10/16/22

 Remember how I ended the last post - "Hey - if you're bored, love to sand with an orbital sander over your head and turn blue from paint dust- come to Kingston!!"  I chuckled as I wrote those words in the last post but would you believe we had friends show up in Kingston?  All the way from Ontario, NY (near Rochester)!  

I mean - doesn't this look like fun....Not!

Yes....the nasty blue dust goes all over.  Think Smurf.

Rolling on the bottom paint.

Ed and Sandy Zogg with their dog Fiona arrived in their vintage VW camper van and spent 5 days parked next to Persephone helping out, sharing meals together, reminiscing, and trying to stay dry.  It rained hard for 2 of the 5 days!   (Ed grew up in Baldwinsville, NY and went to school with Jerry.). What a treat to have time to spend with friends we haven't seen in a long time!

A view of the camper from Persephone.

Ground level view.  Nice camper!

Ed and Sandy have been living in the Dominican Republic for the last 9 years working as Pastor/Missionary at Christian International Foundation. Their lives have been all about helping people - in so many ways.  We celebrated Ed's birthday with an apple pie that we made together!

Happy Birthday Ed!

Ed and Sandy aboard Persephone.

Though Ed and Sandy are in NY now, they are still involved with the community back in Santo Domingo, DR.  They are currently facilitating the construction of a community building in Santo Domingo that will be a children’s center, a church, school, and clean water facility. They are calling it the New Beginnings Hope Center.  The project has begun with fill brought to the site and the new cistern completed.  With the cistern in place they will be able to mix cement to continue with the building process.  I've added The Zogg Newsletter at the bottom of this post if you'd like to read more. 

When the sun came out we took a walk out to the Hudson with a view of the lighthouse that marks the channel to come in to Rondout Creek.

Thanks, Ed, Sandy and Fiona for sharing your time with us!

After Ed and Sandy left more friends stopped by!  Bob and Susan Church stopped to have lunch aboard Persephone as they were on their way home from a cruise ship docked in NJ.  

With projects finished Persephone went back in the water, the mast up, and the sails installed.  Ready to head south on the Hudson!

After making our last apple pie for Vince of Hideaway Marina and waiting for the tide to be up we ventured under the bridge on Rondout Creek, watching the top of the mast and hoping to clear.  We tied up to a restaurant's dock for the night.

 

Heavy fog on our first morning on the Hudson - we left in the dark at 5:30 am.  Here we pass an anchored ship.

Going under the bridges at Poughkeepsie.

 

After spending a night at anchor in Nyack near the Mario Cuomo bridge we continued on our way again leaving early.  No fog today!  Here's a view of the George Washington Bridge.

Sunday in New York Harbor - quiet!  A lot less ferry traffic than on a weekday.

Passing by the Statue of Liberty - on our way to anchor at Atlantic Highlands, NJ to wait for the right weather window.

With any luck, the weather window will open tonight around midnight with winds that will allow us to sail south along the east coast.  You should be able to follow us using the link for SPOT at the top right hand corner of the blog page.  And speaking of SPOT....When we arrived in Kingston my Dad wondered about the status of the SPOT GPS Tracker.  He tried to find us and I told him I hadn't signed up.  He enjoys keeping track of Persephone via the SPOT.  He paid for the first monthly installment of $16.15.  If you're interested in becoming a SPOT sponsor I have PayPal, Venmo and Mom, my accountant, back home.  Let me know - I'm sure there are others, besides Dad, who like the ease of clicking on the link to see where we are.  If you've clicked on it - don't forget to zoom out so you can see something besides water!

Karen & Jerry

SV Persephone

9/27/22

 

I've forgotten all about starting this page until I received a phone call from my friend Elsy wondering where I was.  She was watching the news of Hurricane Ian and wanted to make sure we're safe.   No worries - today we just finished the Erie Canal and we're docked in Waterford, NY for the rest of the day then on towards Kingston, NY tomorrow.  (If you look for us on the Waterford's Visitor cam you can't see us - too many boats hiding Persephone)

It rained pretty much all day with a high temperature about 50 the first full day on the Erie.  Before I could find my foul weather pants I made a foul weather skirt from a garbage bag.  Worked well.  And quite fashionable too.

Not much traffic on the Erie.  Here's the one sailboat we locked through with at some point.  The guy bought the boat in Muskegon, Michigan and is taking it to Florida.  His diesel inboard motor died and he's been running on a 3 hp outboard clamped to his stern ladder.  

We know it's not far to Waterford when we spy the Crescent Bridge.

If you have ever traveled the Erie Canal and spotted smiley faces drawn in the slime on the lock walls you'll know I've been through recently.  Lock graffiti.

I'll send you a post once we get to Kingston, start making pies with the 100 lbs of apples on board and start sanding the bottom.  That's our current plan - haul out in Kingston, sand and paint the bottom, put the mast up and then take a peak at the weather.  Hope all hurricanes will be gone by the time we're done!

Hey - if you're bored, love to sand with an orbital sander over your head and turn blue from paint dust- come to Kingston!!  

Send news when you can!

Karen & Jerry

SV Persephone

6/9/22

 We made it back to Pennellville, NY in time to "launch" a vehicle and drive to Maine for my nephew, Owen's, graduation!

Here I am with Owen and my sister Susan.  Thanks, Jerry for taking pictures.

The Shepard family - Tom, Sydney, Owen, Kira and Susan.

It was a challenge to go from NC to NY to arrive in time.  After arriving in Beaufort, NC we visited with our good friends Donna and Jerry.  When we're at Donna and Jerry's a treat is to go into town and visit The Bean.  When there's a strong NE wind the water comes up over the street and going to the Bean requires boots:

The Bean on the right which is located across from the town dock in Oriental, NC.

When the northerly winds died down we took advantage of southerly winds to go back to Beaufort, out onto the ocean, and sail around Hatteras and continue on up the coast to Atlantic Highlands, NJ.

I love it when the moon lights the night while on passage.

And a beautiful sunrise in the morning.

A view of NY City on a gray morning.

From NY Harbor, up the Hudson River to Kingston, NY where we put the mast down.

We're in the haul out slip ready for Vince to move the travel lift and bring the crane over to lift the mast.  The brackets and supports are on deck ready to hold the mast in position horizontally to traverse the Erie Canal where the bridges limit height above water to 21'.

When we're motoring up the Hudson River we take turns steering.  When I was on watch Jerry was down below looking at the insurance auto auction site from which he buys cars.  He asked, "How much would you pay for a 1972 Airstream camper?"  (I had and lived in a 27' Airstream Land Yacht years ago in my friend Bernadette's back yard). I rattled off a figure and within minutes he declared we just bought an Airstream.  

The Erie Canal was frustrating for us this spring - we draw 6' 3".  There are 2 sections where we had to plow our way through the mud to get through.  Luckily the bottom is mud and with the engine revved up to max, steering back and forth back and forth, we were able to get through the shallow sections.  This is the last season we'll be doing the Erie Canal.  It appears the NYS Power Authority, which took over the operation of the Erie Canal in 2017, is having difficulty maintaining the canal system.  In addition to the depth issue there are a number of locks operating with components that broke, have not been repaired, and are able to operate at minimum efficiency to fill and empty the locks.  They have spent money for beautiful trails along the edge of the canal in many areas - great for walking and bikes but it doesn't help the boaters using the waterway.

We were amazed to see many locks along the Erie Canal with horses and buggies and Amish or Mennonite families enjoying the day.  Not just a few people but hundreds at 5 or 6 locks.

It was a relief to arrive at our good friends Brian and Deb's home docks just off the Erie Canal near Phoenix, NY where Persephone has almost enough water at their dock.  Brian loaned us his truck and off we went to Pittsburgh, PA to see what we bought.

1972 Airstream Sovereign Land Yacht

Everyone asks - "You bought a camper?!  What are your plans?"  Honestly, we have no plans!  We just take one day at a time.  The camper is parked in Fulton, NY at our friends Bob and Susan's place behind their barn.  This is a no-hurry, work on it when you want project.  It has a small dent in the roof where it appears a tree fell on it.  Good thing Jerry can fix anything!  And it provides a good excuse to hang out with Bob and Susan.

There's my update!  Persephone will be at the dock for the summer where we will be able to work on some projects without having the 3 hour drive to Kingston as we did the last 2 summers.

Send us some news - what's going on in your world?

Karen and Jerry

4/22/22

 I am way behind on updating!  Here's a condensed version of the last few months:

Our friends from back home stopped by in Stuart for a stay aboard Persephone.

Kirk and Tracy spent a couple nights aboard Persephone and we squeezed in a short sail on the St. Lucie River before the wind piped up to 25 knots.

  

Our grocery shopping and exercising involves using our bikes.  Jerry's is equipped with a milk crate on the back and he loads it up!

Here's how we bring home our groceries.  I have my backpack.  Jerry has an insulated bag in the milk crate and more.  He also has a backpack.  I don't know how he can ride with so much weight without tipping over!

We replaced some of the water hoses onboard.  Here's how we brought home the big roll of hose.

One afternoon we rode our bikes to Pendarvis Park in Stuart and heard Great Horned Owls.  I didn't expect to see Great Horned Owls at 11 am here in Stuart.  There were 2 calling back and forth to each other!  I didn't have my "real camera" with me but was able to use the phone to take a picture.  The park is in a quiet area near the water.  The park is full of squirrels - may be why the owls hang out here?  We sat and watched and listened for a long time before heading back.

One of 2 Great Horned Owls at Pendarvis Park.

Looking out toward our boat at anchor from the bridge over the St. Lucie River heading to Pendarvis Park.  Talk about a good workout - up and over the 65' bridge back and forth really gets the heart pumping.

Sailing from Stuart to Jacksonville - the winds were mild until we entered the inlet at Jacksonville where the wind picked up and with gust close to 30.  The current was maximum ebb against us but we had enough wind in the sails we didn't have to start the motor.  Here's a video as we make our way up the St. John's River toward our anchorage at Blount Island.

I flew out from Jacksonville to NY for some appointments and to attend the Memorial Service for my cousin Georgette Pakkala, who died last September, and her husband Dick who died in January of last year.  Jerry stayed in Jacksonville for a bit and then his buddy Chris, who lives nearby, came aboard to sail with Jerry to Fernandina.  I have a YouTube video of Persephone sailing in the inlet at Fernandina.  Click here to see it: Jerry & Chris - Jacksonville to Fernandina

When I was in NY, as usual, the weather might be 70 for a few days and then 25 the next!  Here's what the weather was like in NY for the memorial service at the North Van Etten Church - 

Can you see the snow?!

A special thank you to Chris, Sherry and my cousin Walt.  Chris dropped me off at the Jacksonville airport.  Sherry and Lee are from Ithaca and also fellow sailors and Sherry helped out with transportation to the airport in Ithaca when I flew out.  The forecast was for snow - a winter weather warning - up to 12 inches possible.  I stayed at Sherry's overnight, we left her house at 4 am in the rain and snow.  Luckily not the accumulation expected but still a wintery mess!  It was nice to go from winter to summer back in FL where my cousin Walt Pakkala was waiting for me at the Jacksonville airport.  Thanks Chris, Sherry and Walt!

Our plans are to leave this weekend for points north - our goal is to arrive in Beaufort, NC but there is a cold front coming and the wind switches from a southerly direction to a northerly.  We'll see how far we get.  I will turn on the SPOT tracker if you want to check our progress.

February 2022

Of all the travels we do the most dangerous involves land. While here in Stuart we have been working hard to stay fit. That includes walking and bike riding each day. And the traffic is terrible - as if half the population of northern USA is right here in Stuart! 

Back in December/early January, when we were anchored in West Palm, the bike riding was easy - bike paths along the waterway and under the bridges. No need to cross the busy highways! We could ride miles from the inlet coming into Lake Worth all the way to Trump’s Miralago. 

Speaking of West Palm, I wanted to share some pictures of West Palm and Palm Beach. West Palm is on the west side of the waterway. Palm Beach is on the east side along the ocean. When we hopped on our bikes in West Palm we drove around the busy city streets and admired the murals on the buildings...

"Eris and the Golden Apple" by Danny Doya

“The Spirit of Communication" by Tristan Eaton

"Einstein's Theory of Love" by Eduardo Kobra

There are homeless people along the sidewalks next to the water but they never ask for anything. I expect there are services here for food and shelter if they wish. They have all of their belongings in rolling luggage - no shopping carts here. 

The City Docks in West Palm.

Every weekend there’s a farmer’s market in the park along the water and for 2 block along Clematis Street. 

Farmer's Market in West Palm

If you cross the bridge to Palm Beach by the ocean, all the houses are huge, the cars are Porsche, Bentley, Rolls Royce and there are no homeless people on any of the streets. The road over the bridge goes right to the ocean.

Palm Beach - out to the ocean.

The shopping and dining are one-of-a-kind.

A dining garden in Palm Beach surrounded by bronze sculptures.

Each sculpture has a child or two at play.

Most of the shops are exclusive designers in Palm Beach.

Antiques

One of the many jewelry stores in Palm Beach.

Besides walking and biking we have been visiting friends “Aunt Susan” & Ken and Dale & Roni. Most recently we’ve been helping our friend Bob find a sailboat to live on.  He’s been living on a sailboat for the last 30 years sailing between NY and FL every fall/spring and last fall he hit an unlit something or other off the Delaware Bay.  Maybe some dredge equipment - it was dark and he’s a single-hander, he was able to motor the boat to safe harbor but it’s not seaworthy.  Anyway, he figures life isn’t worth living unless he can live on a boat.  We found him a boat here in Stuart, got him set up with all equipment working as it should, and off he went to Lake Worth.  I forgot mention Bob is in his mid-80s.

Bob's new home - a Catalina 36 loaded with cruising gear

We spent a wonderful week on the west coast of FL (we rented a car) to visit our cruising friends Ron and Deb who bought a house.  

I had to wrestle a gator when Ron and Deb took us to Matlacha on the west coast of FL.

Deb, me, Roni and Dale on our road trip to Matlacha.

 It was nice to spend time with them in their beautiful home on the water.  And with a puppy and a pool life can’t get much better!

Jerry reading a book by the pool with Charlie using the lounge chairs appropriately.

Charlie - what a good dog!  He's a mini-golden doodle.

We've had a couple of chilly days here in January - morning temperatures in the 30s.  The good thing about FL winter - the sun comes back out and warms things up quickly.  And spring is just around the corner!

Best wishes - stay warm and healthy!

Karen & Jerry