sailing – Page 22

Destination: Vulcan’s Rest

September 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Have I mentioned that the main reason I agreed to doing the New Jersey coast was so that I could stop at the weaving store called Vulcan’s Rest in Chesapeake City? I kid you not that I was willing to endure almost any sailing conditions to get there, and luckily I made it there with almost no trauma!

Day 6, Sept. 16: Atlantic City to Cape May (#25)

Finally, a zephyr! We motored most of the day down the coast of NJ, and I actually got to knit a fair part of the day! This is a very good thing because no one, including me, likes to be around me after I’ve been emptied handed for a couple of days. I have to admit that my knitting was something on the order of knit one row, look at the horizon and breathe deeply for a few minutes…..knit another row. Still, it was better than not knitting. I do realize that this paints me as somewhat of a fanatic, or an obsessive person. Well, I’m officially calling the pot black.

We got into Cape May in the mid afternoon. I’d been told that the anchorage is no where near the town, and boy was that right! It was a long dinghy ride to shore, but both Bob and I were bent on having a walk to stretch our legs. My dear friend June is always visiting her sister in Cape May, so I rather wondered where she lives! I had also heard she has a boathouse right on the water for a summer cottage. When we got ashore I found myself looking across at a lovely row of about eight vintage boathouses. I had a feeling one of them had to be Stina’s. I did try calling Stina since June had given me her number. No luck….

Then Bob and I took a walk through a residential area that put us on the road right behind these boathouses. The one I’d imagined Stina living in had a bright red Volkswagen bug parked behind it, and I imagined Stina driving this very car. It seemed to fit with my image of her, even though I don’t know her at all.

We stopped and had a drink on a fake schooner-turned-cocktail bar in the harbor and then got back in our dinghy to head out to Pandora. But as we left we just took one little turn by the boathouses. There were two couples sitting on the deck of the one I had dubbed as Stina’s, and wouldn’t you know one of the women looked about the right age (80s). So I decided to give a yell, “Are you Stina?” And she was! We were invited into this lovely boathouse that has been beautifully renovated to look very Swedish. It was really wonderful! My huge regret is that I never thought to get a photo of all of us together! Stina is June’s fireball older sister and is almost 89 years old. She has far more energy than even my 28 year old son, and she makes my energetic husband seem positively unconscious…. yes, I know what that means I look like in comparison to her!

Oh! Wouldn’t you know that Stina’s boathouse is the very next house to the right that didn’t get included in this shot! Could I have had worse luck?? And hers is even quainter than these….sigh…

To totally top things off, Stina asked us what we did when we came ashore, and when we mentioned getting a drink at ‘The Schooner’ she asked us if her granddaughter might possibly have been our waitress. Of course we had no way of knowing, but Bob thought to check the receipt which showed our waitress was the granddaughter. Pretty serendipitous! We were meant to meet!

Day 7, Sept 17: Cape May to Chesapeake City (#26 – 33)

In order to get the tides just right we got up at 4.45 this morning. Ugh! We left Cape May and went rather far out due to the shoaling around the tip of New Jersey, and then found our way into the shipping channel for the Delaware River. That was when we got the big payoff of a stunning sunrise which made me thankful for getting up today! It was 50 miles up the river to the C&D Canal (Chesapeake and Delware). Today was truly zephyr breezes, and I finished the Flower Basket shawl!

I really don’t like how lace looks when it comes off the needles, before being blocked. It’s so spongey and amorphous. I will tackle blocking it on 0ur bed tomorrow!

The C&D Canal was a lovely ride, with lush greenery all the way to the water’s edge. It had the feel of another century, when farms were all along both banks. Some of the old farmhouses are still sitting along the banks, and some new suburban looking developments have also cropped up. Everything was very verdant and peaceful. Beautiful! Very southern feeling. I can only imagine how much more ‘southern’ its going to get in a few more weeks!

I got my stop at Vulcan’s Rest! This was my much anticipated destination on this first part of our journey. I bought yarn….no kidding!

Lovely Chesapeake City….

A ship going down the canal right in the backyard! Pretty amazing!

Jewels in the Night Sky

September 15, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Day 4, Sept. 14: Lay Day in Altantic Highlands

We did not move today since we are waiting for fair winds to travel down the coast of New Jersey with the wind at our back, which should happen tomorrow.

Today we met up with some old friends and some new friends. We know a couple with a house on the highlands of Atlantic Highlands, and the husband took us out for a little shopping today and then a visit to their house. What a view of lower Manhattan they have from the back of their house and their luxurious deck! It was just about the most amazing view one can have! At the end of the day we visited with some newer friends that we met in Maine two summers ago, who are also anchored in the harbor. We watched the sunset together, then the lights of lower Manhattan take center stage.

Here are a few shots that our son Christopher took of us as we motored down the East River and Upper New York Harbor on our way to Raritan Bay. He rides fast and takes great photos!

The night sky is not nearly as spectacular as what we see from our new home near the Connecticut River or on many summer nights in Maine, but the Manhattan skyline totally makes up for it! From this spot we have a glorious view of lower Manhattan with the new Freedom Tower as the show stopper of the skyline. There is a waning moon with a bright Venus right near it…. we’ll have much better star visibility when we get out of the NY area.

Today we got some wonderful treats from the local farmers’ market in Atlantic Highlands, and I indulged in both a pedicure and manicure. How decadent! No knitting today! Perhaps tomorrow during our long sail down the New Jersey coast. If I can knit during that I will have made some great strides in confidence about being out on the open ocean!

One Week to Go…

September 4, 2012 | Leave a Comment

We are sailing away one week from today. No more procrastinating! I have to decide what fiber projects will come with me on our boat “Pandora.” As with most boats, she seens HUGE when we are approaching a dock, but feels more like a thimble when we are out in the ocean! Nine months is a long time to imagine what projects I might like to do, and space is a premium…

For days now I have been waking up with ‘night terrors,’ imagining the rough waters off the New Jersey coast. I have never wanted to do that stretch of water, especially at night. Now it’s time to face my fear. I am not ready.

Meanwhile, life seems pretty idyllic here, and the temptation to just stay home, on lovely terra firma, is pretty compelling.

So, yeah….those last two photos are on the water, but I don’t count taking a motor boat ride up the river as being ‘out at sea.’ That ensign is flying at the stern of a friend’s elegant Dyer 29, called “Musketeer,” and this lovely little Herreschoff ’12 1/2′ makes a great sight from the shore of Hamburg Cove.

Ending the trip with a Bang!

August 27, 2011 | 1 Comment

My last few days in Maine will be spent riding out what remains of hurricane Irene when she hits these shores. Hopefully she will be spent by the time she arrives, but everyone has to be prepared for the worst!

We are in a small island harbor called Pulpit Rock in Penobscot Bay. There is a big rock formation at the mouth of this natural harbor that does look a bit like a pulpit. More than looking like a podium this rock is famous for having a 200+ year old osprey nest at the pinnacle of the pulpit.

Our preparations for the storm are almost complete. We have two anchors out to keep us from swinging when the winds increase, all the sails are furled and lashed down, loose items have all been stored below. The larder is well stocked so I intend to cook some comfort food today, perhaps an egg/veggie/cheese timbale, onion soup, and warm homemade chocolate pudding!

Thank heave there is a good internet signal because I got the chocolate pudding recipe from this month’s Cook’s Illustrated!

Also on my agenda after we have finished our storm preparations, is watching a couple of good spinning DVDs I have on board while doing some spinning! I have Margaret Stove’s “Spinning for Lace” and Judith McKenzie’s “A Spinner’s Toolbox,” both from Interweave Press!

Phoenix Garden roving — Handpainted cotton roving "Phoenix Garden"

And in my large bin of toys I have some handpainted cotton roving from Girl Meets Spindle in a colorway called “Phoenix Garden.” Now doesn’t this sound like a good plan for riding out a tropical storm?

So I’m hoping that wherever you are you are safe and dry, and doing something fibery on this stormy weekend.

Knitting and Fabric Shops in Coastal Maine

August 10, 2011 | 1 Comment

Several of our usual ports have surprised me with wonderful knitting and fabric shops! Our ‘guest room’ is quickly filling up with my treasures!

Bath: Halcyon (the photo on their homepage is that Ecobaby sailor pattern! Ha!) I have to admit that I’ve never been to Halcyon by

HALCYON-YARN-STORE-PICTURE — Halcyon Yarn

boat, but I have been going by car for 15 years. You could get there by boat if you wanted to go that far up the Kennebec River and brave its challenging currents. In all the years I’ve driven over that bridge I’ve never actually seen a sailboat moored in the river near Bath. That’s not to say no sailboats ever go, just that I haven’t seen them on my yearly visit. And what can I say about Halcyon, other than it is a weaver’s and knitter’s Mecca, not to mention spinners, rug hookers, crocheters, braiders, felters, etc…etc… If you do anything related to fiber, this is a great resource! Halcyon is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. I had a wonderful shopping spree there!

Boothbay Harbor: You need a car to get to Onboard Fabrics, but it is really worth it! It’s a barn on Rte 127 (and their address is Edgecomb but my point of view is the harbor where a sailing seamstress might disembark), not far off Rte. 1 on the way to

onboard_fabrics_barn — On Board Fabrics, near Boothbay Harbor

Boothbay Harbor. They have lots of nautical fabrics, inweights from upholstery to cotton lawn. This year I bought fabrics to make aprons for gifts. No sewing machine on board Pandora, so these projects will have to wait ’til I get home (meanwhile, my husband does have his sailrite sewing machine on board…but it will only sew heavy canvas and sail materials!).

Rockland: Quilt Divas. They have fabric and yarn! And the selections for both are great! It is walking distance from the harbor

for us sailors! I bought the Debbie Bliss “Ecobaby” book here as well as the yarn for the sailor sweater that is currently challenging me to re-design the collar! I also bought more fabric for aprons here. Now I’m going to make a lot of aprons for gifts!

Camden: The Cashmere Goat is new this year, in a good location right in the center of town (what used to be a shoe store). The shop

cashmere goat camden me — 'The Cashmere Goat in Camden

is not yet full, but they do have some wonderful yarns. I bought Manos del Uruguay’s “Serena” (kettle dyed, 60% baby alpaca, 40% pima cotton) in a handpainted colorway (#9796) of watery blues and greens. I’m going to knit a lace shawl from one of the free patterns at Interweave Knits

Belfast: Sock Heaven. This yarn store has been in business for about 10 years now, but I haven’t been to Belfast in about 15 years,

Knitting Sock Heaven Belfast ME — Heavenly Socks in Belfast

so it is new to me! There is an entire wall of yarns produced in Maine, including Hope Spinnery and Done Roving. My big score here was Louet “KidLin”(49% linen, 35% kid mohair, 16% nylon) which I’ve been hoping to find during all my yarn store hunting. It was hard to choose a color for Louet’s “Cia” Pattern, but I finally settled on “Mexican Orange,” a fun blend of gold and warm pink.

There is also a beautiful fabric store on High St. in Belfast. I did not note the name yesterday, but I hope to go back today to spend more time there. I will take a photo and get the name!

Other places. I’ve been to the guild shop in the center of Blue Hill, as well as the yarn shop slightly out of town that has since gone out of busines (sigh…), and I’ve been to Shirley’s Yarns in Hancock (where I bought Dale microfiber years ago for a tank top I never finished because it was so unflattering on me!). Now I understand there are two shops in Blue Hill that I may not know: Blue Hill Yarn shop on Ellsworth Rd. and String Theory on Beach Hill Rd. I don’t know if we’ll get to Blue Hill this year, but now I hope so! And a google search shows two promising shops on Mt. Desert, one in Southwest Harbor (Lilac Lily Yarn Shop) and one in Bar Harbor (Bee’s, Inc.), so I hope to visit both of these since we are on our way there for the weekend.

I am putting aside the Debbie Bliss sailor sweater for the moment. This is quite a disappointment to me, but I do want to give some thought to that collar. The knitters on Ravelry did not have any solutions that appealed to me, so I will take a look in my library of knitting design books when I return home in September.

Here is my next knitting project, Louet’s “Cia.”

Louet KidLin Mexican Orange — Louet's KidLin Mexican Orange

First I will finish my own design that uses Tess Designer Yarns’ micofiber ribbon. I’ll be writing up that pattern to share here and on Ravelry. It’s a very simple pattern, and I’m almost finished!