Two States Down, Three More to Go!

After anchoring in Old Point Comfort and being the only boat there, we motored to Portsmouth in the drizzle and gray once again.  We tied up to the north basin on the south wall of one of the two little harbors used for the ferry boats back and forth to Norfolk.  There were two other boats there.  We read that there had been signs for no docking but the latest on the various cruisers’ websites said that they do not enforce unless it is a special weekend like the Great Schooner Race.  Luckily, we were there a weekend before it.   

Water up over the dock in Portsmouth.

Unlucky though, in that it was an extremely high tide due to the winds and fall tides.  We only had about an hour to get off and walk around before the tide was up over the dock and we were stuck on board.  So much for that great plan!

We had to make the decision of going the Dismal Swamp route or the Great Bridge way.  We had talked to our friends, Toni and Dave Mershon, and had decided to go Great Bridge.  We are soooooooooo… glad we did.  Afterward we heard about reports of all sorts of boats having problems overheating due to the mass of Duckweed in the Dismal Swamp this year.   

Our friends on Tilt met us at the dock in Great Bridge and Mershons pulled in later the same day.  We had our first Happy Hour of the season on Craig and Chris’ boat and then walked to a good Mexican restaurant nearby for dinner.

Had decent sails for two days and the day we anchored before the Alligator/Pungo canal around 2pm about four boats continued through the canal.  As it grew dark, the boats returned.  We found out that one of the boats hit the bridge because the tide was extremely high due to the north wind.  The other boats did not think they could make it either so returned to the anchorage.  Much chatter continued among the boats and the coast guard.  Finally, it was decided that since the wind was changing to the west, the water level would drop and they could probably get through the next day. 

Fog makes for interesting photos.

Early morning foggy sunrise in the Pungo Canal .

The next day dawned with heavy fog but gave me some interesting photos.  

How did this creature get on the boat?

We also discovered a stowaway on board.  How it got there, we have no idea, but there was a frog stuck to our enclosure.  



The other boats took off before us and we learned they made it through so we knew we would not have any problem.  Our mast is 61ft.  Most bridges are 64-65ft.  

Tug pulling 3 barges came between us and a boat aground.

Al ended up being a hero, helping a boat who went aground in the canal get off just after a tug pulling 3 barges behind went between us.  On to Bellhaven we went with the sun finally coming out and blue skies.  I said, “I never thought I would say this, but the canal is actually pretty.”  Sun and blue skies makes a world of difference after not seeing it for more than a week!    

The Alligator/Pungo Canal beauty.

This is the "Welcome" rug I am working on presently.

I was able to get some rug hooking done on this beautiful day.  For my rug hooking friends, you can see the progress I have made.

Doing my favorite hobby, rug hooking.

Free to roam in Bellhaven

Al read about some free docks that had been built in Bellhaven, and we felt we needed to get off the boat and walk around.  Mershon’s followed us there and anchored out.  We discovered they were charging a $1/ft. which is a good price, but we decided to anchor out also so we could have the Mershons for a chili dinner.  We did our good deed for the day and released our stowaway. 
We also visited the Bellhaven museum.  It was a large massive room with all sorts of things, from agricultural tools, to clothing, kitchen items, quilts, toys, buttons, typewriters, etc.  The unfortunate part was nothing was being preserved the way it should.  The clothing was mostly out in the open and subject to sunlight and moths.  But I guess they were doing their best for a small town.

Chapel at River Dunes- perfect for a small wedding.

Continuing on the next day, we decided to head into one of our favorite marinas, River Dunes, north of Oriental, NC.  It was once again, rainy and gray so a wonderful warm shower and nice amenities sounded great.  We were able to do all sorts of chores such as laundry, groceries, updating computers and phones, and having a nice meal.  We met some fellow cruisers at the dock as well.  One couple (Bob and Jean on Walkabout) we had met three years ago when we rented a car together to see Long island in the Bahamas,  We also met a new couple who boat out of Rock Hall (Nancy and Norm on True Luv), but keep their boat at the marina across from us.  It always fun to see past cruisers and to meet new ones.  As often when we stop here, a wedding was being held here.  They have the cutest little chapel on the premises.  They had it all decorated for the late afternoon wedding.  

The bride and groom stand with water view in background.  How nice is that?  Need a wedding venue anyone?

Sunset in Mile Hammock.

We headed past Beaufort, NC to anchor in Mile Hammock.  We enjoyed a beautiful sunset while we sat out and enjoyed our beverage of choice.  Mershons were there as well as about 8 other boats.  The next morning we arose to a nice sunrise and continued down the waterway to Wrightsville Beach going through several bridges which can be tedious at times.. 

Mershons going through ahead of us at a swing bridge.

Surfs UP!

We decided to stay another day in Wrightsville Beach.  We had our first walk on a beach here with Toni and Dave.  Saw some interesting sights on the way back, such as this frog with the surf board in front of one of the homes.  Another interesting sight on the waterway was this sculpture in someone's yard.

Sea Goddess- I guess?

We are heading to Calebash Creek for tonight which is the start of South Carolina.  A cold front is coming so it looks like a stay in a marina for those 40 degree nights is due,  It is time to plug in the heater!

Fifty Shades of Gray

 Well, what a week to pick to leave on our trip. We saw more gray rainy weather this week than we saw in any of the entire trips in the past. We left Rock Hall on Saturday, October 5^th on a bright sunny windless day. You can see how smooth it was as we passed the notorious Bay Bridge. 

Flat water around the Bay Bridge, not seen too often!

Kayaking around in the Solomon Islands.

We made it to the Solomon Islands on the Paxtuxent River and decided to stay Sunday because they predicted 15 -20 out of the south, so why fight it. It was a beautiful day and I even got some kayaking in. We had an enjoyable first night dinner with wine compliments of the Oriolds.

Al enjoying our send off gift from the Oriolds at our first dinner .

The next day dawned rainy, rainy and more rainy. We got some projects done as mentioned in the first blog. We left the next day in dreary gray but the winds were in back of us so we made it to Mill Creek off the Great Wicomico River to our cruising friend's dock. There were times we saw the boat reach 9 knots sailing under reefed main and genny only out a little. The waves were probably 4 ft. and at times we would get hit by a wave that would have soaked us if it were not for our enclosure. When we got near Mill Creek the engine would not start! So we had to put our sailing skills to the test to get into this creek which had an L-shaped bend and is quite protected so very little wind. Twice we thought we were going to hit the green marker but God was with us and we inched by and finally anchored off Lynn and Peter Forgosh's (First Edition) dock.

This is the view we saw for most of the week!

Al worked at getting the engine started and we finally got tied up to their dock. He discovered later that a wave somehow got water in the engine. He changed the oil twice and it seems to be working fine.

We never left for four days! It rained constantly. Thank heavens we were where we could plug in a small heater so it kept the cabin from feeling moist. We could not have been at a better spot. 

Lynn and Peter's home.

The Forgosh's home is beautiful. We got to enjoy a wonderful meal with them and caught up on our lives, went out to eat, did laundry, went to stores and I even got to a relaxation class with Lynn at the local Y.

Finally, we left on Saturday still in gloomy gray weather, but the wind had died down, the waves were 1-2 ft. and we sailed at seven knots down to the Hampton area and anchored near Ft. Munroe. It felt good to get moving again. It drizzled on and off but did not pour until we were at anchor once again.

Hopefully, we will see brighter days ahead. We are motoring to Portsmouth in rain and drizzle this Sunday, but the sun actually came out for about 5 minutes. That's a good sign. At least it is nice to know it is still up there!  I have to say thank you to our canvas maker, Victoria, because we sure needed the new canvas this first week  It got a good workout for testing the water proofing.

Now why did we name our blog what we did?  Not for the book, but for the fifty shades of gray we saw all this dreary rainy week!

Summer Update and Heading South Again

Well, once again we are on the boat heading south for the winter. What did we do this summer?

Besides the usual working on some things with the house we had a wonderful two week trip out west to the National Parks. We flew out to Bozeman, Montana and picked up our bus tour from Vantage Travel. 

Our first rest stop.  What beauty!

We weren't quite sure how we would like a bus trip, but ended up loving it. It was so nice to just relax and leave the driving and planning to the tour company. Our tour guide was excellent and the group of 38 people were very nice and considerate of all. So no stragglers when we were to leave destinations which was a plus! 

The mist and the colors where magical.

We started at Mammoth Springs, then Yellowstone for two days. 

One of the many geysers!

The turquoise mist and orange minerals were a sight to behold in Yellowstone.

Grand Teton beauty.

Through the Grand Tetons which were spectacular and on to Jackson Hole, Moab and Arches National Park.

What a contrast from the Tetons!

We saw them in their convention center which seats 23,000.

We learned all about the Mormons in Salt Lake City and heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir twice which was fantastic.

Monument Valley

Then onto Monument Valley on the Navajo Reservation where many movies have been filmed,

Grand Canyon

What a way to end the trip with the three greats, the Grand Canyon,

Hoo Doos- amazing natural formations

Bryce Canyon National Park,

Amazing what you see at 6:15am walks at Bryce!

Bryce Canyon

and Zion National Park. All with such beauty of their own. Our country has truly breath-taking beauty and we were so glad we went. Everyone asked which was our favorite spot. It was hard to choose, but I guess Bryce was my top pick and then Yellowstone.

Now we are heading to see a totally different kind of beauty. Fall is here and the leaves are starting to turn colors and drop. We left on October 4^th and made it to the Solomons Islands on the Patuxent River, Md. We have been here for two days waiting for the wind to change from south to anything else. It has been unusually hot in the mid eighties since we left, but we are sure will turn cool soon enough.  We are glad our new canvas, for the bimini, dodger, and sail cover got done.  Now we might be able to not get wet when it rains, because our old white canvas leaked like a sieve even after waterproofing it before we left last year.

Blue Heaven's new look.

It has been raining for several hours and canvas is doing well.   We have had time to do indoor projects like inventory of all our supplies and fixing and cleaning things we just did not get to before leaving. Hope to leave tomorrow to visit with friends in Mill Creek. Waiting for the decent weather does get tedious at times!

Last but not Least!

Sunrise at Goat Island in the Dismal Swamp

It may be called the Dismal Swamp but we often have some beautiful days in there, and this was the start of one of the pretty ones.  We had to go through a second lock which took a bit of time seeing so many snowbirds were returning north.You can see how crowded it can get.

The water is filling in at the South Mills Lock.

This is actually the first lock we went through.
You can see by looking at the sides of the lock that we rise about eight feet.  The next day people were getting anxious to get out of the lock because they were trying to make a bridge that was about 55min. away.  They zoomed out almost causing an accident but missed the bridge opening by minutes and then had to motor around for an hour until the next opening.

Al trying to stay warm!

After having a beautiful day in the Dismal Swamp the day before, this day was drizzly and cold!  I think it was the most layers we had on the entire trip and that was on May 4th.  We went into Hampton Piers to dock the boat and our friends, Dave and Toni Mershon whisked us away to their house in Williamsburg where it was nice and warm. 

We had a grand time visiting and sightseeing.  We went to Norfolk Botanical Gardens.  It was a bit chilly that day but the flowers and scenery were gorgeous.  If you have not picked up on it yet, the three things I love to photograph are sunrises, sunsets and flowers.

The contrast of colors are amazing.

The azaleas were massive.

Glass and metal fish sculptures in a pond.

 There was a glass sculpture exhibit throughout the massive gardens entitled "Reflections of Nature."
The fish are only one of numerous designs.
Although it was quite chilly we were glad we went

The serene Japanese Garden

The next day we visited Jamestown and refreshed our history lessons from many years ago. 

It still amazes me how our forefathers fought back then and that anyone came back alive.  The following day we  went to the Muscarelle Museum at William and Mary which is an art museum. We got some to see some amazing wooden block prints and lithographs as well.   After lunching in Williamsburg they drove us back to our boat.  It worked out perfectly, because the days we visited with them, we would not have gone out in the bay due to strong northerly winds.  We left the next day and you can see how brilliant and calm the waters were leaving the Hampton area.  It was the same in the bay.  We anchored at Reedville and it rained most of the evening and night.  However, we awoke to blue skies and sunshine and are headed to the Solomon Islands.  We will be back at our marina this weekend so this is the last blog for the season.  I hope you enjoyed reading our adventures as much as we loved experiencing them.

Leaving Hampton under blue skies.

PS.  One last thing I wanted to put into our blog for cruisers who might have known our friend Pat Thorpe from Sun Cat.  I have started a fundraiser for a memorial bench which will be placed at Warderick Wells and excess funds will be given to Exuma Land and Sea Park in memory of Pat.  If you are interested in donating, the site is: http://www.gofundme.com/patsperch

A New Stop on the ICW

The old southern houses along the waterfront.

 We made a stop at a place we had never been before, Southport, NC.  We were glad we did.  It was a charming southern town with the large older homes along the water front and many quaint churches and shops.

The dogwood blossoms made great framing for this church.

It was also interesting because the day we were there, they were shooting a scene for the new show that comes out in June on CBS called Under the Dome.  We saw a lot of the equipment and one scene but no big stars.

Lights, camera, action!

Came highly recommended.

We did learn that this town and Wilmington, NC are used often for shows and movies.  Even parts of the TV show, Revenge, which supposedly takes place in the Hamptons is shot here.
We had another enjoyable meal at the place recommended by many, called Fishy Fish.  I actually have become tired of so much seafood so I chose a wonderful Walnut Apple Spinach Salad!

The fun Fishy Fish Cafe

Full moon from the docks of Southport Marina.

We stayed at Southport Marina which was a very nice facility.  It had great floating docks and nice bathrooms.  But the view that night was the greatest, with the full moon reflecting in the water.




The next day we moved onto Wrightsville Beach which was definitely a different atmosphere.  It is a beach town with lots of young people all around.  They were having a paddle board race on Saturday so there were many twenty-somethings out in their very little swim suits paddling all around our boats.  We are sitting there in our fleece and jeans but they had on their swim suits!  Oh, to be young again.  The men in the anchorage thoroughly enjoyed the sites. I on the other hand enjoyed the beach.

The craze of paddle boarding has taken over!

Wrightsville Beach

Cruisers heading north.

 The next day we left to anchor in Mile Hammock along with about eight other boats going through all the bridges with us.  There ended up about 15 boats in anchorage who seemed to keep coming in even after we went down below after dark.

Some rainy weather was predicted so we decided to head in to River Dunes Marina just north of Oriental, NC. Thirteen other boats decided the same thing along with our friends on Summersalt, John and Susie, and Five and Dime with Curt and Kathy.  Since they had so many boats come in, the manage called the chef and staff to come in on a Monday for a cruiser's dinner.  A one selection entree with salad, veggie, rolls and dessert for a set price.  After raining all day it felt good to go to the restaurant and sit in real chairs and talk to other cruisers. 

Enjoying our cruiser meal at River Dunes.

Our rainy day ended with a sunset and moon rise from the window of the restaurant.

So now we are in the Dismal Swamp because the winds were against us to go up the Virginia Cut.  We plan to meet up with our old friends Dave and Toni Mershon to see their new home in Williamsburg this weekend.  It will be nice to get off the boat for a few days.  It won't be long now until we are back at our home marina!