Eagles And Dolphins

Today, we moved on to a point just short of Charleston. A front passed through at about noon, so the winds picked up substantially. We saw three eagles within about a five-mile stretch, all very close. Tonight, in our secluded anchorage in Dewees Creek, we have dolphins swimming around. They can really startle you when they surface close by for air. Tomorrow, we will bypass Charleston, except for Windsong, which has arranged to repair its engine cooling water pump at the Charleston City Marina. We will wait on them just past Charleston. Yesterday it was near 80 degrees in Georgetown, but now the temperatures are dropping again, and it is expected to go below freezing tomorrow night.

A Day Off In Georgetown

We have been on a bit of a good luck streak. A couple of hours after we passed through a shoal area around an inlet, a four-masted 100' schooner drawing 9 feet ran hard aground. They brought traffic to a complete stop, and with no choice but to wait for high tide later that night. They came into our anchorage in the dark and anchored just in front of us. That was scary for us, having a tall ship anchoring so close. Our luck continued the next day when a swing bridge had mechanical trouble opening for us. They got it open, but after we cleared it, it was closed for maintenance for at least a couple of hours. We have now stopped in Georgetown for a day off the waterway. We have now covered 402 statute miles on the ICW. The waterway is just fascinating. Neither one of us takes a break to do something else for fear of missing something. The experienced couple we are traveling with take turns and read or do chores, or as they did the other day, preparing pizza so it would be ready when we all got settled in and they asked us over. They set the pizza dough near the engine to rise. Georgetown is very cruiser-friendly, and everyone stops here, so the anchorage is quite crowded. The two boats we are traveling with are at the far end, well out of our line of sight. Georgetown is a wonderful small city, and we wish we could stay longer. We did get caught up on laundry and shopping, and had a very nice dinner at the River Room Restaurant.  Linda had shrimp and grits, which they are known for. Norm went with a more traditional grouper, but we shared, and it was all very good. We look forward to returning to Georgetown in the spring and staying a little longer. Linda did pick up some shrimp at the fish market, so we are looking forward to grilling them.

Steady Progress

We are making steady progress south. It has been cold and windy every day. We are selecting anchorage destinations that can accommodate Windsong, which has almost a 6' draft, so this pretty much dictates our daily distance. The changes are amazing as we work our way along. Some nights we are anchored in very remote areas, where the Milky Way is visible very clearly, and other nights we are anchored in residential neighborhoods. We are now seeing dolphins each day, which is pretty exciting for us. As a group, we are doing well together, and we will stay together until about the Georgia-Florida border. Windsong needs to hold up in Brunswick; Jocks Lodge is destined for the St. Marys River for a cruiser's Thanksgiving get together, and we are going to Jacksonville. We get together every day after we settle on our anchors, alternating between the boats or going out to dinner. Windsong ran aground hard today on a falling tide. Luckily, Tow Boat US responded in less than 10 minutes, and we were on our way again. We heard It's About Time on the radio, so we hailed them. They were anchored in Beaufort, getting ready for an offshore passage down to the St. Marys River.

Beginning The ICW (The Ditch)

After the storm moved north, it turned nice very quickly. We visited Iain and Jan on Jocks Lodge to plan the next few days and agreed on a 6:00 am departure, just before sunrise, when we would have first light. Later that afternoon, we visited the Virginia Air and Space Center. They have a good collection of planes, and the interactive displays were quite good. We noticed that young teenagers really enjoyed these. Later that evening, Ted and Alice on Windsong checked in with us and decided to join our small group. Monday morning, we were off at 6:00 am as planned.

Passing the Norfolk Fleet

At 9:00 am, we reached ICW mile mark 0. The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a 3,000-mile recreational and commercial waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, saltwater rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals. It was a very busy day on the waterway. We went through our first lock ever at Great Bridge with a batch of 13 boats.

Great Bridge Lock

It was only noon, and they had already put 104 boats through. This early part of the ICW has many bridges, and so we were slowed by waiting for openings, which made for a long day before we could drop anchor. After we were all settled, we invited everyone aboard Ariel for drinks and snacks. Iain and Jan kept us entertained with stories of cruising in Cuba. They are Canadians, so there is no issue with visiting Cuba. We agreed that 6:00 am worked well, so we set another departure for the same time. Our actual departure was at 7:15 am, as we were awakened to find ourselves in heavy fog. The next day, we crossed Albemarle Sound, which was very rough. The going was slow as we were pounding into the wind and waves. Suddenly, we noticed Jocks Lodge dead in the water. The rough conditions had stirred up gunk in the bottom of the diesel fuel tank, which then actually clogged the pickup tube. The day was getting late, so we towed them while Iain worked to solve the problem. After about an hour, the problem was fixed, and we dropped the tow line. Bad luck struck again immediately as the tow line got caught in their propeller after Jan mistook a hand signal and powered forward before Iain had the line completely pulled in. Windsong took them under tow for the remainder of the day. The sun went down as we were approaching the mouth of the Little Alligator River, so we dropped anchor there even though we were still in open water. Norm told Jocks Lodge he would come over after sunrise with our Hookah system to work on untangling the line. It was a very rough night as the boat bounced in the waves. Our Hookah system (a compressor on deck that provides air through a hose to the diver) worked great, and actually, Jan did the diving. The line was wrapped about six times but came off easily. The air temperature was in the 50s, and the water was in the mid-60s. We both only had shorty wet suits, but they were more than adequate for a short dive. We were on our way at 7:30 am after fixing the problem and stowing the gear. The next day was uneventful, and we all went out to dinner in Belhaven after getting settled on our anchors. It was Iain and Jan's treat. We all agreed to stay another day at anchor in Belhaven.

Nasty Noel

When Hurricane Noel was first named earlier in the week, it was predicted that it would not influence the East Coast in any significant way. We took a wait-and-see attitude anyway and held up in Hampton. Later in the week, the winds were predicted to be from the northwest, so we expected some wind protection from the buildings. Yesterday, we took additional steps to secure our position. Since our anchors were well set, we opted not to move even though the winds were northeast, which is parallel with the river where we are, and therefore we were getting no protection from shore-side structures. During the day, several boats left the anchorage to seek shelter in the marinas. At the end of the day, only five boats, including Ariel, remained in our immediate area. Further down the river were a few more boats, two of which we stayed in touch with. The night before, several in their area had dragged. For us, the wind peaked at around 1:00 am. We didn't check the wind speed, but it was up there, and we just checked that we were staying put. We have a red channel marker buoy (22) that is less than a boat length away, usually just off our stern. This made it really easy to check our position. In the morning, we found that Ted and Alice on Windsong, a Whitby 42 out of Oxford, Maryland, had obviously dragged as they were now anchored closer to us, but still downwind from our position. Hurricane Noel had morphed into a Nor'easter as it passed here. Luckily, it was just far enough offshore to reduce the impact on our position slightly. The miss was by a mere 40 miles. It was a good learning experience and is helping us to gain confidence with anchoring.

Waiting Out Noel In Hampton

We have extended our stay in Hampton to wait on the weather. Once we enter the ICW, we will need enough good weather days to carry us through Albemarle Sound and the Alligator River. We are really enjoying our stay here. This is a very cruiser-friendly town. While out shopping for groceries, we had two offers for rides back to our dinghy. It was only a 1/4 mile, so we declined, but the offers were much appreciated. A few years ago, while on vacation, we stayed in Hampton for a couple of days. This was early in our planning (dreaming) for this trip, when we could only imagine ourselves anchored off the downtown area. Wow, and now we are here. Pictured are opposite views - downtown Cousteau Society from Ariel and Ariel from the Cousteau Society.

 Cousteau Society from Ariel

 Ariel from the Cousteau Society

We really needed the time to get caught up. We found a really neat area on East Queens Way with several boutique-type shops and neat restaurants. We both had crab cakes one last time at the Taphouse before leaving the area. We recommend this place.

Yesterday, we set out a second anchor in advance of the high winds as we are pinched between a large high-pressure system moving in and Hurricane Noel, which is moving up the coast. With Noel now upgraded to hurricane status, the winds are expected to gust to 60. This morning (Friday), we reduced our windage by removing our dodger and connector to the bimini. We also added a third anchor. We put out our Fortress FX37, which is our storm anchor. We should be able to get going again on Sunday.

Last Stop Before ICW

We really enjoyed our weekend in St. Mary's. It is well off the path of the southbound cruisers, so we had the place to ourselves. We stopped in at the college and, while there, bought some groceries at a small store in one of the campus buildings. We considered lunch in their cafeteria, but our appetites weren't ready for the all-you-can-eat pricing plan. The selection looked great, though. The weather did not permit touring St. Mary's City, which is a reconstruction of the original settlement. We have put this on our list of places to return to. They held small sailboat races both weekend days, with St. Mary's hosting Salisbury University.

Leaving St. Mary's, we saw our first pelicans on the Potomac River. There were actually several, and they were busy feeding. We hadn't realized that they were this far north. We stopped in Deltaville after leaving St. Mary's. We are not so sure we will return there.  We ran aground on the way in. Norm was desperately trying to locate the next red buoy when we came to a stop. At least it gave him time to get his bearings. We go so slow in these situations that it was just a nudge, and we were able to back off. The next morning, we left at low tide and ran aground in the channel. We took a guess and moved to the left a little and proceeded out in very shallow water. Traveling to Hampton, we were in company with at least 20 other sailboats and a few trawlers. We are now anchored in the downtown area in Hampton and plan to stay a few days, as high winds are predicted later in the week. It is very close quarters, as the anchorage is packed to capacity. We are using this time to do laundry and shop for groceries.

Rough Day But Great Location For The Weekend

While the forecast was for rain all day, we decided to move on to Deltaville. We pulled anchor at 7:30 am and, on the way out of the creek, noticed the open sign at the fuel dock with a very good price posted for diesel. It was still raining, but we got out the fenders and dock lines and tied up at the fuel dock. The problem was that no one was around. After searching for the attendant without success, we decided to leave. Just then, the attendant arrived, saying he wasn't expecting any business in the rain. After pumping about 10 gallons of the 60 or so we needed, they ran out. We should have known by then that the day was not going to go well. On entering the bay, the waves were really steep, having been driven by two days of strong winds. These waves reminded us of Lake Erie, which is also shallow. This wave pattern creates a very uncomfortable ride. We continued on and, after turning more southerly, put out a highly reefed main sail to help stabilize the boat. The winds continued to exceed the forecast, and the rain and, sometimes, fog did as well. We had been considering a stop in St. Mary's, which is off the Potomac. After a few hours of being pounded by the wind, waves, and rain, we decided a weekend in St. Mary's sounded really good. We are anchored just off St. Mary's College of Maryland. St. Mary's City is the site of the fourth permanent settlement in British North America, and was Maryland's first capital. We hope to explore both the college and the old city this weekend if the weather permits.

Heading South Again

Solomons

Linda returned home on Monday. She was so happy to have spent time with Pamela, Scott, and Camryn, and was sad to leave, but at the same time wanted to get back. After a month at the same anchorage, we were extremely anxious to get going, but decided to stay another day in Annapolis to give Linda a day to get settled in again. The forecast for Wednesday through Friday was for rain and windy conditions. We decided to leave anyway and made the 9:00 am bridge opening. The day turned out pretty good with only a couple of brief showers. The skies were very gray, and the winds were moderate but variable. We did get in a little sailing in the afternoon. We were amazed at the number of boats on the bay with the poor conditions, but noted they were all also on southerly courses. We anchored near the mouth of Back Creek in Solomons. We were expecting to leave in the morning and, given the conditions, did not plan to go ashore. The wind increased overnight, and the morning forecast was for high winds for the next 24 hours. We decided to stay another day, so we moved further up the creek to a more protected area.

We have our new laptop now, and what a difference. Norm was just trying to push the old one beyond its ability, and it wasn't working out. Linda had quite a heavy load on the return trip. In addition to the laptop, we had repair parts and other boat stuff sent to Scott and Pamela's. We learned after the fact that the Harbormaster in Annapolis provides package receipt service (free) and that they even contact you when the package arrives. Now we know.

Go Bucks

Scott and Pamela are OSU alumni and fans, as are we.

Repairs Complete - For Now

We have our chartplotter back, and it is working well. It should be, as it was a very expensive repair. They replaced the main processor board, which we have to believe is the most expensive component. Unlike personal computers, which support older technologies for quite some time, it is not the case with marine electronic equipment. Our chartplotter uses C-cards. These cards, which plug into the chartplotter, contain the charts and are purchased by region. Raymarine has since switched to Navionics for its chart cards, which use an entirely different format. Before investing in our chart cards last spring, we considered replacing the chartplotter with a newer model; however, at that time, it was working fine and had never had any issues, so we stayed with it. Once we invested in the chart cards, we were committed to our chartplotter. We did accomplish a software upgrade during the repair, and the problems we were seeing before the complete failure are gone. The timing of the failure worked out as we were without the chartplotter for three weeks, but since this coincided with our plans to remain in Annapolis, it was not an issue. Our backup system, which is displaying charts on our laptop that has a GPS unit attached, worked extremely well. We used this to travel from the Sassafras River to Annapolis. The drawbacks to this system are that the PC draws a lot of power (comparatively) and the display is difficult to see in sunlight.

As of right now, everything is working on Ariel, so we are good to move on after Linda returns next week.

What a beautiful baby

Scott, Camryn, and Pamela 

Grandma Helping Out

Linda is with Scott, Pamela, and Camryn. Norm happened to call her just as she was walking into the room to see Camryn for the first time, so he could at least hear her excitement. She will be there to help out until a week from Monday. Scott was able to stay overnight at the hospital as Linda was at their home and looking after their dogs, Dolly and Sophie. Meanwhile, back here in Annapolis, what a change in the weather. A front came through on Wednesday night with very high winds. Several boats dragged anchor in Spa Creek, but none in our immediate area. Some damage resulted, and one ran aground. Norm pulled in the anchor off the stern as the wind was from that direction, allowing us to swing around and into the wind. Last night, high winds were again forecast, so we all conferred here in our local area and decided we would all add second anchors off the bow. Norm added our Fortress FX37 at about a 45-degree angle off our primary anchor. This is our storm anchor, so he knew he would sleep well with little concern about the wind. There are no boats in front of Ariel, so he didn’t have to worry about anyone dragging down on him. He is now turning the heat on in the morning to take the chill off. Once the sun is up, it stays comfortable all day.

Our New Granddaughter Has Arrived

She is Camryn Jayne Supelak. She was born at 2:25 pm on October 10. Both mother and baby are doing well. Camryn was born at 7 # 14 oz and 19 1/2 inches. Congratulations to new parents Scott and Pamela.

Doug From About Time Is Back

We had quite a surprise visit on Sunday, which at first had us totally confused. We heard a knock on the hull and, checking to see who was there, found Doug from About Time. This did not compute since they had left Annapolis a week ago, this past Thursday, bound for Norfolk. He had Paul and Jane, friends from Bayfield, Ontario, with him in the dinghy from I Wanda. We invited them aboard for drinks so we could sort out the story. Doug and Sharon were in the Solomon Islands when they got the call that their granddaughter was two weeks early. They reviewed the options and decided to push on to Norfolk, covering the 110 miles in one day. Sharon flew home, and Doug found a marina to put the boat up for a couple of weeks. He then rented a car to return to Annapolis. He is staying on I Wanda and now will ride home with Paul and Jane, who were in Annapolis for the boat show. They will continue on in a couple of weeks, and we fully expect to see them somewhere along the ICW. Ella Sibley is the newest member of their family. We are anxiously awaiting our call from Scott.

Annette On Ariel

We had very special company on Saturday. Annette Newland, a long-time family friend, came to visit with her son David and his children, Katie and Matt, along with Katie’s boyfriend, Chris, for a few hours. David and his family live in Virginia, and Annette is vacationing further south on the Chesapeake. Annette had invited us to bring Ariel to their waterfront vacation property, which we really wanted to do. Still, with Pamela’s due date, we could not risk being away from the BWI airport. Not to be deterred, she decided to come to us, which is very much in character for her. We called the water taxi to bring her out to Ariel, as the step up from the taxi is much more manageable than from the dinghy. This was a very challenging visit for her, and we cannot express how much it meant to us to have Annette and her family visit. We were happy to show off our floating home. Most of us did some dinghy touring of Spa Creek and the downtown waterfront while Annette and Linda visited. Matt took over dinghy operation for the return trip and quickly mastered handling the outboard. Annette was very interested in our new sewing machine as she is very knowledgeable about sewing and sewing machines and has done similar projects herself. We think she would have liked to jump in on our sewing project herself.

Annette and Norm’s mother, Gladys, has been friends for a very long time. In 1972, Hurricane Agnes dislocated Norm’s mother from the home she was living in. She and Annette jointly purchased the land on which their homes are located. Their friendship has extended to a very special relationship between our families.

Friends Visit And Boat Show Time

This is the United States Sailboat Show week in Annapolis. This is the largest in-the-water sailboat show in the world. Many new models and products are introduced during the show. Don and Janet Leech, friends from Pittsburgh whom we knew when we lived and sailed in Ohio, were here for the boat show and to spend time with us on Ariel. We were very happy to see them and to catch up. They had a great summer with an extended trip sailing on the Great Lakes, traveling from their home port on Lake Erie up the east side of Michigan on Lake Huron to Mackinaw. They were away most of the summer and plan to do more next summer. They arrived on Wednesday, and after spending a little time visiting with them on Ariel, we went out to dinner. On Thursday, we took a dinghy tour of Spa Creek and Annapolis Harbor and saw the boat show from the water. They picked us up on Friday, and we went to the show together. All of us have been to the show many times, and our interest is in the vendors' exhibits in the tents. We passed on inspecting the boats. The crowd seemed lighter than usual to us.


A few years ago, Don bought a Sailrite sewing machine, which can handle the heavy materials used in the sails and canvas items on board. He has made many items for their boat, saving a lot of money by doing it himself. Inspired by Don’s success and that of some friends in Rhode Island, we bought a sewing machine at the show. Our first project will be a cockpit enclosure, which will more than pay for the machine in savings over the commercial price. These will be side curtains that attach to our bimini and dodger to fully enclose the cockpit from the elements. Luckily, Don and Janet had their car to haul the very heavy sewing machine back to our dinghy dock. After the show, they were on their way. Don is a Ham (Amateur Radio), and they were off to a Ham-fest later during the weekend. Once we add an SSB radio to Ariel, we hope to make contact with his rig in Pittsburgh.

Navy Football

It got a little exciting on Friday as the front passed through. The wind picked up a little, not much, but enough to cause a boat to drag anchor. The owners were not on board. One boat in its path moved. The movement was very slow, so there was plenty of time to react. After a while, it threatened another unoccupied boat, so a few of us used our dinghies to push it back to a safe position. It turns out that they had hardly any chain out. We added more chain, and it stayed in the new position. The owners returned after dark and did a double-take when they found their boat had moved to a new location. The Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is close by, and this is the second weekend we have been here with a home game. The sound is traveling well today, so it is almost as if we were there in the stadium. Both last week and again this week, they had a military flyover during the National Anthem, and we are right on the approach path, and they are extremely low as they fly over. This is a great fall weekend, and so far, we have had little traffic on the creek.

Exploring Annapolis

We have settled in here in Spa Creek. We moved to another location where we could put out a second anchor off the stern to keep from swinging. The traffic volume on the creek was really high on the weekend, as it is popular to cruise up and down the creek. We are almost at the end of the navigable waters, so they turn around just after passing us. We are also on the tour boat circuit. After the weekend, things settled down again. We have quite a collection in our little anchorage area. We have Canadian boats from Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Ontario, and boats from New Zealand and the Netherlands. We also have boats from Michigan, Maine, and North Carolina. We are getting to know our neighbors and getting great tips. One that really helped was finding out about the free city bus that runs to the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Our grocery is very near the stadium, so we took advantage of this opportunity. The family on the boat nearest us is from the Georgian Bay area in Canada. Larry and Janet have their children, Graham and Claire, on board. They are continuing their studies through correspondence courses. They have been here all summer getting the boat, which they purchased here, ready for the Caribbean. They plan to depart soon for Bermuda. From Bermuda, it is a southerly course eventually aided by the trade winds to the Caribbean. We are mixing our days with chores and exploring the city. Pictured is the William Paca house and garden, one of the most elegant landmarks in Annapolis. Constructed between 1763 and 1765, the five-part Georgian residence was built as a town home for William Paca, a wealthy young lawyer who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The estate is well-known for its two-acre pleasure garden featuring five terraces, a fish-shaped pond, and a wilderness garden. The one-hour tour is excellent, and we recommend it.

The William Paca house

 

Annapolis

We are anchored in Spa Creek in Annapolis. Annapolis is our first real destination, and this will be our home base for the next few weeks. You couldn't ask for a better place for an extended stay. The city has 17 miles of shoreline between Spa Creek, Back Creek, and Weems Creek. The city has provided numerous dinghy docks, so usually you can tie up very close to your destination. Annapolis has always been a favorite of ours, but until now, we had always arrived by car. Arrival by boat the first time is a little intimidating. The harbor is busy and crowded, with moored boats and anchored vessels. We called the Spa Creek Bridge on VHF 13 to request that they open as scheduled on the ½ hour. We only had a six-minute wait. Spa Creek beyond the bridge is also very congested. Our plan was to anchor off Truxtun Park, well up the creek. While a bit tight, we did find a spot just off the park's shoreline. In October, the boat shows are held here, so we know this will get much more crowded. From here, Linda will be able to get a bus and then the light rail to BWI airport once Scott calls with the news of the baby. The trip down here worked out to be a good shakedown cruise, and this is a great place to correct any problems. We took our chart plotter into the shop for a software glitch we have been having. Get this: we just took the dinghy to the Fifth Street dinghy dock, walked a half block, and were at the Electronic Marine to drop off our chart plotter. After that, it was on to Market Slip and the Visitors Center to get information to plan some sightseeing. We had expected Doug and Sharon from About Time to anchor in the same area. They found us and stopped by in their dinghy. They had taken a mooring in the harbor for $150 per week. They also have a grandbaby due in mid-October. They will leave after the week and get as far south as they can before flying back to Toronto when the baby arrives.