11/2/03 - Spent an extra day in Solomons because it was so peaceful. Took the dinghy exploring and visited the Calvert Maritime Museum: history of maritime Maryland, the restored Drum Pt Lighthouse onsite, small boat restoration and an exhibit of live otters. All for $5. Then we went shopping at the local market and ate onboard (exciting life huh?). We chatted with our neighbors at anchor. They have 2 cats onboard, one of which likes to ride in the front of the dinghy like a dog.
Left Early today and headed towards Virginia. For once NOAA was right and there was no wind and no waves. We originally planned to make it to Mill Creek inside Ingram Bay, just south of the Potomac River but we made such good time that we decided to go another 16 miles (about 48 total) south to Indian Creek inside of Fleet Bay. This is just north of the Rappahannock River. We are about 50 nm north of Norfolk. It's a beautiful little anchorage in a very quiet cove. Nothing else around but about 2 houses and a farm. You could literally hear a pin drop here.

11/3/03 - Left our peaceful little cove for a "short" run down to Chisman Creek, about 20 nm short of Norfolk. We figured that going into that busy channel at the end of a long days run of 50 miles was not a good idea. Tomorrow we can leave early and get to Norfolk by early afternoon. (probaby just as the Navy decides to move their entire fleet around the harbor!). We found another quiet little creek to anchor in tonight. Took 3 tries to get the anchor to dig in the mud here.
A little while after we were settled we saw otters playing nearby at a crab pot, then the occupant of a boat anchored nearby rowed over to say hi. His name was Bob and he lived near Virginia Beach but kept his boat on this creek and was spending the weekend on it. He works for the Navy Dept in Norfolk. After chatting awhile, he went off to say hi to another boat that came in to anchor later on. Time to fire up the BBQ !
Tomorrow it's into Norfolk and the start of the ICW!

11/4/03 - Left another very quiet anchorage at Chisman Creek for the hustle of Norfolk. Another calm day on the water with no wind. Today however, decided to throw fog at us as we approached Norfolk Harbor (oh goody!). Luckily it began to burn off as we entered and just in time to see the large freighter heading out the channel and in our direction. This was shortly followed by the navy submarine under tow (with patrol vessels out to make sure we kept our distance). Seems every time we got past one big ship moving around, another would toot it's horn and start moving in front of us. What fun!. We motored by a very impressive naval pier with at least 3 aircraft carriers and 15 or more other warships at dock. Then into the commercial section with all the tankers and freighters. Finally we got to Norfolk's downtown area and the Waterside Marina which was our destination for a couple of days. Nearby is a naval museum and the old battleship USS Wisconsin. Definitely a stop on our tour. Oh, and by the way, it's hot here today!! (yipee!).
Met our dockside neighbor. His name is Adger and he is on his way back to Wilmington, NC in his 21 yr old Nauticat sailboat. (He's only owned the boat a year). He had spent the last 5 weeks going up to Annapolis to meet friends and go to the boat shows and is now heading home. He had a beer with us at the Hooters nearby and invited us to give him a call when we got to his hometown.
Explored a little of downtown Norfolk this evening. We are right in the middle of what looks like the financial district. Lot's of eateries and bars nearby (but of course no grocery stores). We did find the largest shopping mall that I have ever been in though! Three floors of shops and an 18 theater cinema. Might have to take in a movie while we're here. Had dinner at a funky place called Joe's Crab Shop. Food was just ok but the waitresses were very entertaining.

11/5/03 - Today was cleaning and tourist day. First came clean the boat. Things were getting a bit "messy" so we scrubbed and rinsed inside and out. Then came the "tourist" part. First we went to the Naval museum and toured the battleship USS Wisconson. Then we went to the moviews at he MacArthur Center Mall (HUGE!) and saw the latest "Matrix" movie. Ah, civilization!

11/6/03 - The true ICW trek begins today! Left the dock at Norfolk around 8am and topped off the tanks a short time later at a local marina. Then it was time to tackle our first bridges. The first couple were open railroad bridges but then we came to the first bascule "drawbridge". We were too far behind another pack of boats so the bridge tender closed it before we got there to let traffic pass. This meant that I had to call on the radio and request an opening just for us. Once the cars thinned out a bit, he opened up and we passed through. The next one we came to had a cluster of other boats waiting so we just joined the line and went through together. The next challenge was the Great Bridge lock. Luckily we got there just before it closed up so we didn't have to wait in the lock long before it cycled and we were lifted up a couple of feet and let into the Albermarle & Chesapeake canal. We tied up at the Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake VA just after the lock and did some grocery shopping (about a mile walk from the boat), then decided to stay here tonight and push on to Coinjock, NC or further tomorrow (weather permitting). It's still very hot today (80's and humid). The weather is supposed to change tonight and get colder and rainy.

11/7/03 - Late start. Waited for the marinas store to open to get some water and oil but they opened late (7:30) and we missed a group that left at 7am. So off we went alone at 8am to battle the bridges ourselves. The 2 bridges we were going to deal with today were on schedules (open each 1/2 hr), so of course the first one we came to didn't open when it was supposed to. We had to wait another 35 minutes for the next scheduled opening (which gave us a lot of time to practice backing the boat up and going forward in a very small space between a marina dock and submerged tree stumps waiting for this bridge to open). The next bridge actually opened when it was supposed to so we figured things were getting better until we got to the more open waters of Currituck Sound. The wind decided to build to 15-20 knots and the chop built to 2-3 feet (even though the guide says it never gets over 1ft). 2 hours of that coupled with a forecast of stronger NE winds tonight and we decided that we would stop in Coinjock.
Not much to look at but Coinjock Marina has a great restaurant that serves a 32 oz prime rib to die for (split between 2 people). I mean this is a small cow on a plate! We ate dinner w ith two other sailing couples sharing the dock with us. One of them a very experienced cruising couple from CA and another couple on their first trip south from Maryland. We are all going to experience the Alberlamarle Sound tomorrow together in 15-20 NE winds. Yahoo! (oh, and it's going down to the 30's tonight here, so hold down the cheering up there).
As I write this, I hear the pitter patter of small paws on the deck as Betsy chases Molly around trying to corral her into the boat for the night. Now that's entertainment........

11/8/03 - Well, the weather is worse than forecast (20-25 NE) so the decision is too wait it out in Coinjock at least for today. Not much to do here but it's better than beating ourselves up in Albemarle sound today.
Oh, forgot to mention that we saw many bald eagles on the way here yesterday. Some pictures posted.

11/9/03 - I feel like Bill Murray in "GroudHog Day". I keep waking up in Coinjock, NC where time sorta stands still. The winds are still blowing 20-25 from NE and the Alligator River Bridge is closed for traffic due to high winds (30+ gusts). This means we can't get through to the Alligator river and on to our next stop. Hopefully tomorrow it will drop some (forecast only 15-20 NE). Guess I'll plug in the cable TV and watch football. This place makes Mayberry look like downtown Boston.

11/10/03 - ESCAPE FROM COINJOCK!! In a daring early morning escape, we slipped past the marina guards in the early morning light and made our way down the canal to freedom. Just kidding.... As nice as the folks at Coinjock Marina were, it was more than time to leave. The weather gods favored us with a better forecast of NE winds only 15-20 in the Albemarle Sound. This was our best shot at getting across and through the Alligator River bridge. We left about 6:50 am and made it to the bridge (about 34 miles ) at about 11:20 am. The Sound wasn't too bad. Just a following sea and a good breeze from the stern quarter (we motor sailed with the jib). The bridge opened for the group of boats we were with and we headed down to Alligator River. Our expected anchorage was at mile 102 but when we got there it was too windy and uncomfortable looking. Unfortunately our next anchorage possibility was another 26 miles away after traveling down a long, narrow canal but this was our best option so we headed down the canal. We motored down this 21 mile canal and came out of it about 5pm, just as it was getting dark. We went up a creek off the Pungo River just at the canal exit and anchored for the night. This was our longest travel day yet (11 hours & 78 miles). Time for dinner and then bed. At least we aren't in Coinjock anymore!
Tomorrow's forecast is light North winds so we are going to try for Oriental, NC, about 50 miles from here (piece of cake). Then it's forecast to turn ugly again 20-25 from SW for a couple of days (here we go again).

11/11/03 - FOG !! Thank God for radar. Got up this morning and couldn't see more than 50 yds. Since we had over 50 miles to cover to Oriental, we had no choice but to fire up the new radar (thanks Dave, it works great) at 7 am and go for it. It worked like a champ. We motored along from buoy to buoy until we got out of the fog about 10:30. Then it was full speed to Oriental. Got into Oriental about 3pm. Great little town. Claim to be the sailing capital of NC. Lots of sailboats. Tied up at the Oriental Marina. Tiki Bar opened at 5pm. Met Wayne from Portsmouth NH who just came in on a 50+ ft Alden. He runs a marina in Portsmouth and is looking at one here in NC. The plan is to head for Beaufort tomorrow before the nasty weather sets in on Thurs. Good breakfast at M & M's Cafe.

11/12/03 - (mile 182) SAILING (without a motor....really). Left Oriental by 8am to get across Neuse River before the wind built too much. Still had a nice 30 minute sail (Betsy & I split the driving 15 minutes each) across in 15 kts of wind. Then had to drop sail to get into Adams creek. Motored against a steadily building current (wind driven) of up to 2 kts down the creek and into a canal that leads to Beaufort (Pronounced ''Bo-furt'' by natives). Made it to Town Creek Marina by noon just as the wind built to 20+. Got settled in and walked to downtown Beaufort. This is a nice town with some very old southern houses along the water and a small barrier island just on the other side of the main harbor. We saw dolphins (about 8) swimming up and down the town docks. Then we got our mail from the post office and did some window shopping. Gonna spend a couple of nights here and then see what the weather is like to head south. Ate at Clawson's Restaurant & Pub.

11/13/03 - (mile 202) Stuck again. We're sitting here at the dock watching boats rock back and forth and sail on their anchors. The wind is 30-35 kts at the moment and the weather service has issued a wind advisory and asked all boats to stay in port (oh, OK) - besides, the boat is rocking so much at the dock we feel as if we are sailing. Of course, since they asked boats to stay put, there are still some brave souls read idiots) that are heading out anyway. The wind isn't forecast to die down before late Friday. So it looks like it'll be 3 days in Beaufort for us. At least there are more things to do here than Coinjock. We also took the chance to do some maintenance (oil change and fuel filter replaced). We borrowed the free courtesy car ( a very beat up Chevy Corsica with a drooping ceiling - but hey, who can be picky when it's free) from the marina for an hour and went food shopping (I told you this cruising life was nothing but one exciting moment to the next). The weather is turning cold here beginning tonight (down into 30's) and for the next few days, so we will have to put away the shorts & t-shirts for a while (sounds of sympathy from the audience.....).

11/15/03 - (mile 244) Finally got some favorable winds and left Beaufort about 7am. It was a cold morning and it didn't get much warmer as the day progressed. The waterway meandered through some beautiful barrier islands with sand dunes and tiny inlets with houses and private docks. Much more scenic than some of the earlier sections. The water has now turned color from the dark brown "tea" color to a lighter shade of green. We had to motor through the Camp Lejune firing range. Luckily they weren't scheduled to have exercises today, this would have closed the ICW for the duration. You could see the old amored vehicles that they use for targets lying along the shore. Then it was on to another swing bridge which we had to wait about 15 mins for. Then we got to the anchorage for tonight about 2pm (the next one was over 3 hrs further on). This anchorage area (Mile Hammock Bay) is on property belonging to the marines, so we can't go ashore. This is a great spot to anchor. Watched an amazing sunset.

11/16/03 - (mile 283) Up anchor at 6:50 and headed for Wrightsville Beach. Saw a pod of dolphins which swam along our boat for a short while. Much of this section of the ICW had large, beautiful houses along the water with private docks. This section also had a couple of bridges with opening schedules which made it difficult for a sailboat to time the passage to catch each opening and still make decent progress. For one of them, we had to slow down to about 3 kts for quite a while and still had to wait for it to open. I also noticed that this section of the N.C. ICW has more than it's fair share of inconsiderate power boaters. Many did not follow the ICW etiquette of slowing down to reduce wakes when approaching a slower boat. Many would pass to the right very close and then weave in front of you. Up until now, most boaters have been very courteous. Hopefully this is a "local" thing. We anchored in the main channel inside the inlet to Wrightsville Beach. The wind is slack but there was about 1kt of current. We took the dinghy to the town docks and went for a beer and then some quick food shopping. Tomorrow we cross the Cape Fear river and head into South Carolina.

11/17/03 - (mile 347) Early rise (5:30) and up anchor at 6:15. Long day ahead to North Myrtle Beach today. It was a beautiful., warm sunny day. Nice scenery along the way today. Many beautiful houses along the water (Marblehead has nothing on this area). A few shallow areas to watch for where ocean inlets joined the ICW. Bridge schedules were once again a problem, but we luckily made the opening by about a minute (otherwise we wait an hour). We crossed the border to South Carolina about 2pm! Got to Dock Holidays marina about 4pm (I told you it was a long day!). There's a Hooters next to the marina - first stop!!

11/19/03 - Still in N. Myrtle Beach. Nice place. T-storms predicted today, so we will wait them out until tomorrow. Severe weather alerts all morning and afternoon. Another milestone in the trip was passed - Betsy tried her hand at cutting my hair! Turned out ok (no pictures, sorry). Made a hell of a mess of the cockpit though. Dinner at the Fishermans Warehouse (new restaurant in the marina). Good food and price was reasonable.

11/20/03 - Short run today so we "slept in" until 7am. Went to the fuel dock at 8am, topped off the tank and headed for Bucksport (about 30 miles). Went thru the infamous "rockpile" area. A narrow cut with rocks on both sides that goes on for about 3-4 miles. Not much traffic on the water today so it wasn't a big deal (though I can see it getting hairy if a barge was coming the other way). Had to wait for 2 bridges to open but they were pretty quick. Passed by a lot of golf courses along the way. After about 25 miles we entered the Wacamaw river area. A beautiful wooded area with creeks coming off the main river, spanish moss in the trees, very quiet. This is the kind of scenery that we will be passing through now for a while.

11/21/03 - Another short day. Just a 30 mile trip to Georgetown (not the one in Wash. DC). The 4 hour trip down the Wacamaw river went through some of the prettiest country yet. The South Carolina low country has deep woods right up to the river edge with trees covered in spanish moss. It gives way to abandoned rice plantations with wild rice plant stretching back into the distance. The river is deep and quite wide on some places and the water is a very dark brown, like root beer.
Georgetown's first impression almost made us turn around and leave (rusted old steel mill and dockside buildings in bad shape). Fortunately the impression got better as we got further into the harbor (waterfront restaurants and shops) and we grabbed a dock at Harborside Marina. The main street is one block from the water and hosts many antique stores, galleries, craft shops and restaurants. I recommend the Dogwood Cafe for lunch.

11/22/03 - 50 more miles on the odometer today. We motored for about 7 hrs and anchored in a quiet creek (Dewees Creek) just off the waterway surrounded by marsh grass. You can see the masts of boats going down the waterway just over the grass about 1/2 mile away.
The trip to here took us through winding creeks and land cuts with marsh grasses on either side, other areas had sand dunes, others had tree-lined shore. Birds of many species can be seen along this stretch. Mainly pelicans & egrets but some herons and eagles were spotted. The weather was sunny and warm. We are now about 3 hours or so from Charleston. Be there by monday at the latest.

11/23/03 - Lazy day at anchor. Not sure yet if we will move along today or just stay here. It's so peaceful and quiet. Last night we could hear the hundreds of tiny shrimp (Krill) eating the growth on the bottom of the boat. It sounds like we're in a bowl of rice krispies (snap, crackle, pop). We also heard some dolphins blowinf air not far from the boat but it was too dark to see them (though Betsy did get a look at them this morning at sunrise). The fishing rod is out but so far no takers on the bacon bait. It's about 70 out at 10am and the sun is shining. Not tough to take. Went for a dinghy ride up the creek. Saw a family of dolphins feeding along the creek (mommy & baby & dad).

11/26/03 - We've been in Charleston, SC for 3 days now. We arrived at Ashley Marina on monday and are here until next monday. What a great city. So much of downtown has the original buildings from the 17 and 1800's beautifully preserved. We took a carriage tour today and learned much of the interesting history of this city. We also took in the new city aquarium. We are planning on taking the tour out to Fort Sumter before we leave. There isn't enough time to try all the great restaurants and bars in this city (but we are trying). Tomorrow we attempt cooking Thanksgiving dinner onboard. Should be good for a laugh. I would recommend some places to eat and dringk but there are just too many to name here.

11/27/03 - Happy Thanksgiving to all! We managed to cook a wonderful turkey dinner in Kokopelli's galley. We brought out the best plastic china and some chilled Michelob Light (Nov '03 vintage). It was a terrific, sunny day in the 70's. Hope y'all had a good holiday too.

11/30/03 - Last day in Charleston. We'll miss this beautiful city. Dave & Barbara have joined us for a week of ICW cruising (and brought some lovely cold weather along with them). It will be fun to have some company for part of our journey. Molly has to adjust to not having the run of the boat for a week, very traumatic. Today we all went on a tour of Fort Sumter out in Charleston Harbor. This is a fascinating tour and a great place to see if you are a history buff. The civil war is very much a part of the history of this city.
Tomorrow we head south.

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