Welcome to Reel Thyme

In this initial post, I will first introduce you to the cast of characters: 

• Bruce & Marie McWhirter,
• Lisa McWhirter (daughter) 
• Jeff McWhirter (son) and
• Einstein and Margaux - a Beagle and Himalayan cat owned by Lisa and Jeff.  Marie and I have pets but they prefer to stay at our home (13 koi in Leesburg VA)
• Reel Thyme. 

Reel Thyme is the star of the blog and I will endeavor to discuss what we are up to while enjoying our boat.

The name Reel Thyme reflects our interest in fishing and cooking. Our previous boat was named Reel Madness; I suggested to Marie our next boat would probably be named Reeltirement. Marie is an excellent cook and enjoys preparing superb dishes using fresh herbs for friends and family. 

 Reel Thyme is a 42' Bertram sportfish which we keep in Eastport/Annapolis MD.  It also serves as our weekend condo.  It can sleep 6 and has A/C, full size refrigerator, oven, microwave, head and shower and of course TV and DVD player.  We located the boat searching Yachtworld.com last summer.  Marie and I wanted to get back into boating as we are seriously considering cruising full time when we retire.  The plan would be to acquire a trawler and cruise the US east coast and parts of the Caribbean.  We have a lot to learn about cruising - and there is no better way than actually doing it. 

After purchasing Reel Thyme in Hampton VA, we moved it to Horn Point marina in Eastport/Annapolis over a weekend - electing to overnight in Crisfield MD Sat night. 

Crisfiel MD

The total trip was about 180 miles.   On the trip up the bay, we experienced black smoke coming from the starboard engine exhaust - which is typically a problem in the air/fuel mixture (diesel burning too rich).  As it turned out, we needed to replace an exhaust manifold.  We still have some back smoke but it is much better now - one of those projects for another day.

In 2009, we kept the boat in the water until December.  We took it about 20 miles south to Herrington Harbour North to have it hauled out for the winter.  Over the winter, we had some heavy snowfall and several trips were made to remove snow.

While on land, we had a number of projects for Reel Thyme:

• we had the bottom soda blasted to remove layers and layers of old paint; this will make the boat lighter in the water when it relaunched;
• removed fighting chair from cockpit to have more space
• replaced torn canvas;
• installed new carpet;
• reupholstered two chairs;
• sunbrella fabric covers made for electronics, helm chairs and windshield;
• Jeff and I repainted the accent stripes on the boat and waxed the hull (a bigger job than we anticipated);
• barrier coat added to the bottom along with bottom paint and new zincs just before the spring launch; 
• not to mention a lot of scrubbing and cleaning..

Reel Thyme looks 100% better. 

After launching in May 2010, we brought it back to Eastport.  The weekend we moved the boat, there were strong winds and small craft advisory warnings for the Bay.  We decided to stay in port Saturday but Sunday we had to move the boat and the weather wasn't much better.  The ride up the bay was rough and several times we had spray coming over the top of the flybridge.  The enclosure kept us dry.  Waves were 3-4 ft but nothing Reel Thyme could not handle.

All of us like the marina's location as historic Annapolis is only a 15 min walk from the boat, where there are a number of restaurants, wine shops, Starbucks and a farmers market (on Sunday mornings). 
Besides that, the view from our slip is really nice as we look out over the mouth of the Severn River. Horn Point is the first marina on the right (starboard) as you enter Back Creek. 

Lisa and Jeff

We keep kayaks at the marina and all of us have now yak'd in Back Creek - Jeff and Lisa (left) have ventured much further.

Another thing we have noticed about the marina and Annapolis is that as Annapolis is one of the major boating destinations on the east coast; there are several boats in the marina that are there for a couple of weeks or months until hurricane season is over.  In talking to the cruisers, I learned that one boat had travelled the "Great Loop" - which is up the east coast to the Hudson River, north to the various canals that lead to the Great Lakes, then down the Mississippi to the Gulf Coast, around Florida and back up the coast to Annapolis.  Another cruising couple had spent the entire winter cruising the Bahamas and Carribean - pretty neat stuff.     

The downside to the great view we have in our slip is that we are not protected from strong winds coming from the north or east - but we have not experienced any problems in the year that we have been here.  As I write this post, Hurricane Earl is bearing down on the Outer Banks tonight and this major storm has made all of the east coast nervous about its direction.  Latest news is that it should turn eastward after getting close to Hatteras and OBX.

So far in 2010, our cruising has taken us to St Michael's, Chestertown, Rock Hall, and Tilghman Island.  We have also anchored out several times in Maynadier Creek (off of Little Round Bay/Severn).  The boat has a generator so we can keep A/C, fridge etc running while on the hook. 

We even learned to catch fish this summer! Unlike Texas Gulf Coast fishing (Port O'Connor and Baffin Bay) where we typically wade for speckled trout and redfish, people fish from their boats in the Chesapeake. We troll with 5-8 rods depending on location.  Lines are let out at different lengths and with different weights so that you have your lures at different depths.

The more turns that are required in a location will cause us to use fewer rods as lines can and do get tangled. The biggest frustration is when the lines get tangled - and this has happened more than once. If we can't untangle, we cut and retie line (Jeff is becoming an expert on this). We also hired a captain to teach us how to set out line, type of lures etc to use. The training was a success as we have now caught fish each time we have gone out since the session - still not experts for sure - but it is more enjoyable when fish are brought into the boat. Over the last 2 weeks, we caught rockfish (striped bass), bluefish and Spanish mackerel (which migrate into the Bay for a couple of months during the summer).

Jeff and mackerel

Catch of the day (missing are 2 bluefish we had for lunch)

All for now - stay tuned.