tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10801534891606617202011-07-28T06:55:31.807-04:00The Sailing (and other) Adventures of Saltwater Suzi and Captain LarryCapt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-565013766131093102010-05-02T21:58:00.002-04:002010-05-03T12:37:07.944-04:00

For those of you who aren't on Facebook - here's our new Grandson. Name: Ethan Michael Kissell Born: 4/28/2010    1:01 PM EDT Weight: 8 lbs 5 oz  (3.77 kg) Length: 21 1/2 " (.55m) Demeanor: Angelic (could you expect anything less?)  Say Hello to Ethan.  I haven't taught him English yet, maybe next week, but it's obvious to even the casual observer that he'll understand. Here's a before picture -

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-36367504719061196002010-03-31T18:40:00.009-04:002011-06-09T09:50:48.871-04:00

Well, we finally left Marathon after a 2 1/2 month, very enjoyable, albeit cold winter.  And I want to tell you this: Never, NEVER go there.  You'll hate it.  There are many scary things there.  It's terribly confusing.  And nobody would like you much.  We can't wait to get back ourselves though, but if everybody went, it would be too crowded, there wouldn't be any moorings available.  So rest

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-35142832735634774742010-03-03T13:35:00.000-05:002010-03-03T13:36:28.229-05:00

Our son Scott came to visit us here in Boot Key Harbor in the Florida Keys.  For some reason, all Scott's friends believe that we are pirates.  This is a truth we will neither confirm nor deny.  Because it's against the law.  Confirming or denying isn't against the law, being a pirate is against the law.  Unless of course you're in politics, are rich, or well connected. Which we aren't.  This

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-60428256915372094722010-03-03T11:48:00.001-05:002010-03-03T14:02:21.867-05:00

If you have been following our blog, you know that the day after we went for a sail on Florida Bay (and were surrounded by vicious dolphins and very high prices for gasoline) it rained.  It continued raining all the next day so we stayed on the boat.  But we were NOT unproductive.  Scott spent time teaching his pirate dad some of the finer points of Photoshop. For instance he taught me how to

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-27636643953154970242010-03-02T16:43:00.001-05:002010-03-07T08:02:20.122-05:00

In the morning, before we sadly had to take Scott back to Miami Airport for his flight back to California, we made a stop at the Crane Point Nature Center - an area which has been preserved as the Keys were when Western Man first arrived.  The area is fraught with danger, poisonous spiders, deadly snakes, killer alligators, but as you shall soon see, the MacDonald clan overcame all of this and

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-49477008949313165342010-01-24T13:52:00.001-05:002010-01-24T19:46:18.616-05:00

For 12 minutes in June of 1978, Tara was the most wonderful, perfect little girl that ever existed in the entire universe.  This is fact and not opinion.  After the 12 minutes, her sister backed in and caused an incredible tie for the position.  The tie continues to this day and we had the good fortune of hosting Tara for two days, here in the Florida Keys.  As you will see from the ensuing

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-38978218939483448272010-01-03T21:08:00.000-05:002010-01-03T21:08:50.588-05:00

I've been too busy fixing stuff to update our blog.  Yesterday it was the stove.  Today, the dinghy engine...again.  The only things that aren't broke are Suzi and me.  No, wait, we're broke, too.  Alright, where did we leave off - I think we were in Ft. Pierce at anchor between the two bridges, planning to leave for West Palm.  So we thought.  The current and the wind where we were anchored

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-61461339495498794472009-12-18T18:44:00.004-05:002009-12-18T18:57:35.485-05:00

As you have probably gathered from recent posts, we continue to head south, toward the warm, away from the cold.  Sometimes we move fast enough, sometimes, not. We left St. Augustine after visiting the two most interesting people in the world, so anything else we add to our blog will seem as an afterthought. But we will carry on and tell you and show you of all of our fun and travails, our hots

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-57558472983924856592009-12-02T11:46:00.000-05:002009-12-02T11:46:41.310-05:00

As you who have been reading our blog know,  we have been plagued with repair problems on the boat.  I have come to the conclusion that, "In Paradise, everything is broken; just to give you something to do."  You can quote me (with attribution, of course, and links to all of our sites, thank you.) I have for you a solution, which has worked amazingly well for us.  I have finally succeeded in

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-48995017089419771222009-11-27T13:53:00.002-05:002009-12-12T15:28:12.505-05:00

Well, here it is, December 12th and I'm finally getting around to posting November 27th - Thanksgiving Day.  We put the boat in a slip in St. Augustine, rented a car and drove to Live Oak, Florida to visit the two most interesting people in the world; Jimmy and Cherry Carter.  This post is mostly about them and only incidentally about our Thanksgiving. First, I'd like to introduce Jimmy: This

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-91899330287262244392009-11-21T12:47:00.003-05:002009-12-02T16:29:22.947-05:00

Cumberland Island, where we left off last time, is just across the line from Florida. On November 20, about 10:30, we crossed that line. We made a quick stop in Fernandina at the pier of the city marina and partook of their water supply as ours was empty.  Had a quick lunch and walked about town for a bit. We met a friendly pirate as we entered town.  He was really big but he didn't talk much.

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-63076358443665072142009-11-19T16:57:00.004-05:002010-02-01T10:33:10.853-05:00

 Your word for the day is  VERISIMILITUDE.  It would behoove you to look it up. It's been awhile since we last posted - we sat at anchor about 9 days in Beaufort, S.C.  trying to fix things and waiting out the wind and cold and rain.  Our good friends Gordon and Deb, who just moved to Beaufort about two weeks before we got there, were kind enough to escort us around town to grocery stores, West

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-38144530634928618972009-11-05T14:29:00.001-05:002009-11-08T20:23:38.986-05:00

We left our anchorage in Ashley Creek in Charleston and motored up the Wappoo Creek, and waited about half an hour against a raging current for the Wappoo Creek Bridge to open.  After the bridge, we continued on when, once again, the overheating alarm sounded.  We circled around behind a little island and dropped anchor, let the engine cool down, and checked it again.  This time I looked a little

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-71598718313772493362009-10-30T07:02:00.500-04:002009-11-05T12:37:02.029-05:00

We are truly in the south, with all of the best connotations; talk is slow, life is slower, people are polite, nobody honks, everybody smiles.  You can walk across the street and if the light changes, the cars just sit - the driver smiles and waves.  We both said we could live here - if we could afford it! We arrived at the Charleston Maritime Marina on the Cooper River (the one on the north

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-81488980133374078232009-10-27T20:38:00.000-04:002009-10-31T20:58:14.968-04:00

We left the free dock at the Southport Provision Co. Restaurant at 7:03 AM.  The tide was slack - meaning we were at low tide and the current had stopped running out, but the current had not yet reversed.  Suzi said she would be ready in a few minutes, she had to put her contacts in.  I checked our dock lines and there was no tension on any of them.  So I untied from the pier, hopped aboard and

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-60253187660888730532009-10-24T21:36:00.001-04:002009-10-28T21:38:29.671-04:00

There are many cruisers who hate the Intra-coastal waterway.  They hate being 'slave to the wheel' (on the ocean, you can turn on the auto-pilot and just sit back and relax) and they claim that they can get there a lot faster because they don't have to stop at night.  However,  I insist that they are missing a lot of great scenery, plus I feel that once you're on the boat, you're already where

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-11797779740681004392009-10-21T10:49:00.000-04:002009-10-26T10:59:41.425-04:00

The suspense is over - we got up early and went ashore in Wrightsville and then we headed south at noon - couldn't make up our minds what to do, so we did both.  And now, for your viewing pleasure, on with the pictures: Wrightsville Beach thoughtfully provides cruisers with a very nice, free dinghy dock.  We thank you Wrightsville Beach. They do this so we will shop at the stores.  We did,

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-44538493555279116292009-10-20T15:50:00.002-04:002009-10-26T08:35:19.761-04:00

On leaving Beaufort, NC you pass Morehead City and as we left, the wind was soft, the skies were blue and the temperature was warming.  This is a photo of seagull number five.  All the seagulls are numbered in North Carolina according to the post they man - or bird, I guess. This is in or near Morehead City,  I don't really know.  It looks like a hospital to me.  But it may be a roller

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-3107314809738781382009-10-18T14:58:00.002-04:002009-10-22T15:40:35.110-04:00

As we mentioned in the last post, the weather was cold and crappy and dark and dreary and, did I mention cold?  And anyway,we decided to get a slip so we could plug in and turn the heat on. And so... here we are at the dock - we paid our $60.00 and by the next morning the sun was out and it was warm. We took advantage of the warm and used the courtesy car and picked up Skip and Harriet who

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-79274001821201015632009-10-14T10:30:00.000-04:002009-10-22T19:22:07.191-04:00

Those of you who are following along and may be, for whatever reason, jealous of our glorious, exciting, romantic, glamorous, interesting way of life, here is your chance to gloat, sitting in your warm home, in front of a fireplace,in your silk jammies and robe, with your feet up, and the maid cleaning for you, and the butler serving you another hot toddy, pipe by your side, you finally have time

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-68523758702424792392009-10-10T10:46:00.000-04:002009-10-22T19:20:58.970-04:00

Elizabeth City is Delightful. As you arrive,  you discover there are FREE docks.  And a volunteer dock attendant.  This time it was Sam, a WWII veteran, a lovable old curmudgeon, who insisted on helping whether you wanted him to or not.  And he groused when you wouldn't let him.  We let him.  He starts with a yell as you're coming in, and the litany goes like this:  "I NEED TWO DOCKLINES - TWO

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-51756037956863734142009-10-09T17:19:00.000-04:002009-10-22T19:19:53.292-04:00

As previously mentioned, the change in scenery between industry, military, transportation, condos, hotels, marinas, luxury yachts and the peaceful scenic tranquility of the Dismal Swamp is surprisingly abrupt. Watch this sequence of pictures as we round the turn past the bridge we have just come under.                 And now it's quiet.  Distant sounds of traffic are muffled by the trees

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-4623332431147363042009-10-08T15:45:00.000-04:002009-10-08T15:45:20.313-04:00

After St. Marys, we motor-sailed to Onancock, VA.  We had heard nice things about it from friends.  It was described, quite accurately, as St. Michaels without the crowds.  And they were right.  We arrived on Sunday, October 4th and went into town Monday.  To make it a long weekend, almost everything closes on Monday.  So we just walked around, took some pictures, had lunch, and left Tuesday for

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-31250318982076707522009-10-07T21:48:00.000-04:002009-10-10T21:59:10.432-04:00

The weather reports, and we listen to more than one, all said winds 5 to 10.  So we figured a nice easy motor from Onancock to Norfolk.  The next several days were going to be nasty, so rather than holing up in Mobjack Bay or somewhere else we decided to make the longer run to Norfolk. They lied.  Or were seriously in error.  The winds were 20 to 25 with gusts to 30.  3 and 4 foot waves hitting

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-40248668239304397832009-09-30T08:42:00.002-04:002009-10-08T11:34:15.866-04:00

The first time we discovered St. Marys was by accident, eleven years ago.  We were trying to get out of the way of some high winds and rollicking waves as we tried to cross the Potomac.  We turned up the Potomac and turned in to the St. Marys River, followed it up to a nice quiet basin with room for lots of boats. We went ashore to discover St. Mary's College and asked where the town of St.

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-64048588213126967942009-09-26T16:30:00.000-04:002009-10-07T16:31:01.738-04:00

Our continuing trek takes us first to a quick stop back on the West River to check on mail, borrow a car, buy groceries, and then (*oops, there's another 'and then') we motored to Solomons Island.  We had never seen the Chesapeake Bay so calm.  It was glass until we got to Cove Point Light House.  Here's a picture of Cove Point Light: If you look closely, you can see that I waited 'til the

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-4771649260155667422009-09-19T11:02:00.002-04:002009-10-18T10:58:12.721-04:00

Well, if you've read the previous blog, you've gotten through the hard part.  From here on in it's just photos and a few comments.  As a matter of fact, you don't even need to read the sentence you just read. We sailed to St. Michaels for the famous Log Canoe Races. And to visit St. Michaels.  And here, as promised are the photos. These boats are amazing.  The hulls are made of  five logs,

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-49306133781310836222009-09-15T09:50:00.001-04:002009-10-13T07:59:16.159-04:00

Finally getting the cruise portion of our blog started.  It's been a bit slow because the computer broke down - it's starting to seem like everything is breaking down.  But I'm getting ahead of myself... We officially retired the First of September.  (Hooray)  So the first and second and third we spent emptying lockers where we kept all our belongings, my tools, and various materials for

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-72926863245369998892009-08-24T16:27:00.001-04:002009-09-19T20:40:54.044-04:00

   After the wedding,  Napa Valley wineries, the Redwood forest, we continue our adventure on AmTrak from San Francisco, through the Sierra Nevadas to Denver, through the plains and across two or three states of corn fields.  (And all my friends thought I was corny.)     We won't trouble you with a lot of words on this one, except to say that the trip was worth it.  Our only mistake was being

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-55925991852345938012009-08-22T10:00:00.001-04:002009-09-10T14:50:42.855-04:00

During the course of our visit to Napa Valley we took a little (150 mile) detour and traveled up the Avenue of Giants and visited the Redwood Forest.  It is mind boggling how many backyard picnic tables are going unbuilt and unused just to protect these trees.  But seriously, folks, when you look at photos of this forest and these trees, it looks just like a regular forest, until you have someone

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-23806630204303337572009-08-18T18:01:00.000-04:002009-09-10T13:16:00.969-04:00

We're not going to bore you with a lot of verbiage.  We're going to bore you with a lot of photos.   Daughter Colleen and her husband Will rented a car and escorted us through the wineries of Napa Valley for 5 days.   Will and Colleen are wine connoisseurs and belong to some of the wine clubs which entitles them (and their lucky guests) to private wine tastings and discounts. But it wasn't only

Capt.Larry and Saltwater Suzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010483277446053619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1080153489160661720.post-20239217508125650662009-08-15T13:12:00.000-04:002009-09-10T14:51:54.741-04:00

We welcome you to our site and our first post.  We are going to start with some of the exciting things which happened this previous month - the first of which is our son's wedding on August 15, 2009 to Amber Brandom.  The setting was beautiful; Big Sur, California on a mountain top above Pfeiffer Beach.  You can see more at their own site: Amber and Scott's Wedding.  Click on the "PHOTOS" tab.

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