July 17th & 18th- Atlantic Highlands, NJ to Port Washington, NY

The predicted rain never really materialized in the Highlands. The next few days are supposed to be very hot and sunny. Today was cloudy. Maybe it would be nice to go through NYC without the sun blazing down on me. We had a fair tide up the East River around mid day. We pulled up the anchor around 1:00 and headed to New York.

This trip has been such a mixture of different landscapes. I hope to get all of these pictures into some kind of book format someday. Lots of memories. I see New York City as being another very interesting landscape. Less than a month ago I was looking at cypress trees on the Alligator River and the Great Dismal Swamp.

The traffic on the River was good today. Just the usual mixture of ferries and water taxis. I mixed it up a little by taking the Brooklyn side of Governors Island (Buttermilk Channel). The United Nations has been abandoned so I was able to take the Manhattan side of Roosevelt Island thus avoiding the draw bridge on the other side. We hit close to 10 knots in the vicinity of Hell Gate. Easily our fastest speed on the entire trip.

Scenes from New York Bay and East River.

First bridge. The Verrazzano Narrows Bridge.

I noticed this ship was sitting very high on the water probably because it was unloaded and empty. I wondered if they need to fill it with cargo to get back or if they take on some kind of ballast.

Brooklyn.

One World Trade Center and the financial district.

Governors Island.

The scale of everything is amazing.

Schooner in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Bridge.

Manhattan Bridge and One Manhattan Square.

The shell of an old factory?

I saw this sea plane take off. Must be an exciting job.

UN building.

Not sure what building this is. It reminded me of the monolith in 2001.

Ruins on Roosevelt Island.

Queensboro Bridge.

Last bridge. Throgs Neck Bridge.

Stepping Stones Light.

Long Island Sound.

We had dinner while underway and picked up a mooring in Port Washington (Long Island). We’ll stay here for a while to resupply and rest. The temperature is supposed to hit near 100 degrees F for a few days. Back in the heat. I think we’ll be jumping off the back of Catalpa frequently.

Incidentally, we passed the 10 month mark the other day.

Catalpa moored in Port Washington.

July 14th- Cape May to Barnegat Bay, NJ

We kept looking at the weather and wind directions on the NOAA web site. I still didn’t have a firm plan on when to transit the New Jersey coast. It’s about 110 nautical miles through the North Atlantic Ocean with NJ as a lee shore. We had some problems on the way south and I didn’t want a repeat. In the end the decision was made by the power boats in Cape May harbor. Too many wakes. The commercial fleet starts heading out at 2:00 in the morning. Catalpa was bouncing all over the place with the dinghy slamming into the stern. Time to go. We wouldn’t have any consistent southerlies for a few days but I figured we’d just deal with it.

Atlantic City on the horizon.

Hello Atlantic City. Goodbye Atlantic City.

The wind was out of the north (maybe a little NNE). A boat has to travel northwest to get around Atlantic City. We were able to sail and also used the diesel to keep our speed up. We got to Atlantic City and just kept going.

About half way from Cape May to Sandy Hook is Barnegat Inlet. The inlet is good if the sea is calm. It’s very dangerous if the North Atlantic surf is up. In our travels, everyone I’ve spoken to avoids it. This was my second time surfing in the inlet with Catalpa. The wind was less than 15 knots, so not bad. The anchorage is ideal. Very protected. Lots of room. Scenic. Quiet. Of course there is a nice beach for some Oliver festivities. Later in the day the wind switched to southeast and pushed us along. We dropped the hook around 7:30 pm. Today was roughly 66 nautical miles.

Barnegat Light.

July 15th and 16th- Barnegat Bay to Atlantic Highlands, NJ

We woke to a wind coming out of the North again. Not the right direction for us. All of the weather prognosticators predicted the wind to switch to East. East makes for waves but the wind speed would be lower after the switch. I tied a reef in the mains’l before pulling the anchor up.

Going out of the inlet was exciting. We had an ebb current pushing us along. The waves were bigger today. We had A LOT of green water blasting over the bow. If we had any leaks we’d know about it. I rebedded most of the deck hardware a few years ago. No leaks. After we were out, we heard over the VHF radio that there was a 20′ power boat up on the rocks. Eventually they got themselves off.

We started tacking our way north along the NJ coast. Once I was oriented to the wind and wave situation I started doing some real sailing. Lynne brought up our little transistor radio and I tuned into some NJ rock station. Four tacks later, we were even catching up to another sailboat that was just powering into the waves. It was fun. I never did get to catch the other boat as the wind started to change on my last big push. Around mid day the wind moderated and came out of the East as predicted. By the end of the day we were running the diesel to keep up our speed. The sea still had some good size waves which knocks the wind out of the sails when the breeze is not strong enough.

We rounded Sandy Hook and brought Catalpa up to Atlantic Highlands to anchor for the night. Today was approximately 52 nautical miles (counting the trip up Sandy Hook Bay). We were pretty tired but felt good about transiting the NJ coast in 2 days (without mayhem). Some people do it in just one long overnight sail. Hey, we’re day sailors! Two days is good for us.

Today, July 16th, we’re staying anchored here. The captain and crew are tired from the trip. We also need to find water, ice, bread, and maybe a few gallons of diesel. This morning it was 70 degrees. We were a little cold. I feel like we are back in the Northeast again. We may go up the East River tomorrow or anchor at Sandy Hook. There is also a possibility of rain. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Asbury Park.

Back amongst the ships. I wonder what size anchor he has?

New York City to starboard.

Catalpa anchored off of Atlantic Highlands.

July 12th- Chesapeake City, MD to Cohansey River, NJ

Due to the tropical storm we spent 2 extra days in Chesapeake City. We wanted to let the Delaware Bay calm down a bit. I studied the tide and current charts for the C & D canal and Delaware Bay. We had a pretty effective plan for riding the current to our destinations which, to my surprise, worked.

Our first stop was the Cohansey River. We anchored in here on our way south. The river’s main attraction is it’s about half way down the bay and it has a little island I can land Ollie on. Unfortunately it also has giant Greenhead flies. Screens up! Fly swatter out! We mostly stayed in Catalpa.

Goodbye Chesapeake City.

Bridges on the C & D.

I hate giant flys.

The evening commando run. This shack is on the island.

July 13th- Cohansey River to Cape May, NJ

We were up early to catch the ebb current down the bay. The anchorage near the island was deep. I get a good workout cranking in almost 200 feet of anchor gear.

Sunrise.

Catalpa anchored on the Cohansey River (at sunrise).

We made it down the Delaware Bay to Cape May in good time. The wind was light but we had the current working for us.

Entrance to the Cape May canal.

The Cape May anchorage is over a mile from anyplace to land the dinghy for shore leave. We’ll likely just stay on the boat for this stop. There is a beach off the back of the boat. It is owned by the Coast Guard and is off limits. There were rumors of a scraggly looking grey Border Collie running on the beach.

View off the back porch.

The Coast Guard facilities.

Lots of boats passing by the anchorage on this sunny summer day (and lots of wakes).

Next stop, Atlantic City. I find the New Jersey coast to be difficult. It’s basically open ocean. Most of the inlets are difficult to get into if there is a weather issue. We are looking at the wind directions over the next few days and trying to find a few good days to get up to New York. The wind doesn’t always cooperate. With a little luck, we’ll make Atlantic City tomorrow.

July 8th- Annapolis to Worton Creek, MD

We made our way further north on the Chesapeake Bay. The heat is oppressive. Our little fans and cockpit awning make life bearable. I can’t use the mains’l with the awning up but, then again, there isn’t much wind to fill the heavy sail.

Around 1:00 the tide began to ebb and the current started to turn against us. I didn’t want to battle my way up the C & D canal again. Off the starboard bow was Worton Creek and that’s where we ended our day.

It’s a nice hurricane hole. Maybe a bit too protected for these hot days. There are two marinas on the Creek which have many sailboats moored and at docks. We anchored in front of the Worton Creek marina for the night. It was a quiet evening. Mostly just jumping fish and Ospreys for company.

Worton Creek Marina.

Fish trap?

I believe this is a Bristol 35.5. We may be looking at a few of these up north.

July 9th and 10th- Worton Creek to Chesapeake City, MD

We woke to fog for the first time in a long time. I almost forgot about that particular weather state (very common to New England). We docked at the marina for diesel and were on our way up the bay to the C & D canal.

We had the current with us. This is the theme for the next few days. The C & D and Delaware both have strong currents. We’ll try to use the tide to move us along and stop for the night when it runs against us.

Tonight’s anchorage is Chesapeake City on the canal. Engineers Cove is a great anchorage for getting Ollie to shore. We stopped at the Tiki Bar on our southerly migration. The pizza is good. It was absolutely packed with people this time. Wait staff were clad in masks and gloves. Patrons were not. Did I say it was jam packed? We got pizza to go. The takeout window was isolated from the rest of the place. We had our first Chesapeake crab pizza.

C & D Canal.

Chesapeake City.

Today (Friday July 10th), we are spending an extra day in Chesapeake City. Tropical Storm Fay is skipping up the coast and dumping a bunch of rain on us. Catalpa is getting a good wash down. We are even washing our sailors’ slops (clothes) in a bucket.

July 6th and 7th- Solomons Island to Annapolis, MD

We hope everyone had a nice Fourth of July weekend. We did a little grilling, a little swimming, had a few beers, and watched fireworks over the harbor. Some were so close that we actually had paper fragments, from the rockets, on the deck. There were no official fireworks but many locals just launched pyrotechnics out of their backyards.

The Fourth at Solomons Island with an almost full moon.

On Monday we left Solomons early for the trip to Annapolis. Annapolis is one of the sailing capitals of the world. We had to cover a few miles to get there but I was determined. To start our day we had almost no wind and current running against us. It was looking like we were going to get there pretty late. Then, a small south wind came up directly behind us. I have this pole (reaching pole) that I almost never use. By using the pole the genoa sail has a better angle for picking up a following wind.

I once used this pole to attempt to sail through the Cape Cod Canal. Don’t attempt to sail through the Canal. It’s not legal. The Coast Guard will persuade you to turn your engine on. They actually chased us down in some sort of gun boat. I didn’t hear my radio but they had a bullhorn.

I set up the pole and Catalpa picked up some speed. The wind increased and we gained more speed. Our prospects for making it to Annapolis (in a reasonable amount of time) were looking much better. The reaching pole works great. I should use it more often. We sailed up the Severn river and grabbed a mooring in Spa Creek. I’m glad we were able to sail to the sailing capital of the Chesapeake.

Not much wind here. Later, we were plowing along at 6 knots.

Our mooring is right off of the harbor canal called Ego Alley. Big boats parade around. We are in the center of it all. I have to say that Annapolis is a terrible place to be during a pandemic. There is so much to see and do. There are restaurants, bars, tour boats, galleries, and shops. All easily accessible to the various dinghy docks scattered around town. We are trying to be careful and avoiding all of it. I’d like to come back someday and spend some time here. How often have I thought that since coronavirus has become a part of life?

Some scenes from Annapolis.

Ego Alley.

Ollie likes it. There are many ducks around that he would love to chase.

Maybe I could get a job chasing ducks?

This yacht was so big I couldn’t fit it all in the picture when it cruised by.

The mid day temperature has been close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. We have a couple of fans to help move air around the cabin. We ate dinner in the rain to cool off last night.

Much appreciated rain approaching.

Sunset in Annapolis.

July 1st- Jackson Creek, Deltaville to Mill Creek, VA

We filled up with diesel, water, and ice at the Deltaville Marina and departed Jackson Creek. Today we planned on traveling a short distance due to a late start and the oppressive morning heat. This plan worked well. What started as a calm morning turned into a stormy afternoon.

Calm. Nothing but fog and haze.

Here we go again. Squall.

For us, this particular squall wasn’t bad. It was mostly a heavy rain event. Visibility was limited but even that improved in half an hour. Other portions of the Chesapeake must have been worse as there was a lot of communication with the Coast Guard over CH 16. The wind picked up after the storm and I was able to sail much of the way to our destination.

We headed up the Great Wicomico River to Mill Creek. This is a nice, secluded, anchorage with a convenient little beach to land Ollie.

Catalpa anchored on Mill Creek. Lynne hanging out the foul weather gear to dry.

July 2nd and 3rd- Mill Creek, VA to Solomons Island (Back Creek), MD

With Fourth of July weekend fast approaching I wanted to put Catalpa in a convenient harbor for the weekend. Even when we are up in Buzzards Bay, I very rarely go out on The Fourth. Too many alcohol fueled weekend warriors driving boats.

Today was forecast to have a light and variable wind. The wind gods decided to give me a North wind all day. We are heading north. It turned into a long, slow, day of powering into the wind and the choppy Chesapeake Bay. By the time we got to Back Creek, Zahnisers Marina (our destination) was closed. We anchored out in the Creek and moved onto one of their moorings in the morning.

Solomons Island is a sailors haven. Boats are everywhere. Zahnisers is a nice marina. We have easy access from our mooring. They have a big pool for Lynne. They also have a restaurant and poolside bar. Unfortunately both are closed due to covid-19. The bathrooms and showers are private and luxurious. We were greeted by the new dock master, Mary. She was the dock master down at Lady’s Island Marina, in South Carolina, when we were there. She just recently took the job up here in Maryland. She’s a dog person and was happy to see Olliver.

We are here for the weekend. Maybe we’ll have some fireworks tomorrow night. Coronavirus may have put a damper on that. We are seeing more people with masks. I often forget one and need to be more careful. We try to spray everything with sanitizer.

Some unsanitized scenes from Solomons.

The metal sheds all store boats under them.

The Drum Point lighthouse is getting some work done. It’s located at the Calvert Museum (closed).

Catalpa moored on Back Creek/ Solomons Island

Sunset at Solomons .

June 30th- Jackson Creek, Deltaville VA

We are still drifting around in Deltaville. I wake up in the morning and think about moving on but time goes by and we are still here. Maybe tomorrow. The weather has been hot and still. The living here is easy. Lynne has been spending time at the pool. We did manage to motivate ourselves to borrow the marina car today. A run up to the local fish market scored us some halibut and Key West shrimp for dinner. Another stop at the Deltaville market scored us some other fresh goods and beer.

That’s the news from Deltaville.

It’s too hot for a dog to go running so Ollie turns into a seal.

A nice sunset on Jackson Creek

June 27th- Hampton, VA to Jackson Creek, Deltaville VA

Hampton is a nice city. It would be easy to spend more time. We met a few cruisers that decided to make it their permanent land base. It was a lot quieter than it was in the fall. They have just started to reopen things. A few restaurants were open with well spaced outdoor seating. Employees all seemed to be taking precautions with masks and gloves. We haven’t been eating out but the smells enticed us. Per a recommendation, we went to Goodies deli and bar for a takeout lunch. I had a fantastic Ruben sandwich. Lynne had a BLT with about 10 pieces of bacon on it. We rolled ourselves back to the boat when finished. While in town we also picked up fresh donuts for breakfast. Not exactly health food but decadent.

Traditional fishing boats- I read something about the round stern being easier to drag nets over (by hand). In this case it’s probably aesthetic. I guess the third son didn’t go to Hampton University and decided to dredge for oysters.

Hampton- Laundry day is exhausting but the air conditioning is pleasant.

This was his perch while I was gorging myself on a Ruben sandwich.

Catalpa is a Cape Dory 28 sailboat. This Cape Dory 10 was the first boat they built in Taunton MA. The rower was a wonderful man who has done a lot of sailing in his life.

Departure from Hampton Roads. Onward! I specifically wanted to leave today due to a southwest wind and the prospect of actually sailing. Catalpa sails much better when she isn’t loaded up with so much cargo but we make due. At one point I was still able to get close to 7 knots. Ray, our autopilot, is overwhelmed at times like this so it’s all hand steering.

Our destination for the day was Jackson Creek. We like the Deltaville Marina. They have showers, ice, diesel, and just about everything else a salt brined pirate needs. I’ve got some electrical work to do. Ollie has a nice frisbee field to conquer. The boatyard has a swimming pool and Lynne is planning on anchoring in it.

Some scenes from Deltaville. This is a travel-lift. It’s used for hauling boats.

They’ve planted two big gardens.

Chesapeake fishing sharpie.

Catalpa anchored in Jackson Creek, Deltaville, VA

We are going to stay here for a few days. I realized that if I kept pressing on I’d be in NJ or NYC on the 4th of July. I’m still debating where we “should” spend that holiday. I’ve heard all of the fireworks have been cancelled, so maybe it doesn’t matter. We don’t have an itinerary for the Chesapeake. One possibility is Annapolis. On our fall migration we stopped at Solomon’s Island. Solomon’s was a favorite so that’s another possibility. Maybe both?

June 24th- Douglas Landing, Great Dismal Swamp to Hampton River, VA

We enjoyed our evening at Douglas Landing. There were biting insects but not as severe as the Alligator River. Ollie enjoyed the easy land access.

Another long walk before departure.

One more picture from the Alligator River.

Both of us are still fascinated by the Dismal Swamp Canal. Today proved to be a fun and educational day.

After a couple hours of motoring along we made it up to the northern extent of the canal. There is a drawbridge and Deep Creek Lock. The lock keeper operates both. We had about an hour and a half until the lock would open. We tied up to a bulkhead at the bridge.

The lock keeper at the South Mills Lock was a man of few words. Deep Creek lock is another story. Part of the whole Dismal Swamp experience is meeting Robert, the Deep Creek lock-keeper. Upon tieing to the bridge bulkhead, he informed us of the lock schedule and the location of a Food Lion (grocery) about 100 yards from the dock. Steak and ravioli marinara for dinner tonight!

Deep Creek Lock

Tieing to the bulkhead. The water is up. We have to “lock down” around six feet.

Going down.

Lock keeper’s shack. Conch shells everywhere. We’ll bring one back someday.

We were the only boat in the lock and not in any kind of rush. Robert has been working as the lock keeper for over 25 years. He gave us some ice cold bottled water. We talked about the conchs for a while along with the finer points of making a horn. Not only is he a very skilled conch horn player but he is a knowledgeable historian of the canal. I didn’t even know you can get different notes from a conch horn.

Robert: “Ask me anything about this canal.”

Normally the lock takes about 10 minutes. I believe we were in there for an hour. We learned about the history of the canal and the Dismal Swamp. The swamp was much larger and there were multiple canals criss-crossing the area. The canal had six locks before it was deepened. He gave Lynne a book about the old stone mileposts they’ve been finding. Eventually we had to depart but we have a list of questions for our next locking. We hope to see Robert again.

Our next portion of the trip was through Norfolk and the Navy shipyard.

Last drawbridge for a while.

This big ship went by. It had Moldova on the stern but it’s registered to Liberia.

More mothballed cruise ships. These were all Norwegian.

USNS Comfort. Mercy class hospital ship. Recently in NYC due to covid-19.

Next we crossed over Hampton Roads, then up the Hampton River to our anchorage. It’s good to be back in the Chesapeake. We’re going to get some R&R in Hampton for a day or two. It’s much quieter here compared to the Fall migration.

Catalpa anchored on the Hampton River.

Hampton Maritime Center

June 21st- Belhaven to Alligator River, NC

We had a productive few days in Belhaven. Squalls are still ripping through the area but they tend to last only an hour or so. We needed to fill our propane tanks. R & S 66 Services is the cheapest anywhere. Lynne ventured up to the Dollar General for a few food items. Before heading out we docked Catalpa at River Forest Marina for diesel and ice.

Belhaven Squalls.

Belhaven’s unique wooden seawall with River Forest Marina in the background.

We then spent most of the day on the Alligator – Pungo Canal. On the way south we transited this area with many other vessels. Today we saw only three.

This bridge seems to be in the middle of nowhere.

The Alligator River is beautiful. After completing the canal we decided to go off of the ICW and go further up the river for the night. It is surrounded by the Alligator River National Wildlife Preserve. Remote doesn’t begin to describe it. We anchored Catalpa in some charted deep water. As always, the choice was due to there being a boat ramp (down another crazy canal) somewhat nearby. In this case “nearby” was over a mile away. The rest of the banks are swamp so it’s a priority to find a spot for Ollie.

A buoy. We must be on the right track.

After hitting a few underwater stumps and being eaten alive by insects, a boat ramp.

A happy dog. Not that happy. The bugs drove us nuts. He was like a Tasmanian Devil.

A few morning scenes from the Alligator River.

Catalpa anchored on the Alligator River.

June 22nd- Alligator River to Elizabeth City, NC

Due to the remoteness of the location the stargazing was amazing. Unfortunately due to the shear volume of insects the stargazing lasted about two minutes. Even covered with bug spray, they still swarm. Sometimes they just bounce off of you. I’d need a space suit if I was living out here. We were going to anchor again on the Alligator tonight but the insect population won. We have to exit this river.

With Catalpa still being swarmed by bugs, we went down the river and out on the Albemarle Sound. The breeze came up. The sail was unfurled. The bugs left. We had a great crossing. Next up, the Pasquotank River.

I guess this guy didn’t make it.

I kept watching the clouds build and get darker. Catalpa raced up the river toward Elizabeth City. Eventually we realized we weren’t going to make it. We furled the genoa and got out our foulies, lifelines, and life preservers.

When the first squall hit, Catalpa heeled way over from the wind (with no sails up). What a gust! The rain came down. Eventually the wind wasn’t as intense but the lightning made up for it. Riding a lightning rod, in the middle of a big river, during a storm, can be intense. We made it up to Elizabeth City and a wet, rattled, captain dropped the hook for the night. We had more storms but were protected this far up.

One more storm around sunset.

Sunset and a downpour.

June 23rd- Elizabeth City, NC to The Great Dismal Swamp, Douglas Landing, VA

Coffee, curry egg rollups, start the diesel, up anchor.

We had a quiet, peaceful, night. We started the day with the Elizabeth City bridge.

A few more of Elizabeth City.

An old railroad bridge.

Further up the Pasquotank. Into the jungle.

Notice the chair.

The admiral on watch. Scanning the jungle for wildlife.

The lock at Smith Mills. We are inside of it. It’ll raise Catalpa 6 feet. There is some knotweed but it’s nothing as compared to the fall journey.

Onward to The Great Dismal Swamp.

We crossed into Virginia.

On our southern migration we spent the night at the Dismal Swamp welcome center. We’d heard about Douglas Landing from another cruiser. We decided to tie up there for the evening.

Lynne and Ollie getting some exercise.

Catalpa docked at Douglas Landing.