October 28th- Belhaven NC 

After leaving Selby Bay Maryland ( and Solomons) we continued our treck down the Chesapeake Bay. Weather was cool but we had a consistent northerly wind every day which blew us in the right direction. There was a small craft advisory in place during much of our sail but conditions weren’t bad and Evergreen handled it well. Our diesel tanks were still full in Norfolk. 

Sailing on a cool fall day.

Sunrise (somewhere).

When we get to Hampton VA we often anchor near Ft Monroe / Old Point Comfort. There seemed to be an armada of masts in there. We decided to try a different anchorage in Willoughby Bay. We had good coverage from the wind and we were one of four boats in a large anchorage. 

The following days we pushed on through Norfolk, The Dismal Swamp, Elizabeth City, Alligator River, and the Pungo.

Big ships in Norfolk VA

The Dismal Swamp.

Full moon on the Alligator River.

That brings us to Belhaven. We’ve been in port to get a few things done. We also had a great lunch at The Mad Batter this afternoon. They always have a good “soup of the day” on the menu. Tomorrow we’ll be pushing on for points south. We expect to be in Carolina Beach for Halloween. We’re looking forward to a couple days of R and R in Carolina Beach. 

October 22nd- Selby Bay to Solomons Island MD

We just had the leftovers of last night’s  dinner. Chef Matt put together a great meal. This morning we reluctantly left Selby Bay marina for Solomons Island.

Today was an easy sail. The north wind pushed us down the bay. It’s getting a little colder around here. Lynne and I have all our winter gear out now. There seems like a decent weather window ahead for Evergreen to make some progress south.

Mill Creek, Solomons Island, Maryland.

October 19th- Chesapeake City to Selby Bay

Light winds out of the north today. We were able to pole our genoa out for some downwind sailing. It was a quick trip down the Chesapeake Bay to Selby Bay marina. The marina has good fuel prices and a loaner car. Owner’s Frank and Tracey are very welcoming. We have several friends here that use this marina as a home base.

Sunrise on the C&D.

Anchored ships on the Chesapeake Bay.

October 20th and 21st- Selby Bay Marina 

We’ve completed our projects and are getting ready to move again. We filled with deisel and food. I had a bunch of salty winter clothes so Lynne went to a laundromat to use a commercial machine. Tonight we’re having dinner at Frank and Tracey’s house with some other cruising couples. Duck, beef, potatoes, salad, almond green beans (our contribution), and good conversation, are all on the menu. Looking forward to dinner. Onward tomorrow. 

Evergreen at Selby Bay marina.

October 14th & 15th- Atlantic Highlands NJ to Chesapeake City MD

It’s always tricky planning our trip south along the New Jersey coast. The days and the weather windows are short this time of year. After checking the weather 1000 times we decided it was time to go. A small armada of boats left Atlantic Highlands for points south. Winds were light for parts of the trip and brisk at other times. We had some gusty north winds late into the night. We knew the wind switch was going to happen so were set up for it. Evergreen soared on into the night with our new genoa pulling us along. Eventually I had to slow the boat down as the steering was getting difficult and I didn’t want to break our autopilot (again). 

Sunrise at Cape May Light House.

The approach to Cape May was rough. We were concerned about what the sea conditions were going to be at the southern tip of NJ. It was beautiful. We had about 30 minutes of flat water and watched a nice sunrise. Then we hit the the standing waves and rough chop of Delaware Bay. If I was voting for “least favorite bay”, the award would go to the Delaware Bay. It always surprises me. We blasted into a wave as soon as we rounded Cape May and I got soaked. The whole boat had waves blasting over the bow. We sailed up the bay with these conditions until about noon on the 15th. The rest of the day was spent motoring up the bay and transiting the C&D Canal. Upon entering the C&D we had an unfortunate incident. We hit a 10′ log. Twice. We hit. It bounced somewhere and hit the hull again. We were not going slow. There doesn’t seem to be any prop cavitation so I think the propeller was spared. They made these old boats with thick hulls.

We wrapped up the voyage in Chesapeake City,  Maryland. We needed a break. It’s been a busy few weeks. 

October 17th- Chesapeake City MD

Shore leave in Chesapeake City. The Admiral and I have been dinghying into town for lunch at the Cafe on the Bay. We’ve also been going for walks and hanging out with boat friends. 

Last night was a little less relaxing for an hour. We had a small squall as a weather front pushed through. All the boats changed direction. Our friend’s boat was swinging into another boat. Then, we were swinging toward a boat. I decided to move as the other vessel didn’t have many options. Re-anchoring, in the dark, during a squall is not relaxing.

An hour later we were having an Italian dinner with a glass of Portuguese wine (thankyou Lynne).The wind died down but it rained for the rest of the night, washing off all of the salt from the Delaware Bay. The wine helped wash away the memories of the Delaware Bay. 

Halloween decorations in Chesapeake City MD

We visited the Chesapeake City museum. I found this portable drafting table interesting. 

October 13th- Port Washington NY to Atlantic Highlands NJ

Today we fueled up ($7.90 a gallon!!) and headed down the East River to New York City. It was busy on the water today. The water was a bit rough in Sandyhook Bay due to opposing wind and current. We anchored for the night in Atlantic Highlands. We’re prepping Evergreen for the off shore passage. 

October 11th- Port Jefferson to Port Washington 

Up again before the dawn. Favorable easterly wind moving us along the sound. Motor sailed until mid day to try to get ahead of the stormy weather. Eventually caught some of the rain before grabbing a mooring in Port Washington. Going to stay in port for an extra day to avoid the remnants of Hurricane Isaias.

Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning.

S/V Clara off in the distance.

October 10th- Fishers Island to Port Jefferson 

Finally,  a nice day for sailing! Not the whole day, but we sailed about half the day before the wind died out. It was the first time I got a good look at our new genoa. It was manufactured by Rolly Tasker in Thailand from my dimensions. I’m impressed with the quality. We got it a few months ago but hadn’t been out sailing. 

We left Fishers Island, pre-dawn and arrived in Port Jefferson around 3:00.

New Rolly Tasker genoa.

Evergreen with new genoa. Photo taken from S/V Mariposa.

October 9th- Block Island, RI to Fishers Island, NY

We stayed in port for a day as there was a small craft advisory. We toured Block Island a bit and had coffee with friends.

Today we had a short trip over to Fishers Island. We ended the day early due to adverse wind conditions and the approaching ebb tide. Tomorrow we’ll be set up to catch a flood tide up Long Island Sound. Light wind expected.

West Harbor / Fishers Island

October 7th- Dartmouth MA to Block Island RI

We left Padanaram Harbor at 4am like “thieves in the night”! It was pitch black but we know the local waters. Our early departure was timed to avoid the heavy Southwest wind predicted for the afternoon. We arrived at Block Island around 11am.

Sunrise over Buzzards Bay.

This is a place holder for the season. I might want to say a few things, maybe post a picture or two. We traveled from Dartmouth, MA down to the Bahamas again, I just didn’t write about it.