Annapolis

Thomas Point Lighthouse, just south of Annapolis

Made it to Annapolis.  Initially concerned about predicted thunderstorms, we thankfully had an uneventful motor trip north about 41 miles on Tuesday from Solomons.  Passed this screwpile lighthouse and anchored at the mouth of the Severn River at the city mooring field for two nights.  Annapolis is all about boating and especially sailing.  Everywhere you look, you see, packs of little skiffs and dinghies with children learning to sail.  So cute.

Young sailor

Annapolis is all about boating (and paddling)

Though the anchorage was a little exposed and rolly, we had front row seats to watch the Wednesday evening races.

Winner!

Here they come!

Known as "rail meat," these folks lean over the side to shift weight thereby increasing speed

Took care of groceries, doctor and dental appointments (nothing urgent).  Found Trader Joe's!  Took care of the usual refills and pump-outs.  Speaking of which, we've befriended one of the pump-out boat guys, Stan, who calls himself a "stool-bus driver."  He also says, "I'm the number one guy for the number two job!"  A 65-year-old retired Rubbermaid engineer from Ohio, he now lives on his boat (not the pump-out boat).  Stan speaks fondly of his wife, Toots, who passed away some time ago and of his two step-kids in Ohio.  He's got a great sense of humor and playfulness and is a welcome new friend.  He showed us where to anchor up Spa Creek where it would be much calmer, so we are now anchored there.

He stopped by the other night to share some red wine and chat in the cool evening breeze.  In the past, he traveled quite a bit for Rubbermaid and had some good tales to tell.  At one point, with a childlike glint in his eyes, he exclaimed, "Let's go feed the goose!"  So we piled into his dinghy with a bag of corn and found the white China goose with the light blue eyes.  Sure enough, she (he?) came right up and ate out of our hands.  The next day we fed her again.

Stan and his gorgeous goose

Blue eyed beauty

The queen and her servants

Except for the little water taxis and weekend boaters, for an urban spot the anchorage in Spa Creek is calm and beautiful.  We are happy to spend some time here to explore the city and for repairs and respite. 

View toward town

View of homes

View up the creek (see why we want to stay awhile?)



Thinking Positive

On Monday, we motored against a 15 knot north wind on lumpy seas -- my stomach did not like this -- for 9.5 hours and anchored in Deltaville.  The next day we rested and cleaned the boat.  Cousin Jon arrived late in the afternoon.  He drove us down the main drag where we saw the damage done by an April tornado.  One huge brick church had the entire mid-section scooped out.  Unbelievable.  Broken tree limbs and damaged roofs in a path.  

Jon joined us on the boat and stayed over night in the forward cabin.  We had a very pleasant dinner in the cockpit where it was cool and chatted into the evening.  The next morning we went to the nearby marina to arrange for someone to look at the rudder.  Jon treated us to breakfast at Moo's Deli then made his way back to Richmond.

Whilst in Deltaville, we motored around the point to Zimmerman's where a mechanic assessed the problem - needs new packing, but also another slight freshwater leak - but could not do the work for a couple of days as he was too busy.  He said it wasn't urgent so we could carry on north to find someone else to do the work.  They were very kind at Zimmerman's letting us stay at the service dock overnight for free.  We were able to charge the batteries and fill the water tank, too.

Something's Fishy in Idyllic Reedville

On Thursday afternoon, we sailed to Reedville with a lovely 15 knot south wind behind us.  Reedville is home to a menhaden plant.  This is a non-food fish (vitamins, fertilizer) plant that processes 100,000 metric tons per year.  Imagine what 100,000 metric tons of processed fish smells like.  Not a pretty picture, er...odor.  Fortunately the wind was in our favor at our anchorage so we only got a whiff as we passed the plant on the way in.  It rained and thundered that night ,but we were able to leave the next morning.  Unfortunately we did not get to go ashore to try the famous crab restaurant. 

We motorsailed to Solomons Island (or Solomons) in Maryland on the Patuxent River.  The wind was from the south, but nearly non-existent so we kept the motor on as it was 51 miles, and we wanted to be sure to arrive before dark.  We noticed other sailboats motorsailing or else giving up on sailing and just motoring.  We anchored just off of the Calvert Marine Museum, which is one of the best we've seen.  Rays and skates swam in a circular tank, and the information and especially old photos and film of the local story of boatbuilding and fishing were interesting.  A working boatbuilding shop run by volunteers restores and builds wooden boats.  Several of their creations and projects are on display both in and out of the water.  One was a sailing canoe that was a work of art.  The docent there said that, if we'd like, they would show us how to build a simple wooden boat in two full days. 

Best of all was the lighthouse that was relocated to the museum grounds.  It's called a screwpile lighthouse because the posts are screwed into the earth.  It has three floors including the living space.  I was intrigued by old photos of the lighthouse keeper and his four children.  I couldn't imagine six people living in a small place like that just off the coast.  Although over time, the coast silted in so eventually they were able to build a walkway from the land to the lighthouse.

Screwpile lighthouse at Calvert Marine Museum as seen from our anchorage

The town of Solomons is basically one main street with businesses and homes interspersed with each other.  It also is home to the Chesapeake Biological Lab, a part of the Environmental Center of the University of Maryland.  The lab was founded in 1925 for the research and protection of the Chesapeake Bay.  One theme that has been pervasive as we've traveled not just in the Chesapeake but also in the ICW is the decline is fish over the years.  The trend was to have a huge peak in fish harvest at the turn of the last century, then a marked decline afterward.  We've learned that the main reasons are overfishing and high concentrations of nitrogen most often from fertilizer run-off from farms into the rivers that feed the Chesapeake.  And offshore we hear about huge trawlers from other countries just off (and sometime in) US waters.  Ironically, I understand that the 1972 Clean Water Act is being chipped away as I write.  What will happen to our fisheries?

Dave feeds cracker crumbs to Mama and her babies

Recently while Dave and I were on the Riverwalk along the Patuxent, I picked up a free magazine called "Southern Maryland Woman" and read an article "Happy for No Reason" written by a counselor and professor.  The three main points:

- When something "bad" happens, say, "Perfect."  Then say, "What am I supposed to learn from this situation?"

- Avoid all negative thoughts to the best of your ability.  Present ideas in the positive.

- List and think often of the things in your life for which you have gratitude.

It's as if this magazine came into my hands for a reason.  After all the mechanical and other quirks on the boat, I was beginning to become very negative and then unhappy with my emotional reaction to each glitch.  And though he's been extremely patient, I know Dave was less than happy with my reactions.  But the last couple of weeks, I've been taking things more in stride.  Dave says he notices the difference.  Even though things still go wrong, it's not such a big deal now.  And this article points out the importance of treating each experience - negative or positive - as a point of learning.  We're now waiting out the weather for the second day on the boat here in Solomons.  Lots of rain and north wind.  It could be frustrating, but I'll choose to see it as a time to relax, clean up, do minor repairs, read, catch up on the blog, do crossword puzzles, and play gin rummy with Dave.  Also the temperature is wonderfully cool - a needed break from the heat and humidity.

Next we'll head to Annapolis, a day's motor/sail away (or an hour by car!).

Oh, and I want to send healing thoughts to Sylvia Timmons, Ben's mom, who is in the ICU recovering from a lung transplant operation.  Part of one lung is not functioning well, so she went back into surgery yesterday.  Stay strong, Sylvia.  We love you!

Yorktown and Jamestown with Cousin Jon

Norfolk/Portsmouth was gearing up for its annual Harbor Fest to be held all weekend long. Even though it would have been, well, festive, we knew it would also be crowded with people both on the water and in town.  And we were so hot and sticky that we decided we'd better make an early morning exit.  The day before, the tall ships had begun arriving and we got to speak with a crew member on one from Connecticut that was a replica of a ship that had brought immigrants from Sweden, which he wryly noted did not get the same press as the Mayflower.

Tall ship, Norfolk

The wind was non-existent, so we were disappointed that we could not sail.  We motored to the York River and found a calm anchorage in Sarah Creek adjacent to the York River Yacht Haven (I like that name).  It indeed was a haven for us because for a mere two dollars, we took glorious showers.  But the best part is that my cousin Jon from Richmond drove over an hour to join us for dinner at the marina.  The weather gods had mercy upon us and cooled things off enough so that we could enjoy our meal outside on the deck, which for me was shrimp, mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, hush puppies and a North Carolina beer to wash it down.  Oh, and fried green tomatoes as an appetizer.  All delish.

L and D

As we dined and enjoyed catching up on our lives, dark clouds appeared and the wind picked up.  Jon counted the seconds between lightning flashes and thunder booms - ten seconds - but it was moving our way.  We finished eating and decided we'd better get back to the boat to batten down the hatches, so to speak.  After making plans for Saturday, we rowed back to Wayward Wind in the dinghy and then called Jon to let him know that we made it unscathed.  Moments later, the rain came.  Cool, refreshing rain.  Dave and I sat up in the cockpit and played gin rummy while the rain and gentle breeze made spending time outdoors bearable again.  I think it is the first time my skin has been really dry in a week.

Yorktown Battlefield Monument

This morning Jon picked us up and we drove to the Yorktown Battlefield and Visitors Center.  It was really something to be standing on the same ground where Lord Cornwallis and the British troops thought they were going to defeat Generals Washington's and Lafayette's troops, the earthen berms formed by their hands still there.  Think again, Corny!

Jon, Dave, Linda

We then went to Jamestown and visited the site of the first settlement in America.  Three excavation projects were is progress - one looking for early Jamestown church remnants and one for civil war remnants.  The Archaearium is a museum displaying excavated artifacts and exhibits about Jamestown that had a fascinating exhibit of the process of making assumptions as to the life and death of a young fellow based on clues from his skeleton and gravesite.

Linda, Dave, Jon and Pocahontas

At lunch time, we got turned around but, as luck would have it, we stumbled onto a strip mall with what looked like an atypcally dull Indian restaurant.  We all love Indian food so thought we'd try it.  We walked through the beige door into a colorful Indian world with a huge buffet.  Everything was tasty right down to the rice pudding.  Ethnic food has been lacking along the ICW, so this was a welcome surprise.  All in all, a wonderful day with our cuz.

Cousins

Mile 0

Big Ol' Swamp Fly

Back into civilization again.  After Beaufort we spent the next several days passing through swamps and three large sounds, stopping in two small towns along the way.  In Beaufort, Mike of C-Gull Seeker generously offered to come aboard and help us with the fridge.  He tested connections and it seemed to be an electrical problem inside a virtually inaccessible box.  Long story short, the next day, just for the heck of it, we turned it on and it worked!  Hooray!  Unfortunately, it now does not work again.  Bummer!  I think anyone who is bipolar should never live on a sailboat.  It would push the poor soul over the edge.

We anchored out at the small town of Oriental where, to our surprise, some of the first buildings we passed were a community theater and a natural food restaurant.  We then found a marine surplus store and picked up a few items.  It was stinkin' hot and the walk to the Town and Country Market, far.  As we packed the groceries into our backpacks, a saintly woman asked us if we needed a ride back to the dock saying, "We love our cruisers."  Sandy, a gardener as evidenced by the two sage seedlings at my feet in the passenger side, also said, "Folks are sayin' this is a hot spell.  It's not.  Summer just came early."   Oriental has the friendliest people and a local coffee shop, The Bean, with the best smoothies, especially on such a hot, hot day.  The second day we paid a visit to a mechanic at a nearby marina to get some help with the dripping shaft, the bothersome bilge pump and other befuddling malfunctions.  Three different guys came, all kind souls who gave us mini tutorials so that hopefully next time we'll be able to handle things ourselves.  Fingers crossed.  Whilst there, the marina loaned me a Ford pick-up to do some errands.  Dave stayed onboard while I drove (first time in over a month!) through the absolutely beautiful North Carolina countryside - farms, lush stands of deciduous trees, crooked creeks, and the color of emerald green painting all.  I stopped by Paul's Produce, a family produce stand built off the front of the house, and stocked up on fruit and veggies.  The big hits were the green beans - hearty, stick-to-your-ribs green beans - and the homemade chocolate chip cookies (really missing home-made cookies!).

In contrast to vibrant Oriental was Belhaven, a town in decay.  Sad but with lovely homes along the waterfront and the local restaurant, The Farm Boys, has live outdoor music - a young man with guitar singing Neil Young in a sweet voice.  We saw a grand old building and walked over where we found the police station on the lower floor, with a friendly police woman taking a smoke break in the doorway.  She said the words slowly, "This is a small, ooold town."  Turns out she's from New Jersey, rural New Jersey.  She said she didn't like having neighbors when she moved to Belhaven, but she got used to it and the town grew on her.  We were there on a late Saturday afternoon and it was pretty quiet.  On Sunday morning I went to town to do the laundry and I was the only one on the street.  It was eery.  The only other shop open was the old-timey hardware store where I bought a battery.  Seems like the O'Neil family is big here because every other business is run by the O'Neils: O'Neils' Pharmacy, O'Neils Bakery, O'Neils Realty.  Even the mayor is an O'Neil.  Sadly most of the store fronts were empty.  

In the afternoon we were below when we heard an, "Ahoy."  "Erik, with a 'k'" paddled up in his kayak.  He lives on his 32-foot Columbia sailboat and has sailed up and down the coast so had some good tales to tell.  I noticed a bit of an eye tick when he spoke but soon realized, after the wind blew in my direction, that he was probably drunk.  Still, we had a good conversation - some of which was repeated more than once.  As he left he said that he had paddled over to get off of his boat and meet some interesting people on the sailboat and that he'd accomplished both.  Even coming from a drunk person, we were pleased.

Smokey Alligator River Canal 

As we motored to the next anchorage, we passed through the Alligator River Canal, a straaaaaight, long ditch through the swampland - beautiful in its own stark way.  Unfortunately, due to a forest fire, the air was extremely smokey.  We'd planned to stop at one anchorage but the smoke was oppressive, so we moved on.  We were about to go into the Abermarle Sound - 15 miles across - when we noticed dark clouds ahead.  We flipped to the NOAA weather channel, which earlier had predicted a sunny day, to hear, "Thunderstorms in the Abermarle Sound.  Small craft should seek shelter immediately."  Even the mechanical voice sounded alarmed.  Dave convinced me that it's better to be in a sound in strong winds than near the land in an unprotected anchorage where the boat could be bounced against the shore, tree limbs and snags.  Also we saw that the dark clouds were far west of where we were headed.  Two boats passed us going in our direction, so we went for it.  Just a few raindrops and a bit of wind and chop and, oh, yes, the two lightning bolts to the west.  No harm done.  We found another lovely anchorage on Broad Creek where, after 75 miles in 11 hours, the frogs' song lulled us to sleep.

Passing two boats crossing the Abermarle Sound after the storm

The next morning, showers!!  Knowing that we'd be stopping to fill up on diesel and water, we were free to take lavish...well, sort of...showers.  After a week of sponge baths, it's like a new beginning (angels choir to sunrise image).  Then off to Coinjock Marina where we filled up and pumped out, bought charts and a guidebook for the Chesapeake Bay AND ice cream!  You may notice that simple pleasures - showers, ice cream, a working refrigerator, smoothies - are treasured. 

Alligator River Canal


We checked out the anchorage in the guidebook, but the depths were borderline too shallow for us.  We draw 5 feet and we were sounding 5.5.  There is no tidal current here, but the wind can raise and lower the water level somewhat.  We passed under the 65-foot bridge and anchored in front of a defunct marina with a sandy beach.  Seemed perfect.  A father took a swim with his daughter.  Two guys in a small boat said hello as they passed.  As we ate a leisurely dinner in the cockpit, I looked up to say something and behind Dave was passing a gigantic, double barge down the river about 50 feet from us.  YIKES!  After much discussion, it seemed that, even though we were on the edge of the channel, it was no problem.  BUT at 10:00 PM, I went up to the cockpit and saw a searchlight coming up the river from the other direction.  What I realized is that due to the bend in the river at the bridge, the barge coming up the river would likely need to be in the space where we were anchored.  I called Dave up, we turned on all of the lights and monitored the radio.  The barge slowed way down as it approached the bridge and shined his spotlight on us.  It passed under the bridge and as it slid abeam of us, it's captain radioed, "Sailboat anchored near the Pungo River Ferry Bridge, this is the barge."  In an incredibly friendly voice, he said that we might want to move to another place because normally where we were is right where the barges end up when coming from that direction.  And there was another barge coming in about a half an hour that would be a double barge.  We told him that we realized we'd made a mistake and would move.  This meant we had to go back under the bridge and find the shallow anchorage in the dark.  So that is what we did.  I told Dave that I'd rather go aground than be hit by a barge.  He agreed.  I slept like a log that night.

Enjoying our meal on the ICW at a beautiful anchorage (note green beans)


Yesterday we left the anchorage at Mile 29 on the ICW, went under nine bridges and through one lock.  We left at 6:00AM to time the lock and bridge openings (some are on the hour only) as well as the tides later in the day.  We anchored in Portsmouth/Norfolk, Virginia Mile 0 of the ICW at 11:30AM.  We really lucked out with the timing and were surprised to get through all of that in 5.5 hours.  We are having a bit of culture shock - in a good way - after traveling in rural areas for so many days and hitting the big city.  Yesterday afternoon we walked through Portsmouth which has a unique collection of old homes that are not so grand and quite beautiful.  Today we're in internet cafes in Norfolk.  At the Prince Book Store Cafe, I had a sweet potato biscuit with surry ham and peach jam along with gazpacho and baby greens salad with grapes, feta and walnuts.  Nirvana!  Dave said it's fun to walk on city streets again for a change.  Right now we're basking in the air conditioning at a mall catching up on internet stuff. 

So we've made our first destination.  Now with our guidebook and charts in hand, we will plot where we'll go next.  All is good.  Hope you are well.

Sunset at the anchorage