November 6-10

South Lake was a very pretty anchorage, and interestingly, the first time in our entire trip that we have had an anchorage to ourselves.

While we have been suggesting that the first part of the ICW involves many passages through canals and small rivers, this may be a deceiving characterization. Much of this first portion is wide open water passing through the Currituck, Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds and the Alligator and Neuse Rivers.

Wind direction and velocity make a huge difference in the speed and comfort of these passages. On Tuesday we had a very slow and bumpy ride up the Alligator River before heading into the twenty-mile long Alligator River - Pungo River Canal. We were very content to be nestled into Broad Creek off the Pungo River and enjoy a ‘sundowner’.


On Wednesday we crossed parts of Pamlico Sound and headed up the Neuse River to a comfortable spot in Broad Creek. The wind was again brisk, but this time from behind us, and we had a fabulous day sailing downwind under genoa alone. For much of the day we would look out and see nothing but boats, largely sail, stretched out to the horizon both in front of and behind us.

A short jaunt Thursday brought us to Oriental, NC. It was time for some regular maintenance - oil and fuel filter changes as well as laundry and showers. Which of these do you suppose is the most expensive?

When we meet up with people who have made this trip previously, and ask about some of the must-see places along the way, they regularly mention Beaufort, NC. On Friday we had an interesting trip to Taylor Creek, which is waterfront of the town of Beaufort.

Along the way we passed dolphins at a couple of points, I think this will always be a thrill, and a dredge. The Corps of Engineers is constantly monitoring and dredging shallow spots along the ICW. My theory is that working the dredge must be very monotonous, and so to provide some entertainment, the operators leave a pile of sand at the edge of the now constricted channel they are working on. They then bet among themselves whether an approaching boat will pass safely through, or …

Shackleford horses can often be seen grazing on the saltmarsh corngrass that grows on the island area along the south side of Taylor Creek. While their origins are not clear, it is thought these horses may be descendants of early explorers, possibly dating back to the conquistadors. This is Carrot Island, part of the grazing area, just off the stern of the boat.
SHACKLEFORD

November 4-5

We rather outfoxed ourselves this Sunday morning. We set the alarm to get an early start, but felt a little foolish listening to the weather forecast at 5:45 am when we were sure we had set the alarm for 6:45 am. We totally missed the return to standard time!

We figured out how to get a close-up view of a Navy helicopter, though. You simply depart Hampton Roads at the same time as an aircraft carrier, in this case Warship 69. We were subject to very close scrutiny by the helicopter pictured flying just above the carrier. We sat very still and altered our course wide to starboard.

Shortly after Norfolk/Portsmouth there is a lock which equalizes the water level between Hampton Roads and the Intracoastal Waterway. The lock operates hourly, and so on busy days, a number of boats lock through at once. On Sunday, eleven boats were packed into the lock with us for the 12:30 passage. This makes for quite a flotilla as the lock empties and everyone continues on their way.

The return to standard time has changed our evening schedule as well – mainly there is no evening. We were quite thankful for this after a long day when we tried to make our way into Blackwater Creek, twice, and got hung up on a shoal each time. We ended up anchoring in the mouth of the creek with one other boat, who I’m thinking met the same fate as us. Just before turning in, I went above to check things out, just in time to see a tug and barge pass not far off our bow.

Monday morning we were up to get an early start as well, this time on purpose, and in our haste, and fog, passed the green daymarker on the starboard side. You shouldn’t do that. Drat! Stuck again. Brother Doug says there are only two kinds of sailors, those who have been aground, and liars.

After that ignominious start, we had a great day. We passed through Currituck Sound and then on to Albemarle Sound in the afternoon. It was pretty breezy, which led to a spectacular sail across a sound that has a reputation of being at times rather difficult. Once again, the day passes too quickly, and evening approaches in another beautiful anchorage.

November 1-3

We spent Halloween evening anchored in the Hampton River, just off the campus of Hampton University. Hampton University is one of the top ten ‘historically black colleges and universities’ in the United States. The area for anchoring is restricted to a single line in which there were seven tightly packed sailboats just outside of the navigable channel. Interestingly, all but one of these boats was Canadian.

On the other side of the river is the Bluewater Yachting Center. This is the starting point for the Caribbean 1500, a race/cruise from Hampton, Virginia to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. They are scheduled to depart November 4th, but current weather may have some impact on that.

Hampton Roads is a very interesting area, steeped in history and commerce. ‘Roads’ is a mariner’s term for anchorage. Hampton Roads is located in the mouth of the James River, at the bottom of Chesapeake Bay, with immediate access to the Atlantic Ocean. Hampton Roads is bound by Hampton and Newport News on the north side and Norfolk and Portsmouth on the south side.

The town of Hampton is the oldest English-speaking settlement in America, founded in 1610. Another interesting piece of folklore is that when the pirate Blackbeard was captured and beheaded, his head was hung on a post in the Hampton River.

Newport News is home to the largest shipyard in the world, owned by Northrop Grumman. Norfolk is the site of the Norfolk Naval Base and a short distance away is Langley Air Force Base.

The weather on Wednesday and Thursday was very nice, with highs in the mid-70s. We wanted to get a picture of us in shorts in November, but as you can see, I couldn’t scramble aboard from the dock before the timer went off.

Friday and Saturday, however, were much windier. Whether due to Noel or just a strong cold front, the winds were 20 to 30 knots, with gusts to 40 knots during the night. We are counting on things settling down on Sunday so that both the Caribbean 1500 and we can get off to a smooth start.

October 29-31

Monday morning was clear and cool, and that is pretty much how it stayed for the entire day. It was good to be on the move again, and after a full day we were very happy to find a nice spot to anchor in Mill Creek on the Great Wicomico River.

It was again cool and clear on Tuesday, and just to reinforce the point, there has been a frost warning on the marine radio forecast for the past two nights. The broadcast also notes the wind speed and water temperature at a number of coastal locations, and the water temperature has been hovering between 63 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, so we are not in any danger of freezing. The sunrises are always beautiful, and with a cup of hot coffee make a great way to start the day.

We have moved a little quicker than we originally planned, in anticipation of some inclement weather. After spending Tuesday night in Chisman Creek on the Poquoson River, we headed for Hampton Roads. This is a great stopping over spot before moving on to Norfolk and the beginning of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Wednesday was a gorgeous day, marked by the return of warm temperatures and the highlight, to date, of our trip. Corinne was at the helm and I was busy elsewhere when she called, ‘Greg, come quickly.’ Sometimes I am not as quick as I should be, and so there was another call, this time with a decided note of urgency. I looked ahead to see what was causing concern, and we were being escorted by a pod of dolphins - jumping and playing in our bow wave. It was a spectacular sight and a great welcoming party.

October 22-28

From Oxford we headed to Solomons Island at the mouth of the Patuxent River, on the west side of Chesapeake Bay. Solomons was once a vibrant fishing and boat-building centre, but in recent times has become a busy recreational boating area.

Solomons is also very close to the naval air farce and targets are shown in what is labeled a Prohibited Area on the charts approximately 3-4 miles offshore. Fighter planes and other aircraft are an imposing sight as they fly over our anchorage at regular intervals throughout the day.

The weather has been acting suspiciously as if there is a hint of fall in the air. It has been windy and rainy, and as of October 26, seems ill-inclined to change. The marine forecasts talk of winds from 15-20 knots with gusts to 25 and 30 knots. Pretty much everyone in the creek is staying put.

I find that as the wind is whistling in the rigging I am inclined to get up at least a couple of times through the night to make sure everything is secure. (This makes Corinne feel very confident, her reasoning being that if I am up checking on things she can sleep soundly.) Shortly after crawling back into bed after a 3:00 am check, there was a loud blast of air horns very near by. I quickly jumped up to check on things, just in time to see this blue boat tangled up with the boat next to us. While I always have some apprehensions about how well our anchor holds in a strong wind, we clearly need to take into account those around us as well.

PS, we both feel very confident with our new, (very heavy) anchor and chain.

Not only has it been windy, but we had a steady rain Thursday and Friday. Solomons, as well as much of this part of the eastern seaboard, has had a record-breaking period of dry weather, and so the three to four inches of rain was very welcome.

On Saturday evening we were invited for drinks on Overdraught. It was quite funny to pull up to the stern of the boat, a Bavaria 42, and be the eighth dinghy to tie up. The conversation always includes stories of traveling south, and Bill, a liveaboard for the last number of years, seemed to sum up the feelings of most when he commented, ‘Kids, it’s getting cold out there. It's time to head south.’

October 21

Oxford is on the Tred Avon River, a short sail from St. Michaels, but a step back in time. It is a lovely little town with enough to keep both of us happy – lots of boatyards and a great ice cream store.

The highlight, we agreed, was definitely the Cutts and Case Shipyard, whose office building is shown. Peering into the windows, we lamented that we were not there on a weekday when it was open.

We walked down to the docks of this modest operation and were struck by the pretty boats - both old and new. Cutts and Case builds only wooden boats with a very high standard of craftsmanship. They also do refits of vintage wooden boats.

As we walked past their workshop, shown behind Corinne, the manager came out and soon was taking us on a tour around the yard, talking about the history of many of the boats. As we walked back to the road he said, “Come and see these.’ and took us through the office building. The boats were more beautifully finished than most furniture. He spoke passionately of the art and the science of boat-building, and it was a great afternoon.

And how does one finish a great afternoon? Why, with a free shower and an ice cream cone, of course.

October 19-20

When the Albacore races were cancelled, we were able to spend an enjoyable afternoon with Captain John discussing our travel plans through the Chesapeake. We joked that we were embarking on the ‘Cece Tour’, and it has been quite a trip.

Our next stop was St. Michaels via the ‘back door’ – San Domingo Creek. Along the way we passed many crab type boats, but they were all anchored closer to shore. At first we wondered if they were taking a break, but as we got closer we discovered that they were 'drudgin’ arsters'.

The Chesapeake Bay is facing ecological challenges in much the same way as Lake Winnipeg. Urban development is claiming large areas of natural habitat. Fertilizers and pollution are flowing into the bay at an alarming rate. This onslaught has killed off thousands of acres of underwater grasses. As a result, the crab population has dropped precipitously.

Even more disastrous, the oyster population has crashed to the point where they are now 1% of their 1950s numbers. They are important to the bay because of their ability to filter impurities from the water. At their peak, oysters were capable of filtering the entire volume of the bay’s waters in less than a week.

St. Michaels is the home of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, a great collection of historical and participatory displays housed in over ten buildings.

Greg trying his hand at drudgin' arsters

Corinne crewing on a skipjack

What Captain John didn’t tell us is that Dick Cheney has a cabin on San Domingo Creek, less than one-half mile from where we were anchored. If you look carefully, you can see the little white guard station on the left side of the grounds.

While this is interesting, what made it spectacular was that George Bush was actually in St. Michaels on Saturday to make an announcement at the Maritime Museum.

Helicopters were flying intermittently over the creek in the morning, so Corinne and I went into town to see if we might see something.

The highway was blocked off early in the afternoon on either side of the museum and a crowd gathered in anticipation of Bush’s departure. There was a large group of state troopers and town police, as well as other official-looking individuals also waiting in anticipation of said departure.

In the picture you can see some of the cars blocking the street just after a convoy of vans and assorted vehicles have roared up to the landing area. Reporters ran out of their vans, had about one minute to take pictures, and then the cavalcade departed as quickly as it had arrived.

Shortly afterwards, the helicopters could be heard warming up before they took off. Someone told us that there are always four identical helicopters which leave one after the other, and one never knows which one is carrying the President. If that is true, there may be one still sitting there, as I am not sure that four departed, but certainly there were a number.

A couple of minutes later, just when everyone thought it was all over, two Blackhawk helicopters arose over the trees and quickly disappeared from sight. All in all, a very exciting day in St. Michaels!