Remote Anchorages and Busy Cities

July 7 – 16, 2012

Jennifer and JAC flew into Richmond, Virginia, rented a car and drove to the marina.  They arrived just in time to take us on errands:  Costco, Battery Plus, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target and the grocery.  We really know how to show guests a good time!  We hadn’t been to the grocery for a little over three weeks.  We were totally out of fresh vegetables, fruit and milk.    

The next morning Brian cleaned the boat exterior while Jen and I took the rental car back.  Did you know that some Avis locations will drop off and pick up?  Just another option.  We left Chesapeake headed for Portsmouth immediately going through a lift bridge and lock.  It’s a short trip to Portsmouth -- only 13 miles.  Our course took us past a portion of the Norfolk harbor. This is the busiest port we have ever been in:  a naval base, repair base for destroyers, and a heavily used commercial shipping center.  It was a short but very interesting passage.  Each of us kept exclaiming “Wow, look at that one!”  Every ship seemed bigger than the last.

As far as you can see ships line the shores.
Heavy rain for a couple of hours.

JAC wanted to hold her brother's hand. 
He said, "I love her, but she's at an annoying age."

We had hoped to walk through the historical section of Portsmouth and have dinner as soon as we arrived. For the third day in a row, temperatures were in the low 100’s with extreme humidity.  About 5:00 we ventured out. It was smoldering.  Sitting in the restaurant we couldn’t cool off fast enough. To quicken the cool down, we dribbled ice water down each other’s backs.  It helped… After dinner, we did walk past some of the historic homes. Portsmouth was founded in 1752 by a
wealthy ship builder. The shipyard was
ordered to be  burned at the beginningof the Civil War to keep the confedercy

Talk about the hot seat!
Sit on black metal that has been in 100+ degree
sun all day.

from capturing it.  In 1855 1/3 of the residents of Norfolk and Portsmouth died from the yellow fever epidemic.  Back at the boat it was time for our annual Captain Ron film festival.  We had watched it earlier in the trip with Christopher. Now, he wanted his Mom to see it.    
  

 

Until we started crossing a portion of the Chesapeake, neither Brian or I realized just how big it really is.  It is 200 miles long, 30 miles wide and 46 feet deep.  More than 150 rivers drain into it.  For two days we were in five foot waves that were slamming against our starboard bow.  Brian was the only one that didn’t feel the effects of the rough water.  However, both nights we found beautiful quiet anchorages.  The dingy took us to a beach where we found shells and JAC got to put her feet in salt water and sand for the first time.  After dinner the second night, we went for a ride in the dingy to check out the neighborhood.  At a small marina we found the Active Captain boat.  Active Captain is a program that interfaces with our navigation and posts information about anchorages, marinas, hazards and local knowledge.  It is a huge asset as we travel in unfamiliar areas. 

Active Captain boat.

We decided to go to Washington DC.  It’s a good place for Jennifer to fly out and there are plenty of interesting sights along the way.  Once again we were surprised at how wide the Potomac River is.  The entire Potomac River is in Maryland.  Virginia’s state border is the western shore.

A belated birthday party for Jennifer.

We had never heard of Mallow’s Bay until we passed it and read some notes.  It is the largest concentrated shipwreck fleet in the western hemisphere.  A graveyard for 235 ships – mostly wooden cargo steamers – that were too expensive to keep afloat.  After they were stripped for salvage, they were systematically sunk in this bay.  Additional information and photos are on ---------- http://boneinitsteeth.blogspot.com/2011/07/mallows-bay-ghost-fleet-of-potomac.html?=1               

Take my word for it -- this is Quantico!

If you read Patricia Cornwell mysteries, you are familiar with Quantico.  It is the location of a Marine Corp Base, FBI Academy, FBI Laboratory, Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.  Come to think of it – you might have heard of it for lots of reasons.  



George Washington’s home, Mt Vernon can easily be seen from the river.  In 1858 it was purchased from his family by a group of patriotic women for the purpose of preserving the estate.  The Mount Vernon Ladies Association is a private, non-profit organization that still maintains it in trust for the people of the United States.  During the Civil War, soldiers of both armies visited the estate to honor the first president. 

A fort has been on this site for over 200 years.  The first Fort Washington was built in 1809.  The area is now a National Park.

Alexandria City Marina.
The Torpedo Factory -- now an art gallery. 

In 1669 Scotsman John Alexander bought the tract of land that is now Alexandria for six thousand pounds of tobacco and Cask.  We were fortunate to reserve a slip for the night.  We didn’t arrive until 7:30.  As soon as we were docked we hopped off and walked into the busy historical downtown which is adjacent to the marina.  We saw enough to assure us that we wanted to see more the next morning.  Brian and I had attended a wedding in town years ago and remembered what a fun place it was.  Friday morning we were off for breakfast at La Madeleine and

Time for a trim.

haircuts for the guys.  After walking through some of the neighborhoods, Brian and Christopher went to The Torpedo Factory to see if there really were any torpedoes there.  Jennifer, Jac and I did some quick, but productive shopping. Our slip was promised to someone else, so we had to be on our way by 3:00. 

Can anything be as much fun as a trolley ride?

Next stop Washington DC – only five miles away.  When we called for a slip on Friday, there were none available at the Capital Yacht Club.  They told us we would have to anchor mid-river and dingy in.  But, when we arrived, they had a slip we could use for three nights.  Perfect!  It is still blazing hot with high humidity.  What looked like a short walk to the National Mall, of course, was much further than anticipated.  Dinner, cool-down and a rest in China Town at Legal Seafood.  The next morning we purchased tickets for the double decker

tour bus that let us hop on and off at all of the sights.  It felt like we saw every one of them.  Jennifer and the kids were on a nine o’clock flight Sunday night so we had time to go to the Smithsonian’s Air and Flight Museum in the morning.  During our stay in DC we had some great meals, but our best seafood was on the wharf just beyond the marina.  The fish market was there with a walk-up kitchen on a barge.  Kind of scary to look at, but so good to eat!  Since there was no place to sit and eat, and, once again, it was dripping sweat hot, we carried our food back to the air conditioned boat.   

We are so glad that we decided to make the trip up the Potomac.  It turned out to be a great week of anchorages, history and the excitement of a big city with plenty of  memorable moments for each of us.

James Hath, my high school boyfriend, on the
Vietnam Memorial Wall.

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!

Nothing beats a nap on Grandpa's shoulder.
Followed by a little impromptu dancing!

Trying to teach JAC how to play Crazy 8.

Sad.....Time to go to the airport.



We're Moving As Fast As We Can

June 30 – July 6, 2012

Here we are doing what we said we didn’t want to do – We’re rushing to try and get someplace to pick up guests.  Our daughter, Jennifer and grand daughter, JAC, are flying into Norfolk, Virgina on Saturday, July 7^th.  All of the delays in the past couple of weeks have put us behind schedule.  Now we are pushing to get there on time. 

Rushing past Charleston

No time to see Georgetown

We had to sail right past Charleston and Georgetown.  And, we spent one day out in the ocean.  By going out of the intercoastal we were able to make 118 miles instead of our usual 70 or 80.  The intercoastal route has lots of kinks and turns.  Plus, there are many areas where we are required to slow down:  bridges, marinas, residential areas, fishermen in small boats.  Out in the ocean, we can run a straight line at a constant speed.  The only problem being out at sea – it is boring! 
  Everywhere you look, there's  nothing     but water and horizon.  On the intercoastal there’s always lots to watch: scenery, birds, dolphins, homes, towns and boats.

Hilton Head we will see you next visit

Once we left Savanna, we anchored out for four nights in a row.  That means five days on board without touching a toe on solid ground.  Not something that is easy for adults and certainly not easy for a six year old.  Christopher was great.  He knows that we are on a

fast pace to meet up with his Mom.  Not one complaint.  What a trooper!  He has been elevated  from swab to first mate.  On the 4^th of July we pulled into Morehead City Marina in North Carolina.  From the front of our boat we had a perfect view of fireworks in two cities.  Couldn’t have been in a better location.     

The Naval yard adjacent to Charleston
Amazing ships and planes

While on the intercoastal we passed two sharks in a feeding frenzy.  The only thing we could see were tails slapping back and forth and water splashing in every direction.  Don’t know what they got, but it must have been delicious.

We know that we will have two or three more trips up and down this coast.  We can certainly visit the areas that we missed.  The rush is worth it to have a week with family.       

Gotta Smile – we’re lovin the ride.   

A retired aircraft carrier -- now a museum

Naval fire boat shooting red, white and blue water
to celebrate the 4th of July

We could include pictures of all the beautiful homes
along the river, but prefer to show you the really weird.
Shiny copper sphere.

Neptune's bride
Metal sculpture about 20 feet tall

We're seeing more eagles as we get further north.
This one took off as we passed his perch.

Osprey family in their huge nest

A pelican's beak can hold three gallons of water and fish.
He uses his beak as a sieve to drain the water, then throws
his head back and swallows the fish. 

This statue was to draw attention to the
real estate for sale sign.
Unfortunately, we only saw the giraffe.

Seagulls following a fishing boat to get leftovers

4th of July fireworks in Morehead

We made it!!!
Friday July 6th we arrived at the Atlantic Yacht Basin
in Chesapeake, VG

   

Hot Times

June 29, 2012

Savanna is already feeling its summer heat. We arrived to a temperature of 103 degrees with a heat index of 112. Yowza! Our guide book recommended the city bus. Here we go again! The dock master gave us a map and said the bus stop was about a half mile away. He was right. Two busses later (and, a lot of sweat) we were at the historic river walk. First stop – frozen yogurt in an air conditioned shop.

A little rest to take in the scenery.

Some of the historic buildings on River Walk.
We ate dinner upstairs.  I think this was the
first time I ever turned down outdoor dining.

One of the cargo ships that passed by.

The water in downtown Savanna travels at a fast speed and has a tidal change of nine feet.  It is a busy port with huge cargo ships continuously moving through.  A variety of old buildings are now filled with hotels, restaurants and stores.  At the far end is the famous statue of the Waving Girl, Florence Martus.  Between the ages of 19 and 63 she waved a cloth or lantern as ships passed hoping one would bring back the man she loved.  Sorry to report – he never returned.  After dinner and our walk through town we called for a taxi to take us home.  We had visited Savanna when friends, Larry and Joan, were thinking about retiring there.  It is a beautiful city with lots of great stories. 

Saturday morning we awoke to find the newspaper and a box of six Krispy Kreme doughnuts on our back deck.  What a wonderful surprise!  Newspaper quickly read.  Krispy Kremes devoured immediately!  A diver came to the marina to check the damage on our bottom.  He was only under the boat for about ten minutes.  A bull shark was under there with him and wouldn’t go away.  When it nipped at him and cut his wet suit he made a hasty exit!  The bottom doesn’t appear to be seriously damaged.  We can wait until we get to the Chesapeake for repairs.  Additional good news – the insurance will cover repairs and the tow.  Life is so much better now.

Gotta Smile – we’re lovin the ride.    

The Best and Worst of Days

June 28, 2011

I was reading the guide book last night and saw Blackbeard Island was going to be on our route today.  Brian found it on the charts, and as we approached he announced "all mateys are going ashore".  Yea, pack a lunch and launch the dingy we are off for an adventure!  The sand glittered in the sun and we were sure that it was silver and gold dust from Blackbeard’s treasure chest.  It is thought to be buried on this island.  We ate lunch and walked the beach, picking up shells along the way.  Several dolphins swam by.  One jumped all of the way out of the water.  What a perfect day!  The tide was rising and soon the beach would be totally under water.  Time to head back. 



Looking for treasure and shells.
Guess what we found -- shells!



Definately the captain of the dingy,



Back on the boat and settled in; Brian pulled the anchor. I drove. Once the anchor was up, I began heading back to the intercoastal heading for Savannah.  Only one big problem -- I ran the boat up on a huge submerged pile of rocks.  The rocks are from Africa and were used as ballast on a slave ship. When the ballast was no longer  needed it was dumped.   Well, I really hit it and we were really stuck.  I put out a call for help on the radio and a local boat came to pull us off.  Unfortunately, they didn’t have enough power.  To make things worse, the tide was going out -- fast.  The longer we sat the more the boat listed to port.  We put Christopher's life jacket on him and got ours out of the locker.  Brian launched the dingy in case we had to abandon ship.  It was getting very difficult to walk through the boat it was leaning so far over now.  We subscribe to a towing service, Tow Boat US.  Unfortunately, they don’t have service in this area.  Sea Tow does and offered to come to our rescue.  They were about a half hour away.  No other choice.  Yes, come and pull us off…..  After a lot of horrible scraping noises (our hull on the rocks) and $1750 we were once again floating.  All of the equipment is functioning, but we know there is damage to the hull.  The boat will have to be inspected and repairs made.  Not sure where that will take place.  Hopefully, it can wait until we get to the Chesapeake.

300 horsepower and pulling from the right angle
freed us to travel on.

 Gotta smile – We’re lovin the ride!     Yes, even today…..            

St Augustine & Escaping Tropical Storm Debby

June 22 - 27, 2012

Approaching St Augustine -- founded 55 years before
the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

St. Augustine is one of those great American cities that has something for everyone.  History, pirate lore, art, restaurants, shopping, beautiful architecture and it is right on the intercoastal waterway.  When we arrived, we thought that we would stay one night.  We pulled into the Riverside Marina and were told that it was only a couple of blocks to the trolley and about a half mile into town.  Ok, I can do that even though it is midday and the humidity is about 90%.  They lied…….. I thought I might have to lie down on the sidewalk and wait to be resuscitated.  After walking about ¾’s of a mile, we finally arrived at the trolley stop. What a relief!  We rode around the entire route to figure out the lay of the land (and, to let me recover). While touring we found the Municipal Marina which really is only a couple of blocks from downtown. Tomorrow we will be moving the boat.

Bob and Cheryl -- friends from Minnesota

As we were waiting for the next trolley, we heard someone yelling “Smillies, Smillies”. There were friends from our church in Minnesota. Cheryl and Bob had moved to Oregon and then Florida. We haven’t seen them in years. We asked if they wanted to come and see the boat and they offered to drive us. Yes, I’ve been saved from the return trek!  Glad to see Bob and Cheryl, but really grateful for the ride!

The next morning we moved the boat and planned to spend two more days exploring the city.  We promised Christopher that we’d go to the Pirate and Treasure Museum and to the fort.  Both were fun stops.

Castillo de San Marcos -- The Spanish fort

Spanish soldier

Having second thoughts about being shot
out of a cannon

People were defiantely shorter back then.
Watch tower to see incoming pirates and
invaders.

Blackbeard was the most feared of all the pirates. He never bathed, put lit fuses in his braided beard and laced his rum with gun powder lit it and drank the fiery potion. Apparently his girl friend wouldn't sleep with him because he smelled so bad.....imagine that!  I'm more surprised that he had a girl friend.

Monday was our expected day of departure, but our weather was now being influenced by Tropical Storm Debby -- 25 mile per hour wind with 40 mile per hour gusts and torrential rain. At that point Debby was on a track to go to Apalachicola. Tuesday morning we decided to make a run for it (at 8 miles per hour). Debby had changed course and was aiming for St Augustine and Jacksonville. Most of the day was calm and dry. About 4:30 the wind picked up along with the rain. In spite of the weather we wanted to push as far as we could. At 7:30 we dropped our anchor in Georgia completing 78 miles. We’ll be off early tomorrow --trying to put a little more space between us and Debby.

We sat on the front of the boat for two hours
in northern Florida looking for alligators.
Didn't see one-----
Saw lots of other critters including wild pigs!

This is sunset Tuesday night.  The dark at the bottom
of the picture is black clouds with blue sky behind. 
Very weird!

Brian and I were both up several times during the night to make sure the boat was secure.  The wind howled all night.  Our anchor held well in a mud bottom.  In fact, when we pulled it up it had a good fifty pounds of sticky mud attached.  We seem to have gotten beyond Debby’s reach.The sky is blue again and the winds are manageable.

     

 

Gotta smile - we're lovin the ride!

Good Times and Sights Along The Way

June 21, 2012

We anchored near Merritt Island on Tuesday night about fifteen miles from Kennedy Space Center.  A satellite was being launched Wednesday morning and we wanted to be there.  The government is pretty strict about where you can be during launches.  If your boat is in the security zone, you can be fined $250,000, put in jail for ten years and your boat confiscated.  (Jennifer would be really ticked if we got arrested and her six year old was put in jail.)  The launch actually went off almost an hour before scheduled.  I didn’t think that a launch ever went off on time and certainly not an hour early.

 

Ok -- It wasn't the best view, but we were there!
The rocket is the dot above the blue sky...

 

Building his own spaceship -- Lego X-Wing Fighter

That is not the bait -- That is the catch  of the day!

See the guy standing at the top of the mast?
One more reason we do not have a sail boat!

 

Take my word for it -- three manatees....
You will need to look them up on the internet to
see what they really look like.

Palm trees waiting to be planted.
They have only a few stringy roots.

Planted and braced they thrive.

Wouldn't you want to buy a house from us?

It looked like New Smyrna Beach
would be a good place to anchor Wednesday night.  About a half hour before we arrived, Brian said “doesn’t Dixie have a house in New Smyrna?”  Dixie and I were friends and sold real estate together in Minnesota for 26 years.  On a whim I called her.  All the time I was thinking “why would someone from Minnesota come to Florida in the middle of June?”  One good reason: her granddaughter is in a volleyball tournament in Orlando.  She's here with her son and his family for a week to be cheer leaders.  We also found that the city had just installed a dock downtown and it was free!  By the time we pulled in Dixie, her son, Jeff, and his two sons were waiting for us.  They took us to a great seafood restaurant for dinner.  Christopher got to eat at a table with the two 13 year old boys....  he thought he was quite the big boy laughing at all of their jokes.  What a treat to have an unexpected visit and hug from a dear friend.  Once again -- Wouldn't have happened if we had left Stuart the beginning of the month as previously planned.      

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!     

A Couple Things Before We Leave

June 19, 2012

At 4:00 on Monday we finally pulled away from the Stuart gas dock.  At last, we were underway!  31 miles later we anchored near Fort Pierce.  It was a short day of travel, but monumental after all of the delays.

Delays kept us in Stuart 18 days longer than we planned, but we gained some great memories!

Last week, walking back to the boat we passed a couple that Brian thought looked familiar.  We kept walking, and he continued to say that looks like Tim from the Porsche Club.  We haven’t seen Tim for at least 15 years.  I told him he better go chase them down or he’ll be wondering about it for the rest of the day.  Well, of course, it was Tim and his wife Sue.  They just bought a beautiful Italian boat and were only in Stuart for one night and were walking our dock even though their boat was on another.  They live in Colorado in the winter and spend their summers in Minnesota.  We asked them to stop by for a drink and had so much fun talking that we walked to downtown Stuart for dinner to continue the conversation.  Another one of those small world experiences….

Healthy and Happy

Friday morning Brian had the stitches removed from his basal cell surgery.  They couldn’t take all of them out.  One area needed a little more time to heal.  Another visit on Monday completed the procedure.  Healthy skin is his again!



Saturday finally arrived and it was time to pick up Christopher.  We met in Delray Beach for lunch with Ian and his Aunt and Uncle.  At their home I saw mangos growing for the first time – a pretty weird plant. 

The boys introduce me to a scary pirate!

Looks like a well fed group

Mangos grow on a tree and hang
from a 9 inch stem. 

Father’s Day was celebrated with breakfast at Steak and Shake (its really good – try it) on our way to the Kennedy Space Center.  The guys totally agreed the tour and movies were awesome.  Dinner followed in Vero Beach watching big waves break and me explaining the fine art of body surfing to a six year old. 

Chocolate chip pancakes and a breakfast skillet
before Kennedy Space Center on Father's Day.

Christopher in front of the missiles

Gotta smile – we’re lovin the ride!