Calvert Marina/Heat wave

Today we moved to Calvert Marina to suffer thru this heat wave in air-conditioning.
Myron
{GMST}38|19.941|N|076|27.438|W|Calvert Marina|Solomons{GEND}
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Crisfield to Mill Creek

Crisfield was a nice stay, and not just because of the air conditioner, although I must admit, that was dreamy. It must be a fact that they are the crab capital of the world. We took a walking tour of the crab processing plants via a worker at the local museum. We got to touch things on the tour, like soft shell crabs and feisty hard shell crabs. Mostly the sales were soft shell crabs, but they also pick steamed crabs – and at that place I bought one pound of jumbo lump crab for only $18. We had crab cakes tonight, some crab on pasta the other night, and the rest we will have with eggs. We also bought a dozen steamed hard shell crabs for $20 and ate those at a picnic table (not on Hold Fast please!) We found a church on Sunday and met more of the locals. All in all, a great stay and we recommend a visit.
Then the time comes for more adventuring. We took on our first fuel this morning, at $3.66/gal for diesel, plus tax, and that was with the BoatUS discount. Today’s forecast called for 10 to 15 knots out of the South. We never saw it. It was a hot and steamy day, teasing us occasionally with five knots out of the NW, the direction we were heading. Hold Fast needs more wind than that, and on at least a 45 for tight reaching. We started to head in to Solomons, but ‘Luna,’ another Whitby 42, had just anchored outside the creek and told us that all the creeks were full with boats at anchor, probably left over from the four days of racing. We swiftly sorted through the gunkholing guide and found Mill Creek further up the Patuxent. We found a cove with no houses on 75% of the shoreline, very well protected and good ‘ol sticky mud. Even with the water-skiers, this is still a very nice place. I have not seen a jellyfish and we saw others swimming this evening. That may be on the agenda for us tomorrow.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}38|20.189|N|076|30.188|W|Mill Creek|Solomons{GEND}
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Sandy Point, Great Wicomico River to Crisfield, MD

Yesterday we gunkholed around Great Wicomico River, found a nice little spot to wait out a NW blow and then re-positioned back at Sandy Point in preparation to cross the Bay. Sandy Point is nice because it has almost 360 degree protection from fetch…except NW of course. The heat index on most places around the Chesapeake was over 100 yesterday, it was a tough night to get any sleep once the wind disappeared.

From Deltaville to Sandy Point

We are using a combination of guides to the Chesapeake, but I must say that our go-to tends to be ‘Cruising Guide to the Chesapeake’ by William Shellenberger. He has a couple of definitions on the book cover (his words not mine): “‘Gunkhole’ – a shallow cove of channel nearly unnavigable because of mud, rocks, or vegetation; ‘Gunkholer’ – a species of boater that is inexorably drawn to gunkholes in search of seclusion, adventure, wildlife – or just by an ungovernable urge to see what’s around the next bend.”

When dropping the anchor last night we saw something quite new to us. Some small crabs were swimming near the surface among all the jellyfish. At first we thought the jellyfish were in pursuit of the crabs, but then I witnessed a crab go at the jellyfish fast and furious with both claws, cramming the pieces into its mouth as quickly as possible. “You go” I yelled to the crab! It made my day to know that these jellyfish have an enemy. They have ruined every swimming hole.

The forecast called for light winds in the morning and small craft advisories in the afternoon. At first we ghosted along about 2 knots under main and jib, then as the wind freshened we put busted old granddad up (mizzen) and soon we were seeing over 5 knots boat speed with about 10-15 knots wind on the beam. Out on the Atlantic, we blew out the clue out on old granddad. Not desiring to completely lose use of the mizzen we tied the reef into the outhaul to put old granddad back into commission until we get the new sail (already on order from Rolly Tasker). It was good to be sailing again, but there was no time to kickback as we entered into “skinny water” (9-11 feet) on the Tangier Sound. Skinny water also equals crab pots.

From Sandy Point, Great Wicomico River to Crisfield, MD

We first were attracted to Crisfield because of the “all you can eat” crab and clam bake festival. Floyd Ward’s family was from Crisfield and he was very excited to hear it was on our agenda. At Crisfield, we can either anchor in the small harbor or take a slip. Myron surprised me with taking a slip in celebration of our 31st anniversary. It is not cheap, but we doubt we will see lower prices as we head north. We will be here for the next six days and try to get some projects done, including changing out the engine fresh water pump. During his pre-start check, Myron discovered that the pump was starting to fail, and to our surprise, we do not have a spare. We ordered it as soon as we settled in at the marina – then we headed out for…you guessed it…ice cream! One of the most significant advantages of docking at the marina: air conditioner. It will be a sound sleep tonight!

Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}37|58.677|N|075|51.478|W|in the slip|Crisfield{GEND}
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Deltaville to Sandy Point

We stayed longer in Deltaville than we expected. The people are
friendly and welcoming and the anchorage is well protected. Such
attributes make any place difficult to leave; we have not really
figured out a timeline or destination anyway. Besides, did you zoom
in on that entrance? That was some tight gunk-holing and we wanted to
pick a calm high-tide morning to leave. We watched two sailboats get
grounded in the shoals Saturday before the regatta. No serious
damage, but it sent the crew lurching forward on deck. Someone was
not paying attention to the video game…
It had been some time since we had taken on water and we prepared to
catch rain from one of the many thunderstorms that came through our
newly adopted town. We discovered that the water needed to run at a
pretty good pace to overcome the lip around the tank fills. We prayed
for rain that would help us, but not hurt the town. Our tank fills
for the starboard and port saddle tanks are just forward of mid-ship,
reducing the area of rain capture. The collection was miserly for the
first few days, below the rate of usage. Floyd mentioned that some
areas were expecting flash floods on Friday. We dammed up around our
fill caps in anticipation. The first storm of the day was a gulley
washer. We could put an ear on the floorboard over the starboard
water tank and hear the water trickle into the tank. We were gaining
and we were thrilled! The second storm came on about 10 in the evening
and was even more productive. About 2 a.m. Myron had to go out into
the rain and close the port tank cap because the tank was overfilling
and running into the bilge. We believe our saddle tanks are 100
gallons. Quite impressive, our cup runneth over, praise God! Jean
told us their rain gauge showed over 4 inches that day, yet no one
suffered any flood damage. He hears our prayers.
Jean and Floyd Ward are the couple we met when we attended church on
Sunday, July 3. They were incredibly gracious to us, invited us to
their home and to a youth choir performance in Urbanna led by their
grandson. He has been leading this youth choir since he was 14,
twenty years ago. We have been fortunate enough to meet many of Jean
and Floyd's family members, play with their cat "Midnight," tour the
tug boat and get much of the history of the town and the watermen.
The museum we attended was informative to be sure, but this personal
trip to the past was even better. It was a pleasure to return to
church with them yesterday. We even met the couple who bought Floyd's
mother's house and spent a few hours discussing our Messiah,
scripture, prophecy, and the events unfolding today.
I also told John that, in exchange for the tug tour, I would make
mention in our blog that the tug is for sale. I do not know the
price, but some details include two V-12 GM Detroits (1294's) and dual
generators larger than the engine on Hold Fast. You would need at
least a 150 Ton captain's license to operate her. Each of the two
props are 74" in diameter. The cable on the tug had to be 1.5 inches
and the anchor and tow attachment lines could do serious damage to a
back if not probably handled. Other than all that, it would make a
very nice cruising boat. Leave a comment if you are an interested
buyer!
We left Deltaville today on the morning high-tide and headed for
Reedville. Winds were favorable and it was a relatively quick trip.
As you can see by our tracks (zoom in on the Google map), we winded
our way back into the town. It was incredibly quaint, well protected
and the holding ground is known to be good. However, the town is the
home for the entire menhaden fishing fleet and processing. A healthy
South wind was blowing and we could not find a place on that creek
that was not odiferous. It was under mutual agreement that we pulled
a tight u-turn and sought anchorage elsewhere upwind. We are anchored
off Sandy Point as a result. The wind is strong giving us a little
fetch. We do not mind a bit. We are not downwind from the processing
plant and the ships, and the wind makes tolerable today's 90+ heat.
If the wind calms down, we may launch the dingy and do some exploring,
but for now it is time to shower (just maybe some of that odor stuck
to my skin?) and grill something for dinner.
Dena
{GMST}37|49.437|N|076|18.501|W|near Reedsville|Sandy Point{GEND}
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Deltaville, VA

Last night 'Alfin II,' a Brewer 44, circled us at anchor several times asking what we knew of the weather forecast. They were evaluating their window to run outside up to Newport, RI. Myron said he was getting an update on the HAM radio about 6 or 7, when propagation improved. They invited us to aboard for dinner as thanks for the weather report. It was a wonderful evening of tasty Cuban food and good conversation. Kiko and Gordi conduct boat accident analysis for the USCG.

As to our weather, we were promised light air for the next few days, from alternating directions. Might as well poke our bow out into the Chesapeake at dawn and see if we could catch some favorable wind. It was favorable, but light, for the first several hours. A nice broad reach until the winds went too light. It was going to be a tough entrance into Jackson Creek, something to only be attempted during daylight hours, so on came the iron sail and we arrived about 2:30 pm. Myron says that inlet is not for the faint at heart.

We tried the public dock for a 24 hour stay, and after getting all docked in by ourselves, we walked to the sign that does not face the dock which prohibited overnight docking. Away from the dock we went to a spectacular anchor spot surrounded by homes in pine trees. It is so beautiful we felt guilty and kept waiting for someone to come tell us we had to leave. Now there are other boats anchored around us, we feel pretty smart! If there is a drawback here, it is that the water is full of jellyfish. No swimming to be had here, and the swimming is so tempting. I pointed out one to Myron with tentacles almost three feet long. I only found small ones for pictures.

The town is putting on 'Heritage Day' tomorrow. We will figure out where to dock our dingy and take the long walk to Tiffany's (West Marine), hitting the festivities on the way back. We are hoping there are some bay crabs cooked up with our name on them. This town also has a museum and some historical sites. Not sure how long we will stay here, there seems plenty to do.

A man rowed by in his kayak and told us about the tornado that struck here recently. We took the dingy to see some of the downed trees and some more folks told us to tour the town on foot. Apparently the center was torn right out of one church, leaving the sides standing only.

Much to see yet, off to get some rest. Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}37|32.804|N|076|20.291|W|nice neighborhood|Deltaville, VA{GEND}
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Old Point Comfort

Today was a day of contrasts. We waited almost an hour for the Gilmerton Highway Bridge, it could not be helped. The bridge now has time restrictions due to construction and the Deep Creek Lock times south of the bridge do not coordinate well for a boat of our speed, or at the speed we are willing to drive her as we 'boat by brail.' Gilmerton Bridge was our transition point from the sticky and buggy solitude of the Great Dismal Swamp Canal into the busy and bustling commercial and military shipping lanes of Norfolk. We pushed through Norfolk on the Elizabeth River, skipped Hampton and shot the narrow entrance for an anchorage at Old Point Comfort.

The winds are very light and out of the Northeast, we are well protected here for those winds. We are looking for East, West or South winds for our next leg. This anchorage is more exposed to South and West winds, and I figure when we need winds from a certain direction, just go anchor somewhere that is not protected from that direction and the winds will come!

At Elizabeth City, I bought one of those fly catching sticks and at first I chased the flies around swinging the stick to get the flies stuck in the glue. Myron was sure that was not the proper use of the thing, especially after I got glue on the GPS. He took it away from me and hung it up near the galley. The swallows are in a league of their own, so the new scoreboard shows: Fly Stick - 2; Myron - 8+; Dena = quit counting at 10 (we also bought a fly-swatter). Tonight's anchorage seems good, if nothing else, because we do not have biting flies. It is also cooler out here in the open.

Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}37|00.589|N|076|19.110|W|great sunset|Old Point Comfort{GEND}

Deep Creek Lock

We made it a short day to re-position for our exiting of the canal system and the ICW. We are currently tied to a free-dock just south of the Deep Creek Lock Bridge, conveniently located 75 feet from a mexican food restaurant. We have already consumed a properly made chili relleno and beef taco. Tasted like nap. No nap to be had in this heat though, weather station says heat index is 106 degrees. This is when we look forward to afternoon/evening thunderstorms, somewhat.

The Great Dismal Swamp Canal was gorgeous again today, with a little more biting flies than before. We also had our first hard bump. Yesterday was a soft bump, but today seriously got our attention. No water was coming in and steerage and propulsion remained consistent, so we consider ourselves just fine. It took an hour to calm down my adrenaline.

There is a nice breeze coming up the canal at our stern, for which we are thankful. We look forward to a good night's sleep, even though we are right next to a highway intersection. We have been well conditioned living next to the train tracks at OYCM!

Provisions are holding out well. It is hard to eat in this heat and scarce is the motivation to fire up the stove.

Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}36|44.437|N|076|20.694|W|locks|Deep Creek{GEND}

Great Dismal Swamp Canal

The water skiers cleared out of Goat Island yesterday evening and it was a wonderful night at anchor.

Today we embarked upon something new: our first lock. We encountered the Southern Mills lock about 3/4 of the way through today's journey. We were the only boat and the lift was eight feet according to the operator. We both 'manned' our lines at bow and stern as the water changed level. I realize now we do not want to be in the front of the lock while it is filling up as that is a lot of turbulence. The lock tender is also the tender for the draw bridge north of the lock, so we took our time exiting the lock and heading to the bridge.

We only bumped bottom once, just north of Mile Marker 30, we think we rolled a log on the bottom. Myron said we should expect it, and other boaters hit more times than that - if there is comfort in that sort of fact. Regardless, the solitude of the canal allowed us to drink in the beauty. The water was covered with a green velvet, not sure whether those were small green leaves or some kind of floating vegetation. Photogenic, but probably not good for raw water intake. We will post pictures when we are able to get internet.

There was only one other boat when we arrived at the visitor's center this afternoon, tonight there are five boats here. One of the late arriving sailboats is rafted to the sailboat in front of us and the only power boat, 45 feet, is rafted to us. As they cruised up to the visitor center dock, Myron asked if they wanted to raft, then I saw the boat name: Siroco. I realized immediately this was the vessel in trouble last night. Clearly they faired better than the US Coast Guard as they were still mobile. Last night TowBoat US successfully pulled Siroco off the bones, which we are now told are sunken vessels, and they arrived here at the visitor dock with a vibration. They leave early tomorrow for a haul out in Virginia. The US Coast Guard that came to check on them last night, grounded themselves on the same snag. They pulled up one outboard engine and the prop was completely gone, when they freed the other engine, the prop was severely mangled. It appears the USCG will be marking that spot as a danger area.

It was over 100 degrees today on the canal and at the docks, according to the visitor center personnel. We were under severe thunderstorm watch and I could not be more thankful. When the storms did hit, we unplugged gear as usual and waited it out. It must have dropped the temperature over 10 degrees. Should be a good sleep tonight.

Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}36|30.402|N|076|21.351|W|visitor center|Swamp Canal{GEND}

Anchored by Goat Island

Elizabeth City has stood up to its name as the Harbor of Hospitality. We were allowed to stay beyond the 48 hours by more than another 48 hours. We went to First Baptist Church downtown and they were so incredibly friendly, they even said we could stay longer. That church was established in 1786. It is a beautiful sanctuary with large wooden doors and dark timber ceilings. Mostly though, we were impressed with the hospitality. Today's Sunday School lesson was on Jeremiah 10 and coping with discouragement, God's perfect timing for me.

I am glad we did not anchor out at Elizabeth City. During the short time we have been safely anchored at Goat Island, we have been listening to the plight of a poor gentlemen in a powerboat who tried to anchor off the yacht club and got into a 'bone yard.' We now know that a bone yard is old pilings and docks cleverly submerged 3 to 4 feet. He has been patiently waiting for TowBoat US to get there from Coinjock and he has been attempting to get local knowledge to help in the dislodging when the tow boat arrives. When he requested local knowledge from the US Coast Guard, they asked coordinates and decided to give him a visit. Apparently they have no local knowledge because they disabled one prop and damaged another, limping away leaving the power boat still hung up. It sounds as if the tow boat has arrived and I am sure they are speaking in person, since the radio has gone silent. Hoping all is well since darkness is falling.

Tomorrow we head for the southern lock on the Dismal Canal and hope to stay overnight at the Dismal Swamp Information Center. They have a 150 dock for such purposes, with restroom and fresh water.

It is cooler here than in Elizabeth City and we are hoping for a peaceful night's sleep.

I miss Shari, it was wonderful to have so many days with her, and with Paul. We could eat for two days on Shari's leftovers!

Love to all,
Dena

{GMST}36|20.703|N|076|13.496|W|very nice|Goat Island{GEND}

OPERATION SURPRISE

Mission: Success!
We had just zipped up the cockpit on Hold Fast to ward off a down pour and were re-arranging wet cushions when I heard a man yell ‘Dena.’ I was surprised that some cruiser might address me rather than Myron, since he is much more memorable than I. Then I saw Paul and recognized Shari. I think we were in shock. Crazy people! First they catch us on ‘Gretel’ after we leave the dock at Ortega Yacht Club & Marina and they jump aboard to ride with us out to the Mayport entrance. Then they take ‘Short Trip’, their inflatable dingy, out to us at Cumberland Island and spend the afternoon. Now they show up in Elizabeth City. What a riot! We truly were surprised, I mean, who would not be – that is about a 600 mile drive – one way.
They were not sure where we would be on Thursday since we had not updated our post, but Myron’s email to Barry gave them the location information they needed. They were quite surprised we are moving so quickly north. Just in case we moved again, they were loaded with Short Trip, a VHF radio, charts and plenty of fuel.
We enjoyed yesterday evening with them and most of today. This morning they toured around on Short Trip while we did laundry and projects. They graciously drove us around to look for some needed things. It was really helpful. They have enjoyed the great food here and were with us tonight to watch the movie on the grass in front of the docks. I think tomorrow Myron and Paul will go out on Short Trip and Shari has volunteered to help me with a bug screen project that did not get finished today. Hopefully we will sneak in some time at the farmer’s market. It has been a wonderful time together and we keep asking them where they will meet us next.
Now, if anyone else is thinking about meeting up with us, you might consider planning a meeting spot for a couple of reasons:
1. we are highly unpredictable;
2. you might not be willing to search for us on a dingy; and
3. there were a few things that might have had delivered that would have been helpful!
With that said, thank you everyone for keeping this a surprise – it was really great.
Love to all,
Dena