All posts by czierhoffergmailcom

We had a fabulous few days on land with family celebrating Kaylee’s graduation and Sarah’s new job and home. Both Grammas came in from Minnesota (Anne Moen) and South Carolina (Joyce Camara), as well as aunts, uncles and cousins from Rhode Island, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and of course us from Maryland.

Kaylees Graduation was Friday at the Old North Church in the North End of Boston followed by a fabulous Indian lunch in Newton. We then came back to CT and while Kaylee and the Moens chilled at home, Gary, Gramma Camara, Uncle Mike and I went to a restaurant called The Essex where Sarah is a sous chef and had an amazing dinner! So awesome to see Sarah in her element with a big smile on her face! So proud to celebrate these 2 amazing young women all in one day!

Saturday we had a fun day on the boat with the Camara family from RI and Wisconsin – Michael and Linda, Matt and Amanda and their 2 girls Charlotte and Madelynn, Ed and Sopery and their daughter Emmy, Lynne and Rich Pendola and Mike Fredricks. Not the warm day we hoped for, but we didn’t care. We enjoyed a little river cruise and some time back at Hamburg Cove. Of course food and laughter were both abundant! Later in the afternoon it was back to the Moens to celebrate Kaylee’s graduation with a “small group” of about 30 family and friends.

Sunday we got to see Sarah’s new house and help her with a few projects. The previous owner certainly had some great intentions, but not the appropriate skills! No worries on that, Daddy and Uncle Mike did! It was a full work day, but fun as well seeing the place come alive, boxes get emptied and Sarah smile!

In the morning, we will be up and out early and headed west on Long Island Sound to Great Kills, NY. It will be a long run (11-12 hours) but we are looking forward to cruising back through Manhattan and actually venturing to new ports through new waters we’ve not travelled before. We certainly consider the last 9 days part of our Great Loop adventure, but these have all been ports we are familiar with. So great to have spent time with family as we now head off on our great adventure to parts unknown (to us)!

Here’s what was returned in under 3 seconds:

In Hamburg Cove, where nature’s beauty thrives, A vessel rests with tales of lives. Legacy, a yacht of Fleming grace, Her presence shines upon this tranquil place.

At fifty-eight feet, she stands so proud, A symbol of adventure, strong and loud. Her hull glides smoothly through the shimmering tide, As the morning sun casts its golden guide.

Anchored securely in this hallowed bay, Legacy exudes the echoes of yesterday. Her decks tell stories, etched in wood and grain, Of voyages taken through wind and rain.

In her wake, she carries the dreams of souls, Seekers of wonders, who set out bold. From distant shores to uncharted lands, They sailed with courage, hearts held in their hands.

On this June morn, the gentle breeze weaves, Whispering secrets through the lapping leaves. Legacy’s mast, tall and strong, reaches high, Like an ancient sentinel guarding the sky.

Her captain, skilled in the art of the sea, Guides her path with passion and decree. With every voyage, a legacy is born, Of sailors’ spirits forever adorned.

The cove awakens with a symphony of sound, As seabirds dance and circle around. Legacy, a muse of nautical delight, Inspiring awe and wonder, morning ’til night.

May she continue to sail the vast expanse, Bearing dreams of adventurers who enhance, The legacy she carries, steadfast and true, An ode to the beauty of the maritime view.

So let us raise a toast to Legacy’s might, A vessel of memories, shining so bright. Anchored in Hamburg Cove, her haven serene, A testament to the wonders of a life lived keen.

Yesterday, we had a lovely time walking around the gorgeous little town of Northport, NY, which feels locked in time like an fashioned Mayberry, RFD! We walked around downtown, found a place to sit outside and have lunch, supported many of the shops including a bakery for fresh bread, and then dinghied over to Centerport Yacht Club to visit with Bill Wilkes and reminisce about our kids growing up at CYC and share where they are at today. Time flew!

Had a fabulous dinner with Stacy & Lori Aslan and Nancy Hebel at Pumpernickels in Northport. After 20 years, Pumpernickels hasn’t changed a bit and neither has the heart and kindness of our friends. We neglected to get a pic of all of us at dinner (WTH?), but did get a few of Nancy and her friend Sally touring the boat before dinner. So fun to see old friends and catch up with them on life and kids. Special thanks to Nancy for schlepping us around!

This morning, we had a very pleasant 7 hour run from Centerport, NY to Essex, CT. We left right after breakfast around 9:00 am and arrived around 4:00 pm. We’ve struck a new normal that is working well for us where we get up, have breakfast and go, then shower “on the way”….. I know those who know Gary are shocked about this, but we are loving it!

Winds and seas were very calm across the sound with some minor fog as we entered the CT River, but it didn’t last. We grabbed a mooring in idyllic Hamburg Cove under a cloudless sunny sky and 71 beautiful degrees. We visited Hamburg Cove quite a few times when we lived in Centerport, generating fond memories with kids and fellows boaters. We also know it well from visits on Jane and Luther’s boat (sister and brother in law) when we visit them in Deep River, CT. For those who boat with us, their Hamburg Cove is equivalent to our Eagle Cove.

BTW – you can track us as we move on NEBO and follow our blog at http://www.Legacyontheloop.com

We’ve had a few intense travel days in the last week but we are completely winding down in Hamburg Cove after our first week “on the loop” focused on getting where we needed to be, on time. Well we are here! For this next phase of our trip, we may go silent for a few days as we celebrate Kaylee (niece) and her graduation from the North Bennet Street School in Boston with her credentials in bookbinding as well as Sarah (daughter) and her move to CT from TN and the purchase of her “new to her” house just a few weeks ago. It’ll be a “big time” (as they say in Texas) with family coming in from east, west, north and south to celebrate. Weather permitting, we will host the Camara side of the family here on Legacy in Hamburg Cove for the day on Saturday.

What a great adventure. We are now two weeks living aboard and 1 week on the move. We still both like and love each other, work well together, we are not turning back and we look forward to you joining us along the way! Let us know where that might be!

Today, we plan to do some biking around Northport and Centerport and experience some the places we experienced so long ago. We lived on Long Island from 1995 – 2001 and loved it here; started our family boating life here in 1997 with our first SeaRay Sundancer (a 268 meaning 26’ 8” long) that we named Legacy. Later upgraded to a SeaRay 33 Sundancer (Legacy II). Many great memories on those boats! It was the 33 we took with us when we moved to MD, then later upgraded to the 38 (Legacy III) and then to the current Legacy.

Got to thinking about boat terms we use that everyone may not understand…. So here are a few.

First are the standards: Port and Starboard (left and right, respectively). We use these to describe which side of the boat or which side you will pass something or someone on. Bow (front of the boat), stern (back of the boat) and cockpit (the sitting area at the back of the boat). Head (bathroom), galley (kitchen) and stateroom (bedroom). Bridle or snubber: 2 lines that attach to the anchor chain (rode) and back to the strong points on the boat (forward cleats) to take the pressure off the windless (chain winch). These are all pretty standard so far. Here are some more unique ones:

Looper: Someone doing/on the Great Loop.

Boat Card: sort of a business card to exchange with other loopers (see ours below).

Docktails: cocktails on the dock with other loopers; Jimmy Buffet calls them boat drinks, but not sure he’s a looper although he is a parrot head. This is a looper tradition. Many say you need to detox after looping!

Boat shower: when you take a shower on the boat, you turn the water on and off to conserve water in the middle portions of your shower while lathering; otherwise known as a military shower.

Boat laundry: clothing too clean to throw in the dirty laundry bin but too dirty to put back in the clean clothes drawer; definitely something to be worn again!

Other boaters – please add your boat terms in comments! I’m not a sailor, so I can’t give you those!

Fair winds and following seas!

This morning our plan was to make the leisurely 3 hour run from City Island, NY (Eastern most part of Long Island Sound) to Centerport, NY (north shore of Long Island where we used to live, about 1/3 of the way from NYC to Montauk). We’d leave after breakfast and after doing a couple loads of laundry while we were still connected to shore power – “lines off” by 10:00 am. Sounded like a good idea and the weather forecast looked cooperative….. well that was the forecast, not the actual weather. Forecast said winds at 10-15 knots, but when we were ready to go, they were blowing over 30 knots with 2-3 foot seas. So we waited……. When the winds died down to between 15 and 20 knots – we asked for some assistance from the guys at the marina to help us untie and were on our way just before 1:00 pm. As we moved east, the winds improved and the seas calmed. All good! We arrived in Centerport to a good 10 knot breeze, nearly flat seas and bright sunshine – not a cloud in the sky.

It was great to see the old landmarks as we entered the harbor – LILCO stacks, Sand City, Vanderbilt Planetarium, Asharoken and Centerport beaches as well as Northport and Centerport Yacht Clubs. We found a great anchorage, cleaned up the boat and enjoyed a steak dinner onboard. Tomorrow we venture into town and will meet up with friends for dinner at an old favorite – a German restaurant called Pumpernickels where the Wiener Roastbraten with Onion Straws and Bratkartoffeln is the best…. Of course there will be a few pints of Oktoberfest as well. Only thing missing – the Schults and the Bensons!

There’s nothing like approaching Lady Liberty and Manhattan from the water. We remember when the kids were little – just 2 and 4 – and we bought our first boat (a SeaRay 268) on the south shore of Long Island. We decided to take it around via the water instead of trucking over land. We made a day of it and took it ourselves through NYC to the north shore where we lived in Centerport, NY. As we got closer to Liberty Island, Sarah and Michael kept asking me “What is that, Momma, what is that?” I kept saying “I don’t know, let’s see if we can figure it out as we get closer.” That’s how they first saw and learned about the Statue of Liberty.

That trip up NY Harbor never gets old! What a great run from Sandy Hook, NJ into NY Harbor and then up the East River to City Island at the west end of Long Island Sound. 4 states in 3 days! Loved seeing Manhattan and Brooklyn from the water and then visiting the City Island Museum.

Did you know City Island was a boat/ship building powerhouse back in the day? I had no idea they built 6 America’s Cup winning yachts: 1870: Magic; 1958: Columbia; 1964: Constellation; 1967 and 1970: Intrepid; 1974 and 1977: Courageous; 1980: Freedom. Enjoying City Island for one night and then onto Centerport, NY!

When you are making a 12 hour ocean run up the New Jersey coast, BORING is exactly what you want and exactly what we got! We left Cape May around 6:45 am and headed into a little bit of bounciness (1-3 foot seas and 12-15 knot headwinds) which gradually eased to flat seas and 5-6 knot tailwinds. The shift of the winds propelled us to about a 10.5 knot speed vs. 9.5 in the morning. Arrived at Sandy Hook around 6:30 pm and found a great anchorage right near Blessed Again, again! Enjoyed a simple dinner aboard and a fantastic sunset. Our decision to press on with the 12 hour boring run is proving to be the wise decision, as the weather in Cape May looks rainy and windy for the next 3-4 days. Sorry to see posts from the loopers who are there being “locked in” for a few days.

It was exciting to see the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge and NYC off in the distance as we rounded the corner into Sandy Hook. Last time we did this trip, NYC was one of our favorite legs. Sunday, we will travel past the Statue of Liberty (always a thrill), up the East River with Manhattan to port and Brooklyn to starboard, through Hell’s Gate into Long Island Sound. We plan to spend the night in City Island, reminiscent of a cruise we took with the kids when we lived in Centerport, NY. It was Labor Day weekend just before 9/11.

Day 2 took us from Chesapeake City, MD at the mouth of the C&D Canal to Cape May, NJ with a 5.5/6 hour run mostly through the very calm Delaware Bay – so 3 states in 2 days. We met 3 other looping boats in Chesapeake City including Diana and Marshall on Escape who invited us onto their boat for dinner to pick crabs with them – what a treat! We arrived in Cape May early afternoon with the plan to ride our bikes to Nauti Spirits Distillery, owned by our friends and neighbors Steve and Caroline Miller. After a little help from “pops” at the local dive shop to tighten one of the fittings that kept the wheel and handlebars in line (rather important!) we were off!! Sadly, Steve and Caroline were not there, but the delicious vodka drink and the fun atmosphere complete with Adirondack chairs and corn hole did not disappoint. We met 4 additional looping couples including Perry and Vicki on Blessed Again, a Fleming 55. Our evening was capped off by a great dinner at The Lobster House and the beautiful sunset above. It was early to bed and early to rise for a long run (about 12 hours) on 5/27 from Cape May to Sandy Hook, NJ. The weather window for an open ocean run up the NJ coast looks great for 5/27, but not 5/28 or 5/29 so we will skip stopping at Manasquan and “go the distance” in one go. We are on that run as I type this with 1-3 foot waves and bright sunshine. All good!! Learnings so far – carry a bike pump and small took kit on the bikes!!

Today we left Annapolis for our first official day on the Loop. Although we’ve been out of our “dirt home” for about a week, we were still enjoying the familiar waters of the Magothy and Severn Rivers with friends old and new. This morning, we enjoyed a delicious and touching send off by a few close friends. We took down the AYC burgee and replaced it with the AGLCA, had a champagne toast, amazing quiche made by the loving hands of Tricia Chitterling and wonderful prayer circle. Then we were off!! We traveled about 6 hours from Annapolis to Chesapeake City, a small quaint town just a few hundred yards from the entrance to the C&D Canal. We will navigate the canal tomorrow into the Delaware Bay. Next stop Cape May, NJ.

Today was our last day in Annapolis before we head out on the loop. What better way to spend it than watching the Blue Angels air show on the Severn River in honor of the Naval Academy graduates with lifelong friends and family!