October 20, 2011 Thursday Pungo River to Ball Creek, NC

Bill and Mary, our sailing friends from Marathon ,FL whom we met during our last trip on Fiu live nearby on Ball Creek, NC, which is on the same peninsula as Oriental, NC. Since we have to pass the opening to their bay and we haven't seen them for over a year, Bonnie called to try and arrange a visit. Both are interesting and fun to be with. However, they have crossed over to the dark side and have a trawler they enjoy! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and had key lime pie for dessert! Next morning Mary took Bonnie and Pat to the store to help us restock.

The creek leading to their house and dock is very shallow (less than 5'). We managed to power our way to their dock where we rafted with Pat and Walt. Leaving was a little easier since there seem to be more water in the creek. There is no tide here but the wind actually blows the water out of their creek and it can remain shallow for long periods of time depending on the strength and duration of the wind.

Captain Sid

October 18, 2011 Tuesday Elizabeth City to Pungo River

Today was a good weather day. The hardest part is nudging along into the wind! This gets old quickly. We were able to sail in the early AM then the winds continued out of the south as we turned and headed directly into the wind for most of the day.

The Alligator River Swing Bridge takes you from the Abermerle Sound to the Alligator River. This connects with the Alligator River Pungo River Canal. The canal is wide but has many stumps and downed trees. There is very little wildlife visible from our boat. Buzzards and bald eagles were present, however.

Pat and Walt anchored at mile 127 ahead of us. We entered the shallow bay and worked our way to a secure area with lots of grassy fingers protecting us from the waves that otherwise would be getting bigger as the wind is expected to increase well into the day and later at night! We are just a couple of boat-lengths away from each other and close enough for a conversation but far enough apart to be protected from bumping as we swing with the wind.

I called Miles at Osprey Marina about staying there a couple of days to visit with Tom and Marie. I am considering leaving Fiu there for the summer months. Then Bonnie and I would have a shorter trip to warmer weather. The wind and waves have taken their toll on us this trip!
We stayed here for two nights since the winds were up to 25 knots and rain to boot! The next part of our journey requires us to cross the Pamlico River and it is usually rough for the six or so miles.

This gave me time to change the oil in the diesel, tighten the alternator belt as well as several engine hose clamps. I use an Oil Buddy that sucks the engine oil up and out through the dipstick and it stores it until I can find a marina to accept it.

These pics are not of the sail today but I wanted to include them. The first is one taken at the Solomons Island while the second was taken at the Maritime Museum nearby. The third pic is of Bonnie at the entrance to Colonial Williamsburgh. We are doing well.

Captain Sid

October 17, 2011 Monday Portsmouth to Elizabeth City NC

The Dismal Swamp is an interesting route to the Abermerle Sound. As I said yesterday, the leaves are beginning to change colors. There are few reds mostly yellows I guess because there are fewer maple trees in this region. The Dismal Swamp is but three miles longer than the Virginia Cut and both meet in the lower Abermerle Sound.

The first lock was an eye-opener since there were 15 boats ready and waiting to be locked through to the Dismal Swamp. This part of the journey was developed in the early 1800's to ship goods north-south. The canal was obviously hand dug and is very narrow with only room for a pass if both boats move to the outside edges of the canal. This is when a stump is usually waiting to take a bite out of your hull!

We were fortunate to arrive before dark in Elizabeth City, NC and to have our choice of two free slips to tie up. There were three men waving and pointing to the empty slips and all gave us a helping hand with our lines to safely get us tied up. We missed the free wine and cheese at 5:30 pm which is a daily happening here. There are 14 free slips and the city is very boater friendly. There is a free loaner car as well to shop and restock.

It was an extended day as we motor-sailed 75 miles! That's pretty unusual unless we are out on the ocean. I'm getting better at keeping up the blog and I will continue to post more pics!

October 16 Sunday Deltaville, VA to Portsmouth,VA

We made it to Ocean Marine in Portsmouth, VA in time to get diesel and an all important pump out of the holding tank. We've learned to remember four things when the opportunity presents itself. First, get diesel, second, fill the water tanks, next, collect the garbage and most of all, get pumped out! Don't forget the laundry. I guess that makes five things to remember. See, it's hard to remember the things I need to remember!

We left Portsmouth at daybreak and what a team. We backed out of the slip and headed out into the harbor without incident. As we headed down the Elizabeth River which separates Portsmouth from Norfolk we encountered numerous barges and recreational boaters headed south. It's extremely difficult to know whether a barge is coming toward you or traveling in the same direction. Obviously, when you get close enough it is easy to know, but at dawn and with the busy harbor I like to know as early as possible in order to make a good decision and change course if need be.

We chose the Dismal Swamp route to the Abermerle Sound while our buddy boat chose the Virginia Cut since they draft 6 feet and they wanted to avoid the occasional bump that may occur in the shallower canal. I like the Dismal Swamp because the leaves are changing colors and it tends to be more scenic and diverse.

We needed to raft up with other boats in the first lock since there were fifteen boats waiting to get through. It's a great way to meet other boaters even though some you will never see again, however, often we meet some of them further along.

We traveled over 75 miles today and Bonnie graciously treated us to a seafood dinner at a restaurant across the street from the free city docks in Elizabeth City, NC.

Captain Sid

October 16, 2011 Sunday

Arrrrrgh!  It's been a week since I last posted!  Sorry about that.  We are well and traveling most days.  We have had some pretty heavy weather and we had to leave the Chesapeake Bay due to high winds on our nose and waves 2-4 feet!  Not fun.  The Annapolis Boat Show was a great way to see new things that make life easier on a boat as "live aboards."  Of course, most items were expensive but we did purchase some that will help us in our travels.

We had lunch with Anne and Bill O'Connor, formerly from Averill Park.  We did a walking tour of the Naval Academy and shared some funny stories.

October 11 Tuesday we motor-sailed to Solomons Island.  Yes, it's spelled correctly.  As you read this it seems like it should be spelled with an apostrophe. I filled up with diesel then anchored in Back Creek near a Holiday Inn with a dinghy dock.  This allowed me to walk to West Marine and purchased spare parts for the water pump that decided to lose its ability to have pressure!  We had dinner at Catamaran's Pub on the river.  It was a distant dinghy ride to get there but the food and three pints of beer came to $11.07 for the two of us!  No joke!  It was Happy Hour and we had their specials. 

October 12 Wednesday we left Solomons Island, MD and sailed to Mill Creek MD near Smith's Point.  There was so much fog at 7:00AM we called Pat and Walt and decided to wait until 8:00AM.  We left with running lights on, rain falling and flat water.  The forecast was for waves 1-2 feet but by lunch time they were 4 feet.  Both of us were not having fun since the wind and the tide current was against us. We bumped along until 5:00PM and pulled into Mill Creek.  This was the most special anchorage next to Liberty Park.  Mill Creek has good holding and is located on a wide part of the stream with some neat houses on shore.

October 14 Friday we left Mill Creek in flat water but by the time we entered the Chesapeake the wind was whistling and the waves were already at 2-3 feet.  The 15 to 25 kt winds were again right on our nose so we left our sails bundled.  We left the Bay and anchored in a river near Deltaville, VA and ate lunch and tried to decide what we wanted to do.  The choice was easy and we went into Deltaville to a marina for a shower and laundry.  Lorrie and Len arrived shortly after us and we spent Friday and Saturday with them. 

October 16 Sunday we waved goodbye to Lorrie and Len and headed to Portsmouth, VA.  We arrived here at about 6:20PM, ate dinner and settled in.

October 10, 2011 Annapolis Boat Show

The Annapolis Boat Show is billed as the "United States Boat Show!"  While I've never been to a boat show this is truly impressive!  Before leaving Coeymans I purchased, at a very reasonable cost, a set of headphones so Bonnie and I could communicate in a civil manner during anchoring maneuvers!  It' not just us that have difficulty hearing each others concerns while 40 feet away with our backs turned, it's everyone else trying to anchor as well.  The point of the story is that one headphone did not work properly the first time we anchored so I took them back to the booth at the Boat Show of the company that sold them to me and they apologized and swapped them out for brand new ones.  That's service!  I can recount other stories similar to this one from others we talked to.

I visited the Boat US booth and asked for an insurance quote so that Fiu could go to the Bahamas this winter.  My current policy restricts us to 100nm offshore.  That means we would only be able to see parts of the first few islands.  The quote is comparable to my current premium but I can sail anywhere from Maine to Brownsville, Texas. That includes the Bahamas down to the Turks and Caicos.
There were booths selling just about everything nautical as well as food.  Some of the luxury sailboats are outrageous not only in cost but in design too.

In order to get from Fiu to the boat show this is what we encountered.  The dinghy docks on Back Creek where we anchored the past two nights are not in good shape and require someone to pay some attention to them.  However, while it may sound like whining I enjoy the challenges of traveling by boat and in this case by dinghy.

We intend to sail down the Chesapeake Bay to Solomons Island.  We are told there is lots to do there.  It's getting late and I must close.


Capt Sid

Heavy Schedule October 9, 2011

We have been sailing pretty long days and it's nearly impossible to contribute to the blog each day.  Sorry about that!  Arrrrrgh!!!!!    Here is a current update of our travels.

October 2 Sunday            Coeyman's Landing Marina to Newburgh, NY

October 3 Monday           Newburgh to Nyack, NY

October 4 Tuesday           Nyack to Liberty Park, New Jersey

October 5 Wednesday      Liberty Park to Atlantic City, NJ

October 6 Thursday         Atlantic City to Cape May, NJ

October 7 Friday             Cape May to Chesapeake City, MD

October 8 Saturday         Chesapeake City to Annapolis, MD

October 8-10 Saturday    Annapolis,MD
     thru Monday

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October 11 Tuesday         Plans to head down the Chesapeake Bay toward Portsmith/Norfork, VA

Capt Sid