Update 10/16/2011 - Dismal Swamp to South Carolina

We are now in South Carolina.  We’ve pushed a bit this last week to get caught up and avoid the worst of the weather. From Elizabeth City we made a long run down the Alligator River after an easy crossing of Albemarle Sound, Which can be very nasty. We anchored that evening in a nice cove at the end of the Alligator-Pungo Canal with Summertime and 4 other boats.

The following day was predicted to be cold windy and rainy and it was but later in the day. We traveled a whole 4 miles to Dowry Creek Marina where we used the loaner car to go to lunch and do some shopping.  That evening we enjoyed the marina’s happy hour with 10 or 12 other boats.

This was followed the next day by another longer run to Oriental which included easy crossings of both the Pamlico River and the Neuse River. With the Neuse behind us, we have very few larger bodies of water between us and Florida. We got a chance to walk around town a little and had a nice dinner with Ray and Linda and their friends Bill and Jean.

Mile Hammock Bay, which is part of the US Marine’s Camp Lejune, was our next destination.  It was another 50 mile day but we made it no problem. Loopers Rick and Betsey from Rick and Roll met us there for a short visit. The Marines were active for much of the evening with helicopters seemingly circling the 15 boats or so in the anchorage for several hours.  The wind came up very strong during the early morning hours and we were up to make sure we did not drag.

Motoring through the fishermen at Lockwood's Folly

We started out early that morning not sure how far we might go that day. We made good progress through the morning and checking the current in the Cape Fear River, we determined it would be with us that afternoon so we kept going. The river current was in fact strong and we traveled down it at 10 or 11 knots the whole way.  We wound up at St James Plantation marina having put almost 70 miles behind us.  We were tired but took time to do a nice walk at sunset.

The pool at Barefoot resort

A shorter day was in order so we traveled about 40 miles to North Myrtle Beach, SC where we stopped at The Barefoot Resort Marina.  The pool was still open so we enjoyed the pool and the hot tub that afternoon.  We than walked over to Barefoot Landing and looked at the shops and the entertainment facilities. Both the House of Blues and Alabama have large facilities there. We then did something unusual and had pizza for supper.

This morning, we took another walk over the bridge and then took a leisurely 20 mile trip down the waterway to Osprey Marina where we took on fuel and tied up for the night.

scene from the Waccamaw River

 We are now in the Waccamaw River which is one of the prettier sections of the ICW.  The weather is warm during the day, and it’s great to be back in South Carolina.

Still having a great time!

Steve & Jean

Update 10/08/2011 -greetings from North Carolina

Its definitely fall! The leaves are turning, the nights are colder and we’ve been forced to wear long pants a few days!

In our last update,  we were on the free dock in Chesapeake City, MD. We had a nice the next day through the rest of the canal to another free dock in Rock Hall, MD.  Rock Hall is quite a boating center with the harbor ringed with marinas. We tied up next to a local crab boat whose engine was being worked on and went for a short walk. We found there was little within walking distance but it was good exercise.

The following day we had an easy run down the Bay to Knapps Narrows where we met up with our friends Lee & Carol on Carol Ann. We all had a nice dinner that night at the Bridge restaurant. Our plan for the next day was to go to an anchorage near Oxford, MD but once again the weather interfered and we wound up going into the marina in Cambridge instead.

That afternoon, we took a car tour of Cambridge and then down the peninsula all the way to the end of Hoopers Island where we found a nice restaurant and enjoyed more MD crab. We had planned on another day in Cambridge but the weather for the next few days looked threatening so we went to the Solomons where we wound up spending 4 days waiting for the wind to quiet down. While at the Solomons we used to the courtesy car to do some shopping and worked on the boat. I managed to fix both heads! We also cleaned all of the fenders which had gotten very dirty as a result of passing through over 100 locks this summer.

We had a good weather window the next day so we were off at daybreak and headed down the bay. Our original plan had been to go to Yorktown for a couple of days but the weather was forecast to be bad so we went all the way to Hampton, arriving at 1645.  This was a long 90 mile run but the conditions were right and it put Chesapeake Bay behind us.

French cannon used at Yorktown

We spent 3 nights at Hampton.  On our first day there, we rented a car and drove to Yorktown and Jamestown.  The Yorktown battlefield and visitors center was quite interesting. We watched a movie that described what happened and then took a tour with a ranger who explained the events in more detail and showed us some of the battlefield.  Among other things, we learned that the war was all but lost for the colonies until Yorktown and it took quite a gamble on General Washington’s part to pull off a victory there. We also learned how certain events set the stage for victory including a battle between French and English fleets off the mouth of the Chesapeake that gave the French Navy control of the Chesapeake at that moment. This was a major battle in which no Americans were involved in the fighting.

A "dig" and some findings

When we left Yorktown, we then drove to Jamestown. We took another Ranger tour and learned a lot about the colony there, including their criteria for choosing the Jamestown location.  We also saw the partial recreation of the fort and more interesting the archeological digs that were  taking place there. We even talked to the people doing the digs.  Later we toured the museum there, leaning more about the history and seeing some of the artifacts that have been recovered. Then it was back to the boat for supper after a shopping trip that turned into an adventure to find the store.

An actual dig - a church

The following day we toured the Virginia Air and Space Museum.  Hampton Roads had been involved in all of the early naval aviation research and training and Newport News is the only yard that builds aircraft carriers for the US Navy.  Langley AFB in Hampton was also a major center in the research and training for the US manned space program and the ongoing programs today.  We saw actual and replica planes from the Wright Brothers up through modern jets. Among other things they had a number of simulators one could try. I didn’t do well either landing the shuttle or landing the lunar module but a few (lot??) more practices ( and better understanding of the controls and instruments) might make a difference.

An F-4 Phantom Fighter

From Hampton, we had a rough trip across Hampton Roads to Portsmouth where we filled up with fuel at a very good price and then went on to Chesapeake where we stayed at a marina near the entry to the Dismal Swamp.  This marina was brand new and had a deal where the cost of your meal at the restaurant would count against you dockage. We had planned to eat out anyway since it was my birthday so we effectively wound up with a free nights dockage and had a very nice dinner out.  We were a bit surprised however to find ourselves the only boat in the entire marina.

Our trip down the Dismal Swamp started with passage through the Deep Creek lock which raised us about 10 feet. The motor through the Swamp was at no wake speeds so it took almost 2 hours to reach the free dock at the North Carolina Visitor’s Center and the Dismal Swamp Park.  We arrived in time to tour the museum and walk the boardwalk through the swamp, seeing 4 deer in the process.

Today we finished the run through the Dismal Swamp and tied up at the free dockd provided by Elizabeth City. We walked around town trying to find a barber shop and some ice cream and were unsuccessful with both. We did however have a nice dinner at a Mexican restaurant with Ray & Linda from Summertime.

During the past week we’ve been saddened by the news of the loss of two of our friends, one after a bout with cancer and the second with a blood clot. Its been a grim reminder of how quickly things can end and how lucky we are to be doing what we are.

Steve &  Jean

update 9/27/2011 - Sandy Hook to Chesapeake City

The last week has been a whirlwind. We stayed a day at Atlantic Highlands, walking around town a bit. It wasn’t as interesting as we had remembered.

The next day we left at 0635. This is way early for us but we had a long (80 mile) day and unsettled weather ahead of us. We headed to Atlantic City where we arrived at 1600.  We were going to anchor but the weather was threatening so we went into the marina. The marina had changed hands in late May and it seemed like everything we wanted to do there was under construction/renovation.

Leaving Atlantic Highlands at dawn

The next morning we were off again slightly later at 0640. The fog was thick (like traveling in Maine) and it was still dark so we made our way out following the track of the previous day on the GPS and the radar. Of course we me two fishing boats coming in. The inlet was rough but I decided it was because the current was running out against the swells and that did in fact be the case as it smoothed out fairly well once we were clear of the inlet. The sky cleared a bit, then we had a rain shower and then it cleared for most of the day. We reached Cape May before 11AM and took a walk in the afternoon, admiring the old Victorian Houses on the way.

A late departure at 1030 the following morning put us out on Delaware Bay trying to catch the rising tide. As it turned out we were a bit early but the wind was light so we still had a good trip up the bay. However, we arrived at the Delaware City marina after it closed and it was raining with the current running. Jean did a great job playing cowboy and lassoing one of the cleats and we were able to get the boat secure. We got soaked finishing the job and plugging in the power in the rain.

With more rain predicted, we decided to take a lay day the following morning and attend to some boat maintenance projects and do the laundry. We also took several walks but there was little going on.

Sun Cat at dock in Chesapeake City

Today we took a leisurely trip down the
 C and D canal with the current and pulled into the free dock at Chesapeake City.  This is a neat little town with many of the houses built in the 1840’s and 1850’s.  We found the ice cream, watched a little football at the tiki hut and toured the town a bit. Tomorrow its on to the Chesapeake.

1840's houses

Having a good trip south.

Steve and Jean

Update 9/20/2011 Lock 7 to Sandy Hook

Greetings from NJ!

We did in fact get moving and its been a quick trip down the Hudson! Our trip down the remainder of the Champalin canal was quick, relaxing at times and a nail biter a couple of times!

The dam at lock 2

The river was still 2-3 feet high and running at a good clip. This made it interesting leaving some of the locks below the dams and one had to be careful of debris and making sure we were in the right channel as we did not want to be swept over the dams.

 I had mounted a “bridge tickler” on the front of the boat. This is a (sacrificial if necessary) pvc pipe which if my measurements are correct the top is 2 inches higher than the boat. The idea is to ease up to a low bridge, make sure the tickler will clear and then proceed under it, being prepared to give he boat full reverse if the tickler hits. What I was wasn’t sure of was whether the props in reverse would overcome the current in time! As it turned out, there were only two real low bridges, both of which were 2-3 inches above the tickler! One was a railroad bridge that had a train passing over as we went under.

The bridge tickler as seen from the helm

We had planned to proceed to the Albany Yacht Club but the weather forecast for the next day was bad so we decided to stop at the Canal Visitors Center dock at Waterford which had just gotten back to being useable the previous day.

The evidence of the water damage there was everywhere. There was no power or water on the docks and there were broken wires lying in several places. They were cleaning the mud off the walkway with fire hoses and the next day they were power washing the mud off all of the furniture and equipment in the building. We saw houses with flooded basements and were told that several had been knocked off of their foundations and were no longer habitable. We also were shown where the waster had come up over 5 feet on the side of the visitors center building.  We stayed there 2 days, waiting out the rain on the second day.

Example of debris piled on bridge abutment

The next day we traveled in beautiful weather to Kingston where we stayed at the Kingston City Marina. There was quite a bit of evidence of the flooding there also and when we left the next morning we saw a boat pushing a section of docks back up the creek. The weather was nice again the next day and we passed through the Hudson Highlands, anchoring at Croton Point (just above the Tappan Zee) for the night. It was a beautiful, quiet night at anchor with an almost full moon playing on the water.

Sunset at Croton Point

Great Kills Yacht Club on Staten Island was the next stop. It was another gorgeous day as we passed down the Hudson along the NJ Palisades and the west side of Manhatten. However, as we started through the harbor, the wind and clouds came and it got cooler and a little rough as we made our way across the lower bay to the entrance to Great Kills Harbor. The picture below is the George Washington Bridge with Manhattan in the background.

 

We stayed 2 nights at the yacht club. The club was friendly and we were able to catch the last quarter of the Patriots game at the bar, kibitzing with some of the members. The second day, Larry and Sue drove up and we had an interesting afternoon touring Staten Island. Unfortunately many of the museums, etc were closed on Monday. We ended the day with a meal at an neat old German restaurant Larry remembered.

Today, we  traveled in a light rain to Atlantic Highlands where we took on fuel ($.75 a gallon less than we saw in New York state) and toured the town a bit. 

Update 9/12/2011 - Hopefully on the move again tomorrow!

Lock 7 Yacht Club meeting in Glens Falls

The Lock 7 Yacht Club

The canal opens again tomorrow and we hope to get as far as Albany. Over the weekend we walked around Fort Edward and worked on the boat including the reinstallation of the “bridge tickler” to hopefully warn us if a bridge is too low. On Sunday,  the lock 7 yacht club did a field trip to Glens Falls. This is a picture of our meeting there. In addition, I’ve included a picture of our location above Lock 7 where we have spent the last few weeks.