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| S/V Take Five Squeezing Through |
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| South Mills Lock, Ready for Boats |
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| Get Ready for an Eight Foot Drop! |
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| Dolce Vita Tied Up at Elizabeth City |
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| Wine and Cheese Party |
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| Note the Hat: Rose Buddies! |
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| Swapping Sea Stories |
Life is good.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Dismal Swamp 2, Elizabeth City
After spending the night rafted up on the Dismal Swamp's Visitor's Center dock, everyone broke raft and headed out early, eager to cover the last 3 miles of the canal and catch the first opening of the South Mills Lock at 8:30. The last part is some of the narrowest parts of the canal. You have to simultaneously keep track of staying in the center to avoid logs and roots, and keep an eye on the overhanging branches that force you out of the center!
We made it to the lock on time, and locked through without incident. Well, mostly. Our locking technique still needs some work. We've got to decrease our line-handling time so as to have the stern line free and ready the moment the lockmaster presents his boathook for the line. Even a second or two of fumbling lets the stern swing too far out.
Once through the lock, the canal gradually widens into a winding river, the Pasquotank, and takes you to Elizabeth City. We took a slip at the free docks and were helped with our docklines by a couple of friendly natives.
To our surprise, one of the people who helped us identified himself as a "Rose Buddy"! This tradition of greeting transient boaters had almost died out when its founder died, and we had not been greeted two years ago wnen we were here. He also informed us that there would be a small wine and cheese party on the deck at 4:30 for all the boaters willing to brave the cold!
Wine, cheese, good company.
Life is good.
Life is good.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Dismal Swamp Canal!
206 nm N36 30.393 W076 21.353
This morning, everyone on the basin got up and left about the same time. We were all trying to make the first opening of the Gilmerton Bridge after rush hour and get to the 11:00 lock opening. This all worked pretty much as planned, and just before 11:00 found us all queueing up for the Deep Creek lock into the Dismal Swamp.
The Dismal Swamp Canal is strange and beautiful. It's miles long, narrow, and straight as an arrow. The trees overhang the banks, and you have to remain vigilant to not get your mast caught in the branches! It's so eerie, you're gliding through a heavily wooded forest in a sailboat!
About 28 miles in, we reached the Visitor's center dock, our destination for the night. This free dock allows overnight tieups, but only has space for three boats, so additional boats must raft-up. We ended up with a total of seven boats.
Towards the dock, we had an experienced cruising couple our age aboard S/V Take Five, and outboard of us, we had a young Canadian couple and their two border collies aboard the S/V Emerald Fire. We had sundowners aboard Take Five's spacious cockpit before retiring to our separate boats for dinner and sleep.
Tomorrow, we plan to complete the last 3 miles of the Canal, exit via the lock at South Mills, and head down the Pasquotank river to Elizabeth City.
Life is good.
This morning, everyone on the basin got up and left about the same time. We were all trying to make the first opening of the Gilmerton Bridge after rush hour and get to the 11:00 lock opening. This all worked pretty much as planned, and just before 11:00 found us all queueing up for the Deep Creek lock into the Dismal Swamp.
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| Sailboats Queued Up for the Lock |
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| And we're In... |
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| ...and Out |
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| Ahead... |
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| ...and Behind |
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| Crossing from Virginia to North Carolina |
About 28 miles in, we reached the Visitor's center dock, our destination for the night. This free dock allows overnight tieups, but only has space for three boats, so additional boats must raft-up. We ended up with a total of seven boats.
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| Five so far... |
Tomorrow, we plan to complete the last 3 miles of the Canal, exit via the lock at South Mills, and head down the Pasquotank river to Elizabeth City.
Life is good.
Monday, October 22, 2018
Portsmouth
183 nm N36 50.138 W076 17.782
Today was another short day from Salt Ponds to Portsmouth, only around 20 nm. This would position us well to hit the first opening of the Gilmerton bridge after rush hour, and get to the 11:00am cycling of the Deep Creek lock into the Dismal Swamp Canal.
The trip through Norfolk harbor is always exciting, with lots of large military and commercial ships going every which way. You've really got to keep your eyes peeled. At one point, I looked up to notice that one of the shoreside cranes appeared to be growing. It turned to be a crane on a barge, headed directly towards us on a reciprocal course! I dodged without getting honked, but I truly doubt that he ever saw me before that!
Next, we were overtaken by a warship, a Littoral Combat Ship LCS-16, the USS Tulsa. This is a trimaran hulled ship, with large flat angular surfaces (stealth?) that looks quite unusual. It came up astern of us, was greeted by two large tugs, which spun it around and let it back up into a mooring.
After that, it was tugs, ferries, more tugs...you get the idea.
As we passed Hospital point, mile marker 0 on the ICW, we looked over the anchorage in case we had to come back there if Portsmouth was full.
Our destination was one of the two basins in Portsmouth with free docks. The first one, the northern one, was a bust. The seawall was under construction and the free dock was closed.
The second smaller southern basin was open, and only had two other boats in it! Our strategy of getting here early paid off! We quickly tied up Dolce Vita and watched as other boats soon arrived.
We met two other cruising couples from S/V Pegasus and S/V North Star. After early sundowners aboard North Star, we all decided to go to a dinner theater in town. Someone had purchased the old Commodore theater, one of those grand old movie houses that had fallen into disrepair, and refurbished it into a dinner theater that showed first run movies. We had dinner, drinks, and saw "A Star Is Born".
Tomorrow, we'll head for the Dismal Swamp Canal, a visit we've been looking forward to for two years, ever since hurricane Matthew shut it down for a year.
Life is good.
Today was another short day from Salt Ponds to Portsmouth, only around 20 nm. This would position us well to hit the first opening of the Gilmerton bridge after rush hour, and get to the 11:00am cycling of the Deep Creek lock into the Dismal Swamp Canal.
The trip through Norfolk harbor is always exciting, with lots of large military and commercial ships going every which way. You've really got to keep your eyes peeled. At one point, I looked up to notice that one of the shoreside cranes appeared to be growing. It turned to be a crane on a barge, headed directly towards us on a reciprocal course! I dodged without getting honked, but I truly doubt that he ever saw me before that!
Next, we were overtaken by a warship, a Littoral Combat Ship LCS-16, the USS Tulsa. This is a trimaran hulled ship, with large flat angular surfaces (stealth?) that looks quite unusual. It came up astern of us, was greeted by two large tugs, which spun it around and let it back up into a mooring.
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| USS Tulsa |
After that, it was tugs, ferries, more tugs...you get the idea.
As we passed Hospital point, mile marker 0 on the ICW, we looked over the anchorage in case we had to come back there if Portsmouth was full.
Our destination was one of the two basins in Portsmouth with free docks. The first one, the northern one, was a bust. The seawall was under construction and the free dock was closed.
The second smaller southern basin was open, and only had two other boats in it! Our strategy of getting here early paid off! We quickly tied up Dolce Vita and watched as other boats soon arrived.
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| Dolce Vita Tied Up at Portsmouth |
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| New Friends |
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| The Commodore Theater |
Life is good.
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Interlude
Today was our second day at Salt Ponds. After the front went through and the rain finished, the winds came, and steadily built up to gale force, making us glad we had decided to wait it out. Even in the slip, the boat was heeling, and I had to put on extra docklines.
But it was clear and sunny, and in the afternoon the winds abated some, so we took a walk up to the public beach and did some beachcombing.
Although its not a particularly beautiful beach, I was struck by the cleanliness. Virtually no manmade trash or debris of any kind! I was hunting for seaglass, and only found six tiny fragments.
Tomorrow, we will be "back on the road" again, with our next planned stop a free dock in Portsmouth, just across the river from Norfolk.
Life is good.
But it was clear and sunny, and in the afternoon the winds abated some, so we took a walk up to the public beach and did some beachcombing.
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| Bayside Beach at Salt Ponds |
Tomorrow, we will be "back on the road" again, with our next planned stop a free dock in Portsmouth, just across the river from Norfolk.
Life is good.
Saturday, October 20, 2018
A Tale of Two Brackets
A while back, a friend gave me an incomplete Forespar Motormate. This is a small crane/hoist for lifting the outboard engine off and on the dinghy. It lacked a base, so I cobbled up something temporary so I could use it. But the crane was crooked and interfered with the bimini.
My friend and parttime crew, Bill, who is a mechanical designer, saw my kludge and said "I can design a bracket to mount that base and get it fabricated." Well, he did, but it took the fab shop a while to get to it, and it wasn't ready before we left. A few days after we left, the bracket arrived (actually, they made two).
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| Two Brackets |
So, Saturday afternoon Bill and his wife Lisa showed up. It was still raining a little but cleared shortly. Bill and I quickly set to work while Joan and Lisa chatted. In no time, we had the bracket mounted on the transom and the crane setup on top of it. Everything fit like a glove. The crane is now nice and straight, and lowered a few inches so it doesn't hit the bimini.
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| Crane is Straight and Clear |
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| Closeup |
For dinner, we went out to a little local hole-in-the-wall Carribbean resturant called the "Stingee Midjit". I had the Jerk Chicken and it was fabulous.
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| Dinner at The Stingee Midjit |
Life is good.
Friday, October 19, 2018
Down the Bay All the Way
165 nm N37 03.251 W076 17.240
Our original plans were for our next stop to be Queen's Creek, just south of Deltaville. This would have been a relatively short day, but we like the Queen's Creek anchorage.
However, there was a problem. The weather forecasts showed a front coming through in the next day. If we went to Queen's creek, we would probably wait there an extra day for the front (and all its rain) to pass so we wouldn't have to travel during squalls. The problem was that after the front passed, there was predicted be strong winds, almost gale force, that would keep us pinned down for another day.
This would be one more day than our small holding tank could accommodate! :(
After looking at the charts last night, I found that if we skipped Queen's Creek, and went directly to our next planned stop, a marina at Salt Ponds (outside of Hampton, VA), it would be about 45 nm. We had done this kind of distance for the last two days, but this time the wind would be against us, having come around to SSW the night before. Still, I figured if we motorsailed, and could maintain at least 5.5 kts, we would get there before dark. The two marinas at Salt Ponds are very well protected on all sides, and would make a good place to wait out the weather.
So, off we went. The dawn at Sandy Point was pretty, with little wisps of fog drifting over the water. The boat was heavy with dew, and the temperature was 41 (Back home, they had frost!).
Once we got back out on the bay, it was apparent that we would be able to motorsail close hauled with both Main and Jib. To my delight, this resulted in a boat speed of 6 kts, which would get us there in plenty of time.
As the afternoon wore on, we had to adjust our course closer and closer to the wind, until the jib would no longer pull, so we took it down. Surprisingly, this didn't seem to hurt our speed, which continued to creep upwards by a few tenths of a knot.
The reason, of course, was the tide. Starting around 1:00, it had turned in our favor, and was giving our speed-over-ground a boost. Eventually, even the main stopped pulling, but our speed kept up at 6.2 kts. It was total luck the tide was in our favor, as it gave us almost a knot extra for free.
We got in to Salt Ponds with plenty of daylight to spare, and the temp had climbed to 66, so we were in good spirits.
Salt Ponds is a long, narrow salt marsh that lies just behind and parallel to a narrow barrier island. The entrance is a rock-lined cut through the island, with a hard 90 degree turn. Once inside, there are two large marinas, on on either side. The Salt Ponds Marina and Resort had room for us, so we tied up to their floating docks, secure for the next few days bad weather.
Joan made another spectacular dinner of Pork in a tomato-based sauce, butternut squash, and applesauce. We really do eat well while cruising!
Life is good.
Our original plans were for our next stop to be Queen's Creek, just south of Deltaville. This would have been a relatively short day, but we like the Queen's Creek anchorage.
However, there was a problem. The weather forecasts showed a front coming through in the next day. If we went to Queen's creek, we would probably wait there an extra day for the front (and all its rain) to pass so we wouldn't have to travel during squalls. The problem was that after the front passed, there was predicted be strong winds, almost gale force, that would keep us pinned down for another day.
This would be one more day than our small holding tank could accommodate! :(
After looking at the charts last night, I found that if we skipped Queen's Creek, and went directly to our next planned stop, a marina at Salt Ponds (outside of Hampton, VA), it would be about 45 nm. We had done this kind of distance for the last two days, but this time the wind would be against us, having come around to SSW the night before. Still, I figured if we motorsailed, and could maintain at least 5.5 kts, we would get there before dark. The two marinas at Salt Ponds are very well protected on all sides, and would make a good place to wait out the weather.
So, off we went. The dawn at Sandy Point was pretty, with little wisps of fog drifting over the water. The boat was heavy with dew, and the temperature was 41 (Back home, they had frost!).
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| Dawn at Sandy Point |
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| Motorsailing with Main and Jib |
The reason, of course, was the tide. Starting around 1:00, it had turned in our favor, and was giving our speed-over-ground a boost. Eventually, even the main stopped pulling, but our speed kept up at 6.2 kts. It was total luck the tide was in our favor, as it gave us almost a knot extra for free.
We got in to Salt Ponds with plenty of daylight to spare, and the temp had climbed to 66, so we were in good spirits.
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| Entering Salt Ponds |
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| Safe and Sound |
Life is good.
Thursday, October 18, 2018
A Rather Blustery Day
114 nm N37 49.394 W076 18.899
Be careful what you wish for!
The winds today did indeed come around to the NNW. They were supposed to be 10-12 kts, but when we got out on the Patuxent River they already blowing 15. By the time we reached the Bay, they were up to 20, with 2 ft following seas! And dead astern. We cautiously unfurled a deeply reefed jib (I was afraid if I let it all the way out, I'd never be able to get it back in!) , and flew along at 6 kts. Within an hour, the winds had built to 25 kts, 3-4 ft seas, and we were doing 6-7 kts and wallowing all over the place. The autopilot simply cant handle conditions like this, so we hand-steered
I got some video as well, and put it up on Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AwPWE-xNsTX_2XA4VLZAS0kG-pzNz85Q
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bdKUqmFGUiifr3rh95J_aMnvA15aNVMw
https://drive.google.com/open?id=15ZzGOncRxhFWyuFh7ZbO-uVAyiYH9EcN
Joanie was definitely feeling the cold today.
Later in the afternoon, it eased off back to 15 kts, and then down to 10, so we rolled out the rest of the jib. And when it eased further to 7 kts, we tried to come up into the wind and hoist the main to go wing-and-wing, but the seas were still lumpy and we were rolling all over the place, and I felt it was just too dangerous to try, so we aborted the attempt and continued on under jib alone.
Crossing the infamous mouth of the Potomac was no more (or less) rough than we had experienced already. In fact, by the time we reached Smith Point, we were motorsailing in order to reach our anchorage on the Wicomico before nightfall.
Another 40+ nm day!
We anchored inside of Sandy Point off of the Wicomico, despite the fact that it has no protection to the NNW. The winds were due to come around to WSW before tomorrow, so I figured we would not be too uncomfortable 'til then. and right after sunset they did come around and the water laid down still as a mill pond.
Joanie made a great dinner of homemade chili that warmed us up.
Life is good.
Be careful what you wish for!
The winds today did indeed come around to the NNW. They were supposed to be 10-12 kts, but when we got out on the Patuxent River they already blowing 15. By the time we reached the Bay, they were up to 20, with 2 ft following seas! And dead astern. We cautiously unfurled a deeply reefed jib (I was afraid if I let it all the way out, I'd never be able to get it back in!) , and flew along at 6 kts. Within an hour, the winds had built to 25 kts, 3-4 ft seas, and we were doing 6-7 kts and wallowing all over the place. The autopilot simply cant handle conditions like this, so we hand-steered
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| Joanie at the Helm |
I got some video as well, and put it up on Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AwPWE-xNsTX_2XA4VLZAS0kG-pzNz85Q
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bdKUqmFGUiifr3rh95J_aMnvA15aNVMw
https://drive.google.com/open?id=15ZzGOncRxhFWyuFh7ZbO-uVAyiYH9EcN
Joanie was definitely feeling the cold today.
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| Brrrrr! |
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| Southbound! Seeking 80! (degrees!) |
Later in the afternoon, it eased off back to 15 kts, and then down to 10, so we rolled out the rest of the jib. And when it eased further to 7 kts, we tried to come up into the wind and hoist the main to go wing-and-wing, but the seas were still lumpy and we were rolling all over the place, and I felt it was just too dangerous to try, so we aborted the attempt and continued on under jib alone.
Crossing the infamous mouth of the Potomac was no more (or less) rough than we had experienced already. In fact, by the time we reached Smith Point, we were motorsailing in order to reach our anchorage on the Wicomico before nightfall.
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| Point No Point, North of the Potomac |
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| Smith Point, South of the Potomac |
We anchored inside of Sandy Point off of the Wicomico, despite the fact that it has no protection to the NNW. The winds were due to come around to WSW before tomorrow, so I figured we would not be too uncomfortable 'til then. and right after sunset they did come around and the water laid down still as a mill pond.
Joanie made a great dinner of homemade chili that warmed us up.
Life is good.
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