Windsong Recovering

Windsong is getting its mast repaired on the go. They met with the insurance adjuster in Belhaven, NC, just two days after the accident. They decided to have an Annapolis, Maryland, rigger do the replacement. As it happens, this rigger would be in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, the following weekend, visiting relatives, and he agreed to remove the mast and take it back to Annapolis. A new mast has already been ordered, and when it is ready, it will be shipped to a yard in Florida for installation. So far, we have only lost one day due to a really amazing accident. We spent the weekend in Wrightsville Beach, rented a car, and visited Norm's cousin Bob and his wife Hattie in Ocean Isle, which is about an hour south of Wrightsville Beach. On Sunday, they had some friends from work, along with us from both boats, over to their house for some Frogmore Stew. We all had a great afternoon and a wonderful meal.

Once called Frogmore Stew, this one-pot wonder was created by a National Guardsman when he needed to cook a meal for 100 soldiers. Richard Gay, who learned the recipe from his family, had everyone remembering his stew. The dish was later named Frogmore, where Richard was from, by the guards who teased him about his home. The postal service eliminated the name Frogmore, which changed this popular dish to Lowcountry boil.
This seafood dish is a combination of shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes. Great for relaxing trips to the beach, it is also easy to create for a crowd. Lowcountry boil can be served on a newspaper for easy cleanup. Crab, onion, and butter are frequent additions to the pot, and having a removable drain basket only makes cooking easier. The rule of thumb here is the bigger the crowd, the bigger the pot.

Lowcountry Boil

4 pounds of small red potatoes
5 quarts of water
1 (3-ounce) bag of crab boil seasoning
4 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
2 pounds kielbasa or hot smoked link sausage, cut into 1½-inch pieces
6 ears of corn, halved
4 pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
optional Cocktail sauce

Add potatoes to a large pot, then add 5 quarts of water and seasonings. Cover pot and heat to a rolling boil; cook 5 minutes. Add sausage and corn, and return to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Add shrimp to the stockpot; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain. Serve with cocktail sauce. Serves 12.

We are spending Thanksgiving at a marina on Pawleys Island, SC. The marina is managed by Ron Hamm. Ron and his wife Silvia, are now former cruisers. We were introduced to them two years ago by Iain and Jan from Jocks Lodge. They just bought a home on Pawleys Island, finally giving up on cruising. We had a great visit to their new home on Wednesday evening. They already had family plans for Thanksgiving, but left us with their car and the keys to their home. Windsong and Ariel have split the preparation of the meal and will have a traditional turkey dinner on board Ariel.

What A Time In The Dismal Swamp

On Tuesday, November 10, just after exiting the lock at Deep Creek and entering the Dismal Swamp Canal, we stopped at the free Elizabeth Dock. Severe weather was forecast, and we knew Elizabeth Dock would be our best option, having waited on the weather there last year. As forecast, the southern Virginia and northern North Carolina area along the coast got beaten up pretty badly with a nasty Nor'easter. Remnants of Hurricane Ida combined with a strong coastal low, all of which was blocked by a high-pressure system to the north. We had around eight inches of rain, and wind gusts were in the 60 - 70 mph range. We could not have been in a better spot since the locks somewhat protect the canal from coastal flooding. We saw the water level in the canal at our end go up about 6 inches, and they did open the flood gates to drain the excess. At the other end of the canal, the water had threatened to breach the lock. The bad news is that the winds toppled some trees across the canal. After the storm passed, we had to wait for the Army Corps of Engineers to clear the canal before we could move on. Finally, on Sunday, the canal was reopened. The current was still pretty strong in the very narrow canal, and we had to watch carefully for floating debris. While waiting on the 1:30 bridge at the far end of the canal, it was quite a challenge to handle the boat with the extra strong current from the receding flood waters flowing toward the bridge. We managed to get turned around with our bow facing the current, which gave us much better control. Windsong was not so fortunate and got pulled over to the side. They snagged their mizzen mast on a tree limb, which is a hazard on this route, and unfortunately, they were dismasted. They were able to come through the bridge with the toppled mast hanging over the side and a tree limb trailing. We all tied to a bulkhead between the bridge and the lock. We had made friends with Debra, her husband David, and her brother Scott on Ling Ling back at Deep Creek, so they also stopped to help out. Between all of us and several people from the neighborhood that turned out, we managed to recover the mast, strip it of all hardware, and get everything stowed on deck. We finished before dark, and we were all pretty worn out, but we enjoyed going out for pizza before turning in for the night.

We Are Heading South At Last

We are now back in Solomons, having failed to escape the Bay before the cold weather settled in. Last night there was a frost in our area. The good news is we are officially on our way south with our buddy boat, Windsong.

A little more than a week ago, we were passing the time on the very peaceful La Trappe creek, enjoying watching huge flocks of geese, when I got the idea to defrost the freezer. Having completed this not-so-enjoyable task, the next day, Linda then noticed the temperature was slowly rising in the freezer. It was very apparent that in my haste to get the defrosting done, I had damaged the evaporator plate. We decided to return to Oxford, now a day sooner than we had planned, to be in a better position to make a repair. Just before arriving at Oxford, we had a call from Ted. He had found that his engine heat exchanger was leaking, and the entire unit would need to be replaced. The part would need to be shipped in, and therefore, we could not leave on schedule. We shared our story, and we were both relieved that we were not holding each other up. The US distributor for our refrigeration system is in Bowie, Maryland, so I made arrangements to go to their office to pick up the parts they recommended, which were a replacement evaporator, but also a filter dryer as a precaution, since the system had been compromised with the leak. Ted's brother-in-law, David, loaned us his car for the trip to Bowie. I installed the really labor-intensive parts, especially fitting the evaporator in the freezer. We made arrangements with Bachelors Point Marina and Boat Yard to evacuate the system and recharge it with R134 refrigerant. We tied up at their T head and stayed a few hours to allow the system to settle down after the new charge. Meanwhile, Ted and Alice were continuing to have their own problems. The first part sent in was defective, so a second had to be shipped. In testing the new heat exchanger, a leak in the exhaust system at the mixing elbow was discovered, which ultimately required the fabrication of a replacement. Both boats were then ready, and wouldn't you know, the winds on the Chesapeake were gusting 35, causing another day's delay.

We enjoyed our stay in Oxford. It is rich in history, having been established as the first port in Maryland in 1683. Ted's sister Margarete and her husband David invited us to dinner one evening. Margarete made the best crab cakes either of us has ever had. They are wonderful host with fascinating stories and have a beautiful home looking out on the Tred Avon River.