Side trip

We just returned from a busy side trip by car back home to Northeast Ohio to visit family, friends, and take care of some business. The best news is that our house finally sold after a year on the market so the boat is now our only home until we decide that we need a home base somewhere. We had a wonderful time at Harpersfield Winery and were able to meet up with some of the boaters from Geneva State Park Marina where we formerly kept our boat. I also stopped at Grand River Yacht Club and met with Phil and Loraine from Changes, Jack from Passage 788, and Lee from Britannia, everyone was doing well and it was good to see everyone. Now that we are back at Annapolis we have some boat chores to do, and meet up with some friends here in the next couple of weeks and then we will fly out to Seattle to visit our children and grandchildren before we continue on cruising the Chesapeake this Summer and prepare for our return to the Bahamas This Winter.

Annapolis !

We are finally back to Annapolis where we will keep the boat for the next month, and then do some exploring on the Chesapeake for the Summer before heading back South and the Bahamas for next Winter. Monday we will rent a car and drive back to Ohio to visit with family and take care of some business, and after that we will fly out to Seattle to visit with our kids and grandchildren before we continue on cruising.

Red sky in the morning, Sailors take warning!

Red sky in the morning, Sailors take warning! That is what we did not do and we ended having a worse day on the water than the two gulf stream crossings we just did. We wanted to get to Annapolis so we could drive home and visit family so we left Deltaville with a less than favorable forecast and we paid for it. We started out with calm seas and a 5 MPH following breeze. By the time we passed Sandy Point where the Potomac enters the Chesapeake the winds were 15 to 20 and building. We had 5 ft short following seas and an occasional 6 footer. It was not fun trying to keep the boat under control and there were not a lot of places to duck out of the weather without having to turn broadside to the was so we just continued on to Solomons. When we got there we tied up took a short walk as the weather was looking threatining and then downpour began. Of course it rained so hard that the cover on our Airconditoner started letting the rain in and it soaked our berth! After the rain let up I put another cover on the airconditoner we stripped the bed and Chris took all the bedding up to the dryer, needless to say we didn't get a good nights sleep that night.

Deltaville VA.

We have been relaxing at Dozier`s Regatta Point Marina for a few days,strong winds are a relief from the oppresive heat we have had for weeks but make northward passage in the Chesapeake very uncomfortable.Today a Nordig Tug 37 footer left the dock only to return an hour later as the waves were cresting to his bow.They have several loaner cars and we have done shopping at the grocery store and West Marine and hardware store.They had a get together on the porch last night and supplied cheese,crackers and wines.They have a nice pool,laundry and gorgeous immaculate showers.We have been able to clean almost a years worth of crud off the deck but need to wax again soon and will need a haul out in Annapolis to add another thru hull for the watermaker and deck wash , we can do the hull scrub then.I am very eager to get to Annapolis to visit my family but this is a nice place to be stuck.

63 miles, no bull!

Yesterday we had a long day, we left The Alligator River at 6 AM and didn't stop until 7:30 PM right behind a Mexican Restaurant on the Great Dismal Swamp Canal. While motoring down the canal we looked over to the side and saw a large black Angus bull wading in the canal about 20 ft from us! When Chris first saw the movement on the side of the canal ahead of us she thought it was a bear, but it turned out to be the bull.  We had dinner at the Mexican restaurant and then we walked across the street to the Food Lion store and got some fruit and produce. This morning we could not get a early start as we had to wait for the Bridge and Lock that was right in front of us to open. By the time we were through both it was already almost 10, and then when we got almost to Norfolk we had to wait for a railroad bridge and a lift bridge, so that shot my schedule all to pieces and we decided to stay at Hampton VA instead of going on to Deltaville VA. We are glad we stopped at Hampton City Pier as it was 93 deg when we stopped and they have a IMAX theater next door in the Virginia Air and Space museum and it was showing The Pirates of the Caribbean movie. We sat in the wonderful airconditioning , enjoyed the movie, and then went out to dinner just a block away in downtown Hampton. Tomorrow we should be able to make it to Deltaville before the evening thunderstorms that are forecast.

Keep Moving!

We ended up staying an extra day in Oriental due to forecast thunderstorms that never materialized, just a few showers. The next day we headed farther north up the Pamlico sound and stopped for the night in Dowry Creek just past Belhaven NC where we took advantage of the marina car and went to the local Food Lion store to replenish our stores. Today we moved on up the Alligator Pungo canal through the Alligator river swing bridge and are now tied up at The Alligator River Marina where we fueled up, had dinner and plotted our next leg of the journey across the Abermarle sound and then north through the Great Dismal Swamp canal. We will have 2 locks and a couple of lift bridges to negotiate and then on to Norfolk  and the South end of the Chesapeake.

Short day!

We left Morehead City at 7am during slack water and rode the current up the river for a while and are now at Oriental. I was tired of the long days and wanted an afternoon off to recharge my batteries, so we pulled into Oriental NC just before lunch and will resume the Northward dash in the AM after a leisurely afternoon.

Slow Slog

Today was a slow slog all day with current against us and little wind -but on the nose.I was feeling discouraged at lack of progress at 4 pm so I went below to cook and of course the wind and current got going and away we went to Morehead City.We docked at Portside Marina and found our first bearable walking weather.While walking the waterfront we came upon a Bud Light concert. Mike got quickly chosen to dance with the Bud Light girls. I was so shocked that he actually went up that I missed the photo op, he has a tee shirt as proof. The band was wonderful good old rock and roll and lifted me out of my slow slog slump.Today was also miles along Camp Lejeune and we felt very safe with Marines in boats and helicopters and camped in Mile Hammock Bay. It was a little odd to be cruising along as they blew things up along the shore.

Surf City, NC

After a late start because of timing the Snows Cut and then having to fight the current and negotiate three bridges that are all on restricted schedules we decided to stop at Surf City, NC. We are at Beach Marine, it is a little pricey ($2 a ft), but it is right in the middle of the town with everything you could need within an easy walk. Some have asked why we are staying at all of the marinas on the way north, and the reason is that it has been over 90 deg every day since we left Fort Pierce and we wanted to plug in to run the AC. We are docked next to a River Cruise boat and a Pirate tour boat and the people seem to have a good time on them. Tomorrow will be another long day as we continue North and plan to stop somewhere around Morehead City or Beaufort NC and then on to Oriental or somewhere in that vicinity the next day.

Carolina Beach State Park

We are now at  Carolina Beach State Park, a real bargain marina. They just reopened this winter after rebuilding the marina totaly. It is only $30 to stay the night, electric included. We will wait to leave tommorow until around 10AM so that we will have the current with us as we head up Snows Cut and not have to fight the current.