Working our way south

We were finally able to get off about 1115 on September 23 after waiting for the completion of our companionway security door. It is unique but a very simple design. It has a 1/2" stainless steel mesh woven 12 gauge metal cloth welded into a 3/4" angle iron frame that slides into the companionway. On the inside is a bug screen and on the front is a hasp that can be used to padlock to our companionway hatch. This coupled with our hatch bars will hopefully provide a deterrent to boardings by local criminals in places we visit.

 
A view of the door inserted into our companionway.

But we got underway and of course we missed any wind. Motoring down the Bay the water was mostly glassy the entire way. We were lucky enough to have current with us so we made good progress for most of the day. We had thought about stopping in Mill Creek off the Great Wicomico River near Reedville, VA but it became apparent we would be getting there after dark. Since the creek channel is narrow and not well marked we looked at other options and chose to anchor behind Sandy Point in the Great Wicomico. As darkness fell I turned on the radar as I usually do and it was very

View of the shoreline

helpful in picking our way through the many fish traps around the entrance channel as well as the many unlit marks. When we got to the anchorage we saw 2 anchor lights but I had 3 returns on the radar and after searching with a light we found a 3rd boat and dropped anchor far away from all of them. Coming in the Wicomico we were treated to a brilliant array of phosphorescence in the wake of the boat and the prop wash looked like a jet vapor trail in the water.

View across the anchorage

After a peaceful and quiet night we motored out about 8 with relative ease and again picked up an outgoing current. Forecast was for some wind to come up mid-morning and could be sailable.  After motoring for 3 hours with some teases of wind it did come up mildly behind us so we popped the spinnaker and took off with the wind building.  Wind was coming from a very spinnaker friendly

A little traveler along for the ride

direction 15-20 and we were running at 8-9 kts.  Unfortunately the wind continued to clock around and we had to either jibe or drop the chute.  I was able to use the main to push wind into the spinnaker for probably 10-15 miles but eventually even that became a struggle. With not many miles

Working our spinnaker run

to go and knowing how long and hard it was to jibe we opted to just go on main only. But getting down the chute proved to be difficult with the wind back-winding it and blowing it over the genoa. Finally we got it down and sailed the rest of the way to the channel into Hampton where we brought in the main and motored to our slip.

We had made a slip reservation at the Hampton Public Piers on the recommendation of one of our friends who also happened to have a coupon for a free night they weren't going to use. So we checked in there for 2 nights and made plans to meet with another college friend Bob Kukich and his wife

Hampton downtown

Sam. We walked about and had a beer and appetizer at the Venture Restaurant and Bar before heading back for a nice dinner aboard.

After a day of boat chores and catching up we had the good fortune to have Bob and Sam come by the boat for drinks and then went to the Deadrise Restaurant at the former Ft Monroe. We had a great visit and hopefully will lead to more opportunities for getting together.

Our dinner with Bob and Sam.

View from the Deadrise Restaurant.

So after our great evening with Bob and Sam we prepared and left Hampton heading for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. We left the slip about 0700 with little wind to help us and we worked our way

The views at Mile 0 of the ICW.

through the wickets getting down the waterway. Our first disappointment was a delay at the Gilmerton Bridge as the bridge tender took exceptionally long to raise the bridge. That delay then caused us to miss the 1030 opening of the Great Bridge Lock which set our trip back an hour. Going on we got through the other bridges and on down to Coinjock, NC. Last week the ICW was closed due to high water. The Dismal Swamp Canal is still closed. But coming down from the Norfolk area the water in the channels was deeper than usual. Most of the channels had water at least 10' in places where in the past we were nearly bumping.

From Coinjock on skinny water is less an issue so we hopefully have come through the hard parts and the rest of the trip on the ICW will be as uneventful.

Now that we're underway our next stop is Cherry Point to visit my son's family.

Deja vu all over again

Yogi Berra's famous quote comes to mind often. We were here in June doing work but we were here twice last year and for months in 2014 getting the boat outfitted. But, beyond that we have been provisioning for a really long trip, visiting medical appointments, seeing old friends and going to places we used to frequent.  Driving the beltway in rush hour it almost seems like we never left but then we're back on the boat and this is our reality.

We've spent 2 weeks in Oxford doing some relatively minor repairs and services while we tended to our longer term requirements. Our medical issues are being resolved but will take more time. We have seen many old friends since we've been back in the Bay but we probably won't see many again for a long time unless they come visit us. We have added stores of food and beverages to support us on out trip. But of course at some point they will be exhausted and how we replenish them is still an open question. But we have to stock to get to our first destination.

Pusser's new Gunpowder Proof Rum that finally we got to try.

Other than some routine maintenance the only new addition we completed in Oxford was our companionway security door that we expected to get in Galesville but were not happy with the outcome. We have a simple steel mesh welded into a frame with a bug screen on the inside so we can leave the companionway open for ventilation when we are off the boat or sleeping but have it fully secured against intrusion. Most of the places we go it probably isn't necessary but there are some high crime areas we will be visiting.

Nearly full moon rising over the Boatyard.

Lunch with Jim and Jean Upson.

One of the spectacular sunsets over the Boatyard.

Our big events were the times we met with family and friends before shoving off. Nearly everyday we had lunch or dinner with friends. Often several different ones on the same day. One recent weekend we drove to Pennsylvania and met my college classmate Mike Campbell and his delightful wife Hannah. Then we continued to Wilkes Barre to meet grandson Alex. The next day we spent the afternoon with my sister in Lancaster and dinner with two of my sons; Justin and Jonathan.

Mike and Hannah Campbell.

Justin and Jonathan.

Seeing old friends and falling back into portions of our previous lives provides a siren's song to days past and a fleeting thought about how it would be nice to do the things we did for years. But, the reality of what we are doing now is so much nicer. With any luck we leave tomorrow to head on down the Bay as the first step to an extended journey.

We've been here long enough it's time to move on from where we've been.

Old friends and new friends

After arriving back in the Bay our first port of call was Spring Cove Marina in Rock Hall, Maryland for 5 nights to achieve several different objectives but primarily the Chesapeake Island Packet mini-rendezvous. From there we planned several other calls that would lead us back to Oxford to complete the last bit of work before heading south.

From our anchorage in Worton Creek the trip to Rock Hall was only about 15 miles but we had current with us and no wind. So we motor sailed with what little wind we had while tacking to keep it far enough off the bow to get some lift. Rock Hall has mostly shallow water and the charts show a bar running south that would demand that we make the entrance a long way around. Having been in the area a couple of times I recalled that there was a path cutting across but didn't remember the way so I called our old friend Hayden Cochran who gave the vectors and we got across and into the marina safely. All the way in we had enough water but not by much.

Dinner at the Harbor Shack with fellow IP owners David and Peg Schaake.

Our first objective at Spring Cove was to drive into Virginia to see an orthopedic surgeon about my finger. We accomplished that and they removed the sutures so I was no longer required to keep my finger dry but still no swimming. We used the trip to also do some needed provisioning since our last opportunity was in Newport with some minor shopping along the way.

After dinner waiting for the trolley back to the boats (photo credit Hayden Cochran).

The IP mini-rendezvous was similar to the one we attended in Maine last summer but with a totally different set of boats. About 30 boats were represented and gave us an opportunity to visit with some old friends but we met several new couples that we got to know fairly well. Numerous folks came to visit our boat to get ideas from the work we had completed preparing her for our life aboard. The rendezvous is a great opportunity to get insight from others and share experiences. In spite of the heat the breeze kept it very pleasant during one of the hot spells of the summer. Would have been nice if our A/C worked but we'll get that fixed in Oxford. But in the end we got to meet lots of new folks and had a great time.

Sunday morning coffee (photo credit Hayden Cochran).

Among the new folks we met were David and Peg Schaake who keep their boat in Annapolis and offered that if we were coming to Annapolis we could probably use a slip in the marina at their condo. So given our dinghy challenges we accepted and were able to use an empty slip on Spa Creek for 2 nights that we spent in Annapolis. While in Annapolis we were able to visit with our old friends Al and Trish Del Negro. Since we were able to walk from the dock we were able to do some shopping and carry things back to the boat.

Stopping at Pusser's Dock Bar for a Painkiller.

But Wednesday came and time to leave but we once again were forced to motor our short trip down to Herrington Harbour.  We had slips at HHN for 10 years but this would be our first trip back in the 2 years since we left cruising. The only time we had this boat at HHN was one night when we took it over to HHN from Oxford to move off of our previous boat on to this boat. That was a whirlwind and very cold around Thanksgiving of 2014 about 2 weeks before we left to go south.

While at Herrington we got to see many of our old friends. On Friday night we went as guests to a slip holders party where we saw many old friends. Saturday night we hosted a happy hour on our boat since the threatened tropical storm canceled the cruise. After the happy hour we went to dinner with our good friends Larry and Pam Brown. While in our slip we made friends with several new live aboards so our circle continues to expand.

The hurricane party on 9/3/2016.

Enjoying a night out in Annapolis with Ed and BJ Skinner. Friends from Marathon.

One of the key reasons we went to HHN was so that we could have easy access to northern Virginia for Linda's follow-up surgery. Back in July she had the benign tumor on her hand removed but they did not get all the bad tissue so a follow-up was required. This time they were successful but the sutures and the dressing will leave her challenged for several weeks.

Post op recovery.

We also used the opportunity to begin stocking up or our trip. The Friday and Tuesday around Labor Day we spent shopping and running errands. Among the errands was getting paper charts and courtesy flags for our trip since there are no chart books and we really need to have the flags before we get into the countries were visiting.

So after being at HHN for a week it was time to move on. The time we weren't running errands we spent with friends old and new. Our next stop is Oxford to get the boat ready to leave. The list isn't long but there is lots to do so after visiting with old friends its time to get to work.

Leaving Herring Bay and Herrington Harbour for probably the last time for a long time.