Solomons, MD to Baltimore, MD

 May 12, 2018 - May 17, 2018

We left Zahniser’s Marina bright and early on Saturday morning, topped off our fuel and headed to Galesville, MD.  We needed to stop at Hartges Yacht Yard to have our auto pilot drive removed and sent back to Raymarine for repairs.  Hand steering up the bay was a bit of a challenge as there were only a few markers to head for.  It was cold (we needed light jackets) when we left Solomons, but by the time we reached Galesville and docked the temperature was in the 80’s.  After changing into a sundress and enjoying a cocktail we walked to Pirate’s Cove Restaurant for a much deserved Maryland crab cake dinner. Yum! Our walk round trip was over two miles and by the time we got back to the boat we were ready for rest and relaxation.

Sunday was a wash out with heavy rains most of the day.  

Early Monday morning the mechanic came by the boat to remove the auto pilot drive.  Of course we had to remove all the items from the quarter berth for the mechanic to have access to the part he had to remove.  He also looked at the windlass and discovered that one of the parts had slipped out of place.  Once he straightened that out it was working again.  

We left for Baltimore at about 9:30 am passing all of the usual landmarks (Thomas Point Light, Annapolis, and the Bay Bridge).  We entered the Patapsco River that afternoon and arrived in our slip at 3:30 pm.  What a relief to know our journey for the season was done.  It will be good to get a little R&R, visit family, and get the boat ready for our next trip.  

Thomas Point Light is the most photographed
lighthouse on the bay.

These three towers are at the entrance to
Annapolis Harbor.

The majestic Bay Bridge

On Tuesday we drove to Annapolis to pick up some needed items from storage. My sewing machine was what I was most interested in…can’t wait to sew! We stopped at Fawcett’s to order our new stove and discovered they had it in stock and hopefully we could install it this afternoon.  We had to stop at Italian Market for lunch and were pleased that we still thought their pizza was the best we’ve ever had!  

Back at the boat we wrestled the stove out of the car and the box it came in and took it to the boat in a dock cart.  We enlisted the dock master’s help to get the stove into the boat only to discover that part of the door jam needed to be removed to get the old stove out of the boat and the new stove in.  Boat manufactures seem to put everything in the cabin and then put the deck on top with no consideration about ever getting anything out again.  Bob went to work with his saws, removed part of the door jam, and we mounted the stove in the old fittings.  It’s a beauty and will work so much better than the 35 year old one I’ve been using.  

Love it! 

Wednesday was the big day! We picked up our new six month old kitten, Lola, from a cattery just north of Allentown, PA.  She’s so big, so sweet. and so playful. We are going to have fun getting to know her and acclimating her to a boating life style.  She and Jack have not made friends yet, but I’m sure they will.

Lola is cuddling with Bob on the sofa at the cattery.

She stayed in the carrier for the entire 4 hour trip back to Baltimore.

Thank you for reading my blog. 

Solomons, MD

May 8, 2018 - May 11, 2018

Our alarm (that is Jack our cat whining for food) woke us up early and we were greeted by bright sunshine.  A good nights sleep helped both of our attitudes even though we both felt totally beat up by our harrowing day on the Chesapeake yesterday.  I have three ugly bruises from falling down on the bow and numerous scrapes on both knees from barnacles on the swim ladder steps.  Bob’s arm was bruised, scratched, and scraped from putting his arm in the engine when he was trying to figure out what was wrong.  We discussed the fact that yesterday was our worst boating day ever and we had both contemplated changing our cruising lifestyle at sone point.

I dragged out all of the carpets and began cleaning them of the bilge water that had flooded the cabin. One of Zahniser’s mechanics stopped by the  boat to diagnose the boat’s problems.  At first, he thought we would need a transmission rebuild (not good), but on further inspection he discovered a broken key and shaft coupling that he believes caused our break down (so much better).  The first diagnosis would take two to three weeks to fix whereas the second one would only take a few days.  We are still going to have the boat hauled out to inspect the shaft and the propeller to insure that the breakage was not caused by issues underneath the boat. By the time the mechanic was done with his inspection I had finished the carpets, hung them out to dry, and started a thorough cleaning of the teak floors inside. When I was done the floors looked beautiful and I was done with work for the day.  Bob and I borrowed bikes from the marina and rode downtown to The Pier Restaurant. Bob had oysters and a crab cake which he described as the best he has ever had and I had the Maryland crab soup and a crab Caesar salad which was so loaded with lump crab meat I had a chunk in every mouth full. So glad to be eating Maryland seafood again!  Back at the boat it was time to relax and heal.  Our attitude toward cruising was much improved, but we still are considering a shorter trip next fall.

 I made strawberry daiquiris for happy hour. 

While we are waiting for the coupling to come in and the short haul out we are tackling some of our summer projects.  On Wednesday we hauled the dinghy out of the water and Bob cleaned the bottom of the green slime that had collected.  I did all of the laundry including washing our quilt and blanket.  We borrowed the bikes again and rode to West Marine to get the bottom paint for the dinghy and have pizza at Jerry’s Subs.  We picked up a few necessities at the grocery store and rode back to the boat to paint the dinghy bottom and then relax. The weather has been spectacular - warm sun and cool breezes - perfect Maryland spring weather.  Let’s hope it stays that way for the rest of the week.  

We finished painting the bottom of the dinghy
in the early afternoon.

Bob got very creative and made Mexican style
 twice baked sweet potatoes for dinner.  Delicious!

On Thursday I wrestled all of the enclosure panels out of the quarter berth and washed the salt water off both sides hanging  them on the life lines to dry. Solomans is a great place to lay over for these repairs.  It’s a great little town with a great marina with a competent and experienced yacht yard crew. Plus, we have had perfect spring weather.

 Here’s a picture of the marina from an outside table at the
 Dry Dock Restaurant where we had a wonderful dinner.

The coupling came in this afternoon and the mechanic installed it easily.  Our boat was hauled out briefly to check the prop, shaft, and strut for damage and nothing was found.  Wonderful!!! 

On Friday I thoroughly cleaned the cockpit in the morning.  Then we borrowed the bikes for a trip to West Marine, Weis Market, and The Ruddy Duck Restaurant.  We will leave bright and early tomorrow morning to continue our trip and dock in Galesville at the Hartge Yacht Yard. Sadly I won't be back in Baltimore for Mother's Day, but life is good!

Thank you for reading my blog.

Bay River, NC to Solomons, MD

May 4, 2018 - May 8, 2018

As the sun was rising we left our anchorage in Bay River headed for Coinjock and a night at a marina.  It was an easy day of motoring through winding creeks and narrow canals. Coinjock is on a canal and provides dock space right along the east side where they pack the boats in as tightly as possible.  We had time for a great shower before we went to the marina restaurant for their famous and very delicious prime rib dinner.  Once again we were very satisfied with the food and the service.

We started our last day on the ICW at 8:00am. We weren’t held up by any opening bridges and actually came up to the Great Bridge Bridge just as it was opening and motored right into the Great Bridge Lock without any delay. Is this a good omen or what? Bob had planned for us to make it to Point Comfort on the Chesapeake that night, but when we got to Norfolk we were ready to stop for the night.  There was an anchorage just off the channel that already contained several boats.  That’s when our evening fun started.  I was at the helm as Bob dropped the anchor, but once he backed the boat up to set the anchor we were a little too close to another boat.  So I went to the bow to haul anchor. It wasn’t too hard until I got to the portion of the chain that had laid in the mud.  I struggled to grip the anchor chain and haul it up with all of the mud slipping through my fingers.  Bob, finally, had to come to the bow and finish hauling the anchor.  By this time we were both liberally covered in mud and so was the fore deck.  Our second attempt at anchoring went much better, but Bob was still concerned about whether it would hold.  He monitored the boats movement on the chart plotter until he was certain we would be safe.  Needless to say we were both exhausted and grumpy.  I’ve always heard that mud  is good for your skin though. 

It started to rain at about 3:00am and was still raining heavily when we got up.  I donned my foul weather jacket and bailed 8 inches of rain water out of the dinghy before we hauled anchor and set out (the anchor did hold us in one place that night).  The rain continued until about 10:00am and then the fog rolled in.  Visibility was about 100 yards.  The disorientation of the fog made me feel like we were going around in a large circle and once there were no boats in front of us I could not stay on course.  Bob took control and got us to Dozier’s Yacht Basin in Deltaville by 4:30pm.  Our plan was to shower and go out to eat, but the dock master informed us that all the restaurants in town are closed on Sunday and Monday….bummer we were so looking forward to a restaurant meal.  So, we showered and had happy hour in the boater’s lounge where we watched the last part of “Pretty Woman” with another boating couple.  It’s nice to feel civilized once in a while.

In the morning it was slightly foggy and we left the marina at 7:00am headed for Solomans and another slip (have you noticed that we aren’t anchoring out any more).  All went remarkably well until Bob went below and discovered the overflowing bilge which caused a flood below.  After we pumped and pumped to get the bilge at a manageable level Bob fixed the bilge float switch (which we had just replaced in Beaufort, SC) and got that issue under control.  Except, the shaft seal was leaking torrents of water into the bilge.  We slowed our boat speed and that lessened the flow of water.  While I was at the helm a loud squealing noise came from below and I put the  boat in neutral and waited while Bob tried to figure out what was wrong.  After calls to our boat mechanics in Galesville we decided that I should dive down and check the propeller for marine growth or rope around the shaft.  Early May is not the best time to dive into the Chesapeake, but if it would get us back on the road I was willing to don my bathing suit and Bob’s shorty wet suit and check out the prop.  After two dives I could not find anything wrong with the prop.  Oh well, I tried.  We called Tow Boat US at 1:00pm.  Their expected ETA was 4:30pm.  Since we started to drift into the shipping channel we put up the jib and tacked back and forth to stay near our original location.  Most people think that sailing is sooooo relaxing, but it’s a lot of work. We tacked at least eight times and each time I had to haul the jib sheet to pull the sail to the other side….not easy.  Boat US got to us at 5:00pm and towed us to Zahnisers Marina and Yacht Yard.  We got there at 10:00pm.  We were exhausted and discouraged.  I thought my blog post about this portion of the trip would be boring. LOL

My next blog will outline the work we have to have done at Zahniser’s and how it goes. Boating is so much fun!!!!

Thank you for reading my blog.

Ocean Isle, NC to Bay River, NC

April 28, 2018 - May 4, 2018

We left Ocean Isle Marina at 7:15 just after sunrise.  Bob’s strategy worked! We made it by the troublesome inlets (Shallotte and Lookwoods Folly) without touching bottom a single time.  The reason the inlets are so treacherous is the current coming in from the ocean is strong and brings sand with it which causes shoaling.  Bob was at the helm and I was the navigator.  Armed with binoculars and the chart book (which had notes about where to be most careful) I looked for buoys and day markers to help Bob keep on course and away from the sand bars. 

Cape Fear River proved to be a challenge, too.  The current from the falling tide was so strong against us that we were only making 3 knots at times.  Going slowly is much better than going aground though.  We arrived in Wrightsville Beach at 4:00pm and settled into the Seapath Yacht Club .  We were both exhausted from hand steering the whole day (Bob’s efforts did not fix the auto pilot) and decided to relax on the boat and leave exploring the area for tomorrow.

In the morning we walked to a little cafe for breakfast and walked around a bit.

Wrightsville Beach is wide and long.

The causeway is lined on both sides with houses each with it’s own dock.

We rested most of the day and walked to the Bridgetender Restaurant for dinner. The food was superb.  It’s so nice to splurge every once in awhile on a great dinner. Monday was consumed with chores - changing the oil, checking engine fluids, doing laundry, buying provisions, and filling water tanks.  We took a break at lunchtime and ate at a great Mexican Restaurant near the beach.  Bob and I both agree that we will return to Wrightsville Beach in the future if only to enjoy the food.  

We left to continue North the next morning at about 8:30 am and caught the Bridge opening at 9:00am.  There were three sailboats behind us all day.  You begin to recognize boat names as you listen to them call each other on the radio, see them in anchorages and marinas.  We anchored in Mile Hammock Bay which is near Camp LeJuene, NC. We were the first boat there out of the ten that anchored there that night.

Sunsets over water are always beautiful,
but some are spectacular!

Day two of this leg of our journey was crazy.  We started at 7:00am and didn’t anchor until 6:30pm in Bay River.  We made 84 miles in those 11.5 hours.  During the last part of the trip the wind picked up with gusts up to 25 knots.  We were in an open body of water which allowed the wind to cause swells that rocked us around making hand steering more difficult, but we made it through.  That will be our last long day on this trip back to Baltimore. 

When I’m in the Carolina low country I always read a Pat Conroy book. His stunning descriptions of the low country and small town southern life makes the scenery come alive.  This time I’m reading Beach Music which I highly recommend.

My next blog post will be about the final days on the ICW as we make it into the Chesapeake Bay.

Thank you for reading my blog.