Crossing our wake and completing the loop, June 26, 2010 @ 5:45 AM
After our celebration dinner at Liberty Landing on June 25th
How about that shirt?

Miss America

Our NYC fireboat welcome

Barnegat Light New Jersey

June 28, 2010

We had a great trip from Atlantic City to New York City, with a stop in Manasquan. The waters off the Jersey Shore were quiet as we sailed into New York Harbor. We spent Saturday night at Liberty Landing Marina both of us glad and at the same time a bit melancholy that the next morning we would cross our wake and have completed the American Great Loop. We left early Saturday, and with great restraint, I did not turn left up the Hudson to do the Loop a second time, but went straight to close the circle at the confluence of the East and Hudson Rivers at 5:45 am on Saturday, June 26, 2010.

1 year (365 days), 1 month, (31 days) & 9 days-total 405 days.
6475 Nautical Miles (~7446 Statute Miles)

Saturday night we spent in Branford, CT with Mark Salley and his son, Jason, and watched a great fireworks show. We were very impressed that they put on such a great show for Judi and me in recognition of our trip completion. In truth, Branford has their fireworks a week before the 4th. I am told it is a lot cheaper.

Yesterday (Sunday) we traveled to Jamestown, RI arriving at 5:00 PM after spending a large amount of the trip from Watchhill, RI in pea soup fog. As an aside, I have never understood why they call it "Pea Soup Fog". Fog is white, pea soup is green. I think they should call it "New England Clam Chowder Fog"; at least it is the right color.

Today we are resting up here as the weather gurus predict high winds and thunderstorms. Tomorrow weather permitting; we are off to Hadley's Harbor and on Wednesday, returning to Plymouth. That is unless when we get to the Gurnet, we decide not to turn left but go straight and spends the rest of the summer cruising the Coast of Maine.

Alas, that probably will not happen and we will return to Plymouth and reality.

It truly has been, the "Trip of a lifetime".

Mr. Monkey @ Trump Marina in Atlantic City.

He lost $15.00

Little D, Big D and Abigail on the weekend boat trip

Victorian hotel in Cape May

Jejuda at Tilghman Island on the Eastern Shore

View from the lighthouse at the Maritime Museum in St. Michaels

Screwpile lighthouse at the Museum in Solomons Island

The ducks in Solomons Island

The Methodist Church on Tangier's Island

June 23, 2010

We have traveled not too many miles since our last post but we have been many places. We decided to spend some time exploring the Chesapeake and have found some very fine anchorages and great places. The Chesapeake is much like Maine, the North Channel, and Georgian Bay, in the sense that one could spend a lifetime exploring and never ever see all the secluded private anchorages, interesting places, and fantastic people.

We spent from the end of May until the 22nd of June on the Bay. We had a great last weekend when we had our two oldest grandchildren, David and Abigail, for three days on the boat. We had a wonderful time and their parents had 3 days by themselves. We spoiled and sugared them up and sent them home.

Some of the more interesting spots on the Bay were Tangiers Island, Solomons Island, and St. Michaels, MD.

Tangiers is a remote island that is solidly ensconced in the 1950’s. There are some 500 residents that derive their living from crabbing and a small amount of tourists. We stayed at Park’s Marina for $35.00/night and all the local knowledge that could be purveyed from the owner, Milton a salty 79 year old man. The main form of transportation is the golf cart, followed by bicycles, and walking. We went to Sunday services at the Methodist Church (the only church) and it was from “Leave it to Beaver”. Since land is in short supply they bury their parents, grandparents, etc. in their front yards.

Solomons Island is a tourist spot but still very nice. We stayed three days at Zahniser’s Marina on a mooring ball for $30.00/night and had the run of their facility, including a nice pool and immaculate laundry. Solomons has a great maritime museum with a restored “Screw Pile Lighthouse”, unique to the Bay. Oysters were king here during the late 19th and early 20th century.

From Solomons we went over to the Eastern Shore on the Choptank River. We had a great anchorage in La Trappe Creek and went the next day to Oxford. Another sleepy Maryland town stuck in the mid 20th century. Moving west on the Choptank we ended up in San Domingo Creek which is the “back door” way into St. Michaels. St. Michaels is a very popular tourist destination and was quite interesting. There are many shops but luckily, for me most were closed on Wednesday.

We left there in ended up in Knapp’s Narrows on Tilghman Island waiting for a good weather day to cross to Annapolis, which we had the next day.

After the weekend with the grandchildren we made tracks up the Bay through the C&D canal and down the Delaware River. We spent Monday evening 1/3 of the way down the river in Greenwich, NJ which is the greenhead capital of the world. The next morning we rode the outgoing tide into Cape May.

We explored Cape May, an old Victorian resort beachside area, very nice, pretty and we are glad we took the time to explore. We had two great coffee milkshakes (for those of you from New England, frappes) at an old fashioned five and dime store with soda fountain counter.

This morning we left early, 5:30 and arrived in Atlantic City at about 10:30. We are at a funky little marina across from Trump Marina. We went over in the dinghy and proceeded to lose $15.00 at the slots.

Depending on the weather we should be in New York City on Friday or Saturday. With some luck, no rushing though, perhaps back in Plymouth by the 4th.

Very rare Virginia Flatsnake

Welcome to Urbanna VA

MM with Old Ben in Smithfield

Civil War Infantry reannactment in Yorktown

Those are wool uniforms

Waterman crabbing in Mobjack Bay

The Battleship Wisconson, 888 Feet

Fort Monroe Courtyard



Dismal Swamp, Waiting for the lock

Rose Buddies in Elizabeth City

MM and Honey in Oriental, NC

June 3, 2010

As noted in the last post we were headed to Beaufort, NC. We arrived there and had a pleasant walk around of the City and the various shops etc. That evening, we met up with another couple that had done the loop in 2005, Capt. Bob & NanRae Hanold on “Bonas IV” as well as Ross & Nancy Hiner on “Oddysea” whom we had met last fall on the Tennessee River.

The next day took us to Oriental, NC. Oriental advertises itself as the “Sailing Capital of NC”. It is a sleepy little town of some 500 people and 5000 boats. It must get really crazy on the weekends or when they have sailing regattas. They had a nice little Tiki bar at the marina.

After Oriental it was on to Belhaven, NC. We anchored out, had a quiet dinner and went to bed early. The next morning we had a very early start on a very nice day and were planning to stay on the southern shore on Albemarle Sound just beyond the Alligator River swing bridge. We arrived at the bridge earlier that anticipated and, because it was such a nice day, we decided to cross the Albemarle and go to Elizabeth City, NC. Elizabeth City is the southern tip of the “Great Dismal Swamp” that starts in Norfolk, VA and goes south to Elizabeth City.

We arrived around 4:30 and were greeted by “Potest Fieri”, “Karen Ann”, and “Monks Vineyard”. They had all arrived on Friday, we arrived on Saturday and they were moving north on Sunday. We elected to stay another day and left on Tuesday.

Elizabeth City has to be the most boater friendly place on the entire east coast. Every evening, weather permitting, they host a free wine and cheese party for the boaters that are tied up to the city provided, free docks. The mayor comes out and thanks everyone for coming, the chamber of commerce gives a pitch for the local merchants, and an old duffer named “Dave” (NOT ME) gives everybody the hot skinny on the Dismal Swamp Canal, its two locks, history etc. They also give each of the ladies a single rose, the group that hosts this is called the “Rose Buddies”. It really was a lot of fun and interesting. Joe and Joyce invited us aboard Takitez II for cocktails

Tuesday we headed into the swamp with a man we met named Merritt Walker and his friend “Fritz” Melsheimer. Merritt’s boat, “Bonny IV Rover” is a custom built steel 40 footer that was of his design. Come to find out Merritt is a boat designer and had designed several steel schooners that sail off the Maine coast in the summer. But of even more interest, he designed the “Pilgrim Belle” paddle wheeler that sails out on Plymouth Harbor and was the boat that our daughter Jessica, and then, her fiancé Sam Chun had their wedding rehearsal dinner and party on the night before they got married. A REALLY SMALL WORLD!

We spent Tuesday night at the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center after a very shallow trip in the Canal. The boat behind us was a 46 Bavaria Sailboat from Oslo, Norway that drew 6 ½ feet. The canal is now a bit deeper in spots as there were places that were less than 6 feet.

On Wednesday we continued to Norfolk and anchored out and had the obligatory cocktails with two other couples we met in Elizabeth City. Richard and Tiki aboard Tadpole was just starting the loop from Tampa. Jack and Linda from New Attitude, a sailboat was returning to Maryland after wintering in the Bahamas.

The remainder of the week called for high winds so we elected to stay at the Norfolk Waterside Marina for three days. We rented a car and explored Fort Monroe in Hampton Roads, went to the Museums in Portsmouth, and drove to Smithfield and bought overpriced Virginia ham and some slab bacon and green tomato pickles. It is a very pretty town.

From Norfolk we proceeded up the York River to Yorktown. We did the usual tour of the battlefield, had some Ben & Jerry’s at the stand and lazed around at anchor for two days on the Memorial Day weekend.

We left Norfolk and went into Mobjack Bay up to the East River pass an anchorage called “Put In Creek” to a very secluded spot further upstream. We did some dinghy exploring, which is always fun and after supper, we sat on the flybridge in a quiet steady rain and watched as thunder storms went by on both sides of us. Nice.

On June 2nd we went up the Piankatank River to Jackson Creek in Deltaville, VA. They had a courtesy car and we went and picked up our forwarded mail, went to grocery store, and the obligatory trip to West Marine. It has been “very, very hot” and the afternoon lying around the pool was appreciated by all. Today we are in Urbanna, VA a pretty little river town on the south shore of the Rappahannock River. Again it is hot and humid. I can only imagine what it must be like on the Chesapeake in July and August.

We will be taking our time exploring this great sailing area looking for neat places to anchor and explore. According to our trusty cruising guide there are “300+ Secluded Anchorages, 400+ Marinas and 200+ Waterfront Restaurants”. I think we will not get to see them all in the next two weeks but we shall give it a valiant try.