"On the Hard" in Oxford, MD

We had a 2:00 appointment to be hauled out in Oxford, so we left Annapolis early - made it under the Spa Creek bridge at 7:00, well ahead of the rush-hour limited opening schedule. With the tide and wind in our favor, we made great time - slipped through Knapps Narrows with ease, and were in Oxford by 11:30! We had time for a thorough pump-out, and then headed for the lift. We are by far the widest boat they can pull, and we just barely made it into the lift, with about 2 inches to spare on either side. Took them a long time to get the straps on, but we really appreciated the care they took, and we were propped up on blocks and stands by 2:30.

Oxford is a great little town - we had a late lunch at Schooners (where our car had been parked for more than 5 weeks) and ice cream at Highlanders, right next door. It's an adjustment to have to climb a ladder to get on board (or to take Mindy for a walk), and of course we can't use our on-board heads, so it's a ladder trip and a walk across the boatyard when we need to use the facilities, but at least we're able to live aboard. We were able to get a whole group of craftsmen on board to look at the issues we need solved, so we should have estimates early next week.

Saturday morning we packed up, took a swim at the little beach right across the road from the Marina, jumped in the shower, and headed home. Now we're back in NJ for a little while, and it feels great. We have TV and a dishwasher again!

Mill Creek, Solomons, Deale, Annapolis

Two delightful anchorages after rough seas. Mill Creek (south of Reedville, MD) we had all to ourselves, and enjoyed a swim off the back. Then we headed to Solomons, where we anchored again and ferried our bikes to shore on the dinghy (not an easy task, but doable) to see the town. It was OK, but not up to the hype. The next day we took a slip in Deale (Shipwright Marina) because we had to do laundry. Enjoyed their pool while the washer and dryer were doing their thing, then took our bikes to Skipper's Pier for $2/crab night. Ordered a half dozen, plus a dozen oysters on the half shell, and the man sitting next to us at the bar gave us two jumbos he couldn't finish. Crab heaven! Two beers and all that food later, we left after paying just $30! A great day.

Next morning, with skies threatening and the radar website showing rain any minute, we biked to a great coffee shop for the morning brew and muffins. Biked back to the boat in the sprinkles, but had a rain-free (but windy) ride to Annapolis. We were very fortunate to have a free dock, courtesy of two other Manta owners (one of whom is the dockmaster at their condo association) on Spa Creek in Eastport. We've spent today biking for all we're worth - visiting with UK Sails, Doyle Sails, and a dinghy company, to check out pricing on a stack pack for our main sail, and repairs for our dinghy. After a long afternoon we headed to Eastport Yacht Club for a beer, and happened on a party (picture) to celebrate tomorrow's start of the Bermuda Ocean Race. We're taking off early tomorrow for Oxford, MD, where we will pull the boat out of the water for repairs and routine maintenance. Our car should be there waiting for us, so we'll be heading home to NJ for at least a little while.

Cape Charles and Jackson Creek with Stewardship

Thursday - June 3 - Headed to Cape Charles and for a change were under sail - no engines! Glorious day! Cought up with Stewardship (a sailboat owned by our friend Dave Steward, and in charter service for sunset and dinner cruises with first mate and on-board chef Hania). They were on an afternoon charter, so we tried racing them, but lost miserably. No one said a large, comfy catamaran would also be a star under sail!

In port at the town docks (a working dock for crabbers and fisherman) I stopped to ask a couple of fishermen what they had caught, and where I could get some fresh fish. They offered me my choice of whatever was in their cooler, so I took two and put them on ice until I could clean them. Dave and Hania came into port shortly afterwards and agreed to join us for a fish dinner, so it was time to eviscerate the fish - a first on Deeper Season. Discovered that the steps down in the back (I guess the fantail) works just great for the purpose, and in no time we had our catch ready to go in the oven. A great dinner, and great to catch up with the captain and first mate of Stewarship. The next day, Dave took me and Hania out for a sailing lesson, and I finally learned how to do a man overboard rescue. I also learned just how much I really do know about sailing, so my confidence factor rose measurably. As thanks for the lesson we took Dave and Hania to dinner at Kelly's Pub in Cape Charles, and it was fantastic.

On Saturday, we followed Stewarship for a sail across the Chesapeake to Jackson Creek. Found a beautiful anchorage and rafted up (another first for us). Hania cooked - stuffed grilled clams, fish tacos, rice and beans, and mojitos. Unbelievable! If you ever receive an invitation to dine on Hania's cooking, say yes!

This morning, after a great breakfast cooked by Hania and Bill, we parted company with Stewardship and went north. We were aiming for Solomons Island, but fell quite a bit short. Strong winds and a resulting broken fair lead block on our jib, plus threatening thunderstorms, encouraged us to duck into Mill Creek just south of Reedville, VA - an anchorage Dave recommended. We had a lazy afternoon and took a very refreshing swim (another first for our journey) before the storms came in. Once they were through, we had yet another glorious sunset. All in all, a great couple of days with friends!

Elizabeth City, the Rose Buddies, and the Dismal Swamp

At the start of the Dismal Swamp sits Elizabeth City, NC, a town that now proudly calls itself the "Harbor of Hospitality," and for good reason. We arrived to tie up to a free dock, then hustled over for the "Rose Buddies" welcome reception (see the pix of the Rose Buddies plaque for the history). We were feted with free wine and cheese and, because they were also welcoming another town we were fed a free dinner of pulled pork sandwiches, mashies with fixins, and lots of other good stuff. I was given a rose (see pix), and then we were invited to partake of movie night. (There's a picture of this, too - it was an old black and white starring Andy Griffith as "Lonesome Roads" - now I know why Keith Olberman calls Glen Beck by that name). A lovely night!

This morning we headed into the Dismal Swamp - the oldest canal in the Americas, started by George Washington and others as a business investment well before he became President. It's beautiful, especially today when we were the only boat transiting. Very contemplative (see pix of Bill sitting forward just enjoying watching the world go by - or maybe napping).

There are 2 locks (duck soup, even easier than the ones on the French canals), and at the second one our lock tender treated us to a concert on the conch (see pix). Yes, he plays the shells, and not only makes different notes, but he played jazz! Very cool! In the middle of the swamp is a welcome center that is now a state park. Note the pix of the exotic moth. (One of the volunteers told me its name - starts with a 'c' - but I can't remember it.

Tonight we're in Portsmouth, VA, heading to see friends in Cape Charles tomorrow.

Oriental for Memorial Day

We left Swansboro thinking we would end up in Morehead City or Beaufort - two of our favorite NC towns. We had hoped we could work our way up the Core Banks to visit our old neighbors in Sea Level. Unfortunately it seems there has been a lot of shoaling on that route, so we made a quick decision to skip our old familiar haunts in favor of Oriental, a town we had visited before, but wanted to get to know better.

We arrived in early afternoon at Deaton's Marine, and had our first opportunity (?) to parallel park. With just about as much space between boats as between cars, we maneuvered our boat into its slip, and only heard one soft 'clunk' (but no damage!) We called our friends from NJ, Ron and Louise (Nock) Stevens. They were out, so we left a message and took our bikes into town. A long iced tea break at M&M's Cafe, and we were ready for a long ride, so we set out to see if we could remember where their house was. We remembered that it was on the water (see picture of dock from their deck), but the house had changed so much (a huge redo project) we didn't recognize it. But we had no sooner passed the house than Louise called! We spent that evening with them and their friend Lisa at a new development / marina north of town called River Dunes. Louise works there part time, but also takes care of their ponies. Great food, great conversation (fortunately we're all on a similar page when it comes to politics) and a beautiful night!

On Sunday, Bill met Ron and Louise at The Bean for early coffee. Later, Bill and I rode into town to partake of M&M's steamed jumbo crabs. We biked to Louise and Ron's for another delicious dinner (see photo of the 4 of us, taken by Lisa, that will give you some idea of the feast we had). All in all, an absolutely perfect holiday weekend! Thanks, Louise and Ron!

Monday morning we headed for Belle Haven. Not much of a town, and completely deserted on the holiday. We anchored in a wide open area and bounced all night, even after resetting the anchor. Took off at sunrise (see photo) headed for Elizabeth City and the Dismal Swamp.