Exploring Charleston

On our past trips south we bypassed Charleston being far offshore on direct passages to Florida. This year because we didn’t expect to be back north for several years we decided to make additional stops along the way. We had planned to be in Charleston almost 2 weeks although part of the time we would be leaving the boat there while we visited Chicago. But, along came Hurricane Matthew and we ended up getting to Charleston after we expected that we would be leaving there. But we allocated 4 days to explore one of the treasures of the southern US.

When we got to Charleston we had some important work to accomplish. We needed to get the radar working, our in-cabin chart-plotter working, fix our autopilot and replace the TV after suffering damage during the wild ride of the trip here. Replacing the TV was time sensitive as Tuesday was the first game of the World Series for the Chicago Cubs on network TV. So we made a trip to Best Buy and got a replacement TV that fit the installation for the old TV thereby making the replacement easier but the screws needed to be replaced but at least we had TV.

Our first view of Charleston coming in the harbor just after dawn.

Our friend Dave Sikes came in just before us and anchored across from the marina for the first night. He then came in the marina and had to leave but we got together for dinner and happy hour on Friday night.

We used an Uber to go to Best Buy that turned out to be a treat. Our Uber driver was a French born woman that had lived in Charleston about 2 years but lived many other places around the world. She was an absolute delight with giving us ideas for local sights to see. She waited for us while we bought our TV and then drove us back to the marina. Having heard about prices of cabs in Charleston the fare was very reasonable. 

Sunset our first night.

The next morning (Wednesday) I contacted the Charleston Boatyard at their office on-site about making the other repairs. After waiting all day an electronics guy came and found the problem with the in-cabin chart-plotter to be a broken wire but couldn’t find the radar issue. After he left the radar worked. I suspect there is an issue with either the network bus or our cockpit chart-plotter which we will only find when it fails. He did come back and install a software update to our chart-plotter which still has us confused and has really messed up our Bahama charts. It’s not enough the hurricane changed the landscape, now we have charts that screwy. The tiller pin in the autopilot sheared off from the stress and it was able to be welded together to work but I have ordered new ones from the factory.

We came to Charleston for fun and we really enjoyed the visit. Walking around the streets of the historic district was quite fascinating as so much of southern US history and culture is rooted there. Charleston was a key city during the American Revolution and a key colonial port. The first shots of the US Civil War were fired at Charleston harbor attacking Fort Sumter, still a landmark in the harbor. Charleston’s market dates back to just after the revolution and is a lot like historic markets in Boston and New Orleans.

View of the yard of a home near the marina.

Another yard in the same neighborhood.

The front of the Charleston Market.

The historic US Custom House.

We found several wonderful places for enjoyable dining. In the French Quarter is a wonderful patisserie. The almond croissants at Christophe’s Artisan Patisserie were outstanding along with everything else we had there. We had dinner Thursday night at an excellent farm-to-table restaurant, The MacIntosh, where the food was all supplied from local farmers and producers with everything well prepared. The truffle fries were addicting.

Christophe's Artisan Patisserie.

Enjoying happy hour at the Republic Garden.

McIntosh's Restaurant.

Queology an excellent "Que" place down by the Market.

Iconic Charleston.

Additional antebellum homes.

Interesting Hallowe'en decorations.

Another beautiful home.

So after completing our repairs and experiencing a short but pleasant stay it was time to head further south to Jacksonville. We left our slip just about slack tide on Saturday 29 October and were able to catch the outgoing current all the way out to sea and get a good start on our trip south.

The passage to Jacksonville was fairly benign without the trauma and tragedy of the passage to Charleston.  We entered the St John’s River in the dark but it is a wide commercial channel and easy to navigate. We had the current with us going in and made the 30 mile trip to our marina in what seemed like very quick time. We had to wait for the Main Street lift bridge but we still got to the Marina before it opened at noon and got into our slip in time to nap before getting to work.

We arrived in Jacksonville on October 30 after leaving Oxford, MD on 23 September. But much happened on those intervening weeks and now in Jacksonville our last US port of call to prepare for our overseas adventure.

Whoever said getting there is half the fun?

After analyzing the weather and currents we decided to leave Cherry Point on Sunday 23 October for Charleston. Planning an itinerary is difficult when the distance is too much for one day but not enough for two which was the case going from Cherry Point to Charleston. If we left early in the morning the day of departure we would probably get to Charleston sometime in the overnight the following day. So with an eye toward currents we decided to leave Cherry Point early afternoon on Sunday that would get us into Charleston Tuesday morning but not too early.

Surveying the weather it looked like we might have favorable winds to sail with a slight chop all that would be very welcome. So after saying goodbye to my son Jeremy and his wife Regina we made ready and departed about 1400 Sunday afternoon knowing that we would be offshore before dark.

We had a favorable current going down the Neuse River but caught the end of the incoming tide in much of Adams Creek. As we got into the Newport River the tide turned and we motored very quickly offshore aided by the current as darkness began to fall. The forecast was for West or Northwest winds that would have been very favorable but as we came down the Newport River I sensed they were more Southwest as the morning TV weatherman had forecasted so I was hoping things might change once we got offshore.

Passing Fort Macon, NC just off Morehead City, NC.

Once we got offshore I tried to turn on the radar because several of the marks in the Beaufort shipping channel were off station and a dredging operation was setup offshore. I found that our radar was not reporting. It worked fine earlier in the week but I had not checked it the day before we left. To make matters worse the wind was squarely southwest in the direction we were headed and the chop was coming straight at us. Over the night we took wave after wave over the bow and at times were only able to make 2-3 kts. So I pulled out the mainsail and fell off to get some lift and we powered our way on crossing the Frying Pan Shoals early in the morning. Once through the shoals we turned due west and pulled out the staysail for additional power in an effort to get closer to shore for less chop.

Sunset offshore of NC before the surf began to build.

Crossing the shoals took us far offshore so it was a long slog back into shore. With the heavy surf I didn't want to chance cutting the shoal in areas where there are reported 4-5' depths and it would have been dark trying to go into Masonboro Inlet with the rough seas so we opted to go on outside. Once we turned the seas continued higher. The predicted 2-3' seas were easily 6-8' with some waves higher. In our slog back in we lost a boat hook (second one this year) and our autohelm broke.  With our autopilot disabled we had to hand steer the rest of the way to Charleston (about another 24 hours) but I was able to trim up the sails and use the wheel break to hold close to course and by mid-afternoon we were close to shore and much calmer seas.

We heard cruisers on the radio who were trying to come offshore talking to each other and they were all turning around and staying inside on the ICW because of the rough conditions. We got a radio call from our good friend Dave Sikes who was on the inside and looking to come out and he made it out at Little River Inlet and we followed him all the way to Charleston.

The remainder of the trip was uneventful and the wind finally switched and we were able to sail for about 5 hours overnight until time to turn in the channel at Charleston where we pulled down the sails. We could have and should have sailed in but I'm reluctant to sail in channels I'm not familiar with that have lots of commercial traffic such as Charleston so we motored to our slip arriving about 930 .




Sailing in to Charleston Harbor under nice sun after a rough passage.

We made it successfully but with more damage than ever before due to the rough seas. We lost a boathook, we had no radar, we lost our autohelm and in at least one of the waves we submarined we took water through the dorades that killed our TV. For a one day offshore trip we did not anticipate such bad conditions based on the forecast and it cost us. In Charleston we could get it fixed before continuing on so we had a work schedule for when we got there.

But, we're in Charleston and time to enjoy.

Danger gone all things righted time for a road trip we're all excited

After the fact for us Hurricane Matthew became a non-event very quickly. Sunday afternoon the sun came out but it stayed breezy for several days. Not so fortunate for other places and some not so far away. My daughter in Florida and son right here had no damage but areas we planned to visit and areas not far from here were devastated. We thank God we had no damage and pray for those who did.

Prepared for the storm.

Looking out during the storm.

We had one order of business after the storm that had been scheduled several days earlier. We had an unusual odor from our generator once when starting so we called for a repair. The repairman came out Monday after the storm but so he could check out the genset I had to remove everything from our 2 cockpit lockers for him to do his work. Then add to this the prep we had done for the storm and our boat was crowded and confused. The mechanics review didn't take long and we discussed some repairs and he was gone. Now we had the challenge to stage the boat for the rest of the day and then change it in the morning when we leave.

Driving in Virginia headed into West Virginia.

For some time we had planned to head to Chicagoland about the 11th of October for some family events. We had planned to leave the boat in Charleston and make the trip but with the storm we opted to stay at Cherry Point so now we are and ready to leave from here. On Tuesday morning we got up early and rearranged the boat so the mechanic could have free and easy access to the genset to do the repairs needed and then we headed off to Chicago.

First stop was in Champaign, IL to celebrate Seth's birthday on October 12th. We arrived shortly after noon and settled in for our few days stay. After Seth finished work we drove over to Gibson City, a small town about 30 miles away for dinner at a German Restaurant- Bayern Stube at Seth's request. A bit unusual since none of us eat like that usually so a special treat for his birthday.

At dinner with Seth.

Thursday we had the chance to again meet up with a college classmate, Greg Haugens and his lovely wife Valerie at another great Champaign restaurant, Desthil. We also met Greg about a year ago in Champaign and we enjoyed the time catching up. It's always great to see friends from so many years ago but it's like nothing to catch-up right where we left off. Hopefully Greg and Val will come visit us down island.

Dinner with Greg and his lovely wife Val.

We also used some free time in Champaign to do some shooting at an indoor range. Would like to shoot more to stay in practice but time and opportunity usually restrict that.

So after our birthday celebration and reunion we headed to Chicago for more family events.

On Saturday the 15th Linda's brother had a surprise birthday party thrown for him by his wife at Nieto's Restaurant in Highland Park, Il. It was great to see and catch-up with many family members who came to the party. We plan to travel back to Chicagoland for Thanksgiving so we'll get to do it all again.

Family at Stuart's birthday party.

But the big event was Linda's dad Al Lee being honored by the Chicago Blackhawks at their game on the 18th of October. Linda's Dad at 96 is among the few surviving WWII vets. Al was sponsored by Dan Harrington who had been the manager of the Brookdale facility where Al had been living. Dan is an avid hockey player and knew about the program and nominated Al for being honored.

Al and Linda at the United Center with Dan Harrington who sponsored Al for the night at the Blackhawks..

At the game Al, who had to be in a wheelchair, was rolled onto the ice and along with another veteran and an active duty service member stood for the playing of the National Anthem  with spotlights on them and being honored by all the fans. After the honor was over and Al was being wheeled away a referee skated over and gave him a game puck to thank him for his service. During the game that Al thoroughly enjoyed many people came over and shook his hand and thanked him. As we were wheeling out many other people thanked and honored him.

All the service veterans being honored on the ice.

Linda's Dad, Al Lee as seen on TV.

With the festivities over we planned to head back home. After one last visit with Linda's Dad we hit the road for an uneventful trip back to Cherry Point.

We noticed leaves changing indicating Fall was fast approaching and highlighting the need for us to get on south. Going through the higher elevations along the route it looked like winter would be here soon although the temperatures remained friendly.

Getting back to the boat and ready to go.

This was about our 6th or 7th trip off the boat since we moved aboard and each time it's fun and we get excited but we miss our home at sea and miss the close comfort of being together and afloat. It feels normal and sleeping on a bed that isn't moving feels odd. So as excited as we were to do the road trip, we're happy to be home to visit my son again and moving on south with all the danger gone to stay warm.  

Trying to reason with hurricane season

We arrived at Cherry Point on Wednesday 28 September after spending a night at the free town dock in Belhaven because there were threats of storms that never materialized but more on that later. We moved on to Hancock Creek Marina at Cherry Point Marine Corps Aviation Station where we planned to visit the family of one of my sons since he was going to be away.  We expected a short visit with our drive to move on to Charleston, SC where we planned to spend some time and leave the boat for our visit back to the Chicago area but hurricane season got in the way.

We left Coinjock, the first port in North Carolina and everything was pretty much as usual. No wind, little traffic and we made Belhaven in a day and then on to Cherry Point. In the past we have anchored in the Pungo River just after completing the canal but we seemed to get through it early this time and the threat of storms drove us to go on to Belhaven. We have stayed at the Dowry Creek Marina in the past but never actually gotten in to Belhaven which is a reportedly cute little town. So we found the free docks and with a couple discussions with the Dockmaster pulled in and tied up. We walked into Town and had dinner at the Fish Hook Cafe because it was the only restaurant open on Tuesday. Other than the nearby granary working all night it was very peaceful.

Sleeping grandkids on our little cruise.

The next day we left early and motored on to Cherry Point. Along the way we stopped in to Oriental for fuel and a possible pump out but it seems someone took the deck fitting so we couldn't use the pump out. There was again a threat of storms so instead of waiting for the town to fix it we went on to Cherry Point.  Fortunately again the storms were a no show.

So far we have been visiting with our grandkids as our schedules allow. They are in school all day with some evening activities, their Mom works and my son is away, But when we got here the tropical threat became real and we began to assess our options.

Based on the storm projections there seemed to be a good likelihood that the hurricane Mathew would significantly impact this area. That didn't leave many options. The first was we could quickly press on to Charleston but that seemed like a bad place to be. Second, we could try to retreat back to the Chesapeake but the storm could impact there as well and we would then have to retrace our progress. Next, we could try to find a good place close to hide or we could just stay here.

This marina is tucked into a creek about 15 miles above a tidal flow and has 360 degree protection from chop with excellent wind protection for at least 270 degrees. While not the perfect hurricane hole this was pretty good. There is a small channel coming in so swell and surge would be minimal. We are in a large slip with lots of room on either side so we can tie the boat between the finger piers with ample slack to ride up any surge. With family and friends here why go anyplace else?

So since we got here we worked to reinforce our position. Sunday we took the grandkids and our daughter-in-law for a boat ride so we could pump out having failed before, We also setup normal hurricane prep - double lines with chafe protection; filled the water tank; removed head sails and canvas; keeping the batteries full; secured everything on deck and got supplies for a couple day passage.  While you can never be ready, we think we are ready. Very early in my Army career someone implored that you always work to improve your position and we have done that, When under assault you don't want to think of the shoulda, coulda, woulda's. You want to think through everything in advance. The only additional thing I can think of doing if the threat was more is to go out and drop anchors and then secure the boat as we are but with the shift of the track it doesn't seem that great. About midweek the track shifted from a direct hit to passing east and turning south away from us.

In applying my double lines I was able to improve the arrangement with docking options available by distributing the load along the dock and also on the 3 cleats on each side of the boat. There were 2 very stout pilings at the end of each finger pier which while not all the way to our bow made good tie points and then there are 3 cleats on each finger pier and 2 along the dock behind the boat. By varying the angles it also created support for multiple wind directions since the wind shifts in large and small directions altering the stress on each line. I was able to arrange the lines so that there shouldn't be 2 lines of stress on any cleat at any time.

So we set up the boat, did some provisioning and waited. On the night before the storm we got together with friends Dave and Polly Brown who live near New Bern and had a nice happy hour in their beautiful home and then went out for Thai food. We also had lunch with them a week earlier because they're a fun couple. Nice to try to keep some sense of normalcy with the events swirling around.

 Our friends Dave and Polly..

The weather became windy and rainy almost a week before the storm arrived so the ground was very saturated causing great fear of falling trees. Rain and wind began building on Friday with the storm's expected arrival on Saturday. Saturday morning we moved our rental car out of the marina lot to higher ground so in the event of flooding it wouldn't get wet and parked it away from trees that might blow down. The rain began falling in earnest Saturday morning as the wind built. Just before noon it was announced that a tornado warning was issued for the area just south of us so we packed some bags and put in the trunk of the rental car just in case we needed to leave in a hurry.

Beginning of the storm.

Saturday afternoon we disconnected our shore power in anticipation of the power being shut off and rolled up the power cord. With the wind speed we hoped our windgen would keep us in power and wouldn't need our diesel generator. Later we walked over to the Club House and chatted with some other folks there as the power was now off. As it was getting dark we went back to the boat to weather the storm.

Rain fell in buckets from just about dark until about midnight and the wind really began building. We watched the movie the Heart of the Sea about the true story that inspired the novel Moby Dick with the wind and rain surrounding us. We checked the line frequently but the water level never rose much. We continued checking the lines about every 2 hours all night but the water level never changed. The wind changed direction ti more behind us that was even better sheltered so we really didn't feel much of the 30 kt winds but the frequently high gusts rocked the boat as they blasted through.

Scene in the morning.

Once it started getting daylight it was obvious there wouldn't be any more high water and it had not rained in hours. The wind gusts continued into the afternoon but the land protection made the wind bearable. About mid-morning the sun came out brightly for the first time in about a week and the storm was gone. Now to get everything back to normal.

In a couple of days we will be leaving for Chicago for about a week so we will leave the boat prepped in the unlikely event of another storm while we watch reports of damages further down the coast and figure out our course from here. Fortunately we had no damage from the storm but many did and we regret their losses. So once again we made it through a storm in a safe spot. We learned that the marina where we have reservations over the holidays is fine. It's just where we go between now and then. So much for the reasoning in hurricane season.

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.