August 26, 2009

Ahoy from Altamont Street!

Wow! Swoosh! and a whole year goes by. I am snuggled on the sofa in our living room on Altamont Street. We have been at our land home for just over a week. We are happily nesting and catching up with family and friends.

Last time I wrote we were just leaving Sag Harbor. From Sag Harbor we sailed to Oyster Bay to see dear friends John and Wendy. We spent a warm and friendly afternoon catching up with both of them at the Creek Club. From The Creek Club to Larchmont was an hour’s motor. We joined Sandy, Anne and Katie’s friends for a celebration of Katie’s 10th birthday. It was great to visit with friends and family on Long Island.

Larchmont is a great jumping off point to navigate the strong currents of Hell Gate before entering New York Harbor. We stopped in Sandy Hook New Jersey for a night and then our plan was to cruise straight through to Deltaville, sailing outside. The weather changed from scattered to numerous thunderstorms as we traveled south during the night. So we took the turn at Cape May and spent a quiet night at Reedy Island just south of the C and D Canal. From Reedy Island we traveled a second overnight down the Chesapeake to Deltaville, arriving on August 15th, 4 days after leaving Larchmont and exactly one year from the day we moved onto Namaste.

Namaste is our little ship. She held us safely and comfortably over the last year. She holds a special place in our hearts. Though distant, we think of her daily. We both look forward to lots more time spent on her. I miss waking up each day on the water and being rocked to sleep each night.

We celebrated our arrival on Jackson Creek at dinner Saturday night with Nura and Russell, who had many questions about our travels. Russell asked us what was the great learning, the large philosophical lesson that we experienced while on the water. Great question! Big question!

I know for both of us the journey was a celebration of our 33-year friendship and love for one another. In a new setting, with new challenges and experiences, our respect, understanding and love for one another grew even stronger. With that in mind the rest of the journey is icing on the cake. And yet, there were many more gifts from the sea this year.

I found courage where there was fear, I found inner peace, presence, grace in watching the sunset beginning at 5:00 in the afternoon, a love of the journey, inner and outer, the blessing of an elemental and a simpler life, the ability to live a more fluid life, to change and alter course with ease, a mindful existence, breath, my breath and the greater breath of the universe as it lifts our sails and carries us forth, connection, tranquility, myself as a human being in the world.

I ran into a friend yesterday who said, “Welcome back to the real world”. I know what he meant, and I wanted to say “Real? There is nothing so real as the simple and elemental life led on the water.” The challenge for me is to carry these lessons and practices, this experience of simplicity and mindfulness into my daily activities here at land home. So I remind myself each day to breathe and sink into the body, to connect with the formless, to remain fluid, to listen to the birdsong, feel the sun on my cheek, watch the sun setting, the moon rising, and of course, to stop and smell the roses.

Chris and I are blessed now with two homes, one on land and one on the water. Namaste is currently in a slip on Jackson Creek. We will join her as often as possible this fall. We plan to sail her in the Chesapeake all next season. We intend for her to carry us on another journey in about 2 years. Next time a little further and hopefully a little longer. We shall see.

In the meantime we are happily rejoining family and friends. We are nesting and beginning new projects. We recommend to everyone that they take time now to fulfill that dream or vision. There is no other time, only the present.

Peace and Love

August 5, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste in Sag Harbor

How is everybody? Hope you are all well and happy.

We had a great time in Martha’s Vineyard with Malcolm, Tennessee and Liz. Malcolm and Tennessee entertained, fed, toured and generally showed us a great time. We thank them!

Well we are headed south! And, back to Deltaville and then home to Charlottesville. It is hard to believe that a year ago August 15th we moved onto Namaste. We are savoring every moment.

After we left the Vineyard we went back to Hadley Harbor to enjoy a quiet and pristine little harbor. From there we sailed back down the Elizabeth Islands to Cuttyhunk Island and then on to Block Island. We were pushing to get to Long Island to see family and did not linger along the way.

We have Namaste on a mooring in Sag Harbor and we are spending two wonderful days with Pete and Michelle, our family in Remsenburg. We have seen friends and met a couple of new friends. We are eating very well as Michelle is an amazing cook. We are spending lots of time around the kitchen table laughing and catching up with one another. What a treat! We will head back out to Namaste later this morning.

From here we head back through Long Island Sound making our way to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. We have not yet decided whether to take the ICW back to Deltaville or to go outside to Norfolk. We will know better when we can take a closer look at the weather.

In the meantime we are savoring every moment. It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since we moved aboard Namaste.

Well we have much to do today and so I will write more later. Just wanted to catch up while we have Internet access.

We look forward to going home as much as we will be sorry not to wake up on the water each morning.

Peace and Love

July 26, 2009

Ahoy from Martha’s Vineyard

Hey there!

How is everybody? We think of you all often.

Last time I wrote we were on Judith Point Pond. We left the pond on July 19th and sailed to Cuttyhunk Island, which is the southern most of the Elizabeth Islands bordered by Buzzard’s Bay on the west and Vineyard Sound on the east. The town of Gosnold perches on a large hill on the northeast side of the island. The shingled cottages spill down the hill to the harbor with gardens and stone paths leading the way. Gosnold is a village on island time. The slow pace can be seen on the faces of the children meandering barefoot down the paths and biking along the beaches. There are 26 hardy residents who live on the island all year around. A one-room schoolhouse shelters the elementary school program. The older children take a ferry across Buzzards Bay to complete their education. The students cross the bay each morning and evening all winter long. Hard to imagine! These are rugged and self-reliant people.

From Cuttyhunk Island we had a short sail up to Naushon Island, one of the northern most of the Elizabeth Islands. Everyone we have met along the way told us to be sure to spend some time in Hadley Harbor. We spent 5 days in this peaceful and protected harbor. The Forbes family created the Naushon Trust to protect the beauty of the Elizabeth Islands. The water is clear, there are many egrets, geese, ducks, osprey and loons that reside in the harbor. There are also an abundance of oysters and clams to be discovered. Many of the islands are uninhabited, or nearly so. We spent many quiet hours kayaking and exploring the shallow waters that surround these lush green islands. We also met some really great folks on Ancient Mariner from Chatham, Mass. Both the harbor and the people we met are very special.

Yesterday, we left Hadley Harbor and made the short jump to Martha’s Vineyard. We are anchored in Vineyard Haven Harbor surrounded by a multitude of traditional wooden boats. We spent the afternoon and evening with our good friend Malcolm who moved up here from Charlottesville 25 years ago. We enjoyed spending time with Tennessee, Malcolm’s son and Liz, Tennessee’s mom. I will write more on Martha’s Vineyard after we have had more of a chance to explore the island. We have a boatload of laundry and some provisioning to do while we are here. We will probably be here until Tuesday or Wednesday when we will turn our little ship south and toward land-home.

We continue to savor our time on Namaste. Even as we turn south toward Deltaville and home, even as we look forward to being home with missed family and friends, we are stirring up visions of another journey. I trust that where there is the will there is the way. We have seen first hand how many cruisers of modest income have been able to adjust life at home to open possibilities for more time aboard. Know that the twinkle in our eyes when we arrive home will be a mixture of a year spent together on Namaste, happiness found in productive lives shared with loved ones at home combined with the conjurer manifesting life upon the water our near future.

Peace and Love

July 16, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste on Judith Point Pond, Rhode Island.

How is everybody? Hope you all are enjoying the fruits of a lovely summer.

A big thanks to Katie, Anne and Sam for a memorable July 4th!

We left Larchmont and family on July 7 and began our trek north. We have anchored in the Norwalk Islands and the Thimble Islands in New York, Mystic River in Connecticut and at present Judith Point Pond in Rhode Island.

We decided to spend the remainder of our time out here on Namaste exploring the beauty of the Cape Cod ponds, rivers, bays, sounds and islands. We enjoy taking our time in the many places we visit. We have been getting out the kayaks and seeing the water sights up close. We continue to keep up with boat projects although at this point we are letting some wait until our return to Deltaville. I have taken lots of time for watercolor. We are enjoying the crisp, cool summer that is New England.

The air gets fresher as we get further from New York. It is good to breathe deeply of this clear, blue air. I have been spending time learning to breathe mindfully, sinking into the inner body and living from that center. Practicing presence. I am learning to surrender thoughts of past and future for a life lived more fully in the present. I am continually amazed by the way mind likes to stick with a program, any program. But the heart is willing to be open to a new experience…so I continue to practice, practice. Both kayaking and painting are great portals into the present moment.

We had a really great time at Mystic Seaport. The museum truly offers the flavor of life in a port village in 1876. There is a full replica of a seaport with market place, bank, a cooper, marine supplies, hardware store and more. We enjoyed reenactments of children’s games, a rescue, and town entertainment. Some number of years ago the museum received a gift of the Charles W. Morgan whaling vessel. It has become one of the central features of the museum. It is on the hard for restoration this year. We were still able to take a tour on this historic vessel.

At present we are enjoying the peace and quiet on Judith Point Pond. The canal entrance to the pond parts the water between the towns of Galilee and Jerusalem. Gives one pause. We are near the town of Wakefield and can dinghy in to get supplies. We met up with Julie and Mark from Rachel while here. We had a lovely dinner on Rachel and met new friends Beep and Ed from Midwatch and Evie and Jack from Distant Star. Beep and Ed have family in Wakefield and Beep spent a morning driving us to the grocery store and showing us her hometown. We have felt very welcomed here on Judith Point Pond.

We are waiting for weather to sail up to the island of Cuttyhunk at the southern tip of the Elizabeth Islands and then on to Martha’s Vineyard for a couple of days. We have a good friend, Malcolm, on the Vineyard and plan to spend some time with him there. We have altered plans to go to Maine for more quality time spent around Cape Cod. We will also head to Peconic Bay to see Pete and Michelle before we head back to the Chesapeake Bay.

We intend to be back in the Deltaville around September 1. At that time we will put Namaste in a slip for two months and head back to Altamont Street. We are hoping to spend as much time as possible on Namaste this fall in the Chesapeake. Knowing that the year is drawing to a close makes it all the more precious. While we both look forward to being home surrounded by family and friends, we value the gift we have here and now on Namaste.

Peace and Love

July 5, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste

How is everybody? Hope you are all well and enjoying summer.

New York! New York! Just like I pictured it. We left Solomon’s Island on Wednesday, June 24 and arrived in New York Thursday, July 2. The last two weeks have just flown by.
Before we left Solomon’s Island we had a lovely evening with friends, old and new, on Namaste. Franci and Bob from Barefootin’, Nura and Russell from Varuna, and Carol, Scot, June and John from Wanderer all joined us for dinner aboard Namaste. We had a great time trading stories and getting to know one another. It was a very special evening. Chris and I also celebrated our anniversary by giving each other kayaks and have been having a great time exploring creeks more intimately than we can in Namaste.

After we left Solomon’s island we anchored in Plaindealing Creek, Selby Bay and Mahogothy Creek. We made plans to meet with friends from 2 other boats, Barefootiin’ and Rachel, to meet on the Sassafras River on June 27th to position for a trip down the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to Reedy Island, then down the Delaware River to Cape May. From Cape May it is an overnight to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. And then a day trip into New York Harbor, up the East River through Hell’s Gate and into Long Island Sound. At Sandy Hook we called Chris’s brother and sister-in-law in New Rochelle, realizing we could make it to their neck of the sound by the 4th of July.

So a long story short, after nine days of sailing we reached Larchmont and joined our family, including Isaac and Chappell, Katie, our niece and Sam and Anne. We spent Friday on the water playing all day. We got out the kayaks, swam in the harbor, explored in the dinghy, sailed, swung from the halyard (some of us), laughed a lot, and ate wonderful food. We took the Namaste out for a short sail on Saturday the 4th and ended up taking a 6 hour sail, beating our way back just in time to dine at the yacht club and watch the fireworks from Namaste. A very good day!
We intend to do more of the same over the rest of the weekend. It is so good to be in one place and to spend time with family. While we miss and love those that we could not meet up with this weekend we are so happy to love the ones we are with.

Today we do a few chores and then play all afternoon with family. We have another beautiful day!

I think this time I will let pictures tell the rest of the story.

Have a great weekend!

Peace and Love

June 20, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste on Mill Creek, Solomon’s Island

We left Deltaville and Jackson Creek June 16, Tuesday morning after fueling and taking on water. We had a great sail up the Chesapeake Bay to Reedsville, Maryland and Cockrell Creek just off the Great Wicomico River. The wind speed most of the day was 25 knots and we averaged 7 knots SOG (speed over ground). At times we were weaving through lines of crab pots strung like beads along the channel, adding challenge to our travels on the Bay.

We enjoyed a brief tour of Reedsville Tuesday evening. Elijah Reed settled Reedsville in the mid 1800’s and began one of many menhaden processing plants that flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries along the Great Wicomico River. The oil from the menhaden was once used for lamp oil and is now an ingredient in cat food and a vehicle for spray chemicals. At present there is only one plant remaining on Smith Creek and the fleet of 100-foot fishing vessels continues to net and transport fish for processing in Reedsville.

On Wednesday morning we left the mouth of the Great Wicomico River and sailed north to the Potomac River. We anchored on Smith Creek off the north shore of the Potomac, near the Saint Mary’s River. The small cove where we anchored is surrounded by farm and wetland. Herons and osprey kept us company in this pleasant anchorage. We awoke each morning to the “eeeew” call of the osprey and the barking of herons as they searched for fish, frogs and snakes. There were crabs and jellyfish swimming along side Namaste. We also discovered the ripples created by schools of shiners that serve as lunch to the local seagulls and larger fish. We were the only boat in the cove.

On Friday we left our peaceful cove and sailed up to Solomon’s Island on the Patuxent River. Solomon’s Island is a destination for cruising boaters and has it’s own large fleet of sailing and motor vessels. We are anchored on Mill Creek just outside of the village. We plan to be here a few days taking in the sights, catching up with friends we met in the Bahamas and waiting for better sailing weather.

Here too, we are entertained with diving osprey, a patient and watchful white egret, territorial great blue herons, two devoted families of Canadian geese, a green heron and 4 male mallards. This morning I observed a school of shiners springing out of the water visibly evading a predator. The green heron saw the shiners leaping and flew over to a log trailing just above the school of shiners. The heron confidently perched on the end of the log, leaned into the water and snapped up three shiners within moments. The shiners virtually leapt into the heron’s mouth in order to escape their underwater nemesis. Three cownose rays were swimming under the surface of the water scaring up the shiners. I find myself becoming more patient, still, watchful, alert and present, tending to simple needs, learning from my observations of nature.

We have entered a panorama of greens and grays. The water reflects the lush surrounding forest and marshland and the hazy summer sky. I have been enjoying the soft and subtle hues of the land and waterscape on the Chesapeake Bay. We are enveloped in gray green, hunter and sap green, slate blue, paynes gray, umber, sepia, ochre, cerulean. These colors do not dazzle and excite the eye, demanding my attention, as did the aquamarines of the Bahamas. These Bay tints and shades patiently wait for one to become still and take notice. They are muted, softened by their compliments, inviting, embracing, peaceful. I am drawn into the serenity that is to be found here on the Chesapeake.

This time we have living on Namaste is such a gift! I am so blessed to be able to spend it with my best friend and lover. We are both, at once, grateful and fulfilled by this experience. Today is our 28th wedding anniversary. Lucky us!

Peace and Love

June 10, 2009

Ahoy from Deltaville Virginia

It is hard to believe we have been here a week! Where did it go? We left Charleston on Sunday, May 31st and sailed up the coast arriving in Deltaville almost exactly 3 days later on Tuesday, June 2nd.

We saw many huge sea turtles off Cape Hatteras. I saw three turtles swimming together in a large swell off the starboard side of Namaste. They were each about 4 feet in diameter. We also saw a nurse shark basking in the sun. And, we were often greeted by dolphins along the way. At one point a boisterous group of 12 dolphins swam over to greet us before merrily making their way westward.

We were glad to enter the Chesapeake Bay and cross into Virginia. It is so green and lush and bountiful in the spring. I could smell the sweetness of honey suckle and fresh rain in the air as we sailed up the Bay and into the Piankatank River.

Isaac arrived this weekend and we sailed over to Gwynn’s Island and anchored for the night in Stutts Creek. It was great to spend some time with Isaac here on Namaste and then again in Charlottesville. We had not seen Isaac since January and we were so happy to have him here on Namaste and all to ourselves. We drove with him back to Altamont to spend two more nights. Chris was able to accomplish some work and I visited with my sister, Susan, and a few friends. It was great to see family and friends and we look forward to spending more time with everyone in the fall.

We are anchored in Jackson Creek where we began our journey last fall. We have come 3000 miles since then and Namaste has carried us with steadfast grace. We rely on her to shelter and carry us safely anywhere we want to go. She has done far more adding comfort to our journey. She is our muse, transporting us to new places and experiences.

We are enjoying the many birds that dwell on Jackson Creek. We wake to the energetic call of the nesting osprey that inhabit the nearby pilings and channel markers. Ospreys are the only members of a class of diurnal birds who have four toes opposing one another in a two by two fashion. Their wingspan reaches 6 feet. They mate for life and live for 30 years. They can reach a meter down into the water with their talons to catch a fish which they then turn head first as they fly back to the nest to share it with their mate and fledglings. They lay 2 to 4 eggs that hatch every 5 days or so. The first-born has a greater chance of living if food is scarce but they may all survive in times of plenty. There are fledglings in numerous nests at present and many of the females continue to sit on eggs. We enjoy observing all the beautiful birds that inhabit Jackson Creek.

Although we are back at the beginning of our journey, it is not over yet! We will be here a couple more days before we head up the Bay and the Delaware River to Cape May where we will go up the coast to New York. We have learned to say, “we are headed north”, rather than give a destination. We are going where the wind takes us for the summer and then plan to head back to Jackson Creek in mid August. We will keep Namaste in the water until later in the fall so that we can continue to spend time sailing even as we move back into our home and our lives in Charlottesville.

Until later, peace and love.