The weather looked perfect for travel today. No rain or storms were predicted. The trip to Solomons was longer though, so we didn't dawdle. Another up early and out... just in case.
When we hit the Chesapeake again the breeze (couldn't really call it a wind since it was around 5 knots) was coming from the north. For a few hours in the morning that gave us 1 foot chop on the nose. Not bad, but bouncy. Then things got smooth for a few hours. We took that opportunity to do our "Jumpy Things" which is what we call our HIIT Tabata routines. Tryin' to stay in shape!
The last couple of days have been very nature-centric. Yesterday, we noticed patches of activity in the water. Turned out they were clusters of fish schools, all over the bay.
That dark spot is a school of fish. We saw tens of these throughout the day.
Today it was rays. We think they are cownose rays, and they were everywhere, largely hanging out at the surface. As we went by them they'd stare at us passing. Kinda funny.
Cownose Rays. We heard they travel in "fevers."
The only adventure of the day happened in the very last hour of travel, when a massive power boat raced by us at 19 knots, and we rocked like wild. Bozo.
Traveled across the mouth of the Potomac. This lighthouse marks the port-side when entering.
Of course as we starting calling marinas up ahead it became clear that, Covid be damned, folks were gonna to out an do the 4th of July thing. Meaning, all the marinas were full for the weekend. Thankfully, Solomons has room for us. Poor planning on our part, but this is a good place to spend some time.
We spent a couple of days in Norfolk while Russ got a root canal. All good, by the way. But we noticed a distinct pattern in the weather. Storm clouds formed around 2 pm. While they didn't result in storms near us, we don't like to push things, especially after the event in Belhaven. Given the length of the ride to Deltaville, we wanted to get a very early start and be docked around 1 pm. We got up at 5:30, fed and walked the dog, had coffee and headed out. We were underway by 6:45am.
The water was insanely calm. Our ride could not have been better. In fact, it was so calm we decided to do something we'd been planning on doing once we hit open waters. Recalibrate our ship's autopilot.
Having used the system a while now we were never impressed with our autopilot. It ambles, swaying back and forth like a drunken sailor! Seriously messed up. Up until now, as a result, we've been driving. Which is pretty easy given the cockpit setup. It's like driving a big bus. But occasionally, when the water is churned, it can be tough to steer and you'd rather have an autopilot make those micro adjustments to keep her straight.
A bunch of furloughed cruise ships
After some research our autopilot has a little song-n-dance it has to go through, called a Sea Trial. We knew it was a set of tasks we or the autopilot had to perform and that ideally you want to do it in calm waters with calm winds. But we didn't know how long it was going to take. Answer: about 15 minutes.
It was a series of 4 tasks. First, run the engines wide open and see how fast the boat goes. (About 16 knots). Next, do some donuts while it resets the compass (we did about 2 complete circles). Then point the boat into open waters without any obstacles, get to cruising speed, and the autopilot takes over, swaying back and forth a bit until it (apparently) gets the feel of the boat. Lastly, point her straight for a "true north" calibration.
Hello Chesapeake Bay! Look at that water.
The result was amazing. We have a usable autopilot. Which is going to be very useful on the wide open waters of the Chesapeake Bay.
By noon, however, clouds began to form. Our ETA was still around 1 pm but we kept a very close eye out. Storms began popping up around us. And our radio announced severe thunderstorms in the area, with strong winds and hail.
By 12:30 the water started to swell. Not bad, but we had it on our beam so we tottered a bit. Once we got off the bay the water settled, and docking was pretty easy.
About and hour after docking...
An hour later, lightning flashed around us, winds kicked up to 30 mph, rain and hail came down, waves 2-3 feet raced down the marina's channel, and thunder rocked the boat.
Short voyage today to get here. All part of the plan, since Russ has a dental appointment.
Where did we leave off...? Oh, yes. Diesel in the water tank.
We had a company come out the very next day. He pumped out the tank, emptying it of all the diesel. What's left, of course, it what's on the sides and top of the tank since we overfilled it. Which isn't much, but still, don't want to drink it.
Diesel is oil. It floats on top of water making it a little easier to clean. Emptying the tank using the pumpout also helped. But that meant parking in the marina's fuel/pumpout dock. For the next two days Russ filled the tank with water and various cleaners (everything from Dawn, de-oilers, bleach, and a couple of other products) and pumped out the tank with the pumpout. Moreover, he got a fair bit of practice pulling us into and out of the dock and back into the slip.
For the time being we're living with only 1 tank of water, about 75 gallons.
Still filled with bubbles we decided to travel northward to Norfolk, and let the travel slosh the cleaner around a bit.
Lots of empty slips. Maybe it won't be so crowded up here after all.
After we've done that a couple of times we'll test it. If we're unhappy with how well we've done, we'll continue to Baltimore, where a professional cleaning service will look at it. We're sure the diesel is gone, but now it's a matter of all the cleaning stuff. Don't want to drink that, either.
The biggest bummer about our trip today was a RR bridge which is noted to be "usually up." We were less than a mile from it when it announced it was closing. Of course. The old bridge takes 15 minutes just to close, then another 15 waiting for the train, and one more! quarter hour to open again.
Otherwise, short and sweet trip. We're back at Tidewater Marina, which we stayed at last year during Looper Rendezvous. And immediately went to the restaurant to have crab legs.
Hey! We haven't eaten out in days!
Russ filling and emptying the water tank. This never happened on CnD because only the fuel tanks were in the back. The water fill was on the bow. I've since marked the caps with a big W(ater) and D(iesel).
At Top Rack there's a restaurant, Amber Lantern. It was closed while we were there. This sign is on the elevator. It's interesting they don't allow clowns. Who's to say? Can I point to someone I don't like and go, "CLOWN!"?
Ever have one of those days where everything went perfectly? We did. We left Coinjock without issue, we timed the various bridge openings perfectly. We arrived at the Great Bridge Bridge (yes, that's it's name and it opens on the hour only) about 30 minutes early. We parked on a wall nearby and had lunch. Things were going so well that Russ piloted off that wall, and into, and out of the small lock with me doing lines.
Oh, yeah. We're getting good at this.
We'd been to Top Rack Marina before so we knew the layout. We wanted to pump out and fuel up first. I eased inQuest into the slip without problems on this calm and sunny and warm day. Oh, yeah. We so good!
...and then it happened.
Stopped here to wait for the bridge and had some lunch.
Russ called me because he wanted me to pump the fuel, which was really difficult for some reason. He though that maybe the nozzle was a different size since it wasn't seating right and he couldn't set the auto-flow latch. Next thing we know diesel fuel started spewing from a vent. He shut off the pump while I ran inside and grabbed paper towels. When you spill it's like a race to keep diesel out of the water. Which, thankfully, we managed.
However, we just filled our water tank with diesel fuel.
Thankfully, we have 2 water tanks. I shut off our water pump immediately while Russ cleaned up the mess. Then he shut off the bad tank and switched to the good one. The marina wasn't equipped to deal with such things, but they gave us a number. We're waiting for a call back.
Most of the day was just stunning.
We aren't the first people to do this. In fact, to make us feel better, the dockhand told us stories of other such events that happened right here at this marina: One guy put water in his gas tank, and once an employee pumped gas right into the hull, thinking he was using the opening for the tank but was really a missing rail.
Leaving Belhaven was an absolute pleasure compared to docking last night. We eased from the dock, pirouetted in the small space between the rocks and pier, and drifted down the channel. Textbook worthy!
I'd received a number of complements of our "boat handling" by those around when we came in (there were a number of boats already docked and watching). Even the dockmaster asked how long we'd been doing this. When Russ told him a year and a half, he said we seemed much more seasoned than that. In hind sight, however, seasoned boaters probably would have stopped and dropped anchor to ride out a storm as soon as the weather announcement came over the radio.
But we learned the lesson -- no more boating past 2 pm. Soooooo...
Lovely water, all day long!
We had reserved a spot at Alligator Marina, which is the launching point for the Albemarle Sound. We would arrive there around 1 pm. If you recall, when we crossed the sound on the loop we had a pretty bad experience. The seas were choppy and 2 3 feet, with the occasional larger wave. It was a low point for me, personally. So I wasn't looking forward to this crossing.
This time we were headed for Coinjock. Last year we went to Elizabeth City, which got you onto the historic Dismal Swamp Canal, which by contrast to the crossing to get there was an absolute blast. Great time. But it's later in the year than last, and the channel can be choked with duck weed. A number of folks warned us not to try. We opted against it.
And just one hour after docking...
Throughout the day Russ kept checking the weather, which remained calm and clear. Moreover, conditions for crossing looked to be worse tomorrow. As we neared the sound we made the call -- just go for it.
We did. We crossed the sound and snaked our way along the North River to Coinjock, a small town with a long pier. That put an arrival time around 4:30. So much for lessons learned.
But as it turned out it was a great crossing, and we arrived in Coinjock without any problems.
Today's long journey involved a number of open water crossings; the Neuse River, the Bay River, the Pamlico River, and the Pungo River (which still sounds like something "African" in an old British movie -- "We're trying to located the elusive white rhino along the Pungo River!") In fact quite recently while discussing our "worst crossing" experiences with other loopers, one couple said the Neuse... twice! Checking the weather the winds would be up a bit, so we braced for a bumpy ride.
Which did NOT happen. In fact most of the day was as flat as a pancake. We spend hours under blue skies and wind so slight that no sailboats had their sails hoisted. It was a glorious day.
...until... (duhn-duhn-duuuuuuun!)
Just as we made the turn onto the Pungo we noticed the density of clouds forming south of us. Within minutes (and I cannot stress enough just how fast it happened), dark clouds were bearing down on us. On the radio (the marine VHF) came the announcement that severe thunderstorms were moving north, complete with lots of rain, gusts up to 50 mph, and hail. Over the next 30 minutes lightning flashed around us, some strikes within a mile. The winds picked up significantly, making the water equally turbulent. We were in 2 - 3 foot seas most of the way to the marina, but because it was on our stern our ride wasn't rough at all. Although Russ, who piloted the last bit, had a hard time keeping her straight.
A boat a couple of miles ahead of us called to dock at the same marina. We listened as they gave him instructions. We'd been there before, so we knew the layout of the place and how to get in. But it was handy to know how they were handling the weather. At that time, still about 20 minutes out ourselves, the one storm raced past us. We thought, great timing! We missed it completely.
Before you turn into River Forest (our marina) you cross a breakwall, which you'd think would have an impact on the waves. Apparently, once they crest 3 feet, it does not. We made the turn, and started down the very narrow channel to the marina, out of nowhere we were hit by a second storm. The dockmaster later told us the winds were over 40 mph, and probably 50. They hit us sideways making the navigation to the dock really difficult. Russ got on the bow and over headsets I heard him exclaim about how stiff the wind was. Thankfully -- and this was the only reason any of this
Look at these amazing, calm waters!!!
worked -- they wanted us to come along the pier on the right side (the windward side), which made the wind an ally to lay us onto the dock. To the left was the dock, to the right pilings and a rock wall. I kept moving her up and to the rocks, making sure we didn't get too close, then just let the wind do the work. I struggled a bit since inQuest wanted to spin, but I kept her parallel until we made solid contact (and by that I mean we whacked hard!) with the pier.
Quickly lines were attached and secured, but the wind pushed us so hard that we couldn't get fenders in between us and the dock. Moreover, the waves were so crazy that our bouncing rubbed wood shavings off the pilings. While still working to get the boat tied the dockmaster called the installer of the new 2x6s on the pilings, complaining about the damage we were doing. Not a lot we could do. As the wind died down we stuffed fenders in.
Uh oh!
Within an hour the winds were slack and the sea back to flat. Like nothing ever happened.
After all that we needed a good meal. Thankfully, there is an amazing restaurant here in Belhaven (to be honest that's why we came). It did not disappoint. Fabulous food and a couple of good stiff drinks!
Docked her like the boss!!!
We bounced like crazy!
Shavings from the 2x6 protecting the piling
Behold, Spoon River Artworks and Market. Amazing place. Put it on your maps. You wanna come here someday.
Throughout the loop there were a couple of places where there were so many boats the waterway was clogged and chaotic. One such place is called "The Miserable Mile", and it's the slow zone just outside of Fort Myers, Fl. Another was up in Canada just passed Simcoe Lake, the town of Orillia. We arrived there on the weekend they were having jet ski races. The place was full of boats, all zipping around, including hundreds of jet skis.
Today blew all of them out of the water.
There are 15 boats in this pic, including the tow with the pipes we're all trying to get around.
Firstly, it was a lovely day; sunny, warm, light winds. Secondly, it was a weekend. Additionally, there was a Trump Boat Parade in Beaufort (I won't bore you with my politics since most of you know my position, but 80-90% of boaters are Trump supporters, and they were out in force, flags and slogans a-flyin'!). If you read my post last night then you are aware that North Carolinians have no idea what a wake is. Put all of that together and you have a huge number of boats, all going as fast as they can, waking us and each other all day long. And I mean all day long. Some of these boat could barely handle the waves their fellow boaters were making. At times this was a thing; either we were all trying to occupy a very narrow channel, or go though a small bridge opening. We estimate -- and we aren't exaggerating -- we passed at least 500 boats. It. Was. Crazy.
Yep, we gotta call before we come this-a-way.
On the plus side, given the lack of courtesy by other boaters we saw no reason to slow down for anyone ourselves. We purposely planned on a longer day to get up north. So maintaining speed had an advantage.
By the way, we were the biggest boat out there for the most part. Most of these folks have center consoles, t-tops, or john boats. We've come to learn that we pick a line and let everyone else buzz their way around us. We just watch for the occasional bozo who's not paying attention. Got to hand it to the Trumpers, they did well in navigation.
Arrived safe and sound in Homer Simpson's Marina! Actually, it's called Homer Smith's Marina, but I get them confused.
From the hoopla around us you can tell the weekend has begun! Here in the inlet where we decided to anchor for the night there are dozens of small boats full of families, clusters of teenagers, couples, and kids, all of them are fascinated by our boat, buzzing by us and waking us. We can't decide if they are just mean or ignorant. Russ thinks the latter.
Got an early start. Russ piloted us off the t-head given the lovely calm and sunny day. I handled ropes. All of it went well.
Hang a right and the Atlantic is right there!
The trip up the ICW was a little long but uneventful. A thunderstorm was off our port side, inching its way toward us. We could hear distant thunder on occasion. But no rain or wind, so it was rather pleasant. Getting started was the roughest part of the day since we were headed east and into the sun. The reflection on the water can be blinding. Mostly the trip was about boating. Lots and lots of boats were out and about, zipping up and down the channel.
Lizzie seems confused. Not sad, but (I'm sure) wondering why we left that other dog behind. We've been through this a number of times with dogs where their friend disappears and it typically takes a couple of weeks for them to recover. Lizzie and Savannah were pretty tight. This could be a tough time for her.
We are pretty close to a beach without a dinghy dock. We decided to kayak the dog to shore.
Last night was a terrible night for Savannah, the sick dog. We decided the two dogs shouldn't sleep together so Savvy could get some rest. Lizzie was crated and Savannah was left in the living room. We woke in the morning to thumping and discovered that she'd fallen on the floor and couldn't get up. The struggle seemed to exhaust her. We put her on our bed for a while to recover. Later in the morning I moved her to the crate.
Also, the package we were waiting for hadn't arrived at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club.
This morning Russ decided to rent a car from Enterprise -- we'd just stay here another night while waiting for deliver, and drive to the vet Friday morning. The reservation was a noon. Around 10 am, however, the car rental called to say they didn't have cars right now but they probably would by 4 pm. They didn't sound convincing. Russ called the head office trying to get a commitment -- without a car this all goes badly. Meanwhile he's trying to located the package, but UPS isn't answering their phones anymore.
We grab lunch around 12:30, and at that time we think, screw it, let's just go to Southport (where the vet is) and have the Harbor Hosts there give us a ride to the vet. While walking to the boat Russ called the marina... and there is no space for us.
Back to getting a car, Russ calls Avis, which he didn't do originally because it was really far away. So far in fact that the Uber ride to get there was more expensive than the car rental. But they had cars. Russ reserved one and immediately left to go get it. Finally, things seemed clear. And, yay, the package arrived!
Periodically throughout the morning and afternoon I'd check on Savannah, offering her water or food. She didn't want anything.
With Russ off to pick up the car I was upstairs playing games. I got texts from him saying that no one was there when he arrived, as they were out to lunch and he was going to wait 30 minutes. Oh, yeah, that kind of day.
Around 3:30 I went downstairs to check on the dog. And sometime in the last hour she'd passed. I called Russ, sobbing, telling him I think she had died. He got home as quick as he could.
He called a funeral home that did pet services. They closed at 5 pm, and it was just after 4. And they were (according to Google) 45 minutes away. Because we needed another pressure thing to deal with on this day. We wrapped her in a towel and off we went, Russ speeding like a bandit to get there in time. They were friendly folks and kind, and handled her with respect. They will mail us her remains.
No longer needing a car we decide to return it. The Avis store is closed now, but the one at the small local airport remained open. We took it there and Uber-ed home. Me sobbing, on and off, all the way.
We have just the one dog now. And we're free to travel first thing in the morning.
We've been juggling two dogs for so long, not sure boating is going to be quite the same.
What a face! Lizzie is behind her, always watching.
