THE DISMAL SWAMP

We left Tidewater Marina on 9/28/12 to get into the Dismal Swamp. Mile zero of the Intercoastal Waterway starts right in front of the marina and after a few miles of more huge shipyards building huge ships, we passed under the first bridge and then made a starboard (right) turn into the the Dismal Swamp Canal. If we continued going straight we would be taking the Virginia Cut of the waterway. The right turn took us into a narrow channel that was covered with trees and vegetation on both sides and ran in pretty much a straight line for most of our first day. The Dismal Swamp Canal was dug under the supervision of George Washington, who had purchased thousands of acres of the swampy area for the wealth of Cypress and Cedar trees that grew there. Cypress and Cedar wood is rot resistant and was used for ship building and housing. He primarily used slave labor to dig it and the logging industry eventually cleared virtually every Cedar and Cypress tree in the area. The swamp got it's name from how the local people percieved it to be; dismal. It was interesting traveling through it and there was some nice scenery, but in many ways, I can see how it got its name. The water is a dark brown from all the rotting vegetation and looked like we were traveling through dark coffee. There are two locks in the canal that raise and lower you about 8 feet and they only open at 8:30 AM, 11:00 AM and 1:30 PM. We had left early to make sure we got to the first lock in time for the 8:30 opening. We were about 45 minutes early. It seems the distances on the canal are measured in miles per hour and we calculated our arrival based on knots per hour, and we were not alone. We circled around in the narrow canal with another sail boat that was trying to catch up to his sailing club who was spending the night at the North Carolina Welcome Center at Mile 28. The canal had a reasonable depth of 7 to 10 feet through this section, but there was a considerable amount of debris, and every once in a while we would hit something submerged in the water. We had been warned about "deadheads" that are sunken logs that would sometimes float up from the bottom and become hazards. We made it to the Welcome center in mid afternoon and, even with a dozen other boats there that were rafted off to each other, we were able to get a spot a along the wall. Later on, a trawler came along and we let them tie up to us, since there was no room left. We had a light dinner and explored the Welcome Center and the Dismal Swamp museum before the rain started and then we called it an early night. Entering the Dismal Swamp

Coffee Colored Water

Surpises around every corner.

Manana and her trawler buddy Summer Time

In the morning, all the South bound boats left at 6:30 in the morning to get to the 2nd lock opening at 8:30 AM. We decided to wait for the 11 AM opening and had a restful morning and a nice breakfast on board. It appears that the next lock was only about 5 miles away, which meant all those boats that left at 6:30 had to have gotten there almost an hour early. After confirming the distance with the Welcome Center, we didn't leave until 9:45 and decided to travel at a slower pace. The canal appeared to be widining some and the scenery became a little different, but when we got to the lock, we were told that there was North bound traffic and they would go through first and then we could go. So, once again, we had to stay in position for about 45 minutes while the Northbound boat went through the lock and bridge. The scenery after the 2nd lock changed even more dramatically with a heavy carpet of green across the water. Further down, the canal entered the Pasquotank River where it got wider and deeper. We passed several abandoned logging camps and the "deadheads" kept banging against our keel. We finally got through and passed under the Elizabeth City Bridge and to the Pelican Marina for the night. The 11 O'clock Lock

Green carpeted water

Dismal (?) Scenery

Denise's cousin Judy, who had been traveling with us through the Dismal Swamp, was having her son pick her up on Sunday morning. He got there around 8:30 and by 9:30 we were being driven to the grocery store to restock the boat. It took a lot longer than we had hoped to get the shopping done and get on our way. We left around noon to exit the Pasquotank River and cross the Albermarle Sound to the Alligator River. We had originally hoped to get to the South end of the River to an anchorage, but we had to stop and get fuel at the Alligator River Marina. It was already 4:30 by the time we fueled up and it would take another 3 hours or more to get to the anchorage and it would be dark. We decided to stay at the marina for the night. Tomorrow, we travel over 35 miles through the Alligator River. Yes, there are alligators in the Alligator River.

BACK TO THE CHESAPEAKE

We're finally back to the boat! Although it was good, and necessary to get home for a little while to take care of a few things,it's good to be floating again. As usual, everything was doing well thanks to Teresa, Wendy, Sandy and all the agents. We got delayed a few days longer than we anticipated due to availability of flights but finally got out on 9/22 on a morning flight and left the 40 degree weather of Chicago to arrive in the 90 degree heat in Baltimore. It felt great! Terry, my cruisng buddy in the Keys and the Caribbean, helped us shuttle to and from the airport and hopes to join us as we go further South. Len picked us up in Baltimore and we are staying an extra day at the marina to visit them at their home on Bodkin Creek ande to esplore what we could of the creek. Sorry it took so long to get this blog up but we have been very busy since we got back. On Monday 9/24/12 we left Bodkin Creek for Solomons Island. As usual, the wind was light and on our nose, so we wound up motoring most of the way there. Leaving Bodkin Creek

The famous "spider" lighthouse South of Annapolis in Chesapeake Bay

The Lighthouse outside the river entrance to Solomons

The Back Creek at Solomons and a Restaurant over the River

Denise's favorite, the Tiki Bar at Solomons

Solomons is across from the the air force base that tests new aircraft and is where Jim and Sherri's son Kyle works most of the time. We found a nice anchorage in an area called Back Creek near the Museum and spent the two nights. The area had some beautiful scenery and some interesting restaurants. Of course we had to dingy everywhere, but it just added to the fun. Once again a local shop keeper helped us by giving us a ride to a store that was over a mile away. It is amazing how helpful and kind all the people we have met have been. Denise's cousin lives near Cape Charles on the East side of the Chesapeake and we were making arrangemnents to pick her up and take her with us for a few days, so we headed South on the 26th to meet her in Norfolk, Virginia, where her daughter had organized a bicycle ride to Key West to raise money to help her mom get a kidney transplant that she needs. The forecast had been for winds from 15 to 20 MPH with waves from 2 to 3 feet and small craft warnings. We had initially decided to wait a day, but changed our mind when we saw what looked like a beautiful day in the Solomons. We decided we would just make a short hop to get closer to Norfolk. When we got out of the River and into the Bay, the wind and waves were not too bad and we tried to motor sail. By the time we got to the Potomac River, The winds had increased and the waves were doing more than the forecast 3 feet. We battled the wind and waves all across the mouth of the Potomac (which is huge) and had to get around Point Smith before we could hop into the Reedville, which was the first place that was deep enough for us to get into and off the Bay. We had to dodge crab pots and fish traps going into Reedville and once we got in there was a fish processing plant with a smell that could make you gag. Luckily, the marina we pulled into was downwind from it! The marina itself was pretty laid back. We pumped our own fuel and when we asked where our slip was, no one seemed to know. We wound up pulling the boat up in front of the restaurant and just past the fuel pumps to spend the night. On the way in to this laid back little marina with the stinky fish plant, we saw our first dolphins as they jumped along side our boat. I guess they must like the fish smell! Sorry, no pictures, you have to be very quick to catch them in a picture, but we will sooner or later. Thursday, the 27th was forecasted to be 5 to 10 knot winds with waves to 1 foot. It started out that way with a little wind coming (of course) right on our nose. We raised the main and tried to motor sail, tacking a little across the bay to give us a boost. We did quite well with speeds up to 9 knots as the wind, and waves continued to increase. The currents were also helpful in getting those kind of speeds. The further South we got the higher the wind speeds and the higher the waves. It was quite a distance yet to our destination and we realized it was going to be dark when we got there to pick up Denise's cousin. We opted to go to another marina. Going past all the naval ships and cargo vessels in the Norfolk boat yard was impressive. An aircraft carrier

A beautiful end to a long day.

We got secured and grabbed some dinner after a very long day on the water. Our map at the top of the page has been divided into three different maps. My son Patrick is trying to get them put together for me so you can see our progress as we map it. It's a great feature but we will continue to tweek it. Today....the Dismal Swamp!

BALTIMORE

Okay, the forcasts kept changing and we decided we should stay until Sunday in Annapolis. There were small craft warnings and a severe thunderstorm warning with high winds over 50 MPH. We finished our tour of the Naval Academy and made plans with Len and Kathy for dinner at around 6 on Saturday. We were just getting back to the boat around 4:30 when the rain started with a few drops and then we saw the roll clouds heading toward us. We rushed to Manana and began closing up the enclosure as the wind and rain came with a fury. We could barely see the boats around us and the wind appeared to be gusting well over 50 MPH. Within a half hour or so, the wind subsided but it continued to rain. Kathy is the sister of Rob from Michigan City and they helped us find a marina to leave our boat and offered to drive us to the airport. We had only talked to them on the phone and arranged dinner so we could meet them personally. We donned our rain gear and dingied back to town in the rain and finally met them. What interesting and wonderful people! Len is a retired airline pilot and Kathy is a music teacher who plays guitar, has a recording studio and what sounds like an extensive collection of acoustic guitars. Better yet, they are both Parrotheads and Licensed Captains! We had a great time and I am looking forward to visiting them again. The entrance to the Dorm rooms at Naval Academy

Sunday morning brought a much calmer day, with blue skies and a nice high pressure system hanging over us. The only negative was that the wind would be right on our nose (again!) as we headed North to Baltimore. We slipped the mooring and made it to Baltimore in about 4 hours. We had arranged for a slip at Hendersons Wharf at Fells Point. We had been told that the marinas further down in the Inner Harbor were not very safe and the surrounding areas were even less so. Fells Point is an deep port are with old industrial and warehouse buildings that have been converted to condo's and apartments. There are a lot of restaurants and bars and seems to be the place to go for entertainment. We found our way to the Little Italy area just North of Fell's Point and had dinner. On the way back to the boat, we stopped at a little Rum bar and then back to the boat. The view approaching Baltimore

Fort McHenry guarding the harbor

A view down Fells Street

The Downtown area from a distance

Monday afternoon, we toured a little more and checked out the "Downtown" Baltimore area from a safe distance. We then headed back to the where the Patapsco River meets the Chesapeake and into Bodkin Creek to Pleasure Cove Marina where we will leave Manana. This is a very quiet and well protected area. Our friends Len and Kathy will help us get back and forth from the airport and keep an eye on our boat for us. We will continue the blog when we get back.

ANNAPOLIS

Annapolis is said to be the Sailing Capital of the world. It is also the home of the US Naval Academy and hosts one of the best boat shows. Our trip would not be complete without an extended stay at this fun and historic town. We had a good sail across the bay, although we had to tack a couple times due to the South winds. We were in no hurry and thoroughly enjoyed the sail. Between the Bay Bridges over the Chesapeake

There were plenty of moorings after the Labor Day exodus and we grabbed one of the town moorings in front of the Academy. Cruisers kept coming in all afternoon while we went ashore to have dinner and explore the town. We had some fond memories of Pussers Bar and Grill where we had experienced quite a few of their Pain Killers several years ago at one of the boat shows. Denise was on a mission to have one of their original, and potent drinks. After dinner we hopped on the free trolley to take an evening tour and see where they went for future reference, and then took a stroll down Main Street. Bars and Restaurants along Dock Street

A view of the Bay from Church Circle

An evening veiw of Annapolis from our mooring.

Wednesday was another cloudy day with threats of rain and thunderstorms. We had a lazy morning with a hearty breakfast on the boat and then dingied to shore to take a shower in the municipal facilities. We returned to the boat to drop off stuff and then take a dingy tour of the harbor. Denise went aboard and as I was sitting at the stern in the dingy, I noticed there was a mast right in front of us that was awfully close to our boat. I yelled to Denise and rushed the dingy around to the bow to see what was happening. Denise also ran to the bow, but before we could do anything, we had t-boned our neighbor. It was 350 Catalina named Dream Weaver. Denise had caught it a little before it hit and softened the blow to avoid any damage, but it make a crashing sound that was apparently heard all around the harbor. How it happened made no sense at all. Dream Weaver was turned completely sideways to us and one purpose of moorings is to not have to worry about swinging into your neighbor. We called the harbormaster and had him make a report. He said that the moorings may have dragged some and got us too close together. The only explaination for the different positions we were in was that we had our single mooring line on the port side and they had theirs on the starboard, which still didn't seem likely to cause the problem but we switched to the same side as theirs to be safe. What a way to meet our neighbors! We met and talked to several boaters about what happened and met the owners of Dream Weaver when we came back that evening. They were totally unaware that anything had happened. We did a daytime walking tour of the town after the incident and visited the Maryland State House. Annapolis was actually the Capital of the United states for about a year. The Treaty of Paris was signed here that ended the Revolutionary War and George Washington resigned his commission as Commander in Chief at the State House. It is now the Capital of the State of Maryland. The town was settled in the early 1600's and was built with the Government building on the highest ground and the Church on the next highest hill. The result is the State House towering over the city with the church being right next to it but slightly lower. There are circles or roundabouts around the State House and the church and all the streets lead away from each of the circles. The entire town appears to be as it could have looked in the late 1700's and early 1800's with narrow brick streets and sidewalks and vintage and historic buildings in every direction. The view from Church Circle down to the Bay is beautiful. The entrance to the State House, the Capital of the US for a while.

The Senate Chamber in the State House

Examples of the older style homes throughout the town.

Denise wandered through many of the shops and we wound up visiting several historic and local bars for a "happy hour" dinner before returning to the boat. We had been anticipating the Wednesday Night Races at Annapolis that included more than 150 boats that would race right around our moorings to the finish line a few hundred yards from us. After waiting until way after dark, we found out that the races had ended the following Wednesday! On Thursday, we finally got the some of the rain they had predicted. It rained most of the morning. The ducks have apparently been using our dingy as a play pen overnight. The last two mornings I have had to clean out all the feathers and duck poop before we could stand to get into the dingy. One of those glamorous things about cruising, I guess. The rain finally quit around 2 PM so we hopped in the newly cleaned dingy and headed for town. We had decided to take a tour of the Naval Academy. It was oabout an hour and a half tour but it was well worth it. So much history and a very interesting campus. It is a naval college that produces officers for the Navy and Marine Corp and it is very impressive. We may just go back again tomorrow to look through their naval museum, since we ran out of time to see everything they had to offer. Dahlgren Hall

The Naval Chapel

There are a lot more pictures I wanted to post but the internet is not co-operating. I will post more of them later. Our plan is to head back up North to the Baltimore area tomorrow to prepare for our flight home next week. We do have plenty of time, and it is kind of nice not having to rush around and being able to hang out at nice places like this. The only delima is that there are so many nice places to choose! Keep following our blog and we'll try to keep you up to date.

THE CHESAPEAKE BAY

We had anchored in the dark in Chesapeake City Boat Basin. The anchorage was not too crowded but there were docks along the shore and a strange looking shack that was in the middle of the bay. I couldn't tell if it was a permanent structure or some kind of floating boat house, so I stayed as far away from it as I could. Apparently, it is a local guy who launches it and lives on it all summer.

We continued down the Elk River into the Chesapeake passing many small inlets, creeks and rivers along the way. The scenery was very nice but the shallow areas outside of the main channel kept us from exploring. We entered into the Chesapeake as we passed the Elk Point State Park and headed Northwest toward the Channel to the Susquehanna River and the town of Havre De Grace. The many rivers that flow into the Chesapeake create a lot of shoaling and shallow areas. The channel we entered was long and winding and took us past some areas where the birds were standing on dry land just a few hundred feet from our boat. We were assigned a mooring at the Tidewater Marina and proceeded to the assigned spot. For whatever reason, I completely overran the mooring ball. It was a little embarassing to see the mooring ball at the stern, and even more embarassing when it appeared to be hung up on either the rudder or (hopefully not) the prop. I put the boat in nuetral and kind of pushed on the ball with a boat hook and eventually the came loose. Apparently, the pennant had hung up on the rudder, but we were free and no harm done. We got the dingy set up and went off to explore the town. The towns are beginning to look very similar in every port so far. Lots of older buildings, lots of history, and a lot of empty buildings for sale. We did find the Tidewater Grill and had a nice dinner overlooking the river and the start of the Havre De Grace Thursday night races. We decided the view would be better from the boat since they were tacking for a race bouy not too far from where our mooring was. We spent the evening watching the races and called it a night. A atreet scene of Havre De Grace.

Boats tacking around our moorings.

A racer finishing under the moonlight.

In the morning, we decided to go see the promenade along the Southern edge of the town. This is an area where the British came ashore in the War of 1812 and burned the town to the ground. By 12:30, we were back on the boat and headed back out the winding channel to the Chesapeake. Our goal was to explore a few bays and wind up in Rock Hall, Maryland for the night. We motored out of the channel and then set sails for the Sassafras River, which had some very nice scenery. Crab pots are everywhere here. Especially when you get to a shoal area. We dodged them going into the river and then the wind began to die. We turned around and headed back out into the bay. Rock Hall was only 20 miles as the "crow flies" but there were several capes we had to get around and a shoal are that we had to get past before turning into the Rock Hall area that made it about 40 miles. The sun was setting before we got in. We entered the channel, taking a few shortcuts over areas that looked a little shalllow, but we didn't have any problems until we got close to the entrance to Rocj Hall Harbor. The charts on my chartplotter showed a straight in approach to the red and green entrance bouys, but apparently the channel had been dredged recently and they moved the bouys. We had a few scary moments as we dragged our keel through the mud trying to get to the entrance. Luckily, our Yanmar could plow us through the muck fairly well. After we got in, we had to find our slip. It was dark, we couldn't see any dock numbers and our instructions only included a slip number. Some of the sailors on the dock helped us get into a slip and we were good for the night. The next morning on September 1st, we decided to expore the area. Our neighbors invited us to lunch and drove us to a nice little water side restaurant. They dropped us off in the "Downtown" area of Rock Hall, which consisted of a two or three block long strip of shops and some restauraunts. It was extremely hot and humid but we continued walking another two blocks or so to the Rock Hall Museum, which was in the municipaly building with the Police, Library and Mayors office. We spent a little bit of time in the somewhat air conditioned museum and then called the trolley to have them pick us up. They said it would be 15 minutes but after a half hour of standing in the sun, heat and humidity, we had to call again. He said he would be there in a few minutes, but half an hour later, we were still sweltering outside the municipal building. We finally got them to pick us up but when we got off the trolley at another stop, but we had the same results when we wanted to get picked up. Luckily, a shop owner offered to give us a ride back to our marina. We spent some time with our neighbors, who happened to be good friends with some doctors we knew from Crown Point, including my Dr. Chuman. We then went and sampled some Cheapeake Blue Crabs at the Watermans across the bay as a violent storm blew through the area. The weather does not look good for the next few days so we may just stay put til after Labor Day. Don't forget to follow our map at the top of the page.