Onwards to New York

From Baltimore to New York our route took us through the north end of the Chesapeake (red), the C&D Canal (green), Delaware Bay (purple), and out onto the Atlantic (day 1 orange and day 2 blue)

The northern Chesapeake, the D&C canal, and Delaware Bay are chock-a-block full of nothing except for our very first glance of New Jersey over the breakwall at the eastern end of the canal:

Yes, the thing that welcomes boaters to New Jersey is a nuclear power plant.  Precisely what I expected actually!

The tides in the area are the highest we’ve encountered so careful trip planning is required to make sure that the currents aren’t too strong in the wrong direction or the wind isn’t blowing against them which kicks up uncomfortable waves.  Luckily for us the skipper of our buddy boat has done this route many times and had lots of good advice.

After the 3 days of nothing we spent 2 nights anchored in Cape May. It is a pretty town but not much happens there. I think the most exciting thing is the wild turkey that terrorizes the residents of Washington street.

The locals say he is dangerous and I believe them. He didn't look friendly at all.

A terrible photo of me but a good example of the cute architecture in Cape May

The only stop after Cape May was Atlantic City but we didn’t go to see the sights at all.  What are a 44 year-old woman and her underage son supposed to do in a casino?  The anchorage we stayed in was a surprise.  Just across the river from the casinos but very protected and quiet.

View of Atlantic City from the anchorage

The day we left Atlantic City I set the alarm for 5 am because it is a long trip to Sandy Hook Bay and we needed all the daylight we could get.  I ended up waking early because I could hear the boat creaking.  The water level had dropped in the night and the tidal current had shifted leaving us in a very shallow spot.  Our rudders were sinking in the mud making the creaking sound. I pulled us forward on the anchor and raised the rudders but didn't get much sleep after that. 

Baltimore

From Annapolis we headed to Baltimore and finally got to get some sailing in on the Bay. We had great fun tuning the rig and trimming sails because as Sam says: "Mum, we are always racing, even if the other boats don't know it"! We stayed in a marina right downtown and spent 2 days exploring by foot. Baltimore has a great downtown for pedestrians, especially the Fellspoint neighbourhood with its cobblestone streets, great restaurants, and shops with windows to peer in.

The Sewage Pumping Station. Can you imagine getting council approval for this today?

I loved the mix of old and new that could be found all over the area.

From a distance we couldn't figure out what this friendly face was. When we got closer we discovered it was a garbage eater that prevented trash from the rivers entering the Bay.  John on our buddy boat tells us that the Baltimore harbour is much cleaner today than it was a decade or so ago.

Annapolis

I've really been looking forward to this stop because Annapolis is a real sailing town.  The harbour is full of sailboats - I don't think I've seen that many since Lake Ontario in the 1990s - and the downtown full of sailing shops.  I'm sure Reg was nervous at home checking the credit card account to see what Sam and I were up to!

Annapolis is also home to a naval academy so there are fit young people in uniform all over the place. Unfortunately I didn't see this guy:

The civilian people watching was pretty good, too.  Annapolis appears to be *the* place for young heterosexual white couples to have professional photos taken.

Annapolis was my and Sam's first night without Reg and Riley.  I was happy to have the whole bed to myself but not so thrilled to be responsible for cooking! We are muddling along somehow and made a pretty decent stir fry for our first attempt.  More exciting things to come including a beef stew in the pressure cooker.

I include a photo not because it looks all that good but as proof  that we actually cooked.

Having only two of us on the boat has some distinct advantages.  We have so much more power with only one teenager using their computer. We also have so much more space as Riley’s berth was quickly converted into a storage room. Since we only have 2 kayaks onboard we didn't have to share and were able to have a good few hours for exploring the full length of Spa Creek. A house on the creek within walking distance of town and a sailboat on a mooring in the back would suit me just fine, thank you.

We were fortunate to arrive when we did because we got to watch the sailpast of boats heading to the start line for the Annapolis to Bermuda race.  It was particularly exciting because I know one of the participants from my Buccaneer days. Unfortunately my pictures from the day are nothing to write home about.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics Parts 3 and 4

I have completely forgotten about updating these posts even though I have still been collecting the stats. Here is a summary of major expenses on the Gulf side of Florida from Mobile to the Keys (Part 3) and in the Bahamas.  I removed the expenses to stay in Key Largo for 5 weeks to sort out the engine.

Keep in mind :

• All figures in Canadian dollars
• We have no pumpout costs since installing the composting head
• The very expensive marina in the Bahamas was the Atlantis Resort and included 4 tickets to the water park which made the docking essentially free.
• The minimum marina costs are for mooring balls.

Chesapeake Bay and a Crew Change

We’ve made it to Chesapeake Bay which is the sailing capital of the United States.  Unfortunately, we’ve had no wind so we’ve been motoring or motor sailing the whole time.

The smooth water is pretty to most but not to a sailor

Our first stop after Norfolk was Regent Point Marina on the west side of the bay.  What a great place to stop – I don’t think I’ve ever met friendlier boaters.  It was very hot when we arrived and we don’t have air conditioning.  Another boater and the marina owner each gave (not loaned) us an old box fan to keep the boat cool.  When we spent 24 hours with our hatches closed in a downpour we sure appreciated them!  The owner also picked us up some crab cakes when he went to the local fish market.  They were definitely the best I’ve ever had.

At Regent Point we also picked up a buddy boat – a solo sailor who is headed to New York for the same time as we are so we are traveling together.  We don’t go to the same places every day but we see him every few days and are planning a passage on the outside from Cape May to Sandy hook together later this month.

After Regent Point was spent one night at anchor then arrived in Solomons, Maryland which I visited often when I was still racing Buccaneers. In fact, this trip was dreamed up by Sam and me on a patio of a restaurant in Solomons in 2015 when we were here for the Buccaneer North American Championships.

In Solomons we said goodbye to Riley who has been feeling really homesick.  Reg drove him back to Ontario and is staying there for two weeks until Sam needs to go home to work for the summer.  At that point Reg will rejoin me for the last leg.

Sam and I heading to Solomons for an adventure in 2015

Sam and I leaving Solomons for an adventure in 2018

Washington, DC

Once through the Dismal we found a place to tie the boat up on the North side of Norfolk and rent a car for a trip to DC.  The timing was perfect – the Potomac River Sailing Association was having their spring regatta and the current owner of my old boat, Black and Tan, offered to bring the boat up from Solomon’s Island so Sam and I could race.  It was wonderful to see all my Buccaneer friends (including Ed and Shannon on Darwin who we have almost caught up with on the loop after parting ways in the Bahamas). Sam and I had some technical difficulties (always the case racing a boat that isn’t ours) which caused us to miss three races but we delighted in our one 4^th place finish where everything came together.  We are planning on getting a dinghy to race when we get home is we can find somewhere that still has some regular racing of boats faster than CL16s/wayfarers/albacores.

While in DC we made sure to take the kids to the National Mall.  One day went spent just walking around and taking in the sights and another we focused on the museums. It was interesting to see DC through their eyes.  Riley in particular was very moved by the Vietnam War Memorial.  Seeing name after name after name is certainly sobering and it is stands in stark contrast to the WWII memorial which fully glorifies war.

DC has so many museums it is hard to decide which ones to go to when you only have one day.  We chose the Holocaust Museum and the Museum of African American History and Culture, both of which require you to get ticket (free) in advance.  We chose these because none of us had ever been and they are unique while space, art, and dinosaurs can be seen in any major city in the world. Both museums are worth the visit but the Holocaust Museum was particularly well done. The exhibits didn’t let the anyone off the hook for turning a blind eye and the museum repeatedly ask visitors to think about what they would have done to help.  Given the US’s of response to the Syrian refugee crisis and the fact that we saw 4 people wearing Make America Great Again hats inside the museum, I suspect that the answer is “not much”.

Lots of navy ships to look at on the way into Norfolk including aircraft carriers.  Alas, Goose and Maverick were nowhere to be found.

Our only real stop in Norfolk besides the grocery store - the Commodore Theater.  Like dinner theater but with movies.

The WWII memorial in DC.  Ah, the glory and splendor of war.

While cooling our feet I caught this perfectly framed image which struck me as very American with its advertising and phallic symbols.

Continuing our "F-you Trump" tour which began in Chicago.

Into the Dismal

North from Ocracoke we stayed in Manteo, NC.  The town has all you need and plenty of space on two free docks.  You can pay a per-person fee to use the facilities at the marina next door (laundry, showers).

After Manteo we had a decision to make – do we take the Virgina Cut or the Dismal Swamp Canal?  Reg voted for the Virginia Cut based on names alone but we ending up taking the Dismal.  We were told is was prettier, had more free docks to tie up at, and has speed restrictions so is really only used by cruisers.

The Dismal is the oldest continuously operated lock system in North American (the Rideau is the next oldest).  George Washington ordered its construction which began in 1793.  Over the next 12 years the canal was hand-dug by slaves whose owners were paid for their labour. Apparently there was once a hotel on the canal which ran across the North Carolina – Virgina state line.  It was a popular place for duels as the dead person ended up in one state and the shooter in another which meant they were rarely (ever?) prosecuted. We didn’t see any rogue duels on our passage.

The trip up the Dismal was lovely.  Free docks, friendly lock masters and bridge operators, pretty scenery, and no fee to transit.  I think we made the right choice.

The night before we entered the Dismal we stayed in Elizabeth City, home to the most boring street names in North America

Down the Dismal

We had our bug screens up because we had heard it was quite buggy (it wasn't really).  Here Riley pokes his nose out the window like a dog in  a car.

The water in much of the ICW is the colour of root bear.  Compare this to my photos from the Bahamas  or even northern Lake Michigan.