Goodbye Chesapeake Bay, and thanks for the memories !
2nd – 18th November
From Washington we day hopped along the Potomac River and then south down the Chesapeake Bay to Deltaville, a familiar place where we had spent a couple days while heading north to Maine some months earlier.The trip of 125 miles was pretty boring and bitterly cold, and with the temperature hovering around 8-10 deg C it made for a very unpleasant passage, sitting at the helm was not much fun at all.
Once clear of the Potomac we were greeted with a strong following breeze, and we sailed at a fair clip to Reedsville, dodging a lot of menacing looking wooden fish stakes along the way (memories of sailing in Indonesia came flooding back) and then on to Deltaville where Daryl and Annie from No Rehearsal were there to greet us and take our lines. Daryl had negotiated a crazy low rate at the Norview Marina for us, like $75 for the week, so we decided to take that rather than spend a week on the anchor, it was quite a novelty for us.
Staying in Deltaville also gave us a chance to once again catch up with our friends Donny and Judy, who live in Richmond, and have a lovely holiday house in Deltaville. Donny was kind enough to (again), lend us his Lexus SUV, so we took full advantage and did some provisioning as well as a little touring around.
As luck had it, that weekend the annual Oyster Festival was being held at the nearby town of Urbanna, so Daryl and Annie joined us in the Lexus for a fun afternoon out.
The festival is held over two days and attracts around 80,000 people. This was our first small town fair and it was a real hoot, by the time we got there it was in full swing.The main attraction of course was the abundance of oysters, served raw, steamed, stewed, fried or frittered.There were oyster tents, chowder tents, craft stalls, oyster shucking contests, the crowning of the Oyster Festival Queen and to top it off a big street parade with colourful bands, baton-tossing marching girls, floats and lots of flash cars, bikes and trucks that were mostly collectors items.
The parade lasted about an hour and was very entertaining. Interestingly, there were only two places selling alcohol, though outside the supermarket there were quite a few people discreetly drinking from bottles in paper bags. A small area was set aside where you could buy wine by the glass, we didn’t go in though, it was way too crowded. The other was in a field behind the Fire House, the area was enclosed and you needed to produce ID to enter (even at our age), as beer was available from a small mobile bar. Liam had a couple of drinks and then we joined in with the locals and had a dance. The band that was playing was excellent and everyone was very laid back, sort of mellow actually, the place had a nice feel to it.
After leaving the festival we headed to Donny and Judy’s who had invited the four of us over for a Saturday night dinner.They certainly rustled up a great meal with BBQ’d oysters, home made crab dip, steamed prawns and baked potatoes. It was a great night that went well into the evening, they are terrific company and excellent hosts. They even suggested that we make use of their house during the rest of our stay in Deltaville and we nearly did. Judy’s bathtub was very alluring and Liam had his eyes set on the big screen TV with all those sports channels, but sadly time just slipped away and we didn’t get around to it.
A novel feature at the marina where we were staying was the extravagant lengths that many of the boat owners had gone to, to make the place a “home away from home”.
All the docks were undercover, sounds a bit strange I know and we’d never seen anything like it before. These boat garages, they were all power boats, had a roof and walls with the boats tied stern-to in their pens. Each owner had personalised their little piece of turf and installed the necessities of life that ensured they were comfortable when they were there, even if they didn’t take the boat out. Lounge chairs, kitchen sinks, refrigerators, microwave ovens, carpet rugs and bars complete with stools where you would sip a beer or two and while away the afternoon. Jimmy Buffett memorabilia was very popular, one section was even called “Jimmy Buffett Drive”. Several times we saw people come down to stay on their boat, in the pen, for a few days, and they sure did make good use of the gear they had installed.
After a chilly and windy week at the marina it was time to move on, this time to Hampton. We had driven down there during the week and dropped off our spinnaker for some minor alterations and now it was time to go back and pick it up. We were a little annoyed that we were changed another $125 as we’d already paid them the best part of $700 the first time that we’d left the sail with them some months before, and they hadn’t done the repair correctly. Oh well, that’s life when you own a boat I guess. A couple of days later we motored out of Hampton and across the bay to Norfolk, 15 miles away.
Norfolk, in Virginia, is famous as the world’s largest naval base, and is home to huge nuclear powered aircraft carriers, menacing looking nuclear submarines and an abundance of frigates, amphibious landing ships, destroyers and their support ships. We cruised by two aircraft carriers, the USS Enterprise and the Dwight D Eisenhower, a couple of submarines and some very interesting looking ships that we were unsure of, and while all the ships were behind a floating fence, we were still reasonably close to them.
Norfolk is not a big town, but it was interesting with an excellent naval museum, Nauticus, located just across the bay from our anchorage. The unquestioned star attraction of the town was the USS Wisconsin, an Iowa class WW11 Battleship, the last one ever built, and it looked amazing. If you ever saw Cher singing “If I could turn back time” aboard the USS Missouri with those big guns up on the bow then you know what the Wisconsin looks like, they are identical sister ships. There were tours available that, unfortunately, did not get you into the bowels of the ship, so we were content to simply gawk and take some snaps.
The local movie theatre was showing J Edgar Hoover, and having just been in Washington where scenes from the movie were filmed, we took the opportunity and went to see it, a great show with Leonardo putting on his usual, brilliant performance.Walking back through the mall after the movie it was pretty obvious that the silly season was just around the corner. Christmas displays and decorations filled the shop windows.No one quite does Christmas like the yanks.
By now we were really killing time until the weather systems settled and we could head off around Cape Hatteras and on to Charleston, a distance of 360 miles. Cape Hatteras is notorious for shipwrecks, it demands respect as the weather can be treacherous due to the north flowing Gulf Stream against the opposing swells, and right now those swells were big and threatening.
Rather than wait in Norfolk, (we’d seen it all in four days) we decided to move further along some 30 miles to Rudee Inlet, a fairly small bay just south of the entrance to the Chesapeake. Another catamaran was already there when we arrived late in the afternoon, and together with No Rehearsal we pretty much filled up the place, and Remi De was yet to arrive! While at Rudee the weather was foul, driving rain and very cold, we simply stayed put inside the boat and away from the elements. Bruce, Toni, Remi and their dog Ollie from Remi De had a tough trip down, sailing in a strong breeze and lumpy seas, they hit a speed of nearly 15 knots down one wave. Naturally, they were exceptionally happy to drop the anchor in our nice calm bay, away from the rough conditions just outside the inlet. As Rudee Inlet was to be the parting of the ways for Remi De, No Rehearsal and us, we all got together for a farewell dinner on GWTW.
We had been sailing in company with the other two cats for roughly the last six months, from the Bahamas to Maine and back and it would be sad to break up the herd. Daryl and Annie were heading straight to Cape Canaveral to haul out No Rehearsal and head back to New Zealand for a few months and the Remi’s would be carrying on to St Augustine to spend Thanksgiving with friends down in Orlando.
A couple of days later the weather had settled, the seas were down and the skies were clear, and we were ready and eager to move on. Every mile under our keels was a mile closer to warmer weather and believe me we were over being cold, and were now champing at the bit to pack the winter clothes away and to break out the shorts and tee-shirts once again.
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CRUISING NOTES. Formalities: Call CBP Richmond on # 8042269675 each time you change anchorages. Supermarkets: Deltaville The Deltaville Market will pick you up and then drive you back. Also in the same shopping complex is a West marine and a Dollar General discount store.True Value hardware, Ullman sail loft & the Post Office are all within walking distance of the marina.There are a couple of restaurants ,cafes and a seafood market on the main street.
Norfolk: Anchorage / dinghy dock : Anchor between Hospital Point and the Tidewater Marina and take dinghy to the dock outside the Nauticus Museum on the opposite shore. McCarther Mall is three blocks from the waterfront. It has movie theatres, department stores etc. The supermarkets,Harris Teeter and Fresh Farm are a short taxi ride away.
Annapolis : The Navy town: "Go Navy beat Army!"
The sailing town of Annapolis on the Chesapeake Bay was our next destination and, being 230 miles south from New York, we decided to break the trip into daytime hops over the next four days. Our first leg would take us from New York to Atlantic City, the gambling capital of New Jersey.
Just like Las Vegas all the casinos have a theme, Wild West, Far East etc with the common denominator being card tables and poker machines.
Now cold is something that we really aren’t that partial to, having said that we did sail up to Maine where it can get very cold , but the day we poked our noses back out into the Atlantic Ocean to head south we foolishly thought that it would start to get warmer. Wrong. Our top temp that day was only 13c and that was without the wind chill factor. We were rugged up like a couple of bears for the seventy mile trip. Beanies, gloves, scarves, thermals and whatever else that looked remotely warm was the wardrobe of the day. The weather might have been cold but the fast, flat water sailing took our minds off it. With one reef in the main and a full jib, we made good time sitting on 8 – 10 knots all day and getting to the anchorage in Atlantic City just before dark. We resisted the temptation of going ashore and throwing money away in one of the fancy establishments and simply stayed on board for the night.
Sometime during the day we noticed that we’d acquired a third crew member, a small bird had landed on the back of the boat and was hitchhiking a ride with us down the coast, mind you he could have found a better place to perch than on the transom grab rail. Sure hope he enjoyed his new destination.
The next day was a mirror image, fresh nor’westers again gave us flat seas and a lovely brisk reaching breeze and with less than 40 miles to Cape May we were there just after lunch. Cape May was a cosy little harbour and we anchored just outside the Coast Guard station. For such a small waterway we amazed at the number of marinas and sports fishing boats that called the place home.
Having checked the forecast we had a feeling that we might have to use the iron sails over the next few days so we filled up the diesel tanks, had a nice meal ashore at a restaurant that had come with a good recommendation and hit the hay early so we’d be bright eyed and bushy tailed for our next leg up the Delaware Bay.
It was just on eight the following morning when suddenly the air was filled with the unmistakable tune of the Star Spangled Banner ringing out across the anchorage from the Coast Guard stations’ loud speakers. It was a lovely way to start to the day and seeing the USCG officers standing to attention on the deck of their cutter was a great example of the patriotism in this country. Our trip up the Delaware bay was about as exciting as watching grass grow, the highlight…. one passing ship and a nuclear power plant on the northern shore.
Sadly, the wind gods no longer favoured us and we motored the entire 80 miles up the bay and into the C & D Canal. It was just on dark, as it so often seems to be, when we pulled in to the small town anchorage of Chesapeake City about half way along the canal. The fog had started to roll in and we didn’t feel much like going ashore, so after a bite to eat we fell into bed after what was a very long and boring day. The C&D canal is a man made canal which joins the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. It’s nearly sixteen miles long and provides a shortcut for the likes of us destined for the upper reaches of the Chesapeake and for the many of the large ships that service the cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore.
Day three was yet another motoring day finally making it into Annapolis mid afternoon. We dropped the hook amongst about fifty other boats who were also there for the the same reason that we had come all this way, to see the Annapolis Sail Boat Show. Regarded as one of the biggest and best boat shows in the USA we spent the next couple of days crawling over and ogling at the immaculate new breed of boats that were on offer, not that we were in the market to buy, but it never hurts to stay on top of the game. It was a fabulous in-the-water exhibition with lots of catamarans, charter boats and monohulls, the majority being straight out of the box.
As with most boat shows there were some very good deals to be had and we did our bit for the economy snapping up boat gear at extremely good prices. At times in some of the display tents it looked like a feeding frenzy as the bargains literally walked out the doors. There was something for everyone and the size of the crowds attested to the popularity of the event. We also got to catch up with our good friends from Deltaville, Donny and Judy. They had just taken delivery of their their brand new Passport 55 which was on display ay the show. She was a beautiful boat and was attracting her fair share of attention from potential buyers.
Annapolis is not just famous for the boat show, the city is also home to the prestigious United States Naval Academy, and this institution is really something special. We spent nearly two days,one on a guided tour, wandering through the immense grounds and seeing pretty much all there was to see including the spectacular Noon Formation of the 4,000 mid shipmen, both women and men who attend the academy.
The Academy grounds, buildings, museums and chapels were all beautiful. But in keeping with Navy traditions, life as a midshipman is not always fun as the fellow alongside the statue in the centre picture above found out the hard way. He had lost a football bet and was told by his superiors to stand alongside this statue for a couple of hours and pose for photos with the tourists. Another young woman we saw had to recite the mess hall lunch menu by heart at the top of her voice every minute for the half hour preceding the Noon Formation. She had an excellent memory and was nearly hoarse by parade time and she copped lot of wisecracks and laughs from her passing colleagues. We wondered what bet that she, too, had lost to deserve such punishment.
This parade was spectacular, my photos just couldn’t do it justice.There was lots of tradition, officers yelling commands and a large noisy brass band playing marching tunes.The precise movements of such a vast number of people flowed seamlessly. They Navy are really good at this stuff and the hundred or so spectators, like us, were mighty impressed.
It’s not an easy road to be accepted into the academy, the qualifications for entry are daunting. For starters you need to be in the top 20% of academic achievers at your school, you must be extremely athletic as it is mandatory to participate in sport ( they take sport very, very seriously), you must demonstrate a record of community service, you need a personal recommendation from your local Senator or Congressman and you then you are eligible to to apply.
Of around 20,000 applicants each year only 1,400 make the cut, it’s that tough to get in. Once accepted the students, or Plebes as they are called, have in front of them 4 years of grueling work, their day starts at 5 am and finishes at around 9-10 pm, there is very little down time. The discipline is amazing and at times it seems over the top, but those that last the distance come out with an officer’s ranking and an ability to lead people into battle. We were lucky enough to chat to a few of the Plebes and could not fail to be impressed with their courtesy, maturity, confidence and sense of purpose. These young people were at the academy for all the right reasons and they knew, that for each of them, they were in the right place.
The academy has produced a ton of outstanding achievers - 1 President, 2 Nobel prize winners, 24 Members of Congress, 46 Rhodes Scholars and 52 astronauts. There are 32 inter-college sports to choose from, but the one that unifies the Academy more than anything else is college football, the passion here has to be seen to be appreciated. The Navy’s football mascot is Bill the goat and there are a couple of them, all kept at an undisclosed location for fear of being abducted and yes, there have been previous kidnaps. Bill attends every game, as do thousands of students, all decked out in their finest uniforms, it’s a very stirring sight. Not surprisingly, the mortal enemy are the Army, and Annapolis is adorned with “Go Navy – Beat Army” signs just about everywhere you look, they live for these games.
While we didn’t get to see a game live, we were lucky enough to catch the second half of one game on the TV, it was a huge occasion with Navy and Army students in regimental uniform filling the stadium to capacity. Such is the significance of these matches that President Barack Obama was in attendance, and he sportingly shared his time and seating evenly, first half of the game in the Army ranks and the second with Navy. Naturally we were rooting for the Navy guys, and they won a hard fought contest. It was really neat to watch it and we almost feel like we were part of the Navy gang. Go Navy – Beat Army!!!
Annapolis is also the home of some cruising buddies, Greg and Vicky off Erin Brie.
We had last seen them in Thailand in 2008 and bumped into them again this year up in Maine. Knowing that sooner or later we would be in their neck of the woods we organised to see them while we were in town and It was great to catch up and relive tales from our collective cruising adventures over a meal at their local Italian pizza place. They have decided to retire from cruising and are now looking to get a power launch, it would certainly be a perfect coastal craft around these parts.
The town of Annapolis had a lot of walking appeal, not real big and mostly flat. With a huge variety of pub-type restaurants there was no shortage of places to have a feed. And the bonus was that it’s all right there down by the waterfront.
So if you are up this way in October be sure to put both the boat show and the Academy on your list of things to do. You sure won’t be disappointed.
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Cruising Notes. Formalities: Call CPB Maryland on # 4189622886. Supermarkets:The big ones are out of town and you will need a car, but in the main street there is a CVS/Pharmacy that sells all the basic needs except for fresh meat & veg.
