Pongo creek Oct. 31

We hope everyone on the east coast has weathered the storm and come through unharmed. Our thoughts have been with all of our family and friends north of us where Sandy hit harder than here. It has been windy and cold here. We feel fortunate that we didn’t see more than gusts of wind 35/40K. The only thing we watched for was chaffing on the anchor snubber. We changed the rope and continued to ride out the storm.

We came back to the marina yesterday afternoon. We will go up to the office to get this off so you know we are safe. We have to get the full enclosure back up and a few other things to get the boat ready to head out again.

Tomorrow we will be heading to the Oriental, NC area, get fuel and make final preparations for going off shore. We hope to be in the Beaufort, NC area Friday morning. Once through the last bridge we will anchor and I’ll hoist David up the mast to get the wind, light and antenna back up and working then head out for a passage. We hope to make it to Ponce inlet in Florida. It is a 3-4; day and night sail. Abe wish you were with us again we’ll miss the help.

While sitting on the hook and as cold as it was I did up some casseroles so we will have easy meals to warm up on the crossing.

Our plans may change depending on the wind and how fast we can go. We will be staying about 10/20 miles off shore so if the need arrives we can stop at several harbors along the way.

Hampton Virginia to Belhaven  North Carolina

We departed Hampton timed to make it through several swing bridges that are on a tight schedule. Short day of travel followed by a long day. We have been watching Sandy closely the original prediction was for landfall in the Chesapeake so it seemed prudent to set off in the relative protection of the Inter Coastal Waterway. We have situated ourselves in a small town called Belhaven because it is situated as far west from the actual coast, with the hopes of blunting the effects of the storm.

We are near Belhaven in a creek on a dock at a small marina. Nothing special but we can stretch our legs and wait. We have good protection from the NE,N,NW,W,SW so as things clock around we should be fine. We stayed west so that we wouldn't be near the coast on the the ICW where there is no good place to have protection and we couldn't travel fast enough to get to Georgia or Florida to avoid Sandy.
If the storm stays east of here we may not see anything more than 20k with gusts to 35k so we feel we have found the safest place to ride out the storm.
We have to go to the office to have cell service or Internet. It is in and out out on the dock so once we have to hunker down you may not hear from us until after the storm remember no news is good news.
It sounds like the New England area is in for an awful mess. Everyone stay safe we will be thinking of you too.
Hopefully a week from now this will be just another story.
D&D

Our Private Anchorage on the Hampton River

Our Present Location near Belhaven NC

War Ships in Norfolk VA note patrol boat shadowing our movement

Norfolk in the Rear View Mirror

In the Lock at Great Bridge VA

Calm before the storm. Sunset Alligator River NC

We are now anchored on the Alagator River in North Carolina. Had a great run today from Great Bridge Va. Tomarrow we plan to continue up the Aligator and head down the land cut to Pungo River. We have tentatively picked out a spot on Pungo North to tuck up into to ride out Sandy. From what I understand the phone/3 G reception there is nonexistent. We will fill you in when we can.

The last 4 days was spent in Hampton Va with friends from the Carribean 1500 back in 1997-1998. It's great to catch up with such fine people.We visited several museum and they helped us resupply. Yesterday's trip from Hampton included multiple bridges with specific opening times and also a lock. We were able to get a free dock on Great Bridge for the night. This was the sit of the first Revolutionay War victory at the start of the war. Assume we are,safe, will be in touch soon..

Solomons Island To Deltaville Virginia

The trip from Oxford to Solomons Island was motor, our NW winds never amounted to anything. Entering the Solomons Island area was sight to be seen. We have never seen so many masts (sail boats) in one area. The anchorage was nicely protected from all directions of wind giving us a comfortable several days while we waited out strong southerly winds (on the Nose). We got lots of walking in and some sight seeing as well. The important stuff first. A nice 2-mile walk brought us to the Ruddy Duck Brew Pub, great beer and good food. As it happens the brewpub was close to a museum that had a great display of watercolor paintings, the waterman of the Chesapeake. They also had an outdoor walk with sculpture.

Solomons Island is home to a superb museum, The Calvert marine museum. It had great displays of the wildlife indigenous to the Chesapeake area as well as the history including a very a nice paleontology display. We made a day of it with a short lunch break at CD Café. The food was good as well as unusual in the sense that it was not the usual fare. The day was caped off with a delightful evening of dinner and conversation with John and Nina, fellow cruisers we meet in Baltimore.

We left Solomons on a gusty North West breeze. The sail gave us both a workout. The wind was for the most part right behind us and very gusty making it difficult for the autopilot to steer the boat.Thus we had to hand steer ,not an all-together easy task. It also seemed we were adjusting the sails every 15 minutes including setting the spinnaker pole to go wing and wing.  We arrived in Mill Creek just south of Reedville VA and set the anchor in time for a Gin and Tonic. The anchorage was a contrast to Solomons Island it that it was quiet and very rural. On to Deltaville the next morning to get some chores done and check out the boat yard as a possible place to leave Geo Nova next spring. We plan to head down to Hampton tomorrow and meet up with friends from the Caribbean 1500 from 1997.

Brew Pub Solomons

View of Calvert Museum from Structure of Screw Pile Lighthouse on property

Diana in Deltaville Nature center

Sculpture Museum

Museum Enterance

Sun set Calvert Museum as seen from Geo Nova

St Michaels and Oxford Maryland

Both of these Eastern Shore Towns are special in that the represent life of a bygone era. True St Michaels is a bit of a tourist town but it retains some of the small-unspoiled town characteristics that we have come to love and enjoy in Maine. St Michaels is home to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, an 18-acre living history, ecology and explaining the many facets of life on the Bay. They were in the process of restoring an old wood Skipjack.

The town itself had some shops and restaurants but most interesting they had a winery and a microbrewery. We could not pass through town without giving these places a closer look. We gave them more than a closer look as you might imagine. The microbrew place was a serendipitous find in that we meet a couple from DC, in addition to our common love of good beer we were all sailors. The next two days we enjoyed conversation and dinner on each other’s boats. This made the cold dreary weather less depressing.

The sail to Oxford was a combination of motoring and sailing. We had a wonderful dinner at The Robert Morris Inn last evening where we meet another couple from a Gizzard Sail Boat. Today we will meet up with a friend of a friend from back home.

I can’t say enough how charming this small town is. Not much happening here but that just contributes to its charm. 

Microbrewery

Nice Flower

Great Blue Heron

View of St Micheals from Museum Lighthouse

Leaning Lighthouse

Skipjack under restoration

Annapolis Maryland

We arrived in Annapolis Sunday afternoon after a marvelous sail from Baltimore. The wind was in just the right direction and the wind speed was perfect for a smooth relatively swift journey. We knew Annapolis would be busy due to the US Sail Boat Show, a huge event held every Columbus Day Weekend. Thus we wanted to be here early to get a good spot and so did everyone else. The mooring field was full and the anchorage was too exposed so we decided to anchor in Weems Creek a small creek off the Severance River about a 2 mile walk from downtown Annapolis, away from all the hustle and bustle of town.

The weather was variable leading up to the boat show so we spent our time walking around the Annapolis area doing some bird watching where we got a great view of a pair of Yellow Bellied Sap Suckers a bird we have seen before but never up so close. Also made it to town for lunch at a local tavern, where we had the best, I mean the best cream of crab soup. They claimed to have the best wings in Annapolis so we had to try them but they couldn’t hold a candle to the Sheds wings.

The boat show was very busy but always fun. The very best part was meeting up with Ron and Barbra for lunch at Pussers where we couldn’t pass up having one of their famous Pain Killers. Talked to several manufactures to answer some questions we had about equipment we have. Also went on several boats to see what’s new in the marketplace. We ran into John and Nina, the boaters from Baltimore.

Off to our next port of call is St Michaels on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. This sail was fluky at best. We saw wind speeds from 4 knots to 28 knots making it difficult to sail. We got here and are looking forward to visiting the maritime museum. Even with the rain we will get our land leg exercise!

Boat Show in busy harbor

Morning Race

Navy Racer with Academy in background

Thomas Point Screw-pile light

US Navy Academy

Early Fall Color in Annapolis

 

Geo Nova at the dock

View from Federal Hill

Camden Yard

Post game fire works

Diana, David, Carol and Mike

Night in the city

Lauren and Eliana

Pregame party

Baltimore

What a Great City!!! The company we had was even Better!!! It seems strange to have Geo Nova tied up to a dock, not to mention in the middle of a large city. First off this gave us an opportunity to give the boat a bath and top off her water tanks then plug in to keep the refrigeration and freezer going. We could walk to a bagel shop, grocery store and replenish my beer supply.

Mike and Carol arrived the next day and we had some time to catch up on things. Baltimore is a great city to walk in. You can walk for miles without loosing sight of the waterfront. We had a nice mile and a half walk to a great restaurant the first night. Nicer yet we had a great walk back to the boat just before the sky opened and it poured. Friday we visited the national Aquarium a fantastic place, everything from frolicking dolphins, to diving puffins and also every imaginable type of fish. That night we got to see a baseball game at Camden Yards. The Red Sox lost to Baltimore but it was great to be there.

Saturday brought us another treat, friends from home. Dave and Carol flew down to stay on the boat and take in a game at Camden Yards. We had a pre game party on the boat with other friends from Maine, Scott, his wife and daughter along with friends of Dave’s and Mike and Carol came for the fun. This game did not prove any better for the Sox but the company couldn’t have been any better. It was great just to have some relaxing conversation with our company.

Our next treat was to visit with my Cousin and her daughter for a delicious Saturday brunch. It was so nice to visit with them and see her beautiful home.

Now off to our next port of call, Annapolis Maryland. We had the best sail here we have had in a long time. The wind was in the right direction and the strength was perfect which made for a speedy comfortable ride. We are anchored in a nice quiet creek outside of the busy city of Annapolis. We will have at least a 2 mile walk to get into town.