Friday, May 13, 2011

Annapolis

We've left Oxford, MD after a very nice four day stop and visit with Candace and Bubbles Shattuck. Big thanks to them for their hospitality!!

Now on our way to Annapolis where we will spend a couple of days before heading North to Rye, NY. And the American Yacht Club!!!
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Bubbles and Deb

Perfect afternoon sail onboard Morpheus off Oxford, MA!!
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Thursday, May 12, 2011

Picture of the Day

This guy has it figured out!  A converted cargo ship is now his cruising home.

Check out what he stores on his bow...I guess there is a ramp to get it off.

-Jim

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The Good Husband

Debbie likes horses. I like horses....

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

Jim
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Sunday, May 08, 2011

Morpheus covered in ash??

When the sun rose today I looked around the boat and found it to be covered in a fine layer of ash??

As I look behind us, there is a large plume of smoke? in the air that starts on shore off of our beam??

Has anyone blown anything big up in North Carolina lately???

-Jim

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Saturday, May 07, 2011

Cape Hatteras

Rounding Cape Hatteras safely has been on the check list for this trip from day #1. Well, we are in the middle of doing just that right now and we couldn't be happier with the weather we have. It's been very calm for the past six hours and now just as we arrive we are beginning to enjoy a filling breeze from the south!

It's really amazing to look hard at the charts and see the number of wrecks that are charted and lying on the bottom of the sea.

We are certainly enjoying todays advances in navigation and weather forecasting!

Have a good night! We are!

-Jim and Deb

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We had a stow away last night...

Deb Here...

Jim and I left Charleston yesterday bright and early for Oxford, Maryland! Yeah. It felt very strange to be out on the water again after 3+ weeks on land. It took a few hours to get my sea legs back.

About sunset last night, we had a small bird circling the boat, and trying to come in for a landing. Right as the sun went down, he swooped in under the dodger, put his head under his wing, and pretended we were not sitting two feet away. He was a little Swallow, too tired and far from land to make it home last night. Jim gave him a little dish of water, and checked on him every watch, and there he sat all night, puffed up on a line, safe and sound.

This am when Jim saw he had shat upon our boat, he was kicked off.

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Friday, May 06, 2011

Dodging Thunderstorms!

Left Charleston, SC. early this morning. It's been a grey dreary day for the most part. One of those that makes us ask ourselves again, "Why are we heading North?".

This afternoon has been ok if you like gallons of rain being dumped on your head. We've had several squalls pass over us in the last few hours. Weather references lots of lightning, but we've not had to deal with any close by.

Forecast has the storms moving away within the hour so the end is in sight. (We hope)

Glad we didn't leave yesterday as 200 miles up the track is getting pounded by some pretty serious weather.

All's good,

-Jim

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Re: Underway Again!!

I looked for you at the beach but I think I was a little early...
Safe trip to MD!!!

kimcomfort@cox.net
401.864.2750

On May 6, 2554 BE, at 10:00 AM, jim@jdgregory.com wrote:

> Next stop Maryland!!
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> <IMG00171-20110506-0959.jpg>

Underway Again!!

Next stop Maryland!!
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Thursday, May 05, 2011

Still in Charleston

Forecast today includes 20+ knots from the North. Tomorrow is supposed to be 10 to 15 from the South. So....we stay here another day!

Jim
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Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Fwd: ETA - need to pick up speed


From: Bob Gregory
Date: May 1, 2011 5:18:50 PM EDT
Subject:
ETA  - need to pick up speed


I have been doing some quick calculations and I believe you are hard pressed to make your flight to San Francisco.

Assuming you want to arrive a day or two prior to your flight that leaves you 19 days and about 800 miles to go.   That work out to a speed of 1.75 knots.   To date you have traveled about 6100 miles in 201 days which is only about 1.0 knots.   Need to kick it in to double time.

Have fun Bob



Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Morpheus Spa Treatment

Deb and I are off to celebrate Patricks 21st bday in NYC. Morpheus is getting a bit of a pre race tune up while we are gone!

Jim
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Saturday, April 16, 2011

Charleston, SC

We had a pretty easy trip from Fernindina, FL to Charleston, SC. Just about 24 hours travel time and light winds between 5-15 knots. Perfect traveling conditions.

Why are they all trying to hit us???
No stress other than the traditional midnight excitement as we passed Savannah. Obviously, Savannah remains a hub of shipping. You can see the traffic jam we sailed through in the picture to the left. This is our AIS display onboard that picks up broadcasts from other ships and plots their name, callsign, heading and speed on our charts. We are in the center of the display sailing North while the three ships highlighted in red (for danger) all seemed to be taking aim at us!! We ended up holding our course while each of them took turns passing within a mile of us over a period of time no longer than 15 minutes!!!

We pulled into Charleston at about 10:30am. Right as the breeze started to come on pretty strong and as the 250+ boats sailing in the Charleston Race Week were heading out to their race courses. Nice timing!

The Fleet tried (and failed) to all dock at once!
Later that afternoon, after watching the demolition derby that was the return of those 200+ boats, we ran into Erik Shampain for a record third time on this trip. (We saw him in San Deigo racing Etchells. We saw him in Acapulco racing big boats, and he's here now sailing the CRW.)

Next we tracked another friend down. Bill Sandberg (from American Yacht Club) is down working with the race committee and we arranged to grab a ride from him over to Lyn and Peggy Comforts place for dinner. Dinner was great, we shared lots of stories and heard a few as well.

Today, I am sitting on the boat hoping that it doesn't blow away!! From the current weather forecast....

...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EDT THIS EVENING... ...TORNADO WATCH 150 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING... .THIS AFTERNOON...S WINDS 20 TO 25 KT WITH GUSTS TO 35 KT. SEAS 4TO 6 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS LATE. SOME TSTMS MAY BESEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND WATERSPOUTS.  

It's currently blowing a steady 25 with gust to 35 at the dock. The front is about an hour away, and Debbie has deserted me for the safety of the bar at the head of the dock! 

More soon, I hope! 

-Jim

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Next stop Charleston, SC

Honest, I didn't plan it this way!!  But, this is turning out just right.  Deb and I plan to head for Charleston tomorrow afternoon, and Charleston Race Week is happening this weekend!  Not only that, but the marina recommended by our local friends turns out to be ground zero for the event.  Not only that, but Gosling's (my favorite rum) is sponsoring the parties!!

Sometimes things just work out....

Monday, April 11, 2011

Florida's Most Recent New Resident

Today Debbie cut the cord with California and officially became a Floridian.

Wow!
-Jim

Sunday, April 10, 2011

A "Wind Event"

Sometimes I exaggerate. Not often. Sometimes I see things that I think are
significant, but others don't seem to think so. Well, I experienced a
Tornado in West Palm Beach, while everyone else had a "Wind Event". I'm
from California, but doesn't wind swirling around in a circular motion count
as a tornado? No one ever believes me when I see tornadoes...
Last week, I was enjoying lunch at this nice little street café when one of
the waiters pointed out that the front expected for about 2PM was moving in
right on schedule. I look up, and there was a big black line of clouds
coming. So I paid my bill and walked down the street to do some shopping.
Wam! The wind kicks in, dirt and sand start swirling around so bad I had to
put my sunglasses on to see. I look over my shoulder, and about 100 yards
away, over a decorative pond and fountain thingy, is a swirling mass of
water and dirt, coming my way. I call that a tornado... So, I start to run
across an alley for the hotel that is about 50 feet away. And then I get
that sinking feeling, "Aaa Darn!" Out of the corner of my eye, I see this
elderly lady hanging onto a pipe staircase banister, with her cane in one
hand, shopping bags in the other, being buffeted back and forth by the wind.
No ducking under cover for me. I change course, run and grab her, when her
son in a SUV pulls up. Yeah! So I open the door, put her in the car, then
bolt up the stairs into a doorway alcove and watch the "Wind Event" go by.
I'm watching as palm fronds and coconuts are being torn off the trees and
landing on the cars that are parked by the valets... lots of Mercedes,
Jaguars, etc. all with their car alarms going off after being pelted by
coconuts. Then, a big trash dumpster on wheels starts rolling at the far
end of the alley, picks up speed, and crashes right into the rear of the
elderly ladies' SUV, which then takes off to avoid being rammed again by the dumpster. It then starts to pour rain, and the wind calms down a bit.
After a few minutes of hyperventilating and calls to my brothers and sisters
who know about Tornadoes, I went on to finish my shopping. No one else in
West Palm Beach thought it was a tornado. It was just "really windy."
Ahh, well, I guess I just exaggerate...
Deb

Friday, April 08, 2011

Can someone explain this please???

Fernandina Beach, Florida




We have traveled North from Palm Beach to arrive in the South??  What's up with that? 

It really does seem like an entirely different world here.  The people are much more relaxed.  Definitely not in a hurry.  Very polite (I've never been called "sir" so many times in my life!) And...they talk "funny".  Very slowly with that distinctive southern accent....

So, why didn't we run into this in Key West, Ft. Lauderdale, or Palm Beach??  Is it the influence of the Northeastern "snowbirds" that makes those towns seem more "North" than "South"??

Whatever the reason, we are defintely in "The South" now!

Sort of nice so far,

-Jim

Fernandina Beach, FL

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Thursday, April 07, 2011

Palm Beach to Fernandina Beach

Well, once again if left to her devices, Morpheus would be arriving at a new port in the middle of the night. Deb and I have spent the late afternoon and evening today doing what we can to slow down in order to have daylight when we arrive. Even so, it looks like we'll need to stall by sailing a few extra miles.
Not much to report. Winds around 10 knots from the SE all day with very flat seas. So, lot's of small projects and reading onboard. Just finished reading Jonathan Livingston Seagull for the 1st time. Great book. How did I get this far without reading it??
All's well.
-Jim and Deb
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Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Yes. Definitely Stuck Again

Some boats/captains/owners are just plain jinxed!!!
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Famous for being stuck off Key West

Many of my sailing friends will remember the story of this huge boat running aground off Key West a few years ago. It was stuck for over a year and has been here in the Palm Beach Marina since finally being re-floated. Not sure, but it sort of looks to me like she might be aground again???
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Sunday, April 03, 2011

Kiteboarding - Jupiter Beach, FL

Deb's brother Dan and I spent a beautiful day on Jupiter Beach today. (just North of Palm Beach)

The winds were a little light, but I managed to have fun for a few minutes.

Deb spent the day with her sister Tori at the horse show. Tori had a great day and was the winner of the days first event!!

A good day was had by all!

-Jim

Friday, April 01, 2011

Just hanging out

Deb is off with sister Tori, so her brother Dan and I are on our own. No wind for kitesurfing, but this is a nice place.
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