GO BLUE!

Now that we had gotten Lazy W settled in at Baltimore’s Anchorage Marina, we could set our sights on getting to Ann Arbor for the September 17^th football game at the University of Michigan!  It is a 516-mile drive from Baltimore to Detroit Metro Airport where we would meet up with our son Brian and grandson Cameron.  Luckily we can drive the interstates at 7 to 8 times faster than we can cruise on Lazy W so we planned on two leisurely driving days instead of two weeks to get there!

With the majority of driving behind us at the end of day one, we stopped in Toledo, Ohio.  Thirty-some years ago we lived in Lambertville, MI just over the state line from Toledo and while we did not live there long enough to get to know Toledo we knew of a few places we wanted to see.  So our first stop was Tony Packo’s Cafe.  Any fans of the 1970’s TV show M*A*S*H might remember that Jamie Farr, himself a native of Toledo, played Corporal Max Klinger, the crazy medical corpsman from Toledo.  In one 1976 episode, Klinger told a television newsman that “. . . Tony Packo’s got the greatest Hungarian hot dogs. Thirty-five cents.” 

Tony Packo’s has been in business at this location at the corner of Front and Consaul Street since 1935.  And while the hot dogs are no longer thirty-five cents, the restaurant still attracts quite a crowd. 

Looks are deceiving – the place had a big lunchtime crowd inside!

Lining the walls inside are hundreds of plastic-encased hot dog buns signed by famous visitors to the eatery.  This practice started in 1972 when Tony Packo’s daughter invited Burt Reynolds to eat here and he put his signature on a bun to commemorate the occasion.  Scores of celebrities followed suit.  While the first fifty ‘bun signers’ signed real hot dog buns, it soon became apparent that these commemorative items would have a limited wall life.  The very realistic but fake buns signed since then are made of foam and hand-painted by a Mr. James Sohnly.  Frank Zappa, Billy Joel, Bill Cosby, John Glenn, Pat Benatar, Hall and Oates, Bob Seger, Jimmy Carter – these are just a few of the people who, like us, enjoyed a Hungarian hot dog at Tony Packo’s.

With more than a few hours left before we needed to be at the airport in Detroit, we made our way to the Toledo Museum of Art to sample another of Toledo’s cultural attractions.  After wandering among the works of Picasso, Monet, Rembrandt and Van Gogh, we decided that we had savored enough culture for the day and headed over the state line to Lambertville to check out the condition of the very first house we bought back in 1978.  We seem to purchase properties for odd reasons starting with the house on Sandra Kay Drive – we did not much care for the house itself but the neighbor behind us had ponies and geese and roosters, oh my!!  So we bought it and six months later Frank was transferred to South Carolina!  At the same time the Jeep plant in Toledo closed!  There were lots of houses for sale but luckily we sold the house three months later.  Alas, the pony, the geese and the rooster have now been replaced by other houses.  We were so disappointed that we did not even take a picture.

Brian and Cameron flew to Detroit from Washington Dulles and their flight landed earlier than scheduled.  We headed into downtown Detroit where Brian had made reservations for all of us at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel on Washington Blvd.  This hotel, built by Detroit’s Book brothers, was the tallest building in Detroit and the tallest hotel in the world (33 stories) when it was completed in 1924.  In its heyday, its nationally recognized nightclubs, restaurants and ballrooms catered to Hollywood stars, politicians and athletes.  On May 2, 1939, New York Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig collapsed on the hotel's grand staircase and decided to sit-out that afternoon's game against the Detroit Tigers, ending his consecutive games played streak.  Along with the city of Detroit, the hotel’s decline began in the 1970’s and it was closed in 1984.  After a $180 million restoration, the hotel reopened in 2008 with the grand hope and expectation that it would lead to a revitalization of this once prosperous section of Detroit.  The hotel is splendid – the area surrounding it is not!

Driving into downtown Detroit along Michigan Avenue is a depressing experience.  Block after block, mile after mile there is nothing but boarded up, graffiti-covered buildings.  The glitzy MGM Grand Casino looms over the roadway as you enter downtown – the only sign of life along this desolate stretch of road.  This was a Friday evening! There were very few cars and just a sprinkling of brave pedestrians on the move amid the darkened buildings. 

After checking into the Westin we went in search of a kid-friendly restaurant.  A block away from Comerica Park and the Detroit Opera House we found Angelina Italian Bistro.  It was 8PM on a Friday evening and the bistro had plenty of empty tables!  The food and service were great.  We were feeling bold after dinner and walked back to the Westin through the eerily quiet streets.

We were up early the next morning for the 40 mile road trip to Ann Arbor.  The four of us, along with 110,000 other fans, converged on The Big House for the noon time kickoff as the Michigan Wolverines hosted the Eastern Michigan University Eagles.

The pre-game scene at The Big House

Half-time

The Eastern Michigan Eagles were first to put points on the scoreboard but their lead was short-lived.  They never scored again and the Wolverines went on to win 31-3.  Not a real nail-biter of a game but the fans remained pumped up throughout!

 Frank, Brian and Cameron after the game

Rather than head right back to desolate Detroit, we grabbed a bite to eat in Ann Arbor and strolled around the campus where throngs of jubilant students still chanted ‘GO BLUE.’

Cameron needed a place to run around and burn up some of that awesome 8-year-old energy.  We returned to Detroit and The Riverwalk, a 3.5 mile riverfront walkway that starts near Joe Louis Arena, past Cobo Hall, Hart Plaza, and the GM Renaissance Center.

Not much happening near the

GM Renaissance Center along the Detroit Riverwalk

Cameron and Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac

in Hart Plaza

Once again we struggled to find a kid-friendly restaurant in a safe-looking section of downtown.  We were all hungry and tired when we finally settled on Hockeytown Café whose decor was highlighted by custom motorcycles with Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers themes.  We were all disappointed when, at 8PM on a Saturday, the kitchen had already closed and the only thing available was frozen pizza.  And it was not very good frozen pizza!  The place was deserted but a waiter assured us that when there is a sporting event in town there is a 3-4 hour wait for a table?!?!

Both Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, and Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, are within easy walking distance of the Westin.  Rumor had it that, since the Lions had a home game on Sunday, there would be a big tailgate party on Brush Street.

 

The obstacle course was one of Cameron’s favorite activities at the tailgate party and since there was not much of a crowd he got to run it many times!

Cameron gets set to run the obstacle course

at the Lions tailgate party

 And he’s off!

For this inflatable activity each participant is placed in a harness attached to giant rubber bands that are also attached to the wall at the starting line; the object is to run forward and place the Lion’s tail as far down the Velcro strip as possible without being pulled back to the starting line.  Cameron competed against both Grandpa and his Dad.  I think he won every time because the overachieving older guys always wound up sprawled on their butts at the starting line!

We also walked by the Tigers guarding Comerica Park.

Before we knew it, it was time to return Brian and Cameron to the airport for their flight back to Washington Dulles.  A great time was had by all.  And Grandma and Grandpa drove back to Baltimore...

Focus: Baltimore

Finally on September 9^th the winds calmed down and the skies cleared.  NOAA was forecasting great weather for the next few days so we decided to prepare for a run down the New Jersey coast.

The 8:30AM slack tide at infamous Hell Gate forced an early morning departure from City Island.  Lazy W’s chafed lines were a testament to the battering she took at the dock!

 The Throgs Neck Bridge looked beautiful in the early morning light.

 Frank timed our travel through Hell Gate perfectly and soon we were cruising in the East River with a clear, haze-free New York City sky overhead.

New York City from the East River near the bridge to Roosevelt Island

As we neared New York Harbor, the East River became as muddy as the Hudson due to flooding in upstate New York from the torrential rains of Tropical Storm Lee.

The anchorage behind the seawall at Atlantic Highlands near Sandy Hook turned out to be the staging area for Lazy W and about twenty other storm-stranded boats preparing to cruise south.  Except for the noisy chorus of seagulls and cormorants congregating along the seawall, it was an exceptionally quiet evening.

Many of the sailboats pulled up anchor hours before sunrise but not us.  There is always a risk to cruising unfamiliar waters in the dark and as we rounded Sandy Hook we were reminded just how dangerous it can be.  A cruiser from South Carolina had gone hard aground and was getting assistance from TowBoatUS.  Radio communications indicated that an ambulance was needed for a passenger onboard.  Other than coming upon that mishap we found a beautiful morning awaiting us.  And the water at Sandy Hook was the calmest we had ever found it to be.

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean near Sandy Hook

We have never had much company on the Atlantic Ocean while cruising the New Jersey coast and we have rarely ever cruised fast enough to pass any other boats.  This day was different!  We were ‘speeding’ by all those sailboats from Atlantic Highlands and made great time to Atlantic City.  However, we arrived at low tide and were not brave enough to make our way through skinny water to our previous anchorage at Rum Point.

An in-water boat show with live music was in full swing when we docked at Farley State Marina.  We were able to snag a slip here because of the bad weather earlier in the week – many exhibitors cancelled their plans to attend the show.  After such a long day on the water we rewarded ourselves with cocktails at the Chart House near the Golden Nugget Casino before heading back to Lazy W to watch the Michigan-Notre Dame football game.  Unfortunately the game was broadcast on ESPN, a channel unavailable at the dock, and so we missed seeing Michigan pull off an exciting come-from-behind win in their first ever night game at The Big House.

On the ten-year anniversary of 9-11 we were back on the Atlantic Ocean heading for Cape May.  As we reflected on our own 9-11 experiences we noticed two small planes flying together off the coast of Wildwood – one pulling a giant American flag, the other a banner “Remember the 2977 murdered this day 2001.”

Cape May is one of our favorite cruising stops and the staff of Utsch’s Marina is always so welcoming.  Their location is within walking distance of the Lobster House where we always pick up fresh shrimp and scallops for an onboard seafood feast.  Once again the lack of cable TV thwarted our attempt to watch football, so we listened to the Redskins beat the Giants, thus knocking Frank out of the NFL suicide pool the very first week of the season:(

The chances of having four great cruising days in a row are slim but we woke up to a sunny, calm day number 4!!  Time to leave Cape May without biking to the beach.  We were on a mission to leave Lazy W in Baltimore while we drove to Michigan for a football game.   We’re off to the Delaware Bay.

We made great time up the bay catching the current and cruising, at times, at speeds of 10.4 knots!!!  And then, just south of the Salem Nuclear Plant, we encountered a dense debris field that caused us to slow to 6 knots as we picked our way ever so carefully through giant logs, 2 x 4’s, and other hazards.  The remainder of the Delaware Bay turned out to be more of the same and the debris was especially dense at the entrance to the C&D Canal.

Trash blocking our path to the C&D Canal entrance

Along the C&D Canal

We had the C&D Canal all to ourselves which made it easier to navigate among the logs floating every which way along its length.  At Chesapeake City we noticed that there was room at the town dock but we remained focused on reaching Baltimore.  Why is there never any room at the dock when we want to stop??  We continued on to the Sassafras River where we spent a quiet night under a full moon.

We thought the Delaware Bay was a minefield of logs and trees but the Chesapeake Bay was even worse.  The VHF radio was abuzz with Coast Guard warnings to use extra caution while cruising the bay – the Susquehanna River was releasing massive amounts of debris-riddled water into the Chesapeake.  Entangled with weeds and scattered among the logs on the mocha-colored water were errant crab pot markers.  We were relieved to finally make it to the Patapsco River and get out of that muddy mess.  As we made our way up the Patapsco River to Baltimore’s Anchorage Marina we passed the US Naval Hospital Ship Comfort.

And so, in record time and with the weather gods smiling upon us, we arrived safely in Baltimore and tied up to our slip at Anchorage Marina.  We had two days to get things in order before heading off to Michigan...

Boating adventure, boating ordeal...

We had an enjoyable visit to the United States Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point.  Since it was Parents’ Weekend, there were many activities on campus.  Frank salivated over the many well-appointed labs in the Marine Engineering Building and at Friday night’s ‘Beat Retreat’ we listened to the academy’s marching band and the Nassau County Pipe and Drum Corps.  We even got to watch a football game as USMMA took on Johns Hopkins University – the result was a disappointing 45-14 loss for the Mariners.
 

Though Hurricane Irene had departed the New York metro area, Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Katia seemed to be intent on toying with Lazy W.  One was due to dump torrential rain and the other was stirring up large swells on the Atlantic Ocean.  We prepared to spend a few more days on Long Island Sound.

Across the sound from King’s Point sits City Island, an appendage to the Bronx.   Surrounded by the waters of the Long Island Sound and Eastchester Bay and with Execution Light to the northeast and Stepping Stones Lighthouse to the south, the island sits on the main shipping channel to New York harbor.   Its shoreline is dotted with marinas catering to locals and transient alike.

City Island, just one-and-a-half miles long and a half mile wide, was once owned by the Pell family.  Benjamin Palmer purchased the island in 1761, changing its name from Minneford to New City Island.  His plans to build a city to rival Manhattan never materialized and the community of oyster fishers, shipbuilders and boat pilots chose to call their home City Island.  Once part of Westchester County, the residents voted to become part of New York City in 1896.  And even though it is officially ‘da Bronx’ and linked to it by a short bridge, the island seems a world away from that borough.

The bridge linking City Island to Rodman’s Neck and the rest of ‘da Bronx’

Shipbuilding played a major role on City Island into the 20^th century.  Minesweepers, torpedo boats, seagoing tugs and landing craft were built here during World War I and World War II.  Afterwards, shipbuilders turned to yacht production. Seven America’s Cup winning yachts were born here including Columbia (1958), Constellation (1964) and Intrepid, the last classic wooden yacht to defend the cup in 1967 and 1970.  She was built at Minneford Yacht Yard - the yard closed its doors in 1983 and is now the site of the Minneford Marinas where Lazy W is docked.

With wind and rain guaranteed in the forecast we took advantage of what might be the last dry day for awhile to walk the length of City Island along City Island Avenue.  The southern end was rather deserted considering this was Labor Day Monday in ‘da Bronx’!  There were few clam diggers (aka the native-born locals) or mussel suckers (aka everyone else) to be seen.

Looking south on City Island Avenue

Santa is a year-round sight at Sammy’s Fish Bar and Market

Maritime ‘stuff’ on display on City Island Avenue

 

The northern end of City Island Avenue near the bridge -

does this look like the Bronx??

In 2010 the movie City Island premiered.  Filmed here on City Island, the movie starred Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies as Vince and Joyce Rizzo, true Italian-American clam diggers.    Houses on Horton Street were featured in the film and anyone who saw the movie may remember this location for one of the closing scenes:

The end of Horton Street, City Island

The next day, September 6^th, right on schedule, the rain came!  Strong gusty winds blew!  Lazy W and all the other boats bobbed like corks in a witch’s cauldron, straining the lines tethering them to the docks.  Small craft advisories were posted for the New Jersey coast (where winds were gusting to 20+ knots and seas were building to 10 feet!) through Thursday afternoon.  There is a fine line between boating adventure and boating ordeal.  I think we crossed it!!

Hurricane Irene toys with Lazy W

While cruising the final few miles of Rhode Island’s western coastline, we spotted this impressive Victorian building high atop the rocks at Watch Hill.  Ocean House was built in 1868 and is now a boutique oceanfront resort with its own private beach on Block Island Sound.

 Ocean House

As we wound our way up the Mystic River to Brewer Yacht Yard we were rewarded with beautiful New England scenery.

Along the Mystic River

Alan and Patti Sutton caught up with us in Brewer Yacht Yard Mystic, CT on Wednesday. August 24^th.  Our original plans called for a berth the following day at Mystic Seaport (the Museum of America and the Sea), a recreated 19^th century maritime village complete with cobblestone streets and authentic 1870’s trade shops and businesses relocated here from locales all over New England.  While the museum is typically open during daylight hours, your dockage fees allows you to roam the grounds after dark and the four of us along with Rich and Terry Wills were looking forward to our visit.  But all conversation that night revolved around Hurricane Irene.  Do we pull Lazy W?  Do Alan and Patti head to New Jersey to help his parents prepare for the storm?  What about their boat in Hampton and their cabin on the Northern Neck?  We poured more beer and wine, delaying any decisions until the morning.

NOAA forecasts were filled with doom and gloom.  Irene was packing a wallop and projected to make a direct hit somewhere near New York City.  Her massive wind field would push the water of Long Island Sound north into the Connecticut rivers causing a tidal surge of 8 – 11 feet.  It was no surprise that Mystic Seaport cancelled our reservation in order to take care of their own vessels.  Alan and Patti headed to New Jersey.  Arrangements were made to pull Lazy W.  We removed her canvas and stowed all loose gear and electronics inside.  Rich and Terry came with two cars from East Lyme to Mystic later in the day.  After lobster rolls at Costello’s Clam Shack in Noank, they returned to East Lyme, leaving us ‘the Beast’ (Ford Expedition).  I was convinced that Irene would not be kind to Lazy W and proceeded to fill ‘the Beast’ with all the stuff I didn’t want to leave behind.

The crew at Brewer Yacht Yard was working non-stop and by end of day on Friday they had secured Lazy W and some 60 other boats in their gravel parking lot.  There was nothing more for us to do but hope for the best.

Lazy W ready for Hurricane Irene at Brewer Yacht Yard

We are so lucky to have great landlubber friends who are willing to take in storm-ravaged refugees.  During Hurricanes Isabel and Earl we were taken in by Peg and Greg in Chesapeake.  Now Rich and Terry were graciously opening their home to us for the duration of Irene.  We needed to earn our keep so Frank helped Rich move plants and patio furniture indoors.  When the house was as secure as possible we sat back to await Irene.  But wait!  She slowed down and her arrival was pushed back to Sunday morning so off we went to the casino at Mohegan Sun where we threw away some money in the slot machines and enjoyed brick oven pizza at Frank Pepe’s.  (Frank Pepe, an Italian immigrant, supposedly made the first American pizza at his New Haven pizza shop in 1925.)

By 5:30AM Sunday, Irene made her presence known by knocking down trees and power lines throughout Connecticut.  Before she was finished over 700,000 Connecticut Light and Power customers were without power – Rich and Terry included.  But we had the foresight to fill the bathtubs with water so we could still flush the toilets!  By day’s end we ventured out to assess the damage.  While others were dealing with fallen trees, the Wills property was relatively unscathed, littered only with branches and mangled leaves.  After sunset the neighborhood was dark and eerily quiet except for the hum of scattered generators.  With nothing else to do, we retired early.

All of us were wanting for showers so the men reserved a room at the nearby Sleep Inn which inexplicably had power.  It was filled with plenty of other folks in search of soap and running water.  Rich and Terry entrusted Monte, their aging Golden Retriever, to our care while they rushed to Brick, New Jersey to attend to some legal business.  When they returned Tuesday evening, the power was still not restored!

 Monte Wills

By Wednesday afternoon Lazy W was back in the water, her canvas reinstalled, and new provisions stowed. She had weathered the storm quite well.  We enjoyed one final lobster roll meal with Rich and Terry at New London’s Captain Scott Lobster Dock and said our goodbyes.  We would have cocktail stories for years to come thanks to Irene.

Lazy W returns to the water

Early Thursday, September 1^st, we left Mystic.  Irene had severely ravaged the western part of Connecticut so we knew we would have to be self-sufficient.  If there were any intact marinas they would be too busy recovering to welcome any transients.  We set our sights on an anchorage in Joshua Cove, some thirty miles west of Mystic.

As we passed the mouth of the Connecticut River we were stunned by the extent of the muddy outflow reaching Long Island Sound.  We would need to keep a vigilant watch on the water for storm debris.

The muddy Connecticut River meets Long Island Sound

We reached Joshua Cove by early afternoon.  Just off our bow we were treated to a strange sight – a mini Stonehenge!

 Joshua Cove scenery

On our way to the United States Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point we dodged tree limbs, flower pots, toilet seats, logs, wooden crates – the detritus of severe flooding courtesy of Hurricane Irene.  Back in East Lyme, the power had finally been restored.

 Approaching USMMA

The docks at USMMA are not usually accessible to transient boaters. However, good friend John Wolak has a friend Jerry whose son Matthew is a third class cadet.  Matthew works the waterfront here and he made room for Lazy W among the dozens of academy boats.   When we arrived, Parents’ Weekend was in progress and Jerry and Matthew as well as a contingent of cadets greeted us at the dock.  Lazy W’s lines were handled by the most competent group of dock hands we had ever met! 

Lazy W at USMMA waterfront

It looks like we will be hanging around on the Long Island Sound for the next few days as we await a favorable weather window to make our run down the Jersey shore to Cape May and back up the Delaware Bay to the C&D Canal.  We were hoping to depart the Sound on Monday but NOAA is forecasting seas of 5-10 feet through Wednesday – not the conditions that we fair-weather boaters are seeking...