s/v Silhouette

The end of the dock and this update

2011-09-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

This is the dock past our boat – looking toward the Hilton Hotel in New Bern. It really doesn’t look that bad to me – but – they condemned it and made us move – we now in Bridgeton Marina (a mile or so up the river).

All for now…

Some of the power pedestals took a beating.

2011-09-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

Some of the power pedestals took a beating.

Floating docks gone bad

2011-09-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

Thought you might like to see some pictures of what happened to the floating docks. This is a finger pier (it goes from the main dock at a 90o angle to allow you to walk next to your boat) that broke loose.

We were very lucky

2011-09-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

We were very lucky to survive the storm with such little damage and with a lot of luck and help from dock neighbors.

By our records we were hit by a 'violent storm'

2011-09-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

We checked our wind instrument and the highest reading during the storm was 59 knots (67 mph) though the hurricane was classified as a category 1 (lowest) which indicate winds between 74 and 95 miles per hour.

Again, the good news here is that we did not get the higher winds of the eye of the storm.

The last 'broken' line...

2011-09-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here is the line after it was removed…and we finished the separation process.

Which leads us to...another chaffed line

2011-09-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

and, because the dinghy was blowing in the breeze (so to speak) our brand new davit line also chaffed, so we had to purchase a new line for one side. The other side was fine. One would think that you could just cut the end off and redo the splice but it is almost impossible to do so on ‘old’ line. Here, the good news is that the lines held and the dinghy was not lost.

Stainless steel fitting lost it's shape

2011-09-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

…the stainless steel fitting that was holding the dinghy tight stretched out and dropped off (drat!). Almost lost the dinghy seat but one bolt held.

A weld on the dinghy davit cracked….and the reason was…

2011-09-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

A weld on the dinghy davit cracked….and the reason was…

Solar panel mounting bracket needs a bit of repair

2011-09-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

A fitting on the solar panel structure came parted and the other half is in ‘Davey Jones Locker’ (under water for our landlubber friends).

Say goodbye to life raft cover

2011-09-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

The cover for the life raft is missing, but notice that the awning that we stowed beneath it is still on deck (go figure!).

Some good news...

2011-09-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Some good news, our power cord was still in place, though of course it was not working as the dock electric cords parted during the hurricane.

West Marine time again...

2011-09-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

We need to replace the shredded lines and buy out West Marine – who said cruising was inexpensive…guess that was last century!

Boat meets piling...or visa versa

2011-09-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

We could tell that the boat rubbed on the piling (or visa versa) by the mound of wood scraps next to the toe rail (not to mention some missing paint on the side). Not sure if the bottom was messed up or not as the water was still pretty dark from the storm.

Pilings took a beating

2011-09-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

As you can see from this photo the pilings took a beating – this one was actually being held up by the lines. We find this out later when we move the boat out of the slip.

Lines are everywhere

2011-09-30T10:46:00.001-07:00

Lines are everywhere…most hanging loose and in the water.

Thanks to our boat neighbors

2011-09-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our boat neighbors who had added lines that were stowed on the life lines our boat was safe anyway.

Hurricane Irene Report

2011-09-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

We leave Ohio to drive back to New Bern, NC on 8/29 after Hurricane Irene has passed. We get there pretty late (after dark) and pick our way down the dock. Our boat looks to be in good shape but is in the middle of the slip. Mark and I maneuver it close to the finger pier and I hope aboard to start the generator. We are fortunate that our solar panels and batteries have kept up with the needs of the fridge and freezer. All of the dock lines have parted.

James’ girlfriend Sara

2011-09-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

James’ girlfriend Sara

guitar anyone?

2011-09-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Later in the week James plays a little guitar while Michael listens…

Michael and Faith

2011-09-28T09:00:00.003-07:00

Michael and Faith

Edie and Dad take a turn

2011-09-28T09:00:00.001-07:00

Edie and Dad take a turn

Let the dancing begin….

2011-09-28T08:59:00.001-07:00

Let the dancing begin….Sharon and Rick start things off…

Carl and Gary

2011-09-28T08:58:00.002-07:00

Carl and Gary

Bob and Bill

2011-09-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

Bob and Bill

Sharon, Robbie and Wendy

2011-09-28T08:57:00.001-07:00

Sharon, Robbie and Wendy

Rose and Chris

2011-09-28T08:56:00.003-07:00

Rose and Chris

Bill and Margie

2011-09-28T08:56:00.001-07:00

Bill and Margie

Robert….

2011-09-28T08:55:00.001-07:00

Robert….

Dad, Mark and Eric enjoy the music.

2011-09-28T08:53:00.001-07:00

Dad, Mark and Eric enjoy the music.

Ski Week in Ohio

2011-09-28T08:52:00.001-07:00

Back in Ohio in late August, we again go camping – this time to West Branch for “Ski Week”. Bob had this group come out one night for music and dancing by the campfire.

Neighbors purchase the Olds 88

2011-09-28T08:51:00.001-07:00

Mark puts on his sales hat and hails the neighbors as they walk by…he sells Aunt Yvonne’s Olds 88, 1987 year for $1700.00 – pretty good salesmanship. Aunt Yvonne no longer has a drivers license so we needed to get temptation out of the way. We stay for two weeks and try to help around the house sorting clothes and other things out, donating all to Catholic Charities.

We take Aunt Yvonne out for lunch later in our visit.

2011-09-28T08:50:00.001-07:00

We take Aunt Yvonne out for lunch later in our visit.

Mark holds Uncle Fred’s Knights of Columbus sword.

2011-09-28T08:49:00.001-07:00

Mark holds Uncle Fred’s Knights of Columbus sword.

Sad news

2011-09-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

Then, we heard that our dear Uncle Fred has passed away and drive quickly to Kansas City to be with Aunt Yvonne.

Dad and I harvested this years crop of garlic

2011-09-28T08:46:00.001-07:00

Dad and I harvested this years crop of garlic

My cousin Nancy had us all over for dinner one night.

2011-09-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

My cousin Nancy had us all over for dinner one night.

The Jersey Boys night

2011-09-28T08:36:00.001-07:00

Later the gang went downtown Cleveland to see “The Jersey Boys” stage production (the Four Seasons music story).

James and Robert just hanging out…

2011-09-28T08:35:00.001-07:00

James and Robert just hanging out…

Chris is glad to visit with her Dad.

2011-09-28T08:34:00.001-07:00

Chris is glad to visit with her Dad.

Bob and Carl take it easy

2011-09-28T08:33:00.001-07:00

Bob and Carl take it easy (for a change)

Ohio style fun

2011-09-28T08:32:00.001-07:00

For the next few months we visit family and friends – THIS time we go to Ohio first and Texas second – last year we had it backward. With 60+ days of over 100o temperatures in Texas we were really glad to be in Ohio first. Naturally we start off with a gang campout – the kids are always entertained to ride around in the front loader on a tractor.

BridgePoint Marina

2011-09-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

also river side services – and we are in New Bern, NC. We took a slip at BridgePoint Marina and soon left for Ohio secure from hurricanes…since we took no pictures, I thought I would include the hyperlink so you could see it before Irene...

http://www.bridgepointehotel.com/

Nice river front places

2011-09-23T12:32:00.001-07:00

Nice river front places

We pulled into the river later

2011-09-23T12:31:00.002-07:00

We pulled into the river later

24 pounds of Mahi-Mahi

2011-09-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

And, finally we caught our first BIG fish, a 24 pound Dolphin fish (known also Mahi-Mahi) – to help sedate him/her I sacrificed ½ bottle of gin… Mark did the hard work of filleting it – and was it yummy! (We took the leftovers to Ohio and cooked the rest of it for my family.)

This one did not

2011-09-23T12:29:00.001-07:00

This one did not

this one got away...

2011-09-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

We left shortly to go up to Pamlico Sound and the Neuse River to New Bern – again an overnight passage. During the AM watch I caught two fish this one got away…

South Port

2011-09-23T12:27:00.001-07:00

We were glad to pull into Cape Fear and South Port for a few days to rest. We met some wonderful folks there Toni & ?? and Bob and Lori, Toni offered to take me to the grocery store the next day and we toured the town as well. That evening we were invited over for dinner and games.

Our new flag took a beating and had to be retired.

2011-09-23T11:58:00.002-07:00

Our new flag took a beating and had to be retired.

One minor equipment casualty

2011-09-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

The boat was solid, no creaks and no leaks. We had everything tied down and ready so sustained no damage…except the wind generator. When the gust front first hit, we both heard the speed of the generator increase past it’s allowable speed. I was on my way below to turn it ‘off’ when we heard the explosion – all fan blades broke away and the motor housing lifted from the pole – I was about 15 seconds too late. The good news? It didn’t work that well anyway!

Winds to 58 knots...

2011-09-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

Winds were sustained at 58 knots (66 mph) for a while and both crew members were sea sick – though only I actually lost my non-existent breakfast…

Windshields rock...

2011-09-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

and the rain came sideways…I was never so glad to have the wonderful windshields that I made (with a lot of supervision from Mark on the first one).

as the seas rose to 20 feet at times

2011-09-23T11:53:00.001-07:00

as the seas rose to 20 feet at times

it was hard to keep the camera still…

2011-09-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

it was hard to keep the camera still…

before the storm...

2011-09-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

before the storm…I (Chris) take over watch at 4:00 AM and Mark goes below for a well deserved rest…but…the radar soon displayed a storm that there was no going around. It looked mean so I rolled up the jib and started the engine just in case and I was glad I did. The wind rose as did the seas…Mark got back up…

then, just for fun here is the calm…

2011-09-23T11:47:00.002-07:00

then, just for fun here is the calm…

…and one lock at Cape Canaveral

2011-09-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

…and one lock at Cape Canaveral

Drawbridge...

2011-09-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

We go back out into the Atlantic to make our way overnight to North Carolina via drawbridge…

HWH...

2011-09-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Mark gets to replace the hot water heater as a ‘welcome home’ project.

CLOD's

2011-09-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

We get to visit with old friends and cruisers, Charlie & Chris Pope who now claim to be involved with a group called “CLOD’s” - Cruisers living on dirt…in Vero Beach.

WWII sword...

2011-09-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

We had a chance to visit the Navy Seal Museum – this is the real sword that was given to the US when the Japanese surrendered during WWII.

Ft. Pierce is our first stop...

2011-09-23T11:41:00.001-07:00

We pull into Ft. Pierce and tie up as usual later than anticipated. We wanted to be in Florida by 6/1 and made it there on 6/22. We are both tired of making ‘plans’ and then having to change them but tis the life of a sailor.

These are two locals we met at the marina bar – been so long since we met them this girl has forgotten their names….she worked as a volunteer at the Navy Seal Museum

We kiss the Bahamas goodbye

2011-09-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

We kiss the Bahamas goodbye and leave for the states. Our crossing of the Gulf Stream was uneventful as evidenced by no pictures.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

No pictures but just wanted to let you know that we were in Ohio when Hurricane Irene came through New Bern, NC where Silhouette was in a slip. We got to the boat late Monday (8/29). She was in the middle of two slips and we would have to grow wings to get to her. Mark was able to move her & I jumped aboard. All systems are working and we sustained little damage (that we can see) to the port (left) side of the boat. I will TRY to do a real Blog update once we are in Texas – first we have to move the boat to a new marina as our dock has been condemned. Only with the help of other sailor did the boat stay tied to the dock as our original lines all chafed through. What GREAT folks sailor are!

The new marina does not have Wifi so call if you would like to: Me (Chris) 214-502-1894 - Mark 817-269-5517

Bert and Betty have to leave

2011-06-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

Bert and Betty take a taxi back to the airport. We had a wonderful visit.

We are now back in the states (Ft. Pierce, FL) and I will have another update tomorrow...cell phones now work!!!!!

The link to the left has been updated with our current position.

Prom Night

2011-06-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

We had a very nice dinner on our last night together (we call it ‘Prom Night’ from our old Xerox days).

Two Turtles Inn

2011-06-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

A quick stop at Two Turtles Inn while we wait for Peace & Plenty to begin serving dinner. Unlike most of the restaurants the states, most of the island places stop serving between lunch and dinner.

Peace and Plenty Hotel

2011-06-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

Then it was back to Georgetown as our friends had to leave soon. This is the scene from the terrace at the Peace & Plenty Hotel.

Unusual beach outfit...

2011-06-01T11:54:00.001-07:00

Though I had sunscreen on I still felt cooked after our first shore visit so this was my getup the second day.

Beaches...

2011-06-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

Betty and I wandered the beaches looking for shells (not many).

The sand in many places felt like we were walking through powered sugar.

We were the only boat here.

2011-06-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

We were the only boat here.

A sailing we go - finally.

2011-06-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

The races are over so we finally take off. Our intent was to go to Long Island, Exuma about 25 miles away. Well after pounding directly into the wind for about an hour and a half we decide that we have had enough and change our destination. We sail south (instead of motor east) to the end of Great Exuma and found this wonderful anchorage.

Bert and Betty aboard Seaman’s Elixir.

2011-06-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Bert and Betty aboard Seaman’s Elixir.

Happy Hour...

2011-06-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

We meet up again with Seaman’s Elixir (Steve & Linda) while Betty & Bert are with us. Since they are both from Colorado they had much to talk about. – pictured here are Linda, me and Kenny from Mar Soleil – missed getting a picture of Kathy.

The Police Marching Band

2011-06-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

The Police Marching Band always performs after the races conclude.

Smaller class boats at anchor.

2011-06-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

Smaller class boats at anchor.

More spectator boats than racing boats

2011-06-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

There is a huge following crowd – I believe there were actually more spectator boats than racing boats.

These folks take these races very seriously - many fly in from other islands to watch.

These boats are all one design and are built by hand…

2011-06-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

These boats are all one design and are built by hand…

Jimmy Buffet stops for lunch

2011-06-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Buffet stops for lunch at the Chat and Chill…

Crud, we checked the internet with the darn thing belongs to Fry Electronics…

SHARK

2011-06-01T10:49:00.001-07:00

SHARK

Storm after the race...go figure

2011-06-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

A storm comes through after one of the races ends – don’t remember that ever happening when I raced, it usually came through DURING the race.

We have front row seats from the boat.

2011-06-01T10:43:00.002-07:00

We have front row seats from the boat.

And the races begin.

2011-06-01T10:43:00.001-07:00

And the races begin.

Here is the Chat and Chill…

2011-06-01T10:42:00.001-07:00

Here is the Chat and Chill…

...And entered via a small bridge

2011-06-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

And entered via a small bridge – when the tide is running it is very apparent.

Riding to town

2011-06-01T10:38:00.002-07:00

Riding to town – the dinghy dock is in Lake Victoria.

Doesn’t take Betty and Bert long to chill…

2011-06-01T10:38:00.001-07:00

Doesn’t take Betty and Bert long to chill…

St. Francis Resort

2011-06-01T10:36:00.001-07:00

We found a new place at St. Francis Resort for lunch.

Betty and Bert arrive...

2011-06-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Betty and Bert from Colorado arrive in Georgetown, Exumas just in time for the Family Island Regatta.

Inga and Chris

2011-06-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

Inga and Chris

Hal and Mark

2011-06-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

We got to spend some time with friends we met in Grenada aboard Mane Bris once we got to the Exumas – Hal and Mark.

Beer is stocked for the trip

2011-06-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

Since we were pre-warned that beer was expensive in the Bahamas (about $45.00 a case!) we stocked up in St. Thomas.

...and our favorite bartenders...

2011-06-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

And Lindy at Tickles in Crown Bay, St. Thomas.

Leaving the Virgins

2011-06-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

As we were getting ready to leave the Virgins to go north to the states we just had to have a picture of one of our favorite bartenders – Karen at Amigos in Red Hook, St Thomas.

I will never achieve sommelier status

2011-03-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

Chris, Kathy and Linda with the wine bottles in evidence – after all those darn classes I attended while still in Dallas I did not get one of the first 4 correct. (It was a blind tasting.) The last two were a Zin and a Cab – those were easy as there were only 2 and I DO know the difference between them on my pallet.

This brings us close to the end of March, our plans are to leave the Virgins next Friday (4/1/2001), sail to South Caicos. We will stay there a few days, then go to Rum Cay for a few days, then Georgetown, Exumas to meet friends Betty and Bert Roy.

Steve and Mark

2011-03-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

Steve and Mark

Wine Tasting Cruiser style, which was stylish indeed

2011-03-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

Then, John had Mexican night on his boat the next night (forgot my camera). Ane, Kathy and Kenny had a wine tasting the following night.

This is John and Kenny

Steve, John Kenny and Mark

2011-03-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Steve, John, Kenny and Mark

Happy hour

2011-03-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Then we meet up with some friends and fellow cruisers for Happy Hour and heavy appetizers – here is Kathy, Chris and Linda.