(Written in the "cellular" dark last night...finally have signal here in Belhaven, NC)

AT&T still hasn't found the Alligator/Pungo River Canal...  We bought a new improved cell signal booster just for this spot and sure enough a booster can't boost anything out of "No service!  We ventured further up the Alligator River, past the entrance to the canal because Pete had researched all the spots that had anchorages AND a place to take the dogs ashore.  It's a wonderful quiet spot and sure enough the guys found the public launch ramp (IMON---in the middle of nowhere) to take the dogs.  We even found that our new booster works with Pete's Verizon phone, so we lent the booster to Pekabu III for the night as they are dealing with a medical emergency with Pete's mom and wanted to be reachable.

 This interesting but unidentifiable vessel passed us as we headed away fron Elizabethtown this morning..


Soooo, I'm writing tonight and hope to be able to post tomorrow when we reach Belhaven, NC.  Today was a 50 mile trip that included the Pasquotank River, Albemarle Sound and the Alligator River.  All bodies of water were smooth and peaceful, so the trip was an easy one, without incident.  Albemarle Sound had been known to be downright nasty at times, so we were glad for the quiet crossing.  We took the rear this trip so we watched the wake of others as we traveled.

We are approaching the Alligator River Swing Bridge having just crossed Albemarle Sound.

We tried putting up the mainsail both crossing the Albemarle Sound and going down the Alligator River, but there wasn't enough wind to keep the sail full.  The day was warm and pleasant and the sunset spectacular, we enjoyed cocktails in the cockpit but were chased below by mosquitos right after sunset.

~~~_/)~~~D&M

Roses from the Rose Buddies legacy in Elizabeth City, NC

Today was a glorious day.  We headed off at 8:30 so we could make it for the 11:00 opening of the South Mills Lock at the end of the Dismal Swamp. We weren't sure how many boats would be planning to join us in the lock because the NC Welcome Center is just 5 miles from the lock and they have room for several boats.  When we passed the Center there were only 3 boats left, so we were confident we wouldn't have trouble going through at 11.

The mist was rising from the canal as we all paraded down to the lock.

At the southern end of the canal, you have to go through the bridge before the lock, So while the bridge/lock tender was still waiting for all 7 boats to get past the bridge we were already in and tied up.  This time we'd be going down 8 feet...a much quicker process than on the way up at the North end.

The perspective may not show it that well, but Pekabu III is eight feet above the water on the other side of the Lock gate.

I was a bit bummed that I had only seen one turtle in two days as we locked down out of the canal, so I was glad to see a slew of them as we wandered down the Pasquotank River.  We saw all sizes, but they pretty much all look the same.

I just had to throw out some roses from
 Aunt Kay's garden, so I was glad to get
roses  from the hospitality group
here in Elizabeth City, NC!

We chose to drop the hook in a nice bay just before the Elizabeth City bridge.  We figured that the free slips offered by the town of Elizabeth city would be taken by the time we got there.  It was a short dinghy ride into town and we happened to get there right when the Hospitality volunteers were setting up to serve all boaters wine, beer, cheese n crackers and potato chips.  Over 40 people were happily enjoying the refreshments and the chance to chat with others heading south,  We met people we will probably continue to see as we head south.  The night promises to be quiet so we decided to raft for the night.  Glen and Maureen were having trouble with  their VHF radio and also their little two way radios that we affectionately call the CCYC radios.  The are very handy for quick easy communication between the four boats without broadcasting our chatter to all other people on the water! We got them straightened out on both. ~~~_/)~~~M&D

Halfway through the Dismal Swamp

The scuttlebutt about the ICW was that one of the railroad bridges just south of Mile Marker 2 was under repair and would only be opened three times a day.  We first decided to shoot for the 9 am opening which would have made for an early start this morning, but the more we thought about it, we thought the 12 noon opening would be better.  That would keep us out of the rush for the early opening and would also give Sevilla time to make some repairs.  As it was, we still went through the bridge with 31 other boats!

We said good by to Pinnacle as they went the Virginia Cut route and headed out.


The noon opening put us at the Deep Creek Lock in time for the 1:30 opening.  We enjoyed seeing the same lock master who has been there for over 20 years.  He is famous for his collection of conch shells, most of which he has turned into conch horns.  He asked me to get out ours and gave me a lesson while the water was rising.  He is also the bridge tender for the Rt. 17 bridge that crosses the Dismal Swamp Canal less than a mile past the lock.

Eleven of us warped into the lock for the 6 foot rise to the canal.

As we pulled out of the lock Sevilla's engine warning light came on so they pulled out of the queue and dropped anchor.  We were already down by the bridge waiting for it to open, so as soon as it opened we went through and tied up to the bulkhead just past the bridge.  Dan got a ride back to the lock with the lock/bridge tender to see if he could help.  The source of the warning is still a mystery, but they got underway and the bridge tender came down to let Sevilla through.  They dropped Dan back aboard and we headed on our way.

                 

We followed  Sevilla  in case they needed a tow and enjoyed all the greenery along the way...sometimes it got a little too close!  We ended up with branches of the deck.

We had read about this new dock that had room for 3 or 4 boats and were glad to find it empty and ready for us. It is part of a bike/horse trail park and the dock is new and free.  We all enjoyed cocktails at the picnic table as the sun set. ~~~_/)~~~M&D

Good-by Chesapeake Bay

It was still really dark when Dan and Dory set off in the dinghy to pick up Pete and Bailey for their morning trip ashore.  By the time they returned twilight had arrived and we were off and on our way before the sun actually rose.  The wind was still out of the north, but much less of it than yesterday.  We chose the mainsail again and headed off for the bottom of the bay.  The wind was lighter, but the waves from yesterday were still giving us a roly-poly ride until well after noon.  

It was quiet enough for some of the crew to catch a short nap.

We took down the main after nap time because the wind had died and swung around so we were dead downwind.  The rolling made it too easy for the boom to bounce around and we didn't want an accidental jibe.  

We knew we were getting close to Norfolk when we were passed by Warship 109.

The trip through the port of Norfolk is always interesting with lots of Navy ships and large cargo vessels (our AIS-automatic identification system-actually often lists their length in fractions of a mile instead of feet!)  We also passed several schooners sailing north.  There was a schooner race from the Annapolis area down to Norfolk last Friday so they were heading home.  

We were glad to finally reach Mile Marker "0" just before turning into our slip at Tidewater Marina on the Portsmouth side of the harbor.  Dan was disappointed that there wasn't a marker of some kind marking the spot, so I added the "X".    775 miles to go to reach St. Augustine.  Since leaving Solomons we've gone 67(Sunday) + 52(today) nautical miles.  ~~~_/)~~~M&D

Fishing Bay, just south of the Piakatank River

After a flurry of radio calls about the potential of stronger winds the decision was still to head out at 7:30.  We powered out to the mouth of the Patuxent River and raised the main and were making good time motor sailing along.  We were able to add the genoa when we headed a bit further southwest.  Luckily we crossed the mouth of the Potomac River(which is over 10 miles wide) while the current was ebbing. We know from experience that the Potomac can raise quite a fuss when the wind and current are at odds!  The ride across was relatively smooth and fast.  The winds were strong all day and the temperature had dropped considerably since yesterday, so we were very happy to have our retro-retro fitted enclosure (thanks again John and Betty!)  The McElderrys had given us their old enclosure before our trip to Ft. Myers two winters ago.  We did some jury rigging and made it work. Then we went on had a hard (made out of Starboard) bimini put on Brunelle last year, so I got to work again making it work with the new top.  It's a little rough around the edges, but it does the job.  I have my Sailrite sewing machine along and plan to do some fine tuning along the way.

Here's the rest of the pack: Pekabu III,  Pete and Kathy Bruzik, top left. Ragtime, Gerry and Jeanne
Helldorfer, top right.  Sevilla, Glen and Maurneen Nemecek, bottom left.  Pinnicale, Bob and Ann
Whitcomb, bottom right.  Pinnacle is a Tartan 43 and will have to go outside at times because
their mast is too tall for some of the ICW bridges, especially this fall with all the rain they have
had in the Carolinas.  Sorry their picture is so fuzzy, they were too far away most of the day.

We made the 67 nautical mile trip in under 9 hours.  We hadn't counted on how messy the crossing of the Piankatank River would be!  By the time we got there the tide had turned and the current was running in against the wind. Twas a bumpy ride, but luckily a shorter crossing than the Potomac.  We all anchored as far up as possible in Fishing Bay which gives good protection from a north wind.
Dan had dinghy duty tonight, so he picked up Pete and their lab mix for a potty run for the dogs. They plan to take turns putting the dinghy down to take care of the dogs.

Even earlier start tomorrow! ~~~_/)~~~M&D

Solomons, MD....the official start of the 2015 trip south

I guess I need to start over...well, at least fill in.  We thought we were getting a good start by moving slowly south before we ACTUALLY were on our way, so as we drove away from Spring Grove, with yet another load of essentials for the trip we discussed asking our neighbors, Phil and Kate Pennington to be on the emergency call list for the new security system we had installed a few months ago.  We had a few questions and I was about to dial Digital Life to get some answers before we talked to Phil and Kate when Dan's phone rang and a long time friend, Dave Cornett says "Dan, I think I just set off your house alarm.  The garage door was up, so I went in, knocked on the mud room door, then opened it to shout hello when the alarms went off"  Dan started to explain how to enter the security code when my phone rings and it is Digital Life calling about a breach in the system.  We discovered that entering the code even after the allowed 30 seconds does turn everything off, but now my DL caller wants to know the pass code (different from the security code), luckily she was able to tell me it was one word and I guessed right!  Dave closed the garage door for us and we got all our questions about the system answered.

George and his brother in law tried to catch us dinner, but we enjoyed pizza when they returned at sunset.

Our two day stop on the Tred Avon was very pleasant and relaxing.  We did get a few projects done and enjoyed visiting with the Glatfelters, but we were ready to get on the way this morning.

This was the view as we left from South River two days ago (didn't get the camera unloaded until tonight.)

The wind was out of the Northwest, so a bit cool, but a perfect choice for our sail down to Solomons. We left just after 7 and had a very fast ride down the bay.  We were tied up at Solomons Landing by 1 pm.  The other four boats had farther to come and we weren't all together until 4:30.  There were smiles all around after the wonderful day of sailing.  We had planned to have everyone over for a drink and snack around 5 but while working on the engine Dan discovered that two of the four bolts that hold the thru-hull fitting for the engine water intake were "topless".  We had visions of having to be hauled before continuing, but between Pete Bruzik's extensive parts/tools supply and Dave Zonderman (our host here in Solomons and a fellow C-400 owner) tools he was able to get the bolts out and new ones in!  Drinks were a little late, but well deserved!  We all gathered aboard Pinnacle, a Tartan 43, owned by Ann and Bob Whitcomb, who asked to join us for the trip down the bay.  We will head off at first light to take advantage of another day of good north winds.

Dory is a good crew, but she keeps trying to take my helmsman seat!

~~~_/)~~~M&D

...and away we go again

We're back! Time to head south again. Brunelle left our new home (ever since we returned from Ft. Myers, FL in May, 3013) in Rock Hall, MD last Thursday, but we still had lots going on... We headed to the Miles River YC to be there for the annual Wye Island Electric boat race last Friday. Both brother Jay and friend Eric Flickinger were taking part. Unfortunately neither were able to finish...all these electronic regulators wouldn't let them decide what to do! We then dashed across the Bay to beat the forecasted thunder storms and tied up next to Andiamo at John and Betty McElderry's private dock to finish preparing for our trip south. We headed home (after an obligatory visit to the Annapolis Boat Show) for last minute preps and visits.

After another wonderful meal and restful night at Chez McElderry, we headed off this morning for the first leg of the journey. George and Bev Glatfelter, friends from home, are spending two weeks in a lovely old mansion just off Plaindealing Creek and we dropped the hook at 4 and headed in for a visit and sumptuous meal. The views were spectacular. Our next "appointment" is Saturday in Solomons where we will join up with four other boats also planning to head south. ~~~_/)~~~M&D