Mer Sea

Bitsy Goose: An Education!

Roy and I decided to spend a week on the Chesapeake Bay in a chartered trawler to help us decide if we wanted to go ahead with our idea of buying and living on a boat. We engaged "Blue Goose Charters" and Mother Goose to provide us with a vessel and training for a week from August 1 to August 7, 2004. Here's how it went.

August 1

We arrived in Baltimore a bit early, 9:00 instead of 9:50. We were met by a driver, Joe, who was waiting for us, and very nice. He drove us to the Anchorage Marina, where Mother Goose, AKA Bill Shermer, has his boats and office. Mother Goose came out of the office to meet us, and was less than welcoming. He clearly did not want us hanging around or to have to deal with us until embarkation time, which was 5:00PM. I think he was afraid that we might want to see and go on the boat, which they were still cleaning from the last charter, and he had lots to do and didn't want to feel that he had to entertain us. However, it was definitely NOT a warm, fuzzy welcome!!

He suggested that we go across the street to the "Kiss Café" because it was clearly about to rain. He took our bags to hold in the office, and we took our Gore Tex raincoats and off to the Kiss we went. We spent several hours there, sipping coffee and iced tea, reading the paper and playing pool (!) - there was an upstairs part that had a pool table. It was REALLY fun!! It rained on and off during the time that we were there, so we just lingered and enjoyed the morning. It's a true café, and very convivial.

We spent the rest of the day roaming the harbor. It has really changed and grown since I left Baltimore. We had a great lunch in Fells Point at Kali's Court, a charming little jewel of a restaurant with wonderful food, beautiful courtyard, nicely restored interior, etc. We then walked to Pier 4 and spent time in Barnes and Noble. We took the Water Taxi back to Fells Point, which was a lovely and scenic way to transport with no effort on our part (we'd already walked quite a distance at that point). We found the ice cream shop that we'd spied earlier in the day (Maggie Moo's Ice Cream and Treatery) and both had delicious treats! We then walked back to Anchorage Marina, and were a bit nervous that we were still 10 minutes early. Fortunately, Bill was in better humor and greeted us appropriately.

Bill's wife, Alexis, showed us around the marina and then took us to the Bitsy Goose. She is charming! We are both really excited about this adventure. The Bitsy is a "mature" boat, about 30 years old, and very well maintained. She has a "vee" berth in the stateroom, which would not be our first choice, but we can certainly live with it for a week! She has a spacious galley and salon, and nice deck space on the flying bridge. Her head is small but adequate. We immediately unpacked and made ourselves at home.

We headed out to the Safeway - an easy walk across the street - to do our shopping for the week. $125.00 worth of it! We're really glad we took the time to do a meal plan for the week, so that we'd have some idea of what to buy. We borrowed Blue Goose's "granny cart" (what I used to use to do my grocery shopping when I lived in downtown Baltimore and would shop on foot) and brought back all the goodies. Had a bit of a tough time finding stowage for all the groceries. The fridge is small, although adequate, but the bigger problem is the fact that the cupboards that aren't already full of stuff are really cavernous, and you couldn't put, say, a few cans in them without the risk of them just rolling all over the place when underway. We managed to solve the problem by moving stuff around in the cabinets that were already pretty full, and thus being able to wedge our few items in for safe stowage.

We had decided that we'd eat out the first night, and were, coincidentally, just a short walk away from my favorite crab house, Bo Brooks! Off we went for a great dinner. We basically closed the place, having gotten there around 8:15, but had a truly wonderful dinner. GREAT CRABS!!

Back to the Bitsy and to bed to be ready for Mother Goose in the morning.

August 2

It was a beautiful morning! We had been advised to use the marina "facilities" while in port to shower, bathroom, etc. We'll need to get another bar of soap and duplicate toiletries and another key for the gate so that we can make separate trips. For the time being we managed.

We discovered a leak in the faucet in the head that covers the countertop with water when we turn it on, so we'll use only the galley sink for the time being. Training begins today - CJ will be our first instructor, we'd been told. So, onward…

Actually, it turned out that Bill was our first instructor. In the morning he covered "Rules 1-10" (I can't remember which Rule is which!) all about the basic principles of trawler operation and operating characteristics. We covered everything from basic engine functions and checks that we should be doing to the electrical system to characteristics of single-screw operation and maneuvering and handling. It was a lot to take in!!

We had a quick lunch of tuna fish and got ready for our afternoon session. When Bill came back after lunch we practiced actual boat handling. Bill took the Bitsy out of the harbor and then we each got a turn at the helm practicing idle speed maneuvering, basic dockmanship, spring landings, line handling, working with prop wash and prop walk, holding the Bitsy at 90 degrees to the dock, etc. God, it was stressful and exhausting and HARD! But exhilarating and fun at the same time. Bill is a tough taskmaster, and expects a lot from us. He let Roy take the Bitsy back to the dock and back her into the slip. Roy did a great job, with only minimal coaching from Bill!

We were thoroughly exhausted as we crawled back into the salon after securing the Bitsy to the dock. We have a navigation exercise to do for Bill for tomorrow, and dinner to cook as well. But first things first…we headed to the store to get some wine and extra toiletries. Then we came back and had cheese and crackers and relaxed with a drink. THEN I tackled dinner - hotdogs, baked beans, mac and cheese - on the propane stove. We had to improvise, since we couldn't find a frying pan for the hotdogs, so we fried them up in a pot. Everything tasted great! We finished up and washed the dishes, and decided to do the navigation exercise tomorrow morning before Bill came aboard at 9:00. We'd glanced at it and it looked pretty straightforward. But now, to BED!!!

August 3

We whipped out the navigation exercise this morning before Bill came aboard. We found it quite easy, and were feeling really good about the classes we'd already taken and the exercises we'd been working to get "up to speed" on navigation.

Bill came aboard at 9:00. He checked our navigation exercise, in which we went to Rock Creek and Rock Hall, and asked us why we were planning to run the Bitsy aground!! How had we gone about the exercise, he wanted to know. Had we used all the resources he'd given us, including the cruising guide? Well, of course we hadn't - we'd just dashed it off that morning without really studying the chart, and with no thought of using the cruising guide…We were reassigned the exercise for tomorrow!

After a lunch of PBJ (the eggs I'd hard boiled last night for the egg salad sandwiches weren't hard!) we went out with CJ in the afternoon. What a different experience that was! She is quiet, relaxed, flexible, and calm. She's a very experienced captain, and had a lot to teach us. We both really enjoyed working with her. We went out into the channel and practiced finding ATONs (Aids To Navigation) and comparing what's on the chart with what you really see in reality, and finding stuff you see on the chart, etc. Using binoculars (VERY difficult with the motion of the boat!), etc. Roy did most of the "driving" while his navigator (moi!) did most of the navigating stuff.

Then we found an appropriate anchorage (which process and qualifications we discussed with CJ) and practiced anchoring. We each had a chance at the helm and to lower the anchor (no windlass, so it was strictly muscling it!). The anchor got "hung" when it was my turn to raise it, and by the time we finally busted it loose I was pretty exhausted. I found that my hands kept slipping on the chain, and Roy finally had to come to the bow and help me haul it in. The lessons for me are not to try to muscle the anchor if it is hung, let the helmsman break it loose, and to wear gloves if I'm hauling it in without a windlass. CJ loaned me gloves for the rest of our time on the Bitsy.

We were once again exhausted and HOT, and took advantage of the pool at the marina. It was just perfect to have a swim at the end of a hot and difficult day! Then we were back to the Bitsy for dinner. After dinner we did the navigation exercise, reading the cruising guide and studying the chart really carefully! Turns out that you must take a very circuitous route in order to get to Rock Hall safely.

Fell into bed and fast asleep!

August 4

Bill gave us the assignment to go out on our own to find and photograph various objects. He gave us a Polaroid camera to use, and a list of places to go. He suggested that we have lunch at the White Rocks Marina in Rock Creek as part of the exercise, presumably to have the opportunity to try a landing on our own (while incidentally having lunch as well).

Off we went into the channel with chart, course, camera and binoculars in hand to find and photograph our targets! We were amazed at how exhausting it was just concentrating on the chart, staying on our planned course, finding the targets, dodging floating railroad ties that had been "spilled" in the bay, etc. There were lots of other boats in the bay, and especially the channel, which added to the excitement. Lunchtime came and went, and we were still chugging. The bay was a bit choppy, but our biggest problem was the larger boats with their concomitant wakes. We were limited to about 6 knots because of the Bitsy's age and design, and so were really tossed around by the chop. It was work to keep on course.

We finally pulled into Rock Creek at about 1:45. We executed a pretty good bow spring landing - our first at a stationery dock with pilings. I was frantically trying to get the fenders out and adjusted, but did manage to allow the dock to nibble a bit at Bitsy's starboard stern corner…We secured the boat and headed to the restaurant. We were both exhausted, and really hungry. We hoped it wasn't too late for lunch…

Lunch was delicious! It is a really nice restaurant with great service, a great view, and delicious food! Then we reboarded the Bitsy for the trip back to Baltimore. We had planned to anchor out just for practice on the way back, but decided, in light of our complete exhaustion, to just return to Anchorage Marina. We called Mother Goose from the Key Bridge as instructed, and met him at the swimming pool dock. In we went to the marina, with Roy at the helm. He did an excellent job of backing into the slip, with Mother Goose as his constant and critical companion. Roy tends to freeze up under the scrutiny, but it all works out, and he manages to do a fine job nonetheless!

We were tired and hot, and it was too late for a swim, We decided to shower and then to eat out at the Outback steak house near the grocery store. I simply didn't feel like cooking! Pretty severe thunder storms came through while we were having dinner, but they were gone by the time we had finished and were ready to walk back to the boat.

Tomorrow we will be going to Rock Hall and staying the night at Rock Hall Landing Marina. We plotted the course tonight, and will check it in the morning with Mother Goose. These days have been very long and exhausting. We've gone way off our meal plan, but have just been too exhausted to fuss with cooking, and breakfast needs to be very quick to get ready for the day's activities. Actual cruising, I think, could be quite different, although, realistically, I think that days spent traveling to another port would end in a restaurant, not the galley! Unless, of course, we had a crock pot going…

August 5

We woke to a threatening sky and blowy wind this morning. I wasn't sure I wanted to go out, but allowed myself to be convinced that I was being a bit of a baby. So…off we went at around 9:15. We expected to make Rock Hall at about 2:00. CJ took us out to the pool dock and then we were on our own. Our plan was to spend the first night in Rock Hall and then to anchor out in Lankford Creek in the Chester River the next night, and then back to Baltimore on Saturday morning. This way we would have the experience both of spending the night at a marina and a night "on the hook," as they say.

We covered lots of familiar territory at the beginning of our trip, as the start of our course was the same course we'd been on yesterday. The seas were choppier than yesterday, however, and there was quite a bit more wind, so it was more difficult to hold course. Roy did a great job at the helm!

We did miss a course change at one point in the main channel, but caught it early and were able to get back on track easily. Thank God for binoculars, although the ones furnished with the Bitsy aren't very good ones for me (don't fit my face very well) and it is VERY difficult to see when you're bouncing around!! Then there's the question of why they don't paint ATONs on all sides with their letter or number, instead of only one or two sides. This remains a mystery to me!

We did make it safely to Rock Hall, in spite of having to pick our way through crab traps, drifting off course another time and finding ourselves in the vicinity of some submerged pilings ("Look, honey, there are submerged pilings here on the chart - do you think these could be a problem for us? Should we try to avoid them?") Great navigator!! Nonetheless, we found our way and called Rock Hall Landing Marina as we closed in, and they were very helpful and specific about how to get into the harbor, to their marina, and to which dock. They had a great young woman dockhand to meet us, and she was very helpful in docking and tying up the Bitsy. We talked to her a bit about what we're doing and why, and then secured the boat and went and checked in to the marina. The owners were extremely nice and helpful, and filled us in on all the amenities available to us and gave us some restaurant suggestions as well.

On the way back to the Bitsy we met the couple who were on the boat docked in front of us: "Journey" out of Asheville, NC. They were friendly and fun to chat with. When we tell people "our story" and where we might be headed with this training charter as the first step, they are inevitably full of stories, suggestions, and helpfulness. It's a very generous group, these cruisers, as I had been told.

We took a walk into town and had some really good gelato! YUM!! Then we walked back to the dock (taking the scenic route!) and took a nap. What a luxury!! I did not want to get up 11/2 hours later, but dinner (crabs) called, so we obeyed. The crabs were great! Roy had a combo seafood dinner, which was also excellent. Then, after dinner, we "dockwalked" our way home.

A couple of docks over from where we were tied up we smelled strong diesel fumes, and the odor seemed to be getting stronger as we got closer to "home". Of course we became very nervous about the possibility we might be the cause, as the Bitsy is no spring chicken, but when we checked she was ship shape with no leaks. Whew! Roy called the owners of the marina while I changed, had a glass of wine, and went to bed. Once I knew that the Bitsy was fine, I was ready to hang it up! Roy stayed outside and talked with the neighboring boat owners (different ones than we'd chatted with earlier) who were also extremely nice. He witnessed calls to the Coast Guard, fire department, etc. about the diesel leak. Finally the fire department responded (with full lights and sirens!), decided that there was not really much of a problem, and left. We slept soundly!

August 6

We woke at a leisurely 6:30 to a substantial wind, 10-15 knots. We immediately began assessing the pros and cons of staying in Rock Hall vs. leaving for the Chester River. NOAA predicted 15-20 knot winds and 3-5 foot seas. These conditions would certainly be surmountable, so we vacillated. We felt pressure to "complete our mission," so to speak, since we were here to get as much experience as possible. How bad would it really be, and how for how long? We talked to the couples we'd met last night on the pair of 46 foot boats traveling together - they've been cruising for seven years, and they had decided to stay put today. Well, that gave me pause. These couples had put their stuff in storage seven years ago and said they'd cruise until it wasn't fun any more, and they're still going strong! Anyway, the fact that they thought better, on their larger boats, of going out in the wind and seas was significant to me. They offered to help us in any way that they could if we did decide to go. "Of course we'll be OK, but how much fun will we have?" is what I was thinking.

We'd decided to go, and Roy was at the marina office checking out when I had these last thoughts, and decided that I really didn't want to go. I headed up to the office hoping to catch Roy, and ran into him on his way back from the office. I told him what I'd been thinking, and he simply said, "okay, let's head back to the office and see if they have room for us to stay after all." I immediately felt a load lift, and knew we'd made the right decision. I was grateful to Roy for being so supportive.

The problem was that this was Friday, and the marina needed extra space for the boats that it was putting in the water for the owners who used them on weekends. Also, several people, like us, had decided not to leave the safe harbor. However, there were also many people calling and canceling reservations they'd made because they didn't want to leave wherever they were, so it worked out for us and we were able to stay! We would be able to just relax and write, read, cook and have a thoroughly peaceful day in this charming small town. It was sunny, though breezy, and there was virtually no humidity and a lovely temperature. As the day progressed the weather forecast for wind speed increased to 25 knots, so we felt entirely vindicated in our decision.

We had a great breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast, cooked by Roy, and then spent our time in leisurely pursuits and chatting with other boaters. It was a truly great lazy morning! For lunch I finally made the SOS for Roy (it just had not fit into any of our hurried breakfasts) and I had PB&J. We did some more dockwalking after lunch and then came back to the Bitsy for a nap! Then back to town for more great ice cream!

This little town is so cute, and in some ways really appeals. I don't think I could ever live here permanently, but what I'm seeing is that the "cruising life" gives you the opportunity to slip into the life of a small village like this until you're ready to leave. We chatted both days with the town dentist, who was putting a new railing on his front steps, and it's just a relaxed, personal way of life. He remembered us the second day, and it was like chatting with a new friend. I really enjoyed it.

For dinner we had pork chops, macaroni and cheese, and corn, and Roy plotted our course for our last day while I cooked. We'll head back to Rock Creek and anchor in Tar Cove for lunch to have the experience of being at anchor, and then head back to Baltimore. Our ETA in Baltimore will be about 4:00. We stayed up and read and talked for a while, and then enjoyed a last night's sleep on the Bitsy.

August 7

We got up early so we could saddle up and move out. Roy did a great job getting us out (pulling away from the dock is trickier than one might think, what with the need to avoid banging one's own boat on the dock and also avoiding the boats fore and aft, since we were sort of "parallel parked"), and we were on our way! It seemed much easier this time around, partly because we were on relatively familiar ground, and partly because it was pretty calm and easier to find the ATONs. We had no problems finding and getting into Tar Cove, where we dropped anchor like a couple of pros!

We had a nice lunch of hot dogs, beans and chips. It was a really different feeling to be not attached to shore; it was really quiet (we didn't use the generator), and there was a wonderful, private feeling. I felt a great sense of quiet and peace at anchor. I loved it! We were surrounded by water, and beyond that the lovely shoreline with docks and gardens and charming houses with yards coming down to their docks. It was like having our own private postcard scenery. It's hard to describe the serenity of the experience.

We raised the anchor without any problems (whew!) and headed back to Baltimore. We each took a turn at the helm while the other packed, so that we were "ship shape" when we got to the Key Bridge. We called Bill as instructed, and he was waiting for us as advertised at the pool dock.

We executed our bow spring landing (I still have trouble grabbing that darn cleat!) and got pumped out. Then Bill got on and we headed to the slip. We had a little trouble getting her in because of the wind - Roy relinquished the helm to Bill, and he, too, had some difficulty. The charterers of the Blarney Goose were waiting for us on the dock and helped with our lines. It was nice to have the help.

We spent some time chatting with CJ, and then Bill took us dockwalking to find a boat he thinks we should consider - the Great Harbor. It's a very interesting boat, sort of looks like a tank! VERY beamy. We can't really see ourselves in it, but it's good to try to keep an open mind at this point.

We said our goodbyes, and Bill drove us to the hotel. It felt like we'd been away for a very long time. We both feel that we learned a tremendous amount from both Bill and CJ, and we found that we really enjoyed living aboard together! This was a really big deal, since that was one of the tests of this week. Also, the "space issue" turned out not to really be an issue, although we realize that this was only a week! We both enjoyed our brief taste of "marina life" and feel very positive about this whole experience. Based on these conclusions, we agree that if the numbers work out we're going to go forward and buy and move onto a boat!

 

February 16, 2005

"...the training you gave us both has proved invaluable as a starting point for all that we are doing and enjoying now. Roy has been able to successfully back our single screw trawler into a slip with a half dock surrounded by pilings and we owe it all to you!!! Thanks so much for the great start you gave us!"

 

For more information about Blue Goose Charters you can visit them on the web:
http://www.bluegoosecharters.com