Wednesday, October 20, 2004

I've been watching this one tree on the shoreline by us turn over the past week.  Barely had any color last week but now is bright red.  Noticing other trees starting to go also. 

Our friends, Jeanette and Bill Rice, on "Myosotis" returned yesterday. They were in our captains course three years ago and sail out of Wickford RI but their home is in Rensselaerville NY up our way.    They had left Annapolis last week after the sailboat show and didn't get far before they experienced transmission problems.  So they came back here and are having their boat hauled out to have the transmission rebuilt.   Thought they would be well ahead of us but now it looks like we might be on similar schedules.   Had wine aboard :Mystic Jitney" last evening and breakfast aboard "Myosotis" today.  It 's great  to see them because we didn't have much time to visit while we were working the boat show.

Alan is working on the water pump for the generator today.  Spent most of the morning taking it apart, figuring out what's wrong and how to fix it.   Went ashore to pick up the heat exchanger which came in this morning.  Alan spent the afternoon installing it and getting the generator going again while I did laundry at the marina.

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Went in to Annapolis to take care of final business.  A dreary, wet and cold day. Decided to wait until tomorrow to leave.  Had Jeanette and BIll from "Myosotis" on board for dinner.  Their transmission is supposed to be done tomorrow so if all goes well for them they'll be a day or two behind us.  We'll leave early in the morning for Solomons Island, MD, just north of the Potomac River entrance, about a 50 mile trip.  Hope to be there before dark.  Saw another great fireworks show around 8:00pm.  Same as last week.  Seems that the Naval Academy has their pep rallies on Thursday night before big games and it ends with a nice fireworks display.  Haven't kept up on who they're playing but we sure enjoy the fireworks!

Friday, October 22, 2004

Time to get out of Dodge!  Hauled anchor in Back Creek, Annapolis at 8:00 am.  Winds on the Bay were out of the NE 10-14 knots and a 1-2 foot following sea but not too bad.  We averaged 6.5 knots motorsailing all the way.  Another dreary day, overcast but the sun did manage to peak through late in the afternoon for a while.  Dropped anchor in Back Creek, Solomons Island at 3:00pm.  Yes , yet another "Back Creek"  - seems just about every one of these riveers has a Back Creek.  Stopped by the "Mystic Whaler" on the way into the harbor and talked to the captain.  Think we're following them around.  They were down here for a schooner race and are headed back north  to Mystic this evening.  We advised them that north is not the right direction to be heading right now but theirs was not to choose!  Oh lucky us - we're heading south!  Oh, to be in tee shirts, shorts and sandals again - I'm so tired of fleece, jeans, and socks!

Solomons Island is a great stopover.  The post office, laundry and grocery are not more than a 5 minute walk from our anchorage.  You dinghy into the Holiday Inn Marina, pay $1.00 to use their dock and drop off trash.  So we went to the market to get provisions - more meat, vegetables, and of course plenty of lettuce and crab meat!  Also picked up some great Gulf Shrimp that we had for dinner - yum!  Now we 're set for another week.  Decided to try to press on tomorrow and put more distance between us and the cold weather.  If we're lucky we'll make it to Deltaville it not Reedville. 

Thomas Point Lighthouse, MD and Watermen hauling in their morning catch

Saturday, October 23, 2004

Raised anchor at 7:00 and headed out onto the Bay.  Winds on the bay were out of the NE 25knots!  Some choppy seas kicked up with 2-3 foot rollers.  Got the sails set and motorsailed downwind making 8+ knots at times.   As the morning wore on things got more comfortable and the winds subsided to 10-15.  Arrived in Deltaville VA around 3:30 pm.  We averaged 7 knots overall.  Anchored in Jackson Creek - a lovely, protected anchorage with private homes along the shore. So far every place we've visited is so nice that it would be hard to pick a favorite.  Met a a young couple from Watch Hill, RI who have relocated to Richmond VA and keep their boat at the marina here.  Also visited Burnie and Kathy Radoush aboard their 41 foot catamaran "Nerissa".  They are fellow coast guard auxiliarists from the east coast of Florida and they hailed us because they saw our Auxiliary flag.

Sunday, October 24, 2004

Sunrise was really beautiful and just after Alan took a great picture of it the rain started.  Time to decide whether to go the "Great Dismal Swamp" route or the "Virginia Cut" route from Norfolk to Albemarle Sound in North Carolina.  The Dismal Swamp will add a day on to the trip but it's supposed to be a "wilderness adventure".   Most boaters trying to make time avoid it and because the controlling depth is only 6 feet many boats can't go that way.  We also have to check with the Army Corps of Engineers to confirm that the Dismal Swamp route is opened (if it's been a dry season the depths aren't sufficient for boaters-don't expect that to be a problem though) .  I want to take the Dismal Swamp route so we spent the morning looking at charts and calculating times.  There are also two locks that have to be traversed and several bridges that have to be opened.  All this adds to the time of the trip.  We decided to leave really early tomorrow and try to make it to the entrance of the first lock and spend tomorrow night there.  That will allow us to get the 8:30 am lock through on Tuesday morning and perhaps get to Elizabeth city in time to take in a bit of this quaint town.  Rain has ended and tomorrow is supposed to be clear with temperatures rising as the week goes on - shorts and tee shirt weather perhaps?!

Smith Point Light at the southern mouth of the Potomac River                                      Sunrise at the anchorage in Deltaville VA