From Hampton, VA to Elizabeth City, NC

Wednesday, October 29th: Hampton, VA

We've spent a nice couple of days in Hampton and have been congratulating ourselves that, by happy coincidence, these have also been days when we wouldn't have wanted to be on the water anyways - winds to 35 knots and cold.

We rented a car. What luxury! After you've lugged bags of laundry up hills to a laundromat, and carried backpacks and bags filled will groceries short and not so short distances, it was wonderful to get in the car and just load up. Yesterday, while the clothes were in the washer at the laundromat, we went to the nearby Food Lion and bought lots of heavy groceries. Later, Bob took one of our 2 propane tanks to be refilled. It was nearly empty - it's great to be able to move on with both tanks full.

Today we drove to see the historic Williamsburg recreated as it was in revolutionary times - a sort of giant Black Creek Pioneer village experience. It was a beautiful, if chilly day, and we were able to go to a couple of the presentations where people in period costume explained the society and politics of the times.

We have also had time to visit a little with the Woolseys. They are getting anxious to be on their way down the ICW. Eileen tells us that Charleston will be a special experience and we plan to do a little touring of the city together. Hopefully, the Woolseys will catch up with us by the time we reach that historic city.

We have put away all of our Chesapeake charts and pulled out brand new charts that begin at Norfolk - the start of the true Intracoastal Waterway. We are leaving at "first light" tomorrow so as to be able to make the bridge opening at 8:30 and then move on for the 11:00 a.m. opening of the first of the 2 locks on the Dismal Swamp canal.

Friday, October 31st: Elizabeth, N.C.

Dismal Swamp Canal

When we got up this morning, there was frost on our deck, on the deck of the boat we were rafted to - and on the deck of the boat rafted to us. (Thankfully, we have our Espar heater!) We were tied up to a boat on the wall at the Visitors' Centre on the Dismal Swamp canal. At this wall, rafting is expected - so, by the end of the day, there were three boats on the wall each with boats rafted to them for a total of 10 boats tied up for the night.

Wall at the Visitor's Centre, Dismal Swamp Canal: There were 6 boats when I took this picture: 3 boats rafted to 3 others. A couple of hours later, four more boats arrived to raft up to the outside boats. Our boat is just behind the outside boat at the front.

There are two ways to move south through the ICW after Norfolk, Virginia: the Dismal Swamp or the Virginia Cut. The Dismal Swamp, in spite of it's name, is the prettiest of the two but is only 6 feet deep. (Dismal is a local word for swamp.) Sailboats with deep keels take the Virginia Cut as do "fast boats" who want to avoid the 2 locks on the Dismal.

Our lock through experience was a pleasant surprise - at the first lock there was a helpful, cheerful dock master who used a boat hook to grab our bow line and then took our bow line as well. How easy is that?

After we were rafted up at the Visitor's Centre, we went for a walk in the Dismal Swamp State Park - quite beautiful - and then all of the boaters gathered for impromptu drinks and hors oeuvres. It was interesting to hear where everyone was from and where they were traveling. Two of the boats are from the Bay of Quinty Yacht Club. Another boat is from the Toronto Hydroplane and Sailing club: it's the boat Sound of Silence and the owners know our friends Ed and Lucy from the same club.

This morning, we were among the first group to leave so that we traveled with 4 other sailboats through the remainder of the canal, the second lock, and then up the Pasquotank River to Elizabeth City where we are docked at the city docks (a loose term - there are 4 pilings - 2 for bow lines, 2 for stern lines, and a tiny triangle dock).

The docks are free and some men who are part of the "Rosebud" group of retirees helped us dock. Good thing as it was a challenge for us to figure out the protocol - this was our first time with this kind of docking system. You're supposed to throw a stern line around one of the pilings as you pass it (I think) - we didn't - so there was a lot of jockeying until we had all lines in the right places.

The Rosebuds are a group of retired men who welcome boaters, help them out and host a wine and cheese every night that there are 4 or more boats. Sam (from the Rosebuds) drove me to the library where I am posting this - and then Bob and he went on to fill our diesel can. At 4:30 we go to an outside area near the docks for the wine and cheese gathering. How nice! and what a treat to have this help.

On Our Way to the Bottom of the Bay

Sunday, October 26th: Jackson Creek

Yesterday, it was a little sad to tour Crisfield. Skipper Bob describes Crisfield as a town in decline - and so it is. The town is in the centre of "crab country" and there are crab processing plants along the water. I think that the crab season is coming to an end so perhaps that is why there seemed to be so little activity around the plants. We were especially disappointed to see that the big crab eatery, with it's giant crab sitting on the roof - was closed up - and for sale! The ice cream shop is for sale too. In fact there were not many businesses open - and many of the stores are empty. Perhaps if we had visited a week ago during the Waterman's Festival we would have seen a different side of the town.

Crisfield had it's moments though - the grocery store was centrally located for us (not too far from where we had docked our dinghy), the Dollar General had socks for Bob and a couple of kitchen utensils I wanted, the library had Internet access and in the midst of all the closed down businesses one store was open and we went in to discover the most lovely store full of antiques and novelties. I bought my first "souvenir" - a little crab cage Christmas ornament (locally made and an exact replica of the larger version) - OK - it may not be all that pretty on the tree but it will remind us of the crab "pots" that we've been weaving around ever since we arrived on the Bay - and finally - we had dinner in the Grove restaurant - recommended to us by the young fellow at the fuel dock, and where the locals go. We had a tasty dinner of Rock Fish (very good) with salad, baked sweet potato and home made baking powder biscuits - all for $14.99.

Tonight, we're back on the west side of the Bay and anchored in Jackson Creek off the Piankatank River - how's that for a name? The town of Deltaville is close by but even though we are getting pretty quick at deploying the dinghy - we didn't feel like taking the time (and energy) to put it down and then back up again before dinner.

As we are now in the habit of doing, we consulted the Skipper Bob Guide and also our Guide to the Chesapeake and chose a destination promising one or more good anchorages. When we arrived, it seemed strange to see a bay full of anchored boats! We have gotten used to being one of 2 or 3 boats or occasionally being on our own as we were in Crisfield. We're not used to jockeying for a spot - and when it appeared that there were 2 or 3 boats that had just arrived behind us - I wondered for a few minutes if we would have to go elsewhere. We did find a spot - and once anchored, we were able to sit in the cockpit in a warm afternoon sun and enjoy this pretty spot. There are a few Canadian flags and lots of wind generators and solar panels. These guys are likely on their way south just like us!

Monday, October 27th: Hampton

When we started out this morning, the winds were moderate, and Bob put the full main up which was gutsy since there was a small craft wind warning predicted for the afternoon. By noon, we had winds gusting to 30 knots directly behind us and we were surfing the waves and watching the knot meter hit new highs (personal bests for Sea Change). I took a picture when the meter hit 9.1, but at one point it was briefly at 9.3 - incredible. Bob had quite a time keeping the boat on course. After the winds moved almost directly behind us, I didn't take the wheel again. I have a fear of jibing the main at that point of sail. For our non-sailor friends, that means steering so as to allow the wind to flip around to the other side of the sail and cause the boom and main sail to whip across the boat - it would be quite a bang in winds like we were having and it's something one tries not to do. It's also very hard on the boat's rigging. Our trip was a bit wild but I must say, we certainly got to Hampton quickly.

The knot metre went to 9.3 but I wasn't quick enough to get a picture.

We have decided to stay in Hampton for at least 2 nights so that we can visit with the Woolseys who are staying not too far away, get laundry done, do some planning for the next part of our trip, and also visit one or two of the nearby historic towns and cities. To that end, we will likely rent a car for a day or two.

We are in a reasonably priced marina that gives the "Boat US" discount. It's pretty basic but we have a nice long dock with cleats (!) and well - that's about it for amenities but it's fine. They did help us into our dock - always a nice touch.

The Woolseys are not going to be able to get away before the second week in November. In the process of doing scheduled work on their boat, the boat mechanics discovered a problem with their propeller and having it repaired is going to hold them up further - so in a couple of days - we will set out on our own and the Woolseys will catch up with us when they can. They are a faster boat than we are - so catching up will be quite doable.

My goodness - how did this happen? A year or two ago, I never would have believed it if someone had told me that we would be taking our boat to Florida all on our own! I'm like the lady we spoke to at the fuel dock near Rock Hall. She asked, "Where are you from?" and when Bob said Toronto, she said, "You brought your boat all the way from Toronto? Oh my God!"

On the Move

Thursday, October 23rd: Solomon Island

It's getting cooler - the Chesapeake is moving into fall and we are no longer casually moving between towns and rivers. We've decided it's time to get to the bottom of the Bay so when we left the Coriscia River and sailed to Cambridge, we by passed our hoped for next destination - St. Michael. Perhaps we'll visit there in the spring? 

The best things about Cambridge were the relief of it's quiet harbour and the little grocery store we discovered on our quick 5:00 o'clock walk up it's main street. It was small but sold "real" food with vegetables displayed outside and good cuts of meat at the back of the store. I was thrilled to be able to pick up a few provisions. We have too often walked into stores promising "food" but delivering nothing but snacks and fast food. Let me digress here to to describe one example - Royal Farms, a store that we hopefully entered in Annapolis: maybe there would be a few bananas? Some yogurt? No luck. There was a long counter selling fried chicken and other fried things, another counter selling cigarettes and lottery tickets (a line up there), refrigerator units along the walls with every kind of soft and energy drink, and rows and rows of sweet baked goods, candy and snack foods. Somewhere in there were canned and packaged quick foods and - oh yes - in the cold cases there were some not so fresh fruit and vegetables cut in small pieces and packaged in plastic ---- Royal Farms?? There was very little in the store that had been anywhere near a farm in quite some time.

This morning we set out on the Bay again. We had a quiet ride compared to the day before - relatively flat water and gentle winds. We arrived at Solomon's Island on the east side of the Bay (we've zagged back again) and clutching our Skipper Bob's Guide to Anchorages, we found the first spot listed and dropped our anchor as instructed, near the G4 buoy at the entrance to the inner harbour. We were amazed at ourselves - anchoring in a place so much in the middle of everything - close to the entrance of the bay and in the middle of a fairway between two marinas. Other boats have joined us here - it's a perfectly fine spot to be but it's so unlike any choice we would have made before this trip. At the very least - in a busy harbour like this, we would have rented a mooring ball.

Immediately after getting our anchor down, we lowered the dinghy, put on the engine and headed over to a nearby marina. They offer access to their dinghy dock and some of their services for a fee. We sat in their marine store and accessed our email, and then came back later for a shower. After another yummy dinner on board - I'm so much more creative on the boat :-) - we have decided that tomorrow we'll take advantage of the last fair day before this weekend's promised bad weather and make a run back across the Bay to Crisfield. It's likely that we'll be waiting out rain and possible thunderstorms while there - and that should suit us very well since it sounds like an interesting place to be.

Saturday, October 25th: Crisfield

Regrettably, we had to leave Solomon Island yesterday without more than a cursory look around - it was an attractive little town from what little we saw - but we needed to move along when the moving was good! Our motor sail here to Crisfield was uneventful. A small craft wind warning was predicted for the afternoon, but although winds increased as we went along, they did not present a problem. We were busy all day watching for navigation aids to guide us in behind the long, skinny Tilghman Island and then along the coast until we found the opening for Crisfield. We anchored in the suggested area in the bay - all by ourselves - where did everyone go to to hide for the bad weather today? Not here!

Bob spends what seems like hours (to him) waiting while I write posts and upload pictures. He's mostly pretty patient - but I can read the signs - so I better wrap up. It's just as well that I don't say too much about Crisfield yet anyway - first impressions haven't been good but we haven't done a real walk around yet - so I'll withhold judgment.

We will probably leave again tomorrow - another window of weather opportunity in what sounds like an otherwise lousy weather week! We haven't picked the place yet - we'll have a look at charts and guide books when we return to the boat. Dinner out tonight - and we're hoping for fresh crab!

Looking Back: Pictures from the Last Week

Chestertown - I love these old homes!

A typical sight - an osprey next atop a navigation aid, marshlands behind

Along the Chester River

In most areas, there are not many fall colours showing, but this stand of trees on the Corsica River lit up in the late afternoon sun.

Going under the Chesapeake Bridge and dressed in foul weather clothes against the cold

How's this for a short dock? Typically, boats back in and tie up to pilings. Sailors - what do you think?
In high winds - wouldn't this be a fun docking experience?

Can you find Sea Change?

Main Street Annapolis

I think of ships like the one on the left as "apartment building" ships - humongous!

Safe in Cambridge

We left Annapolis this morning knowing that high winds were ahead. Until about 1:00, we rode a following sea with gusts to 25 knots and made very good time. When we turned towards the Chopank river, the winds were a steady 20-25 knots on our beam and then later on our bow. It was slow and bumpy going until we finally pulled into the Cambridge public dock (free for 48 hours) at almost 4:00 pm. We're glad now to be in this peaceful harbour and looking forward to a look around. We're in the library - close by - but it closes soon and my battery is almost dead! more another day ....

Cool Day on the River

Saturday, October 18th: Corsica River

I wore my warm hat and gloves also when we went into town this morning. The forecast is for possible frost tonight in some areas. We were headed for the Saturday farmer's market in Chestertown and there was extra excitement as there was a fun raiser and historic buildings were open for viewing for a fee.

Cold or not, Chestertown was bustling but Bob was anxious to get done what I wanted to do and then get back to the boat in case the wind dropped a little. He was thinking that it was time to move on - stop along the way to pump out, fill our bow water tank (we have 2 tanks), get some diesel and then anchor elsewhere. Sitting in the Chester and subject to it's fairly strong current, our boat moved about a fair bit with the wind and change of tides - and Bob was looking forward to some place "less hectic". So we loaded up on fresh vegetables at the market, stopped again at Play It Again Sam to check email, bought a little frozen meat at the Natural Food shop (where they gave me a big bag of basil cut from giant basil planters in front of the shop) and then dinghied back to the boat.

The day before, when we came back from shopping in town, the dinghy dock was so far down that I sat on the main dock and eased myself on to it. This morning the small floating dock was level with the main dock - it was high tide and a good time to travel down the river catching the tide as it ebbs toward the Bay - so we set off with both the current and the wind pushing us along and had a swift trip to the mouth of the Chester.

Our stop along the way at a marina for diesel, water, and pump out was interesting. Bob turned to come up into the wind but the strong tide conspired to push us off the dock. Thankfully, the woman working at the marina came out and took our bow line and I jumped off with the stern line; however, by the time each of us had wound lines around the blankety, blank pilings (no cleats on these docks), the boat had been pushed so far out that there was no hope of Bob getting off (or of us getting any services). Bob used the engine to bring the boat closer and even then it was a fight for the 2 of us on land to tighten stern and bow lines. On the other hand - leaving the dock when we were done was no problem at all!

We are back near the mouth of the Chester. For variety, rather than return to Langford Creek where we were 2 nights ago - we turned east and anchored in a little cove off the Corsica River. My "vegetable net" is full so I'll add fresh carrots and broccoli to left over pressure cooker pot roast - not much cooking will be necessary tonight. The sides of the cockpit enclosure are zipped down. It's time to pour a glass of wine, open a book and look up periodically to watch the geese arriving from Canada.

Sunday, October 19: Corsica River

Today, It's gusty with some wave height in the Chesapeake so we'll stay here until tomorrow when the conditions will be better for moving across the Bay to Annapolis. Bob wants to spend a couple of days there and then catch favourable conditions forecast for Wednesday to continue our move south. We have about 10 days left for exploring before we leave the Bay and begin the journey along the Intracoastal Waterway through Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.

It's brilliantly sunny but cold and the trees around this cove are beginning to show fall colour. We used the heater this morning to counter the chill but this afternoon we are comfortable without it. The boat is closed to the cool wind and the sun has warmed the cockpit enclosure making it comfortable for sitting and reading.

Even with strong and gusty winds today, we have little fear of our anchor dragging - neither did we worry about the anchor loosing hold in the changing currents of the Chester River. Since our first night at anchor in Sandy Hook, NY, we have encountered mud bottoms where our CQR anchor grabs quickly and stays - and the 90 feet of chain that Bob added to our anchor rode offers extra weight and holding power where needed. This has been a pleasant contrast to some of our anchoring experiences in the Thousand Islands where very weedy bottoms can make one unsure how well the anchor will hold should conditions suddenly change. Bob is glad not to be pulling masses of weed off the anchor but watched longingly this morning as the boat beside us hooked up and used a wash down system to clean off gobs of mud that the anchor brings up with it. A wash down system sucks up water surrounding the boat into a hose that can be used to clean off the anchor and deck. We understand now why people have them installed!

This was a planning, reading and maintenance day for both of us. Bob crawled around the fore deck and did some anchor adjustment and maintenance (I'm not sure what he was doing, actually) and for exercise, I cleaned inside and then went up to the bow and did a few Tai Chi "foundation exercises". We have since been joined by another boat - but at the time we were alone in the cove :). And - since I have the time for experimenting, I am going to try something else new - cooking a chicken curry in the pressure cooker - which I'll put in another pot to keep warm and then pressure cook some brown rice. The rice should take only 15 minutes - so the cookbook says.

Tuesday, October 21st: Annapolis

We arrived yesterday at Annapolis and are staying for a reasonable rate at the Annapolis Yacht club. It's a treat to have a spotless washroom and shower (with towels) just up the dock. This is a very posh club but not costly for us because of a reciprocal agreement with our own club. Annapolis, like other places in the Chesapeake that we have visited, has been careful to preserve it's history so that the historic part of town is quite picturesque with old well preserved buildings and interesting shops and restaurants.

We'll walk and explore today but have had a look at our map of the Bay and we realize that we'll have to pick up our pace a little so as to get to the bottom of the Bay by the end of October. We still have quite a ways to go. We'll pick up a few spots and pass others by. There's more to see than we'll ever have time for.

I have pictures to upload but my Internet time is limited and uploading pictures is not in the cards today. I'll add pictures another time.

We're on our way tomorrow - unless of course the weather keeps us back! So far the forecast is for healthy winds that should be behind us as we travel south to St. Michael.

At Anchor at Chestertown

Watermen collecting crab traps on the Bay

Going Under the Francis Scott Key Bridge on the Patapsco River
(Key wrote the words to the American Anthem)

Friday, October 17: Chestertown

Yesterday we made our way up the long and winding Chester River - carefully watching the buoys to stay in the narrow deep water channel in this wide and pretty river. As along other Chesapeake rivers and creeks, the banks are lined with marshes, rolling farm land, or often quite lovely private homes. 

We anchored near the town dock in Chestertown and have easy access to the downtown area of the historic part of the town. Again, there is one other boat anchored with us - this time - from all appearances - another long distance cruiser complete with wind generator and solar panels. (Our auxiliary power is supplied by our small Honda generator which Bob runs for an hour or so each day when we're at anchor.) This is the end of the season for local boaters, so there are not a lot around.

I expect that somewhere, there are big grocery stores and shopping malls but none are in evidence from where we sit. We had a brief introduction to the town yesterday when we went for a first look after we set anchor. What a pretty place - again like other places we have seen on our trip so far there is a somewhat "Niagara-on-the Lake" look with well maintained historic buildings on the main street and carefully tended older homes - some quite small but with pretty porches and groomed gardens. 

After we climbed out of our dinghy, we went directly to "Play It Again Sam" - an Internet coffee shop that I had read about. I loved the ambiance there - people sitting about at small tables, a large kitchen type table or on a couch or easy chair - and talking, reading or using their computers. One fellow walked by and commented to us (jovially) that people don't work now a days - they just sit around and play on their computers. Bob did reply - that's true - we don't work - but I doubt that the passerby understood that we REALLY don't work.

We bought a few quite expensive vegetables at a Natural Foods store near the dinghy dock, but today we have to do a proper shopping and will probably walk the mile or so to the local grocery store - Acme Foods. We have shopped at a few Acme grocery stores along the way - they are like small IGAs - not a great amount of variety and of varying quality in fresh vegetables and fruit. The best store we've shopped in so far was a huge Safeway in Baltimore - but that was big city shopping. We are spoiled at home where we have great stores close by especially now with the new Longos in Markham. We'll likely walk both ways and will have to be somewhat selective about what we buy so as to keep our arms from getting too long - from carrying our grocery bags, that is :)

We'll be staying here until sometime on Saturday for several reasons: it's a nice place to be, I hope to go to the farmer's market here on Saturday morning, and we want to stay in this general part of the Chesapeake until the end of the week when the Annapolis Boat show will be over and we can visit the city without the boat show crowds.

Back in the Boat

Screw Pile Lighthouse in Baltimore (1856, moved from it's original location)

Wednesday, October 15th: Langford Creek

We flew back to Baltimore last night after an enjoyable and productive five days at home. The kids, cats and house are all good - we were able to check in with a few friends - and we have come back to the boat knowing that all is well and we can continue on without worry.

Before leaving for Toronto, we bought basics we would need for a quick escape from Baltimore (milk and bread) and we entered way points into the GPS for our next destination. This morning, after a quick pump out, we set out to travel back across to the east side of the Bay, into the mouth of the Chester River, and then up Langford Creek to find an anchorage. It was warm - in the mid 70s - and the water was flat with little wind.

Our Guide to Cruising Chesapeake Bay (published by Chesapeake Bay Magazine) lists a number of places to anchor and explore after entering the Chester River. Some are suitable only for shallow draft boats but there are several others appropriate for a keeled boat drawing almost 5 feet as we do. I had read about this Langford Creek anchorage in another blog. The blogger and her husband had had a brief grounding "experience", so we were especially careful to note the guidebook's list of buoy numbers (in this case green buoys to keep to our port side) and then check the buoy locations, the suggested route and depths along it against both our electronic and paper charts. The trick is to find and stay in the deep water - which can mean following sometimes circuitous routes to places you want to go in these creeks and rivers. We had our own soft grounding last week when we were entering Turner Creek - our chart didn't show the depths in that area and the unlikely position of the green buoy leaving a tiny channel immediately adjacent to the shore caused Bob to hesitate a moment too long before moving over. However - we were going slowly before we "hit" and after swinging the boom over the side of the boat, Bob was able to back off the mud bottom. (That was on our eventful day that included the non-start starter and the wet berth.)

We found the anchorage here in Langford Creek without mishap - a great spot - just off the small uninhabited Cacaway island with marshlands and farmlands on the neighbouring shores. One other boat, a trawler, was already anchored here.

As soon as we were anchored, Bob set about trying out the Sirius Radio receiver that he bought in Markham yesterday. We haven't missed our TV but we do enjoy radio on the boat - and we were becoming weary of the interminable talk of the financial crises and American election. Soon Bob was emptying the stern cabin and lifting locker covers in search of the instruction book for our radio - no luck. At first he was only able to tune into Sirius Radio using the short wave radio that Sean gave him, but eventually after much fiddling, Bob managed to find an unused FM radio frequency on the boat radio/CD player so that now, we can hear news from Canada through our radio speakers!

Tonight the full moon was a peachy orange and the sky was filled with noisy Canadian geese - on their way south from Toronto and Oakville, I can only assume. Tomorrow we travel up the Chester River to Chestertown. As a crow flies, Chestertown is 6 miles away, but since we are following the winding river, our journey will be about 20 miles and will take us approximately four hours.

Heading Home Tonight

View from our marina

You can see from the picture that we're in the big city now with giant military ships docked just across the river. We have done our tour of Baltimore along the waterfront - some interesting rejuvenated areas - "historic properties" - formerly run down and not so prosperous. Lots of good restaurants - a few unique type shops although we didn't bother with exploring all but one or two. I'm not much in the mood for shopping these days - except for food! All along the waterfront there is new development - tons of condos and town homes facing the water - all looking very nice - and most developments half full or some of the newest - mostly empty. I get the feeling that one could get a real bargain if they wanted to buy here - but I'm not sure that this city would be my choice. We actually took a boat ("water taxi") which stops at designated points of interest but we soon lost interest. There's nothing here that tops anything that we have at home. We did tour an example of a "screw pile" lighthouse which is peculiar to this area. It's intriguing to imagine how it might have been to be a lighthouse keeper and live in that kind of structure months on end tending the light through the night. So - we think that we'll leave the day after we return. We paid for a week - this is an extremely reasonable marina with good security so we feel fortunate - but enough is enough and we're off next Wednesday- probably to an anchorage in the Chester River.

Happy Thanksgiving

Across the Bay

Another Beautiful Sunset: One of the Perks of Being on the Water

Picture for Brian T.: A Duck Blind on Swan Creek

Monday, October 6: Tar Cove, Rock Creek, off the Patapsco River

Well, this is something different. Bob says it's like we're anchored in someone's back yard. We have a marina within 40 yards on one side and homes and their private docks about 40 yards the other way. There is one other boat anchored with us in Tar Cove off Rock Creek. We've come a long way from three summers ago when we gingerly followed the Mursells into the Thousand Islands for our first overnight anchoring experiences. Now we're consulting one of our guides and venturing into unknown, sometimes unlikely appearing spots to anchor. There were 2 coves to choose from - but Tar Cove is "where the long distance cruisers anchor" - so we said, "That's us!". Next step - we just drop the hook where it looks good.

Today we crossed the Bay - moving from the eastern coast which has a Thousand Islands look and feel to it, to the western side which is built up and where the big cities are: Annapolis and Baltimore. As we approached the mouth of Baltimore's Patapsco River, we were met with heavy industry on both sides. There is lots of commercial traffic on this river and the guide books warn to be cautious and stay out of the way of large ships.

It was amusing today to listen to tugboat (or freighter) captains calling wayward pleasure craft on the VHF: "Blue sailboat towing a dinghy near buoy 30 north of Poole Island" - a few minutes pass - and again "Blue sailboat..." several minutes pass and then an attempt to be more specific - "Turquoise boat with main and head sail up, towing a dinghy, near buoy 30" - finally a reply and the captain explodes "I've been going crazy trying to figure out where you're going next. I've been calling you, I've used my horn, pay attention, you're in a shipping channel!" - The sailboat replies that he'll move over - and the tugboat captain: "Well it's about time!" and then later the same or another tugboat operator, this time calling a sailboat by name - "Sailing vessel, Joanna" - the sailboat captain answers - and then "You're on the wrong side of the shipping channel - if you stay there, you're going to get run over!" This is why we have been largely staying out of the shipping channels where possible. We haven't really been "surrounded by barges" but barges and freighters move very quickly and sometimes appear as if out of nowhere - easier to stay on the edge of the channels and dodge crab pots.

Best not to get too close!

It was sunny this afternoon but there's a fall coolness in the air and Bob has put down the sides of our cockpit enclosure. We sat "up top", read and had a drink before dinner in what seems like the sun room - warm enough and protected from the cooler air. I expect that we'll be putting the heater on for a while later.

We've decided to go straight to the marina in Baltimore tomorrow to get ourselves and the boat organized before we leave for home and perhaps take some time to have a look around the city.

Still at Rock Hall

Visitors' Centre at Rock Hall

Main Street, Rock Hall

Saturday, October 4th: Rock Hall

Another sunny day at Rock Hall with temperatures in the low 70s by early afternoon. The weather has been mild for most of the trip - other than during our storm days in Cape May - and even then it was never really cold. For the last 2 nights (and for the first time this trip) we closed up our boat after dinner and ran the heater for a while before we went to bed.

Yesterday, we walked to the grocery store and loaded up. We filled 2 reusable grocery bags (big ones) and our backpacks and set off down the road back to the marina. For the third time since we've left home, someone offered us a ride. There are lots of kindly souls who dare to be helpful in the smaller cities and towns.

Loading up the dinghy with our groceries.

Once back, I had the job of making all our groceries fit in the fridge and the 3 lockers we use to store our non perishables. I have become more organized and have taken to keeping a list of what's in the 2 lockers under the seat cushions. It's so much easier to check the list than to lift the cushions and locker covers and root around in first one and then the other especially when it's for something I thought was still there but isn't (or never was!).

We also added a net pouch that we have strung from one hand hold to the next; it's handy for storing bread, potatoes, onions, carrots and even other more perishable vegetables. Our fridge has so much moisture in it that vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, and beans seem to do better out of it - and that frees up space for salad greens, tomatoes, milk, cheese, etc. Also, with careful arranging I can keep meat for several meals in our tiny tiny freezer. When I made the pressure cooker stew, I managed to put half of it in a zip lock bag (takes less space) and freeze it for a long sailing day when we didn't feel like cooking. Yesterday I cooked up a few meatballs and froze them for the same purpose.

After all that buying, carrying and storing food and then writing about food efficiency, I didn't feel much like cooking :-) ---- so I suggested a cheese omelet for dinner and then Bob suggested steamed crabs at the Waterman's Crab House - ---

Before: Six Large Steamed Crabs (to share)
After

Sunday, October 5th: Rock Hall

We spent the day here doing chores - the laundry - Bob changed the engine oil - and then we spent a little time sitting in the cockpit reading and the day is gone!

Tomorrow we are sailing almost straight across the bay (not far) to anchor somewhere off of the Patapsco River for the night (on Stony Creek or Rock Creek) and then we'll continue on up to Baltimore.

We may anchor on the outskirts of the city for a night before we go to the marina where we are leaving our boat for the week. We're flying home on Thursday afternoon for Thanksgiving - to see the kids and the cats.

Down the Bay

Sea Change Moored on the Sassafas River

Sunset at Swan Creek

Saturday, October 4th: Swan Creek

When we set out yesterday, we were casual about how far we would go. Should we go to the Chester River or stop earlier to anchor at Swan Creek near Rock Hall? Our guide books don't have the kind of mileage guide found in the Ports book for Lake Ontario and it's easy to forget that the bay is 125 miles long and more than 25 miles wide at it's broadest point. Just before we left, Bob did a rough calculation and found Rock Hall to be about 30 miles away. Since gusty winds and choppy water made for an interesting but not an easy sail, we decided to stop at Swan Creek and leave the Chester for another day.

In spite of healthy winds, we motor sailed the first part of the trip with only the main up. The bay has shallow spots and crab pots outside of the shipping channels and it seemed wiser to have the motor to fall back on for maneuverability. If you stick to the shipping channels, you have deep water and no crab pots, but you also share the space with freighters and tugs towing gigantic barges. (My Chesapeake book says that the Bay is "one of the most important shipping lanes " in the US.) We found it easiest to travel just outside the shipping channel. There is nothing about all this that is really so difficult - but it does take some getting used to.

For the last half of our day, the winds settled down to a steady 12 - 15 knots and Bob added a partially furled head sail and turned off the engine. I am noticing that he is a more cautious sailor when surrounded by crab pots and barges.

We are now anchored in a little bay off Swan Creek. We can get to the town of Rock Hall by taking the dinghy across the creek to a dock at Haven Harbour marina. The marina charges $15 for use of their dinghy dock and all of their facilities: laundry, showers, WiFi. Not a bad deal to be anchored and yet have such easy access to services and to the town.

We have walked to the main street - what a truly charming little town. We're stopped for a lunch and free Internet access and will go next to the grocery store to replenish our supplies. Later we'll check out the little Waterman's Museum right next to the marina. It's closed up but you get the key from the store next door. It's so pleasant and convenient here that we plan to spend a second night.

In answer to J's question in the comments: Yes Boat US is like CAA on the water in the US. You pay a yearly membership - get discounts at some marinas and can get tows if you are having engine trouble or if you are grounded (the dreaded grounding!). They are also great for getting local information about waterways and repair facilities - or water conditions for specific locations. Bob phoned them about the condition of the Delaware Bay and it was their recommendation not to go before last Monday.

Questions Answered: Who is Stan Rogers?

Thursday, October 2nd: Still the Sassafras River

When I said that Bob had put on a Stan Rogers CD during the Cape May storm, it did cross my mind that many people would not know the name. I had to chuckle when Krista asked the question. He could probably be called a Canadian folksinger, was from Nova Scotia and had his own east coast sound. Most of his songs tell a story and some of them concern life on the sea.

To B & B - comments don't appear immediately because I have elected to "moderate" them - so I receive them as email and can then publish or reject them. I publish all comments (really!) - but since I began moderating, I haven't received any more weird spam-like messages. I published your comments yesterday afternoon so you should be seeing them now.

David and Susan asked how many miles we had traveled in our 2 days of travel from Cape May to the Sassafras River so we went back and checked - it was about 97 miles. For non-sailors, that's a fair distance by sailboat although if we hadn't been bucking the current the first day, we could have done the same distance in much less time.

A couple of friends have asked whether or not we have been talking to people who are also traveling south. The farther we go, the more sailboats we see that are obviously outfitted for long distance traveling. Many of them are Canadian, and we have do trade stories with some of them. One couple spent the heavy weather days last week on a mooring ball at the 79th Street Marina. They found the current too strong for their dinghy engine and had to wait for a favourable tide before they left their boat ----- which reminds me that every time we get in our dinghy, I am grateful that we replaced our old Mercury 8 horsepower motor with the 4 stroke 9.9 Yamaha - it's reliable, quiet and gets us where we want to go up - even up the Hudson against the tide.

We decided to remain here on the Sassafras River another night and after a getting diesel and a pump out, we took a mooring ball in the boat basin. It was very windy today and it was adventure enough to get away from last night's dock, trying to maneuver in small space with the wind and the current pushing us back - we made it with help from a couple of fellows on the dock. Most times it seems that there is someone who happens along to help, Bob comes up with a strategy or some other fortuitous thing occurs so that everything works out.

Tomorrow we really are leaving and have a couple of spots picked out in the Cruising the Chesapeake book that I bought at the marine store today.

Time Out on the Sassafras

Wednesday, October 1st: Charlestown on the Sassafras River

This morning Bob was still unable to start the engine and finally called Boat US. Then he decided to run our little Honda generator and try the starter one more time and - it started. We canceled Boat US but asked where to take our boat to get the problem checked out - then we pulled anchor and proceeded up the Sassafras River to the Charlestown Yacht Basin marina where we had a mechanic look at the engine and where we will stay for the night.

The mechanic checked batteries, engine temp. (which Bob was concerned about), all the connections, and wiring. Everything was fine but he did clean the connection to the ground wire and said a corroded connection could create problems. In any case, the engine starts easily now, and the cost of the mechanic is mitigated somewhat by free dock space for the night and use of all the services here - water at the dock to top up the tanks, electricity, showers, wifi and bikes that we used to go to tiny town of Galena - and the little grocery store there where we bought a few vegetables and some very nice meat. Back at the boat we defrosted the fridge, put everything away (what a mess this boat can get into!) and walked up the hill to have fried soft shelled crab (for Bob) and crab cakes (for me) for dinner. 

Tomorrow we may move south along the Maryland side of the bay (Virginia is directly across on the other side) - and choose another of the rivers to explore. As usual, it all depends on the weather. We hope to do more anchoring before the week is through.

Cape May to the Chesapeake

Turner Creek in the Morning

Bluffs Along Chesapeake Bay

Tuesday, September 30th

We've just anchored in Turner Creek just off the Sassafras River - one of the many rivers emptying into the long bay that is "the Chesapeake". We're here at last - one of our anticipated destinations along the Intracoastal Waterway.

Turner Creek is a pretty quiet little spot - a few boats on buoys, a few cottages in between stands of trees - glassy water - hawks flying overhead. However, Bob thinks that maybe we're in a little too close to one of the mooring balls so we were going to move - but the starter motor has failed - again. In addition to our starter problem earlier in our trip - we had starter problems all summer prior to leaving, which I will not go into. This could shorten our week of exploring before we fly home for Thanksgiving - but we'll see - Bob is tinkering and no decisions have been made as to next steps. We're comforted by our membership in Boat US - we can call them to tow us ---- somewhere ---- tomorrow.

Yesterday we left Cape May at 7:00 a.m. and went around the outside of the cape rather than through the canal. Times for the low tide that we needed to clear the canal bridges (in the middle of the night and the middle of the day) didn't work well with our preference to travel in daylight and get to an anchorage near the C & D (Chesapeake and Delaware) Canal before dark.

Wave height yesterday was more manageable than during the previous week but was still 2 - 5 feet and with a 12 - 17 knot wind on our nose, we found ourselves bucking and crashing our way through waves for most of the day. We were also slowed down considerably by an opposing current which by the end of the day had taught us that leaving in the middle of the night to catch a favorable tide would have much to recommend it!

Bob suggests that I describe our lunch on the bouncing boat: neither of us was keen to go below to attempt lunch preparation. Bob's solution was to grab bread, peanut butter, 2 bananas and a knife. With these he constructed a sandwich on his knees, handed it to me (I was at the wheel) and then made one for himself (no plates!). We also ate half our supply of gummy bears.

Near the end of the afternoon, we realized that we would not get to the Reedy Island anchorage before dark as we had hoped. We checked Skipper Bob's Guide to Anchorages and thankfully, there was an alternate anchorage close by. We turned toward the Cohansey River. At the mouth of the river, we were met with a field of bobbing markers signaling an oyster farm (so said the GPS chart). After much milling around going this way and that, we decided to pick our way directly through the middle. This was to be good training for navigating crab pots in the Chesapeake. Once in, we found the river to be wide and deep with marshes on each side - picturesque and not a soul in sight. We dropped our anchor just as the sun was going down - whew!

One other small problem awaited us: the end of the V-berth was wet. We had taken a lot of water over our bow through the day. Somehow some of the water was leaking into the berth. So - we emptied the stern cabin of bikes, cushions, extra sail, emergency bag, wash bag, etc. and moved there for the night. We've always wondered what the stern berth was like to sleep in!

This morning the sun was bright and the tide was with us - what a difference. We were at the entrance to the C & D canal and through it to the Bay in no time. The V-Berth cushions have dried out and we will be back in our bed tonight. Tomorrow we'll figure what to do about the starter and Bob says that eventually, he'll figure out a why water is coming in from the anchor locker in high seas. And now for a drink and then I'll cook dinner.