September 19, 2003: We are finishing up a summer's worth of work on the Willful.   New systems include a 200 gpd watermaker, a 4 kw genset, a second radar, changes to the propeller aperture in the keel and much, much more. The weather right now is wet and windy, as the remnants of Hurricane Isabel blast through southern New England.

September 25, 2003:  The Willful is launched by KG Gregory at Bullock Point Marine for the first time this season.  We missed sailing this summer, but getting the boat ready for transatlantic sailing is (obviously) more important.  Much of the interior work is the result of the hard work of Claire & Dick & Paul & P'lette.  Thanks to them for painting (ad nauseam), wood work, and general detail work.  We now have a full crew for the voyage, and are looking forward to our projected October 12 departure.  We have had crew meetings and extended planning sessions with Claire, Dick, P'lette & Paul, Tim, and also  with Inette and John who will join us in Bermuda when Tim & Buck leave.

October 3, 2003: The work is progressing, although it appears that we will never pull it all together. The house is almost empty, thanks to the help of Claire, Ellen, Amy & Cynthia.  New systems on the boat are still being tested, and next week we will load all the food and our personal gear.  We are planning to contract with Commanders' Weather Corporation (Bill Biewenga) for weather routing advice for the trip.

Sunday will bring our first sailing day of the season, when we plan to calibrate the autohelm and test the weather helm which has hopefully been decreased due to changes to the keel and rigging.  We will do sail training including MOB drills while we test the other equipment.  Are we moving too fast?  Will we be comfortable with all the changes by next week?  The upside is that all the safety systems are in place and the upgrades are basically redundancies..

Proposed itinery as of October 3:

Rhode Island to Bermuda:
October 11, Saturday:   Provision boat (perishables) and load personal gear.  "Open Boat" at Edgewood Yacht Club from 12 to 3 pm.   Depart Cranston to Newport to refuel.
October 12, Sunday: Depart Newport, assuming the proper weather window
October 13–23: En route.  Arrival date in Bermuda depends on weather and wind direction. Anticipated transit time is 5 to 10 days. We will probably stay in Bermuda for 3-4 days.

Bermuda to Azores:
October 23-27:   Depart Bermuda.   Anticipated transit time is 18 - 20 days. We will probably stay in the Azores for about a week. There are several different islands to explore.
 
Azores to Antwerp:  
Anticipated transit time is 10-12 days. Arrival in Antwerp depends on departure from Azores. We plan to be in Antwerp by 12/1/03.
 
Thus there are 3 segments to this trip:
1.   Rhode Island to Bermuda - 10/12 to 10/22
2.   Bermuda to Azores -   10/23 to 11/14
3.   Azores to Antwerp – 11/21 to 11/30

Dick, Claire, P'lette, Herman & Adele are all signed on the whole way.  Paul & Tim will join us for the RI to Bermuda segment. Inette & John will join us from Bermuda to Antwerp.

October 5, 2003: A wonderful fall day of sailing with Claire & Dick, P'lette & Paul, Inette & John!   Gusts up to 25 knots allowed us to confirm that the weather helm is almost gone, meaning that the boat is now balanced very well, and the autohelm is functional although it will need further calibration as we go.  The chilly northwest wind made us all reconsider our packing priorities, now knowing that a very warm wardrobe will be essential at least until we cross the Gulf Stream.

October 14, 2003: We really enjoyed seeing so many family and friends on the Willful on Saturday.  It was a great party.  Since then, while awaiting the right weather window, we have continued to fine-tune the upgrades on the boat.  It looks like Herman & I & P'lette will leave Edgewood Yacht Club on Wednesday 10/15 and head to Newport to refuel.  Tim & Claire & Dick & Paul will meet up with us in Newport tomorrow night.  We may well leave as soon as everyone is on board - we've been waiting for a while now.  First we had to wait for Hurricane Mindy to pass over Bermuda, then this last frontal system which would have thrown 30-50 knot winds into our path.  But now that storm system has passed, and we are definitely ready.  I'll let you all know if we don't go!  Here's to an easy fall passage.  Best to all.  Adele & Herman & crew!

October 16, 2003:  The weather has continued to delay our departure.  Our current plan is to leave Newport tomorrow afternoon, arriving in Bermuda 6 to 10 days later.   We will be in touch from Bermuda.

Greetings from Plymouth Massachusetts! We are back in the US, having barely left.   Here is the sequence of events:

October 17, 2003: Herman, Adele, Claire, Dick, P'lette & Paul left Edgewood Yacht Club around 9 am, heading for Newport. We calibrated the autohelm on the way down Narragansett Bay, doing circles & designated courses & course changes & sequences, allowing it (Shall we join the rest of the sailors in the world and call it Otto? Any other suggestions?) to learn the Willful's response time to its commands and coordinating it with the compass & GPS. Arriving in Newport at Goat Island Marina we picked up Tim (thanks for the roses, Laurel!), and refueled. Unfortunately, a gasket on the fuel sensor took that opportunity to blow, so that we had a small fuel spill in the engine room. We picked up a mooring while we cleaned things up, and then at 4 p.m. left the harbor, bound for Bermuda !

October 18, 2003: By 2 a.m. we had made 70 nm south on a beautiful increasing NW wind, and decided to reef the main, which went well for the first nighttime reef in rolling seas. Then while deciding which way to round a passing small freighter, in the rolly seas, Paul slid across the seat, and I wasn't fast enough to move my arm out from behind him, so it got jammed between him and the railing. I knew immediately that it was broken, and said "That's it. My arm is broken." No one believed me, I guess because I wasn't yelling. Claire dosed me with Percodan, splinted it, and they escorted me below to immobilize the arm, and the rest of me with it, into the port salon bunk. After some quick discussion, we decided to head back to Newport and get medical attention. I actually thought both bones were broken, from my quick look at the angle of the bones immediately after it happened, but now we know that it was a "nightstick fracture" of the ulna. Easy enough to deal with in the general scheme of things (;-).

October 19, 2003: It took us more than 24 hours to make it back to Edgewood against the strong wind and choppy seas. Thanks to Dick, Paul, Tim & Herman for manning the helm and P'lette & Claire for their efforts in ministering to me.

So we're back, I have my second temporary cast on, with a permanent cast to be assembled on Friday. We have decided that with the boat so ready to go and me not being an asset for offshore sailing, we will take the Willful down the ICW, hopefully leaving Saturday.  Mostly day tripping, with most of the same crew.  It's the "make lemonade" theory.  When we get tired of that we'll leave the boat somewhere for the winter and head off to Colorado to visit with John & Meg, Heather & Richard & Will, and greatest grandson, Toby, for the holidays. Then Brussels by January 1.  C'est la vie!! We're assuming the Great Circle trip will go as planned next year....

October 25, 2003:  Edgewood YC to Stonington .  Frost on deck so we were iceskating at the dock.  Gusting to 30 along the RI coast.  Happy to drop the hook and get below.

October 26, 2003:  Stonington to Shelter Island .  Planned on going to Port Jefferson, but strong headwinds made it impossible.  Standing 6-8' rip tide waves at Plum Gut with a 4.5 knot counter current were the greatest. According to P'lette, it was like whitewater rafting.  Picked up a mooring at Dering Harbor, and enjoyed showers at the Shelter Island YC.

October 27, 2003:  Expecting gale winds (more) and severe thunderstorms, gusting to 35 this afternoon, so we took a layday and walked around Shelter Island .  Took the ferry to Greenport for lunch and food shopping.

October 28, 2003:  Shelter Island  to Oyster Bay .  This was the first time it was calm enough for Adele to venture on deck while under way, as the adage "One hand for yourself and one for the boat"  translates to "One for yourself, and be careful of moving or using the other arm".  Great crew and wonderful cooking.  We are enjoying this despite the cool weather.

October 29, 2003:  Oyster Bay to Port Washington ( Manhasset Bay ).  We can see NYC in the distance.  Refueled.  Enjoyed the night on the dock in the mud at North Shore YC, showers, laundry & a walk to town.

October 30, 2003:  Manhasset to Sandy Hook .  Off the dock by 6 am (like the T-dock at EYC, we were in the mud at low tide), under the Throg's Neck, the Whitestone, the Tri-boro, through Hell Gate, under the Queensboro, the Williamburg, the Manhattan, the Brooklyn and the Verrazano bridges.  From her office at NYU Medical, Heather could see us come down the East River .  NYC was thrilling - a beautiful clear day in the 60's.  Sad for all of us to compare the view from prior to 9-11.  Many tugs, ferries, barges, powerboats, fireboats, etc.  Stayed on a mooring at Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club in Sandy Hook , NJ .  Heather, Richard & Will drove down from NYC to join us for dinner at the club.  Shopping and exploring ashore for all.

October 31, 2003 - November 1, 2003:  Sandy Hook to Cape May.   Off the mooring at 6:15 am , and motored overnight to Cape May , arriving at 7:30 am .  Anchored off the Coast Guard Station south of the ICW.  Explored Cape May 's wonderful Victorian community, accepted our first "stranger" ride from John the barber, lunch at the Depot, appetizers at the Raw Bar, grilled chicken and fresh scallops onboard for dinner.  In the 70's and beautiful today.  P'lette & Buck headed off to Norfolk - back to work!  We will miss them a lot.

November 2, 2003:  Cape May to Cohansey River in Greenwich , NJ .  Tried to go through the Cape May Canal, but the first bridge was  a 55' fixed span and it looked like we wouldn't make it under, so we backed and turned in the canal (!!!), which was only about 5' wider than the boat is long, and headed around the Cape May shoals and up the Delaware .  A beautiful run with a flood tide got us to the Cohansey, which has a hard to find entrance in the marshes.  It is a winding three mile upriver gateway where it looks shallow but has depths to 60'.  Saw thousands of birds and wildlife.  Greenwich is lovely and quiet.

November 3, 2003:  Cohansey River to C&D Canal . Warm and sunny in the 80's.  Fall tree colors.  The canal is like the Cape Cod Canal, although there was an incredible amount of deadwood and floating flotsam and jetsam.  It turns out that we will see Hurricane Isobel detritus, including trees and telephone poles, throughout the Chesapeake .  Anchored in the Bohemia River east of the ICW for a very quiet night.

November 4, 2003:  Bohemia River to Bodkin Creek on the western shore.  Awoke to very heavy fog, so we waited till 10:30 when it started to burn off.  Definitely enjoying having the GPS and radar this morning.  Anchored in Judd's Cove and dinghied to an early dinner at the Chessie Crab Restaurant at a marina upriver.  Much hurricane damage evident.  They had a 7-9 foot flood surge during the storm, so houses and docks were damaged.

November 5, 2003:  Bodkin creek to Annapolis .  Another very foggy day.  We loved the anchorage in Bodkin Creek as it was quiet and well protected.  In Annapolis we picked up a mooring off the town dock.  Went ashore for showers, laundry and then dinner at the Galway Pub.  Another kind citizen offered us a ride - he said he's a cruiser too and I guess we looked pretty pathetic carrying all the laundry in the pouring rain.  Reminder:  Always wear your best foul weather gear ashore, as it identifies us to all as straight off the boat.

November 6, 2003:  Lay day in Annapolis in rain showers & fog.  Shopping for Dick's birthday today, but no inspiration in the downtown shops (known in our family as "TT's" for tourist traps!).  Claire found an Annapolis hat, but the t-shirts do not warrant the money!  Went to the library for internet access, enjoyed food shopping and a lot of walking.

November 7, 2003:  Annapolis to Solomon Islands .  Cool but sunny heading down the bay with a 20-25 knot NW breeze.  Anchored off Spring Cove Marina, and went to sleep with thoughts of my 2001 trip through here with Claire & Dick when we spent a great deal of time dumpster diving looking for my lost earring (which actually was still in their galley trash can!).

Novemer 8, 2003:  Solomon Islands to Deltaville:  Strong winds gusting to 30, love that autohelm which worked exceptionally well with 4-5' following seas.  Anchored in Fishing Bay .

November 9, 2003:  Lay day in Deltaville.  Explored this small town and had lunch in the only restaurant, after getting picked up on the road by a sweet southern lady who showed us her church and the fire station.

November 10, 2003:  Deltaville to Urbanna - up the Rapahannock.  Beautiful pastoral scenes in this wide, deep river.  Finally sent Herman up to measure the mast, after the Cape May canal backup and turn around, it turns out that we probably would have made it, as tip of mast to waterline measures out at 53 feet.  Need a better windlass as it's challenge to operate the one we have, and I can't do it. Every time Herman gets it going I worry about his fingers.

November 11, 2003:  Veterans Day.  Urbanna to Seaport, VA ( Goodwin Islands ).  Had the undoubted privilege of anchoring with two feet of water under the keel, right next to a scallop processing center, which actually wasn't a problem.  Overall new bests by vote of the entire group: autohelm, bimini & dodger, toaster (this is Adele's favorite).

November 12, 2003:  Goodwin Islands to Sarah Creek in the York River .  Anchored across from the York River Yacht Haven with 3 feet under the keel.  Showers, book exchange, laundry, drinks - including martini samplers for Claire & Adele & beer for the guys at the River's Inn Restaurant.

November 13, 2003:  Lay Day at Sarah Creek .  Claire, Dick & Herman off to Yorktown to visit the monument, and to the Jamestown Settlement.  Adele stayed on the boat in case of emergency in winds gusting to 50 knots.

November 13 & 14 & 15, 2003:  Sarah Creek .  Delivered Claire & Dick to the Norfolk Airport and A & H then off to Colonial Williamsburg for the day. Dinner out and off to the movies to see Russell Crowe in Master & Commander.  In the morning we took the car back, did laundry again (!).  Overcast and warm but too late to leave when all the chores were done.

November 16, 2003:  Sarah Creek to Norfolk .  Rainy in the 50's - a pleasant sail.  Anchored off Hospital Point in Norfolk as we need an alternator & regulator shipped in and want to be able to go downtown, etc., while we wait.

November 16 - 20, 2003:  Waiting for the proper parts & fixing as necessary.  Visited Nauticus & the Battleship Wisconsin, ate out, Adele to orthopod to check arm, library internet access, reading....

We now have a reservation to haul the boat in Beaufort , NC on December 1, so we're heading down the ICW tomorrow.

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November 21, 2003:   Blackwater Creek. Left Norfolk, mile zero on the ICW, on a balmy day - after replacing the alternator and regulator twice. Still have to replace the regulator with another "smart" one so we don't have to manually manage the system, but at least we have power! It was interesting going through all the bridges and the lock south of the city. While awaiting the opening of the North Landing Bridge we watched a motor yacht catch on a snag on the side of the channel in 4' of water. We were happy that they rejected our offer of a tow off (imagine the liability.), and then had another sailboat try to assist them, but in the end they had to wait for TowBoatUS. They later passed us at a high rate of speed, heading for Coinjock. We ended the day by anchoring in Blackwater Creek with a foot of water under the keel. Although still not far from Norfolk as the crow flies, this was an exquisitely quiet anchorage, with a lush savannah around us. We sat out under the stars, drinking wine, and saw several shooting stars. Jayne V had both knees replaced today, with two respiratory arrests. She's OK but still in the ICU.

November 22, 2003:  Little Alligator River.  Crossed Albemarle Sound in a dead calm, cloudless & warm (70's) day. Anchored with 2.5 feet under the keel, and were instantly overcome by mosquitoes & flies. No stargazing tonight - we ran below!

November 23, 2003:  Belhaven, NC . Enjoyed the wonderful weather as we passed Miss Wanda's marina, wended our way down the Alligator River, through the Alligator-Pungo canal and then up into Belhaven. Ran down into the inside of the harbor, but decided not to anchor there as the highway overpass and the cement being loaded onto a barge promised some extra noise. Out near the entrance to the harbor, we found good holding in 10'. Looking for dinner ashore, we found nothing open (we even checked at the police station!) except for the World Famous Smorgasbord at the River Manor Inn. Having eaten there before with Claire & Dick, I was not thrilled, but at least it was food. Herman and I both gave it a three out of ten: the salad bar, ham, & southern fried chicken were good, but the veggies and dessert - yuk!   World Famous - but why?

November 24, 2003:  Layday in Belhaven. Did the laundry, cased the hardware store, walked a mile or more to the Food Lion, bought pecans from an elderly gentleman in a roadside truck, who shells and sells them as his sole source of income, had lunch at the Country Kitchen (not recommended, except for the price), and used the phone at the Pungo County Hospital ER to check on Jayne. Thankfully, she's doing much better now.

November 25, 2003:  Washington, NC , the original Washington (so they tell us!) 33 miles up the Pamlico River from the ICW. Cold weather again - in the 40's - more like coming down the Chesapeake with Claire & Dick. Reached down the Pungo Rover and up the Pamlico in 18-20 knots. Free dockage at the town waterfront, which was renovated a few years ago, and is quite pretty with a park-like walkway along the water and then a boardwalk through the estuary, usually with walkers strolling by at all hours. We enjoyed free showers and then beer and brie at the Mill Café. Finally got answers to questions about the inverter and the SSB setup so we could use both. The inverter with the generator puts out 100 amps per hour, which is a much quicker charge than off the engine & solar panel. Nice to have it all working!

November 26, 2003:  Layday in Washington , NC . Many of the recreational strollers coming by the boat have stopped to talk, ask questions, and admire the boat. This morning Scott & Inza MacKenzie of the sailing vessel Salty Spouse, based in town here, stopped by to offer a ride to the grocery store. We accepted and while shopping, ended up with a wonderful invitation to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow as well. Steve Eagleston, a local ornamental ironworker, accepted our offer of a tour, and offered his truck to us as well. He has been talking to Tom Colvin about building a steel schooner. Staff members from the Estuarium also stopped by. We had a third car offer from a shopkeeper in town!!

November 27, 2003:  Layday in Washington , NC . Thanksgiving Day. Slept late, cleaned up the boat, showered and then were picked up by Scott for dinner. We greatly enjoyed the MacKenzie's company and a delicious dinner. I hope we can reciprocate when they tour the Cape & Islands next summer.

November 28, 2003:  Mayo Shrimp Co. (Goose Creek Canal , Hobucken , NC) . Having stayed longer than planned in Washington, we were off early, heading down the Pamlico in winds gusting to 48 knots. Went through Goose Creek and the canal and across Bay River to Bonner Bay, where we planned to anchor in Spring Creek. But the heavy winds kept pushing us off course in the unmarked channel so that we went aground twice. We then decided discretion was the better part of safety, and headed back into the canal to Mayo's seeking the protection of the buildings and shore in winds forecast up to 60 knots with a passing cold front. Fifteen cents per foot for dock space was pretty good, although I lost my EYC hat in the u-turn in the windy canal. I'll have to replace the hat this winter, for, although I have many others on board, that was my favorite!

November 29, 2003:  Town Creek, Beaufort , NC . With winds blowing a steady 25-30, gusting to 38, and the thermometer hovering low in the 30's, we headed down Bay River and up the Neuse with 3-5 foot waves breaking over the bow, heading for Oriental. After a quick tour around Oriental, we decided not to go into the tight quarters at the Town Dock in the heavy winds. The "old" anchorage, written up in the cruising guide was taken up by a new marina, so making a stupid assumption about water depth, we went aground in the middle of the very small harbor! It reminded me of the Cuttyhunk trap for those who don't look at their charts. But that was three times in two days, when we had never gone aground before!! There was no place else to anchor, so we headed out across the Neuse, and down the canal to Beaufort & Moorehead City. Jarrett's, where we planned to haul the boat, did not have room for us as we were two days early, so we headed into town. We were glad it was still daylight as we threaded through Gallant Cut to Town Creek Marina, where we took the fuel dock for the night. We accepted an offer of a ride to town to dinner at Spouter Inn. The restaurant owner brought us back to the boat!

November 30, 2003:  Layday at Town Creek. While getting the boat ready to haul tomorrow, we moved around to the west side of the dock for a second night. Using the courtesy car, we explored Atlantic Beach & Fort Macon at the Beaufort Inlet. What a current!

December 1, 2003:  Jarrett Bay Boatworks. We checked out Jarrett's & Bock Marine by car, and decided to go with Jarrett's. We then moved the boat back up the canal and landed at the fuel dock as directed. With a four knot current abeam we were pinned at the dock, unable to get off, until we decided to pivot off around the corner of the dock on a springline, happy to barely avoid the 55' sportfisher behind us. Thus we got back out into the canal with the current still running strongly sideways to the entrance, into which they wanted me to back the boat! I went in forwards and we managed to turn the Willful which measures in at 60' overall in a 50'space. We had the bowsprit over one side of the dock and the dinghy davits over another boat on the other side wall. I was thankful for all the harrowing entries into the slip at Bullock Cove Marine which provided us with experience maneuvering and turning in tight places, factoring in current and wind.

Staying at the Beaufort Inn one night and then three nights at the Carteret Country Poor Home, now a lovely B&B, we spent the next four days prepping the boat for winter storage. We shipped eight boxes to Providence, dropped off ten boxes of food at a local soup kitchen/food bank and loaded a rental car with even more canned food & wine & champagne for the relatives, as well as our warm weather clothing, and headed off to Florida for a meeting and family visits, then flew to Providence to pack for winter & skiing in Colorado, then to Colorado for a short visit with Heather & Richard and the holidays with John & Meg & Toby & Will!