Day Five - Thursday, 22 November - Thanksgiving Day

First and most important, we hope each of you had a pleasant Thanksgiving Day surrounded by family and friends. We are indeed thankful for the kindness, hospitality and friendship of Allan and Marily DeWall who were our host and hostess for our unique Thanksgiving Day feast. Allan and Marily are cruisers who have traveled many sea miles on the ICW and in the Bahamas.

Yesterday, we were enthralled by the peacefulness of Chesapeake Bay and a warm sunny "Indian Summer" day. By contrast, today we were thrashed by the same Bay in a completely different mood. Nevertheless we were thankful. Although it was another mild day, the wind was as high as 40 knots on our nose piling water up into 3-4 foot waves. We were sliding down into the troughs at 7 or more knots then climbing up the slope of the next wave at less than 3. Water was splashing over the dodger and bimini and we were thankful for a sturdy boat, good canvas and a strong motor which all worked hard to keep us bashing through the weather.

Even though the fuel and fuel tanks were cleaned and polished just before the start of the trip, the turbulence stirred up every bit of junk left in the fuel tanks. Both Racor fuel filters were clogged to the point that the engine stopped and Joe had the pleasure of replacing both filters while Windreka bounced and pitched and yawed in the sea. But we were thankful that our faithful engine turned over and started again after an hours pause.

By 2:45 PM, we reached Thimble Shoal Light and it was clear we were not going to be able to get up the James River to Deep Creek and the Hampton Yacht and Country Club where we had a slip reserved courtesy of Allan DeWall. Instead we opted for the Bluewater Yachting Center near Fort Monroe in Hampton, where Allan picked us up in time for Thanksgiving dinner at his house. We tied up at the dock at 5:00 PM.

It's now after midnight and the wind is still howling outside. Windreka is warm and comfortable inside, but is bouncing at the dock in the wind. We are thankful we are not still out on the Bay and we intend to remain docked at this marina until the wind subsides. On Friday, we'll tend to the boat and perhaps take a side trip to the Maritime Museum. We plan to depart on Saturday and head down the Elizabeth River to the entrance to the ICW. The weather is turning colder again and we need to get further South.

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner...thank you Allan and Marily!

Day Four - Wednesday, 21 November

Today, the weather was fine...temperature in the 70s...and even with the wind still on our nose, we had an outgoing tide to lift us as we crossed the Potomac...looking at 8+ knots over the ground! We spent a relaxing 8 hours in the cockpit...listening to CDs, satellite radio and conversation.

Racing by Smith Point Light at 8+ knots!

Last night we were on the computer and fellow cruisers, David and Hallie Groves who were at Oriental, NC called us on our new Skype service and we were able to see and talk to them on their boat and they were able to see us and talk to us via VOIP...amazing technology and not expensive to use. David and Hallie use it to keep in touch with their grandchildren and we plan to do the same with ours once everyone gets outfitted with the software and web cameras.

We raised the anchor at 0800 and got underway in the early morning sunshine. Anchorages are always interesting in the early morning...watermen on their way to earn their living...cruisers on their way to who knows where...recreational boaters on their way out to fish or just have fun...most have a friendly wave to other boaters. Not like commuting in the city where the greetings between drivers take on a different symbology and meaning. Actually, one of the endearing things we enjoy about living in the mid-West now is that many people still do wave to each other when they meet on the roads. If they don't and you do, they will usually return a wave. Not so where we use to live.

Once in a while a day in a boat goes so well, it leaves little doubt why we enjoy boating. Today was like that and we ended up in a neat little anchorage south of Deltaville in Fishing Bay on the Piankatank River. We got there just as the sun was setting and anchored in what would be a crowded anchorage in the summer. Today there was just us and one other boat.

During dinner, we observed that we are on a more routine schedule on the boat than what we do at home. Up early...eat a light breakfast...get moving with the plan of the day...eat a light lunch in the cockpit with Chesapeake Bay as our scenery...stop early and relax for an hour or two...eat a healthy dinner...relax and talk a bit after dinner...then early to bed.

Sarah's Rule - Always take a nap on the boat...as long as the helmperson is awake!

Tomorrow we should tie up at the Hampton Yacht and Country Club to meet friends who have invited us for Thanksgiving Dinner. If we keep on schedule, Friday we should leave Chesapeake Bay and be in the InterCoastal Waterway.

We hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving. We'll be thinking of each of you.

Days Two and Three - Monday, 19 November and Tuesday, 20 November

On Monday, the wooden mantle over the companionway was finished and fitted by Buster Phipps of Phipps Boat Works. Buster is a true craftsman who has completed and installed cabinetry and many other projects for us over the past several years. When you come aboard Windreka, you can see for yourself. Since the day was unpleasant...overcast and cold...we decided to take our time, complete some other last minute things, turn in early and get up and on our way at first light today. That was the plan yesterday, but today things didn't work out as planned.

We intended to depart at 0700, but one of those gremlins...or "Hogans"... that lurks in the bilge of every boat, climbed out to raise our anxiety level. After due consideration, we agreed to cast off the lines anyway and get on our way. Fortunately, we decided to anchor early to enjoy the nice weather and Joe was able to bribe the Hogan with some rum while he (Joe) discovered the problem which, to put it simply, was operator training...enough said.

After a delayed departure from Herrington Harbor North today, we only made it as far as Solomons Island where we are anchored in a small cove on Mill Creek. Lovely scenery, very quiet and peaceful. Even the weather cooperated today with temperature in the high 60s, the wind light and the Bay calm.

Mill Creek at Solomons Island

Later in the day, the Hogan got into some more mischief, but Joe was able to outwit him again with the help of some long-distance advice of Bob Campbell, the very able electrician whose done much to address the legacy wiring systems on our twenty-three-year-old boat and bring them up to code and the demands of 21st Century cruising.

Tomorrow we hopefully fire up the engine earlier than today and stretch our sea legs to put some serious miles under the keel. If we're lucky, our reward will be Thanksfiving dinner ashore in Norfolk before driving into the ICW on Friday. Stay with us...

A smile at the end of the day!

D-Day - Sunday, 18 November

The weather was clear and sunny, the temperature was mild and wind was at our backs...we couldn't ask for more! We cast off the lines at 1230 EST, turned on the engine, departed our friend Pat's dock on Whitehall Creek and turned south.The sun was shining and the fall foliage lined the banks of the Creek as we motored out and across the mouth of Annapolis Harbor.

Joe working the dock lines

It was a very pleasant trip down the Bay, past Annapolis Harbor, the Naval Academy, Thomas Point Light, and the mouth of the South, West and Rhode Rivers and into Herring Bay.

Sarah near Thomas Point Light...an icon of Chesapeake Bay. Thomas Point is the last remaining screwpile lighthouse on the
Bay that is still in operation in its original location. For the history of Thomas Point Lighthouse, go to http://www.thomaspointlighthouse.org/history.asp

Three hours after we departed we were tied up at the dock at Herrington Harbor North to complete some carpentry work in the cockpit. Depending on when the carpenter is finished, we may move further south...or we may just stay in place and get an early start on Tuesday to make some serious time.

Oddly, our broadband connection was better in Whitehall Creek than it is here in Herrington Harbor North. On that note, this weblog entry is ended before more work is lost.

Departure Delay - 15 - 17 November

Windy 15 - 20 knots with gusts to 35 - 40 yesterday and today so we decided to stay at the dock. North winds blew most of the water from the creek and when we woke up the dock was level with the deck...it must be low tide NOT! We couldn't believe it was high tide and when low tide came the deck was below the dock and we were aground! In the past month we have seen water over the dock and now water four feet under the dock.

We clocked winds at the dock at up to 35 knots, so we were glad to be in a sheltered cove and not "out there." A few quick calls to arrange our schedule and we spent the rest of the day running some errands. We now have a web cam to go with our Verizon broadband card and Skype account. We are ready to communicate with anyone and anyplace from our laptops. If you want to meet us on Skype, go to the Skype web site (www.skype.com) and download the free software. If you want us to see you, get a $30 dollar web cam and look for us by searching on our email address. Otherwise we may just call you from our computer and talk to you through the keyboard microphone. Actually it works very well and even with the initial investment, it's cheap.

Tomorrow we run our last errands, visit with Joe's daughter, Jenny and her family, do our laundry, leave our car at Jenny's home and come back to the boat. If the water rises, we'll leave on Sunday morning, the 18th for the adventure.

The log should get more interesting now as we finally haul for better weather...and it's about time now that the temperature is in the 30s after the sun goes down!

Pre-departure Activities - Annapolis 8 - 14 November

We've been in Annapolis since 8 November, having arrived here by way of Woodbridge, VA where we celebrated Joe's xxth birthday with Sarah's son and his family. We raided BJs and provisioned with what we could. However, we couldn't use the 10 pound boxes of cereal and the pack of fifteen peanut butter containers, so we had to raid the local Giant grocery store too. About $750 later (or 3/4 of a "boat unit"), we think we have enough food for the next three weeks.

Sarah packed everything in plastic bags and threw out all the cardboard, packed the freezer, refrigerator and every nook and cranny on the boat that she could find. We stocked up on fleece clothes and tried to decide if it was going to be colder or milder than we planned. Today, 14 November, was in the mid 60s, so we don't know what we'll face on the way South.

Tomorrow, 15 November is expected to bring a weather change and gusty winds to 40 knots, so we've decided to stay at the dock another day and leave for Herrington Harbor North on Friday where we have some carpentry work to be finished...the last item on our pre-departure punchlist.

Windreka is in better shape than she has ever been since she was new in 1984. During the past six months, we've offloaded all the "things" suitable for daysailing on Chesapeake Bay and added miscellaneous "things" to the boat to make cruising life more liveable, scraped, sanded and revarnished most of her teak, added 200' of new anchor chain, overhauled our generator, replaced our refrigerator and windlass, recertified and refilled our two 20# aluminum propane tanks, installed a big new 155 amp alternator and regulator, installed XM satellite radio, set up a broadband access account for our laptops, installed a new Garmin chartplotter, and updated all our navigation software, in addition to finishing a hundred and one other things we've intended to get around to over the past several years. The rest of the things on our list will get done underway, or when we have more "dock time" to fill.

Baltimore to Annapolis - 6 thru 8 November

Tomorrow we head for Annapolis via Woodbridge, VA to shop and organize provisions on Wednesday, 6 November. We'll load up the refrigerator/freezer on Thursday and start working through our final pre-departure punch list...new stern light, fill fresh water tanks, service engine and generator, etc. We'll keep an eye on the temperature as it drops and the daylight gets shorter. There are still two major items on our punchlist...a big new alternator to be installed just before we cast off the dock lines and some companionway woodwork to be refit on our first stop hauling for better weather...stay tuned!