Chris here
As Kerm's previous posts indicate we are stuck in Cape May waiting for good enough weather to make a dash to New York. It looks like tomorrow, Friday, will be the day. The marina folk have been very nice and we have had pleasant encounters with lots of New Jersey people.
Waiting around in port is both fun and frustrating. It gives you a chance to meet other boaters and find out their stories, which is fun. However, day after day of seeing the same dreary weather and the fierce east winds is very disheartening. Having Linda here has been my saving grace. We can't wait to get going again. In fact, Linda and I both bought foul weather jackets the other day so we told Captain Kerm we are ready for anything the North Atlantic can throw at us!!
Linda and I took a taxi to the Walmart in nearby Rio Grande yesterday and provisioned for a long haul. Kerm says we have enough food on board to make it to England if we get blown off course!!
Update
We just had a "Crew Briefing" and the plan is to leave at very first light tomorrow morning and aim for Sandy Hook, which is right before New York Harbor. Hooray.
Gotta go and get 'The Belle' all prettied up for departure.
Love to all family and friends...
Christie
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Still stuck II
Kerm here,
It looks like Saturday for our bug out. We're probably going to do it in stages as we want to take our time in New York harbor. First Atlantic City then Sandy Hook. The temptation is to do it all in an overnighter but I'm just not up for that. We'll see what happens.
Now that we have some time on our hands Chris and Linda are provisioning for Canada as prices are 30 to 50% higher up there. The exchange rate and VAT are killers right now. Last year when I was up there with Dan I asked several people about the double digit VAT and they said that the free healthcare was the reason. Hey, I'm just passing on what they said. Don't shoot the messenger.
Provisioning also includes cases of oil, fuel and oil filters etc. I think we probably added 500 pounds of stuff on the boat today but except for fresh meat and veggies we could probably make it to Michigan without doing much shopping. The crew also bought more beer. Linda said that I should quota the beer per day but I told her that if I could honor a beer quota they wouldn't have needed to buy more beer. Hey, Sir Francis Chichester had a barrel of Guinness on board with the spigot at his navigation station. All joking aside, we do not drink unless we are tied to a dock.
I ordered a new windshield wiper assembly today and should be here tomorrow. The new one is a parallel arm style with two speeds. Some call it a pantograph. The current wiper must have been taken off a Morris Minor or Model A Ford as it clears off about one square foot at the very top of the starboard windshield panel. If I stand on two cases of beer I can get about 10 degrees of peripheral vision. This, I might add, is a very poor use for two cases of beer.
It looks like Saturday for our bug out. We're probably going to do it in stages as we want to take our time in New York harbor. First Atlantic City then Sandy Hook. The temptation is to do it all in an overnighter but I'm just not up for that. We'll see what happens.
Now that we have some time on our hands Chris and Linda are provisioning for Canada as prices are 30 to 50% higher up there. The exchange rate and VAT are killers right now. Last year when I was up there with Dan I asked several people about the double digit VAT and they said that the free healthcare was the reason. Hey, I'm just passing on what they said. Don't shoot the messenger.
Provisioning also includes cases of oil, fuel and oil filters etc. I think we probably added 500 pounds of stuff on the boat today but except for fresh meat and veggies we could probably make it to Michigan without doing much shopping. The crew also bought more beer. Linda said that I should quota the beer per day but I told her that if I could honor a beer quota they wouldn't have needed to buy more beer. Hey, Sir Francis Chichester had a barrel of Guinness on board with the spigot at his navigation station. All joking aside, we do not drink unless we are tied to a dock.
I ordered a new windshield wiper assembly today and should be here tomorrow. The new one is a parallel arm style with two speeds. Some call it a pantograph. The current wiper must have been taken off a Morris Minor or Model A Ford as it clears off about one square foot at the very top of the starboard windshield panel. If I stand on two cases of beer I can get about 10 degrees of peripheral vision. This, I might add, is a very poor use for two cases of beer.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Still stuck
Kerm
New Jersey. Cape May, New Jersey. Who would have thought. A week in Cape May, New Jersey. That's what it looks like. The east wind just keeps blowing. Enough bitching.
When I changed the fuel filters yesterday the crush washers on the fittings did appear to seal but today I looked at them and, dang, the buggers were leaking. These are the bleeding fittings. Long story short, I couldn't find the right seals and modified the ones I could find and that only fixed one of the two leaks. So because we're stuck I ordered parts from Pegasus Racing and they should be here tomorrow. The system is the typical British / American bastard system. Kinda like the race cars. so I went to the only place that I know for this type of stuff. And yes, bro Greg, we probably have all the parts at the race shop.
Ugly fog this morning and some French guy with the ugliest boat I have ever seen took off into the Atlantic. Oh' my. But, I did think that maybe with the morning lull, our radar and all the other electronic equipment we could gone out. In theory, we could have made the Atlantic City before things got ugly. But, there's the inlet deal in an east wind, which can be dangerous . I didn't even check the current at our predicted ETA but... Oh crap, you can second guess this stuff and drive your self crazy.
So we eat. And drink.
New Jersey. Cape May, New Jersey. Who would have thought. A week in Cape May, New Jersey. That's what it looks like. The east wind just keeps blowing. Enough bitching.
When I changed the fuel filters yesterday the crush washers on the fittings did appear to seal but today I looked at them and, dang, the buggers were leaking. These are the bleeding fittings. Long story short, I couldn't find the right seals and modified the ones I could find and that only fixed one of the two leaks. So because we're stuck I ordered parts from Pegasus Racing and they should be here tomorrow. The system is the typical British / American bastard system. Kinda like the race cars. so I went to the only place that I know for this type of stuff. And yes, bro Greg, we probably have all the parts at the race shop.
Ugly fog this morning and some French guy with the ugliest boat I have ever seen took off into the Atlantic. Oh' my. But, I did think that maybe with the morning lull, our radar and all the other electronic equipment we could gone out. In theory, we could have made the Atlantic City before things got ugly. But, there's the inlet deal in an east wind, which can be dangerous . I didn't even check the current at our predicted ETA but... Oh crap, you can second guess this stuff and drive your self crazy.
So we eat. And drink.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Delaware City to Cape May, New Jersey
Thursday, May 12
Departed Delaware City Marina at 7:16 aiming for Cape May at the tip of New Jersey, gateway to the Atlantic Ocean. Going down Delaware Bay there are several impressive lighthouses.
We had very calm seas and were 'pushed' by a good current...we were making 9.4 knots at 1600 rpms...screaming for our little boat!!
At 1:50 we entered the Cape May Canal and dolphins greeted us...Welcome to New Jersey. We arrived at Utsch's Marina at 2:35 after traveling 52.8 nautical miles.
We got off the boat tonight for a great dinner on Linda at The Lobster House., excellent crab cakes but Chick and Ruth's in Annapolis are still top of the bill.
Our next leg is The North Atlantic Ocean, the first time we have been on the open ocean. The weather looks dubious so we plan to wait until the easterly winds die down.
Friday, May 13
Kerm bounded Linda and I out of bed at o'dark thirty and figured we should make a run up to Atlantic City. We left the dock at 6:40am and steered to the Cape May Inlet. In the Inlet, the waves built and it was difficult to keep the boat going in a straight line. Waves were building 6-8 feet with occasional 10's and 12's. We wqere getting tossed around so we decided to abandon. By 7:30am we were back in our slip at Utsch's before anyone knew we had left.
Linda and I walked 3 miles into town and a really nice couple offered us a ride back to the marinawhich we accepted. Turns out they are the owners of a marina a little north of here and he's a licensed Captain. We got a ride home and some valuable local knowledge as well.
Got some peel and eat shrimp and clam chowder at the fish market attached to the Lobster House. It turned out that the chowder was absolutely delicious. We had so much shrimp we couldn't even finish it all...heaven.
Weather reports are still bad. Going to bed, Linda and I made a pact...if Kerm tried to wake us up for a quick morning getaway we were determined to mutiny in joint fashion!!
Good night all.
Christie
Departed Delaware City Marina at 7:16 aiming for Cape May at the tip of New Jersey, gateway to the Atlantic Ocean. Going down Delaware Bay there are several impressive lighthouses.
 |
| Ship John Shoal Light... cleared at 9:57am |
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| Miah Maull Shoal Light ..cleared at 11:32 |
We had very calm seas and were 'pushed' by a good current...we were making 9.4 knots at 1600 rpms...screaming for our little boat!!
At 1:50 we entered the Cape May Canal and dolphins greeted us...Welcome to New Jersey. We arrived at Utsch's Marina at 2:35 after traveling 52.8 nautical miles.
 | |
| This marina has been owned by the Utsch family for 60 years. |
Our next leg is The North Atlantic Ocean, the first time we have been on the open ocean. The weather looks dubious so we plan to wait until the easterly winds die down.
Friday, May 13
Kerm bounded Linda and I out of bed at o'dark thirty and figured we should make a run up to Atlantic City. We left the dock at 6:40am and steered to the Cape May Inlet. In the Inlet, the waves built and it was difficult to keep the boat going in a straight line. Waves were building 6-8 feet with occasional 10's and 12's. We wqere getting tossed around so we decided to abandon. By 7:30am we were back in our slip at Utsch's before anyone knew we had left.
Linda and I walked 3 miles into town and a really nice couple offered us a ride back to the marinawhich we accepted. Turns out they are the owners of a marina a little north of here and he's a licensed Captain. We got a ride home and some valuable local knowledge as well.
Got some peel and eat shrimp and clam chowder at the fish market attached to the Lobster House. It turned out that the chowder was absolutely delicious. We had so much shrimp we couldn't even finish it all...heaven.
Weather reports are still bad. Going to bed, Linda and I made a pact...if Kerm tried to wake us up for a quick morning getaway we were determined to mutiny in joint fashion!!
Good night all.
Christie
Cape May, NJ and here we sit
Kerm here...
All the books say don't do the NJ offshore in an east wind. We tried. The books were right. Yesterday, we saw that the seas were running 2 to 4' so we packed up and headed out the inlet. The tide was going out and created crazy huge rollers in the inlet. I had to go almost from lock to lock on the steering wheel just to keep the boat somewhat in control. Bad omen. Next we headed to the outer marker. 2 to 4' seas my ass. Huge rollers that made me feel like I was shooting a small boat version of the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch and we hadn't even taken our turn north yet. Now what the hell am I going to do? So for the first time we decide to abandon our plan and head back to the marina. Ah, but how do we turn around in these monster rollers. Very, very carefully. Oh, to have just a bit more power. OK, find a pattern of smaller waves, turn just before the crest and put a blast of power on for the turn and hope the timing is correct. (A blast of power from the old Lehman diesel probably is some sort of oxymoron). Anyway, all turned out but then we still had to shoot the inlet again. It's true, Jersey inlets are a real bugger and should be avoided in an east wind. Lesson learned but we are now tucked away safe at the marina.
At this point, the NOAA forecast just gets worse and worse for waves and weather on the NJ coast. The old salts here say that it is unusual for this stuff to last longer than 3 days but we're in an extremely odd pattern that could go on and on. They're slapping there foreheads,too.
So we go into maintenance mode. It's good timing as we have put on a hundred hours since the last good go- over. Fuel system filters and bleeding, oil change in engine and metering unit, alignment check and general nut and bolt check. I also have what sounds like a ticky lifter that should be looked at but I don't have the tools. My conscience will probably get to me and I'll probably get to this one too at some point. Oh, to have little Joe Hauser here for a general check over on the Lehman. I have no idea what I'm doing and every change in sound at any given RPM makes me wonder if it's normal or something is amiss. The diesel engine is a mysterious thing to me...
We found out that the Erie Canal is closed due to high water (snow melt) and and the Hudson is probably running like the Mississippi at flood stage so this is on our mind also. Had we known we probably would have stayed in the warm climate a bit longer. Woulda, shoulda, coulda. When the weather clears we will probably do Atlantic City next, then Sandy Hood, then somewhere north of NYC on the Hudson. Perhaps near West Point where we can get a train to NYC. The prediction is that the Erie will open sometime in the next couple of weeks but the people that predicted that are the same ones that said 2 to 4' on the NJ coast yesterday.
Signing off for now...
Kerm
All the books say don't do the NJ offshore in an east wind. We tried. The books were right. Yesterday, we saw that the seas were running 2 to 4' so we packed up and headed out the inlet. The tide was going out and created crazy huge rollers in the inlet. I had to go almost from lock to lock on the steering wheel just to keep the boat somewhat in control. Bad omen. Next we headed to the outer marker. 2 to 4' seas my ass. Huge rollers that made me feel like I was shooting a small boat version of the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch and we hadn't even taken our turn north yet. Now what the hell am I going to do? So for the first time we decide to abandon our plan and head back to the marina. Ah, but how do we turn around in these monster rollers. Very, very carefully. Oh, to have just a bit more power. OK, find a pattern of smaller waves, turn just before the crest and put a blast of power on for the turn and hope the timing is correct. (A blast of power from the old Lehman diesel probably is some sort of oxymoron). Anyway, all turned out but then we still had to shoot the inlet again. It's true, Jersey inlets are a real bugger and should be avoided in an east wind. Lesson learned but we are now tucked away safe at the marina.
At this point, the NOAA forecast just gets worse and worse for waves and weather on the NJ coast. The old salts here say that it is unusual for this stuff to last longer than 3 days but we're in an extremely odd pattern that could go on and on. They're slapping there foreheads,too.
So we go into maintenance mode. It's good timing as we have put on a hundred hours since the last good go- over. Fuel system filters and bleeding, oil change in engine and metering unit, alignment check and general nut and bolt check. I also have what sounds like a ticky lifter that should be looked at but I don't have the tools. My conscience will probably get to me and I'll probably get to this one too at some point. Oh, to have little Joe Hauser here for a general check over on the Lehman. I have no idea what I'm doing and every change in sound at any given RPM makes me wonder if it's normal or something is amiss. The diesel engine is a mysterious thing to me...
We found out that the Erie Canal is closed due to high water (snow melt) and and the Hudson is probably running like the Mississippi at flood stage so this is on our mind also. Had we known we probably would have stayed in the warm climate a bit longer. Woulda, shoulda, coulda. When the weather clears we will probably do Atlantic City next, then Sandy Hood, then somewhere north of NYC on the Hudson. Perhaps near West Point where we can get a train to NYC. The prediction is that the Erie will open sometime in the next couple of weeks but the people that predicted that are the same ones that said 2 to 4' on the NJ coast yesterday.
Signing off for now...
Kerm
Friday, May 13, 2011
Annapolis, Delaware City and Cape May
Monday, May 9
We left Smith Point Marina at the crack of dawn- 6:00am, saying our goodbyes to Capt. Dan, Ret.
As we progressed up the Bay the seas were building from 1-2 to 4-6. The seas were ugly so I took a nap...hey presto... I woke up and we were ready for our approach to Annapolis. Linda and Kerm had done all the driving. We chose to spend the night at Annapolis City Dock which is at the end of "Ego Alley", a channel bordered by bars and wharfs where spectators gather to gawk at all the water craft that parade by.
Here is Warren demonstrating that our dock spot, B11
Annapolis is a vibrant city with a European flair in addition to the tradition and stateliness of the Naval Academy and the State Capitol Building. The area around the City Dock is crowded with people eating ice cream and sauntering about for their evening walks. Lots of little eateries and bars around, too.
We liked Annapolis so much we decided to stick around for another day. We cleaned the boat, did some sight-seeing and conducted some searching for the world's most delectable crab cakes. A local place called Chick and Ruth's is famous for theirs and we experienced why...soooo good.
We left Smith Point Marina at the crack of dawn- 6:00am, saying our goodbyes to Capt. Dan, Ret.
As we progressed up the Bay the seas were building from 1-2 to 4-6. The seas were ugly so I took a nap...hey presto... I woke up and we were ready for our approach to Annapolis. Linda and Kerm had done all the driving. We chose to spend the night at Annapolis City Dock which is at the end of "Ego Alley", a channel bordered by bars and wharfs where spectators gather to gawk at all the water craft that parade by.
Here is Warren demonstrating that our dock spot, B11
 |
| We docked at 5:15 after traveling 71.2 nautical miles today |
We liked Annapolis so much we decided to stick around for another day. We cleaned the boat, did some sight-seeing and conducted some searching for the world's most delectable crab cakes. A local place called Chick and Ruth's is famous for theirs and we experienced why...soooo good.
 | |
| Happy crew who 'does' windows??? We may never let Linda go |
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| Linda and Warren doing the Titanic "I'm the king of the world" bit on Ego Alley |
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| Annapolis is a mecca for sailors |
 |
| United States Naval Academy Wednesday, May 11 We left Annapolis at 7:06 after a totally enjoyable stay. We resumed our course up the Chesapeake to the C&D Canal. The C&D Canal is 14 miles long and connects the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay. It is usually teeming with huge container ships and other commercial traffic but today it was really quiet and we almost had the canal to ourselves. We entered the canal at 1:47 and exited at 3:20. Also, we passed into the state of Delaware in the middle of the canal at 2:12. We made our way to Delaware City Marina and arrived at 3:45 to a wonderful welcome from the marina staff. Traveled 65.3 nautical miles today and Southern Belle took on 100 gallons of diesel in each tank.    Good night to all family and friends from the crew of the Southern Belle |
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Update...Sorry it's been so long
Christie here
Okay, we have a lot of ground to cover so hold on...
Saturday, April 30
Left Osprey Marina in South Carolina at 7:53 am. A turtle about the size of a dinner plate wished us safe travels as we left. Along the away, we saw this sailboat that had 'miscalculated' where the 'skinny water' was, in other words, he ran aground...bad. These sort of sights make for a nervous captain.
Entered North Carolina at 11:45 and powered ahead averaging 7MPH to St. James Plantation Marina which turned out to be a nice facility.
We docked next to a big Grand Banks trawler that was shrouded in canvas to protect all of the varnished brightwork. The lady came out and looked at us like we were poor white trash when we pulled in. She was definitely a rich meanie... oh well.
Sunday, May 1
Departed St. James Marina at slack tide, 6:56. We entered the Cape Fear River at 7:51 and seas began to build to 3-6 ft. Pretty bumpy for two hours until we cleared the Carolina Beach Bridge.
Traveled 70 miles and stopped at the New River Marina...not one of our best moves but it was getting late. This marina was another 'red neck central' sort of place. They had the worst dock hand ever and it was pretty fast current to handle but Captain Kerm prevailed.
Monday, May 2
Left 'bubba land' behind us at 6:38 am and put on 65 miles today. The highlights were dolphins playing in our bow wave and Kerm seeing a big sting ray...I missed it, darn.
We chose Oriental Marina, in Oriental, NC for our stopover and Kerm performed a fabulous docking in very close quarters. Cute little marina in a cute little town.
Tuesday, May 3
When we left the Oriental Marina this morning our exit was a little less than graceful, but with the fending off by helpful onlookers we made it out safely.
Neuse River and Pamlico Sound were big water we handled today. Along Gale Creek we were attacked by huge flies...I fought back...
We made a short day of it and pulled into Dowry Creek Marina at 1:46 due to reports of bad weather ahead.
We had to pull into a slip again which is not our favorite, we prefer a starboard tie along, but all went okay. This marina has a pot luck get-together every day at 5:30 for all those staying overnight. We had a chance to talk to other "Loopers" and we learned lots of good information.
Wednesday, May 4
We left Dowry Marina at 6:52 believing we could get past some of the bad weather on the Alligator River before it kicked up in the afternoon. It was overcast and we did experience waves of 4-6 ft for a couple of hours.
We ducked into Alligator River Marina at 1:52 because the weather was getting worse.
Now, when you look at the picture of this marina you will notice that it looks like a truck stop...that's because it is.
Thursday, May 5
Day in port due to high waves out in Albemarle Sound. One sailboat went out and came back later all bedraggled. Made us glad we had stayed in port. There was another get-together for appetizers and we met up with more 'Loopers'.
This marina is owned by a woman known only as 'Miss Wanda'...she is apparently a little harsh if you don't follow all of her rules. We were told she's been called Wicked Wanda by those who get on her wrong side. We were well behaved and she didn't have any issues with us but she really laid into one of the sailboaters who decided to sleep in the captain's lounge. She cut off the internet for everyone as punishment for his transgression...We felt as if we were in school again.
Saturday, May 6
We were up with the sun and decided to tackle Albemarle Sound. There was a little convoy of determined boaters heading out of Wicked Wanda's clutches.
This day contained some real challenges because after negotiating the Sound there is a series of bridges and a lock that have restricted opening times... a logistical nightmare. Added to this we were wanting to get to Norfolk to pick up Linda (sister) who was coming to join us from Minnesota.
There are no pictures of this day because we were too busy dodging crab pots in 6 to 8 foot waves that were hitting us on the port side. We were yawing back and forth and it was really wild. After the Sound, we were focused on all of the bridge openings and getting to Norfolk before dark.
We did it! We made Ocean Marine Yacht Basin at 7:14. Linda did her part by getting a seat on her flight from Minneapolis (flying stand-by with Mary's Mesaba Airlines flight benefits). She had a taxi adventure and I had to 'talk her in' to the marina. By midnight we were all in the right place...What a day!!
We spent the next day provisioning, sightseeing and doing some boat maintenance getting ready for transiting Chesapeake Bay. Norfolk/Portsmouth are awesome with huge ships everywhere you look.
Sunday May 8 Mother's Day
Left Ocean Marine at 6:08 wanting to put in a good day on the Chesapeake. Going past Hampton Roads Shipyards was even more impressive than what we had seen the day before. As we were motoring by I noticed an innocuous speed boat following us. As Linda began to take more and more pictures of the Navy craft the speedboat closed in on us! Coincidence??? I think not. What's funny is that as soon as we were past the area...poof he was gone!!
Linda took over driving at Thimble Shoal Light and she drove most of the day. She is really good at it... keeping us on course with ease!!! See here...She needs the beer step to see through the windshield.
We passed huge ships and the navigation was very different because we had to make all the waypoints ourselves rather than having them predetermined as on the ICW.
At 4:45 we crossed the Maryland state line and began our approach to Smith Point Marina. Kerm would not believe Linda and I about the circuitous route into marina...at one point the channel almost touched the shore...uncomfortable times for the captain. However, we made it in safely and were met by Capt Dan, owner of the marina and ex-Navy man. First ever experience of a floating marine store and registration office see below...
That gets us almost up to date. I'll save Annapolis for my next posting.
Love to all family and friends
Christie
Okay, we have a lot of ground to cover so hold on...
Saturday, April 30
Left Osprey Marina in South Carolina at 7:53 am. A turtle about the size of a dinner plate wished us safe travels as we left. Along the away, we saw this sailboat that had 'miscalculated' where the 'skinny water' was, in other words, he ran aground...bad. These sort of sights make for a nervous captain.
 |
Sunday, May 1
Departed St. James Marina at slack tide, 6:56. We entered the Cape Fear River at 7:51 and seas began to build to 3-6 ft. Pretty bumpy for two hours until we cleared the Carolina Beach Bridge.
 |
| some big traffic in the Cape Fear River |
 |
| Captain was cold.... |
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| Hard to see but this was a great ratty place...lot of character. |
Traveled 70 miles and stopped at the New River Marina...not one of our best moves but it was getting late. This marina was another 'red neck central' sort of place. They had the worst dock hand ever and it was pretty fast current to handle but Captain Kerm prevailed.
 |
| Captain Kerm resting from a long day |
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| Yup...Sneads Ferry |
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| Warren goofing off again... parrot...gull... so confusing |
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| Sunset at Sneads Ferry |
Monday, May 2
Left 'bubba land' behind us at 6:38 am and put on 65 miles today. The highlights were dolphins playing in our bow wave and Kerm seeing a big sting ray...I missed it, darn.
We chose Oriental Marina, in Oriental, NC for our stopover and Kerm performed a fabulous docking in very close quarters. Cute little marina in a cute little town.
 |
| Clean windshield is important |
Tuesday, May 3
When we left the Oriental Marina this morning our exit was a little less than graceful, but with the fending off by helpful onlookers we made it out safely.
 | ||
| Captain...looking good |
 |
| First Mate 1 Insects 0 |
We had to pull into a slip again which is not our favorite, we prefer a starboard tie along, but all went okay. This marina has a pot luck get-together every day at 5:30 for all those staying overnight. We had a chance to talk to other "Loopers" and we learned lots of good information.
 |
| The Bottle Tree at Dowry Creek Marina |
Wednesday, May 4
We left Dowry Marina at 6:52 believing we could get past some of the bad weather on the Alligator River before it kicked up in the afternoon. It was overcast and we did experience waves of 4-6 ft for a couple of hours.
 |
| Waves coming over the bow |
Now, when you look at the picture of this marina you will notice that it looks like a truck stop...that's because it is.
Day in port due to high waves out in Albemarle Sound. One sailboat went out and came back later all bedraggled. Made us glad we had stayed in port. There was another get-together for appetizers and we met up with more 'Loopers'.
This marina is owned by a woman known only as 'Miss Wanda'...she is apparently a little harsh if you don't follow all of her rules. We were told she's been called Wicked Wanda by those who get on her wrong side. We were well behaved and she didn't have any issues with us but she really laid into one of the sailboaters who decided to sleep in the captain's lounge. She cut off the internet for everyone as punishment for his transgression...We felt as if we were in school again.
Saturday, May 6
We were up with the sun and decided to tackle Albemarle Sound. There was a little convoy of determined boaters heading out of Wicked Wanda's clutches.
This day contained some real challenges because after negotiating the Sound there is a series of bridges and a lock that have restricted opening times... a logistical nightmare. Added to this we were wanting to get to Norfolk to pick up Linda (sister) who was coming to join us from Minnesota.
There are no pictures of this day because we were too busy dodging crab pots in 6 to 8 foot waves that were hitting us on the port side. We were yawing back and forth and it was really wild. After the Sound, we were focused on all of the bridge openings and getting to Norfolk before dark.
We did it! We made Ocean Marine Yacht Basin at 7:14. Linda did her part by getting a seat on her flight from Minneapolis (flying stand-by with Mary's Mesaba Airlines flight benefits). She had a taxi adventure and I had to 'talk her in' to the marina. By midnight we were all in the right place...What a day!!
 |
| Marina was across from the Navy Ship Yards |
 |
| Linda and Warren bonding |
Sunday May 8 Mother's Day
Left Ocean Marine at 6:08 wanting to put in a good day on the Chesapeake. Going past Hampton Roads Shipyards was even more impressive than what we had seen the day before. As we were motoring by I noticed an innocuous speed boat following us. As Linda began to take more and more pictures of the Navy craft the speedboat closed in on us! Coincidence??? I think not. What's funny is that as soon as we were past the area...poof he was gone!!
 | |
| Thimble Shoal Light |
 |
| Warren enjoying Chesapeake Bay |
At 4:45 we crossed the Maryland state line and began our approach to Smith Point Marina. Kerm would not believe Linda and I about the circuitous route into marina...at one point the channel almost touched the shore...uncomfortable times for the captain. However, we made it in safely and were met by Capt Dan, owner of the marina and ex-Navy man. First ever experience of a floating marine store and registration office see below...
That gets us almost up to date. I'll save Annapolis for my next posting.
Love to all family and friends
Christie
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