Our Return To Fair Haven

South Dock-FHYC

We arrived back to our old slip at the Fair Haven Yacht Club on 6/20/12.   We left Sylvan Beach, N.Y. at 6:15 am and arrived at the Yacht Club at 6:15pm.  The weather was beautiful and Lake Ontario was flat as a pancake so we just kept going.  We were met at the dock by our long time sailing companion Barb Servadio and fellow Yacht club members Tim & Chris Criss.  It was an emotional return.  As we've stated many times missing family and friends was one unanticipated draw back to our travels.  Somehow being back at the Yacht Club for the summer made everything seem alright.

Rainbow-part 1
FHYC

Rainbow-part 2
FHYC

Our engine problem was resolved in St. James Plantation a Marina on the intracoastal waterway a few miles south of Southport NC.  It turned out to be a worn out washer on the bleed screw located on top of the fuel pump.  Once the washer was replaced the engine ran fine.  Kris and I enjoyed the trip back much more than we did the trip down.  We've discussed the reasons and believe longer daylight hours allowed us to travel more miles each day, we were familiar with the route, we were much more relaxed and confident in our abilities.  Also we're certain the intracoastal generally had higher water levels in the spring time than we experienced in late fall and winter.  Notoriously shallow portions of the intracoastal such as Jekyll Creek, Little Mud River, and Hell's Gate posed no navigation issues for us on our return.  It's hard to report all the highlights of our trip back to Fair Haven but I'll relate a few that stand out.  We met a wonderful couple Ron and Marg Cyr at Palm Cove Marina in Jacksonville Beach, Fl.  They were travelling on their 36' Albin trawler "Meander". 


Meander @ Fernandina Beach

Ron and Marj winter at their home in Punta Gorda, Fl.  They were moving the trawler to their summer residence in Shelter Island, NY.  We made great time travelling together  through Fernandina Beach, the state of Georgia and South Carolina to Georgetown.

Sunset
Fernandina mooring field

We parted company in Georgetown, SC.  We left Georgetown on 5/3/12 and headed to N. Myrtle Beach.

Docks @ Georgetown, SC

On the way we called an old friend from our work days with the CNYDSO.  Buzz Purrington and his wife Sue make their home in Myrtle Beach.  They met us that evening at Barefoot Landing in N. Myrtle Beach. We enjoyed catching up and had many laughs over stories of days gone by.   On the morning of 5/7/12 we entered the mouth of the Cape Fear river at Southport, NC.  The weather as unsettled with high winds out of the east and a strong rising tide in the river.  With the wind and current behind us Dalliance was pushed up the river at a consistent 9 knots.  This is virtually flying on our sailboat.  We arrived in Carolina Beach a full two hours ahead of schedule and made one of the best mileage days of the entire trip staying in Surf City, NC that evening.  The following night we arrived in Morehead City, NC.  It was here that we first saw the devastation caused by hurricane "Irene" the previous year.  High water and winds took out entire Marinas and many were just now beginning to return to normal operations.

Loading ship
in Morehead City


Some will never re-open.  From Morehead City through the Hudson River and Erie Canal we would hear the stories and witness the devastation this storm caused to our coastline and inland waterways.  We're doing these postings from our home in Belize.  We now have the time to devote to our blog and intend to do so.  Stay tuned for the next installment on our Return To Fair Haven.