Civil War Infantry reannactment in YorktownThose are wool uniforms
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Waterman crabbing in Mobjack BayFriday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Battleship Wisconson, 888 Feet
Fort Monroe Courtyard
Dismal Swamp, Waiting for the lock
Rose Buddies in Elizabeth City
MM and Honey in Oriental, NCJune 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.
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.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Mermaid in Beaufort, SC
1750 House on King Street in Charleston, NC
Magnolias in Blossum
The Smallest House in Savannah, For sale $300,000
Alligator in GeorgiaMay 17, 2010
It is hard to believe that today is the one year anniversary of the start of our trip. On May 17, 2009, a rainy Sunday morning, we left Plymouth to begin this adventure. In some ways it seems we have been doing this for a very long time and at other times we wonder how the time seems to have past so fast.
Since the last post we have visited and traveled with many old and new friends. As mentioned in the last post we have been traveling with “Potest Fieri” since Cumberland Island, GA. We are now in Wilmington, NC with Frank and Bridget Bryson, Susan & Danny Godin, on “Potest Fieri” traveled on towards Beaufort, NC with Roger & Karen Montembeault on “Karen Ann”, whom we had met up with in Georgetown, NC.
The weather has been a mix of late spring and early summer with some days getting into the 90’s but mostly in the low 80’s. Today we have rain but this has not been common lately.
Since the last post we have visited:
Savannah, GA.
Beaufort, SC
Charleston, SC
Georgetown, SC
Myrtle Beach, SC
Southport, NC
Wilmington, NC.
Savannah is an old historic southern city that is now a major shipping center on the east coast. We were docked right downtown in the historic district as the large ocean freighters plied their way up and down the Savannah River. We took the obligatory carriage tour to see the very large, (allegedly the largest in the US) historic district. The waterfront is very active with shops and many restaurants nestled along the cobblestone streets. Very interesting and we had a lot of fun.
Beaufort, SC is a small quaint southern city with many interesting homes and gardens. You can see and walk the entire downtown area in a long afternoon. It was a hot day but we still had a good time. We celebrated Danny & Susan’s anniversary at a rib shack on Lady Island. Thank goodness we only ordered a ½ rack each as we still had enough leftovers for dinner the next night. They were great ribs.
The next night we anchored in a quiet stream in Steam Boat Creek on our way to Charleston.
We visited the Charleston Yacht Club and were treated in a very friendly manner. Charleston is a very active sailing center and, where we were anchored, the high school team was racing 420’s.
Charleston is a wonderful city and, as of now, our favorite city since we have left the Florida Keys. The downtown is very old with a mix of colonial and Victorian homes with lovely gardens lining narrow tree shaded streets. There is an area called the “Market” that is now kiosks and small shops but was originally where the slaves were bought and sold. King Street is narrow and lined with shops on both sides until it morphs into a very upscale neighborhood of colonial and federalist homes where various “General Beauregards” watched the Confederate shelling of Fort Sumter from the roof. So started the Civil War.
We meandered into an antique shop along King Street which had some very nice pieces. I looked at one lovely desk for $25,000, a second for $27,000, which had a sold sign on it, and finally a small Chippendale desk for a mere $115,000. I decide it was time to leave.
We stayed there for three days and could have stayed longer and still not seen everything.
We moved onto Georgetown where we spent two nights with Bob and Dee McLemore at their lovely home on Pawley’s Island. Frank and Bridget Bryson came down from Wilmington, NC to join in the party. We had great camaraderie, food, and libations.
We had been having a slowly worsening problem with the generator not starting as it should. I had tried everything from new fuel filters, battery, etc. with not very satisfactory results. Frank and I finally decided that it had to be the starter. Since Frank was going back to Wilmington, and we would be seeing them in a few days, he was going to make some inquiries as to where a starter shop might be that could look at the unit. For information, a new starter from Westerbeke is $800.00 plus shipping.
After an overnight stop in Myrtle Beach¸ where they were having “Bike Fest Week” we stopped at Southport. As a cultural observation, Harley owners average over 60 years old, weigh over 275 lbs, and have girlfriends that should not wear cutoff jeans and tank tops.
Frank met us in Southport and it was off to the starter shop while Judi went off shopping. The technician quickly determined that the starter was junk and a new one was in order. Westerbeke engines are built by Mitsubishi as are the starters. Believe it or not the shop had a Mitsubishi replacement starter in stock for $181.00. Needless to say that purchase was made quickly and it was off to the boat. To make a short story shorter the starting problem has been solved and all is well. The only downside is that my new starter is not painted red like the old one was, but for a $619.00 difference I think I can buy a spray can of red paint if it really bothers me.
From Southport we had a short trip to the anchorage at Carolina Beach, where we are right now. This is a very nice anchorage and we can dinghy to Frank and Bridget’s home in about ten minutes from the boat. As always, we have had a nice stay with them and we will be off to our next southern city, Beaufort, NC.
It is hard to believe that today is the one year anniversary of the start of our trip. On May 17, 2009, a rainy Sunday morning, we left Plymouth to begin this adventure. In some ways it seems we have been doing this for a very long time and at other times we wonder how the time seems to have past so fast.
Since the last post we have visited and traveled with many old and new friends. As mentioned in the last post we have been traveling with “Potest Fieri” since Cumberland Island, GA. We are now in Wilmington, NC with Frank and Bridget Bryson, Susan & Danny Godin, on “Potest Fieri” traveled on towards Beaufort, NC with Roger & Karen Montembeault on “Karen Ann”, whom we had met up with in Georgetown, NC.
The weather has been a mix of late spring and early summer with some days getting into the 90’s but mostly in the low 80’s. Today we have rain but this has not been common lately.
Since the last post we have visited:
Savannah, GA.
Beaufort, SC
Charleston, SC
Georgetown, SC
Myrtle Beach, SC
Southport, NC
Wilmington, NC.
Savannah is an old historic southern city that is now a major shipping center on the east coast. We were docked right downtown in the historic district as the large ocean freighters plied their way up and down the Savannah River. We took the obligatory carriage tour to see the very large, (allegedly the largest in the US) historic district. The waterfront is very active with shops and many restaurants nestled along the cobblestone streets. Very interesting and we had a lot of fun.
Beaufort, SC is a small quaint southern city with many interesting homes and gardens. You can see and walk the entire downtown area in a long afternoon. It was a hot day but we still had a good time. We celebrated Danny & Susan’s anniversary at a rib shack on Lady Island. Thank goodness we only ordered a ½ rack each as we still had enough leftovers for dinner the next night. They were great ribs.
The next night we anchored in a quiet stream in Steam Boat Creek on our way to Charleston.
We visited the Charleston Yacht Club and were treated in a very friendly manner. Charleston is a very active sailing center and, where we were anchored, the high school team was racing 420’s.
Charleston is a wonderful city and, as of now, our favorite city since we have left the Florida Keys. The downtown is very old with a mix of colonial and Victorian homes with lovely gardens lining narrow tree shaded streets. There is an area called the “Market” that is now kiosks and small shops but was originally where the slaves were bought and sold. King Street is narrow and lined with shops on both sides until it morphs into a very upscale neighborhood of colonial and federalist homes where various “General Beauregards” watched the Confederate shelling of Fort Sumter from the roof. So started the Civil War.
We meandered into an antique shop along King Street which had some very nice pieces. I looked at one lovely desk for $25,000, a second for $27,000, which had a sold sign on it, and finally a small Chippendale desk for a mere $115,000. I decide it was time to leave.
We stayed there for three days and could have stayed longer and still not seen everything.
We moved onto Georgetown where we spent two nights with Bob and Dee McLemore at their lovely home on Pawley’s Island. Frank and Bridget Bryson came down from Wilmington, NC to join in the party. We had great camaraderie, food, and libations.
We had been having a slowly worsening problem with the generator not starting as it should. I had tried everything from new fuel filters, battery, etc. with not very satisfactory results. Frank and I finally decided that it had to be the starter. Since Frank was going back to Wilmington, and we would be seeing them in a few days, he was going to make some inquiries as to where a starter shop might be that could look at the unit. For information, a new starter from Westerbeke is $800.00 plus shipping.
After an overnight stop in Myrtle Beach¸ where they were having “Bike Fest Week” we stopped at Southport. As a cultural observation, Harley owners average over 60 years old, weigh over 275 lbs, and have girlfriends that should not wear cutoff jeans and tank tops.
Frank met us in Southport and it was off to the starter shop while Judi went off shopping. The technician quickly determined that the starter was junk and a new one was in order. Westerbeke engines are built by Mitsubishi as are the starters. Believe it or not the shop had a Mitsubishi replacement starter in stock for $181.00. Needless to say that purchase was made quickly and it was off to the boat. To make a short story shorter the starting problem has been solved and all is well. The only downside is that my new starter is not painted red like the old one was, but for a $619.00 difference I think I can buy a spray can of red paint if it really bothers me.
From Southport we had a short trip to the anchorage at Carolina Beach, where we are right now. This is a very nice anchorage and we can dinghy to Frank and Bridget’s home in about ten minutes from the boat. As always, we have had a nice stay with them and we will be off to our next southern city, Beaufort, NC.
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