Oct. 31, 2003 at Portsmouth, VA

We took a walk to Eastport before we left Annapolis, but the weather did not clear as forecast.  We located a place that had spare kill switches for the outboard.  It's one of those little items you use regularly that would be hard to replace if it accidentally dropped overboard, stranding you either on board or on shore.

Needless to say, we were glad to see clear skies the next morning and we headed back into the Chesapeake with several other boats.  The forecast had small craft warnings for most of the Bay due to NW winds in the 15 to 20 knot range which gave us a great sail (averaging 7 kts) down the Bay to Solomon's Island at the mouth of the Patuxent River.  Sailing with the wind is much more pleasant than beating into it under these conditions.

Last year when we stopped at Solomon's there were very few boats in the anchorage, so we were surprised to find it chock full this year.  We found a spot way up the creek, glad that we'd explored the area in the dinghy on previous trips so we knew we'd have enough water under the keel to keep us afloat.  We launched the dinghy and went ashore to take a walk into town and pick up a few provisions.

Now that the rain has stopped our weather can be classified as CCC (clear, calm and cold), a change from the HHH (hazy, hot and humid) we had for much of the summer.  The calm usually departs with sun rise, and the cold part requires multiple layers of cloths and fleeces to keep us warm, especially once the wind picks up.

True to form, we left Solomon's in bright sunshine and once the sails were up the wind arrived to provide us with another great sail.  Leonard groused about sailing all day to only go 10 miles further south by land, but we did head up the Potomac River to the St. Mary's River to visit St. Mary's City.  It was getting late in the day when we sailed up the river, so we stopped short of our destination and explored Inegoes Creek which looked interesting on the chart.  We found a pretty spot, mostly surrounded by woods that was reminiscent of some of our favorite anchorages at home, and settled in for a quiet night.


In the morning we heard a flock of crows making a real ruckus.  They were chasing a group of red tailed hawks through the trees.  By the time I got the camera, 2 of the hawks had settled at the top of a nearby tree.  But just as I got them in focus, they were chased away by the arrival of 2 bald eagles.  There seems to be a pecking order for just about everything.

Leonard had looked at the chart and thought if we could get ashore from the cove, we'd just about be at St. Mary's City, but since we weren't sure, we headed up the river as directed by the waterway guide.  We passed the Maryland Dove, a replica of a 17th century vessel, tied up at a dock at the museum.  The guidebook directed us to go a bit further to anchor off St. Mary's College where it was an easy paddle to shore and a short walk to the historic site.

We weren't sure what was at the "city" - the guidebook did say no facilities were available.  It is a state museum and an archeological dig site managed by the college and state.  It is the 4th oldest, successful, English settlement in America, dating back to the 1630's. The settlement was started by Lord Baltimore, a Catholic, and became the first capitol of Maryland.  The settlement was successful in part to the Native Americans who helped the settlers with shelter and crop information and, for a while, it was the capital of Maryland.

The premise of the city was religious freedom with tobacco farming for export to England the primary source of income.  Needed goods were bought with the promise of future pounds of tobacco which provided greater incomes to the settlers than the crafts they had practiced in England.  Most people arrived as indentured servants who were able to apply for land plots once they had worked off their debt, usually 3 to 5 years.  Since men outnumbered women about 2 to 1, finding a wife to bear children (free labor until they reached their early teens) was a priority.

In the 1970's the city was rediscovered as an archeological site adjacent to St. Mary's College and as much land as was believed to have been part of the original sight was purchased to preserve it.  Archeological work is ongoing to uncover more artifacts and building locations. Several buildings have been rebuilt, many others have wooden frames to show original location.  A small Indian village and a plantation have been incorporated into the museum.  The city has people in period costume who tell about the life in the 1600's when the city was thriving.

We had interesting conversations with several of them.  The plantation owner was the only one who kept strictly to his period role, seeming to misinterpret questions regarding current visits by school children (education took second place to the free labor which began at the age of 3 or 4).

It is a popular field trip with schools, especially 4th graders, who are learning state history.  There were a number of groups in attendance with us at the sight.  It was an interesting day and we spent more time there than we'd planned.  We had seen our previous night's anchorage from the plantation.  There was a dock, but it didn't look too sturdy.


Since the battery indicator Leonard installed last year was telling us the batteries needed more charging, we motored back and anchored almost in the same spot as the night before. It appears there is a problem either with the Link 10 indicator, our alternator, or the new Die Hard batteries in the house bank.  The batteries act like they are fully charged when we run the engine, but then appear to be less charged when we start drawing power from them than they have previously.  If it's not one thing, it's another.

On Saturday we headed back down the Potomac to the Bay.  We were again blessed with a down wind run and plenty of wind to sail.  We'd about caught up with our previous trip's schedules, so rather than a long day, we headed into Dymer Creek off Fleets Bay on the western shore. There we had our pick of big houses to anchor in front of for the night.

With the northerly winds, the days have been sunny but cold.  Daytime temperatures have been in the low 50's, below the average norm.  Since it's stopped raining, nights have been colder too, with freeze warnings posted nightly for areas not adjacent to the Bay.  We are looking forward to the warming trend that has been promised for this week, even though it will bring SW winds that will be the nose for the next few days.

We had an interesting experience as we approached the Piankatank River Sunday.  The VHF radio was on and we happened to hear a very clear distress call.  A Cal 24 had lost its keel and was taking on water through the keel bolt holes.  They had dropped sail to keep from being turned over and wanted help.  The voice on the radio was very calm given the situation, only saying once that they didn't have much time. Leonard understood their position to be 3/4ths a mile off Jackson Creek, which is at the southern entrance to Deltaville, a major yachting center.  The Coast Guard must have heard the same thing since the airplane they dispatched flew over us heading north toward the creek before circling back.  We had been looking toward the creek to see if we spot the boat.  It wasn't until Leonard glanced south that he saw a small boat with sails down frantically motoring toward us.  The distance must have been 3 or 4 miles and was misinterpreted by those of us hearing the call.

We rolled up our jib and motored over.  They said the water was currently under control, but would we please follow them in case they had problems.  We did until a Coast Guard boat came out of Deltaville to escort them. I never knew a little outboard could push a boat that fast into waves.  Maybe being sans keel makes a difference, we had trouble keeping up with them.



We met Bob and Sandy Warren last summer when we chanced to visit mutual friends in Vermont.  We took them for a sail and learned they were members of a yacht club with a sailboat in the Chesapeake.  We'd traded boat cards, so I gave them a call thinking we could join them on the Bay for a sail while we were in the area.  They'd just hauled their boat for the season, but invited us to make use of the yacht club facilities and offered laundry, a provisioning run, and a tour of their area.

Their home and club are located on Stutts Creek, accessible either via the Piankatank River or from the Bay through a cut aptly named "Hole in the Wall".  We've looked at this cut before,  but the 5 foot charted depths have kept us away.  They advised the longer, deeper route around Gwynn Island and, after the bridge tender finished replacing a light bulb on the top of the bridge, we continued on our way through Milford Haven and up Stutts Creek.  They met us at the dock and offered us hot showers, a real treat since neither of us has wanted to get wet when the cabin temperature hovers in the 50's.

They live in Mathews, a small town located between Mobjack Bay and the Piankatank River.  We've anchored in the area on every trip we've made with Antares.  Bob's family dates back to the early 1600's in the area, so he filled us in on the history.  A Confederate hospital that was run by the first woman to receive an army commission is in town.  The town wharf that was used for years is still standing, but oyster and crab packing places are gone.  The wharf has been purchased by the Land Conservancy and is used as a town park.  The local school has a tug boat that is used for hand's on training for interested kids.

We met more members of their yacht club at a party that night.  It was at an interesting house on the Piankatank River.  Unfortunately with the time change, it was dark when we arrived, but we think we may have anchored out front last fall.  They urged us to stop in next time we're there.  Some greatly appreciated southern hospitality.

It's been suggested our 2 yacht clubs draw up a mutual reciprocal agreement, giving member use of each other facilities.  It was a deal for us, with a night's free dockage.  At this point in the year, their club is only officially open of Fridays, so we were the only ones there.


We departed Stutts Creek early this morning.  We took the long way around again since Bob said he'd touched bottom last week with his boat going out Hole in the Wall.  They'd then taken their motor boat out and were unable to find a channel with more than 4 feet of water.

We are headed for Norfolk tonight. One of the rules of thumb we've heard about going south is to be south of Norfolk by Halloween.  Leonard reported 16 sailboats headed south today, and there have been innumerable power boat wakes that have sent us rolling.  Since it is Halloween today, maybe others have heard the same saying.

We reached the anchorage at Hospital Point around 5 this afternoon.  It was the first day on the Bay that we had to resort to the iron genny all day.  We did manage to catch some current push both coming down the Bay and after a bit of counter current, again coming into Norfolk.  I don't know if we should claim good planning or just plain luck.  We saw several Navy ships departing with the tide as we passed the Navy docks.

We shoe horned our way into the already crowded anchorage, only to have more boats arrive after us.  We did have one trick or treater, dressed as King Neptune complete with trident, who arrived in a dinghy.  His dad, who was driving, had a realistic pair of devil's horns as his costume.  It looked like another dinghy was going around the other end of the anchorage, but they didn't get to us.


We are thinking about taking the Dismal Swamp route this trip.  The town of Elizabeth City at the other end has been trying to keep the route open, but the rumor is their success maybe coming to an end. Fred, a 90 year old resident of Elizabeth City, has been bringing roses to women on boats for years, as well as offering cheese and wine whenever 3 or more boats are on the dock.  We didn't stop there on our Dismal Swamp journey 2 years ago, and I'd like to see the town.

Nov. 5, 2005 at Belhaven, NC

We got an early morning start from Norfolk since we wanted to take on fuel and make the first bridge opening at 8:30 after the rush hour restrictions.  Like last year, there were a slew of boats maneuvering north of the bridge.  We had kept pace with a tug and barge knowing the restrictions don't apply to them, and since it was not yet 8:30 maybe we could get through with him.  When the tug spoke to the bridge tender he said he'd slow down so as not to scare the living bejazzbees out of the 20 or so boats waiting before the bridge.  He did request they move to the starboard side of the channel since he intended to turn to port right after the bridge. It took about 15 minutes to get all the boats through once the bridge opened.
 

I continue to find it amusing that the sport fishing types go full throttle once through a bridge in hopes they can get through the next bridge before the sail boats and trawlers arrive.  If they'd listen to the radio they'd know the bridge tenders pass on information to the bridges down the line as to how many boats they've cleared and what to expect.  This year we heard a couple of the boats complaining about the wait until the rest of us got there.  But wait they did.

About half the boats headed for the Virginia Cut, and the rest of us turned off for the Dismal Swamp cut.  We had lots of time since the next lock opening there wasn't until 11:00, so once we got by the lock we put the anchor down to hold us in place.  There were 12 of us in the lock, a mix of sail and power boats. Five on each side and 2 rafted in the middle to other boats.  The lock master was helpful, but told us not to order drinks when he made a "last call" for the 11:00 locking.

We all exited the lock and bridge like line of ducks.  It is a long, narrow, straight cut, and we were behind a Gulfstar 47 who's exhaust was less than welcome, so we let them get a bit further ahead. The day was sunny with a light wind and there was no rush. A steady 5 knots would easily make the 3:30 lock opening at the south end of the canal. There is a "cow" bridge on the canal that is used by a farmer to move his herd and equipment across the canal.  He was standing by the bridge waiting for the fleet to pass before taking his tractor across.


There are a few places you can tie up along the canal.  The first one being right at the start of the cut, so no one stopped there.  Most of the boats did stop at the North Carolina welcome center that provides 150 feet of free dock space along with rest rooms and water.  We had thought about stopping there, but the boats were already rafted 2 deep and more would likely be coming after the 1:00 and 3:30 lock openings, so we continued south alone. 

The canal was much more tranquil with beautiful reflections in the still waters. Skipper Bob's guidebook mentioned another free tie up at the town of South Mills, between the bridge and the lock.  We caught the 3:30 opening of the bridge and told the tender we'd stay the night.  Two other power boats continued on to Elizabeth City and we had the entire wall to ourselves.


We explored the town which consisted of 2 gas stations, a barber shop, a florist, 3 churches  and a post office.  It was a very quiet night. In the morning the lock master told us to go on ahead a tie up in the lock while he opened the bridge for the waiting fleet.  A cold front had passed through during the night bringing only a wind shift to the area. It was a down wind approach into the lock which can be tricky, go too slow and you loose steerage, go too fast and stopping becomes an issue. We managed to tie up at the very end, as directed.  In the "up" lock at the north end of the canal, the lock master had been there to take lines since the bollards were beyond the reach of boats.  This was a "down" lock and you could step off if needed to reach the bollards and there was no help.

In the preservation of our boat, we grabbed our safety harnesses and ran back to take the lines from the next boat as the dock master was still back at the bridge waiting for all the boats to pass.  They hadn't thought about putting out bumpers so were less than prepared.  After we got one side of the lock done, we ran across the lock gate and took lines on the other side.  Some folks thought we worked at the lock.  This time there were 14 boats in the lock.


Our payment for lending assistance to others was the spot at the head of the line.  This is the beautiful part of the canal once you clear the last bit of land cut.  We saw a fairly large snake swimming across in front of us, and followed a heron who was trying to keep ahead of us. This was more like I remembered from the last trip.  The guidebook talks about possibly seeing bears swimming across the canal.  They must mean in this section since a bear would have to be insane to swim across the narrow cut only to come out on Route 17, a major road.


We planned on stopping in Elizabeth City since we've heard about the Rose Buddies who welcome you with wine, cheese and a rose.  The city is also very old with interesting buildings and a bakery.  When we cleared the bridge just before the docks it was apparent dock space was at a premium.  We didn't want to raft up so we finally dropped anchor off the east side of the channel and soon boats were anchored on both sides of channel.

We launched the dinghy and explored the town, found the bakery/deli, and checked out the fleet that had found dock space.  It appeared a few had had brushes with the overhanging branches on the canal, and were working to fix things.  We didn't have problems with that, but did hear a thump on the keel while in the deep part of the channel.  I guess the Army Corp of Engineers don't get all the dead heads.

We talked with a few people at the wine and cheese party and learned only one boat had left that morning due to the north wind, hence the overload of boats.  Also, some folk's insurance won't allow them to be south of Norfolk before 11/2.  Others had spent days holed up in Annapolis, or Solomon's waiting for the winds to die back.  There are small craft advisories posted in the Chesapeake when they expect winds over 15K.  I also expect some folks heard the offshore forecasts which usually had higher winds and seas.  What it boiled down to was a big fleet in one spot headed in the same direction.

We also met Fred, one of the original Rose Buddies who started the tradition of a party when there are more than 4 boats on the docks.  He was quite the fellow, will be 92, and gets around in his golf cart.  It certainly keeps him active.

The next morning we departed as the sun rose.  We know there isn't enough daylight hours this time of the year to go through the Alligator Pungo Canal that leads into the Pamlico Sound from either Coinjock or Elizabeth City.  We also know there aren't a lot of anchorages either unless conditions are good.  We did get a 2 hour sail on the Albemarle Sound before the wind went to the SW. We also were the last boat of a group to get through the Alligator Bridge before a 30 minute delay.  We were also one of a multitude of boats headed the same direction.  Even more than had been at Elizabeth City once the 2 ICW routes joined up and the Virginia Cut boats joined the parade.

We anchored at Leonard's favorite spot in the area at Bear Point. We counted 20 boats anchored within sight, and had seen 3 others head south after the turn.  We were again treated to watching our tax dollars at work when the fighters began flying bombing practice runs in the area. There were no night runs this year.  They are impressive since you see the jet's exhaust.  It was another quiet night.


Yesterday we were in the middle of the pack.  Boats as far as you could see in either direction in the canal.  We set the jib once we were able to turn west, and sailed to Belhaven.  A number of the boats stopped at a marina just east of here and some continued south.  There were 12 anchored here last night.

We went ashore and found a part of town we hadn't explored on previous trips.  We located the boat yard associated with one of the marinas here, accessible by a small creek that must be deep enough since there were a number of sail boats in the yard.  We also found the crab processing plant that used to be on the waterfront and got some fresh crab meat.  We could have gotten whole crabs like we did in 1978,  but opted for the lazy man's route of a pound of shelled crab.  Last night's dinner was crab cakes. We also added to our stash of pecans. The plan is a pecan pie for Thanksgiving.

We plan on spending a day here. We hope to contact some friends who live in NC.  Most the boats have left already.  We haven't decided whether to head to Ocracoke or up to New Bern, or both before going to Beaufort. We'd rather not be part of a large fleet since some of the anchorages are small, especially if a strong cold front heads our way.

Nov. 8, 2005 From Beaufort, NC