To New York City and Beyond

5/26/16    Offshore

Weather wise, this leg along the NJ shore was the nicest we've had aboard Antares, long overdue and much appreciated.  We've had more than our share of foul weather handed to us, starting with the initial trip N when we arrived at Sandy Hook simultaneously with  a nor'easter. We've also had thunderstorms, rain, fog, headwinds, big confused seas, you name it, we've had it, so its long been one of our least favorite legs (along with Delaware Bay).  With a 1-2' southerly swell and a SW wind, it felt more like sailing on the lake than the Atlantic. And we sailed whenever there was enough wind to keep the speed above 3.5kts.

Coast Guard helicopter practicing sea rescues off the coast

During the afternoon, we encountered several vessels heading N, cross our course about a NM away, then turn around and pass us going S, sort of in the middle of nowhere.  I'd heard on NPR (where else?), something about ongoing beach erosion and replenishment since Sandy and subsequent nor'easters, and saw several dredge lines anchored about 1.5 NM offshore with dredges shuttling between them. With light wind and calm conditions, we avoided the possibility of running across more dredge lines by heading further offshore.  We wondered what the ships were doing, and if they were part of the dredging project.  We were relieved not to see any further N than Barnaget Inlet.

Big tug moving a dredge at speed offshore

The slightly more offshore course we plotted was poplar too, as we encountered a couple of tugs and tows,  passing within 0.5 NM (which feels really close in the dark).  After watching and tracking them, visually and with radar, both captains hailed us to make sure we knew they were there and their intentions. Apparently not all small craft respond to their hails - the one captain thanked me for responding.  Somehow these things seem to happen in the dead of night, and what would be easy in daylight, is harder in the dark when it is more difficult to judge distances.

I was surprised when we passed the sea buoy off  Barnegat Inlet.  It didn't appear at any range on the Navonics chart on the plotter, but did on our old paper chart, indicting it's been there for years.  Guess we can't always rely on electronics to keep us out of trouble.

Sunset off the New Jersey shore

3/27/2016     To 41 26.850N,  74 00.229W    Cornwall on Hudson    178.5 NM both days

The sunrise pushing through the clouds and haze,  a welcome sight after a night offshore

The West Bank light house on  Chapel Hill Channel in the lower bay

We had kept our speed down so as not to fight a ebb tide in New York Harbor.  We turned in to the Sandy Hook Channel at 0630, one hour before slack water, expecting a 0.7 K current against us as per our Navonics chart. What we got was 1.5 K which went up to 2.0K by the time we arrived at the Verranzano Bridge at 0830, when it should have been very close to slack water.  On the bright side, the current change moves up the Hudson River faster than we can travel and it caught up with us as we got to the George Washington Bridge. We spent the rest of the day with a flood current pushing us up stream  making up for the delays entering the harbor.

Passing under the Verrazano Bridge with Ft. Wadsworth overlooking the Narrows

The forecast morning showers passed well N of us, so other than a few clouds and hazy conditions, it had been a good trip.  The sun was attempting to make an appearance as we passed through the Big Apple, although a fairly heavy haze hung over the area and would persist as long as the S wind (or lack of it) blew.  Air quality alerts were announced on NOAA, and the haze provided less than ideal conditions for photography.  We didn't let that stop us from taking pictures, it's our excuse for the 'soft'  focus on many of the shots (the camera doesn't focus as well in hazy conditions), the other is trying to hold a camera steady while negotiating the chop from all the boat wakes.

Traffic passing the Statue of Liberty

I was looking for a bird when Leonard said he saw an osprey!

As in the past, the passage through the harbor was interesting.  Between harbor control, the big ships and all the ferries, the VHF provides a constant commentary.  It would be interesting to know the location of all the various wharves and channels scattered around the harbor, as most aren't indicated by name on the chart.  The traffic and the wakes don't allow a lot of time sightseeing.  One ferry crossing from NJ to the city appeared to be on a cable, not deviating from whatever route on his plotter indicated making a close pass in front of us.  It wouldn't have been so irritating if he hadn't then made a wide curve to get into the slip at the NY terminal.  A Staten Island ferry was upset with another sailor crossing his path in the East River - guess you shouldn't mess with the ferry schedules.

A 'stitched' photo of the NYC skyline including the Brooklyn Bridge on the right
(pardon the bow, the boat moved)

New Jersey sky line with a reflection of the new World Trade Center and the iconic Colgate Clock

Beautiful old architecture

Versus modern architecture - See Durst Tower 

As we passed Pier 88 where the Maritime Museum is located, the tug, Margaret Moran, got yelled at by the security boats when he did a close approach to the docks.  He obviously wasn't listening to the VHF when they requested (multiple times) to stay outside the patrol boats.  Perhaps because he was so much bigger,  the patrol boats respectfully requested he not come so close in the future.   He said something about 'just sightseeing...', turned around and headed S.

Margaret Moran being pursued by a security boat by Pier 88

After arriving early for the flood at the Narrows and through the harbor, we began to make better time when it turned to our favor, with the bridges arriving in a timely manner  - the George Washington at 1145 and the Tappanzee at 1355.  It was much to early to consider stopping at Nyack with the current helping us along.  Instead we headed for the anchorage at Cornwall on Hudson, a bit N of West Point, with an ETA of 1800.  A long day, especially since we'd been underway since 0900 the day before, but it was easy going and there was amazingly little debris in the water (just enough to keep a lookout).

Hudson River scene near Bear Mountain

It's pouring!

Mist rising after the rain

We watched the cumulus clouds began to build to the W during the afternoon, and after passing under the Bear Mountain Bridge, sprinkles arrived.  Radar indicated most of the heavy rain was N of us, but given the humid, stagnant air, cells were popping up quickly.  At West Point, it didn't just rain, it poured, and while we didn't see flashes, we heard a number of rumbles nearby.  We must have done something right, as the skies were clearing as we approached the anchorage.  Just before 1800, the anchor was down and we called it a day.

Lynnea

To Cape May and North

5/25/16    To  38 56.927N,    74 54.516W    South Jersey Marina face dock    74.5NM

We were underway by 0530, a bit early for the current push through the C&D Canal, but had the advantage of an earlier stop at Cape May.  The current caught up to us before the end of the canal, adding about 2kts to our boat speed. While we've seen few cruisers heading N the past few weeks, we were swamped with trawlers and power boats headed E in the C&D, making me wonder if' we'd encountered a  group out for a cruise - there were at least a dozen of them.  As we approached St. George at the E side, we heard a big ship horn blow several times, but with a curve in the channel, we couldn't see anything behind us.  It was a freighter, trying to get some of those pesky power boat to move out of the center of the channel!
 

Sun rise at Rogue's Harbor on the Elk River

A bucolic pastoral scene heading to the C&D Canal

Might makes right!

Seeing the big increase in traffic, I called to reserve a slip at Utche's Marina in Cape May, and was told  they were full.  Checking Active Captain, we called South Jersey Marina where we got a transient slip for the night.  The gal was busy trying to rearrange dock space to accommodate more boats, and when she called back, mentioned the reservation before us was for a power boat, M&M, from S. Burlington - small world.

Delaware Bay showed a more docile side for once - light winds, but not W as forecast. We ran up the main and got an occasional boost, but motor sailed most of the day to arrive before dark. It made for a more pleasant passage better than the 3' seas and headwinds that we've had on some of our trips.  The current, however, ran against us more hours than we liked, even though we cut across the flats where it tends to be lighter.  By mid-afternoon, it began flowing out again, increasing our speed (evening out our speed to about 5.5 kts). Along with all the power boats, and big ship traffic on the bay, at least 6 other sailboats were headed down the bay.  Most of them appeared to have sailed out the bay rather than take  the canal with its 55' bridges.  Not only will the marinas be full, the anchorage will be too.  Looked like lots of folks planned to take advantage of the light southerly winds forecast through the end of the week to hop offshore for points N and E.

The tide was dropping when we approached the breakwater by the ferry dock, and encountered a dredge in the channel.  We watched as the trawler ahead of us waited, and was told to keep to the green side of the channel - we did too.  I guess the shoal that built where the ferries back out of the slips needed to be removed (we touched there once, trying to keep clear of a ferry).  There were several other skinny spots in the canal in need of dredging too, with several readings dropping to 8' mid channel.  Obviously, the 55' bridge clearance wouldn't be an issue for us! 

I've come to the conclusion that NJ fishermen are as bad as their weekend boating brethren in FL.  Given the narrowness and length of the canal, it should be a 'no wake' zone from our perspective, but the fishermen fear they might lose 'that big one', and head out at full throttle and usually in the middle of the channel.  They're equally anxious to get back to show off their catch on return.

The Jersey South Marina was tucked up the creek, a bit closer to town, but with ample water to navigate and do a 180 to tie up.  As advertised, the dock hands were helpful, we  topped off fuel at our slip and the bathrooms were way above most cruiser's norms (one review said they thought they were in a Kohler showroom). This put it beyond our normal $2/ft limit, but hey, it was only for a night, and the showers were really nice. 

When the guy checking us in learned we planned on walking to the store, he said they'd take us in the van in the morning, it was a service included with the dockage (along with the fancy bathrooms).  I was looking forward to some exercise, and declined.  I pointed out to Leonard there wasn't much difference in 'doing it ourselves' regarding towing, and walking to the store, but I'm not sure he bought my reasoning.  It was 3+miles round trip, but a pleasant, interesting walk past some historic buildings.

Sunset overlooking some of the docks at Cape May

The marina 'gave' us a $10 certificate for breakfast that Leonard couldn't resist, so shortly after 0700, we checked out the menu.  Blue cloth napkins indicated pricey, which it was since everything was a la carte, but breakfast was good, and we could watch as the various vessels departed.  We departed too, after a short walk to the fish market just across the way for some fresh, local flounder.

5/26/16    Off Shore

As we headed out the harbor, we watched as a CG vessel charge off the dock toward the bay, throwing a big wake.  We wondered if it was an emergency, but hadn't heard any chatter on the VHF.  We later learned it was a practice - but if their wake caught someone off guard, it could have turned into a real mission if someone fell overboard or was hurt.

Anchored vessels at Cape May

Not surprising, our timing was less than perfect (as we knew), and the water was flowing in as we headed out the inlet.  The current wasn't bad until we reached the end of the breakwater, where the current was boiling.  Leonard did a higher rpm test of the engine to get us out - no stutters made him happy.  Fortunately it was a short inlet, most of which had been fine, and we were soon on our way.

The dominate word in forecast for the foreseeable future was S, with winds around 10kts, making it a good time to get past NJ.  While  it would be possible to 'day trip' in and out along the coast, the mention of thunderstorms as the weekend progresses and the smooth condition of the sea, had us inclined to get it over with in one hop.  It's a 120NM to the Verrazano Bridge, or between 20 - 24 hours depending on our speed.  With some luck and timing, we might catch the morning flood tide (much shorter than the ebb!) into the harbor and anchor off the Palisades N of the city.  Other options would be to tuck in behind Sandy Hook to wait for a flood, or stop at the anchorage behind the Statue of Liberty.  With a holiday weekend ahead, we expect to see a lot more pleasure and fishing vessels plying the waters, keeping us on our toes.

Hitch hiking female magnolia warbler on the outboard

As we motor sailed (the jib was helping) along the New Jersey shore, we were visited by a hitchhiker.  These little guys are always welcome to use us as a rest stop.  This one I think was a female magnolia warbler, but somehow, what I see never looks quite like the photos in my field guide!  As always, I'm open to verification and/or correction.

By noon, both sails were up and the engine off.  It was nice to be sailing and not listening to the engine chugging along.  Another boat, flying a spinnaker was heading N too.  If the wind and weather hold, it would be a good passage.

Lynnea

Annapolis

5/23/16   To   38 58.375N,  76 29.173W    Annapolis Municipal Mooring #60    52.0NM

The rain gradually ceased as we motored up the bay.  With insufficient wind to sail, the engine got a good workout, and preformed flawlessly sans hiccups or stutters, much to our relief.  We appear to have found our payback zone for all the 'good' current we've enjoyed most of the way N.  It's a bit of a double whammy of the flood current not coinciding with much of our transiting time, and runoff in the Chesapeake watershed making its way to sea.  Even when we should have a few 10ths of a kt flood, the GPS on the chart plotter indicates around -.4, making long days just a little bit longer.  Maybe Delaware Bay, where the current runs stronger, will be kinder to us (and have runoff too).

Thomas Point light house off the South River

Sign by a replica of Thomas Point light house at the Annapolis Maritime Museum

As we worked our way N, the cumulus clouds began building on both sides of the bay.  The last batch of rain had swept in from the E, off the ocean, rather than following the usual westerly flow, so I wasn't sure which batch of clouds I should be watching.  We started 30 minute radar checks, and watched as a number of fairly nasty cells built around the region, from Philadelphia to S of Norfolk, tracking W, and NOAA issued one storm warning after another for much of  Chesapeake Bay over the VHF.

One of the tall ships sailing past the Naval Academy with a tour group

We tucked in between 2 cells as we headed into Annapolis, and it looked like we'd be home free - on a mooring and settled when any weather arrived.  There was an unexpected snafu - all moorings N of the bridge on Spa Creek were full.  It was a Monday, there haven't been that many cruisers, and with crummy weather all weekend, what were these people thinking?  A call to the bridge tender informed us the next opening (restricted hours) wouldn't be until 1800, leaving us with 25 minutes to back and fill as the clouds got darker and darker.  We had the connector in, helping to keep us dry, but the side curtains obstruct visibility more than we like, especially in close quarters.  We were doing circles between the mooring field, the Eastport docks and the docks by the burnt out shell of the Annapolis Yacht Club house.  The good thing was we weren't the tallest mast, and there was protection from the boats on the docks when the initial 25kts of wind arrived.  We did a lot of slow circles.

Work on the Annapolis Yacht Club building damaged by a fire

Most of the moorings beyond the bridge were empty, so once we cleared the bridge we picked up #60.  We'd have bridge noise, but it would be a short dinghy ride to the closest public landing (most streets have public docks).  Unfortunately it was still raining, and I'd been looking forward to crab cakes from Chick and Ruth's Delly.  I was thrilled when the radar showed a break in the rain, so when it arrived, we launched the dinghy and rowed ashore.  Yes! Crab cakes and an apple crisp crepe from Sofi's  for dinner!

Antares on the 'other' side of the bridge - St. Mary's church and Charles Carroll House

The bridge was noisy.  It's relatively easy to adapt to the whirring sound of tire tread over grates, but the bridge was under repair, with 3 or 4 large metal plates over work areas that sounded like drums as the cars went over.  However, if you're tired, even that sound merges into background noise.  There was a bright side - although the moorings were rated for 35' (not easily visible), the harbor master had no problem downsizing Antares a foot, and these moorings were $25/night, while on the other side of the bridge (rated for bigger vessels) were $35 for our length. He pointed out that dinghy dock by the Academy would have been packed. 

2/24/16    To  39 27.951N,    75 58.802W    Rogue's Harbor    51.2NM

Linterman's new vessel

I'd need a ladder to paint the bottom with this 8.5' keel!

We decided not to spend another night in Annapolis to take advantage of improving weather.  Knowing we needed to be off the mooring by noon, we ate a quick breakfast and went ashore to check out Mary and Chris Linterman's (friends from LCYC) new boat in Eastport.  Suffice it to say it's a big (46') go fast boat (twin wheels and rudders) and quite a change from Moon Shadow, their Erickson 35.  Mary said it was responsive, fun to sail, and they did over 9kts in 10-15kts of wind on the sea trial. We might reach 9 kts (briefly) surfing down a wave in strong winds and following seas.  They planned to arrive late Tuesday night, get the boat launched Wednesday and head straight for Newport.  We knew they'd be too busy to visit, and we'd need at least a day's head start if we hope to see them in Cape May.  It was interesting to take a look at the boat on the hard.  With 8.5' draft, it's not a boat for the Bahamas, but they are thinking about cruising the Med, and it would be great for crossing the Atlantic and Europe.  We'll keep in touch with them, and wish them a smooth maiden voyage. (They'll wave as they fly past us on the Delaware.)

Part of the fleet watching the practice run of the Blue Angel's air show

We caught the 1100 bridge opening, and were surprised to see all the moorings still full - usually someone departs in the morning.  As we turned to head toward the bay, we were faced with a flotilla of anchored and slow moving vessels, and a number of patrol vessels.  We'd wondered about the additional small red and green buoys when we arrived, apparently it was a channel for traffic during a Blue Angels air show scheduled for Wednesday.  Seems we arrived during graduation week at the Academy.  It looked like Burlington harbor before the fireworks.  We did catch part of the practice airshow - they buzzed the channel as we headed out, and watched them practice as we continued on our way.  The last thing we need is more unspent fuel on our deck, which looks like it has a case of pox, courtesy of the fighters buzzing us in the A&P Canal and Alligator River.  It requires a lot of elbow grease to remove from the non-skid deck.

Blue Angels in tight formation

With a late start and fighting the current, we planned to get to as far as possible for the night, putting us in a reasonable position to catch an East flowing current through the C&D Canal in the morning Wednesday before heading down the Delaware Bay.

Once the current finally stopped running against us, we pushed a beyond the Sassafras River, hoping to reach Cape May on Wednesday.  It would be a stretch, some 70NM, especially if we continued to fight the current at the same rate we had on the bay.  It was disheartening to see the 'extra' 10NM (compared to the actual chart plotter track) we traveled during the day.  That's an extra couple of hours at our speed!

Rogue's Harbor wasn't much of a harbor, but more a place where we could get out of the channel, have enough depth and swing room for the night, and would offer protection from N-NW winds if needed.  It was near Elk River State Park, across from the interesting, but unsightly, trailer/RV park across the river (Leonard told me to look the other way), and was 10NM closer to Cape May.  There was a dock at the park, but we were too tired to attempt to take either Antares in to the dock, or launch the dinghy to go exploring.  It was a very quiet night, much appreciated after the noise from the Annapolis bridge.

Up the Bay

5/20,21/16  To  38 07.427N,  76 24.940W    Smith Creek off the Potomac River    75.7NM   

With the knowledge that a more significant cold front would arrive Saturday, we hoped to get as far up the Chesapeake as possible before tucking in and waiting for it to pass.  Ideally, we would have liked to gotten as far as Solomons Island, but even with the extra hours of daylight in the spring, 80+NM would be a stretch.  My guess about runoff was correct, a .5+flood was  more like a -1.2 ebb as we headed N.  Even with a sunrise departure, there weren't enough daylight hours in a day. 

Sunrise as we depart our Back Creek anchorage

The ultimate in duck blinds

The forecast (depending on which forecast you believed) for an E wind in the afternoon was wrong, so we didn't have the bit of extra speed we get sailing.  The morning started with light head winds, and by afternoon the bay had an oily, smooth surface that comes with a dead calm, and as the overcast spread, it was difficult to differentiate the sea from the sky.  It was easy motoring, and after the early morning  fishermen rush to get out to where the fish were biting, there was little traffic.  There were surprisingly few bobbers to dodge, just enough 'singles' to keep us on our toes.  The ones we saw out on the bay appeared to be strays, but it only takes 1 line to wrap a prop.

Cormorants sitting on 'G1' at the entrance of the Potomac on a windless afternoon

After looking at various places to tuck in, we decided to check out Smith Creek, the first creek on the N side of the Potomac that looked promising - a narrow entry, but lots of coves to tuck into, out of the wind when it arrived.  Getting that far was a 14 hour day.  George Washington certainly didn't toss a silver dollar across the mouth of the Potomac!  At 10NM wide, it seems to take forever to get across.  Fortunately, with no wind, it was an easy. but still just under 3 hours thanks to an ebb current and an angled course to reach Smith Creek.

A panorama of our cove up Smith Creek

While we ate dinner, 2 other sail boats arrived, looking to join us.  They provided entertainment when one ran aground on his approach, and the other attempted to pull him free with a line.  Eventually he got off and both anchored outside of us.  We would have felt much better if they'd backed down on their anchors instead of just shutting the engine off after dropping the hook.  Part of the reason we sought a snug harbor was the forecast for winds in the 20-25kt range, and we don't want neighbors dragging into us. 

Our trusty Yanmar had occasional hiccups during the day, changing rpm unassisted, not a reassuring sign, indicating a change of fuel filters was due.  This is best done when anchored, so we kept our fingers crossed, held our breath, and continued on our way.  A job to tackle in the Saturday while we sat and waited for the weather to pass. 

Saturday morning, after clearing the back cabin (aka the garage) Leonard found a broken hose clamp on the fuel line, an easy fix, and removed the Racor filter to replace it, but couldn't remove the clear cap, a vital step in the process.  ARGH!  We drained the old filter and cleaned it as much as possible before reinstalling it, hoping it will function until we reach Solomons.  Looking for a replacement unit on line, Leonard discovered our unit has been deemed obsolete, lucky us.  We'll visit a mechanic (lots in Solomons or Annapolis) to see if they can get the darn thing apart in a vise or with a special tool.  Meanwhile we'll do some measuring to see which of the 'new' units will fit in the space available.  As we know, cruising is the art of fixing things in exotic places.

Since we reached Beaufort, our simple wardrobe solution of one set of salty shorts and shirt and one relatively clean one, became insufficient.  We'd become accustomed to warm sunny days with highs in the 80's and have had a rude awakening to cool, cloudy days with showers where,  if we're lucky,  the high may nudge into the low 70's and the wind feels distinctly cool sans sun.  Long pants, sleeves and fleeces replaced layers of sunscreen, so we must be getting closer to home.  We are currently in a no mans zone squished between 2 high pressure systems where the sun is unlikely to reappear until the highs move out to sea, with rain part and parcel of every forecast - we've been taking sunshine for granted.

5/22/16    To  38 20.252N    76 27.604W    Back Creek, Solomon's Island    33.9NM   

Although the weather forecast wasn't promising, we hoped they'd over estimated the wind speed, and headed on our way, as did the 2 boats that had joined us in Smith Creek.  We were anxious to solve our fuel filter issue and nudge a bit closer to home.  We ran the jib out as we headed down the Potomac, but once we turned the corner at Cape Lookout and headed up the bay, it was right into the wind and seas.  As luck would have it, the wind stayed between 10-12kts, preferable to the 15 forecast, keeping the seas between 2'-3'.   While it wasn't fun in the persistent drizzle and showers, the conditions were manageable.  Leonard wished he'd sprayed the connector with a bit more water proofing, another job for the 'to do list' if the weather ever clears (maybe by Tuesday).

Point No Point light house on a very gray day

We crossed fingers and toes that the engine would get enough fuel for us to reach the anchorage at Solomon's.  Suffice it to say the engine stuttered enough times to make it a bit of a stressful day.  Leonard was wishing we'd continued N on Friday when the seas were flat, but who knows what issues we might have encountered then, at least now we could sail if the engine quit, which wouldn't have been a viable option Friday.  Using our unlimited towing with Boat US would be our last resort since we're of 'do it ourselves' school of boating.  We could have launched the dinghy and outboard once we got close enough to port and in the lee of the shore along Drum Point out of the bigger seas and lashed it on the hip.

We made it, and had the anchor set before 1530. While we were underway, Leonard came up with an idea to get the fuel filter apart by McGivering a vise out of some wood pieces we have on board, and got right to work once we were settled.  He succeeded getting the unit apart and installed a new filter.  Once we bled any air out the fuel line, the engine started - a positive sign.  We'd find out if changing fuel filters (we have 2) resolved the problem once we are underway and the engine was working under a load.  We need to take on fuel, with less than a 1/4 tank, and I suspect sloshing the bottom of the tank only added to the already overloaded filter issue.

Early morning reflections of Spring Cove Marina (between rain drops)

5/23/2016  Underway for Annapolis

It rained off and on most of the night, and was still raining when we woke up.  I'd hoped to hike to the store bright and early, before the marina opened, but neither of us was in a hurry to launch the dinghy and hike several miles in the rain.  It was still raining after breakfast, but the radar promised it would let up before long, so once the marina opened, we went to the fuel dock.  We considered asking if we could tie up for a few hours while we hiked to the store, but decided we'd just head on our way to Annapolis. 

Solomon's Island Back Creek anchorage -  I've long admired this boat house and garden

Being only 45NM, it should have been an easy day, but the current god joined ranks with the runoff god, concocting a 1.5 kt current heading for the mouth of the bay.  The wind god didn't help either, although the wind was lighter than Sunday, it was still out of the N at 5-10kts, with 2' seas, which tend to knock close to a kt off our SOG.  With a bit of relief from the ebb current, we may reach Annapolis by 1900, another long day.  So far, we haven't heard the engine stutter, a good sign that problem has been fixed. To be on the safe side, we plan to pick up another secondary filter (we have another primary on board) in Annapolis, just in case.  We have a lot of motoring between here and home!

Iconic Chesapeake work boat hauling pots on the Patuxent River

This fish trap offers a convenient pelican perch and food source

Everything here is cloaked in bright spring green, thanks to all the recent rain.  From what I heard on NOAA, the area had below normal precipitation for the year at the start of May, but is now around 2" over.  It's rained 17 days since May Day (not including today).  We've been thoroughly spoiled by the beautiful sunny weather we enjoyed most of the trip.  The other 2 words that are part of the forecast for the week are 'light' and 'variable', most likely limiting our ability to sail and cover the necessary mileage between anchorages.  From our perspective, L&V is preferable to head winds.

Lynnea

Heading into Virgina

5/18/16    To 36 43.283N,  76 14.511W    Great Bridge Free Dock    12.6NM

Looking at the depth gauge as we headed to the ICW in the morning, I wasn't sure we'd have chosen to anchor where we did.  To be sure, we never touched, but there was only about a foot of water under the keel as we left.  Apparently when the S wind died, the water eased back, having been pushed up a bit by the wind (while there may be a little tidal change here, the water levels are driven by the wind). 

It had been a quiet night.  I watched as a tug pushed a barge past us around 0100, when I was up briefly during the night.  I glanced out and was surprised to see a bright light by the bridge just S of us, and decided to watch as it approached.  The ICW has a few subtle turns here, marked by lighted day marks ('R32' was one of them) and while I knew we were fine, it was interesting to watch the tug head at us before negotiating the turn.  Other than the roving spot light (he lit us up several times) there was hardly a ripple on the water as the combo past us.

This lone cypress stands at the edge of the channel with a host of stumps, an indication of the damage caused by large wakes 

When we arrived at the North Landing Bridge, we were  surprised to see 2 tug/barge combos parked on the bank of the channel, just shy of the bridge (including the one I'd seen), and wondered why, since the bridge tender said he'd open for us.  We'd missed the second comment the tender made when we requested an opening, but it was obvious when only 1 side of the bridge opened - not wide enough to accommodate the barges, but enough for us.

On the VHF, we heard Centerville Turnpike Bridge holler on the VHF at the sail boat ahead of us for throwing a wake (I didn't know a sail boat could throw a wake, especially when slowed awaiting an opening).   The problem was workers were doing repairs on the fender at the bridge. However, he had a problem getting the bridge to open, and we were told to stand by while he worked on it.  This wasn't a big deal other than the Great Bridge bridge also has a schedule and if we were delayed too long, we'd miss the 1000 opening (it's on an hourly schedule) which wouldn't be a problem if there was space on the free dock just before the bridge.  When Leonard contacted Great Bridge, the tender said we were close enough he'd hold it for us.  Good thing, since the dock below the bridge was full.

Lots of space on the free dock between the bridge and the lock

The free dock between the bridge and lock had plenty of space, and with little wind, we had an uneventful docking.  This dock was our preferred dock, a bit closer to the laundromat and supermarket, and we planned to take advantage of both.  Given the wind forecast for Thursday, we planned on waiting until noon before going through the lock to avoid the restrictions at the RR bridge at mile 5.8, and stopping at Hospital Point in Norfolk.

The Elizabeth River viewed from Bells Mills Park

Wanting to get some exercise beyond the the walk to the laundromat, Leonard found Bells Mill Park nearby on Google maps.  Some place new to explore!  It was an open tract of land along the Elizabeth River (non navigable here), with a couple of loop trails, an interesting walk that seemed miles from the nearby city.  We learned why the road we take to the shopping center has so much traffic - we passed all the city and county government facilities and offices with packed parking lots, on the way to the park.

We also walked across the canal to check out the viewing platform overlooking the marsh.  In the fall we saw several red tailed hawks looking for a meal, however no birds were flying this time.  Some kind of event was taking place in the park by the other free dock - several food trucks, a variety of display tents, a group of string performers setting up to play, and several of Chesapeake's fire trucks.  A sign offered a historical tour of the Great Bridge battle ground, but by then, we were tired and ready to go back to the boat.

String group preforming 'America the Beautiful'

5/19/16   To 37 06.367N,  76 19.347W    Back River  30.7NM

Thursday morning dawned bright and clear, with little of the wind that had been forecast.  If we'd known, we would have gone to the supermarket for provisions before going for a walk, so we could have departed and timed our trip to clear the RR bridge before the 0900 restriction and clear Gilmerton Bridge at the 0830, after that restriction lifted.  Hindsight is wonderful, and so are accurate weather forecasts.  Although the forecast for clouds and showers Thursday turned out to be correct, and it was sprinkling by the time we walked to the store.

We locked through at 1200 along with 9 other vessels, 7 of which were big sport fish or large motor yachts.  With that many boats, it takes a longer to get lines ashore and thus requires more time to transit the lock (we went up a few scant inches).  It was 1235 by the time we departed the lock, the last boat out, since it made more sense to let power boats go first. 

N&S RR Bridge (with the restrictions) and the 'new' Gilmerton lift bridge just beyond

It was not our day for RR bridges.  Although we didn't arrive at the N&S RR bridge until 1330, it was down, and we waited with Samba, the other sail boat, for it to go up.  Then we heard him call the Old Virginia RR bridge which should have been open, but they also had repair crew on the bridge and it was down.  The crew needed to check something before the bridge would open, which took close to 20 minutes.  Wouldn't have mattered much anyway since the Belt Line RR (3rd and last), was closed for train traffic.  How could we get it so wrong?  Fortunately the Belt Line bridge was going up by the time we cleared the Old Virginia bridge.  At least the Gilmerton Bridge lifted in a timely fashion.  The Gilmerton was recently reconstructed, but instead of a 65' clearance (or greater, like the nearby Jordan Bridge), the new one has a 38' clearance, with a lift mechanism for big ocean going vessels (and sail boats).

The Old Virginia RR Bridge going up - Jordan high rise and Belt Line RR bridge (down) beyond as we head toward Norfolk

It's always interesting to see the wide variety of ships, both Naval and other, as we pass through the Norfolk/Hampton Roads area.  This trip was no different nor disappointing.  None of the Naval vessels departed as we passed by the docks, but there was a stream of tug/barge combos plying the waters.  We saw everything from a tall ship arriving under full sail to a tiny harbor pusher tug (and a lot in between).  Here are some photos of those we found interesting.

The American Rover under full sail heading for Norfolk

We have no idea why this ship, '#3,' has open sides
Editor's note: see this Link

The 'Jason Dunham' an Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer built in 2009, reminds me of Columbus' vessels

2 Naval vessels, each with #5, docked next to each other(also saw 2 #3s)

'Ike' - #2 of 10 Nimitz Class Nuclear Air Craft Carriers, commissioned in 1977

'Teddi C' - a little harbor 'pusher tug'

'Jack Holland' a much bigger pusher tug

Long Island, a 'Dr. Seuss' tug with a raised pilothouse to see over barges - our kids gave them that name back in the 70's

I spotted this strange catamaran on a dock, but have no idea of its purpose

If we believe the weekend forecast, we'll need to hole up somewhere Saturday while the cold front passes E, which may develop into a nor'easter with winds pushing toward 25kts.  With that in mind, we wanted to go further than Norfolk for the day.  Fortunately, the current god didn't desert us.  Although we missed part of the ebb waiting for the RR bridges, we did have some, and we arrived at the bottom of the bay around slack tide, giving us a slight boost as we headed up the bay - much better than a knot against us.   Although with all the recent rain in the area the last 2 weeks, we'll probably deal with runoff (only goes down stream) as well as tidal current.

Lynnea