It’s been about a week since my last post. We’ve been putting some miles under our keel and taking pictures along the way.

October 24th- Solomons Island MD to Fishing Bay/ Deltaville VA

Today we woke to fog. We were really ready to get going since Evergreen had been sitting in Solomons for a while. Patience. Eventually the sun burned off enough of the fog that we had better visibility. The day turned out to be sunny and warm for our trip down the Chesapeake.

Foggy Solomon’s Island

We had an uneventful trip down to Deltaville. There wasn’t much wind so we ran the diesel engine all day.

We are right in the middle of a large pack of boats migrating south. This will be a common theme over the next week or so and an influence on where we anchor. In past years we have tried to stay ahead of the pack for some of the trip. Basically, many of these boats go to the Annapolis Boat Show. The Annapolis show is one of the largest on the East coast. We haven’t been to the show since we’re on a fixed (low) budget. Why look at expensive stuff we can’t really afford? Maybe someday we’ll stop at the show but we haven’t yet. I try to get ahead of it. We were ahead of the migration but it caught up to us in Solomons. We’re all moving about the same time due to the weather. The plus side of this is you have a lot of like minded individuals heading in the same direction. The negative side is all of these boats are filling the anchorages and marinas at the end of the day.

Normally when we go to Deltaville we anchor in Jackson Creek and dinghy in to the Deltaville Marina. We like both the marina and the adjacent restaurant. We could see a forest of boat masts in the creek with many vessels anchored outside the entrance. It just looked too full. Further up the Piankatank River is Fishing Bay. It probably added an extra hour to get up the river but the bay is big and well protected. There is a conveniently located marina for Ollie’s evening commando raid. Around 25 boats were anchored in the bay but there was enough room for us to drop the hook.

Some scenes from Fishing Bay.

Evergreen anchored on Fishing Bay.

October 25th – Deltaville to Old Point Comfort/ Hampton VA

We traveled down to the end of the Chesapeake today. What little wind we had, was “on the nose” so the engine did most of the work. We had a few choices for destinations lined up but after consulting with Rhiannon we decided that the anchorage at Old Point Comfort was big and we’d definitely find a spot. The sun was shining and Fort Monroe is a nice place for a walk.

S/V Rhiannon moving along at the entrance to Hampton Roads.

Fort Monroe.

Big fields make for an ideal Ollie exercise area.

October 26th – Old Point Comfort VA to Dismal Swamp Welcome Center NC

We had a nice night and had a couple of good walks on the point. Both boats crossed Hampton Roads and went up the Elizabeth River adjacent to the Norfolk Naval Base. While passing through we saw a huge navy ship being moved into a berth. They radioed me to stay clear. We stayed clear!

Big Navy ship on the move.

Less intimidating.

After passing Norfolk we had a choice of routes. We could take the canal at Great Bridge and Coinjock or go the Dismal Swamp route. We’ve been on the Dismal three times and have enjoyed it. Rhiannon has done it once and usually take the Coinjock route. We collectively decided to take the Dismal Swamp. I hope I didn’t over sell it. It did not go well. Evergreen had no problems but it was a different story for Rhiannon.

Lynne, on the lookout for logs.

The day went well for us. We saw lots of turtles and followed a great blue heron for a while.

Great Blue Heron.

Turtle. This picture was not enhanced. It’s just the reflection of the fall foliage on the water. It reminds me of Monet.

Along the way we hit a few under water logs and avoided others. We’ve hit logs before and Evergreen hasn’t sustained damage. There was no duckweed growing, which has been a problem in the past.

With only a mile or so to go, Rhiannon radioed us. They had hit a log and lost steerage. The rudder would barely move. We tied to the dock at the Welcome Center and prepared lines and fenders to “catch” Rhiannon. With great effort they were able to turn the wheel a little and tied up to us for the night.

October 27th – Dismal Swamp Welcome Center NC

Rhiannon found a diver to check out the rudder. The diver found nothing stuck on the rudder so that ruled out one possibility. We brainstormed different ideas and disconnected auto pilot and steering to try to isolate the problem. The rudder itself was completely jammed and may be due to a bent rudder post. Big problem. The boat needs to be hauled and the rudder removed in order to effect repairs. After a bunch of phone calls, Rhiannon found a towing service that would bring them back to a reputable yard in the Norfolk area (Atlantic Yacht Basin). Unfortunately, that is back up the canal to the north. We’re going to continue south and hopefully we’ll meet up later.

We spent the remainder of the day walking trails. Later we had them over for Chicken Parmesan and had a nice evening on the dock.

Evergreen and Rhiannon rafted up.

October 28th- Dismal Swamp Welcome Center to Elizabeth City NC

We untied from the Dismal dock around 10:00 to catch the lock at South Mills for 11:00. We said farewell (temporarily) to Rhiannon. Their Tow Boat would be at the dock in a couple of hours and bring them north to the other lock at Deep Creek. Unfortunately the string of bad luck wasn’t done yet.

We locked through at South Mills and continued down the Pasquotank River to Elizabeth City.

South Mills lock.

The Pasquotank

Our day was uneventful BUT Rhiannon literally ran into more problems. The canal is narrow so the tow boat had to side tie with them to keep control since they had no steering. One of the crew was on the bow of Rhiannon spotting logs. Rhiannon’s mast hit a tree causing a large branch to come down on the lookout’s head and shoulder. She had a large lump on her head and a possible broken shoulder. In addition to that problem, they were unable to get to the Deep Creek lock before it shut down for the day. A call was made in to the Coast Guard and a local Fire and Rescue squad met them at a dock to get her to a hospital for X rays. Some of what transpired we found out from a brief phone conversation. Later we heard a Coast Guard “Pan Pan” announcement on VHF 16 for a medical emergency on the Dismal Swamp. We felt so bad for our friends and helpless to actually do anything to help.

Evergreen anchored for the night at Elizabeth City. There are free docks but most looked full and the captain didn’t feel like hunting for a spot. Later we had good news. There was no broken bones or concussion. Injuries were limited to bruises and battered ligaments. Boats can be fixed but people repair is more difficult.

Some scenes from Elizabeth City.

Evergreen anchored off of Elizabeth City.

Sunrise. Another day.

October 29th- Elizabeth City to Alligator River NC

Evergreen continued down the Pasquotank River to Albemarle Sound. The Albemarle can be a cantankerous body of water but today it was sedate. We ended the day at the top of the river in a very remote spot. Did I mention remote? It was remote except for the 30 other vessels anchored around the area. We continued another couple of miles up the Alligator to our even more remote spot which is near a boat ramp. There was still another boat anchored near by. It was the first time we’ve seen anyone.

Some scenes from the Alligator River.

Ollie enjoying his evening commando raid. We watch for snakes. I wear big sea boots.

Evergreen anchored on the Alligator River.

Moon rise. The other little dot in the picture is Jupiter.

October 30th to 31st – Alligator River to Belhaven NC

The snow bird armada was up in the morning and proceeded down the Alligator Pungo canal. There was lots of communication on the VHF radio about various things. We had a south west head wind on the Pungo River but it wasn’t too bad.

We found out that Rhiannon made it to the boat yard and repairs were being scheduled. Hopefully they are back on track soon.

We ended the day in Belhaven. There are boats everywhere. We wanted to stop for fuel at River Forest Marina but all of the space on the fuel dock looked full. We anchored and decided to get fuel another day. The next couple of days look questionable so we’re going to stay here for a bit.

Today (Halloween) we went into town for a while. They have a large hardware store so I picked up a few things with a focus on combustibles. Propane, stove alcohol, charcoal briquettes, and lamp oil topped the list. It’s supposed to get cold so we’ll get the heat going in Evergreen. We then stopped at a bakery for lunch and had a bowl of beef vegetable soup. Good to have on a cool fall afternoon. Happy Halloween –

Happy Halloween.

October 16th- Chesapeake City to Wharton Creek MD

We left Chesapeake City around 11:00am to catch the current in the canal. Since we were getting a late start I planned for a short day. Next stop – Wharton Creek, about 25nm away. Today was a cold and grey day but the sailing was great. We managed to shut down the diesel and were able to make 7 knots under reefed main and full genoa. Evergreen really takes off when the wind is blowing in the right direction. While sailing along today I noticed a tear in the sail (genoa). I’ll have to get the sail down and make a repair when we get to a good location.

We pulled into Wharton Creek Marina for diesel and water. It seems like lately when I go to a fuel dock there is always a big power boat already on the dock and I have to maneuver Evergreen into a tight spot. I guess it’s good practice. Upon leaving we had to make a 90 degree turn to avoid the big boat. While we were able to completely avoid the big boat we did manage to have one of our new solar panels hit a pole on the dock. Lots of screeching noises but no harm done to the panel! We anchored for the night and enjoyed the peaceful spot.

Some scenes from Wharton Creek.

Evergreen anchored on Wharton Creek.

October 17th- Wharton Creek to Rhode River MD

We are going through fire wood and propane at an alarming rate. Hopefully the temperature warms up soon. Funny thing to say with winter approaching. 

Today we had another really good sail for much of the day. Later in the afternoon the wind died out and we fired up the diesel engine. Soon we’ll be in the ICW with less opportunities to actually sail the boat.

I have a new phone and the camera seems much better than the old one.

People ask, “What does Ollie do during the day?”

At the end of the day we anchored on Rhode River for the night. It’s mostly a nature reserve owned by the Smithsonian Institution. We were the only vessel at anchor.

October 18th- Rhode River to Solomon’s Island MD

We headed further south down the bay. Not much wind but we were able to ride the ebb tide which gave us an extra knot of speed.

We grabbed a mooring at Zahnisers Marina on Back Creek. Zahnisers is now owned by Safe Harbor. It’s a big company with marinas up and down the coast. Unfortunately they are raising all of the prices for moorings and dockage. This mooring is a little pricey but Solomon’s Island is a big stop for us. We’ve been away for almost a month and have a prodigious amount of laundry. We’re also low on food and booze. Zahnisers has a great laundry facility. They also have a shuttle that runs to the store. More importantly, they have luxurious showers. We will take many steaming, hot, showers while here!

October 19th through 21st- Solomon’s Island MD

The marina still has an old time feel but has upgraded it’s facilities. The laundry pile has been conquered. While working on that onerous task Lynne and Ollie met most of the people that live at the marina. The extra socializing makes for a very tired dog at the end of the day. He has also staked out an area for ball and frisbee.

Groceries/ beer/ wine= done.

I also made stops at Captain Smith’s Seafood and West Marine. Capt Smith’s has some of the best crab cakes we’ve had. I also bought tilapia and shrimp for future meals. West Marine provided a new rope block to replace the one that blew out and some sail repair tape.

Sail repair at Solomons

We’ve completed our projects but are staying in harbor for a few days to wait out some adverse wind. S/V Rhiannon has caught up with us and we will likely move down the coast together. Today we’ll head over and visit the crew. Ollie will be absolutely ecstatic to see them again.

Some scenes from Solomon’s Island.

View off the back porch.

October 10th and 11th- Atlantic Highlands to Cape May NJ

We finally have a weather window that is good for us to get down the NJ coast. The combination of tropical storms and fall/winter weather make for a balancing act. Add into the mix – there is less daylight every day. We’ve been into Barnegat Bay a few times but the inlet can be challenging if conditions aren’t right. Atlantic City is easy to get in but we’d have to leave Atlantic Highlands in the dark to make Abscon Inlet (AC) before night. Our choice was to do the NJ coast in one night. We’re not big on the “over night thing” so this choice was not made lightly. I’ve often said that we are day sailors, and I’m not kidding! Our next Port of call will be Cape May, down at the southern tip of NJ. This is roughly 115nm.

Atlantic Highlands. Breakwater in foreground. NYC behind.

We prepared Evergreen for the voyage and left Atlantic Highlands around mid-day. Traveling with us would be S/V Clara. We met the crew of Clara during our stop in the Highlands. Traveling with a “buddy boat” provides for mutual moral support and extra sets of eyes in the night.

The weather was perfect rounding Sandy Hook. It almost looked like we’d have some nice sailing down the coast. ALMOST. The wind died. Then it picked up and was coming from the southwest, which is the direction we were trying to head. The wind increased and the sea state worsened. We had all checked the various weather models and this wasn’t in the predictions. Making any headway was difficult. Evergreen has a lot of weight in the bow and has difficulty pounding into rough seas.

Clara pounding into the headwind.

Eventually, I tacked towards the shore looking for flatter water. We tried sailing but again had problems leading to a small tear in our genoa. Luckily by night fall the predicted weather models took over and the wind and sea calmed down. The conditions were clear and the rest of our trip down the coast was uneventful. This was our second over night sail and I think we’re getting better at it.

We arrived in Cape May around 9:00 am. Anchor down. Dinghy hoisted off deck and lowered into the water. Ollie to shore. Sleep. Later on we woke for eggs and potatoes before catching a little more sleep.

Sunset off the NJ coast.

Wildwood Crest. Good sign! We are approaching our destination.

Ollie prefers the beach over the North Atlantic Ocean.

October 12th- Cape May NJ to Cohansey River NJ.

Feeling somewhat rejuvenated, we got an early start to head up the Delaware Bay. In the past we have brought Evergreen up the Cape May canal and entered the bay. This time we decided to follow Clara around the tip of NJ. Last year we had a close call with a bridge and decided to try something new.

Heading out of Cape May inlet.

Cape May light.

Delaware Bay can be a rough patch of water but was beautiful today. We couldn’t make it all the way up to the C&D canal due to the tide reversal and opposing current so we stopped halfway up at the entrance to the Cohansey River. We’ve been here before and I know of a spot for Ollie’s evening commando raid.

Calm day on Delaware Bay.

Sunset at the Cohansey River. Seems like this place gets great sunsets. Maybe it’s due to the big nuclear power plant that’s near by!

October 13th- Cohansey River NJ to Chesapeake City MD

We had a quiet night at Cohansey. A few others were anchored in the area. We watched a couple of boats nearly go aground on the way out. The entrance isn’t tricky but the charts aren’t right about the depths. There is one safe way to get in to the river. Venture outside of the marked channel at your own risk.

Today the Delaware Bay was in a state that I have become used to. We traveled up the bay with the current but with a north wind opposing us. This makes for a choppy, wet, ride due to the wind against the tidal flow. We’ve seen it worse. It was unpleasant. It only lasted a few hours. Once we made it into the protected C & D Canal everything calmed right down and we were back to having a perfect day.

Flat water on the C&D canal.

We anchored for the night in Chesapeake City, right off the canal. It’s a calm, protected, spot with great shore access for Oliver. I think we’re not more than 25 yards from a dock.

October 14th Chesapeake City MD

Today is a grey and rainy day. It’s getting cold so I dug out the propane heater and prepared the wood stove. We were feeling like we needed some extra rest so today is a good day for it. To ward off the dampness Lynne just cooked up a batch of “everything soup”. This consisted of our leftovers in a broth. Heat up the broth enough to kill the mold and weevils. It’s a great lunch! Clarification – no mold or weevils were harmed in the making of this story.

View off the back porch in Chesapeake City MD.

October 2nd- Old Saybrook CT to Port Jefferson NY

Easy day today. The flood tide carried us up the sound. Some sailing in the morning then motoring in the afternoon. We anchored just inside the entrance to Port Jefferson harbor, near a nice beach. We didn’t go into town.

Some scenes from Port Jefferson

Ollie posing, Evergreen anchored in the background. Port Jeff

October 3rd- Port Jefferson to Port Washington NY

We traveled further up Long Island Sound to Port Washington. Today turned out to be a hot day. We’ve been racing to get away from the cool fall weather. Tried to get diesel but the fuel dock had a line. Grabbed a mooring for the night and we all went in for a walk. Normally we try to plan a few extra days in Port Washington but we’re trying to get down to NJ so we can meet up with some family.

Sunset. Port Washington NY

October 4th- Port Washington NY to Atlantic Highlands NJ

We left around noon time to catch the current down the east river. This is our 5th time on the East River. I am still mesmerized by NYC. We are often moving faster than the traffic.

Every time we go down the river I photograph this building. It started out as a shell of the factory.

Big barge going by.

Brooklyn Bridge

Liberty

There was a evening regatta in Sandy Hook bay.

We ended the day and anchored in the harbor at Atlantic Highlands. We’ll be here for a few days. We want to visit with family. We also have some weather blowing in so we’ll stay here until a window opens to get down the NJ coast.

Ollie is hiding. He does these things occasionally. Sometimes he’ll hide behind a tree.

October 5th to 9th – Atlantic Highlands NJ

There has been some challenging weather but we have enjoyed our stay in Atlantic Highlands. We met up with my Aunt and Uncle and went to visit my, 99 year old, Grandfather. He has followed this blog and we’ve often discussed the places that Lynne and I have sailed to. 

A visit with Pop.

On our Anniversary we got drenched with rain. Lynne and I went to shore with light rain gear and were completely unprepared for the amount of rain that was about to fall on our heads. Ollie didn’t like it either.

Upon our return to Evergreen we found our neighbor’s boat was entangled with another unmanned vessel that had drifted down on them. I kind of used the dinghy as a tug boat/ battering ram to help out. Eventually everything was sorted out and no damage was done.

Definitely a bad situation when a boat drags it’s anchor. Photo from S/V Clara.

Weather is improving. Time to move.

October 1st- Block Island RI to Old Saybrook CT

The last couple of days have been difficult. It was a constant onslaught of cold rain and wind. We spent most of our days in Evergreen. Every once in a while the rain would lessen. Ollie and I would bail out the dinghy and go on a quick commando raid. Generally it would start raining again during the process and we’d high-tail it back to the boat. 

We woke today to wind but no rain. Time to move! The forecast called for the wind to calm in the afternoon so that was a plus. Anchor up. Two reefs in the mains’l. Just a scrap of the Genoa out. We shot out of Great Salt Pond doing seven knots. Normally we are fair weather sailors but it felt great to get moving again. The wind was off the beam and our sails were well balanced. The autopilot,  Ray, did most of the steering. 

We didn’t quite make the fair tide at The Race. The Race is the entrance into Long Island Sound and there is a lot of water moving through on the ebb and flood tides. Around the same time the wind started to slow. The sails were unburdened and we pushed into the sound. By the time we were near Old Saybrook our sails were furled and we were moving along under power. We had some problems with our Yanmar diesel last season but all is well now. There was a lot of debris in the water due to the recent weather. We made it into Old Saybrook around sundown and grabbed a mooring.

Moving along.