|
2003
CRUISING REPORTS
(also
in reverse chronological order)
|
FROM
OPEN OCEAN
TO
BOAT SHOW STAGE |
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|
November
25,
2003
(see
also our weekly log at BoatUS)
Sometimes
when I describe my life to people, I see the faraway look in their
eyes and hear them mumble wistfully "It must be wonderful"
and I can't resist responding with a flip "I'll try to keep that
in mind when I'm dropping my cookies over the railing!" I
want them to understand that it's not perfect. There is no such
thing as the perfect life.
But
the truth is, it is wonderful! It's wonderful to have
control of your own time. It's wonderful to sail along and feel
connected to the natural world. It's wonderful to play for
people who feel connected to the music.
This
fall we've been busy with passagemaking and boat shows - the two
extremes of our lifestyle. I played at a handful of events
around the Annapolis US Sailboat Show - it was a minor challenge
finding waterside venues that hurricane Isabel hadn't trashed!
We zipped down The Chesapeake and the northern portion of the
Intracoastal Waterway and then hopped out at Beaufort, North
Carolina, for a comfortable three day passage to Florida. I
played at the St. Pete boat show and at the Seven Seas Cruising
Association annual gam in Melbourne. I had a great time giving
seminars (which I mostly sang) with titles like "How To Go
Cruising And Stay Married".
We'll
be heading to the Bahamas in early December. We're due for
some quiet time away from the madding crowd. David's priority
will be to dig out his spear pole and snorkel to his heart's
content. I'll walk the beach and dig out my guitar and let some
new material surface. When we get lonely, we'll head for the
spots where the cruising boats congregate and give a few beach concerts.
It
sounds pretty wonderful, doesn't it? Now, I'll just keep that
in mind when I'm dropping my cookies in the middle of the Gulf Stream.
See
you out there,
Eileen |
|
|
Baltimore Cruisers Reunion |
Isabel heading our way |
Bow ties |
Securing a line |
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|
September 24,
2003
(see
also our weekly log at BoatUS)
What's
the worst part of a storm? I'd say it's the hours between when
you've secured that last piece of anti chafe gear and when the winds
start to seriously pick up. It's the waiting. It's the
useless anxiety.
In
early September we had a swift downwind sail back to Chesapeake Bay
from Long Island Sound. We smugly congratulated ourselves on
our return to safer waters for the remainder of hurricane
season. Safer because the edges of the Bay are softer than the
edges of the Sound. Safer because hurricanes have a polite
history of avoiding the Bay.
After
performing at the 3rd annual Southbound Cruiser's Reunion in
Baltimore on September 9th, we sat in on a National Weather
Service seminar where we were sternly warned about hurricane
Isabel. At that point Isabel was far away and seemed only a
vague threat to us.
We
left Baltimore and cheerily tied up to a friend's dock in the
Magothy River north of Annapolis and headed out on a brief road trip
to connect with old friends near D.C.. Our cheeriness
evaporated on the morning of the 15th when the landfall projection
showed Isabel as a Category Five ("catastropic") hurricane
tracking right up the Bay.
What
followed was a frenzy of boat preparation. Boaters may
complain about wasted effort when they strip a boat for a hurricane
that never comes calling. But I don't think that effort is ever
wasted. At the very least, it's a good way to burn off some
storm anxiety. There's nothing we can do about the track of the
storm, but we can always add one more piece of chafe protection.
In
the end Isabel was downgraded to a tropical storm and passed to our
west. We were in a very well protected spot and had to concern
ourselves with tidal flooding more than wind. A couple of
performances were cancelled because the venues were flooded to the
rafters. I'm happy to play by the water, but I'd really rather
not play under it.
Check
out our logs at BoatUS
for more about our experiences with the storm.
I'm
really looking forward to all the playing I'll be doing in the next
couple of weeks. Please click here to see my fall
performance schedule.
See
you out there,
Eileen |
|
|
playing in Oxford |
Wickford sunset |
New England streetscape |
|
|
August 8,
2003
(see
also our weekly log at BoatUS)
We
are in Naragansett Bay, Rhode Island. These are new cruising
grounds for us. Lots of history, lots of charming towns, lots
and lots of boats. This is the furthest north Little Gidding
has been since we cast off the docklines in Toronto nine years
ago. The rocks and the fog (more specifically, the rocks in the
fog) take a little getting used to. The cabin sole is cool
enough to make me consider socks from time to time. David, on
the other hand, walks around in boxer shorts grinning about how
comfortable the temperature is.
We
made a beeline up here for a scheduled performance in Boston on July
24th. Engine problems kept us in the Chesapeake later
than we anticipated (sound familiar?). The Boston concert was a
wonderful welcome to New England.
I
think I'm one of the luckiest people alive - getting to combine
cruising with music. The tough part about putting those two
things together is the pressure that performing commitments can put
on our cruising schedule (or lack thereof). We try hard to
factor a healthy amount of slack into our plans, knowing that the
weather and boat equipment gremlins laugh at the very notion of "plans".
For
the past couple of days we've been taking turns wedging our bodies
into a cockpit locker to install a new autopilot. Now
we're off to Block Island and Long Island Sound. Then back to
The Chesapeake in September and points south after the Annapolis US
Sailboat Show in October.
Please
click here to see my fall performance schedule.
See
you out there,
Eileen |
SUMMER 2003
Recording,
Repairing, Relaxing
|
July
3, 2003 (see
also our weekly log at BoatUS)
I've just released my fourth CD, Not
To Be Used For Navigation. I'm really
pleased with the results. The feeling is a bit like watching
your boat get launched after a serious stint of work in the boatyard
and being caught off guard by how lovely she looks: "Wow,
did I do that?"
The boatyard analogy comes naturally because that's where I am at
this moment. I'd hate to add up all the time I've spent in
boatyards. A bit like adding up the number of years spent in
the bathroom over the course of a lifetime - essential but not
exactly exciting.
Our little passage from the Bahamas to Florida seems very far in the
past. It was placid - we flew the spinnaker and were
entertained by dolphins. The three day passage (gotta love that
Gulf Stream) from Florida to North Carolina featured a remarkable
number of barnacle encrusted sea turtles surfacing alongside.
We left the boat on the hard in the Chesapeake in early May to return
to Toronto to record and see family and friends. Since our return to
the boatyard, we've put in a couple of weeks on boat projects and are
just about to splash and head north.
We are going to cruise Long Island Sound for July and August.
The last time Little Gidding, our 36 foot sailboat, was that
far north was in 1994 when we began cruising. We've been
assured that we'll find the occasional puff of air to fill our sails
in the Sound. In September we'll return to the Chesapeake.
November will find us in Florida. (fall
performance schedule)
I'm looking forward to more spinnaker runs and dolphin shows.
But for now, there is still the whole starboard side of the hull to wax...
See
you out there,
Eileen |
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|
playing
on the beach
|
walking on
Stocking Island |
tutoring in
George Town |
|
SPRING 2003
North
Through The Bahamas
|
April,
2003
(see also our weekly log at BoatUS)
I
had a blast this winter playing for fellow cruisers in George Town
in the Bahamas. Now we are slowly making our way back to North
America aboard Little Gidding, our 36 foot sailboat, for the
summer. Seeking out quiet anchorages to ourselves.
Soaking up a little solitude.
Springtime
reveals the Bahamas at their best. The beaten path becomes the
road less travelled as the snowbirds head north and the southbound
cruisers take their anchors between their teeth and brave the thorny
path to the southeast Caribbean. The cold fronts (the curse of
winter cruising in The Bahamas) peter out to the north of us and the
threat of summer storms is months away.
We'll
make a pit stop in Florida and then, weather permitting, make a
straight shot up to the Chesapeake where we'll haul the boat for a
couple of months. We'll head up to Canada to help my folks
celebrate their 50th Anniversary in early May. Then I'll
spend some time in the recording studio in Toronto putting together
my next CD. Then it's back to the Chesapeake for the thrill of
annual boat maintenance. With a little luck we'll squeeze in a
cruise up to Long Island Sound before the summer gets too old.
Fall will see us southbound once more.
See
you out there,
Eileen |
|
|
racing in
Staniel Cay |
buying bananas in the Abacos |
David living the
good life |
|
WINTER
2003 in the EXUMAS
|
February,
2003
(see also our weekly log at BoatUS)
Since
leaving Florida in early December we've been in the Bahamas
meandering around the Abaco and the Exuma island groups. Now we
are anchored for the next month or two across the harbor from George
Town on the Island of Great Exuma.
My
big winter thrill was crewing on a Bahamian sloop in the Staniel Cay
New Year's Eve mixed doubles race. We broke a shroud at the
starting gun, had to haul a crew member back on board during the
first leg, got our stern cracked in a collision with another boat on
the second leg, and accidentally jibed the captain into the drink
after we crossed the finish line. Memorable. I earned
bragging rights with a few bruises. I definitely outraced David
- the boat he was supposed to crew on actually sank before his turn
came up!
We
had some idyllic sails and quiet anchorages in December and January
but are now happy to be parked for a chunk of time - it gives us the
chance to get to know both the local Bahamamian community and the
ex-pat cruising community that congregates here. The
longer we cruise, the more we find we need this sense of community.
I'm
giving a weekly Saturday concert for cruisers on the beach at
Stocking Island. I'm also spending some time teaching english
to a spanish speaking seven year old at the local primary
school. My other big winter project is polishing up new
material for the CD I'd like to record this summer. I'll keep
you posted about that.
See
you out there,
Eileen
more
cruising reports: 2002
more
cruising
reports: 2001 |
www.eileenquinn.com |
