Day 43-44 Alligator River & Broad Creek

Tonight (Friday) we are safely anchored & tucked into Broad Creek, just 4-5 miles North of Oriental, NC. Our trip here was uneventful thank goodness. We left the Alligator River this morning and travelled 22 miles through another canal but this was wider and deeper than the dismal swamp. We then travelled across Pimlico River into Goose River and through another canal. We were going to stop after apx. 50 miles of travel but the anchorage was so exposed to the winds we had we kept going another 12 miles or so into the Neuse River. The wind picked up to 18K and the waves increased also. We finally anchored with about 25 min. of daylight left and are now reading after a warm dinner of chicken curry. All together we travelled 72 miles today.

Yesterday was another story!!!! After leaving Elizabeth City dock (free!!) at 07:00 we motor sailed through the Elizabeth River into Albermarle Sound. There is a huge Coast Guard Air station along the coast. We saw blimps on the ground and a large CG plane was buzzing around for a while.

The weather prediction was wrong, of course and we encountered clouds, 25k winds and lots of short choppy waves because it is so shallow here. To top things off our engine started sputtering at 09:00 hours. Holding our breath we hoped for the best and got the worst. Our engine quit an hour later. We did not have conditions for Peter to change filters so we sailed across Albermarle Sound into the Alligator River. After 3 hours of this Peter turned the key and the engine started up so we motored through a swing bridge and made it to our anchorage in the river just before going into a canal. Thank goodness. Peter took an hour off to de-stress before tackling the filters. Then our battery monitor went haywire so Peter was able to check the battery charge and reset it. By the time we got to bed at about 10PM the wind was topping off at 25k in an anchorage with 10 boats and not much wind protection. We were up periodically throughout the night to check our position and Peter went topsides to check the anchor rode 3 times. The only one who slept was Pretzel. Are we having fun yet???

Anchorage in Alligator River...boats we travelled with s/v Meredith and s/v Mystic

The good news today was seeing some leg! It became so warm we finally put shorts on for the first time since leaving Annapolis. Oh and we now have mosquitoes again at night! Fun.. Fun.. Fun!!!! Bahamas baby....can't wait to put this behind us.

Days 40-41-42 Elizabeth City, NC

Monday saw us up early at 6:30, in the dark, preparing to cast off at 7:30. There were 10 sailboats rafted at the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center and we all planned to leave at the same time. We had to make a bridge opening and canal lock for 8:30 5 miles further on the canal. It was quite a site to see the parade. We were fourth in the lineup. It is all very polite the way everyone keeps up the same speed......there is no room for passing on this stretch! They say the water in the canal is the purest anywhere but the color (due to minerals) would really turn you off!!

The canal lock today was so much easier because the water was dropping down. It only took about 30 minutes for all 10 boats to get tied up in the lock and the water to drop 8'. We continued in the narrow canal for 10 more miles then it opened up into the Pasquatank River and we had breathing room...and passing space! All arrived in Elizabeth City at mile 68 of the ICW by 1PM. We were directed to our dock by Sam, the unofficial dock master. There is a wonderful tradition in Elizabeth City called "Rose Buddies". In 1983, Fred Kerns met some boaters and decided to greet them with wine & cheese and presented the ladies with a rose cut from his gardens. This tradition has continued, Fred passing away on 2007 in his nineties. What a nice tribute to his memory that the visitor's center and businesses continue his tradition.

The weather turned against us again so we stayed here Monday, Tuesday and Wed. We took the opportunity to some grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, and fix ups that needed to be done. We have socialized every day with the boaters we met on the Dismal Swamp. We will all be travelling again tomorrow so will probably be in the same anchorages for the next few days. Everyone has exchanged boat cards (like business cards) and there are at least 4 who are going to the Bahamas for the first time.

Day 39 The ICW and Dismal Swamp Canal

Today, October 25 marks our 34th wedding anniversary. We begin the 35th year on a new adventure and hope to be still married for our 36th!!!! We left Portsmouth, Rhode Island on September 17 and today, we left Portsmouth, Virginia at mile zero of the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW....or the ditch, for short).

This morning we woke to a strong north wind but we slipped our lines at 8.00am and headed into the ICW. What a thrill to go under that first bridge and begin to leave civilization behind, if only for a few days. We parted ways with our friends Dave and Trudy who took the Virginia Cut route south for the next 75 miles and we entered the Dismal Swamp Canal route.

We entered the first lock at mile 10 and waited anxiously for the lock to fill 12'and raise us up to the level of the canal and traveled through with three power boats and three sail boats.

Kinvara crossed from Virginia into North Carolina along the way. We have now moved into the deep South.

At mile 28 on the ICW we stopped for the night and rafted up three deep with 10 other sail boats at the Dismal Swamp Canal Visitors Center. We are all waiting to go through the lock at 8:30 tomorrow morning. As is customary we had cocktails and snacks together at the dockside. Cards were exchanged and plans for the next part of the voyage were discussed.

We were feeling very relaxed until we came upon the "Superintendent's" (of the Dismal Swamp) house along the bank.

Bob and Deanna, it is all you said it was. We are so glad we decided to take this route. The most striking feature so far for us are the "Water Vases". These are clusters of flowers and small trees and shrubs that have grown up on the top of the old pilings that once lined the canal. Not only are they exquisite above the water but the reflection doubles the beauty. Peter attempted to take some pictures but they probably do not do them justice.

Days 37-38 Norfolk, VA

Two days spent in Norfolk, Virginia anchored in Hospital Cove. Norfolk is on one side and Portsmouth, on the other side of the Elizabeth River. The US Navy must own 90% of the property and commercial (barges, tankers) the rest. On Friday we took a cute ferry from Norfolk to Portsmouth and walked around "Old Portsmouth". It was very quaint, reminding us of some areas of Newport, RI.





































Then we walked around the waterfront in Norfolk and had some fun with the statues in Waterside Park. It was fun being anchored in this cove because we could watch all the "big" boat traffic at all hours and see the lights of both sides at night. It was nicer than Atlantic City and much cleaner water too.















On Saturday morning we were having our coffee in the cockpit and watched the Princess Cruise line ship make it's way to their dock (just opposite us) to dock and unload. It's quite the ship and they have quite the security. Four Coast Guard boats (machine guns at the ready on the bow) escorted the ship in and waited for the Harbor Police to arrive to begin patrol of the safety zone.

By mid afternoon the wind started to "howl" up to 25K with promise to get stronger with approaching thunder storms. We were well set and holding well with our friends on Persephone beside us so we did not move an inch. Peter was in the dingy trying to find some provisioning. As he was returning to the boat Jane was in the cockpit and watched 2 boats drag anchor. Both were unattended, One was dragging close to our friends on s/v Persephone, and the other was moving toward the channel. Well we wasted no time getting into a marina just .7 miles further down the ICW for the night. S/v Persephone joined us. The wind topped out at 35-40K overnight.




Ian, did you know that your friend has famous ancestors? No wonder he loves the sea so much, its in his blood.

Day 36 Deltaville to Norfolk, VA

A beautiful sunrise greeted us in Deltaville this morning. About 15 min. later we had the anchor raised and were heading out of the little creek. A large dolphin greeted us along the way out, surfacing along our starboard side. The first 20 miles we had 4' seas and 15k wind. It calmed down after passing the York town river. We were greeted by another pod of dolphins and lots of sailboats heading south. Kinvara was averaging 8.5k the first 20 miles while motor sailing so we passed out all of them. Getting closer to Norfolk there was lots of boat & Navy activity. The US Navy must rule half of the Atlantic seacoast but Norfolk is definitely the staging area for active duty ships. The pictures don't capture the magnitude of ships along the river.









Once we arrived at Hospital Cove, our anchorage, we saw our new friends, Dave & Trudie, s/v Persephone again. Trudie and Jane made plans to get off the boat and find a pedicure!
Last night Peter tested his SSB radio. He was able to get through to Eric Mandelbaum aboard s/v Antares off Point Judith, RI. Eric was on his last leg of single handed sailing to Annapolis from Portsmouth, RI and back again. Bravo Eric, you are one incredible pirate. The SSB communication was extremely clear. We are so happy to finally have it fixed and relieved that we can now communicate long distances. We both plan to study for a HAM radio license this year.
Below are some of our sights coming into Norfolk. Talk about transformers!!

This one is for Bruce! This one is a little bigger than the one in Maine that I won the $2.00 driving the dingy under.

The ship on the left may be the one constructed from steel salvaged from the Twin Towers. It was one of two similar ships in the navy dock area we passed on our way in. With such power in our hands why can't we find Bin Laden???

Day 35 Solomons Island to Deltaville

We were wide awake this morning at 6AM to get ready to leave. Unfortunately their was not enough light to make our way out of the narrow shallow creek so we had to wait. By 6:50 we were on our way along with the fishing boats. It was an easy sail along the western shore of Chesapeake Bay. There is a long stretch of the Maryland coastline which is Navy property. We even passed a live target range (not practicing today)! There are lots of sailboats heading South, many are from Canada. We were able to pick up the southbound current once passing the Potomac River entrance and maintained a speed of 7.5K.

Made it into Deltaville at 3:30. This is a small tight anchorage with a depth of 8 feet under us. The entrance is a dog-leg type. We motored through the first set of markers then took a sharp turn to starboard and headed only about 25yds off a house and beach before turning again. It was a perfect 'Z' from start to finish.

The pictures show how close we were to the markers coming in. Hope to leave again by 7AM and be in Norfolk tomorrow.

Day 33-34 Solomons Island

Monday and Tuesday were spent getting things organized, laundry, last minute provisioning, and having our SSB fixed. It is so clear now listening to others. Glad to have that done. The plan is to leave Wed. morning as daylight breaks and travel 44-50nm to Deltaville. The weather window is great to Saturday. Hope to be in Norfolk by Friday.

Day 32 Patriots Sunday!

Jane took Pretzel for her walk this morning dressed in full fleece, foul weather gear, winter hat & hood. It was so cold she could see her breath. Overnight it was very windy and temps. in the 30's. The rain finally stopped and become misty air. We have had gale warnings in the Chesapeake for 3 days now. In the afternoon we had our new friends, Dave & Trudy off s/v Persephony, and Sandy & Bob of s/v Nightwind for a visit. After a few beers, crabbies, and snowflake cookies (thanks Trudie) we talked about the trip South and to the Bahamas. Sandy & Bob have done the ICW trip 14 times so they have all their experiences to share with us. We had a great time. Everyone is going separate ways now so we will stay in touch and meet up down the way.

We put a bucket under the dodger last night where water was dripping through the zipper. Everything was saturated after 3 days of rain. It was full this morning.

After our company left we watched the Patriots playing in the SNOW!!! We had that yesterday in rain! Anyway there were a few words said when the TV channel arbitrarily decided to switch to another game in the 3rd quarter. So we had to text the girls in Colorado to find out how the game went. Peter made pot roast (in our pressure cooker) for dinner-yummy. Things are starting to dry out and it already feels a little warmer.

Day 29-30-31 Oct. 15-16-17

Still stuck in Solomons Island. We are going through the same Nor-Easter that New England is having. Tomorrow is another storm moving in from the Carolinas coastline. Yesterday it rained hard all day. Peter and I escaped for an hour or so to go to the little restaurant, The Naughty Gull, for a dinner for 2. Being in Maryland everything is crab; crab cakes, crab legs, things stuffed with crab, etc., etc., etc. It was OK...not as good as The Grill at NEB but we have only eaten off the boat twice so it was a nice change.


Today, Friday. We are doing laundry, grocery shopping and meeting with some people traveling South. We had lunch with Norman and Linda Passmore who had their boat on our dock in NEB until they retired and moved south in 2007. It was nice catching up on our respective adventures and our plans for the future.

We had our new friends, Dave & Trudie for dinner last night. Dave looked at our SSB radio and figures something is not working correctly because we have so much squelch on it. Anyway we have someone coming Tuesday to look at it. So we are here until then. The weather is not going to break until Tues. anyway so we are OK with it.



Today, Saturday, it has rained all day and our heat is cycling on & off all day. Temps. in the 40's, windy, with soaking rain. Even our canvas is saturated and dripping through the zippers. Our enclosure has now become the back porch. Our forward cabin has now become the "hot press" (Irish for room with heat to dry damp items.







We visited another couple on their Beneteau42 today and they gave us lots of helpful hints on traveling down the ICW. They live in Hilton Head, NC. and have done the trip a dozen times. On our way to lunch yesterday we passed a very special store and had to return to take a picture for Pretzel's friend in Jamestown.

Day 28 October14th. Underway again.

We finally left the dock at Jabin's this morning at 8.30. We were both ready to move on after spending 14 days there tied to a dock in back creek. Our water maker is installed and our canvas work is complete so we are heading to Norfolk and the ICW. The weather has turned cold and raw so we were ever so glad to have the protection from our new enclosure. Looking at the way both of us are dressed in these pictures you would not think that we were comfy and cosy but the outfits were worn to leave the dock in the morning and fill our fuel tank prior to leaving the harbor. We had 10 to 15 k. winds and 2ft following seas down the Chesapeake so we made good time to Solomon Island. We may have to stay here for a day or two to avoid some wet and windy weather but new places are always fun and it looks as if there are several places of interest for us to visit.

For those of you in NEB who are following our blog we are tied up just a short distance away from ARIEL (Island Packet) which used to be on the 300 dock for several years. Norman and Linda retired and moved south in 2007. We have not seen them yet but hope to meet them while we are here.

Day 26 & 27 (Oct.12-13) New Friends and New Canvas

We met a couple aboard s/v Persephone who are cruising South & to the Bahamas for the first time...just like us! They are from Connecticut, have a Sabre 40, and left about the same time we did. Dave and Trudie are our age and we have much in common so far! They came to our boat with 2 friends, Ian & Mike,for drinks & munchies. Apparently Dave has done all the systems on his boat and he & Trudie have their Ham radio license so we will hopefully get lots of good advice and suggestions. We hope to meet up periodically along the ICW. By the way, Ian comes from Limerick in Ireland and now lives in Connecticut. He owns a 45ft Sabre and cant wait to retire and set sail for the setting sun.

Our new canvas arrived Tues. around noontime. As Mike & Robin started putting it together we started to feel warmth inside our new "room". It will be so nice to stay warm, dry, and 'bug' free while coasting along the ICW and beyond. It took over 3 hours to attach all the grommets and fasteners to the canvas and the cockpit area. We are sitting here, tonight, with our hatchway open and are warm! Mike, from Canvas Wizard, did a fabulous job and we thank Robin's husband for the referral! So far we have been extremely happy with the work done in Annapolis and with Jabin's Yacht Yard.

Tomorrow we push off the dock hopefully heading to Solomon Island. Good bye to Jill, Jim, and Scupper (Pretzel's friend) and we hope to see you cruising next year. Let us know if you start to move south!

Day 25 Oct. 11 NEB Surprise!!!

Today we woke to temps in the 40's, turned the heat on and decided to take a day off to do nothing! We walked with Pretzel to the main dock space and sat with a coffee and donut watching a group of Melges (?) racers about 20' preparing to race in an International championship at the end of the month. Each boat holds a team of 4. We watched teams from Italy, France, and the US in our marina. They have been going out every day since Friday for practice.

After returning to the boat Peter got a phone call from Marc & Mary Woodard. They are from NEB on m/v "The Good Life" on the 100 dock. They flew to Baltimore to attend a Kadey-Krogen gam in Solomon Islands. On their way back to the airport they stopped by and we had a great visit. It was so nice to see familiar faces from NEB!!! Thanks for the visit, Mark & Mary and we look forward to a possible southern rendezvous sometime in 2010. Stay in touch. We'll have a shot of Tullemore Dew in your honor when we finally get started on the ICW.

The next time we are in NE we'll stop by NEB to see who is around. We miss you all. Let us know if you happen to be in our territory in the Southern climes.

Perhaps the Mayor of 400 could loan us his parking space for a day? We'll bring the Port!