Sail on, Sail on, Sailing Adventures

2014

Destination Georgetown – will wait for another day

My next ‘long run’ would be in a new neighborhood. […]

2012

Thawing out: Return to dockside – post Hurricane Sandy

At daybreak, we were preparing to motor 1.5 hours — […]

2012

Hurricane Sandy Aftermath

The eerie sounds of Hurricane Sandy along with the sensation of a levitating boat at anchor is haunting. At 40-60 knot winds we weren’t even experiencing the full brunt of […]

2012

Sunday evening through Monday morning was spent sleepless.twirling at anchor. When it gets dark and the winds howl muting conversation, the rains resemble waterfalls, and boat groan sounds like the […]

2012

Sandy works her way up the East Coast

The winds are blowing steady from the North – as Hurricane Sandy works her way up the East Coast. Even though she is still out to sea, we are feeling […]

2012

Departure for Wilton Creek…the Hurricane Hole

Still dockside at Deltaville, and by 3AM the winds are […]

2012

Before Hurricane Sandy arrives…

Thursday 10/25/2012 We had PLANNED to do some sailing – and when we departed for Deltaville VA – this little blip in the news called Sandy was just some storm […]

2012

Cruisers for a day, or 2, or 3!

After a few days of Deltaville day sailing, we were finally getting our sailing chops back. Well, maybe not completely back – but enough to venture further than 10 miles. […]

2012

Soxy rescued after falling into the Bay

By 9PM, all is dark, a cold front with tornado warnings has come and gone, and it’s time to fade into sweet dreams. But first, sounds of Soxy crying for […]

2012

Cat Maudy bounces back!!

After 10 months living on the high-n-dry – Cat Maudy takes to the southern Chesapeake Bay with 2 days of sailing winds – leftover remnants from Hurricane Issac. Cat Maudy […]

2011

Cat Maudy to Reedville for the winter

Cat Maudy sails (or tries) south for her winter ‘home’. Home this year will be Reedville VA. It’s a dot on the map just south of the mouth of the […]

2011

Cat Maudy sails da’sewer waters of the Bay

A week after Hurricane Lee drowned nearly every community along […]

2010

Living aboard a catamaran Igloo

For months, Captain Paddy informs me “it’s coming”. He is referring to our least favorite time of year — called winter. I know what you’re thinking. Paddy has amazing insights […]

2010

Tornado rips thru Baltimore

It was 1:34 AM, inside a deep sleep when Soxy and I bolted to a wide-eyed upright position. The noise was deafening and I shook Paddy to wake him. Paddy […]

2010

Mast Invention

Here are ideas for Cat Maudy’s mast re-design. Problem: How to modify the design of the top of our mast, so that Cat Maudy can easily navigate under 65′ bridges […]

2010

The Menhaden Fish Factory

In the sleepy town of Reedville VA, located near the southern end of the mouth of the Potomac River the main industry is the Menhaden fish factory. During processing-hours (i.e. […]

2010

Screeching down the Bay

Winds 15-20 from the NW, with gusts to 25 is Captain Paddy’s ideal world. Only one foil heading our way…rains and gale force winds to kick and could we sail […]

2010

Baltimore departure, hon

After a failed departure attempt on Friday…Saturday’s departure from Baltimore proved more successful. The winds have subsided from gale force – and we will have a leisurely, no hurry sail […]

2010

Tropical Storm Nicole: 1 Cat Maudy: 0

Now that the rainy portion of Tropical Storm Nicole has moved north of Baltimore – we are left with her gale force tailwinds. Strangely I was game for a sail […]

2010

Cat Maudy leaves the dock for Labor Day!

After 60 days of scorching temperatures over 90 degrees in the mid-Atlantic, a typical shortage of summer winds (which would have been too hot anyway), an exercise regimen that included […]

2010

Sailing? What’s that?

It’s been a month since we last sailed. Many days passed with lighter than normal winds, higher than normal temperatures, and a swelter factor that was beginning to feel like […]

2010

Baltimore…At Last

Bundled in cold weather gear, we left our mooring in Annapolis in hopes of a slow sail into B’more. But alas, NO wind at all. Not even a smidge. It’s […]

2010

The big blow no show

Rest days. Yeah right. You think you need a day of rest from a big sailing adventure, cuz you’re a tad weary, and wake up the next day to discover […]

2010

Touchdown into Maryland

After 700 miles of offshore sailing during our “return to the north”, it’s hard to imagine that our most robust sail of the journey (to date) occurs on home territory. […]

2010

Takin in time at Norfolk’s waterside

The Waterside Marina is located in the heart of “tourist trap” downtown Norfolk. We love being tourists – and this is becoming one of our favorite layover stops. There is […]

2010

Clearance under Fixed 65′ Bridges on the ICW: Our experiences during 1st week of May 2010

for tall masted sailboats Every time we approach one of […]

2010

Arrival in Norfolk marks the end of the Inside Passage

Coinjock NC to Norfolk VADeparting CoinJock at 7AM should give […]

2010

The fish are where?

Belhaven NC (approx) to CoinJock NC It is slated to be a sweltering 90 degree day, plenty of sun, light winds and muggy. We moved into position at 6:30AM under […]

2010

Little discoveries along the Inside Passage

Swansboro to Belhaven NC (approx)Up at 5:30AM we had the engines crackin’ at 6 – and started moving Cat Maudy northward. Our first fixed 65′ bridge was lined up for […]

2010

Charm on the ICW

Wrightsville Beach to Swansboro, NCThere are two natural body of water wonders to choose from, when navigating by boat up and down the eastern seaboard. One, on the outside – […]

2010

Wrightsville Beach…for a day, or 2

It isn’t yet “prime time” at Wrightsville Beach – but you would never know it by the number of beachgoers and boaters. Anyone who owned a boat….or related to someone […]

2010

Changed plans…

We departed Bald Head Island at 7AM hoping to get beyond the Cape Fear shoals before the seas grow. About a mile and a half offshore….heading straight into the swells…the […]

2010

Winyah Bay to Cape Fear River

All set for a 75 mile day hop to the mouth of the Cape Fear River – we hoped for the best – without having our trusted sources of weather […]

2010

Plans in motion – to Winyah Bay

Southwest winds 10-15 knots with gusts to 20 in the afternoon. That was the forecast. The weather folks weren’t kidding about those gusts. We departed the Charleston Maritime Center at […]

2010

Cancelled Blessin’

While strong thunderstorms and near gale force winds may have put an ending to Charleston’s Blessing of the Shrimp Fleet — it left room for Plan “B” — a relaxed […]

2010

Can’t get enuf of the big aquarium….

Still groggy from lack of sleep….I dragged my bod off of the Mega Dock…and over to the nearest tennis court for an hour of singles, followed by another hour of […]

2010

A day hop…becomes an overnite offshore sail into Charleston

Our forecasted weather window of lite westerly breezes has morphed […]

2010

Offshore to Fernandina Beach

With a 4-day unheard of weather window, we were jones’n to make 4 consecutive day hops…to Charleston SC. I had plenty of time to triple check the weather before we […]

2010

How OLD is the city of St. Augustine? Captain Paddy ‘splains…

Captain Paddy takes a break from sailing…to provide a history […]

2010

Zombies….in St Augustine

Somewhere around 11:30am….3 full hours into a deep sleep upon arrival in St. Augustine…we awoke to a huge BOOM that shook the boat. Being at anchor, it was easy to […]

2010

Slim pickins – offshore to St. Augustine

I’ve come to the conclusion that Ft. Pierce is a […]

2010

Ft. Pierce – home for a week

After 5 days at anchor, I wondered if Cat Maudy had sprouted a new “home port”. Ft. Pierce, Florida. Earlier in the week, with 2 ocean sail, back to back […]

2010

Gambling with weather

I have a few rules when it comes to sailing offshore. One, is NEVER travel on “weather transition” days. “Never” seems pretty strong. Mostly “never”. These are the days where […]

2010

Departing Ft. Lauderdale

Cat Maudy’s leak is fixed…and we are ready to move on. She is launched back into the water at 10AM… Slack tide is 10:30AM. It couldn’t be better timing for […]

2010

Hubub at the LMC

The Lauderdale Marine Center boat yard is filled with the largest yachts you can imagine. Well over 100 feet in length. Most of these yachts are larger than a 3000 […]

2010

The New River

The New River in Ft. Lauderdale is touted as the American version of waterways and channels in Venice. If this is true, then I will scratch off my bucket list […]

2010

Many new friends at Lake Sylvia

After sailing to Ft. Lauderdale on a leaky boat – we had safely made it to our anchorage in Lake Sylvia, near the Port Everglades inlet. The magic kick-butt pump […]

2010

Pon pon pon pon….Cat Maudy is taking on water

When Captain Paddy broke the news that Cat Maudy had […]

2010

Weather excitement in the mooring field

At some point, you realize you’ve become acclimated to extreme weather. Floridians do this all the time during hurricane season. When they are not lined up 100 deep in checkout […]

2010

Kite Skiing

Love to water ski and don’t own a boat? Get a kite! Kite skiing appears to be the most self-reliant method to go skiing whenever you like (assuming you have […]

2010

Bicycles and Bayside

A bicycling advocate was surely on the “design committee” when Miami metro rail was first proposed. It is practically impossible to ride your bike on the roads in Maimi. Having […]

2010

3 fisherwomen and a barbie

With temperatures in the mid 70’s, steady breezes from the south, and waters begging for fishing, our day at Boca Chita Key transformed into “Island Time”. Let me explain how […]

2010

Back for more of the ‘CHI

A trio of ‘cats (Chateau, MakeItSo and Cat Maudy) left the Dinner Key mooring field early Tuesday morning to capture a sweet westerly breeze. The 2 hour sail south to […]

2010

Mama "N" has flipped the switch

After 6 months of mother nature filling her cheeks and blowing wind from the north with all her mighty might, Mama “N” is finally tapped out. It’s as if a […]

2010

Barbie gets her REEL on

While waiting for Paddy to locate “stuff” at the West Marine boat store…I wandered aimlessly, and ended up in the fishing pole section. Dozens of macho brown and grey colored […]

2010

A week on the BB

Biscayne Bay (BB) I often wonder if the “roaring 40’s” — a latitude of 40-50 degrees with huge winds in the Southern Ocean — have migrated north. To Miami. There […]

2010

Dragging anchor….

After studying the weather for hours, we came to the conclusion that it was anybody’s guess. All week, the forecast for each day couldn’t be further from accurate. We assumed […]

2010

Fishing….the real deal.

Our Dinner Key mooring ball neighbor Tom stopped by today on his dinghy. Earlier in the week, Tom had shared his ‘fresh catch’ with us – a bag filled with […]

2010

South Beach….

No visit to Miami would be complete without spending a few hours in South Beach. Paddy left me in charge with figuring out the transportation route and scheduling. “Great – […]

2010

Sport fishing debut…

If paradise resembles anything like Gilligan’s Island, I’m pretty sure we found it. Boca Chita Key is just 15 miles south of downtown Miami. It is also part of the […]

2010

Camping out at the Culinary Tent….at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival

After staring at our computers, and each other for most […]

2010

Gale rips into the ‘BIS

70 MPH of wind is a TAD above GALE Yet, the weather forecast images took on a rainbow of colors, and a range of numbers we had not seen before […]

2010

Blizzard of 2010….Hang in there Mid-Atlantic!!!

May the jet stream return,to where it’s supposto go,so your […]

2010

Tennis goes wild – with an aerobic and butt quarter makeover!

From my brief debut in The Checket Cup Tennis Tournament […]

2010

U only live once….

The winds are calm and there is a light ripple tickling the hull as the sun fades to the west. I check my voice messages. “Hey Jane – can you […]

2010

StiltsVille erodes away…

Our mooring neighbor Captain Tom Mestrits at Dinner Key Marina, invited us for a sailing tour of upper Biscayne Bay along Key Biscayne on his John Shuttleworth 40′ catamaran. It […]

2010

Little Havana….gone Americana

After researching Bayside in downtown Miami – we decided that the marketplace was far too tourista for our tastes, with strip and shopping malls identical to those found anywhere in […]

2010

Dinghy adventures…in Biscayne Bay

Living on a mooring ball, 1 mile from land out in Biscayne Bay requires some strategy and forward thinking when making trips to land. Like checking the weather. I live […]

2010

Boca bikers…

With weeks of pent up endorphin excitement….the 3 day weekend visit of Big Bro and tri-partner Fluffy finally arrived. We spent the weekend desperately seeking (and finding) ‘dorphins and had […]

2010

The Perfect Sail…to Coconut Grove

It’s a rare moment when Captain Pat and I agree on sailing conditions. For example, 6′ seas are a tad large to me, while Captain Pat doesn’t bat an eye. […]

2010

One engine fails in the midst of strong currents and narrow waterways…

Somewhere near the Hillsboro Inlet, we noticed our starboard engine […]

2010

Low tide, fixed bridges…and making way to Boca Raton

What is boat life like? Pure luxury, champagne all around…and […]

2010

Basic math vs High Water?

Irregardless of your views about global warming, I can assure you from a “water” or boating standpoint — that either one of two items are happening along the ICW: a) […]

2010

Captain Wuuuus attempts climbing the mast…

With temperatures NOW in the upper 20’s and low 30’s…ocean […]

2010

Florida goes ARCTIC…Ms. Madone takes on the Park Police

While waiting on the right weather window in Ft Pierce […]

2010

Ice sailors…

Apparently Canada is MAD at the US. I’m guessing it’s something we said. All of the cold air that normally stays in Canada for the winter — is now on […]

2010

Jetty Park

All weather forecasts were predicting 4-6′ waves out of Cape Canaveral. Seemed a bit large for my ‘weenie sailor’ comfort zone, so we opted to wait for calmer seas. In […]

2010

Titusville to Cape Canaveral FL

As the citrus crops in Florida get a week of record freezing temperatures – we are, in the midst of central Florida, trying to go south…and stay warm. It is […]

2010

Highlights of Titusville FL

Should the NASA program at Cape Canaveral ever get scuttled, the town of Titusville FL would most likely disappear. Not that there is much town here to begin with! Some […]

2009

ICW, Mosquito Lagoon to Titusville

It’s hard to describe the tranquility at Mosquito Lagoon. With winter temperatures in the 50’s — there were no mosquitoes here! This area is a vast body of shallow water, […]

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