Nip and I drive to Newark Airport, park and take the monorail to the train station. He hops a train for Baltimore and I hop the train for Manhattan. Barb, our lovely cab driver that we met in Annapolis last trip, picks him up at BWI station and takes him to the boat. I take the subway to the studio. Our plan is to meet the next day when I take the 2:00PM train to Baltimore after work. It's raining and there is talk of a double Nor'easter coming up the coast. We think it will hit on Friday, be clear on Saturday, giving us a chance to run to Norfolk and be in the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway) before the next one hits on Sunday.
Friday, October 16th:
Barb drops me at the boat around 5:00PM in the pouring rain. God bless Nip! He has already stowed away all the frozen food and groceries I ladened him with. He filled the boat with gas, water and oil which required him to untie and travel in this horrible weather to another marina and then come back. Thank you, Captain! We decide to eat at Sam's, the restaurant in the marina and go to bed early excited for our next adventure.
Saturday, October 17th: That's me in the morning happy with a cup of coffee before we head out to Norfolk. Nip is donned in foul weather gear preparing for our departure.We have decided to take it easy and work our way slowly. If we decide to stop for the night then we will. We have plenty of time... or so we think. We set off around 10:00AM. It is still spitting and COLD! There was a lot of condensation on the isenglass (The plastic-like enclosure that encloses the main sitting area and helm) We put on our foul-weather gear over many layers of clothes and head out. It's very damp and spitting. As we head out of the marina, there are sailboats going out for a race. (I swear they are nuts) and the chop doesn't seem too bad. We follow as close as we dare to remain in the lee of the land. The Chesapeake has many shoals (shallow waters) and we don't want to hit them. Staying in the channel puts us in deeper water, but more exposed to the wind which was blowing from the NNE at 15-20kts with gusts up to 25kts. The waves start to increase in size from 3-4 to 4-5 feet just before the mouth of the Potomac. But theses waves are weird. They are only about 100 feet wide and range about 3 seconds apart. Their height varies. Nip found that as they got bigger he was able to start navigating around them. It was hard to see the bouys and after three hours of this, I said, "Okay, we have reached Smith Point," which was our halfway mark. We decided to take a breather and work our way over to the western shore and find a nice cozy marina. We headed up the Great Wilmico River into a town called Reedville. There we found a great little place called the Fairpoint Marina at $1.00 a foot. It had a restaurant called The Cull Ring Dockside Bar and Grill.
As we were tying up, Nip steps off the boat and loses his shoe. He did retrieve it, but it was cold and wet! The little side creek that we were on was blissfully calm. There is a fish processing plant here that takes fish and makes by-products like Omega pills and whatnot. This is the view from our stern toward the plant.We loaded up with gas, plugged in and when asked about the cable TV, Mary Rittenhouse, the owner, pointed to the TV over the bar and said "Here you go!!" And there we went. Watched some football and ate some of the most delicious baked oysters, soft shell crabs, fried onion rings and a big ole juicy burger for me all with a glass of wine while watching college football. Pretty civilized! We fell into bed early and decided that we would make another attempt the next day if the weather stayed the same and didn't get worse. It blew so hard that night it whistled. We turned on the heat watched a DVD and fell fast asleep.
Sunday, October18th: It was time to try it again. The little cove we were on was flat calm. It looked windy when we saw the tops of the masts nearby, but the wind had shifted out of the NNW and we were sure that we could find a leaward run. A man loading his sailboat nearby said that he and his wife had gone home and were planning to start again on Monday afternoon after the storm had passed. So we waved "Good-bye" and off we went. We got about one mile outside of the safety of the harbor and turned around and came back. The sea was running with us, but the waves were bigger than the day before, and we knew we had to cross the 3 mile entrance to the Rappahanock River where the wind would have a chance to really build the waves. Coming back inside took us a little longer and I was thrilled to be back!!! We retied up behind the research vessel "Chinook" and headed into the Cull Ring. Our day was spent watching football, having some wine, napping, walking and then back to the Cull Ring for evening football and a cocktail. It was all you can eat crab day! It was a very relaxing time and we caught up on some much needed sleep and ate ourselves silly. By evening's end which was early for us, the gang at the restaurant were our long lost friends. So here's a shout out to Mary Rittenhouse, Lotoya Jackson (for real!) Eayolanda Basker, Judy and Rick and Brenda Lee Jackson owner of the Historical Lancaster Tavern. And to the town undertaker who preferred to be called, "the post terminally ill facilitator" or something like that. I rember his jokes better.
The girls and me. Nip with Mary
Monday, October 19th:
We were ready to go. I was a little reluctant as the wind was still howling. The two research vessels were trying to head out as well. Chinook went out to take a look. He radioed back that he was returning. The seas were still too rough. Upon his return, the captain filled us in. It was too rough for him to do his work, but for us to head to Norfolk, he thought we could make it.... in THAT boat! Now there's a vote of confidence. At least the sun was shining. We donned our foul weather gear and off we went. We stayed in close as we could to shore and it wasn't bad. We were running point to point and making some good headway. This was definitely better than Saturday or Sunday, but still quite rough. The wind was dying down. It was only 10-15kts. Hey, that's an improvement. Just as we were crossing the Rappahanock, a 6 plus footer loomed up in front of us just as we were recovering from a previous wave and bam! a huge amount of water came flying over the bow and crashed through the isenglass. Thankfully the below hatch was closed. Charts were wet, clothes were wet since I had my gear open for ventilation. You are only as strong as your weakest link and the stitching on the isenglass was blown out. It took out our front windshield and two side panels. I tried to put it back into place, but the wind was too strong. I tried to roll the glass up so that it would get the least resistence, but the glass was so cold it wouldn't roll tightly and my hands were too small. So I took the wheel while Nip struggled with the glass. We still had two more miles across the river and then a huge bay called Mobjack Bay to cross where we knew it would be just as bad if not worse. Let's make this long, tedious, horrible crossing of the Bay that shall remain nameless short and say that we limped into Norfolk around 1:00PM.
As soon as we crossed the break water the waves died down to 1-2ft and the wind calmed to 5-10kts. We tied up at the Tidewater Marina on the Portsmouth side and called a canvas company to come and stitch up the isenglass. We had managed 
to lose our bow thruster as well, but that was a luxury we could do without. Angel from Canvas and More by: Little Bay drove over, picked up the panels and by the time that we had finished washing down the boat, gassing up, making lunch and washing and drying all the towels and outerclothes, they were back with our glass and we were ready to rock. We pulled out of the marina into the flat calm ICW at Mile Marker 0 and headed for the Great Lock and the Great Lock Bridge. They only open on the hour and we didn't care if we made it. We were just so happy to have everything repaired and clean and DRY! And the temperature was now a wonderful 62. We passed the active battleships and the forgotten ones. There they were row after row. Amazing!
to lose our bow thruster as well, but that was a luxury we could do without. Angel from Canvas and More by: Little Bay drove over, picked up the panels and by the time that we had finished washing down the boat, gassing up, making lunch and washing and drying all the towels and outerclothes, they were back with our glass and we were ready to rock. We pulled out of the marina into the flat calm ICW at Mile Marker 0 and headed for the Great Lock and the Great Lock Bridge. They only open on the hour and we didn't care if we made it. We were just so happy to have everything repaired and clean and DRY! And the temperature was now a wonderful 62. We passed the active battleships and the forgotten ones. There they were row after row. Amazing!
On the way down the Elizabeth River which is part of the ICW, there is a fork. You can head west and south on the Dismal Swamp route or you can continue on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River. We chose the Southern Branch. But on our way we passed a lovely 48 foot flybridge with an Ocean Reef Burgee. We waved and talked briefly sharing that we were also headed to Ocean Reef. Basically their response was..."In THAT boat?" We lost them at the next bridge which they had to wait to have open. We lowered the outriggers and slipped right under. Buh BYE, Mr OR! We happened upon the Great Bridge lock at 4:45PM. We called to the lock on the radio and they told us to pull right in behind the tug on the south side. As soon as we tied up, Cue the Lock Gates. We were in the lock with a large tug with no burden and to the north side were three small tugs pushing and pulling a long barge with dredging pipes. This is a sight we would see often in the Great Ditch (ICW).
The evening sun was coming through the trees giving the water a wonderful orange glow. It was our prize after a long and arduous day. It was just beautiful. We pulled into the Atlantic Yacht Basin right after the locks and happily hunkered down for the night. Our stern faced the locks and for as long as the locks operated while we were awake we didn't see Mr.OR.Tuesday, October 20th:
MM 12: 
The seasmoke was spectacular in the dawn. We woke up to dew on the boat and the dock was slippery with frost. We layered up and included the foul weather gear for retaining body warmth. We headed out to experience the most beautiful part of the trip. The ICW through VA, NC and SC has to be some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. All we could do was drink it in as we pushed hard for the next two days. Since we lost two days on the bay that shall remain nameless, we had to put in long days to make it to Beaufort,SC by Thursday. At least we knew the weather would be good and the seas would be relatively calm. We only had Albemarle Sound to worry about. So down the Virginia cut we went. At the Centerville Swing Bridge we ran into Mr. OR again. That's where we waited about 20 minutes for the bridge to open. There was no sliding under this time. Four or five boats patiently waited. We faced the boat into the rising sun while we waited and melted the dew on the isenglass. Right at 8:30AM, the bridge swung open and we waved good-bye and sped on. This is where we passed places with names like Pungo Ferry and Coinjock. And suddenly, we were in North Carolina. Albemarle Sound was flat calm and the scenery was spectacular.
We went across the Albemarle Sound into the Alligator River down the Pungo Canal and stopped in BellHaven for gas at MM:136. (Mile Markers are how the ICW is measured. Norfolk is MM:0) All along the way the scenery ranges from desolate to incredibly developed. Down the Neuse River into Adams Creek and finally stopping in Morehead City/ Beaufort, NC at the Morehead City Yatch Basin. As we turned into our marina, we saw Mr OR behind us heading off to the Beaufort side. I guess we'll see him in the morning. We were at MM:236.5 We had traveled 222.5 miles that day. Not bad! (Above is a pic of our gas stop. It's a typical little filling spot on the ICW. )
Wednesday, October 21st:
MM:236.5
In the morning there was more dew and condensation. I had to keep the foul-weather gear over the charts so as it melted it wouldn't rain down and drench the charts. We had to decide whether we stayed on the ICW or go "outside" to make up time. "Outside" means going out into the ocean. I was so happy zipping through the canals and slipping past the marsh grasses, I couldn't bear the idea of three hours of ocean travel with barely anything to look at. So we decided to stay inside. I am so glad we did. Camp Lejeune is the marine base in the area. It goes from MM:235 to MM:246. There are warnings that the Marines can close down the ICW without any forwarning for artillery practice and/or amphibious landings. Artillery practice could close the ICW for a few hours; the landings could close for a day or more. What? So we kept going and breathed a sigh of relief when we came across the warning sign and it wasn't flashing. So down the New River we went. We happened along the artillery portion as turned over burned out tanks lined the south side of the canal. A car, a truck and a few other randomly strewn targets. Suddenly Nip calls out, "What the Hell is that?" It was the weirdest thing. It looked at first like a big black bear splashing around. No it was bigger. It looked like Captain Nemo's the Nautilus with a jet wake behind it. It was crossing the river right in front of us. As it started to come out on the north bank we realized that it was a tank! These were the marines doing their amphibious landings! Just as we got close, another one plopped into the water. It was so cool. We slipped between them and continued down the river. I didn't want to take a picture of a military maneuver. Now I am sorry I didn't. We stopped for gas once we were out of the river and could hear the artillery fire starting. I think we might have timed that just perfectly. Ah Yes! After our experience on the Bay that shall remain nameless, we were being rewarded with another round of : CUE THE MARINES, CUE THE SHRIMP BOATS, CUE THE DOLPHINS. Did I forget to mention our constant companions along the way, pods of Bottlenose Dolphin.
We passed Mr OR only one more time. He was coming in from the ocean to gas up as we were passing the inlet to continue on the ICW. We never saw him again. Maybe next leg.We continued on past Cape Fear and Bald Head Island with it's enormous dunes.Through Snow's Cut and eventually into Little River MM: 343. All along the way there are interesting bridges, some of them opening only on the hour, some open when you signal. We only had to pay attention to a few as we could slip under the rest. Sailboats had to pay attention to every single one. Yikes!
The final stretch of water for us that day was the Pine Island Cut. This is a stretch where there are a lot of developments. Of course it parallels the Myrtle Beach coastline and therefor is very desireable... or it would be in a better economy , I suppose. There are a lot of fancy marinas that offer golf and restaurants and other neat amenities. But also along this stretch, the shores of this rather narrow cut is rocky. There are some outcroppings of rocks that one must keep in mind while navigating. Apparently, some people didn't, or the recent nor'easter did a number because we passed a stretch where boats were washed up, hung up and otherwise abandonned in this stretch. It was getting late and we needed gas. After calling ahead, we decided to pull into the Marina at Grand Dunes. MM:357.We loaded up watered up, showered and had a lovely dinner with cocktails. It was a long day. We had traveled only 121 miles in 9 hours. We had another 200 mile day in front of us.
This is a picture of our butler preparing cocktails in Myrtle Beach.
We had been to Charleston by land once, it was equally as beautiful by sea. But nothing compared to what we were about to see. The Lowlands of South Carolina are the most magnifcent vistas. There are endless rivers winding through marsh grass some with a purple flowering grass. These rivers empty into bigger rivers. Or if you head up the rivers wind down to creeks suppoting birds and turtles and fish of remarkable beauty. We stopped for gas at a small place on Mosquito Creek called B&B Seafood. A shrimper was tied at the dock, some work being done. We pulled in behind it. It was a sort of do-it-yourself place. Nip pumped the gas, and I went up to mark the number of gallons as we were filling all three tanks and needed to know how much went into each tank to calculate the correct ounces of additives. I turned around to signal to Nip and I felt myself gasp. Nip was sitting on the side of the boat while filling the tank, his shirt off taking in the sun which was reflecting off of the perfectly flat water. The marsh grass was blowing gently in the almost imperceptible breeze as two dolphin broke the surface of the perfectly calm water off of our bow and swam out the creek toward the white shrimp boat waiting patiently in the distance it's rigging high in the cloudless azure blue sky. I didn't have my camera, but I will always see that picture when I think of this trip. We crossed the Stono River, the North Edisto, the South Edisto and finally made out way down the Beaufort River to Beaufort, SC. At Port Royal we headed up the Chechesse River into the Colleton River where our friends the Crossmans were waiting for us on Charlie Menker's dock at Spring Island. (Thank you, Charlie!). The big surprise was Aunt Nina Jennings being there to greet us. We had been at her dock in Maine just two months ago telling her of our trip and there she was on another dock in South Carolina watching us again arrive on our boat. What a perfect greeting! It was a little after 4:00 PM. We had been traveling for 8 hours and had done 200 miles.
Billy and Ali Crossman took such good care of us. Back at their beautiful house we did our laundry, stowed our food, showered and were treated to the most incredible dinner of steamed oysters in a shallot, vinegar wine sauce, pulled Boston Butt, roasted potatoes, green beans and a dessert that truly knocked our socks off. (The bourbon sauce on the chocolate souffle might have had something to do with that) But the highlight was having their daughter,Padget and her friends there. We went to bed clean, full, happy and tired! The next morning we were off to Charleston Airport for our flight back home. Thank you, Crossmans! You are the best! We will see you next week!
Rum Drop in Spring Island, SC MM:556
No comments:
Post a Comment