Day 2-168-170 Weather delay in Cambridge, MD

We have been in Cambridge, MD for the past 3 full days waiting for better weather...

The southeastern U.S. has had days of rain, thunderstorms, tornados, etc. so we can hardly complain about strong winds and rain. It has rained regularly during the past three days, but according to the weather reports, the 3 day total is only around 3 inches. Cambridge is a pretty town with historic homes along the Choptank River, which is where our marina is located. The inner harbor is lined with many 4 story condos but the outer harbor has a more traditional look with waterfront restaurants and fishing boats. The picture to the right shows the entrance to the Cambridge Municipal Yacht Basin with a reproduction of a lighthouse. The lighthouse is elevated and sits on screw piles that are anchored in the muddy bottom. It has the look of many similar lighthouses on Chesapeake Bay. This particular reproduction has been used for meeting rooms and even as a bed and breakfast.

Cambridge has evolved into something of a regional commercial center, and unfortunately for us, that means that most of the businesses have long since moved out of the historic downtown to locations along the main highway. Thus getting around here had not been easy until we rented a car late Monday afternoon. Of course, one of the first things that we did was to go to a movie. We saw "Transcendence". I liked the movie, but I really felt that the ending was really lacking.

On Tuesday, we set out to do some shopping. We first went to Easton, MD about 20 miles north. We had needed new shore power cords for a while. Shore power cords is a fancy marine (read "expensive" here) term for the heavy duty 30 amp cords that we plug into the dock for electricity. We also need a "Y" adapter so that the two 30 amp cords could be plugged into one 50 amp shore power outlet. That store did not have the adapter in stock, but the next store 30 miles up the road did...  Altogether, not counting the rent car this cost a little over $400.00 including tax. By this point we were only a few miles from Annapolis, MD across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The Admiral had made an appointment at a bike shop since one of our scooters has more or less died. The good news is that she found exactly what she wanted, but...

Yes, there had to be a "but". I had forgotten that we are staying here for 3 or 4 days because of the bad winds and lot of (mainly light) rain. So, while the Admiral has a new toy she has only ridden it in the parking lot before she bought it. Every time that I suggest she go ride it, it seems to be raining. Those of you who know the Admiral know that little set backs like this DO NOT make her happy.

Today in more rain and wind we drove to Oxford, MD, about 15 miles northwest of Cambridge. We would have stopped here in the boat, but the weather delay for these past few days will probably eliminate that stop. Oxford has many pretty old homes along the waterfront of the Tred Avon River as well as at least 4 good marinas. It is a sleepy little town, which meant that most of the restaurants were closed for lunch until the Summer season starts.

There is a car ferry that crosses the Tred Avon, but this time we did not take it due to the rain. Too bad since the views are really pretty. We did finally find a nice waterfront restaurant that was open. It was 12:52 pm, and we were their first customers of the day. I guess that is why the other restaurants are just plain closed for lunch.

We got back to Lucky Us at about 2:30 pm, and then it was decision time... The options were to go see "Rio 2" or take a nap. Rather unbelievably the Admiral voted for the nap. By now, you know what my vote was for so we avoided a tie.

After the nap, we headed out to do grocery shopping before we were scheduled to turn in the rent car at 5:00 pm. As we were about to leave the boat, the Dockmaster called to notify us that he was about to turn off the electricity on the docks. As a function of the strong winds, there has been some storm surge the past 3 days. However, even though those tides were artificially higher, the bottom of the fixed docks were always slightly above water. You can see in the picture on the right that this afternoon the wooden planks are just above water... We are not in any danger, but if the next several high tides are much higher, we would probably be wise not to venture to shore...

Oh well, at least when the weather finally improves, we should be well rested. We plan to be "ready" to leave tomorrow, but my guess is that unless the weather forecast improves, we will be spending another day in Cambridge (and of course, eating well).

Day 2- 167 across the Chesapeake Bay to Cambridge, MD

The weather forecast was spot on... We left the dock at 7:30 am, and we expected 2.5 to 3 foot waves when we left the Potomac River about an hour later and entered the Chesapeake Bay. We had the predicted waves with winds from the north at about 15 to 20 mph, but the prediction was for the wind to die to about 5+ mph sometime after 11:00 am. Actually, the winds had started to die before 11:00 am, and the last 5.5 hours of our 9 hour 71.2 mile trip were in waves of 1 foot or less. Shortly after entering the Chesapeake Bay, we passed the Point No Point Lighthouse. It is another caisson type structure about 2 miles off shore. We saw a little more commercial traffic as we passed an ocean going tug and barge as well as two 800+ foot freighters. Our course took us across the Bay at a slight angle, and when we reached the eastern shore, we entered the Choptank River for the trip up to Cambridge, MD. As we entered the Choptank River we saw the last crab pots and after about 2 miles, we passed the last boat trolling for Rockfish. I am not sure, but once again I would guess that there was a drop in the salinity that effect the range of both the crabs and the Rockfish... Anyway, as the river gradually got narrower, I was very happy not to be dodging crab pots!

As we approached Cambridge, we passed some nice but not ostentatious homes with beautiful lawns down to the shore. Cambridge is a very old town, but now it is a mix of "newcomers" and families of watermen that have been here for hundreds (?) of years.

...and then the fun began. Molly and Clifton and their two children drove up from Salisbury, MD about 30 miles to the south. Clifton was kind enough to do the "Titanic pose". They are long time friends from Texas A&M in both College Station and Qatar. Jacob and Maddie were a little shy at the start, but pretty soon they were going up and down the ladder to the flybridge and doing the loop from the aft deck up around the bow and back the other side. They had known that we were on a long trip on the water, but I think that they had expected something a lot less roomy. We chatted for a bit and then walked into town for dinner on the waterfront.

Dinner was fun for the adults anyway as we did a lot of catching up. The kids were fascinated watching a game of "Coin Hole" where players toss small sand bags at a tilted board with (of all things) a hole in it. It appears that scoring was much like horseshoes with more points for a bag in the hole, but hangers counted some points also.

After dinner, we had our picture taken on the dock in front of the restaurant. As you can see, part of the historic waterfront has been replaced by newer condos, but the old bascule bridge remains and is the gateway to a large marina beyond.  After we walked back to our marina, Molly and Clifton loaded up two very sleepy kids into their truck and headed home. Thanks for coming to visit! It was great to see you!

After our company left, I snapped this (not great) sunset over the Cambridge Municipal Yacht Basin where we are staying. A long but fun day!

Day 2-166 resting at Corinthian Yacht Club

We have made pretty good use of our rest day Corinthian Yacht Club in Ridge, Maryland. Even the Admiral slept in this morning... However, sleeping in is something of a relative term for the Admiral since she is usually an early riser.

This morning we launched the dinghy and took a tour up two of the 4 or so creeks that come together here to flow into the Potomac River.

There were several pretty homes with cherry trees still in bloom. We passed three small marinas as well as at least two docks with commercial crab boats. Overall, the area is not very populated, and most of our views were of forested shoreline.

The second (and final) picture for today is the view of Lucky Us docked at the end of a row of covered slips. When we reloaded the dingy, we took the opportunity to have her facing the opposite direction when loaded on the davits. We continue to "tinker" with the set up, and each time it usually gets a little better. While the cover was off the dingy, the Admiral sewed up a seam where the thread had rotted (?) and torn. Fortunately, it was just the thread breaking rather than the fabric tearing. The "little" sewing machine that she bought for the boat just continues to amaze us with what it can sew...

The weather today was pretty good. You can see the relatively blue sky in both pictures. We were more concerned about the predicted winds for today and tomorrow. The prediction for this afternoon was for 15 to 20 mph winds with stronger gusts. This would have generated waves up to 4 feet high out on the Chesapeake Bay, which is why we chose to stay in port today. We are not in a position to see the Bay so we could not tell about the waves, but at the relatively protected yacht club, the winds were light at 5+ mph.  A predicted front did come through in the early evening with some small thunderstorms.

The predictions for tomorrow are for 10 to 15 mph wind in the morning and for the wind to die down to about 5 mph by mid afternoon. If that prediction holds over night, we will probably start out into Chesapeake Bay early tomorrow morning. Even with all of the forecasts available to us, some times you just have to stick your nose out there to see what the weather is really like...

Day 2-165 to Ridge, MD at Corinthian Yacht Club

Today was a relatively short day with only 33.9 miles to the Corinthian Yacht Club at Ridge, Maryland. The location is on the north (Maryland) shore of the Potomac River. As the trip progressed, the river widened and the winds picked up slightly to just over 10 mph. The next part of our trip will be largely in the Chesapeake Bay as we will go to the north and across the Bay. Thus, we will be in relatively open water so the wind velocity becomes critical.

Last year the Corinthian Yacht Club celebrated its 110th anniversary, and as part of the celebration, they made a special transient rate available to Loopers. They had such a favorable response that they continued the offer this year at a slightly less favorable rate. The picture at the left was our view of the club house upon our arrival. We are docked  just to the left at the end of one of two covered docks. It seems like a nice place with friendly people, and we have already been invited to a dinner on Saturday night.

The weather forecast for the next two days is for strong 15 to 20 mph winds with waves up to 4 feet on the Chesapeake Bay, and as a result, we may be here for several days. I have mentioned before that we are used to a more relaxed schedule on the Loop. We have had 8 very busy days in a row with 6 travel days and two full days in Washington, DC. Therefore, a "little" weather delay will be most welcome! The picture on the right shows part of the beautiful view from Lucky Us at the dock.

So, it looks like a beautiful places to rest and track the weather for a couple of days.

Day 2-164 Washington, DC to Cobb Island, MD

Sadly and without any fanfare we left the Capitol Yacht Club in DC at 8:35 am and headed back down the Potomac River. The start was a little chilly but with a light breeze and partly cloudy skies it seemed like a great day to be on the water. For review, we had entered the Potomac River from Chesapeake Bay and travelled about 2.5 days up river to DC. So, strictly speaking, the trip to DC was "just" a side trip. Thus, to rejoin our Great Loop journey, we must first back track down the Potomac River to the Chesapeake Bay.

As the day progressed, the breeze fell and the skies got clearer making for an even better day on the water. Retracing our path could have been boring, but the different orientation of the views and sun angles made for a delightful trip. You never know what to expect, and the first picture is a good example of that. There is an old adage that says "never cut a channel marker too close", and that definitely applies to this one. Usually markers on land are in obvious places, like at the end of a breakwater, but this guy is well hidden by the vegetation...

About 12 miles south, we passed Fort Washington, which was well situated to block the Potomac at a narrow point in the river. It is on the Maryland shore and about 4 miles up river from Mount Vernon. Speaking of Mount Vernon, we had more beautiful views of it on our voyage down river.

A short time later we passed the " S.S. Sophie”, which is a classic wooden 80 foot 1947 Trumpy motor yacht. Many wooden boat enthusiasts believe that Trumpy was the Rolls Royce of 20th century wooden motor yachts. Of the 400 or so that had been built when the yard closed in 1972, less than 100 are thought to be in existence today. It turns out that this beauty belongs to belongs to TV legal guru Greta Van Susteren and her husband. 


Even though we were both very tired, today was designed to be a long travel day in order to set up several shorter days. Luckily for me, the Admiral volunteered to take command while I napped in the late morning. This may not sound like a big deal but when there is only one person at the helm, there is a lot to do. Fortunately, I was able to partially repay her later when she took a shower and relaxed some.

After about 61 miles as we were approaching the Gov. Harry W. Nice Bridge (fixed, 135 feet clearance), we got a call on the VHF radio from Range (Patrol) Boat 1. It seems that we were about to enter a stretch of the river where there were live fire (as in canon fire) exercises taking place. They gave us a list of yellow, Navy channel markers to follow that basically took us out of the main channel and put us closer to the Maryland shore. When we reached the end of the zone, Range Boat 3 (picture at right) was there to monitor our progress. Then, and only then, did we hear these fairly loud booms off in the distance behind us... Hopefully that meant that they were not firing while we were along the outside margin of the live fire zone, but by that time it no longer mattered. Like I keep saying, every day is new and "different".

By then our long (73.8 miles, about 9 hours) day was nearing an end. We are staying at Captain John's Crab House and Marina in Cobb Island, MD.  The restaurant is really GOOD. I had broiled Tilapia and the Admiral had broiled shrimp, and both of us were smiling a lot during dinner. A great dinner cooked by someone else is a fitting reward after a long (but easy) day on the water.

So, another state (Maryland) has been added to our list. We had been in waters that are part of Maryland while on the Potomac River, but this stop is officially our first time on the ground in Maryland. 

Well, it is only 9:20 pm, but the Admiral has already been asleep for 20 minutes. I think that I will leave you with a picture of the sunset over Captain John's Marina and join the Admiral.

Day 2-163 last day in Washington, DC

For our second and last full day in DC, Terry picked a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, and I got to pick a museum. By the time that it was time for me to choose the museum, we were both exhausted from all of the walking over the past 48 hours so the museum that I chose was "none"... The point of this visit was not to see "all" of DC, but rather the event was centered around the wonderful trip up the Potomac and the thrill of seeing the monuments, etc. from the water.

We started our trip to Arlington with the 5 block walk to the Metro station. Altogether over the past 2.5 days we made three round trips on the Metro. We each had bought pass cards for $8.00 plus a fee of $2.00 for the refillable card. When we finished today, we each had $0.33 left on our cards. The first picture show the front entrance and General Robert E. Lee's home at the top of the hill. This also show how close the Metro Station is to the entrance.

We chose to take a Grayline tram tour of the cemetery. The second picture shows the Admiral during our short walk from the station to the tram. I have been to DC probably 20 times, usually for meetings, but I had never been to the cemetery before. It is particularly beautiful at this time of the year with the flowering trees, daffodils, tulips, etc. It is also a very serene place even though the area was full of activities. They have 27 funerals on an average day, plus numerous walking and riding tours, and yet it was very peaceful. There was very little talking and even smaller children seemed to sense the respect that this place deserves.

Our tram made three stops with the first one at JFK's grave and the eternal flame. The setting is very simple, but the location is impressive.









The cemetery is in Virginia just across the Potomac River from DC. On our Great Loop adventure, we have been in states that were part of the Confederacy until we reached the Potomac River with Maryland and Virginia on opposite shores. The entire state of Virginia is further north than any of the other Confederate States. We have probably all heard about families that were split by that war, but for me this site made it all come together. The house at the top of the hill was the home for General Robert E. Lee, and it was here that he and his wife lived and raised their family for more than 30 years. The General had risen to that rank when there was only one country and only one army. Yet, when Virginia voted to split along with the other southern states, Lee, who lived so close to DC, decided to resign his commission and offered his services to Virginia and ultimately to the Confederacy. Standing here so near and yet so far from the northern states, it was easy to see how families could be split by the war.

The old or original amphitheater is adjacent to Lee's home, and the lattice work is covered by wisteria, which unfortunately was barely beginning to bloom. There is a newer, larger amphitheater behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The area around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was (understandably) quite crowded as you can see, but once again the respect shown by the visitors was very obvious. 

We opted to take a short tour of the Lee home and took a later tram back to the Visitor's Center. The home and various outbuildings, including slave quarters, have been restored.





By this time it was nearly 1:00 pm, and we headed back to DC aboard the Metro. We opted for a different station that had a Safeway grocery store and several restaurants. One thing about DC is the incredible variety of restaurants. In fact, if I had to choose my favorite thing about DC, it would be a difficult choice for #1 between restaurants and museums. Perhaps it is a good thing that the two are not mutually exclusive so I guess that I will call it a tie... After lunch, the Admiral did some quick grocery shopping at the Safeway, and then we walked about 5 blocks back to Lucky Us.

When we got back on board, we both looked at each other and just collapsed... It has been a very busy time here -wonderful but busy.

For dinner, we chose to stay close by and go to the Asian fusion restaurant above the clubhouse for the Capitol Yacht Club. Believe it or not, Lucky Us is in this picture... (Hint: just left of center).






We really would be very happy to spend several months here, but even though we officially have no itinerary, we need to keep moving along on our journey. However, DC -we are putting you on notice. We will be back!

Day 2-162 Wonderful (long) day in Washington, DC

We started off the day about 9:00 am with a short walk to the adjacent marina that has a pretty good marine store. We needed to buy a replacement bottle of hydraulic fluid for the steering system. If you remember two days ago we had used up the last of our supply of hydraulic fluid to partially fill the reservoir. That additional fluid corrected the "sloppy" slow responding steering problem. However, we still need to add a little more fluid to make the reservoir properly filled.

Then it was off for a little museum viewing. The weather forecast for today indicated rain starting about 2:00 pm so we wanted to get an early start. First we walked about a mile to the National Museum of American Indians. We had been told that the best cherry blossoms in DC had been about a week ago but that the same storm that had delayed us in Norfolk had also blown away many of the cherry blossoms. Fortunately, there are still plenty of trees that seem to be in full bloom. Wow!

Well, the Admiral says that I am vain. She took this picture of me taking pictures so I just HAD to include it as well. In spite of me, these cherry blossoms are pretty as well...

Anyway, as you can see the walk to the museum was quite a beautiful trip.

Neither of us had been to the American Indian Museum before, and it was quite a nice experience. One of the first things that we did was to have lunch, and that was spectacular. They had four different serving areas with each one featuring a selection of foods from different nations/tribes. I had a squid ceviche and southern squash (butternut squash). The ceviche was outstanding! The picture on the right was taken from the top (fourth) floor looking down into a central area with three hand made boats. We saw a movie and toured several of the many informational displays/exhibits. Then it was off to our second (and as it turned out) final museum of the day.

Along the way we walked across the mall that extends from the Capitol Building to the Washington Memorial. If you remember, the monument suffered some damage during an earthquake several years ago, The scaffolding up the sides has been removed in only the past few days, but the monument is not yet open to visitors. The picture at the left is up the Mall toward the Capitol Building. The Washington Monument was about the same distance away directly behind me.

What was the second museum that we visited? Of all things, it was the Spy Museum. The Admiral wanted to see it, and well, Admirals do usually get their way. Actually, it was quite interesting. It was an eclectic mix of about half James Bond and had really spies and their tools of the trade. Cassette tape players really became a big thing around 1970, but it seems that spies had been using similar looking tape recorders for as much as 20 years before that. There were cameras of every size and shape, etc. There was also a fair amount of history of spying particularly during the 20th century. As stated earlier, there was also a lot of information about how James Bond worked as a spy, including this Aston Martin as seen in Goldfinger (and several other Bond movies I believe). One of the interesting factoids was that facial recognition software was used in a Bond movie about 20 years before it became readily available (for non-spies at least).

Then we headed back to Lucky Us for a little R&R before Lori picked us up for a really great dinner at one of those non-tourist restaurants that are known to locals. This final picture was taken as we said goodbye back at the Capitol Marina. Thanks Lori for a great evening!

Day 2-161 arrived at Capitol Yacht Club in Washington, DC

We left Hope Springs Marina at 8:20 am for a leisurely 47.5 mile trip to Washington, DC. I throttled back on the engines, but with a favorable 1.2 mph tidal current we still averaged about 8.3 mph in scattered clouds  with a breeze of 5 to 10 mph. Until we approached the DC metro area, we only saw a half dozen boats, and the scenery was magnificent. I was able to continue my "love affair" with ospreys. We must have seen a hundred today! Hard to believe that the first ospreys were sighted on the Potomac River near DC only about 20 years ago. We did learn more about these magnificent birds. A

couple of years ago, two osprey living under a bridge near DC were tagged so that there migration pattern could be observed. During the warmer months, there are abundant fish near the surface, but in the colder months the fish move into deeper water. When the readily available food supply vanishes, the birds migrate south. One went to the coast of Venezuela and the other went to the coastal margin of the northern Amazon Delta. With their low body mass and large wingspan of up to 6 feet, they are able to glide efficiently using thermals. According to the researchers, they can fly those long distances over water with one eye closed and half of their brain asleep to conserve energy???

Much of the shoreline was in a natural state until we got closer to DC. George Washington's home at Mount Vernon is about 16 miles by water from DC so there are houses nearby, but the view from the water is spectacular. Washington was a surveyor so he had much of this area, and as you can see, he chose a spectacular location. Partially hidden in the trees, you can see some of the many outbuildings that served the farm.

We also went by the Marine base at Quantico, which has a long sprawl of buildings along the riverfront. It is also home to training centers for the FBI and NCIS. Interesting, but not very scenic...

 

As we got closer to DC, the number (and size) of waterfront houses increased. Honestly, they were not all this big, but...

The first real sign of the approach to Dc is the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge for I-95. The clearance under the bridge is 76 feet, but it does open with 12 hours notice during a strange time period (low traffic) of midnight to 6:00 am. Fortunately, we cleared with about 57 feet to spare.

There is a fabulous looking area with the Gaylord Conference Center (and hotel, ferris wheel, marina, shops, etc.).We might try to check this out on the way back down river. The picture is just the hotel and conference center. The shops, etc. are off to the left (east).




As we passed under the I-95 bridge, we got our first view of the DC skyline.

I will be the first to admit that this is not a great photo. Starting on the left you see part of the Alexandria, VA waterfront, a water taxi with the Washington Monument in the background, a plane to the right of the monument (going in to Reagan Airport, and near the right side is the dome of the Capitol Building. The cluster of radar domes on the far right is a Navy research lab. The scenery just kept getting closer and better as we approached the Capitol Yacht Club near the Washington Monument. It has been a long side trip of about 125 miles to go to DC, but it is well worth the effort.

After docking and getting settled, we went off to meet our friend Lori and meet several of her work colleagues. Then we went off for a great dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Since leaving Texas about 2 months ago we had been going through withdrawal for Mexican food and this was definitely a treat. After dinner, we walked to the Capitol Building and toured just a little bit. Yes, this picture is a "selfie" taken in front of the Library Congress Building. After the short walk, Lori was kind enough to drive us back to the Marina. By then, it was getting late (about 8:00 pm), and both the Admiral and I were struggling to stay awake. Aaaah, sleep, wonderful sleep! A long, but wonderful day indeed.

Day 2-160 onward up the Potomac River

Yesterday I showed a picture of the narrow harbor channel into the marina. Well, this morning we faced a 15 mph wind blowing right into the channel as we departed. We left the dock and had about two boat lengths in which we had to turn 90 degrees to the right and directly into the wind to go out the channel. It turned out to be a "piece of cake" because...  I have been working on my slow speed maneuvering of Lucky Us. For docking and other slow speed maneuvering the mantra is idle speed, helm in centered position, use forward/reverse on the engines to turn. This is indeed true because the easiest way to get into trouble in close quarters is to "gun" the engines. However, there are times when the wind and/or current make it difficult to turn. What to do? The next stage in the learning curve is to begin to use the helm to increase turning rate. The propellers are in front of the rudders so when backing up, the flow from the propellers does not pass the rudders, but when going forward the flow from the propellers passes and is effected by the rudders.  Anyway a little turn of the rudders makes the boat turn faster, but if does not effect backing up. Anyway, I am still learning, and this more complicated approach is far from perfected. So, I will keep working on it until it feels "natural".

For the first 5 miles there were more small fishing boats trolling for Rockfish, and then suddenly there were no more for the rest of the trip. Obviously there was a change in something like salinity, bottom type (rock to mud?) or ???

Today's trip was 54.9 miles, which is a little shorter than the past two days, and mercifully, I got to sleep in a little. We departed at 8:40 am in light  southeast winds of 10 to 15 mph. The seas were only 1.5 feet or less depending upon the orientation of the river relative to the wind. The Admiral usually calls the next marina about 9:30 am, and after she got off the phone, she commented that the marina employee had mentioned several times that the railroad bridge adjacent to the marina did have 4 tracks going over it... Sure enough, the main north-south line for the CSX System runs over that bridge. In a very short time we saw two Amtrak passenger trains as well as numerous freight trains. This picture was taken up by the marina office, and Lucky Us is docked out at the end of the pier (about where my finger tip is along the left edge).

Being a (retired) scientist, I had to check out the noise level by taking a nap... No problem! Then it was time for a few jobs. We checked the level of the hydraulic fluid in the steering system and added several ounces of fluid. The fuel price was good ($3.699/gallon for diesel) so we added 197.8 gallons.

While we were at it, we pumped out the holding tank and added fresh water to the aft tank. The marina was closed early for the holiday so we did it by ourselves so the pace was pretty relaxed. The picture at the right shows us tied up at the fuel dock so all of the fuel, pump out, etc. was right along side. There is also a CSX freight train going over the bridge. I exchanged waves with several of the engineers. Great fun!

In all fairness to the marina, this is the view out the port side of Lucky Us. There are a few houses on the high hill behind the marina, but we never saw anything like a town although the address here is Stafford, VA. I mentioned a change in the fishing earlier, but while enjoying this view, I realized that the vegetation has changed from a few days ago. We do not see any of the tall southern pines, and the forest appear to be all deciduous trees, which are in the process of leafing out.



Tomorrow we hope to be in Washington, DC. Stay tuned...

Day 2-159 into the Potomac River

We departed Deltaville at 7:40 am (once again) and headed up the Chesapeake Bay to the Potomac River on our way to Washington, DC. Yesterday from Norfolk to Deltaville, we had travelled at our "high" cruising speed. This results in a higher fuel burn (duh?), but it also results in a higher than normal consumption of oil in the starboard diesel. Just for reminders, that diesel engine is the one that has not been re-built so the extra oil burn (and related smoke) is to be expected. However, I felt that it was worth it to reach our destination sooner given the sea conditions. The Admiral and I were both a little stiff this morning from a certain amount of "holding on" and also not moving around more than necessary.

Our run today was 59 miles at our normal cruising speed of 8 mph. Without touching the throttles, our speed ranged from 6.8 to almost 10.0 mph as the tide direction varied, our overall average was just about 8 mph for a trip of 7 hours and 25 minutes.

After 25 miles, we rounded the Smith Point Lighthouse and headed west into the Potomac River. Depending on how you measure it, the Potomac is as much as 12 miles wide where it enters the Chesapeake Bay. The wind was about 10 mph out of the north with modest 1.5 to 2.0 foot waves. About a half hour after rounding the Smith Point Lighthouse, we finally got into the lee of the north shore and the wind and waves dropped to "almost" nothing.

If you have some spare change, the lighthouse is for sale for $499,999.00. Beginning in the late 18th century, there have been a series of lighthouses, including the first one that was dismantled and moved further inland twice. This was followed by different lighthouses and lightships. The last one is built on a cast iron caisson sunk into the muddy bottom, and it is on the National Registry of Historic Places. It has four bedrooms and has been completely remodeled, new kitchen, bathroom and boat lift. If you like isolation, this could be for you...

Our final destination was the Coles Point Marina about 24 miles past the lighthouse. Coles Point is just past where the Potomac bends to head north toward DC. Along the way, there were a number of boats trolling for Rockfish (aka Stripers). The marina has a very good restaurant on site, and we ate dinner there. We lucked out since the restaurant just opened for the season as of yesterday. Guess what the dinner special was? This is the second time on the trip that I have had Rockfish, and it is very tasty!

We are now less than 100 miles from DC, but we still plan to do this in two days remembering that we have "no itinerary".

The marina has beautiful new floating docks for transients, and it also has a big sand beach and a large in ground pool that is, of course, not open yet. As I said earlier, the wind and wave conditions that we encountered in the Potomac today were quite good. Hopefully, these same conditions will prevail tomorrow morning for our departure since the channel into the marina is rather narrow.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable day, and to top it all off, the Admiral just took this picture of the sunset over the marina...

Day 2-158 onward toward DC - to Deltaville, VA

The weather predictions got slightly better over night, so we left the dock at 7:35 am on our way to Deltaville, VA about 59 miles up the west side of the Chesapeake Bay.

As we left the marina and rounded a bend to head north into the Chesapeake Bay, we passed the Nauticus Marine Museum and the battleship Wisconsin. The trip out to the bay then took us between Norfolk and Hampton Roads with more shipyards and naval bases.

We passed two more aircraft carriers and several destroyers as well. As we got closer to the Bay, we passed two destroyers from the task force for the USS Harry S Truman that was due into Norfolk today after a 9 month deployment. Shortly after we entered the Bay and turned to go more northwest, we could see the Truman as she was approaching Norfolk. In the picture on the left the aircraft carrier on the left is a super carrier like the Truman, but when you see one all alone on the open water it is a much more impressive sight...


Once we got into the Bay, the waves were slightly less than expected (1.5 to 2 feet) and over the next 30 miles the wind went down to less than 15 mph. It was not a great trip, but we were not holding on for dear life either.

We got to our marina at about 2:30 pm, which was sooner than expected thanks to largely favorable tidal currents. We borrowed the loaner car from the marina and went into Deltaville to take our used oil to a recycling center. While there we also went to West Marine where I bought a shirt and some throw away paint brushes. On the way back to the boat we stopped and got a pizza to go for dinner. Deltaville is a really small town, but it is a large boating center with many marinas. We chose Dozier's Regatta Point Yachting Center because we have seen it written up in several different boating magazines, and it really is quite nice with a pool, club house, etc. One of these days we are going to stay at a marina with a pool that is actually OPEN...
Tomorrow, the trip to DC continues...