Sail La Vie, LLC

Fourth of July 

This summer Sail La Vie spent the 4th of July on the Hudson River.  We rafted up with Silver Lining at Haverstraw Bay and invited our families and college fraternity friends for the weekend while we spent a night at the Mineseongo Yacht Club.  We had great weather and saw fireworks from the water and got to anchor out for some additional time on-board.

A trip to the Petersen's Boatyard

A trip on Sail La Vie would not be complete without some work to be done.  We scheduled a trip to Pedersen's Boatyard in West Nyack for some maintenance items; oil change, fuel filters, a new dripless packing for the shaft!  So we spent a few weeks in the area.  Our initial return trip was delayed; after servicing the max-prop there was some confusion in the manual and the gears in the prop needed adjustment.  So our initial crew had to settle for a dinner ashore and a car ride home. 

The following Wednesday Steve and crew member Steve brought the boat down the Hudson to Jersey City.  You can tell it was after a day at the office - you don't see many sailors in a tie.  We rowed out to Sail La Vie's mooring and as we boarded we heard something running?  It was the bildge pump!  The diaphragm in the bildge pump had failed - another repair to be done.

Barnegat Bay Trip

Later in July we took Sail La Vie down the New Jersey coast to Barnegat Bay.  The trip started from Jersey City on a friday evening and was an overnight trip down the coast, arriving at the Barneget inlet about 08:00.  We had our new instruments and radar to assist in the piloting, the weather cooperated and it was an easy trip. With four people on-board we set up watches and had time for some sleep.

n When we entered Barneget Bay I tried to follow a large cruiser across the shallows but didn't make it; he was a bigger boat but he was on a plane and we weren't.  We were an hour ahead of schedule so this gave our crew a good experience in how to kedge off with the dinghy and an anchor.

We tied up at our cousin's lagoon home in Brick and spent the balance of July and the month of August.  We spent a few nights anchored out in various locations in the northern section of Barneget Bay and took several day trips.

We also had the bildge pump replaced with a new pump - same make and model.  Bought diaphragm replacement parts for the old bildge pump and we now have a spare pump.

Not wanting to wear out our welcome, Karen and I brought Sail La Vie back to Jersey City.  We motorsailed south down Barneget Bay, then motored into wind right on the nose the whole way up the coast, overnighting behind Sandy Hook and finishing the trip the next day; again into winds right on the nose.  But it was a good trip - nothing broke and we were again in our home port in Jersey City.

I keep thinking if we were full time cruisers, we would have/could have waited for more favorable winds and saved a few hours on the engine, had a quieter trip and experienced sailing - any full time cruisers have any comments?