Disgraceful. Commit
to Monday Messages, and then don’t do ‘em.
And so now it is time for a major catch-up.
We did get to the Chesapeake! And a month ago I wrote a lengthy travelogue, and then lost it by closing the silly thing without saving. Who does that??? Needless to say, it is taking awhile to get
back in the swing of this thing, but I’ve very nearly let go of my anger and
frustration, so will begin again. (I
know, you didn’t really need to know all that, but I needed to write it down
for posterity.)
We zipped up to Myrtle Beach from Charleston---stopped at
our favorite place, Barefoot Landing (great ice cream). Sad to say, just before docking we pulled far
to the right side of the channel to allow a big boat to pass, and heard the
awful scraping sound of rocks that were NOT far enough under our keel! Happily there was no damage that hurt the
boats ability to work, so we continued on the next morning to Southport, then
across the Cape Fear River, and back to another favorite---Swan’s Point Marina
in Sneads Ferry, NC.
There is new management at Swan’s Point—Tina Turner and her
mom. They are making much needed
improvements, and we wish them well! Hop, skip and jump thru the Marine’s Camp LeJune practice firing range---nobody was shooting at or around us---and next thing you know
we’d rounded the Morehead City bend, and zipped up to Oriental. At 8 miles an hour. :-) Stopped at Whittaker Landing this time---a
new marina for us, and found Knute to be a great dockmaster. He even drove me to the new mini-WalMart that
graces Oriental (arrgghh) for a few supplies.
If you’re new to our blog, there are descriptions in
excruciating detail of the East Coast IntraCoastal Waterway back in 2008, 2009,
2010 and 2011 postings. Since then, our cruising has been on the west coast of
FL, and the inland rivers. I’m highlighting
here, but must say that we really were enjoying cruising through familiar
waters, stopping with old friends and making new ones!
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| One of the many spring Thunderstorms! |
Neuss River, BelHaven, Alligator Pungo Canal, Alligator
River, and then came decision time. It
was late in the day, the water was smooth as silk, and we had to cross the
Albamarle Sound. Hmmmmm. Stay with Miss Wanda at the Alligator River Marina, or
cross the smooth-as-silk Sound and reach the opposite shore in the dark. We chose to stop before dark (Fred’s Rule
#2), knowing that the next morning the wind would not be our friend.
Turned out to be a hoot!
Sure enough, the wind was whipping and the water roiling (don’t get to
use that word very often.:-) ) We left
early---along with PROUD MARY, who
pulled out ahead of us (ahem) and then jumped into our wake as the water got
lumpy.
It was rough enough to tip over
the Aero-Garden (oh, I was supposed to put the bungie cord back on after all
this quiet time? Oops.) and Fred’s
navigational trick---turning east toward Coinjack rather than heading for our
planned destination in Elizabeth City --made only a moderate improvement in the
ride. PROUD MARY’s skipper told us they
wouldn’t consider turning back, as his wife “wanted to be sure someone knew
where the bodies were”. No worries, we
finally reached the lee of the land, hung a left, and motated into Eliz. City, where
PROUD MARY, alive and well, stopped for the day.
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| Poor PROUD MARY rockin' and rollin' in Albamarle Sound! |
Next stop for us was the Dismal Swamp! Had a brief wait for the lock at South Mills,
and we soon slid into the Visitor’s Center. There was no room on the dock, so we rafted to the
unusually outfitted Kadey Krogen, MANATEE-- just in time for happy hour!
First time we’ve met Ted and Sarah. Their cruising is a spiral---they are doing
the Great Loop for (I believe,) the 22nd time this year! Tragically, I lost a million dollar bet with
Sarah because I foolishly believed that HAPPY CLAMZ was a Great Harbour Trawler, not a Krogen Manatee, as Doug and
Leslie are traveling with Great Harbour SEVEN TENTHS. The two boats are a day ahead of us, and on their way to
the GHTA Rendezvous. I was sure HC was a
GH, and Sarah phoned Leslie to prove me wrong!
Paid the debt with ½ a cantaloupe that Sarah said “tasted like a million
bucks!”
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| MANATEE in the Dismal Swamp |
We caught up with the above mentioned trawlers the next day
in Portsmouth, VA, and docked (in the North Basin) and dined (at the
Commodore Theater—bucket list check!)
with Doug, Leslie, Henry and Debby.
Fun.
Our next stop was to be hauled at Ocean Marine in Portsmouth
to check the props. Sure enough, the
starboard prop was badly bent, and the rudder banged up a bit as well.
As it
was Tuesday, and we had to wait until Friday to get the props back from the
repairman, we decided to make a run to St. Pete and pick up the car! Found a cheap flight via Miami, and got to
the airport by taxi in plenty of time.
Plenty of time. Some sort of
issue with the airplane’s windshield prevented take off until we’d missed our
connection in Miami, so the Airline gave us a hotel room, and at 5:30 the next morning we
were headed for St. Pete. Chatted at and
checked out the newly re-done St. Pete Municipal Marina Office, got a USA Today at the Hampton
Inn, and headed north. An overnight in
Bluffton, SC, and Thursday we were checked into the hotel overlooking that free
dock at the North Basin.
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| Dings in a propeller are NOT a good thing! |
The boat was ready on Friday, but it was 2pm before we got
docked at the N. Basin, so we accepted the BOGO Lunch offer we’d received the
night before at the Marina restaurant, and Saturday morning headed out.
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| Message board at the restaurant. I like it! |
We made it an easy day and stopped at Hampton Roads before
noon. After a delicious afternoon rain I
went to the Farm Fresh Market (yum) and that was our day! Sunday was Flag Day, and the big flag went up
to celebrate. There was lots of boat traffic in the Bay around
Thimble Shoals and Mobjack Bay, and by 2:30 we were happy to arrive at
Deltaville. The temp was 81 degrees with 100%
humidity---and it is only mid-June!
We tied up at the Norview Marina (again a new-to-us-stop)
and discovered INSANDITY was our neighbor. This Great Harbour N-37 was PELICAN with its’
former owners. Enjoyed meeting and chatting with Chuck and Joyce.
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| YOUNG AMERICA & INSANDITY at Deltaville |
Monday was a 90 degree day, so we took a day off with
a/c. Went for a dinghy ride when it
cooled a bit, and just relaxed. Tuesday
morning, as we headed into the Chesapeake, SHINGABISS hailed us on the
radio. Liz and Steve had come into
Deltaville the night before….
The Chesapeake was calm, and we had an easy run to the mouth
of the Potomac. At 2:30 we’d turned into the St. Mary’s River,
where the Great Harbour Rendezvous was scheduled at the Corinthian Yacht Club.
The dock was alive with GH owners, and we pulled into a slip where we would stay for a week.
Had a really good time hanging out with our fellow Great
Harbour boaters—business meeting, winery tour, concert at St. Mary’s, good
food, camaraderie and all that jazz!
Sunday morning we piled into a rental car with Joe and Punk (CAROLYN ANN) and drove to Portsmouth to bring
our car the rest of the way to where we are—or will be! What great friends are
they! Had a good lunch together at the
Gosport Tavern in P’mouth, then drove two cars to Solomons, MD—our final
destination for the boat---and Joe and Punk returned us to YOUNG AMERICA. Whew!
For those who are map oriented, the GHTA Rendezvous was at a
yacht club off the St. Mary’s River—first stop on the Maryland side of the
Potomac. The Patuxent River is the next
major river flowing into the Chesapeake Bay north of the Potomac. Solomons (and now YOUNG AMERICA as well as
our car) is at the south end of the Patuxent.
We are now, and have been since June 22, at the Marina behind the
Holiday Inn in Solomons, on the same dock we lived on in 2011 when we were
here.
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| Becda & Casey have a dinghy ride with Grandad Fred |
There is a lot to like here.
We have hotel privileges---free morning coffee, USA Today every day,
gorgeous big swimming pool, workout center with sauna, and Isaac’s restaurant. The Library, barbershop, nail salon and Maritime
Museum are within easy walking distance. There is a UU Congregation 15 minutes
away, and a movie theater 20 minutes in the other direction. Chris and Jen live just 1-1/2 hours away— There are plenty of
good restaurants and a market with fresh seafood—we bought a dozen steamed
crabs and learned how to take them apart---and new friends in boats tied up on
the dock and old friends passing through.
Not to mention Geoff, Amy and Pete stopping on their way to their new
posting at Carlyle, PA—the Army War College.
It is all good.
I
went to book club at Jen’s house, and she and the kids have come down to spend
a day on the water! |
| Geoff, Amy & Pete came for dinner. Great to have them in the US |
So, of course, we left, and drove to New York. As I was born in a year that ends in a 0, July 2015 provided a milestone birthday for me!
The good news is that I am now old enough that I no longer have to take off my shoes at the
airport! Fred and the girls very
generously planned and executed a fabulous Birthday Party for me!
It was held at the UUCRT, and with Ada’s Selfie Studio about 60 folks were photographed as they arrived.Grandchildren helped with nametags and
serving; there was great food, wonderful background music, and cake and ice cream after the reading of the
Desiderata and Let if be a Dance (words I’ve lived by). Coincidentally, the UU had a brand new
Labyrinth built into the lawn outside for folks to explore. It was a spectacular afternoon! I’m incredibly blessed---and looking forward
with gratitude to many more happy years!
We are now back in Solomons, enjoying the most relaxing boat
time we’ve had in a long time. No deadlines,
no major boat work. Sunny days and
pleasant evenings! And air conditioning!
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| My sister sent us a quilt she made! Really brightens up the stateroom! |
Will catch up again when we return from San Diego---US Power
Squadron meeting the end of this month.
Until then, be well, remember to breathe, and thanks for
stopping by!
