Onancock, Solomons and Annapolis

We're on a schedule to get back to NJ by early next week. Fought north winds while motoring north from Mobjack Bay to Onancock, VA on the eastern shore of VA, but it was worth the trip. Quaint town, good restaurant right at the harbor, and a quiet anchorage. 

Dinghy at Mallards dock



Bill at Mallards on the deck


From there, another day fighting north winds to Solomons, MD (on the mainland side), but another lovely anchorage and fun visit to the Tiki Bar. This morning the winds were just as full, but for a change they were coming from the south, and pushed us with record speed to Whitehall Bay, just north of Annapolis. With the motor on and just the jib we routinely hit 11 knots even though we were facing a 1.5 knot current the whole way. Amazing!

We dropped our anchor, then hopped in the dinghy to a place just up the creek called Cantler's. Famous for their crabs, and rightly so. We spent nearly 3 hours picking and eating - Scrumptious!! Tomorrow we head further up the bay, getting ready to go through the C&D canal to Delaware Bay and Cape May.
 

Finally a sailing day!



At anchor in Put-In Creek off Mobjack Bay in the Chesapeake

After a few days back in Deltaville (one minor repair, one engine tune-up, and work done on the dinghy chaps) we headed south on Sunday with the objective of visiting our favorite restaurant, the White Dog Inn in Mathews, VA. They were closed from 3 to 5 on Sunday, but although we arrived at 3:15 our tale of woe (bringing the boat 5 hours down to Mobjack Bay, then a dinghy ride up Put-In-Creek, then a 3/4 mile walk into town) was enough that they let us come in anyway, and they not only gave us a beer, they fed us! Got back to the boat in time for another thunderstorm, then took a long swim and had a hot airless night aboard. Today it's cooler, but waves are high in the Chesapeake so we're spending another day here. Slowly heading north but enjoying the journey.

Back on the Boat

After 10 great days in D.C, including a weekend with Liz and James, we traveled back to White Point Marina at the mouth of the Potomac, picked up our car, and headed to NJ, then OH (for a terrific family reunion hosted by my brother, JP, and sister-in-law, Norma - THANKS!). Back to the boat, spent a day cleaning, grocery shopping, etc., in an area with no AT&T access (so no blog update). Today we headed back to Deltaville (we just can't stay away) for a hopefully minor engine repair, then off again. Today is really hot, but Deltaville Marina has a pool, which helped us get to happy hour happily!

Washington DC by boat

After one false try leaving Deltaville (the starboard engine quit when we were about an hour and a half out, so we returned for a - thankfully - quick fix) we left Velcroville a week ago Sunday and headed for the Potomac. Docked overnight at White Point Marina (our car was waiting for us, so we drove to a restaurant for Mother's Day) then headed up the Potomac. Next night we docked at Colonial Beach, then anchored in Mattawoman Creek overnight. Made it up to Washington D.C. on Wednesday. Anchored out from the Capitol Yacht Club, paid $15 a day for use of all their wonderful facilities, and had two glorious days to walk and ride bikes around the Mall, visit Congress (Senate and House), and the Library of Congress. This location is SUPER! Close to everything, and right next to the Fish Market.

We moved to one of CYC's transient docks on Friday, when Liz and her boyfriend James came down from NYC. They arrived Friday night. Saturday we bummed around together (they rented bikes from Capitol Bikeshare), visited the Spy Museum and Good Stuff Eatery (Spike from Top Chef's restaurant, and he was there). Baked a whole fish for a late dinner, then played Rummikub and called it a day. Sunday we headed for Air and Space, and they did the Mall, then took us to dinner at Zaytinga (tough place to get in, great food, casual, small plates). Then they headed out to visit a few clubs. They left Monday at noon, and we spent several hours in the Postal Museum, then back to the boat.

We'll go back out on the anchor tomorrow and stay a few more days before heading back down the Potomac to retrieve our car and head to NJ and OH for a couple weeks before continuing our journey. Life is good!

Back on Land until Spring

We finally gave up! Although the new engine is installed, it is not working quite the way we think it should be. We spent two very cold weeks in Deltaville and finally decided that it is just too late to try to go south this year. By the time we might have reached the Bahamas, we would have had very little time to explore before needing to head north before hurricane season. So, we are on PLAN B: back in NJ, perhaps some skiing, then returning to the boat in late March or April, and spending a great summer in the Chesapeake and north. So, don't look for any more updates for awhile. Enjoy the winter!

January in Deltaville

 

What a mess!

 

Cleaning up without running water

After a terrific Christmas break in NJ, we came back to the boat on Tuesday, January 4, arriving about 8 PM. The boat was VERY cold - although we had left the heat on, there was one power outage, and that must have been enough to flip the fuse off. So.... we were really glad we had winterized the water system before we left. The only casualty was the fridge - exploding Coke cans had done a number on it! Fortunately there wasn't much in it besides beer, wine and condiments, but since we had no water (because of winterizing) it took me a long time to clean each piece and then clean the fridge.

  

 

Figuring out the plan at the main dock



The rebuilt engine had arrived on Tuesday, so first thing Wednesday morning we were towed to the main dock for installation. (We can only surmise that they thought they would need to use the crane, although it turns out they just used a lot of muscle). Unfortunately, there was no power on that dock, so we went back to being cold (hence my winter hat and jacket when cleaning the fridge!)

 

A lot of bodies in a small space! Clown car?



The guys muscled the engine onto the boat and finally got it into the starboard cabin where they could do the final reassembly. While they were busy on that, Bill was taking apart our engine alarm panel and fixing it. (Yes, the same panel we had paid Oxford Boatyard to fix, which they didn't fix, and which caused us to lose our engine in the first place!)

A lovely hunk of metal!



Bill at work on the alarm panel

 

Today is Friday. They are just about finished, and we expect to crank it up later today for a sea trial. If all is well, we'll head to Hampton, VA tomorrow, where we'll stay a few days to install a new hot water heater. (Yes, another problem Bill discovered!)

Christmas 2010

Hello to all, and sorry for the long silence! We've been tied up to a dock at Deltaville Marina (Deltaville, VA) since late October, and although we've had a great time exploring the area (first on bikes, then later in our car) there hasn't been any 'traveling on the water' news to report! We did dress the boat for Christmas, and were delighted to join the Deltaville Boatyard crew at their annual Christmas party. It was an outdoor bonfire, with roasted oysters (and oysters on the half shell), smoked pork, and a slew of other great dishes. The boatyard owner took everyone in shifts on a night tour of the river, to see the lights of the houses and boats. Really got us in the mood! We left for Basking Ridge the next day, and have been here now for about a week and a half.



Deeper Season dressed for Christmas at Deltaville Marina



The engine, which was removed and shipped to Long Island for a rebuild, is now on its way back to Deltaville, and will be reinstalled right after the first of the year. If it's still bitter cold, and looking to stay that way, we will probably sail 30 miles south to another marina that can lift us out of the water, then head home and line up some skiing. If we get a January thaw we'll keep heading south, and hope to get to the Bahamas for a warmer winter. Stay tuned, and have a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year!