Sailing from Baltimore to New York City

Well, we finally made it out of the slip and out into the Chesapeake. To get to New York, you have to first go to the top of the Chesapeake Bay, then through the C and D Canal, past Lewes, DE, and out into the Atlantic, passing the Jersey Shore until you get to the bottom of the Hudson River.

We had planned to stop overnight in Chesapeake City, then in Lewes, then in Sandy Hook, NJ. Because of the way the weather was setting up and the way we thought the tides were timed with our trip, we skipped our first stop near Chesapeake City in favor of an overnighter through the C and D. We had a really fun day motorsailing up the Bay and through the Canal. Halina no longer needed to sit on my lap while sailing, which was a big plus. We put a life jacket on her, and she was able to roam the decks with us during the calm conditions we were experiencing. She especially liked to flop on the rubber dinghy we had stowed upside down on the bow, and swinging from the top of the dodger also brought about peals of giggles. We were thrilled she was having such a good time. Mariana crept around the cockpit as usual, trying to throw whatever she could down the main hatch.

We passed Asbury Park, blasting Springsteen. It was a long night, though. We had thought about stopping by Atlantic City, but we had no idea where to go in and anchor. Local knowledge would have helped. So we slogged it out another night, going as slow as one and half knots at times, burying the bow under seven foot waves. We hadn't expected the wind to work so hard against us, but it did. Then, of course, the fuel pump had problems and Ryan had to pump by hand. This whole ordeal took a long time, and of course it happened at 3am when I was on watch and he should have been sleeping. As a result, my watch was longer and his sleep was shorter. Thank God he knew what to do, though.

I took a nap that morning before the girls woke up, and when I did wake up, we were finally near Sandy Hook, New Jersey. You've never seen two people so happy to be spending time in Jersey! We considered continuing on to Manhattan, but Sandy Hook is pretty nice, and Ryan desperately needed a rest, so we prepared to stop for at least a little while. The sleeping beauties might have been sleeping at the world's fanciest hotel for how rested they appeared when they finally got up. Sandy Hook is really quite pretty and looks like you imagine a place called Sandy Hook to be. It's long and sandy, and there were a lot of fishing boats. It was a Wednesday and we had only left on Monday, but it felt like a long trip. We were exhausted but relieved to be out of those ocean conditions.

So we decided to spend the rest of the day and overnight anchored in a little cove by the end of the island. The weather was just as pleasant as could be, and we appreciated every moment of it. We called our New York boating buddy Ed, and he advised us on a good time to hit the tide to ride it up the Hudson. Thank you, Ed! By mid afternoon Thursday, we were tied up to the wave wall at our beloved 79th Street Boat Basin. While Mariana and Ryan napped, I took Halina to the nearest playground and smiled as she ran from place to place.

Is it right to take them on ocean passages? Some would say no, others would say we're giving them a unique life experience, and when they grow up they can both claim they did their first ocean passages at age one or younger. For whatever that's worth. Halina asks a lot of questions and I believe she'll grow up as a natural sailor and not have to learn it all as I have. That's a good thing, I suppose. Either way, kids bounce back quickly from difference experiences, and two days on a boat did them no harm. They were safe, and best of all, they were snuggled in close with their parents. That family bond is something you can't replicate anywhere.

Getting Ready to Sail out of Baltimore

Well, it's the day we're supposed to leave Baltimore and start heading for New York, but our plans, as always, are up in the air. If we leave today, we can hopefully make it to Warton Creek for a nice overnight anchorage and not have to leave at 6am from Baltimore. It's all about riding the tide. Leaving that early in the morning would be tricky because when we start up the engine, it'll startle Halina, especially if she's in her room. The wall opposite her bunk is the engine compartment, you see. We've already told her she could sleep in our bed when we sail overnight, and she is thrilled with the prospect. We have never once co-slept, and we still might not. Ryan and I can always take turns sleeping in the main salon while the other is on watch.

As soon as Mariana is finished with her bottle, I'm going to put her down for a nap and scrub the deck. It's always good to leave with a clean deck and full water tanks. It just started to rain, which is a little unexpected. Does this mean I don't have to scrub the deck now? :-)

We've been ready to leave for a week now, and I've provisioned for the trip twice. It just means we have lots of food available on board, which is nice. We've more or less given up on telling people we're leaving because it never seems to happen. We're the boat who cried "sail!"

Whenever we leave, I'm really looking forward to the trip as I haven't taken any really serious trips since we came here from New York a couple years ago. It's a commitment, and it shows we're for real about what we're doing here. The next time I write, it should be from the 79th Street Boat Basin in New York City!