boat using Ashtons scuba flashlight. The water was very nasty and cold again but I was relieved when I saw a big nylon jacket wrapped around the prop. It took about 15 mins to cut the thing off . All the while I was surrounded by fairly large fish which I felt was unusual for a marina. Long story short, here is a picture of the jacket and the fish didn't bite.

Thursday found us headed north to just south of St Augustine. and yes, another wonderful day at the beginning. However, as the afternoon wore on the storm clouds gathered and we felt the need to pull into a marina for protection...the anchorages around St Augustine are pretty open. We pulled in just as the lightning and winds hit...good timing. The next day we picked up Cathy from the Jacksonville airport and came back to the boat to wait out the storm.

Today the storm has left but there are 40+ mile an hour winds so we walked around St Augustine and played tourist. We also provisioned for a week as tomorrow we head up to Fernandina Beach to anchor and then our plan is to go "outside" and proceed direct to Hilton Head SC. We chose this by-pass Georgia route because their ICW is reportedly the worst kept anywhere this side of Jersey. And we ALL remember what happened when we tried to use the ICW in Jersey. We will let you know how it turns out!

Present map position......................................................................>

Update on Waveaway resting in Florida

2008-02-25T08:56:00.000-08:00

Hello to All,

Since late November, we have been "wintering" in Florida. We spent the holidays in Marathon Florida and moved up to Stuart Fl spending the last month at the Hutchinson Island Marriott Marina....really nice spot. However, we realize we have not updated or kept current on this blog since leaving Panama City Fl in November. This post attempts to bring readers up-to-day with our travels.

We left Panama City and went direct to Clearwater Fl...distance of about 250 miles. This was the first trip that we have been over open water and out of site of land for any long duration. We left at 1200 noon and arrived in Clearwater at 1400 the next day. We took turns during the night and had a great trip with light winds and clear skies. We dodged shrimp boats during the night and crab pots once we got closer to the west coast of Fl. All in all uneventful...we like that.

As a side note, during all our travels down western Florida, we we often in the company of Dolphins who would play in a wake and keep us company for a while. It was always fun to watch; they seemed to enjoy the company as well. Sometimes they would play in our wake and sometimes they would play in the bow wave...really neat stuff.

The next 5 days were spent working our way down the west coast of Fl with stops in Sarasota, Ft Meyers and Shark river...various anchorages between as well. During this time we only stayed at one marina in Clearwater preferring to anchor the rest of the time. We have evolved to the "rather anchor out" group as this is easier to do....and certainly cheaper. We like the solitude and the independence anchoring give us.

We arrived in Marathon just prior to Thanksgiving and opted to cook the traditional diner on board. After diner we joined other marina folks in singing and merriment until all we done. We also had two manatees as slip mates everytime we washed the boat!

The month of December found us back up in Virgina for our daughters graduation from Virgina Tech...Bio Chem honors graduate headed to Pharmacy School...we are very proud. We headed back to the boat just before Christmas with Ashton opting to stay in Virgina to get his checking account back in the black by working for two months (also his girlfriend, Naomi, was anxious to have him around for awhile).

We had several visitors during Dec and January, old friends from California (Gene and Julie Laughery), my sister Ruth, and my best man at my wedding ,Mike Saviano. Seems everyone wanted to visit the Keys during the mid-winter stretch...can you blame them? Also during this time we would take Waveaway out for exercise to the reefs to snorkel and fish.

During the downtime I also had Waveaway pulled for an insurance survey and had one prop removed and reconditioned as that shaft have exhibited some vibration after "touching" several objects on our journey (bottom in New Jersey; logs in the rivers etc). Good news is the reconditioning fixed the vibration (total cost 700$) and my cutless bearings had not suffered any ill affects.

I also had the engines tuned up while there and took Waveaway out for sea traisl where we got the old girl up to 18 Knots...wide open! The mechanic chastised me for not opening her up more often. I resolved, fuel costs or not, to open her up during the last 30mins of cruise each day (more on that later)

Also during this time I played chauffeur for Cathy as she had to fly in and out of Miami five times to do the work thing. We did manage to get to Key West three times and do those tourist things there. Crazy place.

On Feb 1, Cathy and I (Ashton was still in Virgina earning $s) starting a move north up to Stuart. We took the Hawk channel as the depths are more forgiving and the weather was excellent. We picked a nice anchorage just north of Key Largo for the first night. And I proceeded to "blow out the soot" and pushed her up for 10 mins or so as we neared the inlet. All went well until I came off power as we were entering the inlet and both engines flamed out....sporty. I quickly realized I was running on the forward tank which was getting low after 9 hours of running that day (only 90 gals in the fwd tank). So, when I came off of plane, the angle of the boat went from 5 degrees up to approx. level with the fuel leaving the area of the fuel pick-up lines. ...stupid me. I quickly gave the helm to Cathy and told her to try and stay in the channel while I went below to switch tanks and re-prime the engines. She did what she could but without power we were at the mercy of the tides and waves. We lucked out and the tide pushed us directly into the inlet. Meanwhile I was swapping and pumping madly in a HOT engine room but was patting myself on the back at the same time at a modification I had done putting hand priming pumps on the engines. I had it changed and primed in less than 1 min with the engines restarted shortly thereafter....lots of lessons learned on WAY too many legs. BTW, we had an uneventful anchorage even seeing florescent jelly fish that evening coming and going with the tide.

The next day we went outside again direct to Ft Lauderdale...about 7 hours of cruising. We stayed just off Miami Beach and had a great trip pulling into the inlet by all those huge cruise ships! We entered the New River which takes you to downtown Ft Lauderdale and pulled up to the wall there managed by the City Marina (cheap). We met my sister there and had a great time people and boat watching late into the evening. This was a neat stop.

The next day we went out the inlet again to avoid the Sunday Inter coastal Waterway congestion. However, on that day we paid the price with 4ft beam seas all the way until I called uncle and went into the Palm Beach inlet. We continued north up the ICW another 30 miles until we pulled into the Marriott for our one month stay.

Ashton returned yesterday to prepare for the final leg north. We plan to begin heading up to our next short term destination, St Augustine, one week from today (3 March). We will then ease our way north waiting on favorable winds or temperatures. More updates more often as we actively begin cruising again on 3 March!

Touch and Go in Mobile AL and Headed South!

2007-11-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

FIRST,
Here's to the folks left behind slugging it out day in and day out in the Pentagon

Dave and Susan (overworked and under paid!) They are only smiling because of earlier free drinks!

David and Mildred....both great Americans!

Bring passion and a Latin flair to everyday Pentagon crises.

These folks were my favorite peeps I worked with and for at the Pentagon. They are all closet loopers. They work in one of the hardest places to keep your sanity, Air Force A8, which is where you either get money or have it taken....makes people a "bit" on edge. Anyway, I miss them all. I know one day they will take their own loop....it doesn't suck and you guys need a vacation!

Blog continues.....

Hello to All,

We are currently in Mobile Alabama, taking a breather from a very busy 10 days of "river running". In the past 10 days we ran almost 800 miles...averaging about 80 miles a day...and at 10 MPH! It was fun but I was glad to see the ocean again after 6 months of fresh water cruising. Here is a brief recap;

When we returned to our boat from our vacation from our vacation...life if tough, i know, we had to rest for 3 days...weather was crap. Here is a picture from our front porch in Highlands NC...really nice place.

But then we started from Green Turtle Bay KY running down the Kentucky lake. The weather was cool and rainy which added to our motivation to "push er up". That night we pulled into a quiet anchorage and finally saw blue sky for the first time in a week. Here is a typical shot of the house that are along the lake...not quite as spectacular as the 30,000 island in Canada, but still pretty nice scenery to cruise through

We left the lake and started the locking process again beginning the SLOW decent back to sea level. Some of the locks were quick and some others we waited 3 hours or more....yeah, I do really well waiting on anything. Ashton says I start pacing after about 20 mins. Cathy just goes below...smart girl.

After the lakes we started the rivers again...only 500 more miles of them!

Fall colors added some needed scenery...we timed it about right with the leaves changing and the temperatures in the 70's

The time change made our days a bit shorter...we would start getting a bit anxious toward the end of the day, with day-light fading and we still had 20 miles to go. We pulled into on place using flashlights...spotlight had burnt out...not fun.

The mornings were always foggy. Here are some crazy loopers leaving before most folks are even up (except those lucky guys working at the Pentagon)

Here we are...the blind following the blind. This day we had to make 100 miles due to no suitable anchorages or marinas so everyone, including us left butt early and of course, the fog had not burnt off yet. I followed the guy in front of my part of the way using radar....made me think of my old C-5 days trying to find the tanker in crap weather....don't really miss that. Sun came out and burned it off making for a glorious cruising day. Ashton and I tucked into a 1 boat anchorage that night and watched the Cowboys kick Philly butt...love my SAT TV!

This is just a cool picture...taken by a marina we stayed at in Mississippi

And so, we are DONE with river cruising after 1400 miles of it (not counting the stuff we did in Canada)...here is the parting river shot. We will increase our blogging tempo as we should have more stuff to explain away and we are FINALLY back in the land of Verizon WIFI.

Takinig a break in Grand Rivers KY

2007-10-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hello to all,

As you can tell, we have taken a break from our blogging responsibilities after departing Chicago on the 16th of September. Frankly, there has not been a lot to say or to show in the way of pictures. This part of the trip is "river travel" which is a bit monotonous and without beautiful vistas...for the most part. Here is a recap:
Ashton and I returned from our trip to California (Cathy caught a flight back to D.C. from California) and did a late night provisioning run before dropping the car off the next morning. That day's trip consisted of mainly industrial cruising through lower Chicago and then one Lock that took us to our destination that evening, a free wall in Joliet Ill...with electricity. There we met cruisers Joan and Steve, aboard Colorado Cat who we had last seen sitting on a the front porch of the dilapidated hotel in Killarney Canada. Joan invited Ashton and I over for dinner which was wonderful, as was the wine! We stayed in Joliet for two nights just because...

The next day we traveled 77 miles down the Illinois river and tied up to a free dock in Ottawa Ill. We were met by the town's ambassador who told us where all the good places were etc. This led to me going by the farmers' market in the morning for fresh cherry pie and fruit. The next day we traveled another 80 miles and pulled into a nice anchorage occupied by Colorado Cat (they called and let us know it was a good anchorage) . We joined them for a wonderful dinner of steak, dessert of my newly purchased cherry pie, great wine and conversation. It was pretty neat as we were tucked back in this little river, out of the way of the tows that traverse this part of the world. These gulls would follow us down the rivers hoping we would chew up some of the famous jumping carp...which we did and that made these gulls happy...bad day for carp however.

We made the Mississippi the next day

and traveled to a barge/dock called Hoppies. This was the only place to get fuel for miles but was a great overnight stop. The "experienced lady" there took us aside and gave us great tips on getting down the river ....basically all the way to Mobil. She was great...here is a picture. She has worked the river her whole life

There are not many places on the Mississippi to anchor so we called the lock master at Kaskaski River lock and asked if we could tie up to his wall for the night...he said "sure". Later we were joined by an 80 foot Coast Guard buoy boat who pulled up to our front (literally 2 ft away) for the night. I watched as the Master Chief ran his folks through the evening rituals of readying the boat for the next day. Wasn't much else to watch there, trust me. The next morning I departed on "George time" with Ashton still asleep. There was a pretty good layer of fog on the river so I went slow and used the radar and GPS to monitor position and watch for tows....made me feel like I was back in the Air Force going into Europe in the winter!

We made the Ohio river the next day and anchored behind a small island which provides shelter from the tows, but not much else. However, we had a great night of stir fry and lots of cold beer...life does not suck.

Traveling up the Ohio River was a pain. Both locks we had to go through were having mechanical issues and we waited a total of 4 hours. Plus, we were traveling up river so we had about a 1 1/2 mph current against us. We made our anchorage late that evening which was occupied by four other looper boats....it was fun to see those folks again (Our Time...the folks we "tasted" scotch with in Frankfort MI were there)

Finally, on the 25 of September, we pulled into Green Turtle Bay Marina KY. I paid for a month marina slip here because of planned trips to see Mom and attend a wedding for my Cousin's daughter in D.C. Besides, it is still hot and the leaves are not turning yet and we see no reason to continue south until those two things change! So, we will talk to you when we return from visiting family.

All the best,
George, Ashton and Cathy
Aboard Waveaway
Currently Lying Greeen Turtle Bay KY

Sitting in Chicago enjoying a beautiful Labor Day

2007-09-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

Typical sand dunes down the east coast of Michigan

Hello to all,
We made it down the east coast of Michigan and currently sit tied to a wall across from Millennium Park in Chicago. Our stops down the coast included Frankfort, Leland, Muskeg on, Holland and South Haven. All of these were wonderful stops with lots to see and do. Total miles covered in the last almost three weeks has only been 200...not exactly setting speed records here. The reasons for out slower pace have been weather (you most likely saw the flooding taking place around Chicago) and the need to go back to DC for life maintainer issues. We will stay in the Chicago area for another week as we leave for California on Friday to attend a wedding of our dear friends, Gene and Julie Laughrey's daughter, Jessica. Our kids grew up together while we lived in California and now Jessica, who I still picture as about 8 or 9 (she is 23 now!) will get married...the FIRST of all our kids to tie the knot!

Chicago has been fun but not cheap, we suffered the theft of two bikes last night...we are on a very public wall and it IS Chicago...oh well. I am glad they didn't steal my Fortress Anchor as it is worth much more than the bikes....make you think we were dealing with you common opportunist. A friend of ours chased two intruders off his boat the night prior....wall was cheap...falls under you get what you pay for!

Here are some nice pictures of the last three weeks along with comments particular to each area. All in all we have had a relaxing time with no large maintainers issues and have met some great friends!

Here we were at South Haven, waiting for the weather (winds) to improve. Each Harbor of Refuge has these long sea walls that one can walk out. They protect the harbors and provide a nice pier to fish off or just gaze at the water.

These globes were part of the global warming art exhibit in Chicago. Each globe was done with a different theme. Some were interesting...theme got old

Here is the famous Navy Pier. A fun visit.

I took this picture in Millennium Park on my morning walk

Here is the Chicago Canal which give the boater a neat view of the down town as you cruise through.

Working our way down Lake Michigan...We are feeling a change in the wind!

2007-08-14T18:45:00.001-07:00

We picked Cathy up in Cheboygan and headed to Mackinaw City. The day was nice, but the wind was from the NE at 10 so there was some rolling action...Cathy and Ashton were not happy. As far as the weather, we have noticed the frequency of frontal passages change from once every 5 days to once every 3 days. This is making the journey down Lake Michigan a bit slower than anticipated. I posted earlier how we had learn the "turn back lesson". We have not forgotten that one an when the wind is over 15 knots, we stay put. This lake will turn ugly early.

After stopping in Mackinaw City, Asthon and I took the ferry over to Mackinac Island. Can you say touristy? Here are some pictures. Close your eyes and imagine the most wonderful fudge smells...now keep them close and imagine the most potent horse urine smell...OK, now mix them...welcome to Mackinac Island.
However, we made our way out of the madness of the forced 1900 main street and took a nice hike around the island.

The next day we made our way down to Charlevoix, which is arguably the prettiest town we have visited on the entire trip. It is hard for pictures to do justice to the beautiful harbor, water and buildings. This town is home to the houses built like little Tolkien cottages. We stayed here three days due to high winds. During this time, we participated in a dingy poker run again...didn't win but had a great time.

Monday found us headed south again to the picturesque town of Leland MI. This town is still a working fishing village...whoo hoo, fresh Walleye!
The trip was a bit rolly as the seas had not calmed from the day prior storm. Ashton and Cathy did the Dramamine thing again while Steel Stomach George manned the helm. We pulled into Leland and they squeezed us into a nice spot by the fuel dock. It seems that Leland is a Harbor of Refuge and they cannot deny any boat a place to wait out a storm...and there was a storm due the next day. Here are some pictures of all the boats in this relatively small marina.
We waited out the storm (30 knot winds). While we where swapping stories on the dock during the day, we spotted a trawler (another Looper) that was getting smacked by the ways making its way to our refugee. It seems this trawler left during the sucker morning calm and then pushed on as the winds picked up. Well, they made it in and the look on the older couples face was part embarrassment, part terror...oh, the lady was also part PISSED! They were doing the loop in phases and she said this phase was OVER!

Today we are in Frankfort with plans to stay two days as they are calling for gale force winds tomorrow.

All the best,
The Worleys aboard Waveaway
Currently lying Frankfort Michigan

Back in the USA....you don't know how lucky you are.....

2007-08-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

We have made it back to the US, crossing a very angry Lake Huron ref the above shot...I took this as Ashton was heaving below. We had to turn around the day prior due to 6' beam seas...been there, done that...no repeats please. At least this day everything was on the nose.

So a quick recap:

Days waiting on bad weather: 4
Maintenance issues: 2, fuel leak and various oil leaks...no, oil perspiration from my older Detroit Diesels
Food issues; none...been eating and drinking way too well
Over budget on

Booze
Food
Fuel

The last ten days found us making our way through the North Channel, waiting out weather in a nice cove there and waiting out weather in a marina at De Tour Channel. I will caption the picture below as they give a better update than words.

We are set to move tomorrow as Cathy has finally joined us after a LONG flight from D.C. She had to spend the night in the Detroit Airport thanks to US Air Ways. All the airlines are operating on such tight margins with regards to pilot/crew member availability, weather events and maintenance that everyday there are dramas. Makes me glad I am not flying for one of them right now...with the exception of Southwest...still the kings of "get them there on time...."This shot was taken as we made our way across Lake Huron's Northern Channel. We had to wait two days for this weather!

A beautiful marina at Little Current, the last bit of civilization for 100 miles on the North Channel
Yet another tricky navigation challenge...this is only 75 ft wide and you make a security call prior to passage
Ashton and I climbing the hills in search of blueberries waiting out the weather on the North Channel
A particularly interesting cloud formation...I guess I snapped this just after watching the old 80's flick, The Day After

We will miss the beautiful sights of the Georgian Bay...but it is on to Lake Michigan and the trip South!!!

Pulled over in Killarney Ontario...why not...?

2007-07-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

Since our last post, Ashton and I have made great time moving across the entire Georgian Bay in four days....we are idiots.

This place is absolutely gorgeous. If it wasn't for us meeting Cathy on the tip of Michigan next week, we would stay here until the butter became hard....err, middle of August from what folks say.

Ok, our trip has been great. We anchored "med-style" in our first night in a cove called Echo Bay...named for the sheer granite walls that....you guessed it, echo! Anyway, the bay was pretty full and we could not pull into the other bay due to large granite boulders just under the surface. Ashton stopped us just in time to avoid an expensive "oh shit". We have taken to have Ashton as "bow rider" when we go anywhere off the canal. The water is clear down 60 ft so you can see what is going to bite you. But back to Echo Bay, we had to scale a cliff (OK, it was only 50 ft tall...but I am old!) We tied our stern to a pine at the top of this cliff and anchored out forward making more room for others. Great stay with us snorkeling amongst the walleye that I have eaten the last two nights out!

We left yesterday after two days and went "outside" into the heart of the Georgian Bay to make better time. We ran 60 miles up the coast and pulled into a pretty inlet called Byng Inlet...not much else to say except we pulled into a marina, folks were nice, beer was cold and the cool Canadian nights aided in a good rest.

Today we went outside (the "inside" is the small craft channel which is very scenic which we ran the first day, but this channel is tedious and one risks a bent prop at every turn). Our run to Killarney was 45 miles over extremely flat seas. Ashton slept most of the way. I put the boat on autopilot and puttered around while I monitored traffic and progress. Life doesn't suck.

We intended on passing through Killarney en route to a secluded anchorage on the other side of a small canal. However, as we were passing through Killarney, which turns out to be the quintessential boat destination that didn't even have road to it until 20 years ago, friends of our waved us down. They had pulled into the Sportsman's Inn. We did the same. This Inn had just come out of bankruptcy last week...no kidding. There were two kids (both 20...Ashton's age) running the place for the deep pocketed saviour who purchased the Inn. This Inn is famous and was the place t0 stop for years. These kids were doing everything...from running a water taxi to docking, fixing electricity etc. The Inn is in a sad state of repair but the bar is really neat with dead animals lining the walls....just what one expects here in the north woods. Anyhow, this place let us dock with electricity cheaper than anyplace on our trip so far. Our friends had been helping the kids for the last five days getting the water and electricity running again. Attached are some pretty descriptive pictures.

Tomorrow we head to Baie Fine, which is a must see destination. After that it is across the Northern Channel to meet Cathy back in the USA.

That's it for now.
The Worley's
Aboard Waveaway,
Currently lying Sportsman Inn, Killarney Ontario

Heading farther up the North Woods....life is good

2007-07-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hello to all,

We are currently in a wonderful marina at the mouth of the Georgian bay. We arrived last Wednesday and just finished a rendezvous with all the other lucky folks doing the same "trip" as us. We have been so busy just taking things in and keeping the boat in the channel (many others have not been so lucky) that keeping the blog updated kept getting pushed to the right. However, here are some highlights.

Ashton tries his first locking at the helm and pulls out a mooring position (big metal thing tow boats tie too)....pulled it out of the cement wall...bolts and all

We gave this back to the lockmaster apologizing for breaking his wall.
I was on the wall while Ashton was dancing around in the current.
Cathy was providing moral support...
There is now a blue streak on the front of my bow that will continue to remind us of all the great "blue lines" at the locks on the Trent Severn Canal

We cross a VERY LARGE lake with 30 knots of wind on our port side...beam seas of 6 ft...we survive and actually break very little!

Winds were supposed to be less...yes it was a weather forecast which we foolishly believed
No, we are too stubborn to turn around

Ashton and I continue to make great time and avoid large boat bills

No bent props
No bent struts
No overheats

Ashton, myself and a friend win the dingy poker race...came in last but we had the winning hand!

We did not cheat...and our dinghy refused to plane with three people in it...they all had to wait and we still won!

Details: The above are highlights but in general, our trip has been blessed with very good weather and the scenery is absolutely wonderful. We will post some characteristic pictures as we have made our way to the end of the Trent Severn Waterway and are about to begin our trip along the north side of Lake Huron (actually call the Georgian Bay and North Channel). Tonight we went on a dinner cruise which cruised along our future route...we were absolutely awed by the vistas.
In any case, we continue to stay on schedule and will take the next 10 days to make our way across the top of the Great Lakes to finally enter the USA again near Mackinaw Michigan. Cathy, who has been working in D.C. during our time in Canada, will join us at that time and we will continue our trip down the east shore of Lake Michigan.

Tomorrow we head out into the 30,000 Islands which is listed as one of the best cruising grounds in the world. So, we have stocked the freezer and frig and will head out bright and early...Ashton time. Wish everyone the best.

The Worley's
Aboard Waveaway
Currently lying Penetanguishene Ontario

Off the grid in Canada...blog catchup!

2007-07-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hey to all,
We have been without Internet for the last 10 days or so...we will try to catch you up. We crossed into Canada on 29 June leaving from Oswego NY and coasting in at Bath Ontario. Since then, we have been making our way up the Trent Severn Waterway and are currently lying Bobcaygeon Ontario, a small very touristy town that actually has WIFI! Here is a brief synopsis of the last two weeks including pictures of the highlights.

Cathy arrived 26 June meeting Ashton and me at Brewerton NY. We headed up the Oswego Canal the next day arriving in Oswego timed to go the the street festival...sort of a farmers market with bands. Weird. It wasn't much so we headed to the nearest Irish pub to really sample the local color...great food and beer as usual.

On 29 June we headed across lake Ontario with gentle winds and beautiful green-blue seas. Cathy wanted to stop at an isolated island in Canadian waters but I explained that the custom folks frown on side trips until you actually clear customs...remembering my "permit to proceed days" flying C-5s...we didn't have one. Anyway we cleared customs at Bath and walked the town. They were having a Canada Day celebration that weekend to include a reenactment of US...that is right the USA invading Canada and getting repealed the next day by British troops. The community there to this day is called the Loyalist Township of Bath...wonderful different perspectives, especially coming so close to our own 4Th of July celebration

Jun 30 found us leaving Bath right in the middle of the American invasion complete with the old three masted schooner. We left with Old Glory flying high...some folks no doubt thinking...hey wait, you guys don't get driven out until tomorrow! Anyhow, we cruised over to Picton Ontario, a local artist hangout and took a mooring ball from the yacht club there. We dingy ed over to the dock trying to beat a thunderstorm and in our hast, Ashton sent his new Cannon camera into lake Ontario...ouch...total loss. We consoled ourselves with all the yacht club type Canadians at their club with a liquid lunch. Later we made it up to Picton and walked around this picturesque art is community.

July 1 found us headed to Trenton and we pulled in to the Frazier State Park Marina where we got great seats (off the bow of our boat) for the Canada Day Fireworks that night. We had a nice bike ride touring Trenton and then fixed a great dinner. The fireworks were fantastic and we chatted with some new Canadian friends on what the hell we were doing in Trenton Ontario.

July 2-4 found us making our way up the windy rivers stopping each night at a canal lock wall to tie up. We stayed in some pretty remote countrysides where Ashton and I fished...catching some small Walleyes. Our days became pretty routine. I would wake and take an hour walk and do exercise. Then Cathy would wake and do her tea. Ashton would finally wake around 9 or 10 and we would cast off for the days cruising...we are not in any hurry.

We caught fireworks again on the 4Th in Peterbourgh Ontario...thank you Canada! This was an every Wednesday event just coincidental timed with the 4Th this year. Anyhow, Peterbourgh was a neat city that caters to the boaters. Pretty much everything you need within walking distance. We restocked and bought another digital camera. I also rented a car to drive Cathy back to Buffalo NY where she rented ANOTHER CAR to drive back to D.C....vacation was over for her. She is not able to work from Canadian soil due to Patent Law concerns and will bust her tail for the next two weeks to clear time to join us again cruising the Norther Channel of Lake Huron.

For the last three days (Jul 6-10) Ashton and I have been tying up to lock walls each night making about 20 miles a day. Here are some photos of typical scenery during this leg of the loop. Every turn in the lake or river provides more Kodak moments.

We will cruise tomorrow another 20 miles, weather permitting.

Nearing the end of the Erie Canal...say goodby to train noise!

2007-06-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

As we near the end of this wonderful waterway, we reflect on the very neat places that most folks never get to see. Those out-of-the-way stops off the interstate and perhaps without a national "draw". Well, we didn't see them either!!! The frigging interstate AND railroad follow this canal until just short of Lake Oneida (which is where we will take the Oswego canal north on Wednesday). So every night we had considerable road noise and the constant CSX trains...remind me to buy stock in CSX railroads...them boys are busy!

Well, the trip has been gorgeous. The canal does pass through occasional breath-taking scenery which we were grateful for. Lake Oneida was perfectly smooth for our crossing. I enjoyed the trip....Ashton was in a surly mood after being kept up all night since we moored for free across from a biker bar on a Saturday night....thank god for ear plugs. Oh, and this morning as I was fixing eggs and sausage, the generator does a high-temp shutdown...damn, no eggs. Hmmm, sure hope that sausage was done enough, I ate it anyway. Ashton...being surly refused and generally acted like a 2nd or 3rd mate instead of 1st mate for the cruise today. Hopefully we will fix the generator tomorrow.

Mom has enjoyed her trip up the Erie. She commented that her accommodations are first rate....did I mention that Ashton (whose accommodations she is occupying) is a bit surly? Anyway, we do provide first class service with the exception of half-done sausage or having to exit the living room while I provide the necessary TLC down in the "holy place". She leaves on Tuesday back to North Carolina. We will miss her.

Cathy comes back from Alexandria late Tuesday after going back to "work". She has to go back every two weeks to fulfill obligations under the work plan she selected at the Patent office. It sort of breaks up our trip cadence, but she has no choice...She also attends to the mail, picks up boat parts, meds etc...sort of our bi-monthly supply flight! I am hoping for thunderstorms Tuesday night.

That's about it for now....will post some nice pictures later.

Cheers,
The Worley's
Aboard Waveaway
Currently lying Brewerton NY, Winter Harbor Marina

Erie Canal Stops; Lock 8 and Amsterdam

2007-06-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

We could not ask for better canal traveling weather. Last night we stopped after going through Lock 8. Two other "loopers" were also tied up to the wall and we quickly formed a nice happy hour party. It was good finding out some of the other perspectives and life stories that led these folks to doing the loop. One thing we have found is that we are usually the youngest of the bunch...hmmm.

Anyway, both days were remarkably uneventful. All systems, with constant TLC, are running as expected. Our highlight today was polishing all the stainless (getting all that New Jersey salt off)...Ashton actually did half of the work. We also finished our "boat cards" which we really should have done before casting off.

It is amazing how is day is broken down into the basics....getting ready to cruise, cruising, and getting ready for the next day cruise....pretty basic but it gives one a satisfying fullness from the day. Yes, we are a long way from our D.C. lives. Have a great day...

The Worleys,
Aboard Waveaway
Currently lying Amsterdam NY, just below Lock 11 Erie Canal

Up the Hudson and through our first lock!

2007-06-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

We made very quick time yesterday from Rondout River to Waterford NY, the beginning of the Erie Canal. We had great current and cool weather making the trip very enjoyable. Ashton and I brushed up on "locking procedures" as we had never locked before. Our trip through Albany was uneventful except for getting stopped by the water sheriff who was just warning us about a new no-wake zone ahead....right by the police station on the river. He told us that he was warning every big boat so the local police would not stop them and issue a ticket. Perhaps a little rivalry going on there between forces, who knows.

Our first lock was with bright, sunny skies, and no wind. The lock master thought we were seasoned lockers because Ashton did such a good job with the lines. The lift itself was great...something amazing about watching your boat lifted 50 ft and then you just cruise nice and slow out.

We pulled into Waterford town dock where we tied up to the lock wall (free) and promptly looked for a nice restaurant. What we found was an authentic Irish pub which had great brews...New York Heaven. All of this by the book stuff and sunny skies, calm winds...you know, actually like the guide books said it would be is very much a welcome surprise after traveling through New Jersey ICW. Whew.
Cheers
The Worleys aboard Waveaway
Currently lying Waterford NY

Uneventful non-Jersey related trip up the Hudson

2007-06-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

Wow...who would have thunk it. The Worley's could actually go four long legs of the trip without a grounding/major malfunction (except for George trying to fix the dinghy carburetor) or being caught in a thunderstorm...well we kinda did that third one, but it was refreshing!

We made it out of New Jersey yesterday with a absolutely wonderful cruise up the Hudson. We made all of 6 knots fighting a 3 knot current but the scenery was great going by all the NYC landmarks. We started at the South end of Manhattan and sped (not really) all the way up to Yonkers where we entered the Palisades portion of the Hudson. This area has the high cliffs and densely wooded sides rather unexpected so close to NYC. We cruised for 7 hours entering a nice marina in Haverstraw NY. We met other "Loopers" there and shared our minimal experience and tried to listen more than talk...hard to believe, isn't it Mildred?

This morning we left at O-dark-thirty Ashton time (1000 local) and had another uneventful cruise up to Kingston NY. We are currently anchored in the Roudout River just south of Kingston. Cathy is catching up on her work and Ashton and I are doing a whole lot of nothing...again, hard to believe, isn't it Mildred? More later...plan tomorrow is to make it up just South of Albany and dock at one of the restaurants that gives you free dockage with a dinner drop-in....we are low on beer so it is gonna happen.
Cheers,
The Worley's Aboard Waveaway
Currently Lying Rondout River, NY

Oh What an Adventure...or I hate the NJ ICW!

2007-06-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

So we cast off on our voyage , making our way up through Chesapeake and Delaware Bays and through to Cape May, NJ with two fairly uneventful cruises (the Delaware Bay was rough but we expected that). As many of you have already seen over at our Website, we've posted a picture of the week showing our night at cape may. The next day we'd planned on cruising just a short way to a more protected anchorage, however upon reaching the entrance to said anchorage, we ran aground on a small shoal. Our port side was hanging on it, and it didn't look good. Luckily enough, between our finagling of the transmission and throttles, and the wind pushing us around, we were able to easily get off the shoal and back out into the channel. Realizing that the entrance to this anchorage would be too shallow for us to pass, we decided to look for another. We found one near Strathmere, NJ between Flat creek and Whale Creek... More like Skinny Creek or you gotta buy another prop after you run aground creek, as upon reaching the branch off to get there, we realized it too would be too shallow. At that point out of frustration, our hitting about 3 more shoals on the way up to that point, and having gone 3 hours longer than we'd originally planned anyways, we decided to make our way up to Ocean City.
Upon reaching Ocean City however, We decided to continue on an hour more to Ventnor, NJ. There just wasn't a very good protected anchorage in Ocean City, and there was tropical depression Barry coming through that night and the following day. In Ventnor we found a very good anchorage. We were basically the only boat in there, and we barely got touched by the storm. All in all it was pretty comfortable. We waited 2 days in Ventnor for the storm to pass and then cruised up to Atlantic city, where we stayed in a transient slip at Krammers. We restocked our fuel, food and water, and also met some fellow loopers who have joined us in the journey.

On June 5th, we took off in tandem with Vickie and Mike (Drifters, a 45' Californian that actually draws 6"s more than us). I volunteered to go first up the waterway and radio any shallow water. Good plan...not. After about an hour on a glorious morning, we neared an inlet. I was in the head and Ashton was staying exactly in the channel when....you guessed it, another shoal...this time we skidded to a halt with 2 ft breakers all around us. To make matters worse, Drifters following behind hit the shoal as well ( things were too chaotic to get off a radio call...so much for plans). After about 10 mins of trying to ruin our transmissions we called Boat Tow US ( yeah baby, I got the unlimited plan before cruising!) and threw out our anchor to wait for the tow to arrive. Ok, so my anchor holds and Drifter's anchor doesn't...appropriate with their name. Our problem is they drifted into us. So when the tow arrived everyone was in various states of panic as we were fending off 40 tons of boat in two foot surf. Insane. Tow US immediate threw us a line and dragged us free. We anchored about 100 yards to the North and watched for the next hour as he wedged Drifters off the sand bar. End result was we both headed for the nearest marina to lick our wounds. Only real harm was some cosmetic scratches to my davit and Drifters hull.

The next day we stayed with our "Waveaway go first plan" but with better spacing and MUCH MORE appreciation for inlet shoaling following storms! The day was glorious and the trip uneventful.

On the 7th of June, we headed outside into the Atlantic for the first time for a wonderful trip up to New York. We are currently at a marina South of New York planning for a very boring weekend...I need it. Two good days following a really tough New Jersey ICW section...next time, we go outside the entire trip.

Plan is to head up the Hudson on Tuesday when Cathy returns from a touch and go at work. Ashton is having his girl friend visit this weekend and dad gets to wax the boat and trouble shoot voltage issues. My kind of weekend...must be getting old.

The Beginning of Our Epic Journey

2007-05-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

The past week has been insane. Between our son moving out of his college apartment, us moving all of our furniture to long term storage in preparation for our eldest daughter renting our house while we're away, and tying up loose ends and moving onto the boat ourselves, it has been a highly stressful past week. Countless trips back and fourth from house and marine supply shops to the boat. Gathering of supplies, from food, to office supplies, to bicycles, etc. Organization has been the least of our worries, feeling that most of the organization can be handled the first few weeks after we cast off. Of course, we were supposed to have cast off 2 days ago, but as things tend to happen with a boat, the date for the true "Beginning of Our Epic Journey" has been pushed back to Wednesday, May 30th. or Thursday, you never know.

A sore subject has already sprung up at the very beginning, and that is the subject of our dog. He is a pure breed, pedigree Heinz 57. Or in plainer words, a mutt, but the best dog to have ever graced this world (or at least that's how we feel.) He's 14 years old, stubborn, lovable, and is still going strong, however he has severe hip displacia, which makes the frequent trips up and down the stairs of the boat an incredibly difficult task. After a few days of this we realized that he wasn't going to be able to do handle it. We had to make the executive decision to leave him behind, if only for a short while. We have decided that he will be staying with our daughter until we get to the locks and canals on the northern stretch of our trek. We figure that the canal wall will be mostly level with the boat so that we can simply lay a gang plank out to the side and he can walk across to shore, as it's just the stairs that he has so much issue with. We will of course have to wait and see.

For now we continue to stock up on supplies, and stow stuff where we can find space, and slowly make our way through the daunting task of organizing the entire boat. Enough of the talk, here are some pictures to keep you more entertained.

From the left:

The Captain, George; The First Mate, Ashton; and The Trip Funder, Cathy; The Ship