Fun in DC – Day One

July 22, 2014TourismWashington DCDiana

We had Ryan’s Mom and Stepdad out to visit us a few weeks ago. and they wanted to go to DC. Cindy had never been and Chuck has been when he was much younger. So, on a couple hot and steamy days we took the metro in and played tourist!

We hit all the important spots…

The Washington Monument

The White House

Lincoln Memorial with a break along the way!

Vietnam Memorial where we traced a name for Cindy’s brother who served in Vietnam.

MLK Monument and Korea Memorial

After all that walking we headed to the museum of American History. Man, these museums are huge. After two hours we had been through one wing of one floor! By that time we were thirsty and hungry and ready to head home where we could recharge for the next day!

After the rain http://t.co/L8KQW1f7Tk

Our Top Ten Caribbean / Bahamas Destinations

July 7, 2014UncategorizedTop Ten Caribbean / Bahamas destinationsDiana

All summer we asked the question of every cruiser we met, “Caribbean or the Bahamas?”. And what we discovered was equivalent to a religious divide on the subject. Not one person said, “oh both are great!”. So here is our list of favorite places including both the Caribbean and Bahamas. Keep in mind the furthest south in the Caribbean we went was Dominica.

1. Falmouth Harbor, Antigua – Antigua is very welcoming. Falmouth Harbor with its bars and restaurants were fun and the nearby Nelson’s Dockyard was an awesome place to visit with a lot of history. We toured the island and enjoyed the people we met and all the places we visited. Plus the harbor was very sheltered and it was nice to have some calm nights!

Falmouth Harbor

2. Gorda Sound, BVI – We may be biased because we got married at the Bitter End Yacht Club in Gorda Sound. However, while in the BVIs we did find ourselves gravitating towards anchorages in Gorda Sound which were both beautiful and and calm. And the free wifi from Saba Rock didn’t hurt either!

Ryana in Gorda Sound

3. Road Bay, Anguilla – What made Anguilla for us was the people. Everyone, and I mean everyone, smiled at us and said hello as we passed. Even the teenage boys who were headed home from school took a moment to say hi! The smiles and good vibes (not to mention amazing beaches and great food) made this place for us.

Anguilla beach

4. Hope Town, Abacaos, Bahamas – This is probably the cutest place we visited in all the Bahamas. The houses were all adorable and well kept. There were restaurants, a great beach, grocery store and lots of shops all within walking distance. Plus they had a wine bar downtown. Now you’re talking!

House in Hope Town

5. Culebra, Puerto Rico – This little out island off the east of Puerto Rico was an oasis in itself. The cruising community was vibrant and the island is a (somewhat) hidden gem. It doesn’t hurt that it boasts one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world, Flamenco Beach. We enjoyed the laid back feel and the wonderful company. And the tacos (at Zaco’s Tacos of course!).

Flamenco Beach with storm brewing.

6. Les Saintes, Guadeloupe – This was a place everyone told us we would love, so expectations were high. And it did live up to what was said. This place, above all the other French islands we went, evoked a feeling of France. We loved that we could walk everywhere and not worry about lots of cars on the road. There were interesting historical places nearby, like the Fort, and beautiful beaches, and fun dance clubs and good restaurants.

Les Saintes Harbor

7. Providenciales, Turks & Caicos – This place was fun to see, with all the inlets cut out of the limestone, the amazing Grace Beach, and of course Prince’s House complete with purple driveway! We stayed at the Southside Marina and I think this made the stay for us. We met great people, including amazing friends Kirk & Donna, and heard about all the history of the island at Bob’s Bar.

At Southside Marina.

8. St Croix, USVI – We mostly spent time in Christiansted here and loved the quaint town. The Dutch architecture was gorgeous and to be honest we loved the comforts of St Croix (i.e. Mexican Food!!) which we had been missing while further south in the Caribbean.

The Fort in Christiansted.

9. Grand Case, St Martin – What’s a LOLO? Turns out it’s code for super delicious, inexpensive meals! We had great meals on the cheap in Grand Case (actually so good Ryan preferred it to my cooking. Hurrumph! 🙂 . The vibe here was more laid back than other parts of St Martin and we felt at home and comfortable here.

Grand Case

10. Staniel Cay, Exumas, Bahamas – You’ve got swimming pigs and the Thunderball grotto nearby, what’s not to love? We had a fun time anchored out here in the beautiful water with these fun attractions nearby. And the Staniel Cay Yacht Club was a nice place to eat out!

Swimming Pigs

What happens when Stanley falls in the water?

July 6, 2014DogDiana

He gets a bath!

Stanley is always eager to go ashore, so eager that he will leap from the dinghy even before we’ve come to a full and complete stop. 🙂 This means that occasionally he goes in the drink! Poor doggie. Stanley is NOT a water dog! And, after all that trauma of falling in the water he gets to experience one of his most hated things…the bath.

Can he look anymore pathetic?

Here he looks mad!

But after his bath he is feeling good!

Passed! . . . Actually killed it 🙂 http://t.co/bn1R5BTXsh

Back in Annapolis!

June 15, 2014TourismAnnapolis, Maryland, Naval AcademyDiana

After a few stops as we made our way up the Chesapeake we were finally back in Annapolis! Annapolis is such a fun town. We took up residence on a mooring ball behind the bridge on Spa Creek and settled in. Ryan was going to school for his Captain’s License for 2 weeks and I had some free time on my hands. Luckily for me our friend Cynthia made a surprise visit and kept me company for a few days while Ryan was in class.

I took Cynthia on a tour of all the Annapolis attractions…

The Capitol

The Naval Academy

The Happy Hours

Ryan joined us or a Sunday afternoon at Pussers. Always a fun experience people watching. 🙂

Bonus picture of Ryan with his diploma from Captain’s School. Yay! So proud of him!

Bonus Stanley picture of Stanley being weird and sitting in the window.

Our Top Ten East Coast Destinations

June 10, 2014UncategorizedTop 10 boating destinations on the East CoastDiana

Because who doesn’t love a top ten list… This is our list of favorite places that we have visited on the East Coast.

1. Annapolis, MD – It should be no surprise to those that know us that this city tops our list. It’s a great town for boating, has great happy hours and you can either be in the social tourist areas or go to some of the more low key places in Eastport. Plus watching all the boats, big and small, around the harbor is very entertaining, and the Wednesday night races are great fun to see.

State capitol building.

2. Newport, RI – This is another town rich with boating history and just history in general! The rugged shoreline is exceptionally pretty and the old mansions from the Gilded Age are quite a sight to see. Sitting in the harbor you are apt to see the old America’s Cup boats racing around as well as the biggest yachts we saw in the US. We also happened to be there for the Newport Folk Festival which was an unexpected bonus!

One of the gilded age mansions.

3. Boston, MA – While the moorings here leave a little to be desired (very rolly) you can’t beat the location for access to the city. We spent our time here doing the Freedom Walk, eating awesome Italian food (holy cannoli!) and frequenting the Irish pubs. The vibe of Boston is a great mix of old and new and if you’re on foot it’s a blast (those in cars didn’t look like they were having as much fun. 🙂

The bell that Paul Revere rang…One if by land, two if by sea!

4. Beaufort, NC – Beaufort is a nice mix of southern charm and modern ideas. We have enjoyed chatting with many a local at Stanley’s favorite bar, the Backstreet Pub. Although we did find out that most of the “locals” are transplants from other areas. It seems people come to Beaufort and then don’t bother leaving. There are charming neighborhoods and a cute downtown area right on the water.

Horse on the island across from downtown Beaufort.

5. Portland, ME – Not to be confused with the Portland in Oregon, the Portland in Maine is a pretty, highly walkable town with great folks, the Mainers. It’s a foodie town with good restaurants on every corner.

Lighthouse

6. Nantuckett, MA – This is a great place to have fun for a few days. I’m not sure I’d want to spend extended periods of time here but we enjoyed our visit. The town is beautiful and the island’s history is interesting and there is always something going on in the many shops and restaurants.

Grey shingle house in Nantuckett.

7. Mt Desert Island, ME – This is a gorgeous place with lots of access to hiking and kayaking. The LL Bean free shuttles are an awesome way to get around and make everything you want on the island accessible. Bar Harbor is a great town with a lot going on and we met many nice people around town.

From the top of Penobscot Mtn.

8. Port Jefferson, NY – This is a quiet, quaint town with a nice protected harbor with water warm (and clean) enough to swim in! We spent two weeks here visiting with family and enjoyed our time walking around and visiting the nearby beaches on the Long Island sound.

Ryana at sunset in Port Jeff.

9. Gloucester, MA – Gloucester is a working town with a lot of history and the fish stick factory! The air smells like fried goodness (only sometimes!) and the town ranges from an industrial feel to an artists colony down the way.

Some delicious local lobster.

10. St Augustine, FL – This was our first stop in the US after being out of the country for 6 months and boy were we excited. As the nations oldest city there is a lot of history here and combined with that is a fun walking downtown tourist area.

Backyard in St Augustine.

One year on Ryana

June 9, 2014PhilosophyI'm on a boat!Diana

We have made it halfway through our journey and completed one year living on a boat! During the time we’ve had the boat we’ve sailed from Florida to Maine, back down to Virigina, through the Atlantic Ocean to the British Virgin Islands, down the Caribbean to Dominica and back up to Florida through the Bahamas and now back into the Chesapeake Bay. Phew!! We’ve been moving around a lot and probably have done about 6000 miles on Ryana. After all this moving around it’s time to stop and reflect on the previous year.

Our greatest accomplishments in the past year:

1. Still being married! Living on a boat in close quarters 24×7 can be stressful! But we are hanging in there!

At our April 30, 2011 wedding in the British Virgin Islands.

2. Keeping Stanley alive and not quarantined through 11 Caribbean countries! We underestimated the amount of bureaucracy we’d have to go through to have Stanley with us and often got frustrated by the paperwork run around. But, having Stanley with us is more than worth it!

Stanley guarding the life jackets.

3. Keeping the boat and crew safe and sound! Sailing all those miles by ourselves would be tiring. We were lucky to have friends and family come visit and help crew the boat. Thank you to all (in order of appearance): Jack, Cynthia, Greg, Cindy, Chuck, McKenna, Brett, Sally, Kay, Tokkie, Graham, Tony, Jeff, Kacie, Pete, Patrick, Kara, Dwane & Beverly. A special mention for Greg who has visited us the most number of times (3) and was with us on the Atlantic passage and to Brett who was with us the longest (6.5 weeks).

Brett keeping watch for lobster pots in Maine.

Greg at the helm somewhere in the Atlantic on the way to Tortola.

Other thoughts and statistics about our year at on Ryana.

In 365 nights on the boat we spent:

20 nights out at sea
117 nights at anchor
133 nights on a mooring ball
95 nights at a dock

The longest we stayed in one place in the Caribbean was in Antigua where we stayed in Falmouth Harbor. This was our favorite Caribbean destination and we had a great time. It’s located right next to Nelson’s Dockyard which is a great place with a long history.

The longest we stayed in one place anywhere was Annapolis. Annapolis also happens to be our favorite East Coast destination! It’s a great town for boating, has great happy hours and you can either be in the social tourist areas or go to some of the more low key places in Eastport.

While we enjoyed all the places we went (some more than others!) it was really the people we met who have made this trip enjoyable. Nothing bolsters your spirits like arriving in a new port to see friends there! The new friends we’ve met and the old friends who have visited are what has made this trip great for us. Thank you!

Beautiful day on the Chesapeake http://t.co/DVMFuEposG

Rounding Hatteras

June 2, 2014OffshoreCape Hatteras, Hatteras, Rounding HatterasDiana

When we left Beaufort, NC headed to the Chesapeake we were facing a 36 hour sail and the danger of going around Cape Hatteras. Rounding Hatteras is something all East Coast sailors like to talk about. (Just yesterday someone at the Boatyard asked me about this and high five me because I said we made it around!!) If conditions are bad, they can be really bad and dangerous. However, if you time it right with the weather a cruise around Hatteras can feel like nothing to get all worked up over. Luckily for us, both of our coastal trips north we rounded Hatteras in extremely calm conditions.

We left Beaufort in the morning with our buddies Kirk and Donna on their boat Ainulindale.