Antipoison Creek to Tidewater Marina, Norfolk, VA

Today:       63  miles.   10.1 hours             ICW St M “0”

Total:      180  miles    29.9 hours

     The alarm went off at 6.  The temperature was a balmy 44 degrees.  Pete had just enough nautical light to take Bailey to shore.

     Dinghy was raised and the anchor pulled. However, our new chain and anchor were not cleaned as the wash down new nozzle had a coating still on it, but more importantly, the pump is not working properly. We did manage to be underway by 7 am. 

First Light, First Flight

     We were passed by a small work boat.  It turns out they were heading out to check on the fish traps we passed as we were coming in to anchor.  This is the first time we have ever seen anyone work with fish traps.

Work Begins before Sunrise!

    The winds out of the SSW built as did the waves and the incoming current as we passed the Rappahannock River. Pete tried to raise the main sail to increase speed, but it somehow became jammed.  We will have to wait for a calm day to unjam it.  As a result, we were passed by a number of boats as we could only due 5.8-6.0 mph. One trawler had apparently sent their way points and didn’t thinks it was necessary to deviate course even though it meant passing us on our starboard by only 20 feet!

     Around 10, Pete received confirmation that our new freezer was delivered to Tidewater.  We should be able to head out tomorrow instead of waiting for the delivery.

     We continued our journey south, but the current held us to 6 mph for most of the day.  That slowed us enough so our planned 9-hour travel day, evolved to 10 and we tied up to Tidewater at 5:02 pm—2 minutes after they closed! The freezer needs to wait until tomorrow.  Hence, we need to reevaluate our plans for tomorrow.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~      K & P

Spring Cove Marina, Solomons, Md to Antipoison Creek, VA

Today:       57 miles      9.1 hours

Total:      117 miles    20.7 hours

     The alarm was set for 6:30 am, but we awoke when the phone rang at 5:10. Greg was on his way to work and made the “butt call.”  Pete’s calling his name and whistling didn’t get his attention, so we finally hung up and thankfully, caught some more zzzz’s.

     The temperature was 33 degrees when we work, but quickly began to climb along with the sun. The winds were light out of the SSW at 5-7.  Before we left, we texted birthday wishes to Chris.

     We were one of 5 boats exiting the Pawtuxet River.  Pete checked AIS and found there were quite a few boats heading south throughout the Chesapeake; and they were only the ones with AIS!

Tonight's Sunset

     We were able to drop anchor around 4:15. Bailey really enjoys this beach.  Plenty of space to run around, new sticks to find and chew.  We love it, too, for its beauty a long with the easy dinghy access to the beach.  We, a power boat and a large sail boat all came in around the same time.  We were the only boats here tonight.

     After a great dinner of sausage and peppers, we watched some TV, Pete took Bailey in for a final walk, then we headed to bed. We have another long trip tomorrow.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~      K & P

Solomons ~ Day 3

     This morning, Pete decided to check the freezer.  Unfortunately, all that cycling meant that the freezer is dying.  Stuff on the top of the freezer was getting soft.  We quickly started the built-in freezer that we have been using as dry storage for food since it draws a lot of amps.  I was able to transfer all the things from the portable freezer to the onboard with no problems and plenty of room.  I made sure I covered the frozen goods with aluminum foil and towels to contain the cold.  Pete was able to order from Amazon the same 48-quart Engle fridge/freezer for the same price as we purchased it 8 years ago at the boat show and have it delivered to Tidewater Marina in Norfolk on Wednesday.  Pete also make reservations for Tuesday and Wednesday at Tidewater and let them know about the delivery.

    Betty and John are beginning to decommission the boat, so John drove me to Harris Teeter for the last-minute items I we needed.   I did check, but there are no convenient spots to buy a Mega Millions Lottery ticket locally, so we are bypassing our chance at the 1.6 BILLION-dollar draw on Tuesday night.

     With their car full and a lot of the prep work for putting ANDIAMO to be for the winter done, we said our good-byes to John and Betty with the hopes of seeing them in Florida sometime during December.

     Since they were defrosted, we ate the pizza for lunch and cooked the bacon to use on our Turkey Panini sandwiches for dinner. Now we only need to set the alarm for 6:30 so we can leave in the morning.

     G’Night all!

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~      K & P

Solomons ~ Day 2

     We awoke at 7:30 to be ready for the fuel dock to open at 8 so we could fill up.  Due to the cold, we were buttoned up.  As a result, the dock hand waited until 9 to knock on the hull.  We have always though that we had a 40-gallon fuel tank, however, we were only able to add 34.2 gallons of diesel, which might explain our confusion with our fuel gauge.

     Once fueled up, we motored over the T-head on the dock with ANDIAMO.  This makes it much easier to get together with them.  We are staying in here through Monday.  The winds are supposed to kick up to about 30 mph here on shore, with winds on the Bay topping 45 tomorrow.  I doubt anyone will be traveling tomorrow.      

Birds & Words!

     While putting on my makeup, I took note of mechanical cycling sounds. The freezer was cycling every 5-7 seconds.  Pete asked me a question about it and as I went to answer, I fell onto my glasses, bending the frames enough to pop out both lenses.  Betty was able to drive me over to Pearl Vision, where a wonderful tech spent about 20 minutes and put my glasses back together.  They are not as sturdy as they were, but with care I should be ok. Once repaired, we headed back to the boat.  Though the corrections are minimal, I have become dependent on the corrections and having my eyes constantly try to focus without them lead to a whopper of a headache.  I took some meds and laid down for about 90 minutes. Thankfully, it worked.

Glass flowers outside The Island Hideaway

     We were able to join Betty and John to tour the Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center.  The main building was being set up for a wedding, but we were still able to walk around and see the 40 different modern sculptures on the grounds.

     Once back we changed to head out to dinner at The Island Hideaway.  They took over for our favorite restaurant, Don Giovonni’s by the Sea. We enjoyed the Crab Dip and Seafood Lasagna, but both were rich with butter and cream. Pete’s lack of a gall blatter left him a bit uncomfortable later that night.              

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~      K & P

Kent Island to Spring Cove Marina, Solomons, Md

Today:    60 miles.   12  hours

Sun begins to rise on our departure

     The alarm went off at 6 am.  Bailey was walked and fed, lines cast off and we were underway by 7:13 am.  Yes, thank heavens, the water levels are a bit higher than yesterday, and we headed out with no problems.

Waterman, Chester River and Sunrise

     The ride from Love Point south to the bridge was great! We had the current with us, but no wind and cruised at 9 mph!  Once below the bridge we continued, only slower at 7.5 mph.  The breeze came up from the SW at 15-18, which was unfortunately on our nose.  We cut over to the western shore to decrease the wave action that was a bit unsettling for Bailey, but still continued to make good time.

Water colored Sunrise

    Bailey underwent a lot of testing this summer. Her vasculitis is not only affecting the ears, but also her small intestines. She is currently eating a lot of chicken and rice.  I have to make up a batch every 3 days so today’s batch was made while under way.

We be sailing!

    We were about a mile from the Cove Point LG docks when the engine sputtered.  For the past 2 years Pete has been documenting our fuel gage with the amounts left in the tank since the gage is questionable.  Prior to leaving, he was sure we had enough fuel for about 12 hours of cruising.  We should have had at least 3 more hours left, but instead we had to hoist sails and tack our way to the Pawtuxet River. We called the marina, explaining our situation and requested dockage at the fuel dock overnight which was granted.

     Pete held a tight course that allowed us to glide by the Red Marker just feet from Drum Point.  There was a family enjoying the sunset. The 3 girls decided to take a selfie with us in the background.  They even complimented us on our “beautiful boat.”  As we entered the harbor, the sun was setting and the winds lightening.  It took us about 25 minutes to sail up to the fuel dock at Spring Cove.  We had been keeping Betty and John posted on our progress and they were waiting with flashlights to catch our lines as darkness had descended.  We were secure to the dock by 7:15 pm. So much for our planned 9-hour cruise.

Sailing close to Drum Point 

Sunset over Solomons

     Once secure, we headed over to ANDIAMO and enjoyed their wonderful friendship, scrumptious cooking and a lot of catching up.      Once back Bailey was walked and it was time to head to bed.  Fresh air poisoning!

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~      K & P

Today was to be the Day. . . .

     The plan was for Pete to finish up a project for work during the morning, then we would leave our marina, heading to Miles River Yacht Club in St. Michaels so that we could use one of our membership’s  free dockage and enjoy our first meal of the trip at the Club.  Once again fate stepped in.  The water level was so low (2 foot below mean low water with some boats sitting on the bottom), we weren’t sure if we could clear the marina entrance and definitely could not clear the north entrance to Kent Narrows. Even of it is as low tomorrow, we should be able to leave at 7 during mid-tide.  We’ll head to Love Point instead of the Narrows, even though it will add another hour to our trip to Solomon’s. Better to be safe instead of sorry.

    Instead, we took advantage of the time and car, moving stuff to storage and bring other stuff back.  Pete also changed dock lines so that we can cast off easily in the morning. . . .AND we drove over to Miles River for a delicious dinner!

    We are pretty sure we are ready.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~      K & P

Cruising 2018 -2019

Debris from Conowingo Dam release in Annapolis

     It was an unusual summer for everyone.  Between, heat, rain (2 hurricanes/tropical storms which supplied many inches of rain to the East Coast and specifically, Susquehanna River basin), and the debris from the Conowingo Dam opening all 12 flood gates making navigation in the Chesapeake hazardous, TWICE!  Add to that both our Moms needing of support, the summer flew by with only 3 outings via boat and very little of our “to do list” getting checked off. As we start our journey, both Moms are currently stable, but very fragile.

Very high water in marina

Very low water in the marina

Sunset in our marina

         Before leaving, Pete had the heat exchanger replaced instead of pickled as it had rusted through; the diesel Mechanic. Rudy is very hard to get a hold of, but with a recommendation from our mechanics, he came and checked the engine.  He feels that the steam we are still experiencing in the exhaust is possibly from an ill-fitting cap.  It has been replaced, but the steam, though less, is still visible underway.  The boat was reorganized, the freezer and fridge defrosted, all food stuffs inventoried and needed items purchased. Over the summer I did find time to make new porthole covers, and a helm’s seat cover. Pete was able to check off another few items with the repair of the windless and helm seat, replacing then marking and installing the new anchor chain, lubricating the dinghy blocks and tackle, polishing the stainless, changing the oil and fuel filter, and attaching the fuel cans to the port side stanchions plus a number of other small items.  I cleaned the boat and canvas, but didn’t have time for polishing the topsides or sealing the canvas.

    Ready or not the time has arrived to join the migration of “Snow Birds” heading south for the winter.

                                                                                                         ~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ Kathy & Pete