10/31/15    Halloweeeeeeneeeeee! Alligator river. Great place to be on Halloween.

Easy, calm glimmery water day. How DID we become comfortable w/13' of water anyway. We did and this bay/sound was/is beautiful and broad. Both David and I took turns at the helm and doing chores onboard - me scraping the rails, David polishing stainless rails. And we saw a blimp hanger and a blimp! It was tethered. And finally a beautiful sunset.

Glimmer water

David doing boat chores

Day is done, gone the sun

Now from David:   

I have been pretty involved with mechanical and navigational tasks and have been a slacker regarding the blog. I got a message today telling me that I should post more about the boat, navigation, etc. 

I agree, although I am not certain what is of most interest. So, do let me know what i should focus on. My days are full of maintenance, navigation, charting, upgrades, and having fun with Nancy. GRACE still needs much work, but she is doing great.  Nancy and I are doing great traveling and remaining partners and having fun.

So I will start talking about the boat and navigational stuff, for now, in no particular order: 

About the diesel engine on board GRACE. It is an English Ford Industrial Diesel Engine, Specifically, a 4D254 - 2712E four cylinder diesel engine. Built in 1980, it is simple and older technology. 

The engine is under the floor and one has to lift up two floor doors to gain access. My daily routine is to check the oil, antifreeze, tranny, alternator belt and do a general inspection and weekly or so, check the wet cell batteries, connections, etc and crawl all over looking for pending weaknesses.

Our Nauticat 33 is a wonderful, rugged boat. However, never let it be said that the Ford Diesel 4D254 engine is easy to work on in this installation. It is almost impossible to get at the lower half of the engine. 

We built and installed battery boxes with covers for the four large (4D) batteries that sit on each side of the engine in the engine compartment, so I now have a place to sit or kneel on to reach over the engine. It is still a challenge to get into and at anything but the top of the engine or tranny.

Changing the oil filter (which is in a canister case mounted on the Starboard side) is almost impossible without spilling oil into the bilge. I almost got it figured out this time, with a garbage bag full of absorbant pads under the canister as I unbolted it, but the narrowness of the space between engine and turn of the bilge beat me again! Arghhh! So we spent considerable time with absorbant pads swabbing the bilge to assure no overboard discharge. (I have changed this canister several times alone with similar mess, and having Nancy's help, this time, I am trying to figure out how I did the oil change at all. 

We split the 200 hour maintenance into several phases. We spent almost 7 hours doing oil change and fuel filters! (including the mess from the damn oil canister.) Tonight we did the tranny ATF change which was a lot less of a hastle. 

I am still trying to locate a minor antifreeze leak that causes a loss of about a cup or pint of antifreeze a day. Fortunately it is found in the bilge and can be extracted and disposed of. It is not an internal leak. But I am still searching and looking for the solution. Again, it is so hard to get in around and under the parts of the engine, finding the leak is unnecessaryily difficult. 

So, takeaway. When looking at a boat to purchase, do not overlook, nor underestimate the importance of access to and quality of the one most expensive and important piece of equipment aboard; your engine.

That said: Thankfuly, thus far, the Ford Gustovsen Diesel Engine with a Velvet Glide Transmission keeps chugging along. 

Other than engine and genearal maintenance, navigation and safety seem most important. 

We have a GPS, with RADAR overlay and AIS Receive that comes from our VHF (if you do not know what that all means just understand we have a way to see an electronic chart that shows us were we are and what is under the water where we are and ahead of us, plus we can see most objects (think boats and ships, using radar, and the VHF is a two way radio to communicate. But AIS is an added feature for additional safety:

AIS: I LOVE having AIS receive aboard. If there is interest I will explain more about what this is in the future but, just know it means that on my GPS screen I see a chart of where we are, and I see a triangle on the screen showing me the location, distance, direction and most importantly, how close another boat (with AIS transponder) is to me and most importantly, I can determine if we need to change course to avoid a collision. It helps, especially with fast, large commercial traffic. 

Right now we have AIS receive. That means we see commercial traffic and others with AIS but they do not see us. We have decided to get AIS Class B so we will be seen as well. Hi -HO, another dollar and another installation project.

Regarding our current travels:

We are sitting off the ICW near ICW mile 100! We have been traveling for about 6 weeks, traveling hundreds of miles to Virgina where the ICW starts. We started at mile 1 of the ICW a few days ago and have a workable routine. I feel it is starting to change to a more relaxed schedule now that we are further from the threatening cold and storms. Looking forward to more exploring.  

Some political pondering: The Welcome Mat of Every Port Town, and what it says:

The access of the boat traveler to the ports where travelers must go is an interesting subject since we live that experience every time we arrive at a new port.

 I am doing a lot of thinking about this. 

Some ports are designed to accomodate every spending bracket of traveler from those who want to stay at high cost docks with all amenities, to those on a budget, willing to trade some access convenience for a good mooring or reasonable anchorage shelter and reasonable accesss to amenities. Other ports only offer travelers expensive access or very inconvenient access to land, if any. 

I have to wonder what leads one community to be so open and accomidating and another to be so tight  and miserly. If it were that the towns themselves were extremely exclusive that might explain it, but that does not seem to be the case. It seems to be the personality rather than only the economic level. 

Port Washington, NY was an especially welcoming community, though, largely, apparently upper working to upper class in nature. In the harbor  one can pick up a mooring to secure your boat in the harbor, free for two days. You pay for a water taxi that takes you to town. After two days you pay $35 a night and the water taxi is free (you should tip the driver, so not exactly free) 

With this arrangement you know your boat is secure on a solid, secure mooring and you can easily go to the grocery store, hardware store, marine store, movies, restaurants, for a walk, etc. and go back to you boat til 10 p.m each day/night. Win-win. Traveler has easy access and town merchants make money. 

There are marinas as well, where some boaters go and pay $2.50 - $3.50 a foot per night to be a a dock. These marinas can be frequently found in any port. it is the lower cost access that is a challenge for many.

So, now dial forward to Deltaville, VA. We read in the touring guide that there are no moorings, but you can pay to land your dinghy at a marina or you can go to the state dock which is a mile walk from the main road.  Cannot speak for others, but we anchored out and then left without re-provisioning. 

Dial forward to Elizabeth City, NC: Free dock for 36 hours in downtown Elizabeth City. Located right next to the visitor center (with free loaner bicycles) and lots of information. While we chose an inexpensive "pay to dock" marina for the showers and laundry, we motored over in our dinghy to free dock and got info, went to lunch, to a museum and Nancy explored the historic waterfront while I used a loaner bike to get groceries, go to a hardware store and NAPA Auto. Again, we spent money. 

My quick take might be that being generous of spirit has rewards. 

More to come when we talk about Rebel Marine.

10/30/15   Friday night before Halloween tomorrow!

Easy day in port in Elizabeth City. We thought we were going early into town to get two free bicycles from the Visitor's Center. But coffee lead to breakfast which lead to chatting with the owner of the tug boat beside us which lead to him bringing his photo album from his home which lead to us visiting aboard the tug boat which he is continuing to refurbish (for fun, a project) which lead to us getting ready to walk to town which lead to my having the BRILLIANT idea to take the dinghy to town landing which lead to taking the outboard off the rail and hitching it to the dinghy which lead to the ride across the harbor to the town landing (and why aren't we staying at that free dockage??? - maybe it's the availability of hot shower at the marina??) which lead to visiting the Visitor's center and learning that there was not an expected run on bikes today which lead to going for lunch and then the Museum of Albemarle. Then David and I split up and he got a bike to do distant errands (couple miles) and I walked about town. We met back at the dinghy for the ride back to the big boat where he dropped me off and continued onto another errand - Irish whisky at ABC store. Meanwhile Amelia and I sat in the waning sun on the foredeck where I read and she looked for wharf rats (not really, she wouldn't recognize one). David came back with his goodies and we got out the sailing "where to" manuals to start plotting out next adventurous leg. Got distracted. Now David and Amelia are sleeping and I'm chilling - literally and figuratively.

Elizabeth City seems trying to reinvent itself. Some deserted buildings (2-3 story) on Main Street and some small businesses and arts concerns, including what looks like an old department store that is a cooperative visual arts gallery on the first floor and a sweet little theater (stage and floor and small balcony) on the second floor. Several restaurants, pharmacy, hair/nail salons and the town landing and park. Some of the architecture within a couple of blocks.

I liked that the little house at left behind the garden was a replica and attached to the street-side house,
and it is a country house that is familiar to me with the wide porch for sitting and rocking 

A taste of New Orleans 

A white house probably filled w/offices these days

This interesting installation piece of art work was surrounded by paintings and crafts/jewelry by local artists. Made from canned goods and bottled water I'd say it is a....

well provisioned boat.

Time to crawl into bed to get warm.

10/29/15  Thursday (I think)

We DID it! We made it through the Dismal Swamp! Celebrate, celebrate, dance to some mu-zic. What excitement. Not nearly as interesting as my romantic notion of it. Not the Dismal Swamp of the Princess Bride. But, hey! It was the Dismal Swamp. We left the Route #64 Bridge with a full moon overhead and winded our way to the FIRST LOCK! Oh, my dear. I didn't know anything about locks. What a hoot!

Follow that full moon

Going into the Deep Creek Lock, the First lock on our route

The lock master who was also the bridge master - he had the keys to everything - was terrific. Full of information and fun - he played a short concert on a conch shell for us and told us how to do it for when we had conch shells. And we talked to folks who where standing "above" us and who's boats were waiting at the other end for the bridge (same bridge master above) to open. The man, Bob, I think, really could only be in one place at a time.

Getting "Locked in" - David, of course, is talking to someone. Surprise!?
Those big doors are closing!

Waiting for the water to rise 8'

Lock office on the North end. Note the palm tree which is really a bananna tree.

A history lesson - this whole Dismal Swamp Canal idea was hatched by George Washington, the very one, thinking he would sell the lumber (cyprus knees are great for boats, in the olden days not so much now), then drain the swamp and farm the land. Didn't work out so well. During the Civil War the Yankees tried to blow up the locks. Those/we Confederates Stopped them. Thus, the canal still works for us pleasure boaters. TaDa!

The water DID rise 8' so you can see the bananna tree and conch shells.

So, we're IN. Narrow! Shallow! How can we get used to being comfortable with 6' of water when we've just been in 42' of water yesterday? And have grown very comfortable with 30'? Okay, our draft is only 4.8' or something but ...oh, look! We have 8' of water! After awhile 7' becomes comfortable, just like those 4' seas. Some of it was so very lovely. Bird calls I don't even recognize except that it is singing. The smell of warm, fetid, swamp growth..and death. Warmth. I was hot in my jeans even though barefoot. And the trees of my youth - pin oaks, yellow pine, post oaks.

following closely but NO passing.

Fall even in VA/NC

The water is dark brown from the tanin. It is impossible to see through it so noticing submerged logs and branches is sometimes problematic. We lined up at the bridge for the 2nd lock. That lock master wasn't nearly as clear w/his instructions or as much fun. And this time there were so many boats that we had to raft up with another sail boat.  I think there were 8 or 9 boats in the lock. Two catamarans, 3 sail boats and 3 or 4 big power boats. Through the South Mill Lock we were in a much broader, much deeper body of water that became the Pasquotank River, twisty, turny, but deep...25' in some places! How did we become comfortable w/ only 15' of water?

So what both David and I think is that we don't have to do this again...the Dismal Swamp. Glad to have kind of scratched that itch but the stress of shallow water, things to sun into, narrowness and shoaling. Of course, it would be less stressful the 2nd time but the reported beauty didn't live up to reports. Ho humm. I'm so excited with the adventure of going through the Dismal Swamp, though. David thinks he has already done a bunch of his time in purgatory so he'll need fewer prayers after he dies in order to get out. For me, not so bad and I could hear the birds singing.

10/28/15  Wednesday

We did it....are doing it....the ICW!!!...intercoastal waterway.

Sunrise and sunsalutes on the dock, some errands and chores and we were off - another herd of turtles - at 11:55 AM. Got some great advice from David Briggs the owner of Rebel Marina and his office manager/dock gal, Jamie, and off we went into the Elizabeth River.

Sunrise at Rebel Marina

One of the locals at the marina. Love the flamingo

The Navy was VERY present in the Elizabeth River and much of the way  twd the "official" ICQ which we think really starts at the Highway 64 Bridge. David took many more Navy vessel photos. I took several more and sent them to our friend, Chris Ferreira, who works at Bath Iron Works, wondering if any of these boats were his.

Navy

This big tour boat was at the Welcome to Norfolk center even though I thought Norfolk was behind us.

Welcome to Norfolk big boat

Easy but attentive ride around all the naval installations and through a couple of bridges. There is some major construction on one - the Gilmerton Bridge - and from tomorrow there will be more limited "openings." So, we were particularly interested in getting underway today. Making sure we have enough clearance for the bridges is always to be checked out. This one below we had about 15' of extra space.

15' between top of mast and bottom of bridge

Aztec symbol? Nope, the superstructure is wrapped in plastic for repairs

The queen on HER sail bag

Amelia has become pretty non plused about the whole sailing thing. Today she stayed in the pilot house with us most all the way. And tonight she decided on her own to go tour the deck. She doesn't like the noise and, especially the noises that are new to her. She dove for the covers when the Navy jets flew over or the big helicopters.

And then we were at the turn into the Dismal Swamp Canal! I felt a little like Alice in Wonderland - "this way or that way"??

This way or that way?

The sign says - Dismal Swamp Canal turn right. Virginia Cut Canal straight ahead. We, and the Canadian boat in front of us missed the turn and had to do a U-ie. We both then pulled into the free dock for the evening, even though it was only 3 PM. We had an oil change to do which took from3 - 7:45 PM, longer than we'd been traveling today. The oil filter is under the engine. Horrendous. But it's done and we're fed and David took a shower on the dock in the dark. We have to decide which canal to take. I want to do the Dismal Swamp. There are logs and other things to run into there. But if we go slow and gently maybe they will stay out of our way. I'm hoping.

10/27/15  Tuesday  In port at Rebel Marina in Norfolk, VA on the Willoughby Spit, a beach town.
Rainy, cloudy, easy (for me) day. Laundry. Borrowed the car and drove to downtown Norfolk to lunch with dance friends Todd and Deborah. What a treat and what a hoot! It was really lovely for me to be in the area of Norfolk where I'd attended Regional High School Dance Festivals, seeking students for Bates Dance Festival summer programs. Something comforting about going to "old stomping grounds" and recognizing places, especially since everything else about my life just now is new...adventuresome...insecure....unknown...a little scary.

David had a very difficult day searching for the proper oil filter for Grace. Our old Ford Lehman Gustophson engine has some obscure parts. He was on the phone from around 8:45 AM until around 2:45 PM talking to folks from Norfolk to Maine trying to cross reference the part numbers to find something compatible. Still not sure we've found it but will know tomorrow after he changes the oil and either the new filter fits or we put the old, mucky one back in with clean oil and make another decision in NC.

Our plan is to get to the mouth of the ICW tomorrow and start THAT portion of this great adventure.

Great folks here at Rebel Marina - Jamie, David and a few others whose names I forget. Full kitchen, laundry, car, HOT TUB, showers for our use. A lot of honor system stuff rather than a specific charge. Tyler and Mike, from Portland, who we met in Annapolis pulled in about an hour ago. Sweet.

Jamie, above, lives on her 30' boat here in the marina. I'm thinking she is in her mid-30s and I was telling her about being without my toys and bored. Sweet to have someone so much younger "understand" and I think she did and had a suggestion or two.

Below are two photos that got left out of yesterday's post. Enjoy.

BIG waves breaking under our boat.

Fall at Laver's Pond, Freeport, ME
Sue Jennings, our neighbor, sent it. Beautiful! Homesick, but only a little.

And the Freeport Players' Moonlight Masquerade was fun for all who attended and a great first effort.
Hurrah!

10/26/15  Monday

We've made it through the Chesapeake! Whoopeeeee! The last of the BIG waters on this journey (I hope). And we're just in from the regular Monday night potluck dinner at the Rebel Marina in/on Willoughby Spit, Norfolk, VA. Locals who live on the spit who have some connection to the marina. As far as I can tell some sail/boat but no one lives aboard. Just buds who have decided to get together every week except during the summer. Too cool AND we got some good information about stores and Dismal Swamp, etc. as well as had delicious HOT food and salade. We contributed, too, but so great to have other choices than my limited ones.

It was a grueling motoring (w/sail assist) day. Roller coaster ride from the moment we left the "creek". Three - 4' waves and winds into the low teens. BUT the wind was off our aft quarter so not nearly as troubling as the NJ coast day when it would have been easy to abandon ship, except that we couldn't. Amelia stayed in bed under the covers for the first 3 hours then came out to complain LOUDLY about our bad treatment. She and I sat together for most of the final 2.5 hours of the trip. She hid her head bumped into my thigh.

One boat "our Dream" left the creek about an hour ahead of us. We hailed them to see how the conditions were. Choppy, they said. However, we thought, tomorrow is predicted to be worse. And, if we don't get out today we won't get out for at least 2 days and probably 3 and then the wind will be on our nose again. So, GO!!

Another sailing vessel lead us for awhile. Then, since he was sailing w/out motor, we outpaced that boat.

Wolf Trap Light w/our sailing leader to our starboard.

BIG waves looking aft from the Pilot House. Hard to get the perspective

I was a tiring day. Didn't feel in danger but hard work just staying on your feet with all the rocking and rolling. A bit as I imagine bronco riding. Spine and knees really working overtime, and arms to hold the helm and the stuff from flying off the chart table. Sometimes the waves turned the boat 45 degrees and laid up over on our ear. Other times we surfed the crest of the wave, making 10 knots then wallowed in the trough at 5 knots.

Really glad to be on a dock for the next two nights. Might get into downtown Norfolk to see my friend, Deb Thorpe. Definitely will get to grocery store and auto store. Feeling proud of our accomplishment to have met two major challenges - NJ coast and Chesapeake Bay. Now for the Dismal Swamp!

10/25/15  Sunday....in the park. Nope. In Jackson Creek which is more a river but short, sort of like the Harraseekett River but not quite as wide. I think you should be able to wade across or jump across any body of water described as a creek. Anyway, a lovely day on the boat that was anchored in Jackson Creek, Deltaville, VA. Since David found a Nauticat in Deltaville (on-line, several years ago) he has had a romance with the town/place. So, here we are. Not much here or to recommend it. But we have found the boat that piqued his interest and it's for sale, a lot cheaper than our boat was BUT with a much deeper draft...so it wouldn't do for us. Whew!

I got out of my pj's around noon after talking to several of our anchorage buddies specifically Dan and Wendy who are on a lovely trawler and are from Lunenberg (?), Nova Scotia. Hope to run into them in NC, perhaps. They were heading for Norfolk to day then leaving their boat for a couple of weeks to go home to settle their house and see grand kids. Our Canadian, catamarine buddy, Bruce, also left today for Norfolk. Are we missing something by staying here today???

Anyway, here we are. So we took a dinghy ride over to the Deltaville Marine Museum and Nature Park. Sweet! Some amazing information about a meteorite that helped create Chesapeake Bay...and ruined the water supply in Deltaville. Really! You can't drink the water here. Pepsi supplies it. It is the first place we've asked to refill our water jugs and they gave us bottled water.

Did a lot of cooking today - brownies (thank you Shannon) and rice (thank you Shannon), made lots of spaghetti sauce last eve. We have lots of leftovers and provisions for the next couple of days. Found the NPR station and listened to "Back Story" tonight which talked about the Black Populist Movement in the 1860-1900 and how it was necessary for the "natural aristocracy" to make sure the poor whites and the balcks didn't form a political coalition. Sound familar?!? The same strategy is being used today...as was the case in 1760s, according to the Howard Zinn book I'm reading. I don't know what I'm going to do with this information but it seems important to me. I'm mulling.

Also did a little more thinking about my "identity" challenge. It doesn't deserve the monikar of "identity crisis". No crisis. I'm outside my element and identifiers, the ones I honor...dancer, actor, educator, organizer. I don't have my colleagues in those arenas close at hand. I know they are only a phone call or text message away. However, they are getting along just fine without me. And, I don't have mt creative toys nearby either - my sewing, knitting, collaging materials, dance studio, etc. The concrete contributions I make are still being sused-out, by me. I cook, organize the living space, sometimes clean. Sounds way too gender-based for my ambitions comfort. Sigh. Oh well, maybe tomorrow I'll kill some fruit flies and feel strong and confident and ego-rich.

Full life. Onto Norfolk...tomorrow or next day...depending upon...the wind, direction and strength.

Loving all these opportunities and multiple blessings.

10/24/15 Saturday     MOONLIGHT MASQUERADE - dance and costume party is happening NOW and I'm missing it. Go Delta Knights. Go Freeport Players. Go all of you who are celebrating this first community party hosted by Freeport Players and bringing us all together to support our LIVE community theater.

Meanwhile, David and I are in Deltaville  - not Margaretaville - VA, officially in the South!. Kitty and I were up at dawn for sun salutes, warriors, and quiet time. I'm realizing I don't have a regular schedule of morning activities and I'm missing that. At home in Freeport kitty and I would make coffee and head for the pond beach for quiet time. So, I'm going to try to make that happen from now on. It might improve my snarky attitude.

Sunrise at Solomons Island harbor

As I recall today was easy but VERY long - 8+ hours of sail-assisted motoring, a little choppy/rolly this morning, calming to flat, calm in late afternoon. We saw our first pelicans and after entering VA one was sitting on the first navigational buoy, just like cormorants. Are they related? Pelicans are so wierd. So pre-historic. As interesting to me as Great Blue Herons. I missed the photo, though.

Virginia Lighthouse

We passed this amazing construction site. Look closely. The boat is suspended above the water, a way many boats are stored for winter here and farther south. I've never seen this done in New England. Also, there are 3 portopotties, and the lighthouse is surrounded by construction latticework. And the colors are brilliant.

Boat storage. The pilings suspend the boat above water. Porto-potties
to the right of the piling on the right.

House Repairs. The blue is the boat. Green is lighthouse.

More water. More waves. More things to look out for and avoid. More navigating. Cloud cover. Sigh. Mind you, I'm not dis-ing boredom. It was just a long day. I did go to the aft deck in the afternoon for some fresh, warm air. Did some plie's and battements and back curves and side stretches. Then sat myself down in the sun and read my book for a bit. David at the helm and kitty under the covers. It was stunningly beautiful and comfortable on the deck. I'm suggesting that we take aft-deck-watches when we've set the course and mo major decisions need to be made. That way both of us get this advantage of fresh air and beauty of open sea.

Blue skies. Lying on the aft deck looking straight up at the mizzen sail.

As soon as we crossed into Virginia the sun came out. HA! Love that color.

Winds are supposed to increase tomorrow and, wait for it, from the direction we are heading, thus, on our nose. We may choose to stay here for the day/night. David has an attachment here that he says he needs to get out of his system...a woman? a museum? a boat? Deltaville IS a sort of exotic name.

10/23/15 Friday

Relaxed departure. Well, not really. Take the outboard off the dinghy and hoist it via block and tackle to the back rail, David in the dinghy, me on the aft deck hauling away. Secure it. Now the dinghy itself, flipped on its side the hauled up out of the water in its pretend-davit sling via two blocks and tackles, plus the cargo net that attaches dinghy to the side of the boat, as high out of the water as we can manage. Then, secure the lines. Then get the fender boards out so we can go in for fuel. Done! And we're leaving the Annapolis Harbor at 9:49 AM, ten minutes earlier that our deadline. yippee.

Pretty day but winder than expected and hoped for. And all those Navy boats and ships, including a submarine (!) were out in their mooring field with passenger boats running back and forth - alumni weekend/week so lots of activities. Yikes! And the waves of 3-4'. Thank goodness they were behind us and to the aft, port quarter. Not like NJ when larger ones were smashing into us, head on.

I was scared this morning. Not sure why, exactly. The conditions weren't bad really. Maybe because we'd, essentially, been on land for 2 days. I took the dinghy in and out of town by myself. Had a half day of sight-seeing on my own. Feeling pretty competent and independent. But I was really scared leaving the harbor this morning. Off into the unknown again. Off into the unknown. The day was uncomfortable but not feeling very dangerous. We made decent time and arrived in Solomons Island about the time we'd predicted, maybe a little early even.

Discussing my fear w/David, I arrived at needing to plot our course before we leave the mooring, anchorage or dock. Rather than trying to decide the course while we're also looking out for other boats or wondering which buoy we should be attending to. It only makes sense to do so. We always have the idea of "go south" and there is time to plot details while underway. But, I'm too inexperienced and I know that multi-tasking is NOT paying attention. So tonight after dinner we set w/our respective charts - David's electronic, mine paper - and determined our direction in more detail than "south." Ideally, of course, we'd write the float plan down and send it to someone, as was the case when we made "flight plans" when I was young. Not going to happen but at least we've each figured out a flexible plan and confirmed w/each other than we were on the same...chart.

Amelia was scared, too, today but later, as the seas grew and we were bouncing around uncomfortable. First she sat on the step next tomy leg. Then she moved to between our feet, making us nervous about stepping on her. Finally, she and moved to the settee w/Amelia tucked close to my thigh with her head tucked in the crook ofmy elbow. When we stopped she ate and threw up. Now about 4 hours later, she's taken a nap, roused herself to have her own dinner, and is now sleeping beside me w/her front arms/paws tucked under her breast. What a delight she is.

Annapolis was a delight - beautiful, quaint, warm. Interesting/odd/disconcerting, though, that here I was in the birthplace, some say, of our U.S of America government, a major port for the slave trade in the mid-1770 and I'm reading Howard Zinn's book, A People's History of the United States, which speaks about all the people  whose backs our leaders and heros stood upon or trampled down as they (leaders and heros) climbed their way to wealth and power. Humans have been, continue to be, really horrible to other humans in the name of progress, alligence, godliness, .... Standing in the room where Washington resigned his Army Commission I was thinking that only wealthy, highly educated, men were in that room, making those decisions, taking care of each other and themselves. Granted I benefit from many of their decisions but they were not made with me in mind or the servants or the vagabonds or the children or the paupers or the slaves. I think it may be impossible to untangle all the threads that have brought us to here. I am glad to be uncomfortable in those "halls of government beginnings" though. The system supporting private property as wealth was not for the good of everyone, not even most... only a few, really...then or now.

And tomorrow we'll be in Virginia with some early morning sailing and some luck. Wonder what fears that passage will unearth.

10/22/15 Thursday

A hugh ship - a cruise ship? - just pulled into the harbor. Maybe a very large tour boat. Dinner is cooking. We were tourist today. I was, at least, and both of us for early afternoon. We took in a couple of things at the Naval Academy - the chapel was hugh and beautiful and the museum with all the ships models, including some done by French prisoners of war during the 1700s and maybe early 1800s, made of bone (chicken and cow we were told). Such amazing work to make those timy models in such detail. Saw the tomb of Joh  Paul Jones who, I believe I remember reading, died in France kind of forgotten but his burial site was found and remains brought back to the U.S. and now rest in a pretty fancy sarcophagus (sp?) at the Annapolis Naval Academy.

Naval Academy makes its own sunlight

Maryland capital in the morning

John Paul Jones final resting place - marble

Before splitting up David and I had brunch (because it was no longer breakfast time) at Chick & Ruth's Delly. An event. Tiny spaces, Crowded. Loud. Reminded me of a mom & pop delli in NYC. Bright colors. Packed menu. Too much food. Too expensive. Weak, by our standards, coffee. Fun. Don't need to do it again. I did go back to buy some bread that they make daily. Pies, too, but who needs or has room for pie?!? Art photo #2 of the Storm Drain on the way out.

Art photo #2 - Fall Storm Drain

Upon departing from each other, David took off to the boat resale store and I took off to walk around the capital a bit more. Took in the State House which is the oldest in continual use in the U.S. So much marble! A couple of photos inside. There is the room where Washington resigned his Commisison as the head of the Army (wrong words, maybe), and was that so that he could be President? Anyway, looks like a GREAT dance floor to me.

Continental Congress chamber?? where Washington resigned his Army Commission
I really need to remember this history correctly, alas.

Another photo taken facing Mr. Washington's statue shows the balcony where women were allowed.

Woman, upper left corner, only abt 20 chairs for assembly-men
Great dance floor

Lots of walking and finally found where to be coffee by the pound, City Dock Coffee with wifi and electricity so I could charge the computer.

Lots of narrow, 2-story houses, some brick, many wood. Old town, this

The complaint of the day - I need to remember that David and I have separate agends running and have a very different sense of time. I was ready to leave the boat for tourist things around 9:30 this morning and didn't start any projects, enjoyed reading and reading and reading, thinking he'd be ready...soon. About 2 hours later....heavy sigh. And we did complete our absentee voting and we did complete our mail forwarding stuff so Shannon will have our mail delivered to her house rather than having to go to our mailbox.

Life is good. We travel tomorrow.

10/21/15  Wednesday

We left early, following and followed by other boats coming down the canal, and one that had been docked behind us last night. Gentle sunrise, orange sherbert with a light layer of mist about 4 feet tall on the surface of the water. Beautiful.

Leaving Chesapeake City back around that bend

David was at the helm and was off like a bat out of hell. Rrrrrerererrrrrr. Finally I confessed that the speed and noise was making me tense and frantic and scared. I really DID think such pressure on the engine before I'd had coffee was truely bad for the engine!!! And could we please just back off the rpms a little bit for a little while. No urgency this early...PLEASE. David accomodated. Thank you.

The day was easy but not relaxing. All new territory again, (every day and every thing is new territory) hyper alert, always looking...water depth, buoys, other boats, crab pots, wind speed and direction...looking, looking, looking. David was at the helm a lot. I read and even took a short nap. Took over navigating and helm for a bit.

First hint of "southern" along the Elk River, a large estate - big house on the hill with columns, sweeping yards, horse barns, vineyard, large boathouse at the edge of the river. The big white tent, indicating to us that it was a place for events lessened the blow. I kept asking myself how I felt about this "southern" estate and wealth. Not comfortable, for sure. Who suffered to make this kind of wealth possible for these few people? For how many generations? in the past and into the future, not to mention the present. Impossible to know but I know some people did some suffering.

It's possible that I'm uncomfortable with any obvious indications of extreme wealth but I'm more imtimately acquainted with the history of southern wealth and slavery and indentured servitude. Other more positive feelings about today's journey had to do with the breadth of the river spilling or slipping into another river and broadening into the Chesapeake Bay. And then we were coming closer and closer to the Bay Bridge - Massive.

Negotiating getting into Annapolis Harbor was nervous making but we managed and the mooring field just off City Dock was nearly empty when we arrived. It filled quickly - within a hour after we arrived an additional 20+ boats came in. Beside us was the boat that was behind us last night. The other side sports a boat from VT, in front of us is a boat from Portland (!) and two boats to our starboard is a rude boat with large flower pots on the aft deck from New Rochelle, NY. Time for a beer and more reading before heading to town for a shower and dinner with the wonderful Lynda and Jeff Fitzgerald. Lynda is Marcy Plavin's daughter and I know her from Bates Dance Festival. She and Jeff met us at Buddy's then drove us around the Naval Academy and told us some things to see tomorrow when we are tourists. They are also the folks who collected our mail - our first mail drop on this trip - from Shannon.

Annapolis hosts, Jeff and Lynda

So totally delighted they made time to hang with us. Sweet, sweet people who are happy with themselves and with each other. We all spoke of our great good fortune to be where we are doing what we're doing and with the people we're with.

At Buddy's

And I got my first taste of ice cream in more than a MONTH. Yum. And we have the boxes from Shannon and the important documentation from the US Coast Guard, and M&Ms, brownie mix and brown rice. Set for the next couple of weeks, easily.

10/20/15 Tuesday

Found my gloves and dug out my long johns this morning and another neck warmer and more socks. Yes, uber chilly = cold, but only until the sun starts to warm the earth on our side. And warm up it did. Early morning chat on the fore deck w/Amelia and my friend, Judy, started my day perfectly. And it just continued that way. Coffee and boat chores until the dock cleared around 9:30 AM. Chat with other friend, Judy.

We moved Grace to the town dock so we didn't have to take the dinghy down. We'll do that tomorrow I expect. So today we chatted with Liz and Paul who admired grace. Enjoyed them so much that we invited them to lunch w/us in the sweet town of Chesapeake City. They knew the area so we went where they were heading, a couple blocks from the wharf. Blah, blah, blah, chat, chat chat...theater (he taught and directed at a PA h.s.), sailing (they've down-sized to 20' sailboat after much larger power boat and have "done the ICW" several times), writing (he's written a book about their journeys/negotiations for couples, etc). We exchanged stories about all the above and will try to find them when we arrive in FL. They will trailer their boat and drive down, I think was their plan. Shared some great information about places to moor, do work on your boat. I'm loving this sharing of info and stories that happens wherever we are so far.

This was apparently a thriving town when the canal had a controlling lock. Then the canal was straightened and widened so less commerce here. Then a bridge was put over the water so even less reason for people and boats to stop. "The town the progress left behind," is a quote in the museum.

Chesapeake City from town dock and our boat

Art photo #1: band shell top matches the C&D Canal Bridge
sorry about the no parking sign. This is just to the left of the above photo

Then I sat on the porch picnic table at Town Hall and used the public wifi (but not for banking!!!) and did email while David went to the C&D Canal Museum. We reconnected and took a little walk about town, the historic part, had a drink at the pub (on the lawn looking over the canal and we were warm, of course I still have my longjohns on), back to the boat for soup dinner, clean up, prepare the boat for her journey tomorrow.

Drinks on the Pub lawn w/Canal bridge in background.

We watched a lone sail boat come down the canal. Broad waterway, gently flowing and trees along the edges turning toward fall. I'm reminded of Mark Twain's descriptions of the Mississippi. And I've always been attracted to that transition area from land to water. All "transitions" are intriguing, some more complicated than others but all filled with the stirring of life and living, nothing static, always moving/changing.

From the Pub lawn, last early evening arrival to port

Gracious. Goodness. Grateful.        

A totally delicious day!

10/19/15  Monday

Up early and WHERE ARE MY GLOVES??!?!! It is COLD this morning, not cool- COLD. No idea the real temperature but this IS the temps we're trying to avoid. Off we go around 7:30 AM, into the Cape May Canal. The broken down sign in the pic below sayw "slow". It was at the first bridge going into the east end of the canal. We obeyed even though it was a challenge to see the sign.

"slow" sign. Someone hit it hard

On through the canal we were being careful to look out for the departing ferries which we did..... and ran aground. David is an experienced runner agrounder. It may be partly my fault. I have really strong Earth signs in my horoscope. David set some anchors so we weren't pushed further into the sandbar and we waited for the tide to rise, watching several boats pass us by. Finally, our friends from yesterday came by and pulled us off. Many thanks to Black Watch and her captain and crew. Fair winds on their way outside to Norfolk and onto FL. Hoping to see them there.

The remainder of day was lovely - bright, calm seas, wind on our nose (nothing new there), only a few BIG ships to "wake" us. Both David and I took naps while the other was at the helm.

LARGE ship - multi-colored crates

Numerous channel markers were wonderful lighthouse-type architecture.
Of course, they probably were lighthouses before automation.
Pretty barren place to live.

 The nuclear power plant at Salem, Delaware, was a bit foreboding. I'd never seen a cooling tower this close.

Salem, Delaware, power plant

We made GREAT time traveling with the tide today...up to better than 9 knots. Our usual kph is 6-7 so we got into Chesapeake City near 5 PM in spite of our hour delay sitting on the sandbar. Our anchor setting proved to be challenging again tonight. I'm not liking the CQR very much. It just keeps not setting and dragging.

Thinking we'll hand here tomorrow and be tourists. Then head to Annapolis on Wednesday to visit friend, Lynda Fitzgerald, and be tourists again. Give kitty a break from the engine. She's finally figured it out...hide under the bed covers and sleep until the engine stops. Smart kitty.