April 11,
2010
This was our view at 6:30
this morning as we left Coinjock Marina in NC on our way to Norfolk, VA. Our plan was to catch the earliest
bridge openings. Well, you know the
phrase, "the best laid plans...."
Soon after we were out of the marina, the engine began to seriously
overheat. When the antifreeze began
boiling, it was obvious there was a problem! Fred, master mechanic that he is (he
wanted me to take this part out!) analyzed the situation, we anchored, and
within an hour we were on our way again.
As I mentioned, there were
six bridge openings to contend with and the Great Bridge Lock. These bridges only open on the hour
and/or half hour, so it takes a fair amount of planning. Wouldn't you know it, they were doing
maintenance at one bridge and were only opening every two hours. Again, we anchored. It was productive, though, because Fred
waxed the starboard side of the pilot house and I cleaned. Better that than watching the workmen on
the bridge working very s-l-o-w-l-y.
Eleven hours after we
began, we docked at Waterside Marina in Norfolk and promptly took a nap! We were
both exhausted, but happy that our plan eventually worked. Tomorrow we're taking a day to see the
sights in Norfolk and across the river in Portsmouth, VA, places we couldn't
visit because of the flooding last November from the
nor'easter.
We'll begin the trip north in the Chesapeake Bay on Tuesday and decide where we want to stop. Well, back to the charts!
April 12,
2010
We spent the day walking
to the sights in Norfolk. OK, I
have to admit, our route just happened to go by the MacArthur Mall, where
Dillard's and Nordstrom's are located!
After I bought, what else, a pair of shoes and had them shipped, during
which Fred was very patient, to all outward appearances, we then took the ferry
across the Elizabeth River to Portsmouth, had lunch, and returned to
Norfolk. What a dynamic area!
The merchants in Norfolk have started a
free jitney service in an electric cart, taking you wherever you want to go
within downtown Norfolk. They took
me to a Farm Fresh grocery store.
It was a rejuvenating experience, after shopping in marina stores. Now,
the interesting part was keeping track of eight plastic bags of groceries in an
open-air cart back to the marina.
We took advantage of the service again to have dinner at the Freemason
Abbey, a renovated building that began as a Second Presbyterian Church, another
church denomination, and then a Masonic Lodge. Beautiful architecture, good food and,
all in all, an Interesting day!
Old Point Comfort
Lighthouse
We began the day at
sunrise on our way to Fishing Bay in the Piankatank River. We were sharing the Elizabeth River with
an amazing assortment of tugs, crane barges, and military vessels, who were also
headed out to the Chesapeake Bay.
It was clear, cool, and bright when we left, but we encountered
increasing cloudiness during the day.
In the last hour or so, we took the sail down and endured wind on the
nose, choppy seas, and were relieved to eventually tie up at the
dock.
Dinner on board was
Italian, complete with red Zinfandel wine as we listened to the rain. It's a wonderful sound, especially when
you're warm and more or less stationary!
Tomorrow we are going to
attempt a run to Crisfield, MD. It should be another long day and, hopefully,
we'll have a good sailing wind.
7:30 A.M. today as we left
the Piankatank River.
April 14,
2010
Who in their right mind
would leave the security of a marina and head off to parts unknown in this kind
of weather? Only the Wise One! It took us seven hours, five of which
were like riding a hobbyhorse. At
times we couldn't see the horizon because the bow of the boat was bouncing up so
high. It's amazing that you
actually get used to the motion and anticipate how the boat is going to
react. We definitely know we're
back in the Chesapeake Bay with the short, choppy waves. However, we endured for
seven hours and arrived in Crisfield, Maryland, where the ride gradually
smoothed out.
Fred was thrilled to be back in Maryland,
because at dinner he had the best crab cake since leaving home for Charleston,
and he made many attempts! There is
nothing like a Maryland lump crab cake. It should be used as the standard
for the rest of the country.
We are attempting to plan
our days so that we are back in Baltimore this coming Saturday. We're not sure if we can make enough
miles each day to accomplish that, but people crazy enough to travel today are
hard to discourage!
April 15,
2010
No picture today, because
all we saw was water, water, everywhere! We left Crisfield at 6:40, not
really knowing how far we would travel.
Since the wind and waves were favorable, we kept going and going, like
the Energizer bunny. After 11 hours
and taking half-hour shifts driving the boat, we arrived at Herrington Harbour,
some 70-plus nautical miles away.
Of course, you're thinking, what, only 70 miles? Why, we can drive that in a car in a
little over an hour. But try going
about six miles an hour and you'll understand what our average pace of travel
has been.
Now that our trip is
nearing its end, we're a little nostalgic about leaving the boat and returning
to what constitutes our normal everyday schedule. This existence on a sailboat with
all of the essentials of living is relaxing, quiet, and allows time to
think. What a life!
April 16,
2010
Another beautiful sunrise
as we left Herrington Harbor in Herring Bay at 7:00 A.M. The bay was surprisingly calm, although
we did manage to motor-sail with the jib up for about two hours. Then the wind disappeared and we just
motored the next five hours north on the bay to Markley's Marina, our boat's
summer home! We planned to
arrive at the marina before the predicted storms came through. The winds started gusting to 20 MPH
about a half hour after we arrived.
Now, to a true sailor, winds like this are an invitation to head
out. To this former power boater,
however, it's not so bad being tucked in at the dock!
This has been an adventure
of a lifetime, and it has been such a privilege to be healthy enough to complete
this trip. I think what we
lack in youth, we make up for in enthusiasm.
Well, on to planning for
the next challenge!