Geneva, NY (September 21) to Palm city, FL (October 1)
The journey took 10 1/4 days to travel, 1839 miles at an average speed of 17.5 mph or approximately 105 hours of running.
Time, an average of 10 hours per day. The fall trip was approximately 180 miles longer (1 day) then the Spring trip due primarily to less time in the Atlantic and the necessity to use the Delaware and Chesapeake Bay, ICW route.
The Road Runner averaged .8 mile per gallon of diesel fuel and consumed nearly 2200 gallons on the trip. At $3.00 average per gallon, the thirsty vessel costs an average of $3.75 in fuel for each mile traveled or a total of approximately $6,900 in fuel alone to complete the trip or $690 per day average. As the adage says's "A boat is a hole in the water that you keep pouring money into!"
Highlights:
1- The "Crew" Performance:
Mike Ragan - 1st Mate/Chief Engineer/Relief Helmsman - Nickname - Gilligan. He even does windows and washes the boat exterior!
Kim Ragan - Navigator/Blog Editor/Log Keeper, etc - Nickname - Radar Annie. Every crew should be so lucky!
Rick Kreiselman - Relief Navigator/Chief Photographer/Audio and Video Assistant to the Skipper - Nickname - Renegade Rick. Limited Prior Boating experience - Learned fast and filled many gaps!
2- The "Road Runner" - performed almost flawlessly and kept on Cruisin! A Comfortable Home on the Water.
3 - People we met along the way, who went out of their way to help us! Examples:
Jim at the Crescent Boat Club
Frank, Sue and Sue at the Top Rack Marina
Mr P and Sue in Myrtle Beach
4 - The Manhattan Skyline at Night!
5 - The Marina's and Restaurants we visited (and in some cases "discovered")!
6 - The "Blog" - A wonderful way to keep our friends and families informed of our progress and well being! Thanks Kim!
7 - Kim and Mike's Anniversary dinner in Norfolk!
Lowlights:
1 - The Erie Canal - while often offering spectacular scenery, it's predominant 10 mph speed limit makes
it seems endless and tedious!
2 - Lincoln Harbor Marina in NYC - closing it's fuel dock 15 minutes before our arrival - forcing the skipper to slow down to stretch fuel mileage to reach Atlantic City the next day.
3 - The "Pea Soup" fog in NYC preventing good views and photo's of the Statue of Liberty and making
the trip to Cape May much more intense and difficult!
4 - Gilligan gaining additional nickname of "Slow Poke" and "Spend Thrift" while negotiating heavy seas
in the Chesapeake Bay and disturbing the Skippers' rest period.
5 - The early morning departure from Swansboro, NC when poor visibility and conflicting advice from
all three crew members at once caused the skipper to stop the vessel and wait for more daylight to proceed. (Brilliant!)
6 - The heavy rain encountered from Tropical Storm Nicole in the Wilmington and Myrtle Beach area!
7 - The "Big Bump" that Gilligan subjected us to from the wake of a Casino Boat.
8 - Wake warning's from "Heute Teute" marinas in affluent ICW communities, and South Carolina permitting residents to erect "No Wake" signs that are enforceable.
9- A waitress in a C&D Canal Marina restaurant continually referring to our crew as "Youse Guys".
Skipper Bob (Cap'n Bligh) wants to thank Mike, Kim and Rick for making this journey one of the easiest he has ever experienced as Captain of the various Road Runners through the years. As he grows even older and less willing and able to undertake such maritime adventures, he will fondly remember this trip as the most relaxing, due to the crew's competence and abilities, and their constant attention to duty and to assisting the Skipper willingly and pleasantly whenever requested and seemingly enjoying the adventure and experience as much as I did!
Sincerely
Bob Henderson, Skipper
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